The Refrigerator Files
A Guide to CREATIVE MAKEOVERS for your LEFTOVERS
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
When I come upon recipes in books, magazines, or newspapers, I am frequently discouraged by the number of special ingredients needed. There are hundreds of books out there designed meet our particular needs or tastes. But what about someone like me, who is daily confronted with the big question, “What can I do with all those leftovers cluttering up my refrigerator shelves?” Certainly not throw them out! Why not spruce up those nutritious odds and ends, which have certainly picked up flavor in their overnight sojourn in the fridge? There are many ways we can transform them into memorable dishes by incorporating them into some other basic procedure.
When confronted with traces of yesterday’s dinner, the first question to ask oneself is, “What kind of dish do I need to make? Lunch? Dinner? Is the weather hot? cold?” You get the idea. Therefore, this guide’s sections have been organized into cooking procedures that lend themselves relatively easily to leftover metamorphosis. At the beginning of most sections the basic ingredients and/or utensils to draw on from your basic arsenal have been listed, followed by some basic recipes to get you started.
The point of all this is to help the reader use resources at hand and not feel that he or she has to run out to the store for a missing ingredient. Also, measurements are not hidebound. You should feel free to vary the proportions according to what you have on hand. As we give you a general idea of proportions, you will learn to wing it. By having fun being creative with your leftovers, you will also be inspired to use odds and ends of fresh produce in new ways.The presentation of the recipes does not follow the conventional layout, where all the ingredients are listed at the top, followed by the instructions. Here you will find step-by-step instructions as you go along, with the ingredients listed in enlarged bold face to the right. You only need to scan the right side of the page to see what ingredients are required.The chapters are arranged in the conventional order, the dishes organized approximately in the order in which they would appear on a menu. At the end of the book are suggestions about how to give an elegant funeral to your holiday feast leftovers and what to buy in bulk for easy leftover metamorphosis.
As you open the refrigerator door, I hope this little book will help transform that shudder of dread into a smile of eager anticipation as all the possibilites for creativity beckon to you from the shelves.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
About the Author
Jocelyn Deprez has spent a lifetime navigating her way through the cooking procedures required to put a decent meal on the table for her family of husband and four children. Starting from scratch as a clueless liberal arts college graduate and thanks to a few chemistry hints from her husband, a wedding gift from her mother of The Joy of Cooking, and later nudges from Julia Child and Delia Smith, she has grown to love playing in the kitchen. Five years in Paris, where dinner parties were no laughing matter, taught her the infinite possibilities of good basic ingredients. It also helped that her children accused her of being “a scrapper”. So here are a few suggestions about what to do with those “scraps”!