If last night’s Leftovers sound like a total non-starter for Breakfast this morning, stop and think… And remember my simple rules for making any Leftovers into yummy, filling Breakfasts. I’ve come to consider making Leftovers into Breakfast one of the great challenges – and rewards – of life in a COVID-19 bubble…
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I have been reminded abruptly of all the little changes that the pandemic and the living conditions it has imposed on my little household have affected my personal eating habits. Here, I’ve been concentrating on bringing my Mother and Sister Erin healthy, balanced meals…
Leftover Baked Potatoes: Stuffed with Bacon, Sweet Peppers,
Mushrooms Onions, and topped with Melted Cheese…
… And I’ve set my own wishes and desires aside. It’s true. The main casual factor behind the changes – which together have resulted in a few major ones – is that I have become the only one in the house who will deign to eat leftovers anymore.
Just like my Grannies lived
My Mom and my Dad both came from large families – lots of brothers and sisters. Accordingly, huge amounts of food were prepared for all meals. And the more boys at the table, the fewer leftovers there were. But there was always something left over, usually odd combinations of things that just didn’t appeal without the other components of the meal they came from.
This, of course, was itself a leftover from the Great Depression through which my grand parents and my parents lived, They took away a host of hints and ‘helpers’ from the experience that they tried to pass along to me when I was little. But I grew up in a time of unprecedented plenty, the 1950s and 60s, and I grew to expect what my folks in their youth would have considered luxurious variety. Leftovers? Not my problem.
My Mom came to be the leftover wrangler in our home. Her main problem was that most recipes at that time (as many now still are) were written to feed 4, and we were only 3 for what seemed a long time. Now, as virtual ’empty nesters’, we are three, again (me Mom and Erin), and I never try to scale a recipe the first time I make it in case I screw up the math. Hence, lots of Leftovers.
Breakfast always a challenge
The one meal of the day I find most difficult to manage is Breakfast. I’ve already told you how well leftovers can fit in with, or form the backbone of, Breakfast the next day. Now, I’ve come to realize, most days it’s just me, leftovers and whatever I have to tie it all together…
That means, I’m often making oddball casseroles for 1, Breakfast Burritos with ‘creative’ stuffings, or some kind of Sandwich on Toast. That’s Okay, except that Mom and Erin are starting to become creatures of habit and are requesting the same half-dozen or so supper mains every week in monotonous rotation. It’s a comfort thing for them, they protest. But for me, it means the same oddball Breakfasts week after week. My Dad’s Mom used to quote the old Depression maxim ‘Enough is Equal to a Feast’ frequently. Along with the companion slogan: ‘Variety is the Spice of Life’. But she somehow provided the variety she promised.
I’ve learned, over the past year, how to achieve enough variety to satisfy myself in my catch-all breakfasts. And the secret – for me, at least – has been embodied in a few invaluable, simple rules…
The secret rules of leftover cuisine
Everything is better with Cheese on it
Who out there is old enough to remember those Kraft TV Cheese commercials of the 1960s featuring Scott, and Joey and Cheese. The essence of these classics is embodied in the one in which one kid is trying to trade the other for a piece of Cheese from his lunch:
“Can I trade you for your Cheese?” one kid asks the other.
“Not trading,” the other kid indicates.
“How about my (whatever),” First kid persists.
“Nope” the kid with the Cheese shakes his head.
“Well, then, what do you want for your Cheese?” the first kid asks.
The kid with the Cheese grins mischievously: “I’ve kind of always liked your bike…”
Yup. It’s that good, especially nicely-aged Cheddar, freshly cut from the mother block. Another one of those commercials with the two kids suggests that Cheese can even make Broccoli taste good. That’s what I call a ‘superfood’.
Anyway, Cheese is a great leveler and all-round meal-saver.
Always have Onions, Sweet Peppers and Shredded Lettuce on hand
I’ve had some really weird-sounding things in Breakfast Casseroles and Burritos.
Leftover Casseroles (see photo, top of page) can always be improved if you have some starch – Fries, Baked Potatoes, Pasta, Rice or whatever – for a bottom crust, and then layer the other components according to your preference until they’re all in there. To most leftover Saucy dishes, you can add mushrooms, onions, sweet peppers. Top with a crust of bread crumbs and Cheese and pop into a medium oven until the casserole starts to bubble.
Burritos are just as easy to make Breakfasty. This morning, for example, all I could find in the fridge was leftover Hot dogs, French Fries and Chef’s Salad. So I cut down the Fries into 1 in. / 2.5 cm lengths, chopped the Salad into a sprinklable, crunchy mix of 1/2 in. / 1.5 cm pieces, and dug out a couple of 9 in. / 22.5 cm Wheat Flour tortillas. I first put down a single layer of the Fry pieces, then stacked two previously grilled Dogs on that, sprinkled on a generous layer of Salad, and topped it all with grated Cheddar. Roll those Tortilas up into nice, fat Burritos and microwave until the Cheese melts, and you’ll have your real dog sitting in your lap until the last bite is gone.
My overall take
So, you see? With a little thought, you can always make something for breakfast out of the leftovers from any meal. Not long ago, I had Leftover Fish and Chips, Chopped Romaine Lettuce, Ranch Dressing and Shredded Jack Cheese Burritos for Breakfast. I’ll go as far as saying I consider Breakfast my most interesting meal on almost any day. And Mom and Erin get what they want for supper the night before. Who would have imagined? – Before COVID-19…
~ Maggie J.