If you’re making corned beef today, you need this recipe for your leftovers tomorrow!

It’s tradition to make corned beef and cabbage (as well as potatoes, carrots, and soda bread: here’s my recipe for cheese soda bread) for St. Patrick’s Day at our house. One year I corned my own beef: you can see how it went here and here. This year I bought locally grown and corned beef from a local shop that carries local goods. I liked it the best of any corned beef I’ve had so far because it had a really mild flavor to it and it also did not shrink when I cooked it (yes, there can be shrinkage involved!).

We like to make Reuben soup (recipe here) with our leftovers, but I also am very fond of corned beef hash, or red flannel as it is colorfully referred to sometimes. I’ve been really looking forward to it this year after having breakfast in a restaurant that had it on the menu, but when I asked they admitted it was not homemade (=canned or frozen with those tiny horrible round pebbles of corned beef in it).

Corned beef hash is the perfect next day dish for St. Paddy’s Day because you can really clean up your leftovers with it and it has a completely different flavor and texture than the corned beef dinner itself. Your family is not going to roll their eyes and say “Leftovers?!” Make it for breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner – it doesn’t matter. You’ll love it for any meal. I always serve mine with ketchup! Some folks like to serve fried eggs with it, but I like it without.

This is a great leftover recipe because you can make it to use up leftover potatoes, leftover corned beef or both. It’s also simple to make if you have NO leftovers at all (just cook some potatoes in the microwave and use deli corned beef).

I learned the oven trick from my friend Debbie Koenig, who partially cooks her latkes in the oven (check out her method here).

 

If you’re making corned beef today, you need this recipe for your leftovers tomorrow! It’s tradition to make corned beef and cabbage (as well as potatoes, carrots, and soda bread: here’s my recipe for cheese soda bread) for St. Patrick’s Day at our house. One year I corned my own beef: you can see how … Read more →

This is a dish I turn to when I am desperate for something for dinner and have very little time to throw something together. This recipe is very flexible. Use any kind of protein. Use any kind of vegetables. Substitute other herbs or cheese. The basic idea is a corn (or wheat tortilla), topped with veggies, meat, herbs and cheese for a quick complete meal.

 

This is a dish I turn to when I am desperate for something for dinner and have very little time to throw something together. This recipe is very flexible. Use any kind of protein. Use any kind of vegetables. Substitute other herbs or cheese. The basic idea is a corn (or wheat tortilla), topped with … Read more →

If you go to Nassau, you’ll want to be sure to visit Arawak Cay, just outside town, a little group of restaurants also called The Fish Fry. Here you’ll experience native Bahamian food, including fried fish and conch and peas and rice. If you’ve never had peas and rice, it’s not what it sounds like. It’s made with pigeon peas, similar to black-eyed peas, coconut milk and spices and sometimes, ham. It’s a very tasty dish. It also turns out that it’s the perfect vehicle for leftovers. I had leftover rice, leftover ham, and leftover veggies hanging around. All I needed was a can of black-eyed peas and some other pantry items and this super quick dish came together for a weeknight meal.

 

If you go to Nassau, you’ll want to be sure to visit Arawak Cay, just outside town, a little group of restaurants also called The Fish Fry. Here you’ll experience native Bahamian food, including fried fish and conch and peas and rice. If you’ve never had peas and rice, it’s not what it sounds like. … Read more →

This recipe is  result of trying to deal with my CSA bounty and trying to deal with my leftovers! I had a leftover grilled chicken breast and leftover broccoli. Here’s the result.

 

This recipe is  result of trying to deal with my CSA bounty and trying to deal with my leftovers! I had a leftover grilled chicken breast and leftover broccoli. Here’s the result. Garlic Scape Pasta   Print Serves: 4 Ingredients For the pesto: 16 garlic scapes ½ cup olive oil 2 ounces pine nuts ½ … Read more →

Recently I found myself rummaging around for something to make for dinner. I had some salmon fillets to use, but plain grilled salmon didn’t sound exciting. I did have about 1 cup of cooked rice (not enough to serve, but I didn’t want to throw it out) and some feta cheese. So I combined the two and came up with a great crust for my salmon. This would also be great with chicken. You could add some olives to the mix if you liked, or some lemon zest.  If you have fresh herbs hanging around, oregano would be my choice. Leftover couscous would work in this dish also.

 

 

 

Recently I found myself rummaging around for something to make for dinner. I had some salmon fillets to use, but plain grilled salmon didn’t sound exciting. I did have about 1 cup of cooked rice (not enough to serve, but I didn’t want to throw it out) and some feta cheese. So I combined the … Read more →

Whenever I make spaghetti and meatballs, I never seem to be able to make the right amount of spaghetti. There’s always some leftover. When the meatballs are gone, it usually will just linger in the fridge until it’s time to toss it. I have found a delicious solution for leftover spaghetti, which got rave reviews at my table.

I tripled my leftover power in this recipe, using leftover chicken and leftover butternut squash. You can poach a chicken breast to use if you don’t have leftovers. The squash can be replaced with leftover acorn squash, or with fresh asparagus.

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Pie

Serves 4

 

Crust:

1 ½ cups cooked spaghetti

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon heavy cream

¼ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon lemon juice

 

Filling:
1 clove garlic, minced

½ tablespoon butter

¼ cup heavy cream

¼ cup skim milk

¼ cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1 tablespoon for topping

Heaping ½ cup cooked chicken cut into ½ inch squares (this is equal to about one boneless skinless breast)

Pinch of nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup cooked butternut squash, cut into ½ inch pieces

 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray or by rubbing with oil or butter.
2. Mix the spaghetti with the mozzarella, 1 tablespoon cream, onion powder, lemon juice, and salt and pepper in a bowl.
3. Add the pasta mix to the pie pan, spreading it around and up the sides. There will be some holes and you won’t have a solid ‘crust.’
4. In a skillet, cook the garlic in the butter over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Stir in the cream and milk and let it bubble, then stir in the cheese and stir until it melts and thickens the sauce.
6. Stir in the chicken and squash.
7. Pour over the crust. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
8. Bake for 30 minutes.

Whenever I make spaghetti and meatballs, I never seem to be able to make the right amount of spaghetti. There’s always some leftover. When the meatballs are gone, it usually will just linger in the fridge until it’s time to toss it. I have found a delicious solution for leftover spaghetti, which got rave reviews … Read more →

This warm and wonderful soup uses up leftover potatoes and leftover meatloaf. If you don’t happen to have leftover potatoes, cook 2 large baking potatoes in the microwave and use those. It comes together very quickly and makes a hearty meal, when served with a salad. Best of all, no one is going to realize you’re making leftovers. Not a single person at my dinner table could identify this as having meatloaf in it, even when we had had said meatloaf the night before! Just call it Potato and Hamburger Soup and no one is the wiser.

Do you like this new recipe format plug-in I’m trying? Let me know what you think!

This warm and wonderful soup uses up leftover potatoes and leftover meatloaf. If you don’t happen to have leftover potatoes, cook 2 large baking potatoes in the microwave and use those. It comes together very quickly and makes a hearty meal, when served with a salad. Best of all, no one is going to realize … Read more →

Fried rice is my great go-to dish for lots of different leftovers. Small amounts of cooked leftover veggies can be used up in this dish as well as unused raw veggies that are lingering in your fridge. You can also add  leftover meat as well as shrimp. It’s a very forgiving dish. Here’s my recipe from a recent night:

2 eggs

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 small onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups cooked brown rice (you can use any kind of rice)

3 tbsp tamari sauce (or soy sauce)

2 tbsp stir fry sauce

1/4 cup cooked carrots, sliced thinly

2 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup chopped broccoli

2 baby bok choy heads, thinly sliced

1/2 cup frozen peas

Scramble the eggs then cook in 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat. Remove from the pan. Add the remaining oil with the onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the rice. Stir and then allow it to cook several minutes, stirring again and again letting it just sit for a few minutes. This allows the rice to brown and gives it some crunch. Add the tamari or soy sauce and stir fry sauce.

The next step is to stir in any uncooked veggies you are using. Let these cook until they soften, then stir in your cooked veggies. Cook until everything is combined and the raw veggies are cooked through. Stir the egg back in and serve.

You can use raw or cooked veggies in this recipe, so it’s great not only for leftovers, but for figuring out what to do with that little bit of a raw vegetable that isn’t enough to feed the whole family with.

Other possible ingredients in this: cooked diced chicken, cooked diced pork, cooked diced beef, cooked or raw shrimp, sliced or chopped zucchini, rutabaga, turnip, parsnip, snow peas, bean sprouts, diced green beans, thinly sliced Napa cabbage,or  thinly sliced mushrooms.

You can also add some grated ginger for some added zing. It’s a very flexible dish, perfect for using up all kinds of things that are lingering in your fridge!

Fried rice is my great go-to dish for lots of different leftovers. Small amounts of cooked leftover veggies can be used up in this dish as well as unused raw veggies that are lingering in your fridge. You can also add  leftover meat as well as shrimp. It’s a very forgiving dish. Here’s my recipe … Read more →

Here’s my latest installment of what to do with your leftovers! Got leftover chicken? Make a big dinner salad that feeds 4 and is super satisfying.

Leftover Chicken Salad

1 head of Boston or Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces (you can also buy bagged salad)

10 baby carrots, thinly sliced

2 clementine tangerines, peeled, sectioned then cut in half

1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese (or any of your choice)

1 to 1 1/2 leftover chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

2 tbsp finely chopped red onion

Toss all of this together. You can use bottled dressing or make your own.

This serves 4 and with a loaf or bread or some potatoes, it is a complete meal.

The great thing about salad is that it is very forgiving. You can add any raw veggie you like, use any kind of lettuce and any kind of dressing.  Choose your cheese. If you don’t want fruit, don’t add it, but if you do, salads with apples, pears ,or  strawberries are tasty and a fun way to make things a bit brighter.

 

Here’s my latest installment of what to do with your leftovers! Got leftover chicken? Make a big dinner salad that feeds 4 and is super satisfying. Leftover Chicken Salad 1 head of Boston or Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces (you can also buy bagged salad) 10 baby carrots, thinly sliced 2 clementine tangerines, peeled, sectioned … Read more →

I make ham twice a year. Christmas Eve and Easter. I’m not sure why, except it’s kind of a novelty, smells good, and it does taste great, especially when I baste with pineapple juice and make a brown sugar and Dijon mustard coating! But the end result is I have tons of ham haunting me afterwards. I took the bull by the horns and whipped up this awesome casserole. It was so good I would buy deli ham just to make it again.

Ham, Rice and Broccoli Casserole

4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour (I used gluten-free)

2 cups skim milk

1 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

2 1/4 cups hot rice (if you use leftover rice, heat it in the microwave)

2 cups broccoli florets (I used raw, but if you have leftover cooked broccoli, you can use that)

1 1/2 cups diced ham

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

2 tbsp breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free)

 

Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a 9×9 square inch baking dish with cooking spray. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour, cooking it for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk and mustard and salt and pepper to your taste, and whisk occasionally as it thickens over medium low heat. (Note that you can make this sauce in advance, but be sure to heat it up before you pour it on your casserole.)

Meanwhile, spread the rice on the bottom of the dish. Top with the broccoli, then with the ham. Once the sauce is thick, pour it on top. Sprinkle with the cheese. Top with the breadcrumbs. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 25 minutes until bubbly and browning on the top.

Oh my. This was creamy and comforting and I felt oh so virtuous for using up my leftovers. Everyone loved this, so this is definitely going to be my go-to dish to use up ham from now on!

I make ham twice a year. Christmas Eve and Easter. I’m not sure why, except it’s kind of a novelty, smells good, and it does taste great, especially when I baste with pineapple juice and make a brown sugar and Dijon mustard coating! But the end result is I have tons of ham haunting me … Read more →