A New Orleans cook turns leftover salad, half a beer and the last of the ice cream into three soups. Hard times call for a smart pot, baby.

Come sit, baby, because a New Orleans cook just put into words what every thrifty kitchen already knows: good food shouldn't end up in the trash. Writing for nola.com, Liz Williams shares three soups built from what's already in the fridge and pantry. "Food waste is not something any of us can afford with grocery prices being on the rise, but that is no reason to serve less than thoughtful and delicious meals," she writes. She thinks of it as a game, "me against the impulse to waste. And I want to win!" Her gazpacho can stretch leftovers as a first course, and she says it's best served chilled, not ice-cold straight from the refrigerator. Her cheese and tomato soup starts with a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, half a bottle of beer or dry white wine, and 4 ounces of grated cheddar, Swiss or pepper jack. Mind her tip: "Don't use pre-shredded cheese, as it is coated in a starch, which inhibits melting." And for dessert there's a blueberry cream soup that uses up the bits of ice cream left in multiple containers in your freezer, served with cookies or meringues. The way I see it, a thrifty kitchen isn't a sad kitchen. Nonnas and Cajun grandmothers have always known how to make a feast out of what's left, and nobody at the table feels shortchanged. Open the icebox, see what needs using, and invite somebody over to help you eat it.