Planning your cooking to avoid leftover ingredients is challenging.
You're less likely to suffer refrigerator clutter if you use fresh produce, canned food in smaller sizes, and frozen fruits and vegetables you can measure out while freezing the remainder of the package.
However, despite your best attempts, you may be faced with a few slices of bread or a bit of meat, especially when you're doing holiday entertaining.
To clean out the odds and ends, think of them as tomorrow's dinner.
Turn beans, rice or short pasta -- such as macaroni or penne -- into satisfying soup.
Cooked vegetables also go into the soup pot.
Tomatoes and tomato sauce, with the addition of seasonings, can be transformed into spaghetti sauce or chili.
Bread is a natural for a pudding or strata (similar to bread pudding but with layered bread slices). Depending on your inclination and other "ready-to-go" supplies, you can create a savory or sweet pudding.
The following bread pudding, which calls for a small amount of sausage and fruit, makes a wonderful brunch entree. Vary the recipe according to what's lurking in your refrigerator.
Breakfast "Bread Pudding"
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Makes 2 servings
4 ounces bulk country sausage
1 large shallot, chopped
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and chopped (1/2-inch pieces)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
You're less likely to suffer refrigerator clutter if you use fresh produce, canned food in smaller sizes, and frozen fruits and vegetables you can measure out while freezing the remainder of the package.
However, despite your best attempts, you may be faced with a few slices of bread or a bit of meat, especially when you're doing holiday entertaining.
To clean out the odds and ends, think of them as tomorrow's dinner.
Turn beans, rice or short pasta -- such as macaroni or penne -- into satisfying soup.
Cooked vegetables also go into the soup pot.
Tomatoes and tomato sauce, with the addition of seasonings, can be transformed into spaghetti sauce or chili.
Bread is a natural for a pudding or strata (similar to bread pudding but with layered bread slices). Depending on your inclination and other "ready-to-go" supplies, you can create a savory or sweet pudding.
The following bread pudding, which calls for a small amount of sausage and fruit, makes a wonderful brunch entree. Vary the recipe according to what's lurking in your refrigerator.
Breakfast "Bread Pudding"
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Makes 2 servings
4 ounces bulk country sausage
1 large shallot, chopped
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and chopped (1/2-inch pieces)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
