King and Queen of the Leftovers

When Dave and I were children, we hated leftovers. They never tasted as good as the original dish, but our moms (wisely) served them to us, and we begrudgingly ate what was on our plates. After this week, I think our moms would be proud of the responsible grown-ups we've become.

It all started on Monday, when I made chili from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I altered the recipe a bit, not adding as much chili powder and mixing in black beans. The result was delicious. Served with a side of Fritos and topped with cheddar cheese and fat-free sour cream (not pictured), it's now a Gwynne family favorite.


Even though I'd cut the recipe in half, we had plenty leftover for dinner on Tuesday night. Dave tucked his into a Tupperware container to reheat before his evening class, and I ate mine solo at home. Again, with the same toppings, the chili was delicious--even if it was technically consider a leftover at this point.

On Wednesday, I found myself wondering what I could do with the remaining chili (yes, there was still some left). My thrifty Dutch upbringing made me feel a tad guilty about even thinking of tossing it. Fortunately, inspiration struck, and I decided to make baked potatoes topped with chili. Again, it was a delicious chili-filled meal, and one we'd like to have again.


Finally, on Thursday, I was determined to finish up the last of the chili. (Can you believe we still had chili leftover?) The menu called for spaghetti and meatballs, so I improvised and made spaghetti and chili. There was just enough for Dave's meal, and I was happy with my standard spaghetti sauce. Dave's dinner reminded me of what you might see on a Steak 'n Shake menu. He loved it!


Thanks to the chili, we didn't have to do our weekly grocery shopping trip, saving us quite a bit of cash. Our week filled with leftovers was a success!