Leftovers. Dangerous?

My mother took a casual approach to leftovers.  She never disposed of food lightly, and if nobody else was interested in the leftovers she placed in the refrigerator, she'd eat them herself a little at a time.  Because we were seldom sick with belly-aches in spite of her frugal ways, I'm probably not as cautious about tossing food out as I ought to be.  But I've survived so far.  I remember some time ago a facebook friend... I don't recall who it was... mentioned she had accidentally left something out on the counter overnight, something she had just cooked that evening.  She threw it in the garbage!  I said nothing, but I knew I would have at least served it the next day.  There aren't flies in most homes these days to lay their eggs in food left out where maggots can hatch and grow into more flies.  

Friday I made taco soup.  Arick is usually off on Fridays, and he joined us for dinner.  I accidentally left it on the counter Friday night, but put it in the refrigerator Saturday morning when I got up at 4 AM.  Saturday after we were done riding in a parade with our tractor club, I heated it up for Cliff's lunch/dinner/whatever-you-call-it.  

I would have had some myself, but I had gone to the fair thinking I'd get a corn dog before coming home.  Unfortunately, there wasn't a convenient way of getting to the stand selling corn dogs because when the parade was over, we had a tractor on a trailer behind us; you just can't go any old place pulling a big trailer.  So there I was with an intense craving for corn dogs, but nothing I could do to satisfy it.  Now, don't leave comments telling me to get one at Sonic:  Theirs aren't greasy enough to be in the same class with corn dogs you buy at fairs, where you get the faint smell of cow dung as you are eating.  On the way home it occurred to me I had hot dogs in the freezer, and I have a Fry Daddy deep fryer.  I could make my own, as I used to do often when our kids were at home.  

Unfortunately, when I got the Fry Daddy out of the cupboard, the electric cord wasn't with it.  So I ended up eating two plain, ordinary, boiled hot dogs on bread, with a slice of cheese wrapped around each one.  Tasty, yes (I like hot dogs).  But in no way did they taste like a corn dog.  So I ordered a new cord for my Fry Daddy, hoping the craving would hang around until the cord arrived.  I'm still waiting, by the way.

I had hot dogs, Cliff had more taco soup because he doesn't share my enthusiasm for hot dogs.  That was Saturday.  Sunday was the Allen reunion.  That's my dad's family reunion.  We hadn't been to the store in over a week.  I was out of sugar, so there was no way to make a dessert.  I always have ground beef, and keep cans of various types of beans all the time.  So I settled on Old Settler's Beans.  Then I noticed I had quite a few potatoes and made potato salad.  

There was so much food at the reunion!  Three of us had taken potato salad, so I knew we'd be bringing some of ours home.  We also had a good portion of Old Settler's beans left.  Someone had brought an extension cord with three or four plug-in spots for the slow-cookers, but for some reason mine wouldn't work.  Someone commented, "That's how they are.  One day they're working, then you leave home and they've quit working."  I was pretty sure my almost-new slow cooker had not stopped working, but sometimes I know when to keep my mouth shut, and besides, Old Settler's Beans don't have to be piping hot.  However, when I got home I plugged the crock pot in and it worked just fine.  Now I'm wondering if anybody's slow cookers were working after they were plugged in.  It's a mystery, for sure.   

Yesterday, Monday, I asked Cliff if he had any problem with eating tater salad and Old Settler's beans for dinner.  Of course he did not, since he loves those foods.  I did the arithmetic in my mind and decided it wouldn't kill us, even if both the items sat around for a couple of hours on a picnic table Sunday on an 85 degree day.  I think those leftovers were even better than the first day.  

Today I told Cliff it was more of the same if he could handle it, or he had the choice of taco soup left over from Friday.  That's what he chose, leaving perhaps one cup of soup in the pan.  I had more of our reunion food, and there was perhaps 3/4 cup of potato salad and a handful of the beans when I got done.  When we were done eating, I told Cliff, "OK, we've hung on to all this stuff long enough.  I'm going to throw this little dab of food in the garbage disposer."  

You'd have thought I shot him the way he hollered out "Oh no, don't do that!"

I knew I'd get that reaction, and the only reason I told him in the first place was that next time he was looking in the refrigerator, he'd be bound to ask where the potato salad and the beans had gone; I hate to see him disappointed.  It took me ten minutes to explain that you just can't keep food around forever and keep heating it up and eating it.  He may not have been satisfied with my explanation, but I have my limits on how long to keep leftovers, and this stuff has gone the distance.

I have another reunion this coming Sunday, my mom's family.  I've been skipping this one for several years, but Cliff thinks we should put in an appearance.  So unless something comes up, I suppose we'll go.  It's farther away, a two-hour drive.  I really do HATE leaving Gabe in his kennel for six hours, but I know he'll be fine.  

P.S.  The Missouri State Fair opens day after tomorrow, the 8th.  Various foods and beverages are selling at a cut price on opening day:  One stand may have ice cream cones at a bargain price, another will have cheap soft drinks, and yet another one will have corn dogs.  I've been trying to talk Cliff into taking me to watch the Kansas City Chiefs practice in St. Joseph, which he says he will NOT do.  But I've never had trouble getting him to take me to opening day at the state fair.  Maybe I'll get my corn dog then.