Chicken Parmigiana

 

Chicken Parmigiana with Green salad and Croutons

My leftovers:
                      1 very large fried chicken breast half
                      1/4 jar of dried tomato pesto
                      1/2 jar Pizza sauce
                      4 slices ripe tomato
and from the fridge:
                     minced garlic
                     shredded mozzarella
                     Parmesan/Romano cheese
from the cupboard:
                    4 ounces Angel Hair pasta

I stripped the meat from the bone (and some of the excess skin and breading, too) then sliced the breast.

I diced the tomato and mixed that, garlic, dried tomato pesto and pizza sauce together.

After cooking the pasta, I drained well, put in a casserole dish and layered on chicken slices, pizza sauce and cheeses, then baked until bubbly.

I'm not sure John even realized it was leftover fried chicken.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Kebabs

  

Sweet and Sour Chicken Kebabs with Pineapple Rice and Corn Muffins

My leftover ingredients:
                                    1 leftover BBQ chicken breast half
                                    4 slices juice packed canned pineapple
                                    1 1/4 cups cooked white rice
                                    3 corn muffins
                                    1/2 cup homemade BBQ sauce
Additional ingredients:  
                                    1/2 large red onion
                                     Stem end pieces of four green bell peppers

I cut the chicken into cubes, and cut large pieces of pepper, onion, and pineapple.  Since the vegetables were raw and the chicken wasn't, I knew that I needed the extra moisture of the pineapple to help the vegetables steam as they broiled.  I alternated the meat, vegetable and pineapple on the skewers then added a bit of the pineapple juice to the BBQ sauce to thin it a little and spread that over the skewers:

I put the kebabs under the broiler and then moistened the rice, using the last of the juice from the pineapple:

and heated that in the microwave.

In about ten minutes time we had this on our plates:

 and we were ready to eat.  It took about 20 minutes to assemble and cook.  It tasted very much like a Sweet and Sour Chicken.  Mmmmm mmmm!

Potato Doughnuts

 

I found this recipe a couple of years ago when I happened to have a few leftover mashed potatoes, more than I typically do.      These doughnuts were a hit with my family.  We had some sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and some of the other frosted and decorated with sprinkles. My family was amazed to learn that I used mashed potatoes in the dough!

This recipe is courtesy of Tasty.co

Potato Doughnuts

Ingredients

for 18 donuts

• 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup mashed potato
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 2 qt canola oil, for frying

COATING

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Nutrition Info

Preparation

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg into a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1–2 minutes. Add the granulated and brown sugars and the mashed potatoes and cream until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. Add half of the dry ingredients to the mashed potato mixture and mix on medium speed until mostly incorporated. Add the buttermilk, and mix until almost combined. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and use a spatula to finish mixing until just incorporated.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 1–2 minutes, adding up to ¼ cup (30 g) more flour as needed until the dough is cohesive and no longer sticky.
5. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to ½ inch (1 ½ cm) thick, flouring the dough as needed.
6. Use a 3-inch (7 cm) round cutter to cut out donuts. Use a 1-inch (2 ½ cm) round cutter to cut out holes from the centers. Set the donuts and holes on a baking sheet. Re-roll the dough scraps and cut out more donuts. Refrigerate the donuts and holes until ready to fry.
7. Heat the canola oil in a large pot fitted with a deep fry thermometer over medium heat until it reaches 375°F (190°C). Set a wire rack over a baking sheet and place nearby.
8. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Set near the wire rack.
9. Working in batches, fry the donuts and holes in the hot oil for about 2 minutes per side, until deep golden brown. The donut holes will take less time than the donuts. Transfer to the wire rack to cool for 1 minute, then carefully toss in the cinnamon sugar.
10. Eat warm, or let cool completely.
11. Enjoy!
12. The original recipe here gives instructions for frying the doughnuts. I purchased some doughnut pans quite a while back on Amazon.com and prefer to use those to bake doughnuts.  375F oven for about 15-18 minutes will work just fine.  Place the 'holes' on a baking sheet and bake them alongside.

Corn Chowder

 A couple of weeks ago, I steamed 4 ears of corn in the microwave.  We ate two as corn on the cob and I had two leftover.  I chose to cut the cooked kernels from the cob:

I made corn chowder.  I'm sorry to say that this was also the day I was preparing the Southern Style Cream Corn and I forgot all about showing you the finished product!  However, here's my recipe:

Corn Chowder

1 quart chicken broth
2 cups (more or less) cooked whole kernel corn
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp (or to taste) minced garlic
1 tall can (15 ounces?) evaporated milk
1/4 cup flour
 Salt and pepper to taste

I started by slightly cooking the potatoes, onion, bell pepper in a little oil, just to begin the cooking and add a little extra flavor from the slight caramelization that resulted.  Then I added garlic and broth, salt and pepper.  Just cook until the potatoes are tender, add in corn.  I mixed the flour and canned milk. I stirred into the soup as I drizzled in the milk mixture and heated until thickened.

We could eat corn chowder just anytime of year but for some reason, I tend to only think of it in summer when corn is fresh.  This recipe works very well with canned (not necessary to drain) or frozen whole kernel corn.  There's a recipe in several of my cookbooks for Turkey Corn Chowder which is recommended for using up the leftover turkey at Thanksgiving or Christmas, so keep that in mind, too.

Western Chicken Casserole

 

This past week I had a few leftovers from Sunday dinner, namely cooked, instant brown rice (why does that always seem a little more than al dente?  Is all dehydrated rice that way?) and some of the fried chicken.   As you all know I don't like to reheat fried chicken a second time. I had a thigh and a whole breast half leftover.

I had watched Julia Pacheco make two different chicken and rice dishes and they both looked delicious, but I lacked most of the ingredients used.  Still, I was inspired to see what I might do with my leftovers.

It turned out really good!  John kept telling me how good it was.  I'm glad he liked it because I have half a pan left to eat another day.

This was so simple, since my rice and chicken were already cooked.  That's one of the beauties of a Leftover Makeover.  

I'm calling this Western Chicken and Rice because of the flavor profile, but I didn't add corn nor black beans to my casserole because unfailingly that is exactly what you expect.  I did serve both items as sides since I was out of lettuce.

Western Chicken Casserole

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped 

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 10-oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 10-oz can cream of chicken soup

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp each of garlic powder and onion powder, cumin, black pepper and salt

2-3 cups cooked rice 

1/2 cup or so of Grated pepper jack cheese

I combined all ingredients except the cheese and this went into a greased 9 inch square pan.  I heated it for about 35 minutes at 400F and then topped it with the cheese and let it melt.  This will serve four very generously, and likely could stretch to 6 with sides and a salad.  I suggest warmed tortillas, black beans, corn with smoky paprika, and a salad with pico de gallo.

I chose to use the original tomatoes with green chilis because I thought the heat would be nicely dissipated with the rice and bland chicken.  It was just right for us.  We like things our spicy foods to have a pleasant warmth but not a deep lingering heat.

And I'll add that the cooked instant brown rice was much plumper and more moist than at the first meal.

Baked Chicken and Dumplings

Baked Chicken and Dumplings




This recipe is a great makeover recipe for leftover chicken.  It uses items we generally have on hand and has the bonus of being very tasty, especially on a cold winter day with bone chilling fog like we had today.

Normally I won't cook such a large quantity of anything when it's only myself who is at home, however, I know from past experience with this recipe that what tastes mighty good on day one is even better warmed up and served again.  I won't be complaining when I have seconds of this meal!

Read through the instructions before you make this dish.  I mean it.  It's not what you think it is so don't start stirring everything together and think this is going to turn out right.  It won't.  You must follow the directions on this one, I promise you.


Baked Chicken And Dumplings

1 Stick of butter

4 cups cooked leftover chicken  diced (I personally like big chunky torn up pieces. This amount is about equivalent to two breast halves)

1 1/2 cups self rising flour (or use AP and add 1  1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt)
1 cup milk

2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

Heat oven to 375F.  Melt butter in 9x13 pan.

Mix flour and milk.

When butter has melted, place chicken pieces in bottom of pan.  Pour over this the flour and milk mixture.  DO NOT STIR.

Now mix the chicken broth, 1/2 cup sour cream and can of soup.  I should have used a whisk for this and that's why you see the white chunks on top of the casserole in my photo.  It didn't affect the flavor in the least, just the appearance.  

Pour this mixture directly over the flour mixture in the pan.  DO NOT STIR!!  Seriously don't stir.  The whole purpose of this method is that the batter cooks and rises to the top of the gravy that forms making the 'dumplings'.

Bake at 375F for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit a full 15 minutes more before serving.  This is necessary!  Don't rush it.  The resting period allows the dumplings to soak up some of that lovely self-made gravy.  Besides it's entirely too hot to eat just now anyway.  Ask me how I know...

I'd say you'll get 8 generous servings from this dish.  

Notes to myself:  In future I may try to half this recipe which should be fairly simple.   It might also be interesting to add peas, carrots and onions to the dish.  I think those could be partially cooked and well drained before adding to the pan along with the chicken.  Then proceed as usual.

Chicken Quesadillas

I'd planned to make a different meal from these components but this was what I decided to make today...and they were GOOD!   That's always a bonus in my book when you take leftover food that was good the first time around and you make it a different dish that is just as good or better for the second round.

Meatballs, Stuffed Peppers, Spanish Rice, Steak and Cheese Burrito, Italian Pepper Steak Sandwiches

I started this morning with a plan.  I had in the fridge, about 1 cup of leftover bread stuffing, tomato sauce, 1/2 of a large sirloin steak,  2 cups of frozen rice.  Here's what I made with all three items.

I thawed the rice and a  pound and half of ground beef.

Makeover #1:  Meatballs
1 pound of ground beef, 2/3 of a cup of tomato sauce (leftover from meatloaf two weeks ago), chopped onion and garlic, the bread stuffing crumbled, 1 egg.  I mixed up all this and made up into 27 meatballs which I flash froze in the freezer.  These will be good for sandwiches, pizza and soup later on.  I doubled my usual servings per pound of beef by stretching with the other items.

Makeover #2:  Stuffed Peppers
I mixed 1/2 pound ground beef with 1 cup of cooked rice, 3 tbsps  diced tomatoes, chopped onion, and garlic and stuffed five pepper halves that I'd blanched and frozen after grocery day.  Typically we eat 1 pepper half as a serving (the peppers were huge)

Makeover #3:  Spanish Rice
I sauteed chopped onion, garlic and green bell pepper in a saucepan and added 1 cup rice, juice from the diced tomatoes and about 2 tbsps of diced tomato, seasoned with salt/pepper/chili powder to make a side dish for dinner.

Makeover #4:  Steak and Cheese Burrito
Years ago I used to have a Del Taco near my home.  I really enjoyed their steak and cheese burrito.  No Del Tacos anywhere that I'm aware of these days.  I sliced my leftover sirloin into strips.  I cooked onions in a bit oil until browned.  Some of the steak strips and onions were layered on a flour tortilla, topped with shredded sharp cheddar and a couple of teaspoons of homemade Enchilada Sauce.  I rolled and heated the filled burritos in the microwave.  Yum!

Makeover #5:  Italian Pepper Steak Sandwiches
I felt we had plenty of sirloin steak for the burritos so put some aside with some of the cooked onions and poured over the tail end of a bottle of Italian dressing.  I'll cook some bell pepper strips  (frozen) and add those in, pile on Onion Rolls and top with Provolone Cheese. 

Rice Pudding

Penny Leftover Makeover- Rice Pudding Rice Pudding 4 cups leftover cooked rice(brown or white) 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk(buy skim if desired) 1 14 oz. can skim milk(use condensed milk can to measure) 1/2 cup raisins, plumped in hot water and drained 3 eggs yolks, beaten 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 1 tsp. vanilla extract In large saucepan, heat rice, milks, and raisins over medium heat. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. When heated add the beaten yolks and stir constantly until thoroughly hot and slightly thickened. Remove from heat, add flavorings, and allow to stand. Serve warm, or chill and serve with whipped cream. As a variation, I will omit raisins and nutmeg and add lemon zest. The pudding will thicken upon standing. I love the flavors of this cake, rather similar to a fruit cake flavor. This is one that I served at all our Christmas dinners. You'll find the family enjoys this cake far better than any fruitcake however! I found the recipe in an old Betty Crocker cookbook.