If you have leftover pork, chicken or beef and leftover rice...
Make fried rice. Dice about a cup of leftover meat. Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a wok or frying pan and add 2 beaten eggs and chopped scallions or onion; stir. When the eggs are lightly browned, mix in another tablespoon of oil, the meat, about 4 cups of rice (cold is better; it's firmer and contains less water than freshly cooked hot rice, so it crisps up) plus a cup of frozen peas, carrots or other vegetables. Cook 5 minutes; dress with soy sauce and cook a minute more.
If you have chicken cutlets, bread crumbs and eggs...
Make crispy chicken. If you have time, pound 4 cutlets to increase each piece's surface area and therefore maximize the amount of crunch. Then fill 3 shallow bowls with about 1/2 cup flour, 2 lightly beaten eggs, and a cup of breadcrumbs. Dip the chicken into each bowl in that order and then fry in 1/4 inch of olive oil, about 3 minutes per side. Squirt lemon juice on top.
If you have frozen shrimp and broccoli...
Put them in a 2-ingredient stir-fry. First, steam 1 cup of broccoli florets in a pot filled with 1/2 inch of water. Once they're tender when pierced with a knife, heat a small spoonful of sesame oil in a sauté pan. Add a chopped garlic clove and then about a cup of shrimp; when the shellfish is pink (it should take 1 or 2 minutes) add the broccoli and a splash of teriyaki sauce. Serve with brown rice or udon noodles.
If you have butternut squash...
Turn it into soup. Cook a chopped onion in a few tablespoons of butter for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel, seed and chop a butternut squash into 1-inch chunks. When the onion is soft, add the squash and 6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock. Simmer until the squash is tender, 20 minutes or so. Puree with an immersion blender and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
If you have ground beef...
Fix sloppy joes. Cook a pound of ground beef (or turkey), a chopped onion and 3 chopped carrots until the meat is cooked through (about 10 minutes). Drain the fat off with a ladle and add a teaspoon of chili powder and a 14.5-ounce can of chopped tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes; serve open-faced on toasted buns with grated extra-sharp Cheddar and plenty of napkins.
If you have cold cuts...
Heat up some panini. Use any combination of meats and cheeses, from turkey and provolone to prosciutto and mozzarella. Brush the outside of the bread with olive oil or softened butter to ensure a crispy exterior, and then press in a panini maker or lay on a griddle and top with a heavy pan. Be careful with wet ingredients because if they're right next to the bread, they can make the sandwich mushy. Put them inside the cheese or meat and remove the seeds from any tomatoes. Tuck in greens (arugula, spinach, basil) after you've removed the sandwich from the pan or press so they stay springy. Finally, straight-edged knives cut panini better than serrated ones.
If you have prepared tortellini...
Put them in brodo, a clear Italian broth. Boil the tortellini in a large pot of salted water for 6 minutes; then add a bag of baby spinach and cook for another minute. Drain and then return the pasta and greens to the pot with 5 cups of chicken or vegetable broth and a small can (14.5 ounces) of chopped tomatoes; simmer 20 minutes. Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan.
If you have bacon and eggs...
Add them to pasta for spaghetti carbonara. Cut 8 slices of bacon into 1-inch pieces and fry until crispy. Cook 1 pound of spaghetti in boiling salted water. While it's bubbling away, whisk 3 eggs and 3/4 cup grated Parmesan in a large bowl (add 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half for a silkier, less-rustic finished dish). When the pasta is al dente, drain it and quickly combine it with the eggs and cheese, tossing vigorously. Stir in the bacon, season with salt and pepper, and finish with more Parmesan.
If you have pork chops...
Pound them into paillards. Place a boneless chop between two layers of plastic wrap and pound with a meat tenderizer or heavy saucepan until it's 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with three more pieces of meat and then lay them in a baking dish with 1/4 cup each of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Refrigerate for 15 minutes; then season with salt and pepper, and grill over medium-high heat. It shouldn't take more than a minute on each side for the pork to be cooked through and browned.
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