Marvelous Leftovers

The only cooking we did tonight was in the microwave, on defrost. 

I love leftovers.

We were on vacation last week and yesterday’s Easter dinner was light and the extra ham is in the freezer. So after returning everyone to school and work this morning, cooking was a no-brainer. I took a dinner-sized portion of lamb shepherd’s pie from the freezer.

I made this pie a while back, a special birthday request, and it’s easily a half-day endeavor.

There’s the chopping,

the browning,

the cooking,

and the stewing...

We enjoyed several hours of delightful scents in the kitchen the day before the dinner and let the stew sit in the refrigerator.

The next day, the kids helped me peel potatoes and top the pie for a reheating after work. It was delicious. I’m pleased to spend the time to make something my kids love, but the leftovers….that’s the delightful part! I froze a four-person dinner for another night, two lunch-sized portions and tonight’s dinner portion. And there’s nothing like having an instant gourmet dinner!