Leftovers are the dinner theater in the dramatic arts of food. They get very little respect, and are best encountered, if at all, with copious amounts of alcoholic beverages, which disguise to an extent how lackluster they are.
However, in accordance with our more prudent and economical lifestyle, we at Casa Frugalidad have happened upon a most excellent system for repackaging and delivering leftovers in a gustatorily satisfactory way.
The omelette.
We have discovered that there is nothing that cannot be incorporated into this eggy vehicle, with the possible exception of spaghetti. Of course, now that I have said that, I have laid down for myself a personal challenge to create an omelette with spaghetti in it.
But I digress.
We have been eating omelettes for several years now, ever since we turned, in desperation, to the South Beach Diet. We had been living on the Beached Whale diet, and it showed. The omelettes have continued as a mainstay in our diets, even though we have passed through the If One Serving of Ice Cream is Good, Two Must Be Even Better Diet, the Let's Just Smother Everything in Gravy and Butter Because It Tastes Better That Way Diet, and my personal favorite, the Gluttonous Consumption of Chocolate Because It Is Good For You Diet.
So, we have turned our leftovers into fine performers in the dietary circus, thanks to the omelette. What, you may ask, are the food items that we have been putting in our omelettes? I am glad you asked that question, even though I would have told you whether you asked or not.
Green Beans. Olives, green and black. Salsa from a jar that was opened a week ago. Cauliflower. Broccoli. Red peppers picked out of a stir-fry by a picky eater. Ham. Ground Beef. Beets. Peas. Cheese, lots of cheese, from cheddar to feta. Canned salmon. Onions, of course, and mushrooms. Pickles. Corn. Lima beans. Bacon. Black beans. Guacamole. Tomatoes. Kale. Spinach. Roasted eggplant (which sounds kind of redundant, come to think of it.)
Basically, if it is in a container in our refrigerator, we will attempt to omelettize it.
Now, of course, we did not put all of the above items in the same omelette. A beet and salmon omelette is a no go, as far as I am concerned, at this point; but who knows, we may boldly go there.
The process goes like this: we open the refrigerator, look in the containers, and if no fungus or other life form has taken up residence in said containers, then the contents are fair game. We may sauté onions or peppers to lay down a base, and then dump in whatever is in the containers, creating a (hopefully) edible mélange of colors, textures and smells.
So far, this system has worked really well, both as a means of cleaning out our refrigerator and using up stuff before it goes bad, and as a way to make interesting combinations of tastes. It is kind of exciting to open up a container, like Howard Carter opening a long-sealed tomb, and exclaim, "Look! A week-old pork chop! And it's still edible!" And then go to work slicing up the pork chop, and putting it into the mix.
However, in accordance with our more prudent and economical lifestyle, we at Casa Frugalidad have happened upon a most excellent system for repackaging and delivering leftovers in a gustatorily satisfactory way.
The omelette.
We have discovered that there is nothing that cannot be incorporated into this eggy vehicle, with the possible exception of spaghetti. Of course, now that I have said that, I have laid down for myself a personal challenge to create an omelette with spaghetti in it.
But I digress.
We have been eating omelettes for several years now, ever since we turned, in desperation, to the South Beach Diet. We had been living on the Beached Whale diet, and it showed. The omelettes have continued as a mainstay in our diets, even though we have passed through the If One Serving of Ice Cream is Good, Two Must Be Even Better Diet, the Let's Just Smother Everything in Gravy and Butter Because It Tastes Better That Way Diet, and my personal favorite, the Gluttonous Consumption of Chocolate Because It Is Good For You Diet.
So, we have turned our leftovers into fine performers in the dietary circus, thanks to the omelette. What, you may ask, are the food items that we have been putting in our omelettes? I am glad you asked that question, even though I would have told you whether you asked or not.
Green Beans. Olives, green and black. Salsa from a jar that was opened a week ago. Cauliflower. Broccoli. Red peppers picked out of a stir-fry by a picky eater. Ham. Ground Beef. Beets. Peas. Cheese, lots of cheese, from cheddar to feta. Canned salmon. Onions, of course, and mushrooms. Pickles. Corn. Lima beans. Bacon. Black beans. Guacamole. Tomatoes. Kale. Spinach. Roasted eggplant (which sounds kind of redundant, come to think of it.)
Basically, if it is in a container in our refrigerator, we will attempt to omelettize it.
Now, of course, we did not put all of the above items in the same omelette. A beet and salmon omelette is a no go, as far as I am concerned, at this point; but who knows, we may boldly go there.
The process goes like this: we open the refrigerator, look in the containers, and if no fungus or other life form has taken up residence in said containers, then the contents are fair game. We may sauté onions or peppers to lay down a base, and then dump in whatever is in the containers, creating a (hopefully) edible mélange of colors, textures and smells.
So far, this system has worked really well, both as a means of cleaning out our refrigerator and using up stuff before it goes bad, and as a way to make interesting combinations of tastes. It is kind of exciting to open up a container, like Howard Carter opening a long-sealed tomb, and exclaim, "Look! A week-old pork chop! And it's still edible!" And then go to work slicing up the pork chop, and putting it into the mix.
We now have a garden going, thanks to Norm's considerable weekend efforts; soon, we hope, there will be fresh peas, and tomatoes, and zucchini, and whatever else he planted. The tired old leftovers may be pushed aside by fresh newcomers on the gustatory stage. But at least for now, they have a starring role, every morning, in our kitchen.
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