Homeless Shelter

Sometimes I think that I run a homeless shelter for stray animals and people. What does that have to do with cooking? Everything.

Today I was at the office figuring taxes. I had taken out some T-bone steaks for dinner for my immediate family of four. When I arrived home later than I expected, there were four extra mouths inside my home that were anticipating dinner.

How do I stretch the limited t-bone dinner I had originally planned for four people stretch to eight? Think fast.

I found some marinated chicken thighs in the freezer. I put them in the microwave for a quick defrost, and then sauteed them on the stove top to supplement the t-bone steaks.

I also put some day-old sourdough bread in the oven to warm. It tastes wonderful, and the crust has a nice crunchiness to it while the inside stays warm and chewy. It's a great filler.

I found a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. It's a pantry item that I don't brag about, but comes in handy when picky kids show up.

With dinner I also served a spinach salad and twice baked potatoes. Between everything that was put out, there was enough to feed everybody. Whew.