Sunday Suppers - What to Do with the Extras
by Sandy Gluck
If you cook a lot, or even a little, chances are you’ve got a bit of this and some of that hanging out in your fridge. Don't waste it and certainly don't go shopping for new groceries; you've probably got all the basics of a really great meal already on hand. Here's how to make smart use of all those little bits and pieces.
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Sandy Gluck hosts Martha Stewart Radio's Everyday Food weekdays at 11 a.m. EST on on Sirius XM
What to Do With the Extras
Peanut Butter
A tablespoon of peanut butter added to milk, along with a banana and ice makes a great smoothie. It also works as a great thickener in stews, adding marvelous depth of flavor.
Browse all Smoothie recipes and learn how to make stew.
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Mashed Potatoes
Extra taters make great soup. Thin the mashed potatoes with milk, cream or broth and garnish with thinly sliced scallions.
You can also make fabulous fritters. Add flour and an egg to bind the mixture, fold in some diced ham and shape it into patties. Dredge in breadcrumbs or flour and sauté.
Browse all Mashed Potatoes recipes
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Mustard
Don't throw away that smidge of mustard left in the jar. Add some oil and vinegar and make vinaigrette by just shaking it up right in the jar. Or stir in a little bit of jam -- ideally apricot, or a red currant jelly -- and use the mixture as a glaze for pork or chicken.
Read our mustard taste test and browse all Vinaigrette recipes
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Bread
Of course you can slice it and freeze it for morning toast, but there's lots more to do. Make breadcrumbs by pulsing the bread in a food processor or make a batch of croutons. Just cut the bread up into chunks, toss with olive oil and a little salt and sauté in a pan or toast in a 400 oven. It's also great for crunchy crostini.
Browse all Crostini recipes
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Brown Sugar
Don't pitch that hardened brown sugar. Place a couple of slices of apple in the container and seal it up. In a day or two it will be supple and ready to use. You can generally trade about half the amount of granulated sugar for brown sugar in baked goods like brownies and some cakes and cookies.
Browse all Brownie recipes
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Buttermilk
Until dairies figure out they should be packing buttermilk in half pint containers, you'll probably have leftovers. Don't despair -- swap in buttermilk for regular milk in pancakes by adding a little baking soda and decreasing the baking powder by a drop. Use it for marinating chicken for fried chicken -- it both tenderizes and gives a little tang. Or try it in a salad dressing with a small amount of oil.
Try Sweet Tea Fried Chicken and browse all Pancake and Buttermilk Dressing recipes
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Coconut Milk
Luckily it now comes in smaller cans but if you've got leftovers, stir it up and freeze in ice cube trays for use in drinks and soups later. To use it right away, substitute coconut milk for some or all of the water when you make rice. Substitute it for butter to finish a sauce or stir a little into some broth along with cooked pasta and garnish with peanuts.
Browse all Coconut Milk recipes
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Cooked Meat
Chop some of that leftover stew meat and any extra vegetables and make them into a pasta sauce. Add a little broth, butter, and Parmesan, toss with hot cooked pasta and you've got an instant meal. Cooked meat also makes a great filling for tacos, a topping for a pizza, or it can even be folded into an omelet. Got extra meatloaf? Break it into small pieces and stir them into tomato sauce for a quick meat sauce.
Browse all Meat Sauce recipes
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Mayonnaise
Make a quick Caesar salad dressing with mayo, some lemon juice and grated Parmesan cheese. Or spread it on a thick slice of fish, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake. The coating will keep it super moist.
Everyone's heard that it's good for your hair, but when we tried it it took about four washings to get it out!
Browse all Caesar Salad recipes and learn how to cook fish.
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Rice
Who hasn't cooked up enough rice to feed an army when it's just you and a couple of friends? Fried rice puts leftovers to delicious use and actually works better with cold cooked rice.
Don't want to break out the wok? Mix the cooked rice with a little egg, some Fontina or your favorite cheese, add some seasonings and make rice cakes. Cook them in a little olive oil and you've got a vegetarian dinner.
Browse all Fried Rice and Rice Cakes recipes
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