Leftovers: chips and crackers

What do you do with the little bits of chips and crackers that no one wants to eat because they are the last in the bag(s)? I hate throwing food away, even little bits, so if I can think of a good use for them, I just save them for just the right occasion.  Process these little bits and make crumbs for baked pork chops or chicken, rather than frying. This takes about 2 minutes and tastes great.  I do this with leftover homemade bread as well.

By the way, these are Aldi boneless pork chops. Reasonably priced and just enough for a meal for 3-4.

Dinner: pork chops, sweet potato, sautéed peppers and onions, avocado,  fruit salad

Using Leftovers: Homemade Pot Pie

I seldom clip recipes but when I do, it has to be good.  This one really is and over the years I have made a few changes to this one for Quick Beef Pot Pie which is dated February 1990 from Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Here is the original.

Enlarge by clicking on the photo, but in case you still can't read it... My changes are in italics.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 recipe beef  vegetable stew [or pot roast, bbq beef, cooked veggies, whatever you have]
• 3 tbsp. margarine or butter [butter makes everything taste better]
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 3/4 c. loose-pack frozen peas  [1/2 bag of peas]
• 1  4-oz. can whole mushrooms, drained [I used fresh mushrooms and added onions and sautéed them together, layering the flavors]
• 1 pkg. refrigerated biscuits [flaky are my favorite, but any will do, or homemade bread dough]

DIRECTIONS

1.  If frozen, thaw the beef and vegetable stew

2.  Melt margarine or butter in a large saucepan / pot

3. Stir in flour and the rosemary.  Stir continually until you get little lumps of flour mixed with the butter.

4.  Add milk all at once. Cook and stir regularly till thickened and bubbly.

[sauté mushrooms and onions--I also added more corn-- in a different skillet]

5.  Stir in the stew, peas and mushrooms. Cook til bubbly.

6. Pour into 2-quart casserole dish. 

7.  Halve biscuits crosswise.  Arrange them in two rings around outside edge of casserole.

8. Sprinkle with rosemary, if desired.  The rosemary really does add a nice flavor.

9.  Bake in 450 degree oven 8-10 minutes or until biscuit crust is golden brown. [I made this up ahead of time and had it in the refrigerator for a few hours until closer to dinnertime.  When ready to cook, I baked it at 300 degrees for 45 minutes and it was fine.]

This recipe made enough for one larger pot pie plus two individual pies.   My family loved it.  Layering the flavors by sauté-ing the veggies and having already cooked the beef in another meal makes all the difference in taste.  Enjoy!

RECIPE: Ham & Potato Soup

Since it turned colder last night,I was wondering what to make with a ham steak in the freezer and some potatoes in my basket.  I also had leftover garlic mashed potatoes.    Found this ham and potato soup recipe at AllRecipes.com.  The two meat-eating men in our house LOVED it and both got second helpings.   It was quite filling.  Served with a fresh green salad, French bread and strawberries, it was a full meal with some left over for lunch the next day.

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes I used 3 potatoes + about 2 cups of leftover garlic mashed potatoes 1/3 cup diced celery 1/3 cup finely chopped onion 3/4 cup diced cooked ham I used one ham steak from Sam's Club 3 1/4 cups water 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper 5 tablespoons butter 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups milk

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2.	In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3.	Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately. This soup looks a little bland but tastes great, so dress up the plate with some color. Remember my red lipstick rule.  :)

Leftovers: Roast and Mashed Potatoes Morphs Into Vegetable Beef Stew

I really dislike to waste food, especially if I've been the one that prepared it in the first place or paid good money at today's prices.  With our reduced family size (from four to three most nights) I still have a difficult time periodically preparing too much food.  Often I just freeze the leftovers or someone takes them to class or work for lunch, or I eat some of it for lunch as well.

I'm trying to get better at "morphing" one night's meal into another day's lunch or supper.  This week I made flank steak with onions in the crockpot similar to THIS recipe  plus garlic mashed potatoes and carrots on the side.  Sometimes I make a pot pie out from leftover beef (another blog post some other time).  I decided to make beef stew this time.  [I had been to the dermatologist that morning and had two freeze sprays on my face + one biopsy, so I needed some comfort food.]

Remember to layer the flavors first by sautéing onions and garlic and then adding the other ingredients.

Add whatever you have on hand.  The items that I added were:  diced tomatoes, corn, green beans (all canned but fresh is even better), leftover garlic mashed potatoes, leftover glazed carrots, frozen chicken broth [I had cooked a chicken a few weeks ago and froze the broth], the leftover flank steak ...

...and my secret ingredient Knorr Vegetable Recipe Mix.  This makes any soup taste GREAT.  The fact that most of the ingredients had been cooked previously REALLY layered the flavors.  If you are sick, use chicken instead of beef and LOTS of vegetables.  I call this my "Get Well Soup" and make it every time anyone is sick (as well as when we just want a good soup).  :)

I let it all simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours ...

and served it with cheese toast made from homemade bread and fresh red grapes.  Just slice a few pieces of cheddar cheese and put on top of the sliced bread. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Remember to moisten the baking sheet with Pam or something similar.

I put about 4 chunks of meat into the freezer and there was still a little bit of the roast shreds and gravy left in my casserole dish.    It went right into a Tupperware lidded bowl to freeze for next time.  :)

Our dinner for the evening.

My husband and son each had THREE bowls of this stew and said it was really, really good.  My husband even said  I could make money selling it.  :) :) :)  This pot  of stew would normally make enough for about 12+ large bowls of soup if my family had not been so hungry!  After we ate, there was enough for all of us to have a bowl for lunch the next day.

Enjoy!