10 Easy Ways to Recycle Leftovers

The term leftovers, when applied to food, has
somehow become associated with
adjectives like bland, tasteless and unpleasant.
Just utter the word and
watch your children roll their eyes or stick
their tongues out in disgust.
Well, according to Tawra Kellam, there are plenty
of creative and fun ways
to turn yesterday's meal into something your
whole family will enjoy —
again! Here are the ten most interesting ways to
jazz up a meal the second
time around.


10. Cut leftover meatloaf into chunks and add
them to a jar of spaghetti
sauce to make speedy spaghetti and meatballs.


9. Spread margarine on leftover hamburger and hot
dog buns. Broil. Serve
with jelly for a different toast. You could also
spread with garlic butter
and/or Parmesan cheese and broil.


8. Hearty Chili Pie. Pour 4 cups extra chili in a
deep pie dish. (Add one
can corn if you have a little less than 4 cups.)
Prepare cornbread recipe
according to directions. Drip batter over chili.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30
minutes or until the cornbread is done. Sprinkle
with shredded cheddar
cheese.


7. Add leftover cooked rice to pancake butter.
They make a hearty breakfast.
Top with butter and syrup.


6. Dice leftover chicken and mixed vegetable and
toss with a well-seasoned
white sauce. Enclose mounds of the mixture in
flattened refrigerator
biscuits and bake to make delicious turnovers.


5. Use leftover pork and beans to make an
open-faced sandwich. Put the bean
mixture on hamburger bun halves or bread, top
each with a slice of American
cheese and broil until the cheese is melted and
bubbly.


4. Grind up 1 serving of leftovers and use as
baby food. If you don't use
them right away, freeze in ice cube trays. When
frozen, transfer to a
freezer bag.


3. Fried Meatloaf. Sauté 1 large sliced onion in
a frying pan. Add one
8-ounce can of tomato sauce, along with leftover
meatloaf cut into bite-size
pieces, plus a can of peas. Heat through.


2. Leftover melted chocolate from making candies?
Pour into a small
non-stick cake pan, smooth it into an even layer
and refrigerate until
hardened. Then 'pop' it out onto a cutting board,
chop it into small chunks
and store it in the refrigerator to be used later
in any recipe that calls
for chocolate chips.



1. Hash is an excellent and delicious way to use
extra onions, peppers and
hamburger. Here's a good Hash recipe:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes, cut
1/2 cup regular rice, uncooked
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
In large skillet, brown beef, onion, and green
pepper. Drain fat. Add
tomatoes, rice, chili powder, salt and pepper.
Heat through. Pour into
2-quart casserole. Cover and bake 1 hour at 350°.




Tawra Kellam is the author of Dining On A Dime
Cookbook:1,000 Money Saving
Recipes and Tips. (formerly Not Just Beans)
Dining On A Dime will help you
shop smarter, by cooking simpler meals and by
making your own basic cleaning
products and beauty aids.