When I started writing this entry the thought kept going through
my head questioning, “why are you
wanting to write about such a thing,
weirdo?” But the doing of it was persisting so I
continued. Then the other day I read an
article about how wasteful we Americans are with the food we don’t eat at
meals. Toss it down the disposal, into
the garbage, etc. It also brought out
how much it is costing us in terms of dollars wasted. Maybe that was the reason pushing me to blog
such a subject.
Most of us are always thinking of what is coming up on the
next meal. Those who cook are considering
meal preparations in this world of staying alive and eating happily. I like to cook, but cooking for only two has
its drawbacks. For one thing, it seems
like there is hardly anything there when you get done with all the fixing. Another, why start from scratch which,
without a doubt, is the best in taste, nutrition, expense, etc. if you end up
with too much. I like making “just a bit
more” and have a bit of leftovers to work with a day or two later. Another big reason is that when your spouse opens the fridge to see what there is for a
good nibble, maybe there is something tempting to the palate. I don’t know about you, but I have heard the
lament, “There is nothing in this house to eat.”
Beyond the snack issue, using leftovers takes some
creativity. Most times it is simpler to
trot out a recipe, follow it, and produce something marvelous, than it is to
figure out how to use that bit of this or that to put an acceptable meal on the
table. I find it fun to figure out just
how I can transform that extra into something different, yet still good. Casserole, salads, desserts, all likely
candidates for using that little amount.
Early in my married life one of my husband’s friends, on receiving a
sparkling glass of liquid from me, said, “So, what have you got in here,
besides the kitchen sink?” He was
smiling as he teased. I admit, I
probably “experiment “ too much and not all of the experiments turn out the way
I thought they would. Sometimes it is
worse, but often it is better than I imagined.
We can think of leftovers in things besides food. Is there someone who needs just a little of
your friendship? Maybe they aren’t on
the normal list of who we consider friends yet a kind word from us would have meaning.
When we are just too tired to keep pushing a child on a swing, isn’t
there really one or two more pushes there if we really want to? Sometimes it is as simple as extending a
smile to someone who crosses our path in the grocery store, or at a stop
light. Here again we can use our
creativity. We have lots of areas in our lives where there is a bit leftover with which to
work.
