Make Leftover Night A Fancy Night

I always hated leftover night. I just knew that if I was asked what was for dinner, and the answer was "well, there are a lot of leftovers in the fridge..." before I could get another word out there was a collective groan coming from living room and everyone got on their food pouts. I hate it when people are food grumpy! So, early on in my child rearing years, I came up with this amazing little idea and it worked like a charm. Make leftover night a fancy night with the simple addition of a nice table setting, a couple of candles, a menu and mom acting like a waitress. All of a sudden everyone is going out to dinner instead of eating dumb ol' left overs.

Earlier in the day I would assess what was in the fridge that needed to be eaten and come up with a game plan. I would think about how I could combine a few things to come up with a new dish, or just see what could be warmed up and stand on it's own. Then, this is when I would have my fun.

I would sit down and make a menu. I would list each thing I had to offer, and make it sound like the most delicious food they had ever eaten. It's amazing how yummy and fancy food sounds when you start throwing in words like "gently tossed", "smothered in our homemade cheese sauce" and "steamed to perfection". I would also throw everyone a bone by adding a freshly made food to go with the leftovers: baked rolls, green salad or cookies for dessert.

I would seat everyone at the table, made fancy of course with a table cloth and candles in the center, and hand them each a menu to look over. After about 5 minutes I would come back to take their order. Whatever on the menu you wanted, you would be served. (It's also fun to do this in courses if you have enough leftovers needing to be eaten.) Bring them out their food, all waitress like, and then serve yourself and sit down to enjoy your fancy meal. 

It's amazing how into this everyone got, and it made dinner a special occasion. The best part - very little cooking involved!! I have even made a couple of menu ideas for you, so all you have to do is print, fill in the blanks with whatever leftovers you have, and warm up that food. Try to get creative in naming your dishes and coming up with enticing descriptions of each.

Happy Leftover Night!