We've all been there. Perhaps you have just cooked a huge holiday meal and are facing a refrigerator filled with leftover bits and pieces. It doesn't even need to be a post holiday refrigerator.
We all come face to face with leftovers from time to time and can feel a bit frustrated in how to reuse them in a delicious way that our families will enjoy.
We may even have family that refuse to eat leftovers. My father is like that. He says he doesn't like leftovers and won't eat them if he knows that is what they are.
Happily I am known as the Queen of Leftovers. There is no leftover I cannot turn into something which may even be more delicious than the initial meal! Seriously!
In a world where many go hungry and food waste is a huge problem, this is a skill we each need to learn to develop. I like to think that with my handy tips and ideas that can be a problem no more for you as well! Leftovers can be delicious too!
With a little bit of inspiration and not a lot of work we can all be good stewards of what we have been given as far as food goes. If you would like to be inspired to do better when it comes to using up your leftover or excess food read on! (If you are interested in some tasty recipes, scroll down)
Whenever you are faced with loads of extras, don't throw them out. Package them into some tightly closed containers, label and then either place them into your refrigerator or the freezer.
This goes for eating in restaurants as well. Always ask for a doggie bag, don't be ashamed to ask. You paid for it. Its yours.
Turn them into tomorrow's lunch. (or even breakfast) Leftover meats and cheeses can easily be incorporated into a salad or a sandwich. I love eating leftover pizza or pasta for breakfast.
Be inventive with your leftovers. Leftover meat or chicken stews make the most delicious pot pies. All you need to do is to reheat them and top with a pastry or some biscuits and bake in the oven. I can guarantee ain't nobody going to be turning them down!
For leftover meat, why not chop it fine or grind it up and use it just like you would use ground beef. I have done this many, many times and it is always enjoyed. In a lasagna or casserole, as a cottage pie, or even for hot sandwiches such as sloppy joes.
Leftover chicken or turkey is never a problem. Chicken is such a versatile protein, if you are like me you will never have a problem using it up. It works wonderfully in salads and casseroles.
Added to gravy it makes an excellent hot sandwich. Its even great on pizza.
We love it in tacos and enchiladas. Every time I cooked a turkey my family was drooling at the thought of the enchiladas I was going to make with the leftovers while they were still eating the holiday dinner!
Leftover fish? That is also not a problem. I often will mince it up, mix it with a cream sauce, or some mayonnaise and grated cheese, perhaps a bit of chopped onion or pickle. Spread onto biscuit dough (like a scone dough), roll it up slice and bake. This is excellent served with a cream or cheese sauce to spoon over. Or even as a side to a bowl of soup.
Leftover vegetables might be a bit more problematic, but if you put your thinking cap on there is no end to what you can do with them.
Potatoes are very easy to deal with. Who does not love fried potatoes, or hash. Just cube your leftover baked or boiled potatoes and fry them in a bit of butter with some onion. Perfect to enjoy with your breakfast eggs, or as a tasty side with dinner.
Leftover mashed potatoes? No problem. Add a bit of finely minced onion and maybe some meat or cheese, shape into patties or rolls, coat in egg and bread crumbs and fry in butter. If you shape and chill them really well, they cook a lot easier and won't fall apart.
Even if they do I can guarantee nobody is going to turn their nose up at golden brown buttery bits of fried potato, mashed or otherwise!
Bubble and squeak is the ultimate leftover vegetable dish! Its just a fancy name for vegetable hash. Just chop everything up, mix it together and then melt some butter in a skillet. Add the vegetables and cook, mashing everything down so that it covers the base of your skillet. Let brown and then carefully flip over to brown the other side. Delicious cut into wedges and served with a poached or fried egg on top!
Cooked ham is wonderful finely minced and then made into Deviled Ham. You can find my recipe for that here. I can promise you that it is incredibly delicious.
Its fabulous served on toasted baguettes or as a sandwich filler. Leftovers made delicious!
I also like to use leftover ham in casseroles. Its excellent stirred into scalloped potatoes or macaroni and cheese. We also enjoy it sliced and fried for breakfast with eggs. Finely chopped and baked in a Quiche it also shines.
Here are a few more ways to help to make your leftovers shine and starve the garbage can! My mother didn't call me the Queen of Leftovers for nothing!
Monday Night Supper
This is quite an old recipe for a delicious casserole you can make with your leftovers from your Sunday roast dinner. Beef, Lamb or Pork are lovely done this way, and you can also make use of any leftover vegetables you might have as well as leftover gravy.
Old Fashioned Baked Hash
Simple and incredibly tasty. Your family is sure to love this tasty combination of leftovers and fresh vegetables.
Leftover Meat Escallope
This delicious casserole makes great use of leftover bits of meat or poultry, vegetables, gravy, etc. A nice tossed salad on the side, and you have a delicious meal that everyone will enjoy and nobody will care if it is leftovers or not! I guarantee!
Greek Casserole
Almost like a lasagna, and a Greek Pastitsio, but using leftover cooked beef. If you don't have any leftover beef, you can use the equivalent in browned ground beef in its place.
Country Style Casserole
This tasty casserole makes good use of leftover cooked rice. Grated carrot, cheese, a good mayonnaise, egg, and some spring onion. Just stir together and bake for a delicious side dish that the whole family will love.
Ham and Cheese Casserole
A quick and easy way to use up bits of leftover cooked ham. With ham, cheese, noodles, and vegetables in a deliciously creamy sauce. With its crispy crumb topping, what's not to love?
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
A very family friendly casserole that is very easy to make. Cheese, cooked chicken, (or turkey) tortillas, enchilada sauce, etc. all combine to make a spicy, quick and delicious casserole that everyone will love!
Teriyaki Chicken and Rice
Teriyaki is one of my favourite tastes. You can call this fusion cooking. It is a combination of two of my loves. Fried rice and Teriyaki! You can make it with chicken or turkey, or even ham!
Hot Turkey Poutine
It's your favourite sandwich, but it's not a sandwich. It's poutine!
Chips, cheese, gravy, stuffing and turkey! This is soooo good, I often just buy a small turkey breast roast to cook just so we can have it. You don't get much better than this!
Turkey Hash
Cooked turkey, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, a bit of spice, some cheese and Bob's your Uncle. A bit spicy and very flavour-filled.
Cheesy Cornbread Turkey Pot Pie
Leftovers from your holiday meal, put together in a very delicious way. I love the cornbread biscuit topping on this fabulous casserole. You can also use chicken, or even a combination of chicken/turkey and ham. Delicious any way!
Proper Ham and Eggs
It doesn't get much better than this. Properly fried eggs accompanied with thick slices of ham fried in butter and toast soldiers. For breakfast or dinner, it always goes down a real treat!
A delicious soup with smoked ham, buttery soft cabbage, vegetables and a flavour-filled broth. The cheese dumplings on top tip it over the edge to heavenly.
Chicken And Ham Pie
This lush pie makes great use of cooked chicken (turkey) and ham. In a beautiful lard/butter pastry, that is in three layers rather than two. (Yes there is an extra layer of pastry in the middle dividing the chicken from the ham.) This always goes down a real treat and nobody minds that they are eating leftover at all!
Slow Cooker Potato & Ham Chowder
This is a hearty soup with beautiful flavours. You get the creaminess from the cream. Saltyness from the ham. Herbiness from the use of thyme and rosemary, and then lets not forget the garlic and the onion. Both are not only flavourful but very aromatic as well.
Broccoli & Potato Casserole
Ham, Leek & Potato Gratin
A tasty gratin that makes great use of leftover baked ham, boiled ham, or cooked ham hocks.. Its delicious! You can also use leftover potato in this, or cook potato specifically. Delicious any way you decide.
Salmon, Broccoli & Potato Gratin
Simple. Easy. Delicious. Economical. If you like Salmon and you like Broccoli and you are wanting delicious supper dish that goes together quick as a wink . . . this dish is for you! You can use tinned salmon or leftover cooked salmon, flaked. Fabulous any way. Pesto adds a special touch.
Broccoli & Potato Casserole
This delicious bake makes great use of leftover baked potatoes. In fact if I am going to bake some potatoes for supper, I always throw a few extra into the oven just so that I can make this tasty casserole the day after!
It never hurts to have already cooked potatoes on tap!
As you can see, leftover food need never be boring or lackluster. There is always a delicious way to present it so that everyone enjoys the leftovers just as much as they did the original meals!
I have pages and pages of leftovers on this blog. What I have shared today is only the tip of the iceberg. If you are wanting even more inspiration just put the ingredient you are looking for into the search option at the top of the page and see what comes up. I guarantee you will discover something delicious, or I'll eat my hat, and I am betting I could even make that taste scrumptious!!
Sometimes even I need additional inspiration on how to use up my leftovers. One site which I have found very helpful for that is Gumbo. You just pop your ingredients into the search window and it finds recipes that you can easily use them in. I love it! Reducing your food waste has never been easier.
Raspberry Jam Bars. These delicious oatmeal raspberry bars are something which I originally baked on the blog back in 2010, eleven years ago. I actually had not baked them since then! Hard to believe because they are incredibly delicious!
I wanted to bake my father a lush treat for Easter that I knew he would enjoy. He loves "jam" anything and there was a jar of raspberry jam in the fridge that needed using up so now was the perfect time to bake them.
Also my original photos are not very good. I didn't know a lot about food photography back then. I still don't but I wanted to redo my old photos and update the recipe a bit, so I hope you will humor me and enjoy this redo!
Don't you just love this cute Salt and Pepper Set? A bear and his honey pot!
It is a part of my sister's collection that she has for sale on Lost Lovelies Found. They are so cute. She has a wonderful eye for collectables.
The set consists of a little honey bee hive, decorated with ladybugs and this sweet little bear. He also had a ladybug on his cute little nose. They join together with magnets at the side, and are stamped Japan on the bottom.
So cute. Almost as cute as these lush bars. After baking these yesterday I couldn't understand why I had waited so long to bake them again.
With their moreish buttery oat and almond crust and topping, they are really very simple and quick to make. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool long enough so that you can cut them into squares!
They are a real favourite of my friend Monique's also. She has baked them many times since I first posted the recipe, always to accolades.
You don't have to cut them into squares of course. You can use metal cookie cutters to cut them into rounds, or diamonds or whatever shape you wish to cut the into.
This raspberry bars recipe is so easy to make and goes together in a flash. You don't need fresh berries for it, just raspberry jam.
You can have all the prep work done for them in 10 minutes. It doesn't get much easier than that. Easy peasy lemon squeezy as they say! (whoever "they" are!)
Perfect little buttery bites, filled with crunchy oats and toasted almonds, and sweet raspberry jam. A delicious two bite snack, perfection . . . in every way.
The crust/topping is simply butter beaten until light and fluffy with some soft brown sugar. Once you have that done you beat in a bit of vanilla.
Flour and soda come next. I like to sift the two together so that they are evenly mixed. There is also only a pinch of salt.
Finally you stir in a quantity of oats and flaked almonds. I use the large flake old fashioned oats for a wonderfully texture and wholesomeness.
Do NOT use instant oats. They will not give you the correct consistency and your results when baked will not be the same.
Flaked almonds are easily found in the baking section at the grocery store. I don't think any other kind of almond would work as well. I was thinking yesterday as I was making these that I am pretty sure chopped walnuts would also be very good.
Originally I made these with seedless raspberry jam. I have diverticulitis and I can't eat fruit seeds. All I had yesterday was the jam with the seeds in it.
That is what I used, which means I won't really be able to indulge in them myself, but that's okay because I really ought not to be indulging in these!
These would be really good cut into heart shapes as well and there would be less waste than using other cutters. You could top and tail them, next to each other as you cut them. Not sure I explained that correctly.
But the off cuttings are never a waste anyways, and someone always snuffles them up!
As I said before, the hardest part of these is the waiting for them to cool down long enough to cut. Hot jam isn't very pleasant either and it can really burn, so do be careful!
One bowl to mix them in. One pan to bake them in. Lined with foil, so that you can lift them out easily. And makes for a very easy clean up as well.
If you are not fond of raspberry jam, feel free to use any other kind you like. Blueberry jam would be awesome as would peach jam.
I can see these tasting exceptional as well using Strawberry jam or even rhubarb preserves. My taste buds are tingling just at the thought!
My father was in jam heaven when he had one of these after supper last night. He had one of these and a small bowl of ice cream. There was a twinkle in his eye.
He sure loves his jam, and I love him, so it was the perfect combination! Buttery, oaty-nutty, and with a nice jammy sweetness. Moreish to say the least.
Raspberry Jam Bars
Yield: 16
Prep time: 12 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 52 Min
Delicious little bite sized bars with a scrumptious buttery oaty base and topping and a sweet raspberry jam filling. Betcha can't eat just one.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140g) flour
- pinch salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
- 1/2 cup (50g) oats (not instant oats)
- 1/2 cup (50g ) sliced almonds
- 4 heaped dessertspoons of seedless raspberry jam
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Line an 8 inch square baking tin with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir this mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in the oats and sliced almonds.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of this mixture and set it aside.
- Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Dollop the raspberry jam over top and spread it out with a rubber spatula to within 1/2 inch of the sides of the pan all around.
- Crumble the reserved oat mixture evenly over top.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the dough is golden brown and the jam is lightly bubbling. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Use the foil overhang to lift the baked mixture out of the pan. Cut into 16 squares with a sharp knife.
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Easter Chocolate Krispie Cakes are the perfect treat for the Easter Holidays. Quick and easy to make and using only a few ingredients. These chocolate krispie buns/cakes are a staple at pretty much every children's party over in the UK.
Chocolate rice krispie cakes without butter, no marshmallows and no added corn syrup. These are simple to make and to decorate, not to mention chocolate crunchy delicious!
Chocolate Krispie Cakes are something I had never heard of before moving over to the UK. I first saw them in the local bake shop. They were really posh krispie cakes, well decorated with sprinkles and edible baubles etc.
So pretty and they used to do them for every holiday according to whatever season it was. At Christmas they would have Christmas edibles decorating them and at Easter it would be Easter edibles.
Cute to look at and after a bit of investigating I discovered they were also very easy to make at home. Using only three ingredients not counting the decorations you use.
I have actually shown you these before, but I thought a bit of an update was due, so here we go. Better photos than my original ones and hopefully much more enticing words.
First I wanted to talk to you about this plate I have used to serve them on. I just love these plates. They are a part of an original dinner set that my mother bought for her mother (my grandmother) after she got her first job and was working in Truro in 1952.
Mom would have been just 20 years old. My grandmother never had many nice things. I just know the love that was behind this gift. My mother wanted her mother to have something pretty and not practical. Something just for her.
I just love this beautiful pattern, although I could not really tell you what it is called. It is marked on the bottom Sovereign Potteries Earthenware, along with the stamp Minto 877-47 It has gold around the edges.
I just love the colors of the pattern on it. I love Forget Me Nots and Roses anyways, so this is really very pretty to me. Only four plates remain of the original set, and my sister is taking very good care of them.
I was a bit afraid to use the plate in case I should scratch it or something, but whew! Thankfully I didn't! I don't remember my mother ever using these the whole time I was growing up, and I cannot remember how she came to be in possession of them.
I strongly suspect that after my grandmother passed away in 1960, and my Grandfather was set to remarry, my Aunt Freda squirreled them away lest the stepmom get her hands on them. That is probably also how the other pieces were broken.
Its a miracle that these four plates remain. My Grandmother had left for me a juice set with a jug and drinking glasses in an opalescent peach coloured carnival glass, which my Aunt also took into safe-keeping for me, but they all got broken through use.
C'est la vie.
I am really enjoying re-discovering these old pieces and learning more about them. I can only be grateful that they were never given to me for safekeeping or they would have long since been lost.
With the number of times I have been made homeless and lost everything in my lifetime, they surely would have been lost also. No, I have not had the best of luck in life I guess when it comes to choosing men, but that's a whole different story.
Back to the Krispie Cakes. These are so simple to make and as I said use only a very few ingredients. Two kinds of chocolate chips and Krispie Rice Cereal. That's it!
Other than what you choose to decorate them with. You simply melt the chocolates together and stir in the rice cereal. Easy easy.
This mixture then gets spooned into paper muffin cases in a bun/muffin tin. Once you have them in your tin then you can decorate them to your hearts content.
Today I used some candy covered chocolate eggs and cupcake sprinkles I bought from Sweetapolita, a Canadian cake decorating/baking supply company. They sell all sorts of things. I saw an advert on IG I believe for them, followed it and then fell in love with their sprinkles.
I purchased a few different kinds as well as a surprise bag of who knows what. And it really was a pleasant surprise. I was thrilled with their choices!
Everything came very nicely wrapped and they even threw in a emergency tube of sprinkles as a gift.
I had to leave all of my sprinkles and baking things behind in the UK, so I am gradually building them up again.
Its fun exploring Canadian options and building things up again. Fun to me anyways, because I am a foodie through and through and I love discovering new things.
I also wanted to tell you about this sweet egg cup I have used as a part of my display as well. It is from my sister's shop Lost Lovelies Found on Instagram. This piece is a sweet mid-century ceramic egg cup made in Japan in the 1950's.
My sister has the sweetest shop where she sells vintage collectables. She has an expert eye for these things and is a really talented curator of them, not to mention caretaker.
I sure love my sister. She is such a talented woman and so humble. I don't think she realizes just how very talented she is. She is an incredible artist as well and I am not just saying that. Its true. I am always telling her she needs to start an art page.
Don't these sprinkles look just darling on these cakes? Along with the little mini eggs of course. I love the bright Easter-like colours. The yellows, greens, pinks, etc.
Easter is all about brightness and hope and the awakening earth. I think these Easter Chocolate Krispie Cakes exemplify that perfectly.
These are so easy to make, you may even want the children to help you put them together. Certainly there is nothing that would harm them here, once the chocolate and the cereal are stirred together.
They could easily help you spoon the mixture into the bun cases and then decorate them with the eggs and sprinkles afterwards.
I absolutely love these cakes. They remind me of one of my favourite chocolate bars, the Nestle's Crunch Bar.
Chocolates and crisp rice cereal. Oh my, but that is an incredibly edibly delicious combination in my modest opinion.
I bet you can't eat just one of these. Yes, seriously, they are THAT good!
Happy Easter Weekend!!!
Easter Chocolate Krispie Cakes
Yield: Makes about 15
Cook time: 15 Mininactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 15 M
These are so easy to do and look so pretty when they are finished. I had long heard of Marshmallow Crispy Squares, but never these chocolate delights! What a sheltered life I have lived! I wish I had known about these when my children were growing up. They would have loved them!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (50g) milk chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup (50g) dark milk chocolate chips
- 3 cups (80g) crisp rice cereal
- Chocolate eggs and sprinkles to decorate
Instructions
- Put a pot with some water in the bottom of it on the stove and bring it to a simmer. Break the chocolate up into bits and place it into a glass bowl, large enough to sit over the simmering water. Cook and stir until melted. Take care not to let the water boil. Once the chocolate is all melted and smooth, carefully remove it from the heat and stir in the rice cereal.
- Line a bun tin with paper liners and spoon the chocolate cereal mixture in, dividing it equally amongst each cup. Place a few easter eggs on the top of each and set them aside to cool and set up. You can put them into the fridge to do this if you are in a hurry, but it may cause your chocolate to bloom. If you are a patient sort it really doesn't take that long for them to set up out of the fridge, perhaps not much more than an hour or so.
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