leftovers

one thing about the way i cook...i can't cook just for myself.i just can't seem to get it right. i use too much all the time, i think i learned this habit from my grandmother. she used to cook for an army and we had leftovers from Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, birthdays - anything forever. there was always enough for a whole meal for more than 2 people. she was good like that. we always had turkey, potatoes and gravy for open face turkey sandwiches...yum, but i digress.

i find it much more difficult to cook for 1 than to cook a meal for 6 people. this leaves me with is leftovers. tons of leftovers. which is nice. MOST of the time. its nice to have something to take to work the next day, or two, but i also get sick of what i am eating or i forget, which is more often the case. when i lived with my sister, she hated leftovers, so we always took stuff home from eating out, but neither of us ever ate them. again, more often than not, i forgot. i am glad that i have gotten better about it, it may be because in my old age i'm getting more frugal about how and where i spend my money...who knows!

but i was searching the inter-web on the "whats and hows" of keeping leftovers...and some of the "tips" shocked me with how common sense they seemed. my favorites were:

• Never taste leftover that are of questionable age or safety (really? thanks internet)
• As a general rule, never keep leftover for more than 4 days (alright, guilty... i keep food probably longer than i should. i haven't gotten sick yet - maybe i have an immensely strong immune system? or, i just keep our fridge really cold.
• When leftover have been in the refrigerator too long or they look or smell unusual, throw them out! Anytime you are in doubt about the freshness or safety of any food, dispose of it. (wait, so i'm not supposed to eat that mac and cheese that has little furry green clusters on it, darn'it. i was looking forward to lunch.)

...point? no. just sharing.