Sour Cream and Chive Potato Salad

I had a baked potato bar one night and had quite a few leftover potatoes. So I chopped them up and tossed them together with a few of the leftover toppings and came up with this. We happened to like it quite a bit.

************** 


8 c. cooked cold potatoes

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. mayo

3 - 4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 green onions

1/4 c. sliced chives

Stir everything together except the potatoes until smooth. 
Then add in the potatoes, folding gently so as not to break them up. 

Chill for several hours.

Ham and Bean Soup

Perfect for cold weather, bean soups are a great way to use up a leftover ham bone. I cooked my ham in the crock pot. Feel free to use any leftover meat in your soup. The other thing I used in my soup was all the liquid from the bottom of the crock pot. Just stir into the soup at the same time as the onion and carrots.

1 lb dry white beans

1 leftover ham bone

12 c. water

24 oz. tomato sauce

1 Knorr Homestyle vegetable stock pod
(This vegetable stock is not gluten free, make sure you substitute one that is for a gf soup)

1 large onion, chopped

4 large carrots, grated

3/4 c. half-an-half

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco (optional)

Soak the white beans overnight, changing the water at least once. 

Drain the beans again and cover with water. Simmer for 2 hours until the beans are starting to soften up. Drain the liquid. Add the 12 cups of water, ham bone, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock pod. 

Simmer for 4 hours.

Remove the ham bone. Shred any meat from the bone and return it to the pot. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the half-an-half and simmer until heated through.

Stuffed Breadsticks

This is one of my favorite ways to use up leftovers. I throw a loaf of bread in the bread maker, prep the leftovers and we have a great lunch or dinner with little extra work. 

For the filling you can use just about anything. I had some leftover beef stew so I used that. I have also made this with pot roast, leftover thanksgiving turkey and gravy, chicken curry and most soups. I especially love German Lentil soup in them. With soups just strain the broth off and use the rest as the filling. I you want you can even thicken some of the broth for a sauce to bind it all together. If you start from scratch another thing we like to stuff them with is chopped chicken tossed with a little alfredo sauce.

If I am using something that has a really chunky filling, like stew or roast, I chop it up into fairly small pieces.

1 batch of bread dough

Leftovers

Melted butter

Granulated garlic

Dried oregano

Parmesan cheese

Roll the dough out so that it is large and thin. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut the dough into 4 in squares. Top with some of whatever filling you choose to use. Fold over and press the edges to seal. Brush with butter and sprinkle with the garlic, oregano, and grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes until the bread looks cooked and browned on top. These make great lunches as well. 

Pizza Macaroni and Cheese

 My Grandma made this once while visiting as a kid. I thought it would be fun to recreate for my family since everyone loves pepperoni. Any type of prepared macaroni and cheese makes a great base for this and bottled pizza sauce can also be substituted to make this even faster. Leave off the pepperoni and add peppers, olives, and onions for a supreme pizza. Or bacon and ham for a meat loves. This is a great way to use up leftover macaroni and cheese or meat or vegetables left in the fridge. 

Presto Pasta Nights 265 is at The Crispy Cook. 

2  - 3 boxes macaroni and cheese (with cheese sauce)

1/2 c. sour cream

1 can diced tomatoes

1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black peppers
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
pinch rosemary

1 8 oz. bag Italian cheese

Pepperoni

Cook the pasta according the package directions. Drain and mix with cheese sauce packets and sour cream. Pour into a 9x13 in baking pan.

Drain the tomatoes really well and puree. Mix in the seasonings and carefully spread on top of the macaroni and cheese.

Sprinkle the Italian cheese evenly over the top and then top with pepperoni. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted. If the pepperoni is still not crisp broil for 3 - 4 minutes until it is.

Homemade Ravioli

Homemade ravioli can be a lot of fun as long as you know a few tricks to make the process go a lot easier. I work with a hand crank and a Norpro ravioli press.

My pasta dough recipe:

3 1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp salt

6 eggs

2 Tbsp water

About 3 cups of your desired filling* 

(This is a great place to use leftover cooked meats)

Mix all in medium speed with the paddle, the whisk wont be able to handle it. Let rest, covered, 30 minutes. 

When ready to use split the dough into balls smaller than a baseball but bigger than a golf ball. Make sure the pasta you aren't working with at the time is covered with a damp paper towel to keep the pasta from drying out. Flour the dough on all sides and run through the hand crank on the "1" setting, re flour and then run through again on the "4" setting. Four was the thinnest I could make the dough without it being too thin to hold the filling. Spray the metal part of the ravioli press with no-stick cooking spray (this is really important or you wont be able to get the pasta off the press without ripping the pockets open) 

Press the off-white plate into the dough to create indents in the dough. Fill the pockets with your fully cooked filling. Make sure to not over fill and keeping all the filling in the middle so the edges can seal properly. 

Take a second sheet of pasta and slightly moisten on one side. Place the moistened side down on top of the ravioli press. Roll a rolling pin over the top to cut and seal the ravioli. Remove the excess from the side, flip over and push gently on a couple of the ravioli on one end to release. They should come right out. 

Place on a baking sheet while you finish the rest of the pasta. This recipe made about 8 dozen for me.

To make Toasted Ravioli:

 3/4 c. Italian bread crumbs

1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

2 eggs

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. sour cream

Combine the bread crumbs, flour, and cheese. Taste for salt,
You want it a little saltier than you think, the eggs wash doesn't have any seasoning
and the pasta has very little salt, usually you add salt to the water. Set aside.

In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, milk, and sour cream.

Dip the ravioli in the egg mix and then the bread crumbs. 

Lay flat on a baking tray, spray really well with butter spray,
and bake at 375 for 12 - 17 minutes or until golden. 

Serve with marinara sauce

*For my filling I sauteed 1 medium onion, chopped very finely, in butter until tender. I then added 2 - 3 cups of cooked, finely chopped, pot roast, about 2 tsp. dried basil, 1/2 tsp granulated garlic, 1 cup of water and a beef bouillon cube. I simmered that for a while then drained off most of the liquid and added about 3 Tbsp italian bread crumbs (to soak up the rest of the liquid) 3 oz. of grated Monterrey cheese (it was all I had, I would have preferred mozzarella or even Asiago) and 3 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese. 

Other fillings I like are chicken, cream cheese and herbs or ricotta and spinach

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freezer Ravioli

To freeze: Lay flat on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. When solid drop in a freeze safe bag. 

To serve: Drop the frozen ravioli into boiling water and cook until they float to the top. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce. 

Presto Pasta Night is being hosted by its founder 

at "Once Upon a Feast"

White Enchiladas

Household6 cooking clubs January theme is 

"Prepare a dish that you have never made before but always wanted to try.  

Tell us why you have taken quite some time to make this dish"

So this brings me to white chicken enchiladas. Which I have been meaning to make forever! I've even bought the Monterrey cheese a time or two and then ended up using it in something else and never made my enchiladas. This was due in large part to the fact that I hadn't found a recipe that I like. They always call for canned cream soup, and while I'm ok with making things with that stuff in the crock pot where it really cooks down and makes a gravy, I don't care for the taste in something where you can, well, taste it. But then I saw the Pioneer Womens recipe. And I put it on my menu. And then passed it up (that was in early summer) But then I got the HH6 theme and decided it was finally time. I'm really sorry I waited. 

I personally would have liked them with more heat and missed the jalapeno, my kids sadly, don't do hot. I was a little worried they wouldn't like the chilies but when my 3 year old, who eats like a bird, asked for seconds I knew this was a keeper. 

You can check out the original recipe or check below for my changes. This was a great use of the leftover turkey I had in the fridge but chicken works too. Instead of shredding a whole chicken for stuff like this I usually throw a couple boneless, skinless, chicken breasts in the crock pot the day before, shred and refrigerate until I'm ready to use.

3 c. leftover cooked shredded chicken or turkey

2 Tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

2 can diced green chilis

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. paprika

16 oz Monterrey cheese, grated

12 flour tortillas

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1 c. sour cream

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 can green chilies

Saute the the onion is the butter until tender. Add the chilies, turkey, broth, and paprika. Stir all together and let simmer. Add the cream and keep over low heat while making the sauce.

For the sauce: melt the butter and flour together. Add the broth, paprika, chilies, and sour cream, with an immersion blender process until smooth. Keep heating until thick. Add about 1/3 of the cheese and stir until melted. 

In the tortillas add some of the turkey mixture, top with the remaining shredded cheese, and place in the a 9x13 baking dish seam side down. When all the tortillas are filled top with the sauce and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Asian Sesame Chicken Salad

4 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded Or Leftover

1 head of romaine lettuce

1 c. bean sprouts

1 carrot, sliced with peeler so they're really thin

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Crispy chow mein noodles 

Kraft Light Asian Sesame Dressin or your favorite Asian salad dressing

I put the chicken breasts in the crock pot in the morning,
let them cook for a couple of hours and put them in the fridge until dinner time. 

Toss together the romaine and bean sprouts. Top with the carrots.

Layer the cucumbers and mandarin oranges in a ring on the top. 

Shred the chicken and place in the middle, pour the noodles in a ring around the chicken.

Serve with the salad dressing.

Pizza Bread

1 recipe pizza dough

Pizza Sauce (I used leftover spaghetti sauce this time)

8 - 12 oz. grated cheddar cheese

1 c. chopped pepperoni or turkey pastrami

Grated Parmesan cheese

Roll the dough out so it is long and thin, 

about 8 inches wide by about 18 inches long. 

Spread with the sauce, 

sprinkle with the cheddar and dust with the Parmesan, 

then sprinkle with the pepperoni or pastrami.  

Starting at one side roll the dough up like a cinnamon roll. 

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 

anywhere between 30 - 45 minutes,  

until the top is darker than golden brown, but not charred. 

Let sit for 15 minutes before slicing.

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

So I made this in two parts. First on the stove and then in the crock pot because I didn't have time to let the rice cook in the crock pot. I couldn't leave it simmering on the stove while I was at church either but I wanted it done when it was time to eat. Feel free to add as much shredded turkey as you wish, or leave it out in favor of cooked lentils or white beans.

If you threw the veggies in the pot to cook with the wild rice you wouldn't have to saute them later, I just didn't think of it until after the rice was already in the crock pot.

1 1/4 c. wild rice

6 c. chicken broth

oil

1 onion

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 large carrot, diced small

1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1/2 - 3/4 c. milk, half-an-half, or cream or any combination of them

2+ c. cooked shredded turkey (or chicken, lentils, or white beans)

Simmer the wild rice and the chicken broth until the rice is just cooked enough to eat. 

Add to the crock pot and stir in the mushroom soup, dairy, and cooked turkey. In the pot you cooked the rice in heat the oil. Saute the onion, celery, and carrots until cooked, but not tender. Add to the crock pot. Cook on high for 1 - 2 hours. Taste and adjust salt or pepper (I used Mortons nature seasons)

HH6 And Taco Soup

So this soup isn't really my recipe at all. I mean I make it all the time, but I didn't come up with it.

But when I got this months HH6 Cooking Club challenge and was thinking about it, this came to mind. The challenge itself I wasn't worried about sticking too, I usually keep a large pantry pretty well stocked, along with a large deep freeze full of meat and other frozen stuff, and a 2 year supply of all the basics, wheat, rice, sugar and such, plus Husband Man had just gotten back from Sams club. I was set. 

But then the next night I found myself needing to make something for dinner. And while I had all the essential, I didn't really feel like making a huge dinner. So I grabbed several things from the pantry and dinner was ready in a flash, using mostly pantry staples.Which really embodies the idea of the challenge. Which is

We all need to be prepared in the event of a disaster.  You have stuff in your pantry and fridge/freezer.  If a disaster should strike today and you have no access to going to a grocery store but your stove/grill is still working, what would you make with what you have on hand?

 

1 lb. ground turkey or hamburger
1 packet taco seasoning (About 2 Tbsp)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney or black beans
1 can chicken broth
1 c. Ketchup

Brown meat.

Add remaining ingredients. Simmer one hour or longer. Can be dumped in a crock pot for the afternoon.

This can also be made without the meat all together, just skip it and add an extra can of beans.

The next day I drained the soup and cooked rice in the liquid. Then I added it back to the mix, added some cheese, and used it as a filling for enchiladas. Just fill tortillas with the mix, roll and place in a casserole dish, top with enchilada sauce and bake until heated through. 

Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken

I joined the "Secret Recipe Club", you can see the link on my sidebar. It's a really cool idea. Basically a bunch of food bloggers get together and everyone is given a blog. Then from that blog you pick any one of the recipes that looks good to you and you make the dish and then post on your assigned reveal date.

I was given the blog "Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts", while looking through her archives there were two that really stood out to me. I have been looking for some good, simple Asian inspired dishes as of late and been having fun working with rise noodles so thats what I ended up going with. You can see her post here. She links back to Cooking light, and I think if I had seen it in the magazine I would have ignored it completely, but because another blogger made it, ie. a real person, I couldn't wait to try it. I'm like that with food.

I have to say I was very impressed with how simple it was to make and yet how great it tasted. The other recipe that stood out to me, and I still plan on trying eventually is her "Lemon Turkey Cutlets"

I did make a few changes. I added the egg, zucchini, and carrot cause I love eggs in Asian noddle and wanted to add some color and variety with the vegetables. I also didnt have any precooked chicken so I decided to just make that one of the step and lastly I think I might have changed a few of the amounts on things.

Any leftover meat would work here though, just heat up in the sesame oil and continue with the recipe. Leftover beeg, chicken or pork would all fit, and my 6 year old said shrimp would be perfect in here too.


1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (6.75 oz) pkg. rice stick noodles
2 Tbsp sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large chunk fresh ginger, minced (about 1 Tbsp)
7 or 8 green onions, rends removed and sliced all the way up the green part
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp hoisen sauce
1 Tbsp. sambal oelek
(chili paste, use more or less depending on the heat level you want,
but make sure you at least add some)
1 egg
1 carrot, grated
1 small zucchini, quartered lenghtwise and sliced
Sunflower seeds or chopped peanuts

Prepare the rice noodles according to the package directions. Mine said soak in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain then when they are still just a tiny bit firm, they finish cooking in the liquid from the pan.

Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet and add the chicken, stirring until the chicken is cooked through and starting to brown. Add the zucchini and saute 2 minutes more.

Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, between 30 seconds to a minute. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisen, and sambal oelek and stir very well to combine.

Stir in the carrot, and onions and stir fry for another minute. Tilt the pan a little and push everything, including the sauce to the bottom. Crack the egg in the pan and let it cook, breaking the yolk after a few minutes, until the egg is completely cooked.

Add the soaked noodles and stir to combine all. Stir in the cilantro and enjoy.

Top with sunflower seeds or peanuts if you so desire

Crepes

(I filled mine with key lime curd, fresh sliced strawberries, and Chantilly cream)
(Also the seam is supposed to be on the bottom so it looks prettier, it doesn't change the flavor though so don't worry if you forget)

The first time I ever had a crepe was at my friend Susans house. Since then I have had a lot of fun experimenting with different fillings. By far my favorite is still a little lemon juice and powdered sugar on top. But other ideas include

Fresh Strawberries
Whipped Cream
Lemon Curd
Nutella
Strawberry mousse
Pumpkin Chiffon
Caramel, chocolate, whipped cream and pecans
Really anything you think sounds good

Then there are all the savory fillings you can use
Eggs and bacon
Asparagus
Chicken and ham in an herb cream sauce
Also a fun way to revamp leftovers

But anyway, here is the basic recipe

1/2 c. water
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
pinch salt
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 c. flour

I blend all the ingredients but the flour together until smooth and then blend in the the flour.

Heat a no stick pan until hot. Add about 1/4 - 1/2 c. batter to the pan and swirl to thin the batter. Cook just until it doesn't stick to the pan, flip and cook another 10 seconds or so.

Remove from pan and keep warm

The pan is really important here, it has to be a no stick pan.

Breakfast Pasta

I made macaroni and cheese last night for dinner, the kind with the flour thickened sauce (from the vitamix cookbook) that you pour over the cooked pasta and then bake until hot and bubbly. So this is my revamp of the leftovers

I made my macaroni and cheese with a can of ham in it, but you could just use leftover ham or skip it.

Presto Pasta Nights 225 is at "Once Upon a Feast"

(This is before I added the cheese so you could really see the pasta itself)

1/2 package of bacon
6 sausage links
1/2 onion
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
Salt to taste
3 - 4 c. leftover macaroni and cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the bacon until crisp, crumble, and set aside. Remove all but 3 Tbsp of the bacon drippings. Cook the sausage in the bacon drippings until browned. Remove from pan and chop. Add the onion and peppers and cook until both are tender.

Whisk together the milk and eggs and some salt to taste.

Push the peppers to one side of the pan and cook the eggs in the other until set. Chop the eggs into small pieces and toss with the peppers. Add the macaroni and cheese to the pan and toss with the veggies and eggs. Keep stirring to heat through without it sticking to the pan.

Add the sausage and bacon and mix in.

Sprinkle with the cheese and stir to melt the cheese

Serve

Garlic lemon Chicken

I got this recipe from Johns mom, and with minor tweaking here it is. I always make a large batch and then use the chicken without the gravy chopped up in salad.

I alternate what I serve it over, I had been serving it with rice, but I have been really into pasta with tangy lemony sauces over them, so this week I am serving it with pasta and sending it over to Presto Pasta Night hosted by Simona at Briocle

1 tsp. each salt, black pepper, garlic powder

½ tsp. each onion powder, thyme

¼ tsp. each cayenne pepper, paprika

6 chicken breasts, cut into fillets

4 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

4 Tbsp. lemon juice

4 tsp. cornstarch

Mix seasonings in a bowl and then evenly sprinkle on both sides of chicken. Heat butter in a skillet on medium high. Sauté chicken until golden brown on each side. Remove chicken and add the lemon juice and chicken broth to pan, whisking to remove browned bits off the bottom. Cook 3 or 4 minutes and then combine cornstarch and enough water to form a thin pasta, add cornstarch to the pan and cook until thickened. Return the chicken to pan, coat in sauce, heat though, and serve.

Breakfast Casserole

You might need more or less bread depending on the size of your slices. When the bread and cheese are combined you want them to come about halfway up the inside of the casserole dish.

4 slices old dry bread, ripped into small pieces
1 c. shredded cheese

1/2 onion
1 Tbsp. butter
4 sausage links
1 c. cooked ham (I used leftover ham from a previous dinner)

1 3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. sour cream
6 eggs
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
dash black pepper
1/4 tsp. mustard

Combine the bread and cheese in the bottom of a 9x9 inch pan and toss to mix.

Saute the onion in butter until translucent. Add the sausage and cook until browned. Add the ham, cook 1 minute and remove from heat.

Top the bread and cheese layer with the meat and onion layer.

Combine the milk, eggs, and remaining ingredients and pour over the meat layer.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes to and hour, until cooked in the center. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Tostadas

One of my favorite dinner. Super fast and easy and yet savory, soft, crunchy, and delicious all in one.

Take a tortilla spread it with your favorite refried beans. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and broil until cheese is melted and starting to brown.

You can also throw of any leftover meat you might have to use up in your fridge

Top with your favorite vegetables and sauces and enjoy. I just fill several bowls with all the veggies and let everyone top their own buffet style.

Mine consisted of
Chopped Spinach
Cucumbers
Carrots
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Bell Peppers
Leftover corn with caramelized onions

And then a variety of sauces
Salsa Verde
Salsa
Sour Cream
Ranch

Leftover Makeover

Remember how I used the stir fry the other day to make soup the next day? I do it with all kinds of things. Todays was spaghetti. We had spaghetti for lunch and then I made it into soup for dinner



After lunch I boiled some beef broth. I added carrots, celery, spinach and corn. You can add whatever vegetables you want, green beans and zucchini are good too.

When the vegetable are tender add the spaghetti sauce, if there isn't much meat left in the sauce add a can of beans. Any variety works. Then add either the spaghetti noodles or some elbow macaroni. If you need to add uncooked noodles add them in the beginning with the vegetables.

A little salsa verde gives it a nice flavor. You also might want to add more Italian seasonings if there isn't much flavor from the spaghetti sauce