Poor Man Leftover Recipes

RamenIf you have personally experienced the economic downturn then you know one of the struggles is keeping food on the table. Personally I like to eat, and I like to eat everyday. But the truth is, you don’t have to be on a Ramen Noodle diet in order to survive. What you need to do is take the leftover food from last night, and make something new from it.

1) Poor Man’s Potato Soup

Potato-SoupIngredients:

  • Left Over Mashed Potatoes
  • 1 Onion
  • 2 Cups of Milk
  • 2 Tablespoons of Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon of Butter

Have you ever reached into your refrigerator for leftover mashed potatoes, only to find that the top layer of them? You try to microwave them, but they end up cold on the bottom and hot on the top. Don’t worry, you can take those leftover mashed potatoes and make a tasty lunch from them.

Add two cups of milk and one tablespoon of butter to your two cups of mashed potatoes. If you have more or less potatoes, adjust accordingly. Place them in a saucepan and bring them to a slow boil, stirring occasionally. Dice one onion and place it in the pan. It is best to do this before the milk and potatoes are boiling. Once the soup comes to a boil, simmer for about five minutes, then add your salt and stir. You now have potato soup!

2) Poor Man’s Chili Dogs

Chili-DogIngredients:

  • Left Over Spaghetti Sauce
  • 1 Cheap Can of Chili Sauce
  • 1 Package of Hot Dogs
  • 1 Package of Hot Dog Buns

Have you ever wanted chili dogs, but when you go to buy the good sauce you find that it costs $4.50 and you only have five bucks in your pocket? So you end up buying the 50 cent can of chili sauce, and after you open the can it all slides out into one big blob, making suction sounds as it slides. Yuck! But don’t worry, you can have great chili dogs and all you need is left over spaghetti sauce!

I don’t need to spend any time telling you how to make hot dogs, you can boil them, grill them, microwave them, it doesn’t really matter.

Just take the leftover spaghetti sauce and add one can of cheap chili sauce, and heat, stirring occasionally. You will find that you have a chili sauce better than anything else you have ever known, and it can feed a whole family of four for about two dollars and 50 cents.

3) Poor Man’s Spanish Chicken Soup

Spanish-SoupIngredients:

  • Left Over Chicken
  • 3 Tomatoes
  • 2 Cups of Water
  • 1 Can of Black Beans
  • 1 Can of Corn

This works best during tomato growing season. Dice three good sized tomatoes and place them in a pan. Take your leftover chicken and strip the meat off the bone, then place it in the pan. Add four cups of water, and boil for about ten minutes, or until the water turns completely red. You can add any vegetable you want, but my favorite is black beans and corn. Place your vegetables in the pan and turn down the heat to simmer. After about 5 minutes, you will end up with some of the best soup you ever had in your life.