Making Do With What You Have! Or Different Likes!

This beautiful fall weekend we have had in Vermont makes one want to do a little cooking. I always appreciate my oven going early in the morning to cozy up the place. So, I roasted a nice plump chicken, and baked a buttercup squash. I also made mashed potatoes, carrots and green beans. A small amount of each to satisfy the different likes in my family.

Now comes the part where you are presented with leftovers and what to do with them. So many times, through the years, I have had people tell me they don't like dealing with leftovers because it's too much work, or they have no idea what to do with them. I am not really a fan of reheating things in the microwave because I feel nothing heats right especially one or more items in the same dish, and who wants to stand there and reheat several different items, and I feel that is one of the problems. That moves me to one of my favorite ways to use up leftovers with less hassle and dishes and just plain work in the first place. The simple oven casseroles. There is no leftover that cannot go into a casserole. Trust me, I have tried them all. Sometimes I agree, imagination counts.

Today, I decided I wanted a chicken kind of shepherd's pie if that makes sense? But I didn't want potato, and my husband doesn't like buttercup squash. He likes carrots and I like green beans, which was Ok because I had small amounts of all anyway. So, there was my recipe for today.

Here is what I did in amounts of choice:

In my lightly sprayed casserole dish layered

Diced roasted chicken

Topped that with gravy

Topped one half of that with carrots and mashed potatoes

Topped the other half with green beans and mashed squash

Baked in a 350-degree oven about 35 minutes or until bubbly

Time will depend on thickness, size of pieces and size of casserole dish

The next time you are lucky enough to have leftovers, in large amounts or small, try one casserole dish creating and enjoy something yummy while cleaning out your fridge and up your kitchen when your meal is over, It's a win win!!

Happy cooking!!