Posts filed under 'Leftovers'
For the last 6+ weeks (immediately following the roasting of our Thanksgiving turkey) - I have been without a functioning oven. I believe I am going through something similar to the stages of grief. First, disbelief, outrage, then resignation/acceptance… well, I’m not sure I can list all the emotions I have been through. I know for a short period it felt like a refreshing challenge. Then I went through a procrastination stage, thinking “I’ll bake Christmas cookies in January.” At the moment, I am back to anger, which is being directed at the repairman/manufacturer or whoever is responsible for me not having the required part.
All that to say, I have been stepping out of my box a bit and made fried rice last week. Usually my attempts at making Asian foods are pretty much failures. Usually, the best I can do is open a box of prepared egg rolls! Surprisingly, last week’s pork fried rice turned out well and most of us liked it. (My 6-year-old basically doesn’t like anything.) So this week, I tried again - shrimp fried rice for the shrimp eaters and chicken fried rice for the shrimp-detesters (me).
Again, this turned out unexpectedly well. And let me tell you - I don’t even own a wok. I’d like to own a wok. I just don’t have the space for one or the grace and finesse required to stir fry things in one, so it has always seemed a little pointless to wish for a wok.
So, here is what I used: Two skillets for stir-frying the vegetables (our family has seven members, so my largest skillet is still not big enough) AND a griddle for the rice/chicken/shrimp/eggs.
For the vegetable mix, I used:
sliced carrots
chopped green pepper
chopped mushrooms
chopped onion
a generous portion of coleslaw mix from Sam’s Club
sesame seeds
This was the easy part - heat the skillet to high, add some olive oil, and stir-fry everything. Once I see a little brown on the veggies, I turn it down, but keep stirring.
For the rice part:
Leftover rice - Apparently, fried rice should never be made with fresh rice. It should be 1-2 days old
tiny chopped chicken
tiny chopped shrimp
sesame seed oil
5 eggs
I divided the rice into two bowls and added chicken to one and shrimp to the other (gotta keep the shrimp away from the chicken). I heated my griddle to 375, sprayed it good with cooking spray and added a dab of butter for good measure. Next, I tossed the chicken/rice mixture onto the griddle and let it cook for about 5 minutes - trying to get the rice to start turning brown. I cracked 3 eggs into a bowl, whisked, and poured this on top of the rice, and began ’stirring’ it all up. Oh! And added a very small drizzle of sesame oil (it’s pretty flavorful stuff, I use it sparingly). Once the eggs were cooked, I placed this all in a bowl and repeated with the shrimp mixture.
Now the veggie part and the rice part is all ready to serve!
You’ll notice that I didn’t really flavor any of it with any sauces… At our house, everybody likes something different, so I serve the sauces at the table. Teriyaki, Sweet & Sour, Hoisin, and Sweet Chili are family favorites. (Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli is my personal best)
January 12th, 2011
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
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