Thankful For Leftovers

It is that time of year once again for all of us to give thanks for all that we have been given. I am very grateful for everything. I have been very blessed and I live a very good, very comfortable life. I have many blessings, and I am very grateful for each and every one of them. But on a whimsical note …. I am also thankful for leftovers.

Yes, I am very thankful that that I am able to eat well. I am also very grateful and thankful that I am a good cook and can cook all this food well. When I cook though, I tend to cook A LOT, even though most of the time I am just cooking for the two of us. That means there is almost always going to be leftovers. Not only have I been gifted with the ability to cook well, but I have also been gifted with the imagination and creativity to re-create the foods I have cooked and prepared into completely different versions of themselves. To the untrained eye, no one would ever know they were leftovers. It is definitely a gift. 🙂

The other day, I told you about our smothered steak. Smothered Steak We buy our meat at Costco, in large portions and then cut it and portion it out ourselves, freezing it all for a later use. Well, Larry cuts BIG portions, that are way to big for us to eat in one sitting. So one day we had smothered steak and a few days later, the rest of that steak was used in a different way.

I made a pesto sauce with almonds to top the steak this time.

Other than the pesto sauce, the whole meal was comprised of leftovers. I used the rest of the steak and served it over my warmed barley and mushroom salad Barley and Mushroom Salad, and topped it all with some leftover roasted vegetables, with my bacon tomato bites on the side Tomato Bacon Bites. If you were to order this dish in a restaurant, especially with the steaks being very thick pieces, this meal would easily cost you about $40-$50, especially with a glass or two of wine. And yet, it was basically free since it all came from leftover dishes right out of my own refrigerator and my own kitchen.

Another leftover recreation was something I made for us all to enjoy tomorrow, when we really do honor the day giving thanks for all our blessings. I made another batch of bread pudding from donuts that I had in the freezer. I will top it with my leftover caramel sauce that I used for an earlier caramel apple cake and serve it with either ice cream of whipped cream, or both, depending on what my guests choose. Caramel Apple Cake

Yes, it really was made from leftover donuts.

After cutting the donuts, I soaked them in a custard sauce made with 8 eggs, 2 cups of milk, 2 cups of sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. I baked it all covered at 350*F or 180*C for about 1 hour, then uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes.

I do by best to NEVER have any food go to waste. Throwing away perfectly good food is just a big no-no with me. Awhile ago, Larry had the audacity to tell me that I don’t like to eat leftovers. What?????? What was he talking about? I eat and re-create from leftovers ALL THE TIME! Here are two perfect examples. 🙂

You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes it is much more creative to repurpose and recreate from the originals. It definitely challenges us to think outside the box. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. I wish you all a very Happy and safe Thanksgiving as well, from my house to yours. We all have so much to be grateful and thankful for. I know I sure do, and I thank God for all that He has given to me on a daily basis. ‘Til next time.