March 13, 2020
Friday
yikes.
I foresee an awful lot of us in an awful lot of places bunkering down at home.
in our immediate area all everything has halted -- schools, sports, gatherings of every kind --
have all been cancelled.
The good news is that since I work in a school and won't be reporting in every day for at least a few weeks is that now I have even more time to write back to your emails!!
;-)
BUT. I am here, and so is your trusty crockpot -- and now is a great time to cook in bulk so you don't have to cook every day, and use pantry staples like rice and beans and that weird looking hunk of meat you bought on sale last year.
Here is a "rerun" email sent out last spring ---
lots and lots and lots of love to you and your family.
I think you are all wonderful.
xoxoxoxo
steph
I wanted to share this letter from Brenda I received with you --- because while cooking dinner and meal planning is FANTASTIC ---
sometimes you simply need to use up the leftovers in the fridge before bringing new food in to the house.
:-)
" Hi Stephanie,
Thank you for your website and books. I am happy that I am now cooking more than I used to but we are having a problem with leftovers.
My husband and kids really do not like leftovers and I don't want to throw food away or waste it.
Do you have any suggestions besides cutting recipes down that you can share with me?
--Brenda, Tennessee "
Great question!!
First off, if you find that your family regularly doesn't eat about half of the food that you make, I suggest immediately packing the leftovers into a freezer safe container or bag and tossing it into the freezer.
YES, I know it's a "leftover" but most families eat the same food each month and last month's texmex potroast dinner is just fine in a month or two, and doesn't have that "leftover" 2-nights-in-a-row feel.
This is also a fantastic way to build up a freezer stash so on a super busy day/evening you know that you already have a bunch of already cooked food you can thaw and quickly reheat in the microwave or on the stove top.
Also, I am a HUGE proponent of "repurposing" food. I am sure that at the end of the week you end up with lots of little containers in your fridge, full of roasted veggies, pieces of meat, and other odds and ends.
Although the food is considered leftover, when you toss it with new seasonings and sauces it becomes a COMPLETELY different meal!!
Trust me. This isn't cheating, this is ingenious.
:-)
Here are 10 of my Favorite Ways to Repurpose Leftover food to make completely new dinners:
