Leftovers....Again?!

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.