Last Sunday, I put a crock pot of THICK spaghetti sauce on before church to enjoy that evening. Now, when I make spaghetti sauce, I make it in my 6-quart crock pot to ensure that I have leftover sauce to eat during the week. When I got ready to use the leftover sauce, I wasn’t sure what I would do with it. I really didn’t want to cook more pasta. I didn’t have time to make a lasagna. So, I looked through my pantry and refrigerator to try and get some sort of inspiration and then it hit me.

I had some leftover hamburger buns from a cookout I recently hosted. I could make Italian Sloppy Joe’s!!!

Here’s what I did:

First, for some added flavor, I put 2 tablespoons of butter in a small mixing bowl. I added  about 2 teaspoons of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of italian seasoning. With a spoon, I creamed the mixture together and spread my italian garlic butter onto the buns. Next, I put the buns face up in my toaster oven to brown them and melt the butter. While this was toasting, I warmed up the spaghetti sauce in the microwave. Once the buns were toasted to my satisfaction and the sauce was heated through, I plopped the thick sauce on the toasted bun and topped it with shredded mozzarella cheese.

And thus, the Italian Sloppy Joe was created.

TIP: If your sauce is too soupy, you can add grated parmesan cheese as a binder to thicken it up while it’s being heated.

So, next time you have leftover spaghetti sauce and are tired of pasta, try making Italian Sloppy Joe’s for your family and friends. I’m sure they’ll love them just as much as I did.

Chef Daman

You may remember that a couple of years ago, I did a cookery demonstration for Go Green Week. You can see the video of what I got up to here. Well this year, I am doing another one for the students where I work at the University of Worcester.

This year, the theme of my cookery demonstration is how to use up leftovers. A video is going to be made of it again so you can see it on the blog soon. I am still trying to decide what to cook for the students and I really need your help with the following questions:

What did you have leftover in your fridge when you were a student?

What kind of things did you or would you cook with them?

I only have two gas rings to cook with so please keep this is mind. I am producing a recipe leaflet for the students so will add in any recipes that need a grill or an oven there.

Your help in this is greatly appreciated as always.

Thanks everyone!

PS: You can follow all the action on Twitter using the hashag #fridgeraid

]]> http://thebabybistro.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/i-love-a-good-list-and-the-freezer/ Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:32:57 +0000 thebabybistro http://thebabybistro.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/i-love-a-good-list-and-the-freezer/ For the first couple of weeks of weaning Clementine, I adopted a random ‘if there’s something suitable in the fridge give it to her’ approach. We started slowly with just fruit and vegetable finger food, so this wasn’t too tricky, especially since we didn’t worry about giving her set meals each day. Basically, if there was something there, she had it; if not, she had milk. But then she started eating proper meals, at proper mealtimes, and it all became a bit more complicated.

And exciting. In my real life, I’m a teacher, and nothing makes me happier than a neat, well-ordered list or chart. So out came the paper, pens, highlighters and cookery books, and the meal plan started to rule.

It might not look like much, but this little beauty is the only thing keeping me sane and Clementine well fed.

Every Sunday evening, I sit down with everything I need and plan out all our meals for the week – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most of the time I try to make sure we’ll all be eating the same – or if we’re going to eat later, that it’s something we can give to Clementine the next day. The breakfast slot I usually leave blank as it’s either porridge, weetabix or toast, but every so often on the weekend we’ll have something special like pancakes or bacon sandwiches, in which case they’ll get written in. As I decide on the meals, I’m also on the laptop adding the necessary ingredients to our on-line shop, to arrive the next day.

Of course, it doesn’t always go to plan. The main problem with meal planning, I find, is that you don’t always know what you’re going to want to eat in six days’ time, or that you’re going to get back late from wherever you’ve been and not have time to cook the elaborate dish you’ve planned for.

Like today. Clementine had a huge nap, which knocked everything else off schedule, and suddenly it was 4.55 (she eats dinner at 5) and I hadn’t even made it to the kitchen, let alone started cooking anything. Which is where the freezer comes in handy. Because squirrelled away in the bottom drawer are bags of brightly coloured ice cubes – handy baby-sized portions of leftovers from previous meals. Here she is enjoying her pasta with mince (mince prepared using my Spaghetti Bolognese recipe). Defrost a couple of cubes in the microwave while boiling the pasta and there’s a (homemade) meal, ready on the table in about 10 minutes. And luckily for me, and the sanctity of the meal plan, Clementine can’t read yet to know that the allocated ‘Winter Squash Penne’ has changed into plain old ‘pasta with mince’.

I made a pot roast with root veges a few nights ago, and there was a good bit of meat left over.  The basics were chopped up onion, parsnip, celery root, pototato, and carrot.  I seared a roast on all sides, set it in a big dutch oven thing, poured in some red wine and beef stock, and set the oven to 300 for about three and a half hours.  Then I collected some juice and reduced it to make a sauce.  No big deal, just your basics.  What I don’t like to do is make a gravy out of the juice.  Just not that big a fan of it, but it’s certainly acceptable.  I guess being from the South, I like my gravy with breakfast.

Anyway, last night I was left with a hunk of meat that was nearing trash can time, so I decided to make some roast and gravy sandwiches.  I’m already breaking my gravy rule!!!  I just wanted some sloppy sandwiches to take the edge off a touch of the cold that is sweeping through my house.  So sue me.  Here’s how I did it:

Pull the meat apart like you would a pork shoulder for sandwiches and toss until coated in flour

Melt some butter over medium heat in a pan and add the meat.

When the last traces of white flour have been mixed in, and you’ve got a sticky mess of meat, add some broth (whatever you have available, I used vege)

Stir as it begins to simmer, set it on low and just watch it and stir until it thickens

Add broth as you want to adjust the consistency and salt and pepper to taste

What you should have is a thick, meaty, stew like pot full of goodness to throw on some toasted baguettes or whatever bread you’d like.  I then added some sauteed onions and havarti cheese, but you can get creative.  Some roasted peppers and any melted cheese would work.  And there you have it, a Southern (read:  gravied up) version of a philly cheese steak.  Kind of, anyway.

Now for the broccoli, and it has nothing to do with anything I did to the pot roast.  I started some from seed again this year.  I had pretty good success with two broccoli plants last year, and I discovered that no farmers market or grocery store can compete with what you pull out of your yard.  So, I decided to grow a few more this year.  The basics are pretty simple seed starting, but you do need a few extras for some really good help.  I use a flat plastic rimmed tray, about 2 inches deep, and some six pack seed starting trays.  You can find that stuff on just about any online seed store.  I think I used Park Seed.  A seed mat really, really helps if you have to start them in a garage like I do.  Keeps the soil warmer when the temp drops.  If you can do it inside a heated area of your house, you’re lucky.  I also use a cheap timer that plugs into an outlet so I can control the time they are under light without having to remember to go out and plug or unplug it all the time.  I also hook up a box fan set on low to provide some air circulation.  The fan and timer are found at any big box hardware store.

Find some seed starting soil you like (regular potting mix won’t work), fill up the six pack trays, and put a seed in a very shallow hole and cover it back up.  Now the most important thing… WATER FROM THE BOTTOM UP!  The holes in the bottom of the six pack trays soak the water up and provide a nice moist medium for germination and sprouting.  I cover the entire trays in saran wrap until the first sprouts appear, then I remove it.  Try to keep them about two inches under the lights.  Sidebar…

The light is just as important as bottom up watering.  They tie for first place in the you must get it right contest.  I use the 48in double fluorescent workshop lights you can get from a big box.  Most of them are fairly cheap.  I think mine were ten bucks each.  Maybe $15.  But if you plan on starting any seed really good light is so, so, so, so needed.  Trying to light your seedlings with light from the fixtures in your house is going to lead to sprouts that reach for the sky and fall over dead.  You have to get that light close to the soil.    Most of the shop lights have chains so you could lower or raise them as needed.  I just use old textbooks to raise or lower the seed trays.  Much easier.  So thank you macro economic theory.  You are quite useful in growing broccoli.

Back to the watering.  I let the big tray dry up before adding any new water.  Just seems to work better and hardens the little dudes up some.  I mix 7-10 drops of liquid plant food into 1.5 quarts (happens to be the size of my watering can) of water and just pour it into the big trays.  Usually takes two fill ups every time I water them, which is about once a week.

So here is a picture of my set up.  It’s just on a shelf of a stock unit I bought at Home Depot…

It’s really, really simply once you’ve got it all set up.  I’ve had the same thing going for three years now.  Here’s a wider view pic…

Yep.  Right there in my tiny storeroom/training room.  So right next to my bike, and just underneath a small table saw, is about 7 broccoli starts.  The starts in the pics are about one month old (pic taken about a week ago).  For broccoli, I like to start them around the New Year and have them ready to harden off by mid February at the latest.  These are doing really well, so I may start now.  [NOTE:  hardening off means gradually increasing the time they are outside under sunlight so that when you put them in the ground they don't just get totally shocked and die].  I may actually stagger them so I’m harvesting full heads at different times.

Also, keep in mind I’m in Jackson, MS, which is zone 8, or 7a, or something like that.  Be mindful of where you live as to when you should start seeds.  Broccoli takes 6-8 weeks to get ready, so plan accordingly.  Check a local ag extension service website, which are usually part of a university.  I sort of use hybrid info from Mississippi State and Louisiana State.

Happy eating and happy growing!

While on the elliptical machine at the gym, I was thumbing through various shrimp/pasta recipes until I found this one.  My initial reaction was, “how many cloves of garlic?!?”  I read the reviews and decided to give it a try.  I made minimal modifications.  I used frozen “broccoli cuts” instead of fresh, I added a tablespoon of olive oil when sautéing the onions, and, of course, I used my leftover spaghetti squash in lieu of the pasta.  Also, I used a whole 10 oz bag of shelled, deveined frozen shrimp instead of the fresh pound called for in the original recipe.

This nutritional analysis represents recipe as I prepared it, including 1/2 cup of cooked spaghetti squash per plate.

This is my first interaction with shrimp since starting back on conventional food.  I’ll definitely be having it again in the future.  It’s so strange how a food I didn’t like in the past can be so appealing now.

Did I mention this plate is 140 calories!?

Anyway, to go with the wings and dip, I decided to make a quick, colorful salad. The more color, the better. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Lacinto Kale, cut into ribbons (I had a hearty pack from ACME…I think it was younger…didn’t have to cut out the ‘spine’ of each leaf)
• One red bell pepper, cut into match sticks
• 1 cup match stick carrots (I bought them like this, you can also cut carrots like this)
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half

Mix together and enjoy! I love kale and for me, this didn’t even need the dressing. HOWEVER, it was AMAZING with the dip I made. If you want it thinner, just add a bit of water or lemon juice and remix. Enjoy!

Click here for the original and it’s below with a couple of my notes.

What’s great about this is that it kept the next day for Dale’s lunch and for our dinner the day after that (crock pot salsa pork). SUPER versatile – grab a rotisserie chicken and add some of the meat and you have a meal. Crack an egg over the goodness, you get another meal. SO good. SO versatile. ENJOY!!

Nom Nom Paleo Fried Rice

Serves 4-6 people:

• 1 small head of cauliflower, separated in florets
• 3 slices of uncured bacon, cut into small dice
• 2 large eggs
• 1-inch knob of ginger, grated with a microplane
• 1 small onion, minced
• 4 ounces of sliced mushrooms
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced – I used 5
• 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons of chopped basil
• 1 tablespoon of chopped mint
• 1-2 tablespoons of coconut aminos – YES!!
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Splash of coconut vinegar (optional) – I did not use, I didn’t have
• Splash of (not optional)

How to:

1. First, I pulsed the cauliflower in a food processor until the pieces were the size of rice and chopped the rest of the ingredients.
2. I tossed the diced bacon into a large cast iron skillet (I used a plain old deep dish skillet, not cast iron) over medium heat and fried until the bits were crispy.
3. While the bacon was cooking, I whisked the two eggs in a small bowl with some salt and pepper to taste.  When the bacon was done, I removed the crunchy swine to a separate plate.
4. I poured the whisked eggs into the hot bacon grease and fried a thin egg omelet. I took the egg out of the pan, sliced it thinly, and set it aside.
5. I always keep a large knob of ginger on hand in my freezer. It keeps really well. When I need to use it, I take it out of the freezer, peel off the skin with my vegetable peeler, and microplane it.
6. I cranked up the heat for my cast iron skillet to medium-high heat and added the chopped onions (along with a dash of salt and pepper). Once the onion softened, I tossed in the sliced mushrooms (along with yet another sprinkle of S&P) and stir-fried everything until the mushrooms were browned.
7. After adding the ginger and stirring it around for 30 seconds, I threw in the cauliflower and even more salt and pepper.
8. I put a lid on the skillet and lowered the heat to low and cooked it covered for about 5 minutes. When the cauliflower was tender (but not too mushy), I added the coconut aminos, the herbs, and the sliced egg omelet. You can also add a little coconut vinegar to add a tiny bit of tang to the dish. And splash on some fish sauce for good measure!
9. Before serving, I tossed on the reserved crispy bacon bits.
10. Go to town.

Here’s part one of two (two being the fried rice). I got this recipe from Paleosophy – a great blog I stumbled across. Here’s the original, my version below. Enjoy!!

Ingredients-

• 1.5 tbsp. crushed garlic – I always use fresh, I just found its best. The stuff you get in the store has a tendency to have filler – parsnips, etc. Odd, but true.
• 1.5 tbsp. crushed ginger – I always have ginger in my freezer. Take it out, peel and mince when you need it. AWESOME.
• 1 tbsp. raw honey
• 1/2-1 cup coconut aminos (another option is gluten free soy sauce – tamari – but I LOVE the aminos)
• 2-3 wild salmon filets (I get mine from ACME -so good. Vis is also a good source)
• Chopped green onions as a topper, not necessary but super good

Directions-

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl until the consistency is uniform throughout and pour over the salmon.  Place in a zip lock or submerge the filets in a bowl with the marinate over them for about 20 minutes.  Grill on a fish plate or pan sear the salmon until cooked through.

Put on plate, spoon some goodness over the salmon, sprinkle with green onions.

Easy and SO flavorful!

Love meals like that.

Especially after spending most of my day running around taking toddlers in and then out of strollers and shopping carts while standing in one line after another.

Yesterday I made beef stew, sweet potatoes and garlicky beans. Okay, I ate some of the beans yesterday, but they were meant for today. Today they were even.better. HUZZAH!

Oh! And I reheated frozen (homemade) latkes and made fresh bread too. Before the errand-laden afternoon I threw together the dough and walked away. When I got home I cranked the oven on, formed the dough into two balls and let them rest. When the oven was hot I threw the first dough into the oven and made lots steam to give it a crackly crust (it mostly worked). Then I let the bread cool while the 2d one baked.

The beef stew came from a magazine I just discovered: Fine Cooking. It’s pretty cool. This issue broke down the essentials for making stew and how to create whatever kind of stew you want…as long as you follow some basic steps. It’s funny – that’s how I do most of my cooking. I try to take a step back and look at how the essentials are combined to create the final dish. All lasagnas are basically the same with different tweaks. Casseroles, baked pasta dishes, roasted vegetables, salads…Once you figure out the formula you can see how just about anything is pieced together. Wait…is that the same for every field? Like Chemistry and Physics and stuff?

Huh.

CLOSE UP!!!

So the magazine dissects the essentials of stew making. I thought I’d give it a try.

C tasted it when it was first made and REALLY liked it, so I had hope that it’d be even better today.

And lo, it was. Even the 7 year old ate her entire bowl! Plus her beans and several latkes and maybe 2 slices of bread….though the toddlers seemed to be ‘sharing’ her bread. *grin*

THIS was a good meal.

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!

Latkes (Potato Pancakes) By Bob Bader

Printable Recipe HERE

Dairy-FREE

Ingredients:
2 Eggs
4 Medium Potatoes, washed and cut into small chunks
1 Medium Onion, peeled and chunked
1/4 cup Flour
Pinch of Salt
Canola Oil for Frying…Lots and lots of oil

How To:

1- Heat oil in a heavy pan (I used my cast iron skillet) over a medium heat.

2- In the Food Processor or a Blender, pulse the eggs then add everything else. Blend away!

3- Pour/scoop 1/2 cup of batter into the oil and fry. If you like smaller pancakes, use less batter! You will need to flip the pancakes when you can see the edges getting dark goldeny brown, 2-3 minutes per side. You will also need to keep adding oil as these puppies suckin the oil!

4- Drain latkes on paper towels. Our family friend George used to heat the oven on 200, lay his latkes out on a baking sheet in layers separated by paper towels, and let them sit all day long. They got amazingly crispy and delicious. …I can feel my thighs expanding as I write this.

** OH! Lightly salt the latkes while they are draining on the paper towels. It will make all the difference.

We made close to *500* latkes for a Channukah party in December. It was called off at the last minute, leaving us with a gazillion bags of frozen latkes. We are in the process of re-heating them and enjoying EVERY LAST BITE! To re-heat I’d recommend defrosting them for about 30 seconds in the microwave, then laying them out in a single layer on some foil and putting them into either your toaster oven to toast or your real oven (try 350ºF for 5-7 minutes). They reheat beautifully!

Is there anything else that’s quite like FRESH homemade bread outta the oven?

Fresh Bread By Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Printable Recipe HERE and in Long-Form HERE

Dairy-FREE, Toddler-APPROVED

Ingredients:

3 cups Lukewarm Water
1 Tablespoon Yeast
1-1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt
6 1/2 cups Flour

How To:

1- Water + Yeast + Salt in your big mixing bowl.

2- Dump in flour and mix – but DON’T knead. Let the wet dough sit for 2 hours, and up to 5 (Dough is easier to handle if chilled).

3- Dust your dough and fingers with just a little flour so you won’t stick. Yank or cut off a 1 pound hunk – about the size of a large grapefruit. Form the hunk into a ball and set it on a piece of parchment paper to rest – 40 minutes (up to 90 if you want more holes inside).

4- Oven to 450ºF with a Baking Stone on the center rack with a baking sheet on the bottom rack (at least 4″ away from the stone so it won’t crack the stone when you create steam).

5- VERY lightly dust the top of your loaf with some flour, then using a serrated knife, create slashes across the top (about 1/4″ deep).

6- Slide the dough- with parchment paper – onto your heated stone and then quickly pour 1 cup of hot water onto your baking sheet below your stone. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the loaf is a golden brown color – if using the parchment paper pull it out after about 20 minutes so the bottom crisps too.

7- Let the loaf cool for about an hour before eating. You’ll be glad you waited!

Garlicky Beans

Cranberry Beans with Garlic aka Garlicky Beans by MEEEEEE!

Printable Recipe HERE

Dairy-FREE, Gluten-FREE

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried Cranberry Beans, rinsed and drained then left to soak 8+ hours
2 dried Bay Leaves
1 cup Garlic Confit – oil and cloves together
1 Tablespoon Garlic, minced
2 sprigs Fresh Sage
Water, just enough to cover

How To:

1- If you haven’t already, soak your beans.

2- In your big pot dump the beans, bay leaves, garlic confit, minced garlic, and fresh sage. Stir to mix then add in just a bit of water – just enough to cover the beans by about an inch.

3- Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and keep them simmering for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Start tasting the beans for doneness at about the 1 hour mark.

4- Either serve right away or let them cool and skim off the skin on top. You can serve these hot, cold, re-heated… any way you’d like!

In da’ pot

The breakdown for this Stew recipe is as follows (details below):

1- Brown the Meat.

2- Cook the Aromatics and then add in the Flavor Accents.

3- Add the Deglazing Liquid, then the Stewing Liquid.

4- Begin stewing the Meat.

5- Add in the slower cooking Vegetables, then the quicker cooking ones.

6- Finish the Stew.

7- Either serve right away or cool and de-fat. Then reheat and serve.

Nom nom nom

Beef Stew by Molly Stevens from Fine Cooking Feb/Mar 2013

Printable Recipe HERE
Dairy-FREE, Gluten-FREE, 7 Year Old-APPROVED

Ingredients:

Step 1 – The Meat

3 lbs. of boneless meat **I used 2 1/2 lbs. of Chuck today – NOT “stew meat”, whole meat that I cut up. I’ve been reading a lot of Stew Recipes lately and they all seem to suggest that. They say that cutting it allows you more control. I tried it – bought 2 pieces of Chuck and cut them both into cubes by myself. It turned out really well. I mean really REALLY well. Gonna do this from now on. TOTALLY.

3 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil **Today I actually used Shmaltz – which is rendered Chicken Fat. I had it on hand and thought, ‘hey? why not?’

Step 2a – The Aromatics

1 medium Yellow Onion, coarsely chopped

2 medium Celery stalks, coarsely chopped

1 medium Carrot, coarsely chopped

Step 2b- The Flavor Accents – **There’s a whole long list of options. I used the following: 

Garlic: 1-3 medium cloves, minced

Tomato Paste: 1 Tablespoon

Dried Bay Leaves: 1-2

Hardy Fresh Herbs (Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Marjoram or a mix): minced, 1 Tablespoon **I used Fresh Sage and Thyme.

Step 3 – The Liquids **Again, there are lots of options. I used the following:

1 cup Red Wine

2 1/2 cups No-Chicken Chicken Stock

1/2 cups Water

Step 5 – The Vegetables **These are only the veg I chose to use.

2-2 1/2 cups Potatoes, washed and cut into about 1″ pieces

2-2 1/2 cups Baby Carrots

(Enough raw veg to equal 4-6 cups)

Step 6 – The Finishes **I totally spaced on these and didn’t end up using any.

How To:

1- Brown the Meat: Rack on the bottom third of the oven and heat to 325ºF. Spread your newly cut meat out on paper towels and pat dry. Leave out for 10-20 minutes so they dry even more. In your large, heavy-bottomed pot you’ll heat your oil (or schmaltz, if using) until it’s shimmering. Add about 1/3 of your dried meat cubes into the oil – make sure they’re laid out in a single layer and there’s no crowding. We want browned meat, not steamed gray chunks. Brown all the sides well – this should take about 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to a large bowl or baking sheet and let cool for a few minutes.

2- Cook the Aromatics: Pour off all but 2 Tablespoons of the fat from the pot. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula, until the veg begins to soften, 5-6 minutes.

Stir in the Flavor Accents: Stir them in and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

3- Add the Liquids: Add the deglazing liquid, stirring with the wooden spatula that seems ubiquitous across all recipes. Raise the heat, bring to a boil, cook away until it’s reduced by half (5-8 minutes).

Add the Stewing Liquids: Dump them in and bring to a boil.

4- Begin Stewing the Meat: Return the meat (& all accumulated juices) back to the pot. Crumple a 12×16″ piece of Parchment Paper, then flatten it out (crumpling makes for easier handling). Place the parchment directly on the surface of the stew, allowing the edges to come up the sides of the pot. COVER and whack into the oven.

5- Add the Vegetables: After one hour of cooking, I added in the slow cooking potatoes and carrots.

6- Finish the Stew: You are supposed to add stuff at the very end to make your stew even more amazing, but alas, I spaced these and didn’t add. Ahh well. Next time.

Not a great picture… Apologies

C said that the meat melted in his mouth, that THIS is what stew is supposed to taste like, and I think he *might* have even applauded. Don’t quote me on that one.

*wink*

Here’s the original recipe where my inspiration came from, but my version is below. Again – perfect for weeknight – easy prep and crock pot. LOVE THAT. You’ll see the side dish with this is cauliflower fried rice. That will be posted next.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Easy Peasy Cottage Pie

serves at least 2 adults and a baby.

• Remember that Spaghetti Bolognese from the other day? Well you’ll need the left-over mince mixture.
• 3-4 large potatoes
• A knob of unsalted butter
• A splash of whole milk
• Optional – some grated cheese

1. Peel and chop the potatoes. Boil in a saucepan. Preheat the grill.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, reheat the mince in the microwave. Make sure it is piping hot. Pour into a shallow dish.
3. Once the potatoes are cooked, mash them – adding the butter and milk.
4. Spread the potatoes over the mince in the shallow dish, and, if desired, grate some cheese (e.g. cheddar) over the top.
5. Stick under the grill for 5-10 minutes – until the potatoes are browned and the cheese is all lovely and melty.
6. Eat!

Clementine ate some with her fingers (mmm…messy) and then, when that wasn’t quick enough, ate the rest from a pre-loaded spoon. It’s easy to purée the mince before putting it in the pie if you prefer (perhaps make a mini one in a ramekin for your baby if you do want to purée it).

Easy Peasy Cottage Pie – the ratings

From nothing to table – 15-20 minutes – 4/5

Ease of preparing/cooking – 5/5

Clementine approval – 5/5 (she ate the lot and begged for more!)

Clean up time – 4 minutes – 3/5

Total score – 18/20 – it’s a winner!

Since I used balsamic vinegar on the brussels sprouts last night I used that as the basis for my dinner tonight. For dinner I decided to make Balsamic chicken with onions and tomatoes.

I sauteed the onions with 1 tsp of minced garlic and 1 tsp of olive olive.  Once the onions were becoming translucent and browning up, I added in some tomatoes and 1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar.   I let the onions, tomatoes and balsamic cook for about a minute together and then added 1 boneless chicken breast (cut in 2 pieces). The chicken was seasoned with salt and pepper and a little dried basil. I browned the chicken on each side and then transferred everything into an oven safe pan to finish cooking.  I cooked it at 350 for about 25 minutes.  The cooking time will differ depending on the size of your chicken breasts and how many you are making at once.

Finished product

I work late tonight so I put my dinner together in a tupperware.  Couscous on the bottom, brussels sprouts from last night and topped off with the chicken, tomato and onions. I can’t wait to eat it tonight and I hope my husband likes it too.  He told me that he’s loving the way it smells so that’s a good sign.

Ingredients to make this meal for 2:

• 1 boneless chicken breast
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 or 4 cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 1/4 of an onion chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil
• dried basil (a pinch)
• salt and pepper

Enjoy!

Some days we eat from the freezer. We have one of those french door refrigerators with a bottom freezer drawer. The drawer is deep and small parcels in the freezer migrate downward through what seems to be a natural process of sorting with larger lighter parcels ending up on top and small, dense parcels ending up at the bottom.  And, as they say, “Out of sight out of mind”.

So, periodically we try to dig down in the freezer drawer to see what’s there that we have forgotten and to cook a meal from what we find.  Yesterday on one such excursion I uncovered a partial package of wonton skins, half a can of crushed tomatoes and a small package (maybe 6 oz.) of smoked pork.  But what to make from that?

I’ve made ravioli using wonton skins – not ideal as they are thinner and therefore more fragile than regular ravioli pasta.  The smoked pork would be the strongest flavor in whatever I made so that would have to drive the rest of the dish.  The tomatoes might suggest an Italian based sauce but I didn’t think the smokiness of the pork would work with an Italian flavor profile.  So… here’s what I ended up with.

Smoked Pork Dumplings in Tomato Broth

Smoked Pork Dumplings in Tomato Broth

Filling

1 C. (about 6 oz.) Smoked Pork, shredded and chopped into 1/2″ pieces
2 scallions, finely chopped including most of the green part
2 Peppadew peppers (or substitute pepperoncini or red bell pepper), finely diced.  Peppadew are small sweet/spicy pickled peppers and are available in bulk or in jars in many groceries.  Pepperoncini will be hotter,  more vinegary and without any sweetness.  Bell peppers will have neither the pickled sweetness, spiciness or acid.
2 Tbs shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

20 wonton skins
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

Mix all ingredients, except wonton skins and egg wash, together.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

To fill the wonton skins lay several out on your work surface.  Paint an egg wash  (egg beaten with 1 teaspoon of water) on the wonton.  Place about a scant Tablespoon of the filling in the center of each wonton skin.  Carefully place another wonton skin over each prepared bottom skin and filling.  Tuck the top skin in around the filling trying to eliminate as much air as possible, and press the top skin down against the bottom skin around the edges to seal.  Set aside on a sheet of waxed paper and continue to fill the skins until you have used up the filling.  You should have about 10 filled dumplings.

Tomato Broth

1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs onion, chopped
1 C. crushed tomatoes (I like Muir Glen Fire Roasted)
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth, reduced sodium
1/4 C. dry white wine
1/4 C. water
1/2 tsp dried basil
pinch saffron
1 shake hot pepper sauce (I use Frank’s)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until translucent.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 10 minutes.

Bring 3 quarts water to a rolling boil in a large pot.  Salt liberally (I use around 2 Tablespoons).  Add dumplings and cook until done (4 – 5  minutes).  Drain and gently divide the dumplings between two large shallow bowls.  Ladle half the tomato broth into each bowl.  Drizzle some good quality olive oil over the dumplings and serve.

Smoked Pork Dumplings in Tomato Broth

When I can interest myself in finding a way to use leftovers, I must say, I usually come up with something interesting and delicious. Invariably it is also something we’ve not had before!

My last post was about using lotus root and I mentioned that I served a lotus root stir fry with a creamy salmon and corn soup.  So I thought I’d share what I did with you because it came out so hearty and delicious.

Creamy Salmon and Corn Chowder. Not especially pretty but boy was it good! When the “Soup” is thick, creamy and chunky, we call it “Chowder!”

CREAMY SALMON AND CORN CHOWDER (Serves 4)

• 2 cups cooked salmon
• 1/4 cup yellow corn meal grits
• 1 liter vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup diced white onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 6 cloves of roasted garlic or 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup organic frozen corn kernels
• sea salt
• black pepper
• parsely

The whole idea started because I had grilled two lovely pieces of salmon for dinner on Friday night which I intended to serve Saturday night. (I often have to cook ahead.) Saturday night came and went and we didn’t get home for dinner until very late and ended up eating some take out food.

So Sunday I decided to flake the salmon off the skin. I easily did this by scraping the skin off with a fork. Next, I heated up a liter of vegetable stock. No, it wasn’t home made but sometimes it is very handy to have a good vegetable stock on hand for quickly creating something.

One thing I would caution you about is to find a brand that does not have any sugar or cane juice in it.  So many of the aseptic packages of soup and soup stock have sugar! You really have to read the label and don’t buy soup flavored with sugar. The other caution would be to get a vegetable stock that is not heavily flavored with squash. It’s fine if this is the flavor you’re looking for, but if you don’t want a basically “squash soup,” then find a stock without squash in it. Mine just had filtered water, carrots, onion, celery, salt and seasonings.

In fact, just because you are my friend and I care very much what I recommend, I dug the box out of the garbage so I could tell you it was Imagine Natural Creations Organic Vegetable Cooking Stock.

Put the stock in a 3-quart pot and add the corn meal grits and about a 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Stir the corn meal and stock constantly over a medium heat being careful not to let the corn meal sink to the bottom and burn.

There are many things you can use to thicken a soup like this such as millet (I was out of millet), cous cous or rolled oats (didn’t want that flavor with the salmon) or soy milk (but that wouldn’t have been thick enough). The yellow corn meal worked very well with this because 1) I didn’t use too much and when it really cooked in I got the creamy-but-not-like-porridge consistency that I wanted and 2) the color was nice with the salmon.

Once the corn meal and soup stock was softened and didn’t need constant attention, I added some leftover roasted garlic cloves. These were something I made for New Year’s Eve and it had kept very well in an airtight container in the fridge. I plopped these right into the thickening soup stock. If you don’t happen to have roasted garlic on hand, use fresh garlic only much, much less of it. I’d probably also add a dash of olive oil into the soup, too.

Separately I diced the onions and celery and sauteed them in olive oil in a little cast iron frying pan.  I used an immersible hand blender to churn up and smooth out the soup stock, corn meal and garlic.  Then I added the sauteed veggies and the salmon.

At this point, turn down the heat to a low simmer and if you have a flame deflector to help keep it from burning, use it.  If you don’t have one I highly recommend you get one from Amazon. Sometimes they’re called “flame tamers.”

Throw in some organic frozen corn kernels. Use organic only here because then hopefully you are not adding genetically modified corn to your meal! Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley.

I know this is uber-simple and probably you could come up with something of your own, perhaps with more herbs and seasonings. But it came out very, very well and was very satisfying. I was able to use my salmon, use the last of my roasted garlic and use the small 1/4 cup of corn meal grits I had sitting in my pantry.

All around success I would say!

I hope I have inspired you to use up what’s in your pantry and fridge. What have you created from leftovers lately? Do tell!

]]> http://collegekitchensurvivalguide.com/2013/01/29/how-to-make-casserole/ Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:26:20 +0000 missrabbit13 http://collegekitchensurvivalguide.com/2013/01/29/how-to-make-casserole/ Category: Sophomore Year/Gluten Free
Servings: Varies, 2-4 people
Prep-Time:  5 minutes
Cook-Time: 15-20 minutes

Why is this a survival recipe?

Casseroles are an essential survival dish to know how to make. The following recipe is one of my all time favorites, and I make it at least once a month.

Some ideas for other casseroles are to add cooked chicken, cooked steak, cooked pork, cooked bacon, spinach, cauliflour, or by spicing it up with cayenne pepper or other spices.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Rice Pilaf
• 1 16oz package of frozen broccoli, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cups of shredded cheese
• 1 dash of Poultry Seasoning
• 1/4 cup of Italian Seasoning Breadcrumbs

Step one: At the same time, cook your broccoli and prepare your rice pilaf as directed on the package; set aside to cool

Step two: Preheat your oven to 350; Combine your egg, cream of mushroom soup, and poultry seasoning together

Step three: Stir in your cheese

Step four: Stir in your broccoli and rice pilaf; smooth out the top and sprinkle with Italian seasoning breadcrumbs.

Step five: Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling

Step six: Serve and enjoy!

Why is this  a  survival recipe?

BLT’s are easy, delicious, and they’re a great way to use up your leftover bacon from breakfast. Sandwiches are essential in college, especially ones with minimal prep time; you can make this BLT right after you finish making breakfast, and you’ve got your lunch for the day already made.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 strips of cooked Bacon
• 2 leaves of Lettuce, cleaned and dried
• 4 slices of Tomato
• 1 tbsp of Mayo
• 2 sliced of Bread

Step one: If you don’t have any cooked bacon, prepare your bacon now. (See: Crispy Mess-Free Baked Bacon). Clean and dry your lettuce, and slice your tomato

Step two: Spread your mayo over your sandwich (I like it on both sides)

Step three: Lay your lettuce, bacon, and tomato on your sandwich

Step four: Bite into that crispy delicious BLT and enjoy!

Why is this a survival recipe?

Earlier this year, I tried my hand at making my own tacos and I will never buy the boxed stuff again. Being able to make tacos was a dream of mine since I was little.

I used to buy the packaged taco shells that came with special sauce and I would sit and eat the whole package (NOT a healthy choice), but this recipe is definitely better for you than a box.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound of Ground Beef
• 1/2 of a Tomato, chopped
• 1/8 cup of Lettuce
• 1/8 cup of shredded Cheese
• 1 tbsp of Salsa
• 1 Tortilla
• 1 big tbsp of Chili Powder
• To taste: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Cayenne Pepper
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Step one: Cook your ground beef thoroughly in a medium pan on medium high heat and season

Step two: Chop your tomato and stir them into the ground beef

Step three: Place your cheese, salsa and lettuce onto your tortilla

Step four: Using a slotted spoon, ladle your meat onto your tortilla. Roll up and dig in

Why is this a survival recipe?

A sausage stuffed bell pepper is one of the easiest dinners I know how to make. I use red bell peppers when I want something sweeter, and green when I want a bite to my meal.

This is a great way to use leftover rice, meats, and sauces. This is a perfect leftovers dish and it’s so easy to take for lunch the next day. In this recipe I use sausage, but I’ve also made this recipe with ground beef, ground turkey, and an Alfredo sauce instead of a red sauce.

If you have a Gluten Allergy, make sure all of your products and brands are gluten free.

Ingredients:

• 1 large Bell Pepper, hollowed out
• 1/4 cup prepared Rice
• 1 cooked Sausage
• 2 tbsp Spaghetti Sauce
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/8 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/8 cup of Parmesan Cheese

Step one: Preheat your oven to 350; break up your sausage and mix together with your leftover rice and sauce in a medium pan until warmed through

Step two: Stuff your pepper and add your Parmesan cheese to the top; cook for 1 hour or until pepper is tender

Step three: Dig in and enjoy!

Why is this a survival recipe?

My biggest problem in college was never having enough time for breakfast. I would always sleep late, and when I started commuting I would forgo breakfast in favor of not having to speed to class. Fritatta is an excellent solution to a timeless (haha, pun) problem.

I would make one on Sunday, using leftovers from Saturday’s meals and bake them into this delicious breakfast. It’s easy to store, and it reheats in seconds.

If you have a Gluten Allergy, make sure all of your products and brands are gluten free.

Ingredients:

• 4 Eggs
• 1 Splash of Milk
• 1/4 cup of Onion
• 1 small Red Potato
• 1/2 cup of Broccoli
• 2 slices of cooked Bacon
• 1/4 cup of shredded Cheese
• Salt/Pepper to taste

Step one: Preheat your oven to 400; whisk together your eggs, milk and salt and pepper. In a medium pan, saute your onion until translucent in EVOO

Step two: Chop your potato and add it to the onion; add your broccoli as well. Saute until tender

Step three: Crumble in your cooked bacon

Step four: Pour in your egg mixture

Step five: Place the entire pan into the oven and bake for 20 minutes

Step six: Sprinkle your cheese over the top; return to the oven until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes

Step seven: Remove from the pan, slice and enjoy

Ingredients:

1 cup each of packed cilantro and flat leaf parsley

1/3 cup each of coriander, cumin and fennel seeds toasted

30 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup crushed red pepper (the kind you put on pizza)

1/4 cup pink pepper berries (optional)

1 tablespoon hickory powder if you are not smoking the meat

1/4 cup olive oil (I use smoked oil that I make)

1 5-7 pound pork shoulder (get them on sale and freeze)

2# Yukon Gold Potatoes

3 large onions, quartered

2 cans of beer

1/4 cup Spice and Tea Exchange Sweet Onion Sugar (optional)

Method:

Put the cilantro, parsley seeds, garlic, pepper berries, crushed red pepper, hickory powder if you are not smoking and the olive oil in a food processor. Pulse till you have a thick paste.

Put on latex gloves if you have them, this gets messy. Cut 1 1/2 inch slits into the meat on all sides. Stuff the slits with the paste. If you have any paste left over, smear it on the meat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate 12-24 hours.

Remove the meat from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Meanwhile set up your smoker and turn your grill on high.

Sear the meat on all sides on the grill. Then place in the smoker at about 200 degrees over a drip pan and smoke for 6 hours. If you do not have a smoker, go directly to the slow cooker or roaster but cook for 8-10 hours on low.

Prepare the roaster or slow cooker by placing a bed of Yukon Gold potatoes (small ones or cut larger ones in half) and the onions. Sometimes I add other root vegetables too. Place the meat directly on the bed of veggies. pour two cans or bottles of beer over the meat. Sprinkle the sweet onion sugar all over.

Roast at 350 degrees covered with foil or in a dutch oven. Or you can use a slow cooker on high for 4 hours (either method).  It is just that easy. The leftovers are sometimes my favorite part… tamales, tacos pulled pork sandwiches.

And today I did.

When I got home from work I was H.U.N.G.R.Y.

Snacking on carrot sticks just_wasn’t_cutting_it. Believe me – I tried. I ate *nearly* my weight in fruit and veg today, trying not  to eat bad-for-me stuff.

Still, I needed something….more. You know what I mean? You get those days too?

So after a quick look in the fridge, and after making sure the babies had enough of their own snacks (today it was animal crackers and raisins…terribly original), I pulled out the leftover beef stew. I picked out all the beef chunks and enjoyed them. Oh my, did I enjoy them. Standing up. Eating the beef chunks cold outta the pot.

num num num.

It was exactly what I wanted and needed. Besides, I’ll have salad for dinner. It’ll balance out. It totally will.

Of course, once I’d eaten those last 6 chunks of beef outta the dish, I had all the potatoes and carrots and thickened stew bits leftover. I also had a mini-vat of leftover mashed Parsnips and Rutabaga (imagine a chunky, slightly sweet version of mashed potatoes). I did a quick google search for what to do with leftover mashed rutabaga (also called Swedes in the UK) and came across this recipe. Basically, you take leftover mashed veg (swedes or potatoes or carrots or cauliflower – basically anything mashable would totally work here), mix in 2 eggs and even though the recipe called for “4 heaping soup spoons of cornflour” (which I understand is the UK version of Cornstarch) I used potato flakes. I think they taste better and perform the same gluing-together job.

*clapping*

So here’s what I did. I mixed together the leftover stew veg and the parsnip-rutabaga mash then took a big fat potato masher to them and had a little fun. I mixed in the two eggs and some garlic powder for more flavor. Then I added in about 1 cup of Potato Flakes/Buds/whatever they’re called – but I did it 2 Tablespoons at a time.

A little sweet, a little crispy, a little mashed-potatoey

I stirred well after each addition. When the mix looked dry enough to handle and hold their shape (like really thick mashed potatoes meets raw hamburger meat…that  consistency), I rolled them into little balls and laid them out on a lined baking sheet, then pressed them flat with 2 fingers (like you’re making snickerdoodles or peanut butter cookies – know what I mean?).

See the little browned bits? They’re crispy.

Then I whacked the pans into a 400ºF oven (I think that’s 200ºC) for 20 minutes. If you feel like getting them crispy on both sides you can flip the little cakes over 1/2 thru. Actually, you could probably roast them for 20 min on one side, flip them and bake them for another 20 minutes on the other side too…. I didn’t try that. They smelled too good. I needed to taste these to…um…make sure they tasted good enough to blog about.

num num num

I’m really excited for the babies to try them when they wake up from their naps!!

I’m picturing toddler hands holding these.

Swede Cakes adapted from Stefan S

Printable Recipe HERE

Dairy-Free (unless you mixed in dairy into your mashed potatoes), Gluten-Free

Ingredients:

4 cups leftover mashed potatoes, rutabaga, carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, turnips, etc. (anything mashable will work here). Today I used a combo of Rutabaga, Parsnip, Carrot and Potato.

2 Large Eggs

1 cup Potato Flakes/Buds, divided

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder (optional)

How To:

1- Oven to 400ºF (200ºC).

2- Mash your veg and eggs together. If using garlic powder – mix in now. 2 Tablespoons at a time, add in the potato flakes. Stir well after each addition. You’re looking for a thick mashed potato type consistency.

3- Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

4- Roll the mashed mixture into walnut sized balls and lay out on lined sheet. Use two fingers and lightly press the balls flat. Whack the pan/s into the hot oven and set the timer for 20 minutes. If you want to, flip the cakes over and bake some more. I didn’t bother. They smelled toooooooo good.

I’ll have to report back about what C thinks of them….

Unless I eat all of these too. *wink*