Leftovers

Two big dinners in a row makes for a lot of leftovers.  The fridge is full of those reusable containers and this makes me happy.  I know a lot of people don't like leftovers but for me it is an opportunity to have something I loved one more time.  This of course assumes you follow my other philosophy of only keeping what was enjoyed.  Sometimes a meal will fail.  It happens.  Usually something gets burned or over spiced beyond repair but there is so much of it that we are tempted to keep it in the fridge till it rots.  This is ridiculous.  If nobody is going to eat it, there is no reason to save it because you're going to toss it out now or later.  If the roast in question was really expensive, you might be able to salvage some of it and I think I will address kitchen repairs sometime in the future but until then make sure you are on-board with the idea of eating the leftovers you stack before you go to the trouble of saving them.  If your are not going to eat it, consider starting a compost heap.
I love it when I can reach in and at random grab something that I have recent fond memories of.  It's like watching a favorite movie or listening to that one song that became the anthem of your high school senior year. Occasionally, I might take the remaining spoonfuls of various leftover treats and try to pool them together into a tasty meal and clear a bunch of space at the same time.  
There are some issues to be aware of with racks of refrigerated goodies.  One problem with refrigerated leftovers is their tendency to dry out.  This is a result of the cooling process but I have been able to revive mummified chicken and dried crunchy vegetables in a steam cooker but this will take a medium cooked steak and turn it well done so use with caution.  Another caution that I hear a lot is regarding the use of plastic containers.  They do a good job of keeping the moisture intact but may leach BPA into the food.  As I understand it, this is hastened by the heating and washing of containers.  As a result, I try to re-heat food on dishes instead of in the plastic container and also hand wash the plastics but I would be lying to say that this happens every time.  We all have BPA in us to varying degrees so while I might try to avoid exposure, I'm not going to panic over it.
Now the trick will be to work through these leftovers as the run-up to Christmas comes along.  We are planning a big Christmas dinner as many will do but some holiday baking seems inevitable.