Frugal Ways With Leftovers
These tried-and-true tricks for leftovers are
real family pleasers!
1. Add an egg to about 1 cup leftover mashed
potatoes. Shape into patties and fry in butter
until brown on both sides.
For a little different taste, add a little bit
of grated onion or grated cheddar cheese.
2. Did you know you can freeze cooked rice?
Just freeze it in plastic bags and when you're
ready to use it, pour rice into a colander and
run hot water over.
3. Reroll leftover pieces of piecrust. Cut
into any shapes. Sprinkle with cinnamon and
sugar and bake till browned at 475 degrees.
4. Have leftover chili? Make nachos!
Place
tortilla chips on a plate, drizzle chili over
and top with shredded cheese, and whatever else
you like. Warm in the microwavefor a few
seconds, and top with sour cream. Delicious!
5. Do you always have the heels left when the
rest of the loaf of bread is eaten? Put them
in a bag in the freezer. When you have enough
saved, you can use them to make Bread Pudding:
3 cups bread crumbs 2 cups milk
1/4 cup melted butter 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Put bread crumbs in 1 1/2 quart oven-proof dish.
Mix remaining ingredients and stir into bread
crumbs. Place dish in pan of hot water about
1 inch deep. Bake at 350 degrees for about
45 minutes, until knife inserted near center
comes out clean.
This is a nice dessert that is not too sweet.
Or you can cube the bread and add melted butter,
sprinkle with garlic powder, spread them on a
cookie sheet and bake until brown. Now you
have your own homemade croutons! Use them as
a snack or on salads or as toppings on your
favorite casserole.
6. Leftover roast chicken can be chopped up and
used to make any casserole that uses chopped
chicken. Either use it the next night or chop
the leftover chicken and freeze. This recipe
for chicken spaghetti is one of our favorites:
Cook 8 ounces of spaghetti or noodles of your
choice as directed on package. Drain and add
1 - 2 cups diced cooked chicken, 1/2 cup
chopped onion, 1 can cream of celery soup, and
1 can cream of mushroom soup. Put into oven-
proof dish and top with shredded cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until
heated through and cheese is melted.
The purest form of frugality is to always use
everything up; and what better way to start than
by learning to use up all those leftovers!
