Desperation Dinner

I was stuck in the house with very little food on Monday night, and needed to come up with something quickly for dinner. It was looking like a high-stress week, so something comforting was what I was going for.

I browned some sausage in a pan with some onion and garlic salt, then added some tomatoes and chopped fresh basil. While that was cooking, I made a full package of Trader Joe's instant Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and to that I added a package of Italian-blend cheese, some oregano, and some dried basil.

I drained the sausage mixture and put it in the bottom of a casserole dish, topping it with the potatoes. I baked it for 30 minutes, then added the remains of a can of French's onions to the top.

Not the healthiest meal on earth, but it sure tasted good, and I was able to provide a home-cooked meal for little cost or effort. So much more satisfying than ordering in.

Left Over but Not Forgotten

I hate leftovers. Perhaps I have talked about this before, but it bears repeating because I really do hate them. Part of it is that I have a very low boredom threshold, and therefore need a lot of variety in my diet (hello, 875 Yelp reviews - sigh). Part of it is that the next day's re-heated meal can never match the beauty and taste of the original presentation. It will always be a little wilted, dried out, soggy, browned, whatever. Leftovers just look sad to me, like bum clothes - once lovely, now soiled and tattered, shadows of their former selves.

The thing is, I also hate to throw out food.

So this just forces me to be creative with leftovers. I am pleased to say that all of my meals today were made with leftovers from Saturday night's dinner, and they were all good!

Sweet Potato Pancakes with raisins for breakfast:

Seared Ahi on Arugula with Lemon Vinaigrette for lunch:

Chili-Lime Pork Tacos for dinner: