repurposeful.com

Regobbling: What to do with the leftover turkey.

I liked this recipe for "Leftover Turkey" Soup, courtesy of Cooks.com. Unfortunately turkey just seems unappetizing and dry the day after, but I'm making a concerted effort to waste not. We took about half a turkey back from Thanksgiving at my father's place. I'd like to keep it simple--forego the crazy casserole-concoctions. There's also just reheating it, I suppose.

Butcher It

I love getting reader tips. My friend Vik recommends butchering one's own meat. It's economical and less wasteful.

Here are some of his guidelines. He's a terrific chef, so you can trust the advice:

1. Cut the meat into pieces based on how you intend to cook the it. I guess this is where a little meal planning might help.

2. Use sharp knives for safety--a serrated blade for large cuts and bones and a small paring knife for finer work.

3. Pack the different cut pieces into Ziploc bags, old plastic produce bags, etc. and freeze; defrost as you need them. I think this is particularly helpful for single people.

4. Save and freeze any leftover bones to make stock.

And here's an instructional video I found from Chow.com that features Ray Venezia, head butcher at New York’s Fairway market.

Leftovers Made Over

You know when you're finishing up your meal, and there's that hesitation? Is that enough to merit a doggie bag? I say, if you can use it as a basis or filler for a new meal, go for it. Think of it like a secret ingredient for your inner-Iron Chef.

Here are four next-day meal suggestions, along with the dishes that preceded them:

Leftover Steak?

From last night's filet mignon (over half eaten), I sliced thinly, seared and laid over a salad of greens, grape tomatoes, red onions and dijon vinaigrette. Yay, steak salad makes a decadent and healthy lunch.

Takeout Rice?

My father's recipe for fried rice is to simply coat that leftover Chinese restaurant rice in a skillet of vegetable or olive oil that a couple smashed cloves of garlic has been frying in. Finish it with that random soy sauce pouch sitting in your drawer and some scallion.

Bouillabasse?

I once got this amazing bouillabasse from Fada. With more than a fair share to take home, I asked to pack my own doggie bag so I could keep the broth separate from the fish/shellfish. This allowed me to make a wonderful seafood risotto the next day, much like this one from Martha  but with a killer, amazing homemade broth.

Roasted Half-Eaten Chicken?

And with roasted chicken, which never tastes good nuked the next morning, consider shredding it while it's still somewhat warm (like when you get home and barring too many glasses of wine), and mix it with equal parts ranch (or creamy Caesar dressing) and plain yogurt. With that you can throw it on a salad, in a pita, or on toasted sliced baguettes or celery stalks. If that's too unrefined, Martha has a great shredded Asian rotisserie chicken salad  and you can substitute the grilled chicken cubes in Chicken Salad Veronique  courtesy of Barefoot Contessa.

Do you have your own leftover triumphs and suggestions to share? Please post!

Wine Coolers

My friend Gizelle hosted some friends over in the backyard of their beautiful Clinton Hill (Brooklyn) pad. Thought this was clever and repurposeful. She keeps a couple of her wedding centerpiece vases on hand to double duty as wine coolers.

Baby Shower Decor

It's so repurposeful I could cry, or maybe that's just sentiment I have around babies these days. Sharon, the hostess in a baby shower some friends helped organize, suggested we get a clothesline to help thematically decorate her apartment. So guests were asked to bring clothes and baby gear for the boy's first year of life. Genius! No balloons or bad paper decor, and a clear help in minimizing the whole wrapping paper ordeal.

Save the cheese!

Tips for extending the life of your beloved cheeses, courtesy of The Kitchn.