The Problem With Leftovers

Yes. It's another food post.

I've been woefully uncreative lately and have had a resurgence of the cooking bug. When I was down for the count with my surgeries, I couldn't go out for a lot of restaurant meals and, frankly, not a lot of food appealed to me so I got back into the kitchen. It took awhile to actually cook whole meals and not just "cook" a can of soup but, in case you haven't noticed, this has been my major distraction lately.

The good news is, today is the first day of spring which means that, soon enough, you're going to be bombarded with gardening and beekeeping posts! Woo hoo!

So, what's on the menu today? Leftovers. 

Here's my problem - I hate leftovers. I throw out a lot of food because it sits in my fridge for too long (and Cassandra will tell you that I'll eat stuff that's pretty old). I just look at the containers and think, "That's not what I want to eat" or "I just had that the other day" or "That's not good reheated". So it sits until it's too old for even me to eat. I've decided that the key is to cook things that can be RE-COOKED into something new.

Yesterday I decided that I couldn't let the half a corned beef in my fridge go to waste. I don't really care for sandwiches (too much bread) and there's no way it would reheat very well. I had cooked a "round" instead of a brisket and it was dense but a little dry. So, I decided to make corned beef hash - which a adore. While I was in the store shopping for my missing ingredients, I ran into my neighbors who were shopping for missing ingredients for reuben sandwiches. I just had to laugh. I guess we all have to get creative with leftover corned beef after St. Patty's Day.

So, I grabbed some red bell peppers and russet potatoes. Then headed over to get some Ziplock Snack Bags to portion out the remaining diced corned beef to freeze for future hash. I walked up the freezer aisle and low-and-behold what did I find? Frozen Ore-Ida O'Brien Potatoes.

My life got easier.

Holy cats! I love Ore-Ida products and here, right in front of me, was pre-cut, diced potatoes, bell peppers, and onion all in one, awesome, frozen bag. 

I put the fresh produce back. (I know, I know. But it was already 6p and, by the time I'd be done dicing and cooking, I wouldn't have eaten until 8p).

Boys and girls, this was the easiest, fastest, and yummiest dinner and will be my go-to corned beef hash "recipe" forever - unless I want to get fancy or feel the need to dice stuff.

Here's how to make it:

• Dice corned beef into 1/4" cubes
• Heat a skillet on medium high heat and cover bottom with vegetable oil (I used canola)
• Pro tip: If you heat the skillet first and then add your oil, your food is less likely to stick
• Put frozen O'Brien Potatoes in the skillet in a single layer
• Cover and cook on medium high for about 10 minutes without disturbing
• Turn the potatoes (the bottom should be lightly browned) and add the diced corned beef
• Continue to cook until the potatoes have browned to your liking. I like there to be some crispy bits in my corned beef hash so I cook them for a while, turning every so often so that they don't burn.
• Salt and pepper to taste

The finished product. YUM!!

I'd say that the total cook time is probably about 20-30 minutes. As I mentioned, I put up the remaining diced corned beef in the freezer. When I make another batch, I'll probably put the corned beef in at the beginning with the potatoes since it'll be cooking from frozen as well.

Bon Appetite!

- Alex

Let the Making Begin! (tm)

Pillsbury has always encouraged consumers to "play" with their food. Sure, anyone can pop a can of crescent rolls and have flaky, buttery hot rolls for dinner but, really, where's the creativity in that?

From the Pillsbury Bake-Off to their current ad campaign (Let the Making Begin), the home of the dough-boy embraces its customers' creativity and even rewards it. And, boy let me tell you, it makes me feel horribly inadequate. LOL

The truth is, I've always liked Pillsbury's products exactly the way they are. I know what I'm getting with the Grand Biscuits or the Cinnamon Rolls (ummmmm.... cinnamon rolls). But recently, I stumbled on a recipe that needed to be made and I joined the ranks of the Pillsbury "makers".

See... I had this GIANT rib roast left over from Christmas and I needed to do something with the meat. One can only eat so many Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. So, as you do, I scoured the interwebs looking for something (anything) different to do with my leftovers. Pot pie recipes abound!

My actual, first-ever, rib roast. It was HUGE.

Okay, fair enough, I like a good pot pie but I really wanted something different. Then I found it...

In some forum, a guy posted that his wife had mixed carmelized onion, mashed potatoes, cheese, and bits of diced rib roast and stuffed "puff pastry" with that mixture. BINGO! That sounded right up my alley.

Sadly, I didn't take pictures but, believe me when I tell you, these things were a hit. My son's girlfriend called them a pot-pie calzone.

So, here's what you do:

1 Can Pillsbury BIG (Flaky or Buttery) Crescent Rolls - you need the bigger size
(I used crescent rolls but, if I make this again, I'm going to try biscuit dough - just to see how it tastes.)
Leftover mashed potatoes
Leftover meat - diced and fat removed
Diced onion, cooked slowly in olive oil (or butter) until carmelized
Cheese (I used gruyere on my son's because he doesn't eat blue cheese and gorgonzola on mine)
Herbs or seasoning that appeals to you (I used a bouquet garni blend)

Except for the rolls, mix all the ingredients together and set aside.

Open the can of rolls. Peel off two triangles. Place them on the counter (you may need a bit of flour to keep them from sticking) and press the seams closed. With one of the points pointing toward you, put a generous amount of the mashed potato mixture on half of the diamond-shaped dough. Pull the top of the dough over, encasing the mashed potato mixture and creating a triangle (like a large ravioli or calzone). Press the seams together well. I sort of folded them in on themselves and pressed them firmly together. Using a spatula (your little mashed potato pocket will be heavy!), transfer it to a baking sheet. I used parchment paper to ensure that they didn't stick. You can just spray your baking sheet with Pam if you don't have non-stick or parchment.

Once all your pockets are on the baking sheet, place in a 350 degree oven until the dough is golden brown and flaky - about 15-20 minutes (maybe??)

These were a huge hit at my house and may end up in regular rotation. It's an easy thing to make and even easier to experiement with. I can't wait to try it with other leftovers!

Bon Appetite!

- Alex