leftovers

I am the queen of leftovers. On the weekends I make up giant batches of chilis, curries and sauces big enough for an army even though I'm only feeding our micro family. Our fridge is container city by the time Sunday evening rolls around.

The problem with leftovers is that no matter how good a meal it is things get a little less than exciting by the second and third go round.

I just have no motivation on weeknights to start a meal from scratch. It's not the actual food prep. I love the cooking part. It's the cleanup. When I come home in the evenings I want to go for a run, quickly reheat my dinner, and then park my butt on the couch for the rest of the night.

Technically the rule in our house is whoever cooks doesn't have to cleanup. But guilt usually takes over when it is time to tackle the dishes. Why should Chris have to wash dishes and tidy the kitchen (read: crappy hated job) after I've just messed it up doing something I love.

So I have been on the lookout for ways to make leftovers a little different each night, but with minimal effort. The other night it was veggie chili with some fresh bread. Tonight its veggie chili on a baked potato. Not exactly night and day, but I was pretty excited to think of it. I love potatoes, but I rarely bake them. I in fact googled 'how to bake a potato' just to confirm the oven temperature. Clean them, stick them in the over and forget about them for an hour or so. Easy. And no dishes to cleanup



I foresee alot of baked potatoes in our future.

Any tips for making leftovers a little more interesting?

attempting to live up to my own standards

This past week I had to complete my first assignment for my photography class. It was a relatively straight forward exercise in demonstrating depth of field. We were specifically instructured to photograph in natural light. Not the easiest task at a time of year when I go to work in the dark and come in the dark.

So I dragged my camera gear to work with me and coaxed my coworker Erin to be my subject. Midweek we had the opportunity to sneak out on our lunch break for a quick session. I attempted what the assignment called for, but wasn't 100% happy with the result. I hoped for a reattempt but in typical fashion the weather did not cooperate for the remainder of the week.

Friday night arrived and I resigned that I would have to submit my first attempt photos. To add to my frustration I spent 90 minutes trying to compress the photos according to the instructions. I searched and searched online but only became more and more confused. So again I resigned to defeat, saved my photos to a portable drive and spent the night with a little pit of dread in my stomach. My inner nerd was not at all comfortable with completing an assignment that didn't satisfy my own standards and to make matters worse, not submitting it according to the instructions. Not much has changed in my inner psyche since grade school

Time for class arrived and not only was my teacher unfazed that I didn't submit my photos to him before class but I have got an 'atta girl' on my photos.

Flash to Sunday night when I attempted a Vegetable Dumpling Soup recipe that I was adapting from Simply Life. We are on a big of a pantry cleanout/grocery budget kick. I've been limiting our purchases of pantry staples until I dimish our current supplies. I tend to buy canned goods when they are onsale like we're stocking up for the apocolypse. They then tend to sit for months and months while I continue to buy more and more.

I was full of self-doubt about the recipe but it was received by Chris with rave reviews. Over and over. I am learning that I really can start to trust my instincts in the kitchen



Vegetable Dumpling Soup
Adapted from Simply Life

Ingredients:
Soup~
1 tbs. olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1-2 bay leaves
2 tbs. ketchup
2 cups chicken broth
A healthy pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp of thyme or to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
15.5 oz can of chickpeas
3/4 cup frozen green beans
1 tbsp corn starch dissolved in 1 tbsp water


Dumplings~
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbs. cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. butter
1/2 fat-free milk
1/3 cup frozen corn, thawed


Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Add celery and cook 3 more minutes, stirring frequently. Add bay leaves, ketchup, broth, chickpeas, green beans and seasonings. Bring soup to a boil then reduce heat, add the corn starch mixture and simmer 10 minutes.


2. While soup is simmering, prepare the dumplings. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in butter and mix until butter pieces are about the size of peas. Add milk and corn and stir just until mixed together.


3. Return the soup to a boil Drop dumplings into soup by rounded tablespoons (the recipe will make about 8-10 dumplings). Cover, reduce heat and cook over medium-low for about 20 minutes (do not boil) until the dumplings are set on the top. Serve and enjoy!

Butternut Squash Pasta Bake

The rain has returned to Vancouver. I can't complain too much because we've been having some stunning days lately.


As much as I wanted to park my butt on the couch Fletcher would have none of it. So Chris and I bundled up in our waterproof gear and headed over to the trails. It was pitch dark but I had the new headlamp Chris gave me for Christmas. I am sure I was looking pretty good sporting a headlamp over my crochet hat but we didn't see a soul.

I came back wanting to make a baked pasta and use the butternut squash and ricotta that I had on hand. I'd tried a Weight Watchers recipe before but it turned out just a little bland and dry. Since I am trying to eat a little healthier after all the holiday indulgences I wanted to kick up the recipe without doing the obvious (as in add more cheese)

While the butternut squash was roasting I took a glance over at Chelsey's blog and spotted her sauteed spinach and tomatoes. Just what my pasta bake needed and the perfect way to use the spinach I forgot. Along with a pinch of nutmeg in the white sauce and this pasta bake went from bland to mouth watering

Healthy comfort food after a long walk on a drizzly winter night is the perfect way to snuggle up on the couch and catch up on a little Thursday night pvr.

Butternut Squash Pasta Bake (adapted from Weight Watchers)

Makes 4 - 6 servings

20 oz butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/8 tsp table salt, for cooking pasta
12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, rotini
1 1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
2 Tbsp white all-purpose flour
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
pinch of nutmeg
4 cups baby spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano recommended
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Instructions

* Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Coat a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

* Place squash on prepared baking sheet cut side down; roast until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Place in a large bowl and mash.

* Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. After squash has been roasting for about 10 minutes, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pot.

* Heat a skillet over medium heat and add spinach cooking until wilted. When nearly done add the cherry tomatoes

* In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, flour, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in mashed squash, spinach and tomatoes. Add sauce to pasta; toss to mix and coat.

* Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish; dot with spoonfuls of ricotta and then sprinkle with Parmesan and bread crumbs. Bake until top is lightly browned in a few spots, about 15 to 20 minutes; remove from oven.

Beware the leftovers with this one. Pack them up straight away because it's far too easy to start eating them straight from the pan.