The holidays are upon us which means lots of food. So, what to do with all those leftovers? Here are some creative ideas.
Potato Kugel
* Cut into individual size portions, remove the crust and fry on all sides. Serve piping hot.
* Freeze some and use in the cholent next week. They will love it.
* If you only have a small amount left over, crumble it up and add to a vegetable soup.
Broccoli or Spinach Kugels
* Mash up, add an egg or two and a tablespoon of flour. Place a nice amount on a piece of pizza dough and fold over like a calzone. Brush with egg wash and bake for an hour on 300° or until light brown.
* To make individual portions, use the small square frozen dough. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle on sesame seeds. Then bake until light brown.
* Cut into small cubes and mix with cooked rice or potato. Serve hot.
* As with the potato kugel, crumble a small amount into vegetable soup.
Any Cooked Vegetable
* If you have left over green beans, carrots, eggplant, or even potatos, mix together with one egg, a tablespoon of flour for every cupful (about), salt, pepper and garlic powder. Fill a baking dish up to 2/3 full. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and bake at 350° for one hour.
Cakes
* Cut sponge or chocolate cake into thin slices arrange the slices flat one layer at a time on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for fifteen minutes on 300°. Serve as cookies.
* Crumble cake, add a little liquor to the crumbs, add a stick of margarine, and any leftover cream or frosting. Mix well. Form balls and roll them in sprinkles or coconut.
* If you have cake made out of dough like a cocosh, run it in the food processor and then sprinkle over ice cream or fruits. Or use in place of crumbs at the bottom of pies.
Liquids
* Never throw away liquids! When you cook green beans or corn use the liquids strained in another dish you cook. Yesterday I cooked chicken soup in one pot and corn in another. When the corn was cooked I strained the liquid and added to the chicken soup. You can do it with any liquid. That delicious full of flavor of liquid from baking chicken or meat should never be discarded. I put it in a jar overnight in the refrigerator, then remove the fat that forms on top and add it to cooked vegetables, to the cholent or to enhance any cooked soup.
* At the end of the summer we are left over with many sauces in the refrigerator from barbeques. Don’t throw them away. Use them up slowly; a tablespoon in the cholent, in vegetable dishes or the next roast you bake. The idea is not to throw away good food that you paid for it dearly.
Fruits
* If you have fruits starting to turn, use them quickly.
* Make a smoothie with the fruit, some milk or water and some kind of sweetener. Cook them in a small amount of water with a little sugar and serve as compote. This freezes very well.
* Arrange them in a piecrust and bake for an hour on 350°.
* Apples cab be cooked in a small amount of water and then strained for applesauce; use the liquid as juice. In my house my grandchildren know that Savta even makes apple juice for them.
Moadim L’simcha – and let me know how you best used your leftovers.