Reading: Mind Race by Patrick JamiesonWatching: Long Way Round
Listening: Midnight Express
Making Me Smile: Packing away the Christmas tree - it's the twelfth day of Christmas.
Okay, perhaps the 101 is... a slight exaggeration but with your help it might not be! Leftovers are some of my favourite meal starters! And with a fridge bursting at the seams with leftover goodies from the festive season, it’s a chance to flex the creative cooking neuron.
So, leftovers...
Vegetables – great in a frittata or in a bacon and egg pie with the lot. Or ditch the bacon and chop up some of that leftover ham instead.
Leftover ham is also excellent in fried rice. Turkey or pork would be great used this way, too.
Chopped up lamb and vegetables mixed up with a bit of leftover gravy make a very nice base for a homemade pie – or if you’re feeling even more creative, mash some potatoes (if they’re leftovers too then so much the better!) and make it a shepherd’s pie!
Too hot for cooking? Perhaps some of that ham could add pizzazz to a rice or pasta salad!
So what are your secrets for using up the leftovers?
Sharon
ReplyDeleteOur leftovers are just about gone still a bit of ham left and we have been having some nice ham and salad for dinner here and there and of course ham and eggs for Breakfast LOL.
I really need to get the tree packed away I will have to do that when I get home from work. I do love all the left overs but then it is always nice to get back to normal food as well after all the richness of the Chrissy food.
Have Fun
Helen
Sharon, that fried rice looks so yummy! I love leftovers -- particularly leftover pizza or leftover curry, both of which are SO delicious the next day. In fact, I'm having leftover curry for lunch. Yum!
ReplyDeleteOoh, count me in as another of the love-leftovers brigade. I still have two frozen pound cakes waiting to be used -- I overestimated the number of trifles I had to make this year. But pound cake, tinned peaches and a scoop of ice cream seems to bring a smile to a lot of people's faces :-)
ReplyDeleteoh I love using left over rice and veg for fried rice yum. I also quite often use rice (instead of bread) for a rice/bread and butter pudding. And have you noticed how trifle gets yummier the longer it sits =)
ReplyDeleteHI Helen
ReplyDeleteOur leftovers are getting a bit thin on the ground now too - some ham and lamb in the freezer in "day-sized" chunks for sandwiches.
Hey, I've just started to dismantle the Christmas tree and decorations, too!
:)
Sharon
Emily, I'm so glad you like the look of my fried rice! I feel like a bit of a dab hand at it now - I think the secret for me is the microwaved rice. It's such a perfect consistency! I remember having discussions with my dad - he was a great believer in the evaporation method on the stove top and even drying it in the sun before cooking if necessary. I was so excited when I converted him!
ReplyDeleteYum on your leftover curry!
:)
Sharon
Michelle, your leftover pound cake with the tinned peaches and a scoop of ice-cream sounds simple and delightful! I'm all for easey, easy, easy in the kitchen!
ReplyDelete:)
Sharon
Hey, Mel, another fried rice fan! Excellent, isn't it!
ReplyDeleteWith the leftover trifle it's the melding of the flavours and the extra sogginess of the sponge, don't you think? (licking lips) Of course, the microbiologist in me is always a bit cautious about the cream...
:)
Sharon
Merry New Year, Sharon!
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed by the mocha truffles. I can see why there weren't any leftovers!
After years of failing, I've finally mastered the risotto, but I always make too much. So I grate in some extra parmesan, form them into rissole shapes and pan-fry them. Fabulous for brekkie! Hmm, I'm hungry now..
Hey, happy New Year, Love Cats! May you all have a bonza feline time in 2011!
ReplyDeleteSharon, I had to smile (until I saw the thing about the mocha truffles and realized WHERE WERE MINE??!!!!)at the leftovers thing. On my normal day to day life, I don't get a lot of leftovers. I tend to cook a meal and that's it. I love it when I've got visitors and I stock up on all sorts of luxurious yummies and then my guests leave some yummies behind. Hmm, sounds like I should have you up here again just so I get a leftover binge! ;-)
Ha ha! I wondered where mine were too, Anna!
ReplyDelete;)
Happy new year Sharon! I love your leftover ideas and can quite see why no mocha truffles remained...
ReplyDeleteMy DH is the Christmas cook in the family and his marmalade glazed ham is in such demand that this year he had to make two--one for our Christmas Eve party and one for Christmas lunch with my cousins. That meant some leftovers but they are jealously guarded so that the ham lasts for longer than a couple of days. It's such a big hit with everyone I wonder why we don't make it for gatherings during the year--but then it would lose its "specialness" wouldn't it?
BTW, I'm with you on the microwave rice, what a godsend, especially the brown variety!
Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI love leftovers. Sometimes I think it's the main reason I invite people to dinner - so I can overcater and live on leftovers. We've still got ham here too but it's going. My fave recipe is for a fantastic, rich, gorgeous turkey curry which an English friend gave me. Do you think I could find it this year?
Merry New Year back to you too, Vanessa!
ReplyDeleteOooo, and serious yum on the risotto and the patties for the leftovers! What a brilliant idea!
:)
Sharon
About those mocha truffles, Anna and Vanessa - always VERY happy to make them for special visitors! Any excuse!
ReplyDeleteAnna, it must be time I came to visit just so you have an excuse to stock extra yummies with a view to leftovers!
ReplyDeleteLOL
Sharon
Kandy, the marmalade glazed ham sounds deeeeeelicious! Yes, you are right about the potentially losing the "specialness" if we made the goodies whenever we wanted to... but oh, so tempting, isn't it!
ReplyDeleteAnother yay for microwave rice!
:)
Sharon
Mmmm, Annie! That turkey curry - yum! I hope that recipe is just temporarily relocated and will soon be found! Sounds too good to lose! Though that's the problem with things on loose bits of paper, isn't it! I've put all my fave loose-leaf collected recipes in a ring-binder now so it's a bit easier!
ReplyDelete:)
Sharon
We polished off our leftovers pretty quickly. Christmas night we had the rest of the cheese platter (fruits, nuts and cheeses) followed by pavlova.
ReplyDeleteLike Emily, I'm a big fan of leftovers - esp pizza and curry. Can you guess what we ate a lot of when Emily stayed with me? =)
My secret is to put leftovers in the second fridge in the rumpus room, forget all about them for 4 months then curse myself as I scrap dishes growing mould and other not nice things. =)
ReplyDeleteRachel, you must have your Christmas quantities really well planned. I'm envious because I seem to either over-do the quantity or under-do it. I much prefer to over-do it and have the left overs that the embarrassing situation of how to "snap" roast some more vegetables!
ReplyDeleteI CAN guess what you ate when Em was there to stay! LOL
ROTFLMOA, Robbie! Those unidentifiable lumps of leftover in the fridge with their little fur coats are scary, aren't they! I've had my share of those - not so much now because I try to plan when each leftover is going to make its exit from fridge-dom!
ReplyDelete