Friday, September 09, 2016

Leftovers Anyone?

So I was cleaning up my fridge to make room for some fresh stuff--just in case anyone in my family stops by, I keep it full and fresh, and Italo did stop by yesterday, and then Chepa this morning--when I realized I was getting up there in left overs. This is what I have in the fridge, all good, nothing spoiled. I think I'm cooking for more than one...
    There was a nice bowl of hot sausage, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and garlic. Good over rice or in an Italian sausage sandwich. Put that in a hero (that's bread), cover with a little tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, put that in the oven till the cheese is done and you're in New York heaven.
    There were two baked chicken legs. Good for eating cold, heated up, chopped up into a salad. Anyway you like 'em
    There were three roasted chicken thighs. Originally meant over couscous with spinach and a salad, they're now good for burritos, the meat cut off and sauteed with a homemade barbeque for a pulled chicken sandwich, or turned into a chicken salad sandwich with scallions, mayo, and celery. Or that same salad stuffed into an avocado half for an Avocado Queen.
    There is one pork chop left from last night, sauteed, then baked, with some good saurkraut.
    There are two pieces of chicken parmesana, both with good fresh mozzarella and a nice tomato sauce. Could be heated up and had for dinner.
    There are two half-ribeye steaks, because I just can't eat 12 ounces of meat at a sitting anymore and I bought two last week. Both are medium rare, topped with onions, and still look like they'd tickle your throat and please your taste buds no end.
    A small bowl of coleslaw, homemade, that I made to go with the first of those two ribeyes.
    So tonight, I'm making shrimp. I've got a pound of 10-15s, so about 14 shrimp. I'm gonna make couscous--pretty instant--with fresh garlic and then make it spanish tasting with achiote and cilantro. The shrimp will be sauteed in garlic and olive oil, with scallions, a diced red pepper, a diced poblano pepper, a diced tomato and a huge handful of spinach. I'll add some Peruvian achiote to that as well and I've got the shrimp shells on the stove--I already seared them blood red--in water with half-an-onion and a Roma tomato to make a bit of juice to keep the couscous moist.
   I'll probably have 5-6 shrimp. Which means that tomorrow I'll be putting 8 fantastic shrimp into a bowl in the fridge to sit alongside everything else in there. If any of it was rotten, I'd toss it. If it was even a littl bit off, I'd put it outside, in the ditch near the road for the birds and any other animals that want it. But when it's all still at the top of its game, I just can't bear to toss it.
   So if anybody is in the neighborhood, stop by for fresh shrimp or a smorgasbord of really good leftovers. Mange!

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