leftovers - 1
Leftovers are defined as being left or remaining, as an unused portion or amount. Most folks think of this word in terms of food uneaten at the end of a meal, which is my normal usage of the word as well. Some of this leftover food is eaten the next day or so and some just stays there because it wasn’t that good to start with. Yet it stays because one hates to throw away food until it spoils and/or grows fuzzy stuff of odd colorations.
It seems to me – or maybe it’s my imagination – that the fuzzy stuff grown on leftovers nowadays just doesn’t have the interesting colors of those of long ago. Growing up in a large family, we tended not to have many leftovers to begin with, but on the rare occasion that something got hidden from view behind the half-empty watermelon rind pickle jars, the colors were much more vibrant and alive – literally.
The longer the stuff stayed there the more interesting the colors became. Of course there was the normal color fuzz, but what I really looked forward to were the electric blue-green shades that just happened occasionally – this was before we had a TV for entertainment. Today I only find the dull shades of brown and black – it must be the preservatives therein contained.
Leftovers also happen in other areas of life, like when I take something apart for repair and have leftover parts. Sometimes the thing repaired never works quite the same, if at all. Also leftover parts happen when something is purchased that requires some assembly. I’m never sure if there are actually extra parts or if it’s not put together right. It makes me think that maybe somewhere there is a packager of goods with a weird sense of humor that just tosses in some extra parts to torture us or cause us to doubt our ability to assemble.
Those of us that grow a veggie garden know that it’s possible – even probable – to have extra (or leftover) produce. Most of this can be frozen or canned for later use but zucchini can be somewhat of a problem. Looking on the internet for zucchini recipes, I found 567,000 sites that had them. On just the first site there were 114 recipes - they can be baked, fried, sautéed, stuffed and pickled. They can be made into relish, burgers, biscuits, fritters, omelets, pancakes, pies and pudding – although these last two do not sound very appealing. ec
To be continued.
It seems to me – or maybe it’s my imagination – that the fuzzy stuff grown on leftovers nowadays just doesn’t have the interesting colors of those of long ago. Growing up in a large family, we tended not to have many leftovers to begin with, but on the rare occasion that something got hidden from view behind the half-empty watermelon rind pickle jars, the colors were much more vibrant and alive – literally.
The longer the stuff stayed there the more interesting the colors became. Of course there was the normal color fuzz, but what I really looked forward to were the electric blue-green shades that just happened occasionally – this was before we had a TV for entertainment. Today I only find the dull shades of brown and black – it must be the preservatives therein contained.
Leftovers also happen in other areas of life, like when I take something apart for repair and have leftover parts. Sometimes the thing repaired never works quite the same, if at all. Also leftover parts happen when something is purchased that requires some assembly. I’m never sure if there are actually extra parts or if it’s not put together right. It makes me think that maybe somewhere there is a packager of goods with a weird sense of humor that just tosses in some extra parts to torture us or cause us to doubt our ability to assemble.
Those of us that grow a veggie garden know that it’s possible – even probable – to have extra (or leftover) produce. Most of this can be frozen or canned for later use but zucchini can be somewhat of a problem. Looking on the internet for zucchini recipes, I found 567,000 sites that had them. On just the first site there were 114 recipes - they can be baked, fried, sautéed, stuffed and pickled. They can be made into relish, burgers, biscuits, fritters, omelets, pancakes, pies and pudding – although these last two do not sound very appealing. ec
To be continued.
posted by mreddie | 9:33 AM
6 Comments:
leftovers are my favorite food group. they mean i don't have to cook for a while. young leftovers, that is... no aged, bearded types.
other lovely leftovers... the bits of my granny's aprons and dresses that became quilts; the remaining strands of wool from socks and mitts that became the contrasting stripe on the next batch, or wildly abstract 'granny squares' in her afghans; odd buttons to become the eyes of sock puppets and dolls; leftover lumber and nails from building projects become a whole world of boats, trucks, and magical vehicles for a kid with a hammer and and idea....
i once gave a gift to a friend who'd just had a baby and was overwhelmed (and under energized). i went once a week to her home to help out for a few hours. the first day, first job was to clean her fridge, which was full to bursting, with all the beautifully colored furry things you're so nostalgic about. And AROMATIC! i nearly didn't come back the next week. Couldn't eat for days!
of course, those were more antiques than leftovers.
Entertaining thoughts, certainly. But as far as the zucchini goes (zucchini, by the way, is one of the best hangman words on the planet!) Zucchini bread is definitely the way to go. I am sure you can find one out there, as I am not at home and can't just type out mine... or if you want, I can get you it later. But in my family the leftover zucchini gets grated and made into zucchini bread. Wow, the thoughts of it make me want to go home and make some... yum!
thom - I knew it! They somehow knew that I would be scratching my head about those extra parts and laughing. :)
grannyfiddler - Chuckled over the phrase "bearded leftovers". :) Also about the antique leftovers.
thebeloved - Zucchini bread sounds interesting, I think I have had that but can't remember for sure. ec
We have always salvaged left-overs, and made something useful out of them. Why, my husband refers to me as a 'left-over', when he married me I had been married before. When my husband married me, I'd been married before, and he always refered to me as a 'left-over', or 'second hand'.
We were raised in a day that if something was broken, it was repaired unless it was way beyond that. I could be called a pack rat. ec
Hi - I am Peter's sister & would like to thank you for your good wishes.
I make a nice Zucchini Quiche which is nice hot, or cold with salad. Peter will not eat Quiche !!! Real men don't he says. Happy New Year to you & your family.
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