by Sylvia Harrison

Created on: November 19, 2011

Remember watching Grandma clear the kitchen table years ago? Those who are old enough to remember; Grandma used to put all the left overs in these little, tiny bowls. No matter how much of something was left, she'd "bowl" it and cover it, then put it in the fridge.

Unless something was not keep-able for health and safety reasons, Grandma would keep it. Why? Because, every few days, she would take these bits of leftovers and make a stew, a soup, or add some ingredients and make another main meal.

There might be carrots one evening and peas the next. There might be broccoli or green beans the night after that. Then, out of all these vegetables, a soup would appear one evening. Grandma would add a little chicken broth, some homemade egg noodles and, voila, supper would be served.

Or, she might take the leftover roast from Sunday dinner and turn it into a stew or a barbecue. If she had leftover bacon from breakfast, she would perhaps add some to the green bean casserole for that evenings meal. If she had left over mashed potatoes, there might be potato pancakes for breakfast the next morning.

It seems, these days, that if there is something left in the skillet most people are too lazy or not adventurous enough to put it to good use. It's so much easier to just toss it out with the garbage. A lot of very good food gets wasted, along with a great deal of money.

A big chunk of pot roast, cooked all day in a crock pot, could serve up 3 separate meals; saving 2 extra meat purchase costs at the grocery store. You can get a great pot roast dinner with all the trimmings on day one. On day two, you might add some spices and produce a great Italian Beef sandwich. If there's any left for day 3, add some taco sauce, some eggs, and a bit of potato and cheese for a great burrito for breakfast or lunch.

Speaking of burritos: They can be made from nearly any ingredients and can be served for nearly any meal. Spice them up, fry them up, add ingredients as you need them or have them leftover, and burritos can become a healthy, tasty meal for your family. If served with Spanish rice, any leftover rice can be "perked" up to give you a great stuffed pepper stuffing!

So pack your leftovers on ice, (or just in the fridge), and start looking for, or making your own, recipes to use them in. You can stretch your food dollar considerably and you may be pleasantly surprised when your family says, "Hey, what is this stuff, it's great!"

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