Re-inventing Left-overs

Lunches at my job rock.  It is no lie that when you start working with us you will gain 10 pounds within a month.   The drug representatives are amazing and bring catered lunches to us almost everyday.  These lunches can be anything from  sandwiches or pizza to a roast beef dinner.   We truly appreciate this gesture, not only does it save us from having to run out when we are very busy, but it helps the pocket book a little to not have to buy lunch. 

There are 70 people that work in my office and most of the lunches are catered for 70 people. This often leaves a plethora of left over food after the lunch hours.  We have limited refrigerator space so keeping it at the clinic is not an option.  Most days we send out e-mails for people to come and claim some food before we (cringe) have to toss it. Tossing food makes me sad when there are so many that go without.  We also take any unopened containers to a local women's center.  Lately I have been trying to come up with different ways to re-invent the left over food. 


Baked Potato Bar = Twice Baked Potatoes OR Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Baked potato bar often includes potatoes, cheese, chives, bacon crumbles, broccoli, sour cream, and chili. 

For the Twice Baked Potatoes-- I grab 3 left over potatoes, cheese, chives, bacon , and sour cream.  After work I scoop out the insides of the potatoes leaving a small amount of potato to stabilize. Set aside the hollow skins in a baking dish.  In a large bowl I combine the scooped potato, cheese, sour cream, and bacon along with a splash of milk or cream and some fresh pepper.  Sometimes I will add a little onion powder.  Mix thoroughly and scoop the mixture back into the skins.   Bake about 20- 30 minutes or until heated through, sprinkle with chives and serve.  You can serve this as a side dish to your favorite meat, fish or poultry. 

For the Loaded Baked Potato Soup--  I grab 3-4 left over potatoes, cheese, chives, bacon, sour cream.  After work I dice up an onion. Saute  the onion and bacon in a little butter with salt and pepper till the onion is soft in a stock pot.  Chop up the potatoes and add them to the pot.  Add about 2-3 cups of chicken stock and about a 1/2 C of milk. Let simmer about 15-20 minutes.  Add in the cheese.  Simmer till soup starts to thicken.  To serve ladle into a soup bowl add a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with chives.

Fried Chicken Bar =  Chicken Salad Sandwiches OR Chicken Pesto Pannini's
This usually includes fried chicken, potatoes/ potato salad, a veggie and rolls.

 For the Chicken Salad Sandwiches-- I try to grab 3- 4 pieces to make sure I have enough chicken. If there are rolls left I grab a few of those as well.  Remove the skin from the chicken and begin pulling the meat from the bones. Chop the chicken up a little depending how big you like the chinks.   In a bowl combine chicken, 3/4 C mayo, 1/4 C of Dorothy Lynch Salad dressing (it's like french but WAY better), salt pepper, garlic powder, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded carrots and crumbled Ritz crackers.    Serve on the rolls with chips or side salad.

For the Pannini's-- Again using  3-4 pieces of chicken, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat from the bones. Butter 4 slices of a hearty bread.  On the non buttered side of the bread smear about 2 tsp of store bought pesto.  Layer on chicken and a slice of provolone or some parmigiana cheese. Place a second slice of bread butter side facing out onto the stack.   Grill the sandwich using a press to flatten.

If you think about it, re-inventing left-overs can correlate to everyday life. In our home we often have a good amount of left-overs and finding ways to use the extra in a new way give you more variety to your week.  I will share more another time.  Until then enjoy!