I’ve served my long tour of duty as chief cook and bottlewasher, and yearn for my stint to be over. Going AWOL has definitely crossed my mind a time or two. Like everybody else, I want to end my work day with relaxation But if you truly relax, who feels like starting up again in the kitchen? I’ve tried to remedy this lethargy by limiting intake of wine to one inch, but still no dinner-making magic. Lottery winnings priority #1: hire a cook.
My husband and I still do want to eat, so here’s my new plan. We make sure to leave a little of whatever I do prepare. And all the remainders — as you can see here — now have their own special shelf in the fridge. Nothing’s too small for these cute little containers. A dab of this and a dab of that eventually makes for a full meal deal. We used to debate over what we “wanted” to eat. Now I first look to see what’s already there, combining and tweaking flavors until it appears edible. Many times this puzzle results in a one-bowl meal, but this means fewer dishes to wash!!!There are those times when a lot of leftovers means no one at the table liked what you slaved over. However hard it might be, don’t serve this again. No use prolonging the agony.
In last week’s creation, this little chunk of leftover pork chop became “Waldorf Pork Broccoli Surprise.” Leftover Waldorf salad, diced pork chop, leftover steamed broccoli, a handful of sunflower seeds and a sprinkling of feta. It needed a bit of Balsamic Vinegarette for more moisture, but that’s pretty much a staple around here.The best part of this plan is not wasting food anymore. Occasionally we do find something growing on the back of a shelf, but mostly it turns out to be some tomato paste or sauce I was saving and forgot.
A Good Plan — Cooking: nada. Cost: nada. Food waste: nada.