Yesterday's Leftovers, Today's Feast

Leftovers make you feel good twice. First, when you put it away, you feel thrifty and intelligent: ‘I’m saving food!’ Then a month later when blue hair is growing out of the ham, and you throw it away, you feel really intelligent: ‘I’m saving my life!' George Carlin

As a child, I hated leftovers. My sister and I were very lucky to have a mom who made wonderful, homemade meals three or four nights during the school week. Then one night, random casserole dishes and baking sheets would emerge from the oven and saute pans and sauce pots hissed and bubbled from the stove. When we would inquire about that evening's meal, mom would proudly announce "we're having a hodgepodge tonight!" Insert children's groan here. Little did she know, deep down I really liked having a hodgepodge, but all children and husbands have to turn their noses up at leftovers; it's in our rulebook. If you don't believe me, I have a spare copy you can reference.

Now that I'm older, I appreciate leftovers mostly because I do the cooking, and I understand the time, energy and money that went into a single night's dinner. When I have leftovers inhabiting my refrigerator, I usually turn them into a breakfast dish, munch on them cold during snack time, or reheat them for a quick lunch or dinner.

So, until a few hours ago, I was going to write about last night's fabulous meal. Adam and I stayed in on a Saturday night, which a few years ago would be so pathetic, but it was exactly what we needed after a long week and extremely long weekend. It involed two delicious and perfectly cooked filet mingons, steamy baked potatoes, and always healthy roasted vegetables. It wasn't an overly creative meal or eaten at a fancy restaurant. It was just plain old good food and wine at my house. Sometimes, it's more fun and relaxing to play with the dogs, listen to music and share the cooking responsibilities.

However, on a Sunday night, it's fun to use my surpressed creativity. I like to take fresh ingredients from Saturday night's meal and create a completely new dinner. Tonight, I combined elements from all parts of last nights dinner and made a fabulous pasta feast. Herb butter from the steaks, surplus chopped vegeatables, and the remainder of shrimp from Janna's party create a fine use of leftovers. Thanks, mom, for making me suffer through and ultimately enjoy the leftovers of your brilliant dinners.

Shrimp and Vegetable Pasta

1/2 tbs. herb butter (recipe follows)
1 cup mixed, chopped zucchini, squash, onions, mushrooms
1/2 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and devained
1/4 lb. spaghetti
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a medium sauce pan over high heat and boil pasta until pasta is cooked.

In the meantime, heat herb butter in a medium size pan over medium high heat. Add vegetables and cook until almost soft, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and saute for 3 minutes until pink. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain pasta. Add to a serving bowl and top with shrimp and vegetables.

Herb Butter

1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 tbs. fresh chives, chopped
1 tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt to taste

Soften butter to room temperaure. Add herbs, garlic, and salt and mix until well incorporated. Store in an air tight container.