Leftovers, Anyone?

In previous blogs I've written about an Asian salad, manly meatloaf and a cauliflower side dish.  As with any dish, if you make too much you have leftovers.  Let me tell you, my Mom was an artist with leftovers and I like to think I inherited her skill in that department.  

After making the salad on one day, I had 3/4 of a head of green cabbage left over.

I used what little was left of this blend and the remainder of the head of green cabbage.

After making, eating and using slices for sandwiches for Hubby's lunch, I still had 1/2 of a meatloaf left

Have any ideas what to do with one full serving of the cauliflower side dish?

 
What to do with these three odd leftovers?  Well here's what I did....

I poured a little water into a skillet the put in a vegetable steamer.  I shredded the cabbage into thin slices and put a layer down on a vegetable steamer.  I sprinkled in what was left of the cauliflower and topped it with the leftover meatloaf, cut into strips.  Then I put another layers of shredded cabbage on top.

I fired up the stove and let it all steam.  When the cabbage began to wilt I gave it a nice sprinkling of kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper.  I let it steam a little longer until the cabbage was softened and the meat was heated through.

I tossed it all together and served it as a "hot salad" for dinner.  As the coating from the meatloaf gave the cabbage a little zing, the cauliflower added the needed buttery creaminess.  The meat added protein and substance to the dish.  Even though  I had to put it all in a skillet and steam it, all the main parts were already done.  I took left overs of three seperate dishes and got a tasty fourth dish out of them.  I love when that happens!  My hubby asked if this was a "new recipe"  Of course I told him I'd been working very hard all day in the kitchen developing the recipe....Ha!

If I had any idea how satisfying it was going to turn out, I would have taken pictures!  I can only hope my description provided you with adequate visuals.

So go forth, my culinary cohorts, be fearless!  Throw those leftovers together and see what happens!

As always, your comments, ideas and individual results are welcomed and encouraged!

Cauliflower incognito! A scrumptuous side dish.

Let's face it, there isn't a person alive who thinks cauliflower is a sexy vegetable.  Today I saw recipes for Halloween Brains Dip using cauliflower as the storage container.  Ewwww!

Well don't fret my little foodies!  I have a simple way to fix it that I guarantee you'll love.  It involves Parmesan and butter, which begs the question:  How bad could it be??

Go ahead, be brave and buy an entire head of cauliflower at the store!  For those of you who only purchase prepackaged veggies, here's what a "whole cauliflower" looks like ;-)  Yes, you can use prepackaged cauliflower but it won't be as fresh.

Wash that puppy, peel/snap off the leaves and large stem.  You'll want to use a knife to get the core out of the middle.  Once this is done, snapping off the florets is easy.  Steam them or nuke them, it's up to you.  I prefer steaming them only because I can check them for tenderness easier than in the microwave.  

 

While they are steaming, grate about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese with a microplane and have 2-3 Tbsps of butter handy.  Once the cauliflower is done, mash it, puree it or take an immersion blender to it, just get it to the consistency of mashed potatoes.  It doesn't matter if you like them smashed or creamy, either way will work.  Once mashed add the cheese and butter, blend well.  Salt to taste.  Go easy on the salt though as the cheese is a bit salty all by itself.  If you like it creamier and calories aren't a concern, you can add cream, milk or more butter, a little at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.

It's also pretty tasty cold!  It's not exactly colorful but makes up for it in flavor.  Next time I'll throw in some chopped chives for color and bite.  Simple side dishes can really elevate a mundane main course.  This cauliflower side really does the trick!

NOTE:  If you want to take it a step further and really impress, mix some panko bread crumbs with softened butter.  Put the pureed cauliflower in a buttered baking dish and top with the crumb mixture.  Bake at 375-400 until the crumbs are golden brown.   It will only take a few minutes to brown so watch it!   Serve that puppy up! 

Manly Meatloaf

Before you turn your nose up at meatloaf, consider this...
1.  Everyone has their own recipe, it's been around for ages and this is likely to be a bit different than your version.
2.  Making small loafs instead of one big one nets you more crusty goodness and reduces cooking time!

We didn't have meatloaf much growing up so this isn't an "old family recipe", it's my own easy version of an old classic.  So fasten your seatbelt for a Monster Meatloaf ride!

What you'll need to start:  1/2 red bell pepper, 2-3 stalks of celery, 1 medium yellow onion (or half of a large one, 2 lbs of ground beef, salt and pepper.  This makes 2 mini loaves.  Simply half or double the recipe to suit your own needs.  

Dice those veggies up so they are all about the same sized dice.  Doesn't have to be perfect, just know it helps everything cook evenly. 

 Heat 1 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp of vegetable or olive oil in a pan.  Saute the veggies until they are soft and onions are translucent.





Once the sauteed veggies are done and cool enough to handle, toss them into the ground beef. 

 

Add 2 slightly beaten eggs and 3/4 cup of dry bread crumbs to the meat and mix well.  Form into two rectangular loaves to fit your pan.  You can use a loaf pan to shape them (line with plastic wrap for easy removal) or hand shape them.   I've used the broiler pan from my toaster oven and lined the bottom with foil for easy cleanup.  Anything I can bake in the oven can be made in my toaster oven.  It's smaller so it uses less energy.  I'm always in favor of being green. 

Now, for the topping!  I mix two parts ketchup to one part yellow mustard and brown sugar.  Mix it well then taste.  If it's too sweet for your taste add more mustard.  If it's too tart add more ketchup or brown sugar for added sweetness.  It's at this point I add cayenne pepper to the mix.  Hubby loves things HOT (that's why he married me, hehehe).  

Cover the loaves with a thin layer of the sauce and bake at 350 for 1/2 hour.  Pull it out and put another coating of sauce on the loaves then return it to the oven.  Do this every 10 minutes until the loaves are cooked to 140 degrees.  

By adding the sauce in increments it has a chance to firm up and create that crusty goodness mentioned earlier.  The "oh my goodness this is awesome" factor will be kicked up a few notches!
The "crust" is so good my husband and I fight over the end pieces (they have the most crust).  By making two small ones we get four ends instead of just two.

I always make more than needed so I'll have leftovers.  Hubby loves finding meatloaf sandwiches in his lunch bag the next day!  There is typically excess ooey gooey sauce which I spread on the sandwich bread instead of mayo.  If there isn't enough sauce, I use a little of the mayo for the sandwich.  It's delish either way. 

If you try this one, I'd love to read about it!

No Fuss Butternut Squash Soup in the Crockpot

After researching several recipes for butternut squash soup on the internet and in cookbooks,  I was left thinking..."there has to be an easier way".  Well after a little experimentation, I arrived at a recipe that made my husband do his happy dance.  Whenever that happens, I know I have a winner!  Plus there's no need to saute anything first and for all you health nuts out there, no cream!

Ingredients you'll need:  1 1/2-2 lbs butternut squash, 2 green apples (I used granny smith), one large onion, 2 qts chicken broth, 3 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, cayenne to taste (optional)

If you've never purchased or handled the squash before, prepare to blush.  Suffice it to say it has a certain phallic quality to it. 

Wash and peel it first

 I have this handy dandy tool I got from the Pampered Chef.  It's a peeler with teeth.  It's great for peeling veggies with thick skins and won't slip.   (I'm a consultant so if you'd like one, I can help you with that and many other items!)  A regular peeler will work but you'll work much  harder at it.  When peeling, you'll see these green lines in the squash.  Just peel a couple more times and they will come right off.

 Once it's washed and peeled, you're ready to rock!  Be sure to keep a firm grasp on it.  Butternut squash is hard to cut, so use a good, sharp knife.  Cut off the ends, then cut it where the long penis looking portion begins to widen.  Stand both pieces on their flat ends and slice in half lengthwise. 

 At this point, clean out the seeds and stringy part.  Another handy tool is shown.  One side has teeth on it, great for hulling strawberries.  It's great for doing small jobs like cleaning the squash too.  The other end with the hoop is a melon baller.  It's two, two, two tools in one! 

 Finally, slice into strips that can be cut into thinner strips and cube them.  It will take a little muscle but the payoff is worth it!  Cube the apples and onion as well.  

 I used a crockpot to cook the soup.  This recipe fits my four quart crock perfectly!  Put all the chopped up goodies in the pot along with 2 quarts of chicken stock. 

Add capLet this baby cook for 3-4 hours on high.  You can program your crock for a longer cooking time if you'd like.

 

If you don't have an immersion blender, consider getting one!  They run about $30-40 and are worth their weight in gold.  Sure beats having to puree batches of soup in the food processor plus cleanup is so much easier!When the squash and veggies are tender, stick the immersion blender in the pot and puree away!  Be sure the openings by the blade are below the liquid line.  If not,  you'll not only be wearing the scalding hot soup but your kitchen will have a fresh coatof pulp all over the place!  

 

When you're done pureeing the soup, add the allspice, cinnamon, butter and cayenne if you're using it.  When the butter is all melted, it's ready to serve. 

For extra pizzazz, in a hot pan, toss some thyme leaves in hot melted butter and throw in cubed bread until toasted.  Put the croutons in each soup bowl and serve.

Do your happy dance!