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Farm Kitchen:  the great leftovers debate  |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 02 2010 : 4:35:14 PM
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i'm a HUGE fan of leftovers! i purposely make enough dinner to last 2-3 days and then maybe more for DH's lunch. I enjoy the days when i don't have to cook, but know i have a healthy, fast, homemade meal ready for me to heat up.
But I know many who hate leftovers, including my in-laws. so i was just curious... leftovers or no leftovers, that is the question. why or why not?
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2010 : 5:57:13 PM
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I love leftovers!! And we generally have them because at one point we were a family of 6 now we have three but I haven't adjusted my recipes:)
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2010 : 6:11:07 PM
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When all the kids were still living at home, and the extras that were always around at supper time, there were NEVER any leftovers,lol. But, now that its just my G/son and i, we usually have enough for an other dinner, ot at least a big lunch.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2010 : 9:15:28 PM
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Love leftovers. We try to see how long we can make a meal last, or how many different meals we can make out of one thing (you know...how many different things can you make out of what's left from that giant turkey or ham?).
My sister however will not eat leftovers. I don't know how she picked up on that, though, since we wouldnt' have eaten much growing up if we turned our nose up at leftovers. She invited me over to eat once and was going to throw away uneaten (not even touched!!) meat - chicken one time and steak the other. She was just about to slide it off the pan into the garbage. I made some horrific noise and she stopped. "I'll take that home if you're just going to throw it away" I said...so I know if I eat at her house, I'm going home with food I can do something with!!
I don't get the no leftovers thing. But to each their own, I guess!
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.wakeupstartlearning.blogspot.com
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com |
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2010 : 06:36:56 AM
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I rarely eat the same thing twice unless it's chili or some sort of soup like that. Heck, I don't even make the same meal really, more than once every 2 months or so. I'm not opposed to leftovers, but I really like food the first time, much more than the next day...it just loses something in the flavor/texture for me. Also, it's been just my husband and I for so long, that I really just make enough for the both of us, and if there's any at all leftover, it goes into the dogs bowls. They really appreciate it :) Maybe with our daughter growing now, I might make a little more to keep on hand, but I recall as a kid really HATING to have meatloaf 2-3 times a week in various "designs"....
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
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RubyJunes
True Blue Farmgirl
246 Posts
June
Greenwich
Ohio
USA
246 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2010 : 07:06:50 AM
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I love leftovers, though with the kids getting bigger...14 year old son & almost 10 year old daughter...there are rarely leftovers, unless I cook huge portions like a school lunch lady! ha! They enjoy packing leftovers in their lunchboxes, and so does hubby. I also enjoy having something already prepared for my lunch the next day(s).
--June
Farmgirl #545
www.RubyJunes.blogspot.com
www.RubyJunes.etsy.com |
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aunt boby
True Blue Farmgirl
173 Posts
toby
polo
illinois
USA
173 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2010 : 3:11:00 PM
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Seriously!!! In these times who would throw away food? We always use up leftovers. I plan my menues for the month and I will try to make two meals out of one. If we have pork roast one night then a couple nights later I will make bbq from the leftover meat. Or roast chicken, then a couple nights later chicken tostadas. I was just raised to be frugal.
POOR IS THE MAN WHO CANNOT ENJOY THE SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE- anonymous |
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alterationsbyemily
True Blue Farmgirl
691 Posts
Emily
Chambersburg
PA
USA
691 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2010 : 5:02:37 PM
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my mom would ask, do you want musgo, everything in the fridge MUST GO. Gone are those days, my husband will scrape the world, so that there is not a drop of left overs.
See my custom costumes, download free patterns, and hear some spook EVPs from Gettysburg, PA on my site, www.alterationsbyemily.com |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2010 : 5:54:23 PM
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amy, i thought it was so funny... make a horrific noise and ask if you can take it home. i'm the same way! i especially hate when i'm at someone's house and they throw away something that is a treat to me. i was at my best friend's house and she made me throw away my leftover avocado... i can't afford to buy those, let alone throw them away! but i couldn't eat another bite and it's one of those things that doesn't keep well... i was crushed. i also hate when people don't doggy-bag restaurant meals... i live to have a second or third portion from a restaurant! because i rarely eat out!
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2010 : 6:54:06 PM
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We do leftovers - we call them "Remains of the Day" :) My husband and I cannot stand wasting food,especially meat.
~Sharon
By His Grace, For His Glory
http://merryheartjournal.blogspot.com/ |
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phonelady
True Blue Farmgirl
323 Posts
Carla
Loveland
Colorado
323 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2010 : 7:30:59 PM
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I love leftovers!
The meals that I get a chance to cook I make so that there will be leftovers of this and some of that. That way I have a selection to choose from for lunch the next day, or BREAKFAST [yes, I eat leftover pizza or beef roast and gravy for breakfast. Why not? People eat waffles for dinner!].
My Aunt on the other hand, wastes food. Probably because she grew up eating whatever her and my Mom could get their hands on [they didn’t grow up in the best of circumstances].
My Dad is learning to cook and when I come for a visit I will often find myself with the remains of his experiments. Since he hasn’t learned to reduce his recipes I can end up going home with a great piece of pork roast or some really awful thing he tried to prepare. [It’s funny, I take it all home because he won’t eat it – but I despaired of his learning to cook and some of the stuff I HAD to throw out in self defense!]
He has gotten better though and the good leftovers are outnumbering the bad.
One day I asked him again, “Why don’t you eat leftovers?”
“Well, I guess I just don’t want to be committed.” he says.
It's not just Life-
It's an Adventure! |
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flfycookie
Farmgirl at Heart
3 Posts
Judy
Sarasota
Florida
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - Mar 05 2010 : 5:06:06 PM
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| Love leftovers, mother in law lives with us and she said she hates leftovers, always had them when she and my father in law lived alone, never through anything away, now its a different story, she doesn't buy the food, nor cook it, so she eats whatever I put on the table, leftover turkey becomes several things, pot pie, soup, casserole, creamed turkey on toast, pork into stir fry, beef into pot pie, soup, bbq, anything, just use imagination. Love to cook and have leftovers especially grilled meats and veggies. Saves a lot of time as I work full time for Whole Foods Market. |
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schoolmama
True Blue Farmgirl
70 Posts
Amy
WI
USA
70 Posts |
Posted - Mar 05 2010 : 9:34:36 PM
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I love leftovers, because I have a large family (and homeschool my kids) and I can easily reheat them for lunch the next day.
But truthfully, unless I triple a recipe, I rarely have leftovers. Dh takes two "meals' to work with him since he works 12 hour shifts. And now that I have two teens,and a 10 yr. old that eats like a teen- we usually don't have enough left. |
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LakeOntarioFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
933 Posts
Brenda
North Rose
NY
USA
933 Posts |
Posted - Mar 06 2010 : 04:11:19 AM
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I love leftovers too!!! Although if it is a meal I made specifically for husband or daughter and something I don't care for I won't eat them.
Husband will usually eat all the leftovers I give him.
If not, my 2 year old, Golden Retriever, Bear, who is still too skinny in my opinion, will eat anything I give him!! :)Well, there are a few things that I won't give him, but for the most part, he gets it rather than the garbage can!
Brenda
FarmGirl # 711
Nothing we achieve in this world is achieved alone. It is always achieved with others teaching us along the way. Lee J. Colan
http://theviewfromhere-brenda.blogspot.com/ |
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Bellepepper
True Blue Farmgirl
1207 Posts
Belle
Coffeyville
KS
USA
1207 Posts |
Posted - Mar 06 2010 : 2:23:25 PM
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I don't call cooking ahead as being left overs. I call them PLO's. "Planned Left overs". Roast beef especially. Big Roast = Hash, beef stew, beef salad sandwiches, beef and noodles. Having beef and noodles for supper tonight. I save all juices and or gravy for the PLO's. Mashed potatoes = potato cakes, potato salad, shepherd pie. I never cook less than 2 pounds of hamburger, goulosh, pizza, lots of different soup.
My menu schelule has every 10 days, ABC food. Already Been Cooked. The meal is planned around something from the freezer or fridge that has "already been cooked".
Belle |
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mellaisbella
True Blue Farmgirl
1862 Posts
melanie
living on Anne of Green
Gables land
Canada
1862 Posts |
Posted - Mar 06 2010 : 3:36:56 PM
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I'm all for leftovers...with in a certain amount. i wouldn't want to be eating the same thing four days in a row LOL!!
"we must be the change we wish to see in the world"
farmgal #150 |
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JoyIowa
True Blue Farmgirl
273 Posts
Joy
273 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2010 : 2:35:48 PM
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Ditto for me! I have even gotten the rep of being the stock lady! (A name one of my friend's kids calls me.) If the host is a good friend and I know we are having turkey or chicken, I bring along the "stuff" to add to the carcass to make good stock. Then I suggest we put on the pot of stock to simmer while we play games or just sit and visit. If not, I just take it home and invite them over for soup some night made from "their" carcass! Faces are surprised!
Joy
If it's not illegal, unsafe, or immoral, why not try anything once? Who knows? You may come back for a second helping! |
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delicia
True Blue Farmgirl
917 Posts
delicia
cincinnati
ohio
USA
917 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2010 : 3:01:41 PM
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Not a fan of the leftover. Not sure why. We never really had them as a kid and I usually do not have them now. My husband on the other hand will eat or at least store in the fridge food but, I end up throwing most of it away.
D |
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2010 : 10:41:18 AM
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I love leftovers. Hubby takes it for lunch. Paul (my youngest) and I eat it at home for lunch. I love the nights I don't have to think and defrost stuff for dinner, just reheat from the fridge.
With three growing boys I don't imagine I'll have much leftovers in a few years. I'm having to get used to making big meals, my 8 year old is already eating like a teen!
Some things are just better after a day or two in the fridge. Chili, Western Mac, Roni (one of my grammie's recipes). The flavors get a better chance to blend.
We have a few friends that send us home with the leftovers when we have dinner with em. They know it will get eaten here, whereas they are more likely to throw it out.
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
www.artfire.com/users/BlondeNakCreations |
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Singing Tree Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Cari
Chase
Michigan
USA
196 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2010 : 06:26:03 AM
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I think leftovers are great, too. Because my husband is on third shift, his eating habits are all messed up. He has breakfast at about 6:00 in the evening, and leaves for work by 9. If I don't send him leftovers all he would ever eat would be breakfast and a sandwich. Because I homeschool, it's great to have leftovers for lunch. Having said that, my DS 13 is eating like a horse and there aren't too many leftovers.
Also, Countryside Mag did a book review of JD Belanger's The Complete Idiot's Guide to Self-Sufficient Living, he say's "If we all quit discarding food that we could eat, the impact on atmospheric CO2 would be the same as taking one of every five cars off the road." That's huge.
All of creation sings Your praise! |
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Lainey
True Blue Farmgirl
2401 Posts
Elaine
Waco
Kentucky
USA
2401 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2010 : 07:16:26 AM
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Some foods we will have leftovers such as roast, chili, or soups. I actually think chili and soups taste better the second or third day. As for other food usually we just make enough for the one meal. My mother didn't like leftovers so as a child growing up we never had leftovers, she usually just made enough for one meal. With the exception being roast for soup and such.
Farmgirl Sister #25
http://countrygirldreams.blogspot.com/
An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.' |
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mrsamy
True Blue Farmgirl
167 Posts
Amy
Milwaukee
WI
USA
167 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2010 : 07:24:22 AM
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My family (because of my DH's leading) doesn't care for leftovers and I hate the ensuing battle. So...MY leftovers go in the freezer, not the fridge. When they come back a week or two later they're not leftover anymore, they're new to you! I'm with Belle, lots of my meals are ABC, Already Been Cooked (I love that term and am going to adopt it for sure!).
Amy
Prayer costs nothing, but is worth the most. |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2010 : 11:00:18 AM
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wow, cari, thanks for sharing that information... very interesting! personally, i just don't understand wasting especially food... maybe it goes back to the "starving kids in China" thing. though my parents never used that line on me, it makes sense to me. i figure if the food is there and it's cooked, why waste it? food is a special commodity to me.... i figure there are plenty of people in the world who don't have it, so i should be so appreciative of every ounce of it i'm able to have... and that means leftovers.
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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maggie14
True Blue Farmgirl
6784 Posts
Hannah
Washington
USA
6784 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2010 : 2:57:03 PM
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We love left overs in our house! Nothing ever goes to waste. :)
Hugs,
Channah
Farmgirl sister #1219
Friendship is not something that can be bought, it is earned. |
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vintagejenta
True Blue Farmgirl
83 Posts
Sarah
Walden
NY
USA
83 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2010 : 12:15:37 PM
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My boyfriend and I both work and I love to cook, but not always every single night of the week! So leftovers are great, especially since we both take our lunches to work! :)
This past winter I made a TON of soups, including stock with leftovers. But I agree that I can only deal with a day or two of leftovers (our tiny apartment fridge doesn't have a big enough freezer to freeze leftovers) is all I can handle! More than 3 days is too much!
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http://citygirlcountryfood.wordpress.com |
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phonelady
True Blue Farmgirl
323 Posts
Carla
Loveland
Colorado
323 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2010 : 12:28:26 PM
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I understand exactly what you're saying Elizabeth,
As a young person who lived on the edge of starving for a few years there, I don't take food for granted.
And if I can't use it for another meal I don't cook it.
We waste sooo much food here in the U.S. [I included when I started to be able to afford food].
Now I make an active choice to make sure food gets used.
The next thing is to get my Dad to stop making gallons of some strange experimental food because he's sure I will take it home at the end of the evening. %*( Yuck!
Carla
It's not just Life-
It's an Adventure! |
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Farm Kitchen: the great leftovers debate |
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the great leftovers debate
