Leftovers

June – Garlic Lime Chicken Tacos
by

June – Garlic Lime Chicken Tacos

Looking for the perfect way to use up any leftover chicken from your 4th of July BBQ? This one will also get you out of a hot kitchen and put dinner on the table quickly. No leftovers? A rotisserie chicken from the store works well. You could also saute or grill a few boneless chicken breasts or thighs and give them the same treatment. Any way you choose, this is quick and easy.

Lime Garlic Chicken Tacos

Lime Garlic Chicken Tacos

The recipe is simple but toasting the tortillas directly over the gas burner on your range, or on the grill, or even on a grill pan, makes a huge difference. That toasty and roasted flavor adds something special, as does the cilantro and lime crema.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lemon
  • 2 limes
  • 1-2 tablespoons finely minced jalapeno
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
  • 2 avocados, peeled and pits removed, diced or sliced (sprinkle with a little lime or lemon juice to keep them from turning brown)
  • 16 cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quartered (or some jarred tomato salsa)
  • 6 cups of leftover chicken
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons of neutral oil
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 6 oz of cheese (Cotija, feta, cheddar, Monterey jack, or other) shredded or crumbled
  • 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro for garnish
  • Cilantro and lime crema

See the previous post for the cilantro and lime crema.

Cilantro Lime Crema

Cilantro Lime Crema

If you don’t have any leftover chicken on hand either – saute 2 large cubed boneless chicken breasts or 5 cubed boneless thighs in the oil until cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat and proceed with the recipe.

Or, brush with oil and place the whole breasts or thighs directly on the BBQ. When cooked, remove from the heat, slice and proceed with the recipe.

Method:

  1. Prepare the lime and cilantro crema.
  2. Juice the lemon and limes, place in a small bowl with the minced garlic and jalapeno. Set aside until ready to use.
  3. Place a skillet over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot add the leftover chicken, cook until heated through.
  4. While the chicken cooks, toast the tortillas over a cooktop burner, grill top or grill pan. Use tongs to turn so you toast both sides.
  5. When the chicken is heated, toss with the lime/lemon juice mixture, salt and pepper.
  6. Stuff the tortillas with chicken, avocado, tomato, and cheese. Garnish with the crema and cilantro.

I bet the folks over at Fiesta Friday would find this useful. It’s Fiesta Friday #438, a virtual (can you believe how many things are still virtual!?) blogging party that predates Covid. Angie hosts the party and I am this weeks cohost.

Click on the Fiesta Friday link to find ideas for celebrating the 4th, decorating your home, or keeping the kids busy with crafts now that school is out.

 

October – Butternut Hominy Chicken Stew
by

October – Butternut Hominy Chicken Stew

Butternut Hominy Chicken Stew

Butternut Hominy Chicken Stew

This is what we call at our house a ‘soup stew’. It could go either way depending on the amount of liquid you add and the number of days since you made it. After a day in the fridge the butternut squash melts into the stew, thickening it and making it creamy. It was delicious freshly made and leftover. It’s a substantial dish and only needs some fresh tortillas or bread plus something green to accompany it.

Butternut Hominy Chicken Stew

Butternut Hominy Chicken Stew – leftover

I garnished the reheated leftover soup/stew with avocado, sour cream and some crumbled tortilla chips for contrasting texture. It was almost better the second day for a filling lunch on a chilly afternoon.

Chicken in this dish is delicious but not required. Leave the chicken out and use a good vegetarian stock for a vegetarian or vegan version.

This warming soup is just the thing for the fall’s cooling days when butternut squash is plentiful. Make it ahead and reheat just before serving.

Butternut Hominy Chicken Stew

Butternut Hominy Chicken Stew

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 cups chopped onion (red or yellow) – about 1 large
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon piment d’ville or piment d’espelette (a sweet, spicy red Basque chile)
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1-1/2 lb. of boneless chicken thighs, cubed
  • 6-8 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 32 oz of chicken or vegetable stock – more if you want it soupy
  • 1 large (32 oz) can of hominy, drained and rinsed
  • Chopped cilantro to taste
  • Lime to taste
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  1. Lightly toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet, remove to a plate to cool. Once cool, grind 2/3 of the seeds in a spice grinder or mortar and pesto to a powder. Remain the left over whole seeds for a garnish.
  2. In a heavy bottomed stock pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion until slightly golden
  3. Add the garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, and Piment d’ville.
  4. Saute until mixed throughout and smelling wonderful, then add the chicken and butternut squash. Mix all until coated, then add the stock, the amount varying depending upon whether you want a thick-ish stew or a thinner soup.
  5. Add the hominy, and allow the stew to simmer until the squash is tender, chicken is cooked through, and the flavors have melded. About 25-30 minutes.
  6. Add salt, cilantro and lime juice to taste.
  7. Serve with tortillas, avocado garnish, more cilantro, lime wedges, a sprinkle of the remaining toasted cumin seeds and sour cream.
Butternut Hominy Chicken Stew

Butternut Hominy Chicken Stew

Garbanzo beans can be substituted for the hominy…also I could see a Moroccan or Spanish influenced dish if you change the spices.

I am taking this easy and delicious soup/stew to Fiesta Friday #350 sponsored by Angie. This week it is cohosted by Jhuls of the Not So Creative Cook. Come on by and read the delicious recipes, creative crafts, and decorating ideas.

 

December – Leftovers in a Toasted Bread Bowl
by

December – Leftovers in a Toasted Bread Bowl

Do you have a lot of leftovers from this week’s holiday? My contribution to the big dinner was roasted vegetables: carrots, onions, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. This was a large gathering and I made a lot, no one should go home hungry from the big dinner. Most of it was consumed but there are still some leftovers and I have been searching for ways to use them up. Their time had come, it was use or toss or compost day. My usual solution to leftover veggies is to make a stir-fried rice dish, or a soup, or just toss them all into a salad with an interesting salad dressing. But, then in my search, I happened upon this recipe from Nagi at recipetineats for Christmas Leftovers Toasted Bread Bowl. Can you say melty cheese? It’s my personal achilles heal. Leftover turkey (or rotisserie chicken), veggies, any antipasti you happen to have around, and cheese. The mix could be anything and you don’t need to wait for Christmas or Thanksgiving leftovers.

My mouth was watering.

This sandwich is based on a traditional Italian sandwich, Muffuletta, usually made in a round loaf and served cold. It’s a big favorite for picnics because it can be made ahead and the flavors only blend and become more delicious with made ahead. It is quite famous in New Orleans as well where an olive salad is a requirement and they use deli cold cuts.

Serve it hot with crispy bread and melty cheese, or room temperature. Weigh it down and let the flavors melt together for a couple of hours if serving at room temperature. If it is cold, let it warm up a bit before serving.

At Nagi says on her blog post, it’s the perfect food to take on an international flight.

Use whatever you have on hand but start with a good bread with a hearty crust, a sourdough or artisan type would be perfect. I used a ciabatta from a local bakery which I cut in half horizontally, removing most of the crumb in the middle of of the top and bottom, leaving about 1/2 inch of the crust. You want all that extra room for the filling.

I don’t have a real recipe for this, it is really about what you have lurking in your fridge. I can see it with stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce, and mozzarella. One of my personal post holiday combinations..

There was a package of prosciutto that never made it onto the antipasto platter, some roasted garlic cloves, and the remainder of a jar of sweet relish I had served with cheese. I even found some deli chicken meat that needed to be used. Everything is a possibility. Add some slices of cheddar and gruyere cheese (also leftovers) and it looked like the beginnings of a feast.

Note: you will need something heavy to weigh down the sandwich. I used a cast iron skillet.

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2: Slice the bread horizontally and tear out most of the bread from the middle, leave about 1/2 inch inside the crust. Lay the bread on a large sheet of foil on a baking dish.

Step 3: Brush the inside of each half with olive oil.

Step 4: Place a layer of baby spinach, baby kale, arugula, or other greens on the bottom half.

Step 5: Start layering, veggies, meat, antipasto, more deli meat, then top all with cheese.

Step 6: Place the top on the sandwich and brush the whole with more olive oil, wrap in the foil tightly.

Step 7: Place the sandwich in the oven with the weight on top. Bake for about 20 minutes, then remove the weight and the foil and bake for another 10 minutes to crisp the bread.

Step 8: Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then slice and serve. Or, rewrap in the foil for later.

Arugula on the bottom
roast veggies and chicken
prosciutto, then cheese
finished sandwich
melty cheese

Delicious!

 

 

The season of leftovers is here! Thanksgiving, Christmas, and now New Year. I bet the folks at Fiesta Friday have a lot of them judging from the delicious goings-on in their kitchens. Come visit with Angie at Fiesta Friday #256 and my co-host  Mollie @ Frugal Hausfrau

Please add your own link but be sure to read the guidelines if you would like to be considered for the “Post of the Week”.

Happy New Year everyone!

 

 

 

December – Leftover Stuffing Waffles
by

December – Leftover Stuffing Waffles

Having leftover stuffing is like having a gold mine. It might be worth making an extra casserole just for the leftovers. Use them in a breakfast strata for boxing day,

Leftover Stuffing Strata

Leftover Stuffing Strata

in sandwiches,

Panini with stuffing, mozzarella cheese, and cranberry sauce

Panini with stuffing, mozzarella cheese, and cranberry sauce

to thicken a soup, and now…waffles. Who would have thought that leftover stuffing would make such wonderful waffles? These could be made either savory or sweet. If you prefer them sweet, they would be wonderful with some of that pure maple syrup you received as a gift, or leftover cranberry sauce. In the savory camp, a poached egg made this a satisfying and delicious brunch dish. It would be equally delightful as a light supper.

Waffle Maker

Waffle Maker

My waffle iron makes “classic” waffles, which are thinner and crisp. If you are using a Belgian waffle iron (which has a deeper and larger grid pattern), beat the egg whites before adding them to the stuffing/egg yolk mix. That will result in a lighter waffle.

IMG_3837 IMG_3838

I had a little over 2 cups of leftover “traditional sausage and raisin stuffing“. It had plenty of butter and fat from the sausage so I didn’t add anything but eggs to bind things together. If you are working with a leaner stuffing you may want to add a tablespoon of melted butter.

Leftover Stuffing Waffles

For each waffle:

  • 1 cup of leftover stuffing
  • 1 egg, beaten
  1. Mix together the stuffing and the egg, let it sit for 10-15 minutes so the bread absorbs the egg.
  2. Meanwhile preheat your waffle iron.
  3. Pour the batter into the iron and cook according to direction of your brand. The green light came on when mine was done. Cooked to perfection!

I added a poached duck egg, delicious.

Duck Eggs

Duck Eggs

Is that for us??

Is that for us??

Anyone have leftovers from Christmas? I’m taking mine to a two- week long special Fiesta Friday celebration, it’s number 100! Your host is Angie from the blog The Novice Gardener, it’s co-hosted by Judi, Mollie, Steffi, and Suzanne,  come party with us, we are looking forward to welcoming you.

December – Traditional Sausage and Raisin Stuffing
by

December – Traditional Sausage and Raisin Stuffing

I thought I would repost this recipe from last January in time for Christmas. It’s the traditional stuffing we serve at Thanksgiving and Christmas each year. You can bake it in the bird as a stuffing, place it under the skin (see the pictures below), or bake it in the oven as a casserole (then it becomes technically a dressing).

Click on the link to Friday Chicken for directions on stuffing your chicken under the skin. As you can see from the picture below it results in wonderful crisp skin plus an amazingly moist and well flavored chicken!

Traditional Sausage and Raisin Stuffing or Dressing

  • 4 tablespoons of butter, plus more if needed
  • 1 pound of sweet Italian sausage, either bulk or removed from casings
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 large stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
  • ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
  • Pinch or red pepper flakes
  • 2 fresh brioche rolls or other soft bread, torn into pieces
  • 8 oz. of cornbread, crumbled
  • 2 handfuls of raisins (golden or dark) or currents
Stuffing

Sausage and Raisin Stuffing

  1. Melt the butter in a large skillet.
  2. Add the sausage, crumble it into small pieces as it browns.
  3. Add the onion, celery, Herbs de Provence, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes.
  4. Stir and continue to sauté on medium heat until the onion and celery are softened, about 10 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile tear the cornbread and brioche bread into pieces in a large bowl.
  6. Add the raisins and mix.
  7. When cooked, add the contents of the skillet and mix well.
  8. If the contents look dry (it depends on how much fat is in your sausage), add another 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet to melt. Then add it to the bowl.
  9. Cover and set aside to cool. In my household that needs to be far away from the edge of the counter and the reach of the dogs.
Friday Chicken

Friday Chicken After Roasting

Baked Dressing

  1. Put the remaining stuffing (not used in the bird or under the skin) into a baking dish, add about ¾ cup of chicken stock and cover the dish with foil.
  2. When the chicken has baked for 35 minutes, add the stuffing to the oven.
  3. Bake covered for 25 minutes, then uncover until the top has browned and is crisp.
  4. Serve with the chicken.
Raisin Stuffing

Baked Stuffing with Sausage and Raisins

This stuffing is exceptional. Over the years I’ve changed it to reflect the changing tastes of my family and friends. The original “seed” recipe came from my (now ex) mother-in-law in Wisconsin. She used hamburger rolls, poultry seasoning, margarine, and raisins. The raisins have remained as a crucial part of the recipe.

Use any leftover stuffing in sandwiches, in a strata, in a waffle, as a “bed” for poached eggs, or in a bread soup (the cornbread and brioche will thicken the broth beautifully). It is worth the time to make this stuffing simply for the leftovers!

Panini with stuffing

Stuffing Panini

The panini above was made with raisin stuffing (regular dark raisins), cranberry sauce, red onions, and mozzarella.