In our house, leftovers can be a reason to celebrate! Have you ever ate something and exclaimed that you could eat it every day? Well, why not at least go for two? Don't get me wrong. There are some things you don't care to eat two days in a row, but in general, we are not a picky household and leftovers of a good meal are always welcome.
Sometimes I even plan for them! Certain dishes just make sense to prepare enough for two meals. If you're spending the time and energy in the kitchen anyway, don't bother cutting the recipe in half. When we were first married, my Grandma offered some advice in caring for a home and cooking for two. I grew up with twelve siblings, so cooking for two wasn't just a cut-amounts-in-half sort of adjustment. Thankfully I transitioned fine and we never had an overabundance of leftovers in those first few months. One of the tips Grandma gave me was don't cook for just one meal. Make enough for two and either freeze the other half or refrigerate as leftovers. It saves a ton of time in the kitchen that way! But to go along with that, she recommended only serving enough for one meal. If those seated at your table have to look at a full dish of food, you'd better expect them to want to try to eat it all, even if they have already had enough to be satisfied. There's a psychological reason for it somehow. It's the same reason that caterers don't have ALL the food out when the first people get in line. They'll see there's an abundance and help themselves to a feast, only to have the last in line have to pick through what's left. Make sure you serve plenty to your family though, and don't skimp for the sake of leftovers and one less afternoon in the kitchen.
I'll have to share the recipe sometime to one of my favorite dishes to make double. It's a macaroni skillet casserole. It's a one-pot eeeasy, quick dish that is loaded with goodness. It was love at first bite for both of us. The way the recipe works I would've had to split several pints of canned goods in half to make enough for one meal, so it was less work to do the whole thing. Another bonus of this dish is it tastes even better the second day! There are plenty of dishes that do, as an overnight stay in the refrigerator is enough to blend the flavors for a fuller taste and enhanced greeting to your palate.
When serving leftovers, try to make them pleasing to the eye and not a boring second-day meal. Leftovers aren't always the most visually appealing and I think that could be a reason some aren't fond of them. We as a people often choose our food and eat based on appearance, though a mighty flavor can live in a plain-looking dish. If it's a meal with cheese, try adding a fresh sprinkle to the top before serving! Or add some parsley so you have a little bit of fresh green color to your plate. Be creative and think of how you would want your meal to be delivered to you.
For a recap of yesterday, I spent all afternoon hanging out with my husband at work and didn't return home until supper time, and around three minutes before my husband pulled in the drive after me. That's enough to make an unprepared wife panic. But leftovers came to the rescue! I kind of felt bad, but there was plenty of baked beans and potato salad left from the night before. Not to mention all that ham! As I reheated the beans I was trying to come up with a new way to prepare the ham or else find a new way to get some protein so it wasn't a carbon copy of the previous night's meal. Then hubby walked in, snagged a bite of his beloved potato salad, and asked what was for dinner. Instead of crumpling into a heap at his feet, he saved the day for me. He was looking forward to more ham! So our meal was exactly the same, and we enjoyed every last bite!
Food tip #2: Save time - don't cook for just one meal.
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