The Leftover Question

Hi Crushers!

Wisconsin, like many states in the central part of the country, got snow dumped all over the place. It's not as bad as the East Coast's storms, but it was enough to give lots of happy children (and teachers) snow days! One such teacher is my husband, Steve, who woke up early this morning to shovel and dig out my car. With the help of a neighbor, they pushed my car out of our cul de sac on to the cross street that was plowed! Thankfully, I made it into work on time for an early conference call.

I just wish I had time to finish those pancakes I was going to make him for a thank you for shoveling! No worries though, since he's the pancake master. I just got him started.

Anyway, yesterday afternoon I remembered that I hadn't taken anything out of the freezer for dinner, so it was time to get creative. We had delicious pork chops on Monday night, so my first thought was to transform those into a new dish. A few weeks ago, my friend Susan asked me to address the question of what to do with leftovers. Since we rarely have them, I was a bit stumped.

Monday's dinner: Garlic Skillet Pork Chops with broccoli and couscous
What will you be?

After doing a mental search of our cupboards and fridge, I hit the Internet for inspiration. Where do I go first? Over to the Food Network where many of my kitchen crushes have recipes, of course!

Thanks to Emeril Lagasse and his guest Sam Choy, the answer to the leftover question was Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork. I thought I could use the garlicky (yes, that's a word) cooked pork and reheat it with the sweet and sour sauce without frying it to save a few calories. Serve with some rice and steam some peapods and BAM! You've got an Emeril-approved dinner!

Unfortunately, due to a long drive home in the snow and getting to book club, I did not get a chance to make this before Steve just heated up the leftovers and ate it with some seasoned potatoes. Maybe next time?