Ann Kroeker hosts “Make Do Mondays” where she challenges us to use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
Since my “mega-shop” two weeks ago, I have attempted to stay out of the grocery, and except for a few unforeseen necessities (like bread!) I have been successful.
This means I have had to be a little creative as I near the end of our fresh foods and have to rely on what we have available to create meals.
One of the staples in our house is rice. Ismael would happily eat it three times a day for a week if it is all that we had. As long as I have it, then I know I can create a meal that he will like. We both tolerate the fact that brown rice is healthier, but trust me, everything is better with white Jasmine rice. The only decent brown rice we have found is Uncle Ben’s.
On Saturday, I made a whole chicken that I bought at Aldi for $4 and we had left over spinach rice from the night before. With some fresh broccoli, it made a great meal.
That night, out of sheer boredom with summer programming, I watched a Paula Deen show in which she prepared Chicken Divan. I realized that Saturday night’s left overs were about to become Sunday’s dinner with a few “make-do” adjustments.
1. I never have white wine, so that was OUT.
2. I didn’t have 6 cups of chicken, so I’d make 1/2 the recipe.
3. I needed to use up some red onion and peppers so I would add those to the recipe.
4. I was short on bread crumbs, so the topping wouldn’t be as delightfully crunchy.
5. And it would go great with the rest of the rice from Friday.
The result?
A fairly fancy dinner for a Sunday night!
How do you make do with leftovers?
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http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chicken-divan-recipe/index.html
