It has been a difficult transition cooking for a family to cooking for just my husband and I.
Not long ago, I made a pot of spaghetti sauce and my husband looked at me with sad eyes when he saw the size of the pot.
“Don’t worry honey we can freeze some.” My brother went home with four jars after he spent the holidays with us.
I thoroughly enjoyed cooking for the all the boys when they were home for the holidays, making their favorites and not having many of leftovers.
Now when I cook, I try to make two meals out of one. I cook a roast one night and have the leftovers for a beef, asparagus and feta salad the next evening.
When I cook chicken breasts I will cook extra also and freeze the cooked breasts to be used for tacos or Caesar wraps.
Planning is almost harder now, as I don’t like to waste anything, but then again, I don’t want a freezer full of food containers.
Everyone says “I don’t like leftovers” but they can come in handy when we plan our menus.
Cook up a pork roast using a tasty rub and then use the leftovers for a different meal with an orange flavor the next night.
Pork roast rub
-3 tablespoons olive oil -4 garlic cloves minced -1 teaspoon lemon juice -1 teaspoon stone-ground mustard (or Dijon) -1 teaspoon salt -½ teaspoon each dried oregano, thyme and rosemary crushed -¼ teaspoon pepper
In a small bowl, combine oil and all ingredients, mix well and rub on roast. Use a boneless pork loin roast (three to four lb or 1.36 to 1.81 kg). Place roast on rack in roasting pan. Bake uncovered at 350 F for one and a half hours. Add cut up wedges of potatoes and onions and one tomato (cut into wedges) after a half hour and continue baking for a full meal in one dish.
Pork in orange sauce
-2 cups cubed cooked pork -1 cup uncooked long grain rice -2 teaspoons cornstarch -1 teaspoons sugar -1 teaspoons ground ginger -1 teaspoons grated orange peel -1 cup orange juice -1 teaspoons soya sauce -2 celery ribs chopped -2 medium carrots thinly sliced -¼ cup salted cashews -1 tablespoon canola oil -½ cup chow mein noodles -1 green onion thinly sliced
Cook rice. Meanwhile in a small bowl combine the cornstarch, sugar, ginger and orange peel. Stir in orange juice and soy sauce until smooth. Set aside.
In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry the celery, carrots and cashews in oil until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for one minute or until thickened. Add pork and heat through. Serve with rice, top with noodles and onion.
