It's all about creativity!

Leftovers can be so fun....I don't often like to eat the exact same meal night after night until the leftovers are gone, so I'm always trying to think of something new to do with the food.

We had a fun retreat last weekend where there was a lot of leftover food. I was able to take a container of veggies home which i was really excited about. I wasn't really sure saturday night what to do for dinner but I knew I didn't want to make a huge meal. But I also knew I wanted to eat some of the veggies....Sooo....I made a wrap!

The veggie mix included, broccoli, snap peas, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini. So I warmed some up and put them in a tortilla shell. I know - nothing special...buuut, I added on top a sauce I LOVE.

Mix 1 part mayo/miracle whip to 2 parts sour cream, sugar to taste and a dash of garlic powder. This dressing/sauce can be used for so many things...donairs, nachos and cheese (a fave), and wraps. This sauce MADE the wrap soo delicious, I could have easily eaten two...but I didn't. :)

Then I also have a ton of leftovers from THIS recipe. I took some of the pork and fried it up with some sliced red peppers and onions (I used a touch of olive oil but otherwise used the sauce from the meat). I placed it in half of a tortilla shell and topped with some cheese - folded in half and fried in a frying pan for *pork quessadillas*. I served it with the above sour cream/mayo mixture and salsa. Brent LOVED it!

Tomorrow I plan to use the remaining pork and make the Chicken enchiladas tomorrow. I'll be adding the leftover black beans as well (I LOVE black beans) and possibly using some of the cafe rio dressing in the sauce as well. We'll see.

It's nothing major - but it can really help out if you are willing to be creative and try new things. I remember one time buying the wrong pitas from a local bread store. We ended up getting greek pitas which don't open :( But I decided to try them as individual pizzas and they were AWESOME! Now we often buy the Naan Bread (bags of about 6 I think - I love the garlic ones best) to make pizzas at home. We did it for Brooklyn's 3rd birthday party and everyone was able to make their own pizza - it was great!

So what's in your fridge? And - what else can it be?? Try something new - you might surprise yourself!

Pizza

While there is definitely a different taste to take out pizza...we LOVE making our own. Brent is the pizza crust man in our house and over the years we've perfected it. And the best thing about it is you don't have to wait for the dough to rise!!! So it's quick and easy....and sooo delicious!

In a small measuring cup:
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp white sugar
1 Tbsp yeast (just traditional yeast)

Let stand for 5 minutes

In mixer:
1 tsp salt (I think we actually do add the salt to this recipe)
2 cups flour
1/4 cup oil (vegetable)

Mix together and add water/sugar/yeast mixture. Sprinkle about 2 Tbsp italian seasoning (Club House italian) and parmesan cheese and mix thoroughly. Spread onto pizza stone or cookie sheet (we used to always use our pizza stone but it makes a bigger pizza using a square cookie sheet so we do that now). Don't forget to oil the bottom so it doesn't stick. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes - sometimes there are dough *bubbles* so we just poke them with a knife and cook for about 5 more minutes.
**If you are using a pizza stone, don't forget to heat it first for 15 minutes at 450**

Spread with pizza sauce (we just use our president's choice spaghetti sauce with mushrooms) and toppings. We like to crisp our ham (chopped) and pepperoni first on the stove before putting on the pizza. We usually saute the mushrooms too (they have to be fresh) and I personally love purple/red onion on as well (sauteed first). We add pineapple (I used to sautee it too but Brent didn't like it as much so I don't anymore). And top with cheese (we usually use cheddar or marble). Bake until melted - we broil for a few minutes because I LOVE bubbly/crispy cheese.
You can also use leftove taco meat for a taco or more meatier pizza...or chicken breasts with some bbq sauce, etc. Play around - it's sooo fun to try new things!

SERIOUSLY SCRUMPTIOUS RATING: 5 STARS

**A great alternative that we do often for lunches is Naan Bread. It makes perfect individual pizza crusts...I usually throw them into the oven on a cookie sheet just while the oven warms up. They are perfect and freeze well too without sticking together which is nice. You can pull a couple out at a time and keep them frozen so they don't go bad! We did these for my kids' birthdays last year. Everyone put on what they wanted and we had a great time. **