But if we're being honest, we all know what a hit eating out takes on our bank accounts.
A little tip: Don't be afraid of leftovers.
You don't always finish everything on your plate, but how often do you let them just clear it away from you? "Oh, that won't reheat well" or "I don't think it will keep"... All common justifications for watching the remainder of your meal, that you paid good money for, go off into the great Unknown.
Well, Get Creative!
Just because it's what you ate at one meal doesn't mean it has to stay the same at the next one!
For example, a couple of nights ago some friends and I were having a lazy night in. We decided to get take-out, and I ordered the Baked Ziti.
In all honesty, it wasn't that good. And I was ready, after eating about half, to just throw it out. But thinking of how much money I had just paid made me really bitter, so I kept it just to spite itself. I was going to eat it!
Two nights later I remembered it was in my fridge. The thought of microwaving it just made my heart sad. I mean, it was barely mediocre the first time around!
So instead, I changed course and made a quick visit to my friends at the food emporium to pick up a few ingredients: garlic, chicken, and asparagus.
When I got home, I broke out my skillet, threw some olive oil in it, and got to work!
First I chopped up the chicken, and seasoned them with salt, pepper, and a little dried oregano. Then into the pan they went until browned all around and thoroughly cooked. I set the chicken aside, and into the same pan went my asparagus. I also added a small pat of butter here, just to richen it up a bit. But you can always leave that part out. When the asparagus was about halfway there (about 4 minutes in) I added my minced garlic and a small palm full of crushed red pepper flakes. I let those go a minute or two, and then dumped the leftover noodles on top. They only needed to reheat, so I gave them a few minutes, then stirred the chicken back in.
This was my result.
And can I just say -- by FAR more delicious then it was when I got it from the restaurant! And not to mention cheaper: Chicken - $1.50, Asparagus - $2.99. Can't beat that from a second round, eh?
**If you want to make this and just skip the bad take-out part of the story, just buy a small box of noodles and a can of tomato sauce. Boil the noodles, and add them with the sauce at the same point I did above! Should get you pretty much exactly what I had.**
2 comments:
How did you get chicken for $1.50?!
Dear Doug
Any time I'm buying chicken I divide how many breasts/cutlets are in the package by how much it costs. This particular breast was sold by the Food Emporium in a four pack for $6 -- thus my deduction that this one only cost me $1.50 -- sometimes they come in sets of two for $4, but that's not the better value. I'm all about the value! I mean, why shouldn't I be? I own a freezer and ALWAYS have Ziplocks on hand :)
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