Turn Leftovers into Lust-overs

Last Tuesday, Caitlin and I were booking on down the highway stuffed into a minivan jam-packed like a clown car with everything from propane tanks to Servatii's buttery knots - everything it takes to make the oft-mentioned Market on Fountain Square happen.  Molly was crammed into her own hot wheels full of fixins en route to the marketplace as well. 

Phone rings.  Canceled. 

Mother Nature was unwilling to cooperate; with sweeping winds she put the kibosh on our lunch date with Downtown Cincinnati.   And in an instant, 160 burgers, their buttery buns, and the watermelon meant to sit beside them, were leftovers.  Instead of serving up hot chow to the familiar foodies, we found ourselves scrambling to make sure nothing turned into waste.

I am proud to report we succeeded.  Every last bite made it to someone's mouth, not the trash.   With the recipes below, turn your own leftover burgers into simple meals your family will lust over. 

Chorizo Burgers crumbled, become a layer of Fried Egg Tostadas, a topping for Chorizo Eggs with Uncle Nate's Pico de Gallo, or the best darn taco filling this side of the Mexican border.

Make a double batch of Homemade Ricotta Cheese; plug it into the Ricotta-Stuffed Burger, and then roll it into Homemade Gnocchi - in lieu of the mashed potatoes called for - later in the week.  Dollop it on top of grilled Lamb Chops for Sunday brunch.

Throw leftover Caprese Burgers into your favorite marinara like a meatball, crumble them into Pasta Aglio Olio, and turn extra Sundried Tomato Mayo into a grown-up grilled cheese with a thick slice of fresh mozzarella on crusty bread pressed and toasted.

And, of course, just about any leftover fruit may be turned into something brilliant.  Dunk watermelon for Rum-Soaked Watermelon, break citrus segments into a Fresh Orange Salad, or grill leftover pineapple with a basting of Mint Pesto.  

Blog Bits

There's not one bite of the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog that's a doctored-up leftover.  Fresh, fresh, fresh, and hot off the press, our most recent postings:

- Summer Fruits
- Home Recipes: Food and Exercise
- The Market on Fountain Square: Food
- Midwest Culinary Institute: Grgich Hills Wine Dinner
- 99 Bottles of Beer...
- How to Clean Your Grill with Morning Dew and an Onion 

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

TODAY June 29th - Cooking with Caitlin returns to The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Burgers: I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! and Homemade Linguica Sausage with Peppers and Onions

July 4th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. 

July 12th - Foodies' Night In: 4-6 p.m. EST.  TOPIC: Spices 101 with giveaways!

July 15th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin sponsored by Oriental Wok, register now!