Posts filed under 'Leftovers'
Plan A was to stop at the butcher and buy some ground beef and throw burgers on the grill. This is a real treat, since we are not eating beef very often anymore but everyone loves it.
This morning I realized that the butcher is closed on Monday, so I had to go to Plan B for supper.
Actually, I had no Plan B (does anyone? ever?), so I had to make one up.
Looking at my “suppers for the week” list, I quickly decided upon chili and then decided to use my leftover roasted pork tenderloin from 2 days ago to make it a pork chili instead of turkey chili.
In spite of all of the planning I do, or maybe because of it, I love improvising. 
Here’s what I’ve got in the crockpot now, and let me tell you — It smells darn good.
6 Cans:
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can chicken broth
1 can tomato paste
1 can mild green enchilada sauce
1 can diced tomatoes with chilis (a.k.a. Ro-tel tomatoes)
3 fresh veggies:
1 large vidalia onion, diced
2 small zucchini, chopped finely in my chopper
2 cloves garlic, also chopped finely
plus some olive oil to saute them in
Also:
chopped leftover pork — this was already seasoned with a sweet and spicy rub
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper
Once I decided on using the pork, I went to the pantry to grab tomatoes and beans it was easy to choose the green chili enchilada sauce. (Which I’d bought for another purpose and never used — I thought it would go really well with the pork and give the chili a new and interesting flavor.)
Chili is simple to put together and I usually work on it while we are chowing on lunch, then clean everything up at once. It’s better when it has all day to cook, anyway.
First, I diced the onion, and threw that in the skillet with a couple Tablespoons of olive oil. While it sizzled, I peeled the zucchini, smashed the garlic, and gave them a zing in the chopper. Added it to the onion.
Next, opening the cans — beans, more beans, tomatoes, broth, enchilada sauce, then tomato paste. By the time all that was in, the onions and zucchini were done and I tossed them into the crockpot as well.
Finally, the spices. I took it easy on the chili powder, because I really want to taste the enchilada sauce. So I shook some salt and pepper in and then added just a teaspoon of chili powder. (Usually this would be about 2 Tablespoons)
This chili smells absolutely luscious and I’m looking forward to having an old favorite with a new twist. Of course, I will absolutely be making cornbread with this - not sure what my family would do to me if I didn’t!
August 10th, 2009
Step aside, Campbell’s Chunky Soup. Now there’s something even heartier!
This recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup received a thumb’s up from every single member of our family. Thanks, Mom. If you’re going to try this one, please buy Reame’s noodles from the freezer section, they are the best.
Simple to make, without too many ingredients, this soup makes a tasty weeknight meal.
Hearty Noodle Soup
serves 8-10 / prep. time: 15 minutes / cook time: 20-30 minutes
1 c. each chopped celery, onion, and carrot
2 c. chopped turkey or chicken (dark meat is better for this soup)
3 cans of chicken broth
8 oz. bag of noodles of your preference
plenty of water
salt and pepper
Boil the vegetables in water. When tender, you can turn them off, add the chicken and broth and set aside. Boil the noodles according to the package directions. For Reame’s, that takes 20-30 minutes. For normal noodles, it’s 8-10. When the noodles are finished, simply drain them and then put it all together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Ta-Da! You’re done!
This soup stands alone, so if there is a dessert you’ve been wanting to try, this would be a good time.
October 18th, 2008
Corned Beef Hash is one of those old-time favorites of my husbands. Strangely, this is one that my own mother never made and it took me a few years to understand why DH raved about it. I imagine lots of folks picture corned beef hash as one of those greasy-spoon-diner breakfasts that is never made or served anywhere else. I’ve no idea how many people are keen on trying this out for themselves, but it’s not that tricky and is really delicious, so let’s give it a shot…
First off, you need some corned beef. Now, this is pretty easy to obtain from the deli counter of any grocery and you can just ask the worker behind the counter to cut off a chunk for you instead of slicing it real thin-like. Personally, I quit buying corned beef at the deli because of the extremely high prices. I buy a do-it-yourself hunk of corned beef at everyone’s favorite warehouse — Sam’s Club. It comes in a moderate size (about 3 pounds, untrimmed) that my family easily polishes off in one meal. I usually buy two. If you decide to buy it this way, click here to read my method of cooking it. Corned beef that you do yourself will be more tender and will fall apart the way you want it to for hash. Deli beef will have to be cut into bite-sized chunks.
As I mentioned, I like to cook two packages of corned beef. One gets consumed right away, usually in Reuben sandwiches or just plain with sauerkraut. The second I hide away from the seemingly always hungry people in my house for a day or two and then surprise them by pulling it back out and making cold meat sandwiches or corned beef hash.
Corned Beef Hash
serves 6
1-2 c. shredded or chunked corned beef
3-6 redskin potatoes, diced
1 sweet onion, preferably a Mayan sweet or Vidalia
1/4 c. olive oil
3 T. flour
1 c. skim milk, chicken broth, or a combination of the two
salt and pepper
First off, dice the potatoes, rinse in cold water, and drain. Pat dry with paper towels. If you’re not crazy about putting that much work into it, buy some Ore Ida hash browns, they will be just as good.
Next, chop the onion and get it sizzling with the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the potatoes and leave them alone for a few minutes while one side browns. (I used to fuss over hash browns and always ruined them by stirring too much. Leaving them to sizzle on their own is much better.)
Meanwhile, mix the flour and milk or broth in a shaker container or whip them together with a wire whisk. When the potatoes have begun to brown, slide a spatula underneath them and flip. They don’t need to remain in one large piece, but stirring them up too much causes your corned beef hash to turn to a pile of gooey, mushy potatoes. Once flipped, add the corned beef and wait for the other side of the potatoes to brown.
The last step is to pour the milk/flour mixture over all and let the heat thicken it to a white gravy. Add salt and pepper as desired. If you’re really trying to please someone, serve with eggs.
ENJOY!
June 24th, 2008
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