| Refrigerator
soup If you open the refrigerator door and everything tumbles out on the floor, it's probably time to clean things out, but not necessarily throw them out. And that's when you need to rely on a few frugal tricks for how to turn leftovers into a nice big batch of soup. CHOOSE A BASE: 6 cups broth (chicken, beef or vegetable) 2 cups spaghetti sauce 4 cups water ADD A PROTEIN: 2 cups beef, chicken, turkey or pork, shredded or cubed 1 cup ham, diced 3 cups canned or cooked dried beans ADD 3 TO 4 CUPS VEGETABLES (mix and match from the following list): Carrots (sliced), celery (diced), onion (chopped), potato (cubed), tomato (diced), green beans, zucchini (sliced), peas. NEXT, ADD 1 TO 4 SPICES AND SEASONINGS plus salt and pepper to taste (4 tablespoons fresh or 2 tablespoons dried total; mix and match from this list): basil, chives, cumin, garlic, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, cayenne, chili powder. FINISH WITH 2 CUPS OF A STARCH (choose one from the following list): rice, barley, pasta, corn. Combine all ingredients in a big pot. Cover and cook on low for several hours. You can do this in a slow cooker as well. Just be sure to place any raw root vegetables on the bottom, then cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. You have a lot of latitude here. You can use raw or previously cooked ingredients. Just make sure you add the previously cooked items toward the end of the cook time if you started with raw ingredients. And take it easy with the seasonings if your leftovers have been seasoned previously. LEFTOVER SOLUTION: Keep three containers in your freezer labeled "Soup," "Chili" and "Spaghetti Sauce." Now when you have small amounts of leftovers, deposit them into the appropriate freezer container. When a container gets full you'll know it's time to make soup, chili or spaghetti. SOUP CONTAINER: Gravy, corn, vegetables, meat, poultry and other ingredients found in soup. CHILI CONTAINER: Sauteed onions, green pepper, beef, taco meat and sauce, and other chili ingredients. SPAGHETTI SAUCE CONTAINER: Leftover spaghetti sauce, tomatoes and ground meat. HINT: Instead of throwing out beef bones, collect them in a zip-type freezer bag. Throw a few into your soup to increase flavor. Be sure to remove them before serving. |
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Mary Hunt is the creator
of The Cheapskate Monthly newsletter, which can be ordered online at
www.cheapskatemonthly.com/um. You can e-mail questions or tips at
[EMAIL PROTECTED] or Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135
Paramount, CA 90723. All correspondence becomes the property of Cheapskate
Monthly. Copyright 2004, Newspaper Enterprise Assn. | ||||||||
Charles Mims
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