Quick and Simple

Last night, I was stuck at work late.  By the time I came home, I was tired and slightly cranky.  Fast comfort food was my remedy.  Three ingredients and a movie in the DVD player fixed me right up.
(Ross)

Open Faced Chicken Sandwich

• Split an English muffin in two and toast both halves.
• Add leftover chicken (Wed, May 14th)
• Pour gravy over the top.
• Repeat steps 1 to 3.

Shaken not Stirred

Leftovers...Part 2...and another Martini.

Directions con't

Add two ice cubes to a martini shaker
Add vodka and vermouth
Attach cap and give it a few good shakes!
Strain into a martini glass...add olives.

There's just something about saying I'm having a martini that sounds rather refined.

"I'm having a martini!"




So the pork...ugh...I'm beginning to understand my reasoning about leftovers.

I do not want to see pork for a week...maybe June.

Today it's shredded pork with BBQ sauce and I'm calling it "Faux Pulled Pork".

Faux Pulled Pork in a Bun

Pork slices, roughly chopped

Coleslaw

Low Calorie Buns

BBQ Sauce










To make the coleslaw:

1/3 small cabbage, shredded
1 small carrot, shredded
1 Tbsp Miracle Whip
2 tsp white Vinegar
1 tsp sugar

Mix all together and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.




Mix the BBQ sauce with the pork.

The more sauce the better and sloppier. I used only 1 Tbsp since I'm counting points.

Warm the buns in the microwave for 10 - 15 seconds.

Add the pork, then the coleslaw.

Add some BBQ sauce to the top of the bun.

They were pretty good!

But I froze the rest of the pork!

Mid Week Martini...with Leftover Pork

I've never made a martini.

I've used martini glasses for something I've made.

I've made things that might resemble a martini...

But I've never made a martini...until now...

Vodka and vermouth...

I should have known something was up when I bought the vermouth (which is found with the Tequila by the way) and it cost similar to a bottle of wine. What is this stuff anyway?

Well it is wine of a sort...with herbs, roots, and bark added.

Open the bottle and give it the sniff test...hmm...doesn't smell like something I'm going to love.

The starting of a pork Fajita

But since this is leftover pork day I decide to proceed.

And I'm glad I did! I'm not really sure why I've never had one of these lovely drinks before now.

Vodka Martini
1 shot glass of vodka
3/4 shot glass of vermouth
3 olives on a wooden pick

(No regular olives so the ones with the garlic get added)

I decide on a Fajita for my first day of leftovers.









Warm Pork Wraps

pork, julienned and warmed
cheddar (mine was in the freezer so looks rather sorry)
1 avocado, mashed
1 Tbsp sour cream per wrap
lettuce
a few drops red wine vinegar
8 or ten inch tortilla wraps (I use 8 inch whole wheat)









Warm the tortilla wrap for about 10 seconds in the M/W on high.

Start layering with the cheese so it will melt against the warn tortilla.

Add the pork, avocado, sour cream and lettuce.

Add a few drops of red wine vinegar, or a favourite salad dressing. (BBQ sauce or strong dressing might hide some of the other flavours)

Fold in the ends and wrap the tortilla.




Ingredients are a matter of choice. I make chicken fajitas quite often, and usually add salsa or tomato, and cucumber. Since my pantry and fridge are beginning to look more reasonable I realized I didn't have any salsa.

The wrap was very mild in flavour. Would be good with a side of spicy sweet potato fries.

Roast Chicken and Gravy

Normally, I never roast a chicken, instead, I just go to the grocery store and buy a lightbulb chicken.  You know those already cooked rotisserie chickens at the deli counter.  However, I got it into my head that I should roast a chicken at home -- it's nice to have some leftovers and I could make some soup as well.

I don't always think things through.  My left hand has been in a cast for three weeks, so I'm pretty much used to what I can do easily in the kitchen and what I can't.  Yikes.  There is a new item on the difficult list now.  I managed to get everything completed without major incident, but it may be a while before I something like this again.  The cast and a hot oven are not really too compatible.  I'll be back to using the toaster oven instead.

On the 'up' side, making all this effort worthwhile was the gravy I made with the drippings.  Wow.  Yum!
(Ross)

Roast Chicken
5 lb Whole Chicken
1 cup Chopped Onion
4 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
1 cup Fresh Mushrooms (sliced)
2 tbsp Flavoured Oil -- I used an orange infused olive oil.

• Remove innards from the cavity of the chicken  and place them in the bottom of the roasting pan.  (After you take them out of the little bag of course -- I almost missed this step)
• Rinse the bird, pat it dry, then place it in the pan breast up.
• Pick the rosemary leaves off the stalks and mix them together with the mushrooms and half the onions.  Use this mixture to fill the cavity.
• Sprinkle the remaining onions over the top of the bird and then drizzle the oil over it.
• Cover and bake at 375 for about an hour and a half.  Check it every 20 to 30 minutes to make sure it doesn't over cook.  Remove the cover for the last 20 to 30 minutes in order to brown the breast and legs.
• Remove from the oven (easier with two working hands), cover and let sit for 20 minutes.

Now the fun part ....

The Gravy

• Remove the chicken from the roasting pan.  Remove the onion/mushroom mixture from the cavity and put the mixture back into the roasting pan.
• Add freshly cracked pepper.
• There should be at least an inch or so of drippings/juices from the bird and the stuffing.  Put the roasting pan on the stove and bring the juices to a boil.
• Carefully sprinkle 2 tbsp all purpose flour over the juices, stirring them in as you go.  I find a whisk very handy to prevent the flour from lumping.
• Let the flour cook for a minute or two until the juices start to thicken.
• As the mixture thickens, slowly add 1 cup of skim milk, about an ounce at a time, stirring continuously.
• Keep stirring the gravy until it reaches the desired thickness.
• Some people pour their gravy through a sieve to remove any lumps and bits of meat.  Personally, I like it straight from the pan instead.  I can't wait to have leftover gravy on either biscuits or french fries!

Roast Pork with Turnip and Apple

I do not like leftovers...unless it's chocolate or lobster!

Not sure why...and it limits what I cook unless I have a house full of people.

But I want to cook a roast pork...and find some interesting ways to use the leftovers.

The best way for me to cook a roast through the week is in the crockpot or slow cooker.

Add everything in the morning, set the timer, and forget about it until my stomach starts rumbling at supper time and I realize it smells pretty darn good.



Roast Pork with Turnip and Apple

1 roast pork (I used pork loin centre cut and chose a size I thought I could manage)
1/2 onion
4 or more whole garlic cloves
salt and pepper
1 small turnip
1 or 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in half

Add all ingredients to the crock pot except the apple.


Add 1 cup water.


Set the crock pot on low (7 -8 hours).


Half way through the cooking, add the apple pieces.





When roast is finished, remove the turnip and apple and rough mash them together.







Remove the roast, and cover in foil. (I realize now that the picture does not have the roast covered in foil...do as I say...not as I do...





Remove the drippings and liquid to a pot, and boil to reduce.

Serve slices of the roast with the turnip / apple, and drizzle a little reduced liquid over top.

A few of the roasted garlic pieces are sitting right on top....yum!
(Shelley)

ps. Stay tuned for leftovers!

Good Intention for Chicken Salad

My intent was to make some nicely flavoured cooked chicken to use in a salad.  Not wanting to use much salad dressing, I planned to make a sauce for the chicken that would double as my salad dressing.  So far, so good. I even had the carrots sliced perfectly.

A nice marinade always gives a good flavour.  How about garlic and cumin?

Not being a patient person, I didn't bother to let the chicken marinate for more than 5 minutes before I decided to cook it.  As soon as I heard the chicken start to sizzle in the pan, I thought "Oh no!  The garlic".  In order to prevent the garlic from burning long before chicken was even close to being cooked, I added a cup or so of water and ended up poaching the chicken instead.  With carrots and some chopped onions added to it, the day was saved..

(Ross)

Chicken for Salads

1 lb Boneless Chicken Breast

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Minced Garlic

2 tbsp Cumin or Ground Coriander Powder

Salt & Pepper

1 cup Water

1 cup Chopped Onion

2 cups Sliced or Chopped Carrots

1 tbsp Flour

• Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.
• Combine olive oil, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper to make a marinade.
• Add the chicken to the marinade. Cover and let sit for an hour in the fridge.
• Heat a large frying pan or wok, then add the chicken.
• As soon as it starts to sizzle, add the water and onions.
• Shortly after, add the carrots.
• Once the chicken is cooked through and the onions have softened, sprinkle the flour over the mixture and carefully stir it in, making sure there are no lumps.
• It's ready as soon as the sauce has thickened nicely.

Serve hot with rice, pasta, or on its own.  To use in a salad, cool slightly and serve warm or chill and serve cold.  Personally, I tasted it hot and somehow, before I knew it, there was nothing left in the pot.

Happy Mother's Day

My breakfast today turned into more of a brunch.



Still not feeling 100% and didn't have much energy...but since it is Mother's special day...I did put a little effort into the omelette.









I started by chopping a small piece of shallot, then it dawned on me I should be using the chives from outside.


I braved the wet grass...it's been mowed and grabbed a handful (chives..haha).

Ham, Cheese, and Spinach Omelette

1 cup egg whites
3 slices extra lean, thin sliced Black Forest Ham, chopped
1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
4 chive stalks, chopped
1/4 shallot, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Asiago cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil


Heat a non stick frying pan, and add the shallots over medium high heat.

Cook until tender, and add the ham, spinach and chives. Cook another minute just to soften the spinach and chives.



Add the egg whites, and give a good stir to evenly distribute the ingredients.


Let the egg whites cook until almost almost firm. Add salt and pepper evenly over the top.


Sprinkle the cheese over the top, continue cooking a few minutes more until the cheese has started to melt.




Using two spatulas, or egg flippers, roll the omelette. Continue cooking to ensure the omelette seals, flip once or twice.

Serve with fresh fruit.



Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mothers.

(Happy Mother's Day to me)