Better Home Cooking Basics: #44 Reheat Pancakes in the Toaster & then 30 Seconds in the Microwave.

If you've ever made too many pancakes (like I did on Saturday), this tip is for you. I don't like to throw food out & find leftovers are a great time saver but sometimes when you're reheating them in the oven they get dried out or get too mushy in the microwave.

To reheat pancakes I've found that the best balance for reheating them is a combo of using the toaster (hopefully your pancakes aren't larger than a piece of bread & if they are cut them in half & work in batches) & then microwaving them for 30 seconds. That way they still have a slightly crispy outside but the inside is still moist.

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Reinvent Your Turkey Day Leftovers

It's the day after thanksgiving & I'm so thankful for a day chockfull of family, food & laughs. Oh, & leftovers.  What are you making with yours? These are some of the ways I've reworked leftovers in the past.

• For everything you brought home from grandma's house, try this sandwich
• For the mashed potatoes you can't get enough of, try these potato croquettes.

Chicken & Veggie Turnover

I really love when I can revamp the leftovers in my fridge & this recipe was a winner in both the tasty department & in the finishing-up-the-leftovers-department.

Essentially you should be able to chop the cooked chicken & vegetables that you so neatly stored in your fridge the night before to concoct this recipe. All you'll really need to do to them is to cut them into equal sized pieces, make a simple cheese sauce & make one giant hot pocket for it all.

Click through for the recipe on how to make your own at home.

Thanksgiving Sandwich

There's a deli in NYC that serves a "thanksgiving on a roll" sandwich. I love it. So I recreated my own that I think was a bit healthier yet totally indulgent at the same time. 

What did you do with your Thanksgiving left overs?

Click through for the road map to make your own rendition of a thanksgiving sandwich.

(Leftover Mashed) Potato Croquettes

I love mashed potatoes.  Who doesn't? Chris made some tasty mashed taters the other night with leftovers to boot.  Using the cold left over mashed potatoes I reinvented them into crispy crusted croquettes!  Find out how after the jump!

What's your favorite way to reinvent leftovers?

PS: Birthdays continue! Happy Birthday to my godmother, Aunt Lynnie! & my sweet nephew, Derek! Love you both!

Happy Friday everyone!