Don't Throw That Away!

Written Monday, April 12th, 2010 by Anne Coleman

I'm sure we've all heard our own mother's at one point chiding us for throwing away something that they felt was useful. I know I did and I know that I do it myself to my own kids.

I've never lived through a depression the likes of the one the U.S. went through in the 1930s, but our family has had its share of lean times. My grandparents all lived through the depression and worse and came away well despite their losses. I think most people have an inner strength that helps pull them through those times along with a dose of common sense and tips & tricks taught to them by their parents and grandparents.

Here is my own list of what to hang on to ... you know, just in case:

1. Bread - When we get to the end of a loaf of bread or have leftover ends, I toss them in a freezer bag and keep them there for all sorts of yummy dishes: strata, bread pudding, bread crumbs and croutons are a few ideas.

2. Egg shells - Add to compost or around the base of plants you want to keep worms and slugs away from. The shells are harsh and damaging to soft, slimy critters. Use half an egg shell to plant seedlings in. You can always add them to your coffee grinds, but I've never found a real difference in the flavor of our coffee when using them. Make sidewalk chalk from them: http://www.make-stuff.com/kids/eggshell_chalk.html

3. Vegetable bits - I keep even small half and quarter cupfuls of vegetables for all manner of things: soup, fritters, stews, Shepherd's Pie and salads. A little bit goes a long way!

4. Bacon grease - I remember my mom saving up her bacon grease in a tin can on the stove. Once it was full she would discard it, but I've learned to save bacon grease and keep it fresh in the freezer. I add it to soups, stews, green beans, refried beans and cornbread to name a few things. The extra flavor without the extra cost of real bacon stretches your budget well.

5. Pieces of soap - We don't throw soap away here or mama gets real mad. I bind them all together in the end of a clean nylon stocking foot (another thing to keep!) and tie it close to the soap bundle. hang this near outside spigots to make cleaning your hands after gardening a real breeze. I also sometimes gather the soap scraps and put them in a pump-type soap dispenser. Add water and let it sit for a few days to make your own liquid hand soap.

6. Old stockings or pantyhose (see above) - Keep these around to use for netting (wrap around a wire hanger), to tie your tomato plants to the stake (they're easy on the stalk) or to make dolls with - remember the original Cabbage Patch dolls? Cut the legs into one-inch strips to make instant hair ties that won't damage your tresses.

7. Cheese and meat ends - Some of the best sandwich spreads I've had have been cheese, meat, may and relish tossed into a blender and whirred into velvety smoothness. Keep cheese bits to make homemade mac & cheese with and you'll be surprised at the flavor combinations you can come up with.

8. Gravy - Pop it into the freezer and you have instant flavoring for soups and stews or a quick meal when paired with ground beef or chunks of leftover meat or poultry and served on toast, biscuits or rice. Now is a good time to add in those little bits of veggies, too!

9. You name it! Let me know what your favorite thing to save is and let's see just how long we can make this list.

Post Spring Holiday Meals

Written Monday, April 5th, 2010 by Anne Coleman

Everyone I know had one thing or another to celebrate this past weekend and with each celebration came a large holiday meal. For my family the celebration was Easter and there are now two things in my refrigerator in leftover abundance: eggs and ham.

Now, putting the two together sounds yummy, but hard-boiled eggs and cooked ham aren't exactly the eggs and ham I like.  So, with some interaction here, I'm hoping for an idea or two to put both to good use.

I'm betting that I'll be making deviled eggs. I had one child begging me to make them yesterday during our dinner. I flat-out refused and she pouted. I'll do it today, for sure - because we both love them - and maybe I'll make creamed eggs on toast, but I'm not sure the same-old-same old is what I'm looking for today.

The ham? Well, it was a spiral cut, so it'll make sandwiches galore, but again, that's the usual and even ham salad is sounding boring to me. So, here's the question: What are you making with your leftovers this year?

Corned Beef Hash

Written Thursday, March 18th, 2010 by Anne Coleman

The day after St. Patrick's Day in our home is always a hash day.  Our heritage is deep with Irish roots and there wouldn't be a St. Paddy's Day without corned beef and cabbage. Even with 9 of us, we still wind up with leftovers and I look forward to it. My favorite is hash in the morning topped with an egg - and there are only a few of the others that don't like day-old corned beef. That's OK - it's just more for the rest of us.

This doesn't take much time at all, and once it's simmering, cook the eggs for the top and it will all come together at the right time. This amount is good for 4 to 6.

Corned Beef Hash

3 cups of corned beef - cubed
3 cups cooked potatoes - cubed
1 small onion - chopped
beef or other stock - as needed
1 egg per person - cooked as desired - optional

1. In a large skillet, cook onion in a small amount of oil until it begins to soften.
2. Add beef and potatoes and stir well. Cook until potatoes begin to brown and add enough stock to moisten.
3. Turn the heat to low, cover with a lid and let simmer while eggs are being cooked. If you're not making eggs, cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Remove lid and cook until liquid is evaporated. Salt and pepper to taste and serve topped with a cooked egg if desired.

Easy Hashbrown and Ham Casserole

Written Monday, December 28th, 2009 by Anne Coleman

After the feast, or feasts, of the Holiday season there are always leftovers. At our home this year we had turkey, but we often have a more traditional ham and there's never a shortage of ham left behind to use up. The usual here seems to be sandwiches and soups, but melding one of our favorite hashbrown recipes with our overabundance of pork product is a real crowd-pleaser.

Most hashbrown casseroles call for melted butter to be added, but with all that sour cream and cheese, I never feel the need for it. You can use lower fat dairy alternatives and this will still come out tasting fantastic. Just don't use the fat free cheese, it won't melt the same.

Easy Hashbrown and Ham Casserole

3 pounds frozen shredded hash browns
16 ounces sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sliced green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups cubed cooked ham

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Empty hashbrowns into a large bowl.
Blend together sour cream and milk.
Pour over hashbrowns and add 1 1/2 cups Cheddar, onion, ham (if using) and salt and pepper.
Toss until well combined and pour into a well greased 9x13 baking dish.
Top with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar and bake 30 minutes until bubbly and browned.

All those leftovers

Written Sunday, November 29th, 2009 by TrishB

Thanksgiving's over but you wouldn't know it from looking in my refrigerator. Its overflowing with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce.

Two turkeys were cooked in my household this year. It was a battle between husband and wife. A turkey cook off so to speak between fried and maple glazed. He stood outside in the cold, fully covered in his protective garb while I stayed in the warmth and watched as he ordered around his father, my brother, our sons and even our neighbor. It took one cook to cook a roasted turkey and 6 to cook a fried. While the fried turkey was moist and tender I think mine won in looks and flavor.   Needless to say we made way too much. So whether or not your turkeys were fried or roasted,  here are a few recipes you can try using your leftovers.

Tortilla Soup

Condiments:

Leftover turkey
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup grated monterey jack.     cheese
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, cut
into 1 inch pieces

For the soup:

1 packet tortilla strips
Vegetable spray
1/2 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsps ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes, drained
7 cups chicken broth

Shred turkey into bite size pieces. In a medium size saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Brown garlic. Add onions, cumin, coriander, and cayenne and stir until soft. Add salt, tomatoes, and one third of the crispy tortilla strips. Add the chicken broth and cook for about 15 minutes more. Let cool, then puree the soup in batches in a blender.

Serve hot with the remaining crispy tortilla strips, the cheese, avocado, and turkey pieces.

Turkey Paninis

1/4 c dijon mustard
1/4 c mayonnaise
8 slices challah bread, about 1 inch thick
6 ounces sliced muenster cheese
12 ounces sliced turkey
Salt and pepper, to taste
2/3 cup cranberry sauce or relish

Mix mustard and mayo together in a small bowl. Spread about 1 tablespoon of mustard mixture on on one side of each piece.

Lay cheese on half of the bread slices, top with turkey, and season with salt and pepper. Spread the cranberry sauce on the remaining 4 slices of bread and close sandwiches, pressing each one together.

Heat panini machine or a cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet. Lay  sandwiches in skillet and put a weight or another frying pan to press down. Cook about 3 minutes and turn and cook for additional 3 minutes. Serve immediately.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Leftover Dilemma

Written Monday, November 9th, 2009 by Anne Coleman

The quickest way to avoid Thanksgiving Day leftovers is to invite many and send home lots. As Thanksgiving is all about being grateful for what we have and sharing with others, inviting extra folks - a college student far from home, a widowed neighbor, anyone who doesn't have a family to celebrate with or even an entire family that doesn't have the means to celebrate - will be the sure cure to having too much food leftover.

However, there are those who actually like, and plan for, Thanksgiving Day leftovers, and I admit to being one of them. These two recipes are my favorites when it comes to using up extra turkey and fixings from the big day - and both are quick to fix, which is even better after a day or two of constant cooking.

Turkey Corn Chowder
Serves: 8

4 slices bacon - diced
1/2 cup celery - small dice
1/2cup onion - small dice
8 cups stock - turkey or chicken
1 clove garlic
2 cups peeled and diced potato - cooked or uncooked
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
1 can creamed corn (or 2 cups)
1/2 can whole kernel corn (frozen or fresh as well)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2t. dill
to taste
roux~ 1/4c. flour 1/4c. oil

Saute bacon, celery, onion & garlic until translucent.
Add stock and potatoes - bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until potatoes are tender.
Add corn, turkey, and seasonings. Simmer 20 min.
Add roux in a thin stream-whisking constantly.
Cook until thickened, remove bay leaf and serve.

Quick Turkey Tetrazzini

This is on the cheating side of things - using a bottled Alfredo sauce in lieu of cream and cheese to streamilne preparation.

Serves: 4

4 cups cubed, cooked turkey
8 ounces dry linguine, broken in half
1 jar (16 ounces) Alfredo sauce
8 ounces sliced white button mushrooms
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 2-quart baking dish.
Set 2 quarts of water to boil.
When water boils, add linguine.
While pasta is cooking, saute mushrooms in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer.
Remove mushrooms and garlic from pan and add white wine. Over medium heat, stir up any browned bits and then add Alfredo sauce. Remove from heat.
Drain pasta and toss with turkey and prepared sauce. Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden.