Just a bit of Oil and a bit of Panko

It has recently occurred to us that any leftover can become great. A few simple steps will make any leftover turn into a brand new, delicious meal, irregardless of how it was in its original form. Form it into a patty, dredge it in some panko and fry it up. We have only actually put this method to test with a few of the myriad of potentials, but feel confident it is a fail safe method.
Follow these simple steps below:

1) Select leftover from fridge. Don't fear if you aren't terribly excited about it. Consider adding two leftovers together,or three. Throw the veggies right in. Did you make a sauce to go with it, throw it in! Left over rice, throw it in. You get the idea. Consider it's texture...is it slice-able? mushy and patty-able? What else can you throw into it? rice? an egg? a bit of flour?
2) Slice, or form into a patty (depending on what is most appropriate for this particular leftover concoction).
3) Dredge in panko
4) Heat a bit of oil in a skillet and fry up your leftover patty or slice.
5) Serve, perhaps with some sour cream or a bit of cheese or some other more appropriate condiment. Enjoy.

So far, we've tried this with macaroni and cheese (a treat definitely worth making!) and lentil loaf mixed with rice. They were great. But think of the other possibilities! Think of Thanksgiving all mixed together, turned into a patty and fried up. Or rice and beans. Or Thai food. Or baked ziti. Or mashed potatoes and gravy... or, or, or.

My Brain on Food

Sometimes I am embarrassed about how much time food takes up in my daily life, but mostly I relish it. I think about it, I make a lot of it, I think about food some more. Thankfully this life style hasn't lead me to be an oomph loompah...and in fact I think it has helped me to stay fairly healthy. I don't just grab something frozen from the freezer for lunch...I've been thinking about what I am going to take for lunch today since at least last night at dinner, if not long before that. As soon as I finish one meal, at least a small portion of my brain turns its attention to what will be next - if it is something that will take prep time, all the better! And forget about Sunday brunch, that I have been thinking about since at least a week before. Eggs will definitely feature prominently, but what will accompany them?

I wonder if others have the same fascination? I know Peter does - that is why we get along so well! And I know our dog does, as evidenced by the fairly constant drool he exhibits when any where near something edible. But I wonder about other people. I think most folks dread Mondays because it means the beginning of the work week, figuring out what to wear and the return to productivity. I dread Mondays because I don't know if I have sufficiently planned out the meals I want to eat for the week.

When it comes down to it, I think the time and energy my brain devotes to food is well worth it. It keeps me busy, it allows my brain to focus on something I have some measure of control and, most importantly it makes me happy.

~ Alex