I love rotisserie chickens, but each chicken serves approximately 4-6 people, which means leftovers for days!! Almost like Thanksgiving every week. Grocery stores sell rotisserie chicken breasts which although are smaller than a whole chicken is still too much for just one person.

Be creative, come up with several uses for the chicken so you aren't eating the same meal each week. I have made chicken tacos, chicken burritos, several different types of chicken salad, (curry, Thai, Asian, Waldorf, etc.) lasagna, ground the chicken to make chicken patties, chicken soup, etc..

If you don't want to buy an entire rotisserie chicken, a Cornish hen is a great alternative. You can prepare it with the same seasonings without the leftovers. It's like having a mini Thanksgiving whenever you want.

With a left over flank steak or a any type of steak similar meals can be made: burritos, tacos, a hearty soup, steak and blue cheese salad, etc..

Potatoes...aah, I love potatoes in just about any means of preparation. Potatoes are great as a side dish, part of a soup, as a pancake, mashed, etc.. Potatoes absorb salt and can be placed in dishes while cooking to absorb over salted recipes. E.g. if you are making a soup and find that it is too salty, you can either peel the potato and cut into a few pieces to absorb the extra salt and remove upon serving, or add a couple of potatoes peeled and diced to the soup. Potatoes can be added to soup, stews, rice, beans, etc.. to remove excess salt.

When cooking with potatoes, since they do absorb much salt, the best time to season potatoes is when they are in a saucepan with water. As you are bringing the water to a boil, add salt, garlic, or any flavorings you prefer. Once the potatoes are tender, drain the water and mash. The potatoes should be perfectly salted.

When determining if a pan with oil is hot enough, you can do the bread test or even the wood spoon test. If using the bread method, drop a piece of bread in the oil. It should sizzle and quickly brown, but not burn. If using the wooden spoon method, place the wooden spoon or wooden chopsticks in the oil. When many small bubbles surround the wooden spoon or chopsticks, the oil has been heated to the proper temperature.

Chicken breast tip - Pounding boneless chicken breasts will add tenderness to the chicken while cooking.  If you push down on the chicken with your finger, the chicken will bounce back and you can feel its firmness. After the chicken has been pounded, the chicken will feel soft and tender. Once you begin pounding your chicken at home, you will begin requesting pounded chicken when you go to a restaurant. There really is that much of a difference.

Place the chicken breast in a Ziploc bag or between two pieces of wax paper, and pound skin side up. If the chicken is skinless, the side where the skin was is very smooth. Pound chicken with plastic or flat metal mallet until 1/4"-1/8" thick, depending on your preference. The back of a heavy fry or saute pan, the side of a large can or even a full bottle of wine can be used as a substitute for the mallet.