So for those of you that know me you know I am frugal, cheap or whatever you like to call it. I love a good deal and can easily justify any good deal whether it's a 2-for-1 Happy Hour special or this fabulous dress I got at Nordstrom Rack marked down to a mere, and very logical, $29 USD to wear to a friend's wedding last weekend.

 

I am also considered to be cheap, frugal or whatever because I refuse to throw away food that still has a life expectancy of even a few days left in it. I have actaully made it a challenge to re-use and re-make some fabulous meals over the 2-day old leftovers. My most recent, and possibly proudest feats conquering my goal to not waste has been quite successful in the days of late.


A week ago Sunday we hosted a fabulous 50th birthday party for my brother-in-law. My fabulous in-laws were in town and basically bought out a Whole Foods Market and enough food for a small Army. Particularly the Army of 2 strong eaters in the Katen household. There were 2 main entrees served at the party - halibut filet of fish and pork tenderloin which were both cooked to perfection. After feeding 30+ people at the party and 3 days of eating leftovers as the original entrees were meant with sauces, etc., my sweet hubby and I were ready for a change of pace. So here goes:


Pork - sliced it up for sandwiches, sauteed with onion to make soft tacos and diced very tiny to serve as the meat on a platter of nachos on the final evening of it's life.


Fish - heated and topped with cabbage, salsa and lettuce for some killer fish tacos, chilled in lime and added fresh cilantro and served over tortilla chips ceviche style, and finally, our favorite, tossed in a mixture of onion, spices, chicken broth and a can of lite coconut milk served over rice for one helluva fish curry if I don't say so myself.

Last week we ate like kings and it was so awesome to make it all without going to the grocery store once.


So tonight, as I sit here with another full belly I have to show-and-tell my latest fun food. This weekend we hosted a shower for our sweet friends Tiffany and Chris who are expecting their little lady any day now. We had 2 leftover burger patties which I just threw in the freezer for a later BBQ. That is until my garden took up steroids over the weekend and is now spitting out zuchinni, and I mean LARGE zukes here, to the point where I can't keep up with it. So what does a zuchinni on steroids + leftover burger patties turned ground beef again + onion + spices + the final remnants of a jar of spaghetti sauce in the fridge + breadcumbs + random spices + light ricotta = in my husbands opinion "One of the Top 5 dishes you've ever made me"! And I didn't even have a recipe or hit up the store! Wifey be happy.

Now that my zuchinni's are getting way too happy in the garden I need recipe ideas? I did find one online tonight for cinammon-zuchinni bread. And I gots it all in the house already. That will be this weekend's project.