Creative Leftover Recipes: Transform Meals into Delicious New Dishes

We are ALIVE!!

She literally held me up at the end of the race. There’s a special place in heaven for Nicole—she stuck by me and walked as much as I made her. Running with my childhood best friend reminded me how much I enjoy her company. We conquered the Nashville Country Music Half Marathon together. Sprinkles began when we were about a tenth of a mile from the finish, and our final time was 2:51.

We explored the town Saturday night after taking naps, then headed north on Sunday morning. I had overcommitted my time, as usual: that evening my husband and I were hosting our small group Bible study at our house. Fortunately, the housekeeper came on Friday, which was a huge relief. (Yes, I hire someone to clean — it’s one of the best investments I make, right after childcare.) The kids had been staying with my parents in Illinois, so the house was ready for guests.

For dinner we served burgers and baked beans. My mom and Nicole helped me pull everything together in about an hour. As always, I made too much food, which meant leftovers for the next day: pork burgers, a few turkey burgers, and a batch of The Pioneer Woman’s Best Baked Beans Ever. I also polished off the leftover black bean salsa — I could eat that by the bucket.

I love pork burgers because they taste like the county fair. I grew up eating them there, though my new county fair in Indiana doesn’t have a pork producers tent. Luckily my neighbor raises thousands of pigs each year and we buy several to butcher ourselves, so I always have fresh ground pork in the freezer. If you haven’t tried pork burgers, here’s a simple, reliable recipe:

Pork Burgers

1 lb. ground pork

7–8 shakes chipotle Tabasco (or to taste)

2 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix the ingredients with your hands and form four patties. Lightly sprinkle seasoning salt on the patties just before placing them on the grill. Cook 8–10 minutes until done. Enjoy!

Some of you may wonder about the black bean salsa and the absence of tomatoes. The first time I made it I used tomatoes and loved it. The second time I didn’t have any, but still wanted the salsa, so I left them out—and it was still fantastic. Here’s the version I keep going back to:

Black Bean Salsa
3 cups fresh or frozen sweet corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1 big handful cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and adjust seasonings to taste. Chill for a bit to meld flavors, then serve with tortilla chips.

I have a soft spot for the Pioneer Woman and use her recipes whenever I can because they often include one of my three favorite things: bacon, butter, or cheese. Her baked beans are a crowd-pleaser and were perfect with our burgers. The leftovers kept everyone happy the next day.