On Tonight's Menu

 On Tonight's Menu

Chicken Nugget Casserole

I made this this other night using leftover chicken nuggets.  Really good!

Chicken Nugget Casserole from tasteofhome.com: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chicken-Nugget-Casserole

Beef Barley Soup

Today was cold and dreary, which is horrible weather to be having in June when I want to be out in the garden, but what can you do?

This is simply a variation on Beef Barley Soup.  I don’t usually add tomato paste but it was an interesting change of pace.

Here is the "recipe":

- About 2 cups of diced BBQ’s steak

- Two large baked potatoes, the pulp scooped out, and the peeling saved

- One Corn on the cob kernelled

- ¾ cup of BBQ’d mushroom and onion medley

- One 156mL/5.5 Fl oz can on Tomato Paste

- 6 Cups of beef broth

- ½ Cup of Pot Barley

- 2 Tbsp each of Fresh Parsley and fresh thyme

- Black Pepper to taste

All the above ingredients were placed in a slowcooker and turned on high for 30 minutes and then tuned to low for 6 or more hours.  I served it with freshly baked bread, of course!

*Bonus: Remember those empty potato skins I saved?  Sprinkled with bacon, green onions and cheese, then broiled for a couple of minutes = YUMMMMMY!


Shepherd’s Pie

I still had two ears of corn and one steak to do something with.  I could have froze them and created something with them later, but I had the time today to do something with them.  So that’s what I did, then I froze the Shepherd’s Pie to use at a later date.

I had used all of my potatoes in the soup, so I had to boil and mash some more.  I also used all of the BBQ’s mushroom and onion medley in the soup, so I slice an onion as well.

I diced the last large BBQ’d steak and mixed it and the sliced onion with a package of mushroom gravy mix.  I layered the kernelled corn on top of the meat mixture and then the freshly boiled and mashed potatoes on top of the corn.

I let everything cool in the fridge and then packaged it with saran wrap and tin foil.  I marked clearly what it was, when it was assembled, when it should be used by, and in the freezer it went.  Ready for a hectic day in the future!

Until next time ... eat your leftovers!

A Long Hiatus

I am back from a horribly long hiatus!  No excuse for it except LIFE!

Today I will make up for my absence by making two dishes out of our leftovers.

What is leftover?  Baked potatoes, corn on the cob, BBQ’d steak, and BBQ’d mushrooms and onions.

Shepherd’s Pie

What was leftover? Meatloaf, peas, gravy and mashed potatoes.

I chopped up the meatloaf which equalled to about 1 ½ cups, then I mixed it in a casserole dish with the peas (1 cup), gravy (1 cup), and some additional chopped onions and sliced mushrooms. I topped the concoction with the mashed potatoes and placed it in a 400⁰F oven until it was heated through, about 30 minutes.

Shepherd’s Pie is so yummy (not to mention EASY), and this version was no exception.

Until next time ... eat your leftovers!

Cheesy Macaroni Pie

What was leftover? About six cups of “Mac and Tomat”.

I didn’t want to just heat it up and I really didn’t want to add meat to it, simply because once a week we go meatless.

To the bowl with the leftover “Mac and Tomat” I added:

1 tsp of dried oregano

1 minced garlic clove

2 Tbsp of Sundried Tomato Paste

Then in a medium sized sauce pan I melted 1/3 cup of unsalted butter, to which I whisked in 1/3 cup of flour, and a sprinkle each of salt and pepper, and cooked for one minute. I whisked into it 4 cups of milk and added a Bay Leaf. I simmered this white sauce mixture for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a medium bowl, I whisked 3 eggs and once the white sauce was complete, I slowly added it, whisking all the time. (Be sure to remove the Bay Leaf from the white sauce.)

I greased a 9” glass pie plate and then proceeded to layer the leftover “Mac and Tomat”, white sauce/egg mixture and grated marble cheese, ending with cheese.

I baked at 400⁰F for about 30 minutes, until the cheese was nice and bubbly.

So great! So good!

Note: I only used about 4 cups of the “Mac and Tomat” and only about 2 cups of the white sauce/egg mixture. I froze these leftovers to use in soups or other casserole type dishes at a later date.

Until next time ... eat your leftovers!

PS:  I forgot to take a picture.  It was so good, it was gone before I even thought of it!  :-)

I adapted this recipe from another recipe found at KraftCanada.com.

Leftover "Mac and Tomat"

We love macaroni and tomatoes mixed together with a bit of margarine, salt and pepper. It is divine when you’re real hungry and don’t feel like cooking! But, we always make way too much (you’d think we’d learn!).

What do you do with leftover “mac and tomat”?

Check back soon...