Leftover Rice Stir-Fry

Fry some fresh pork or any meat or tofu in some oil in a wok. Take some leftover cooked rice from various dishes (which may have some extra flavoring or ingredients). I'm talking about a bed of white rice you may have used as a base for a tofu vegetable stir fry, or a beef stew, then most of the flavorful stew or fry was eaten but a lot of the plain rice was left. Stir in some spicy chili sauce, some tomato sauce, some leftover vegetables, and the liquid from a leftover spicy soup. Add to the wok, stir until hot, taste and add whatever the heck you feel like, and adjust seasonings. Serve as a main dish, supplementing with more protein or vegetables as needed.

Leftover Day 3

It's that time again - leftovers day. The day where we clean out the refrigerators, reheating and revamping any leftovers and using up any old ingredients. Since we just finished making Asian food, a lot of the food today reflected this. Here are some items we had on the table today: Mixed rice casserole, Fresh spring rolls, Tempera scallops and monkfish, Bread fried shrimp and scallops, Duck and noodles, Vegetables and beef, Pineapple chicken, and Spiced naan bread.

For dessert we had Mango tapioca pudding, Avocado chocolate mousse, Fortune cookies, Fried coconut bananas and caramel sauce, Fresh fruit with cheese and crackers, and Iced tea.

the spread of food

fortune cookies

fruit and cheese plate

tempura scallops and monkfish

iced tea

tapioca mango pudding

Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork Chops

There were some extra pork chops from last night's supper, but no leftover sauce, so I whipped up a new little glaze to put on them. I decided on a sweet and sour glaze, which gave the chops a delicious, tangy flavor, and keep them moist in the reheating process. Here is the sauce I made:

In a medium saucepan, put 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon ketchup, and 1/2 tablespoon soya sauce. Heat and stir over high heat until the mixture begins to boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 5-7 minutes until thickened. 

I cut the pork chops in half to more thoroughly coat them in sauce, placed them in a casserole dish, and poured the hot glaze over them. I covered and baked at 300◦F for half an hour to reheat. This glaze would work well for other meats too, it would be really nice on chicken or beef. It certainly is finger-licking good!

Roasted Chickens

Roasted chicken! Yum! These little birds are so much quicker and easier to prepare than an entire turkey, and leftovers are also easier to handle. We ended up cooking three birds to feed our family, with leftovers, but one bird would make a nice meal for a smaller family. It is also nice to have some precooked chicken on hand. Freeze it and save it for later to add to soups, stews and casseroles. Roasted chicken dinners are very good, they are usually composed of vegetables, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. However, if you are tired of the traditional roast chicken dinner, roasted chicken is also very good for hot chicken sandwiches, casseroles, soups, and divans. Chicken is an extremely versatile meat that goes with a wide variety of vegetables, grains, and flavors. Roasting chicken allows you to easily cook an entire chicken, and lends a moist and tender quality to the chicken. It isn't difficult, and all you need really is a suitable roasting pan. Here we have a large enough roasting pan to accommodate three whole chickens, but we've also got a smaller roasting pan for when we only want to cook one. In my opinion, if you are going to have the oven on to cook one bird, you might as well throw in another or two, as they may come in handy later on for a quick and easy meal!

Lingering Treats From Christmas

As you may have noticed, I have not been doing much baking lately. That's because of all of the Christmas goodies that are still around here. We still have a freezer stocked with Christmas cookies, we've got fruitcake, panettone, boxes of chocolates, and candy canes. It will take us a little while to finish eating all of these goodies and finally give us some free space in our freezer, and then I can make some more treats. I thought it would be appropriate if I put together a mini-guide with suggestions to how long these items will be good. Then you can determine what to eat first and what to save for later.

Baked Goods

• Plain Cookies and Bars - Will keep in the freezer in an airtight container for up to a year, but start to lose quality after 3 months. Store different types of cookies in separate containers.
• Iced or Decorated Cookies and Bars - Don't hold up as well in the freezer, but well-wrapped can keep for several weeks or a couple months.
• Fruitcake - Most fruitcakes well-soaked and well-wrapped will keep at room temperature for several months, even after a few months of aging. They also hold up very well in the freezer for longer storage. Store-bought varieties will keep for six months to a year.
• Panettone or Fruit Bread - Keep in a cool, dry place, well-wrapped, for a month or two. May be frozen for longer storage.  Store-bought varieties will keep for six months to a year.

Candy and Chocolate

• Boxed Chocolates - Check the best before date, most last six months to a year. Once opened, they may not last as long, unless all of the chocolates are individually wrapped. Chocolate is generally good until it begins to take on a white color, called bloom, and even then, sometimes this does not effect the quality of the chocolate.
• Candy Canes and other hard candies - Since these are composed primarily of sugar, they will stay good for a year or so.

Dinner Leftovers

Leftovers from Christmas dinner will keep in the freezer, well-wrapped.

• Turkey, Chicken, Ham - 2 to 3 months.
• Vegetables - 3 to 6 months.
• Bread/Rolls - 6 to 12 months.
• Desserts - Cakes, pies, and cheesecakes freeze well whole or in slices, for a few weeks to a few months.

Christmas Leftovers

It is entirely possible that some of you are still finding yourselves knee-deep in a pile of leftovers from Christmas dinner. Meat, vegetables, breads, desserts; you name it, there's probably some left. Christmas leftovers appear to be inevitable. So, what can you do with them all? You can certainly freeze many aspects of Christmas dinner, especially turkey and sweets. They will keep in the freezer, well-wrapped, for a few months or so. Vegetables may be a bit more difficult, as they don't tend to freeze as well. Here are some ideas for leftovers.

TURKEY/CHICKEN: Chop or shred and use now or freeze for later use. Good for soups, stews, stir-fries, casseroles, sandwiches, salads, meat pies.

HAM: Chopped cooked ham keeps a bit longer than turkey or chicken in the fridge, but it may also be frozen. It can be added to soups, stews, stir-fries, casseroles, pot pies, sandwiches, and omelettes. It is also great with cheese and crackers.

POTATOES: Use for Shepherd's pie, potato bread/rolls, and potato fudge. Mashed sweet potatoes can be baked into sweet potato pie, loaf or biscuits.

VEGETABLES: Most precooked vegetables will do well in quick soups, stews, stir-fries, pot pies, and casseroles. They are also good for making ragus or ratatouille. You can also puree vegetables and freeze in small portions to sneak into baked goods to make them healthier. There are several cookbooks around devoted to this process.

BREAD/ROLLS: These can easily be frozen, or be used fresh in the following dishes. French toast, bread pudding, and stuffing (if you don't already have enough). They can also be pulsed into breadcrumbs, which are used in a variety of dishes such as meatballs, hamburgers, coatings for chicken and fish, macaroni and cheese, etc. It is best to dry out the bread either on the counter or in the oven beforehand for these ideas.

GRAVY: Great for hot turkey sandwiches, Shepherd's pie, beef stroganoff, and meat pies. Adds some flavor to any dish, and will keep for a while in the fridge. It is also easy to reheat.

CRANBERRY SAUCE: This can easily be frozen or used in another way. It can be used as is, sweetened up a little, or flavored with something else. It makes a good sauce for desserts, and can be used as a filling for cranberry oat squares. It is also excellent on turkey and even ham sandwiches, and makes an alternative spread for toast and bagels in the morning. 

EVERYTHING: You can throw all (or at least most) of your leftovers together into one big dish. You can make a soup, stew, meat pie or pot pie, casserole, or stir-fry. Add in some new ingredients and flavors, and you won't have to eat a plain old turkey dinner for days in a row. Bring some variety to the table!