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Planning your cooking to avoid leftover ingredients is challenging.

You're less likely to suffer refrigerator clutter if you use fresh produce, canned food in smaller sizes, and frozen fruits and vegetables you can measure out while freezing the remainder of the package.

However, despite your best attempts, you may be faced with a few slices of bread or a bit of meat, especially when you're doing holiday entertaining.

To clean out the odds and ends, think of them as tomorrow's dinner.

Turn beans, rice or short pasta -- such as macaroni or penne -- into satisfying soup.

Cooked vegetables also go into the soup pot.

Tomatoes and tomato sauce, with the addition of seasonings, can be transformed into spaghetti sauce or chili.

Bread is a natural for a pudding or strata (similar to bread pudding but with layered bread slices). Depending on your inclination and other "ready-to-go" supplies, you can create a savory or sweet pudding.

The following bread pudding, which calls for a small amount of sausage and fruit, makes a wonderful brunch entree. Vary the recipe according to what's lurking in your refrigerator.

 

Breakfast "Bread Pudding"

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Makes 2 servings

4 ounces bulk country sausage

1 large shallot, chopped

1 medium apple, peeled, cored and chopped (1/2-inch pieces)

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 cups egg bread (3 average slices), torn into 1-inch pieces (see note)

Maple syrup

 

Crumble the sausage into a large skillet. Add the shallot and apple. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until sausage is cooked and apple is almost tender. Remove from heat.

Beat the eggs and milk together in a large bowl. Add the salt, cinnamon and pepper. Stir well. Add the egg bread. Set aside 10 minutes for the bread to absorb the liquid. Stir in the sausage mixture.

Spoon the bread combination into a well-greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve bread pudding with a light drizzle of maple syrup.

Note: If desired, substitute another mild-tasting or slightly sweet bread.

 

Each serving (without maple syrup) has: 486 calories; 29 grams total fat; 21 grams protein; 38 grams carbohydrates; 270 milligrams cholesterol; 1,111 milligrams sodium and 4 grams dietary fiber.

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Breakfast 'Bread Pudding' - Bev Bennett Recipes

(c) 2009 Bev Bennett