Love Those Leftovers: Potato & Burger Skillets

I was inspired by an episode of Chopped I watched yesterday. Have you ever seen that show?? "Here's a pack of cherry cough drops, quail eggs, chocolate chip cookies, and a block of limburger....make a main course!" Okay, so it's not quite that bad, but in the episode I watched, the chefs had to create their courses entirely out of leftovers. It was amazing some of the things they came up with that actually looked pretty good out of some crazy things like lasagna and stale donuts!

I confess, I've been dying to use these 6-in skillets since I found them in my grandpa's barn last spring! They were all rusted and dirty, but it's amazing what a little sanding and oiling can do!

Back to School Cooking: Cottage (Shepherd's) Pie & Chicken Pot Pie

It never fails. Every year for the first two weeks of school (at least), I come home completely exhausted. I lie down for a nap, and the next thing I know, it's 6:00 pm, and I'm too tired or its too late to cook anything, so the hubs is either getting on the Dominos website or offering me macaroni and cheese (with bacon bits if I'm lucky). With my fourth year of teaching looming nigh, I now know this transition period from summer vacation is coming, and this year I decided to take some time out of the summertime I have left to make us a few of our favorite meals to put in the freezer and last us through those first fateful weeks. Not that I have anything against Dominos or mac-n-cheese....

Black Bean and Corn Tacos

Sorry for the hiatus. Since school let out in May, I've been home a grand total of maybe a week. It's been fantastic traveling everywhere (Hawaii, NYC, DC, Florida, the great metropolis of Mantachie), but it hasn't allowed for much cooking. If you know me, though, stick me on a plane/train/car and take me somewhere, and I'm happy. I have a gypsy soul.

Two disclaimers here:

1.) This is the first time I've tried to post a blog from my phone. If the quality isn't up to snuff, I apologize.

2.) I didn't really measure much for this recipe, so you're going to get my best estimate.

Okay, to the tacos!

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of black beans, drained
1 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1 small to medium tomato, diced

(The spices are a very rough estimate. I just add until it tastes right.)

1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

I also had a bottle of southwestern seasoning mix that I added about a tsp of, but if you don't have any, don't worry about it.

To make you taco filling:

Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and add the onions. Sauté until soft, then add the garlic and sauté for a minute more. You'll smell it when the garlic is ready.

Next, add your black beans, corn (doesn't matter whether it's still frozen or not), tomato, and the spices along with some salt and pepper. Stir it together until well mixed and cook until black beans become mushy and the corn is soft (about 5 minutes-ish).

Set this on a back burner on low while you make fresh tortillas (should you choose... It's a very tasty path to follow...come to the dark side...). It's really not as difficult as it sounds, and they taste sooo much better than the ones you buy at the store.

For the tortillas, you will need cornmeal flour (such as Maseca...you can find it in the Hispanic section of most grocery stores). Follow the directions on the bag to make the number of tortillas you desire. I made 8, and it was a good amount for this recipe. The main thing to remember is that your dough will be on the dry side when you mix in the water. It should be barely holding together. If your dough is too wet, it will make pressing the tortillas very difficult. Forewarned is forearmed.

To smoosh your tortillas if you don't have a tortilla press, (If you do, congratulations. I doubt I need to tell you how to use it.) take two pieces of wax paper, place a ball of the Maseca between them, and squish it with a heavy pot. It probably will still be a little thick unless you have impressive arm strength, but this will give you a nice round shape. Go at it with a rolling pin until it is around 1/8 of an inch thick, trying to maintain the round shape as well as you can.

From this point, dear reader, I feel like you are competent enough to read the directions on the bag for cooking, so I won't repeat them here. When the tortillas are done cooking, though, it's important to keep them warm and moist inside of a towel so that they don't dry out.

And there you have it! Serve with your favorite taco toppings. As they stand toppings-less, they clock in at about 150 calories per taco, so enjoy a healthy, filling meal! Bon appetite! Whoops, that's French. Umm, bueno comiendo! (I think)

PS, if you have extra tortillas, try honey on them for dessert. One of my favorite tortilla treats!

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

I have a confession. I ate tofu. I even cooked tofu. And I liked it.

I feel like I've reached some sort of terrifying and life-changing right of passage buy admitting to even associating with tofu. Tofu has always been a highly-stigmatized west-coast dish that was only eaten by hippies, and I've always been slightly terrified of it because it can take on so many forms. Tofu just.... isn't natural. And weird. And gross-looking. I felt like a small piece of me died buying it, though I was pleasantly surprised the Walmart in New Albany carries tofu...much less organic tofu. (It was actually my only option).

To embrace my new vegetarian lifestyle, though, I decided I must conquer and embrace the creepy-looking tofu. Luckily, the Pioneer Woman posted a recipe from her past vegetarian life in honor of Ash Wednesday, and I found my window of opportunity.

Without further adieu, Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps for One:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 of about 12-14 oz. package  Firm Tofu
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels)
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 Leaves of Romaine Lettuce Hearts

(I forgot to add this part to mine:)

• 2 whole Avocados, Sliced
• 1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar (optional)

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Throw in the tofu, then break it up into very small pieces.

 Ewww....I know it looks gross. Stay with me.

Cook tofu for several minutes, until much of the liquid cooks off and tofu starts to turn golden, then throw the corn in with the tofu and cook for a few minutes.

Looking better...

Add chili powder and soy sauce, then cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Now it looks like chicken!

Are we looking edible yet? Quite tasty, actually.

So there you have it. I cooked tofu, I ate tofu, and I liked tofu. Am I a real vegetarian now?

 Note: The original recipe serves 6.

Bourbon-Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

If any of you get Southern Living (which is a mag I highly recommend if you don't),  you can sympathize with my ogling over the recipes and my sticky-noting ones that I want to try. Okay, maybe not the sticky-noting. Anyways, some good-looking things appear on the pages of that magazine. One recipe in the February issue in particular has been simmering (hehe....cooking term...see what I did there?) in the back of my mind since it arrived: Bourbon-Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin.

"But a pork tenderloin recipe??" you say. "That makes a pretty hefty meal!" Indeed. This specific recipe makes two tenderloins. Situations such as these validate learning how to divide fractions in elementary school, a skill that does actually apply to life circumstances. Whoda thunk? I hated those things (fractions, not tenderloins).  In my fractional frolickings, I discovered that halving 1/4 of a cup equals 1/8 which equals 2 tbsp. A much more manageable amount than 1/8 of a cup. Conversion tables are your friend, especially when you're halving or quartering recipes.

If you're lucky enough to have a single tenderloin on hand, you're golden for this recipe; however, they generally come in two-packs. Split them up, even though by now I'm sure they've become best of friends living in that packaging together, skin them, and toss one in the freezer for later use. I already had a small one in the freezer, so it became my victim for the evening. If you're going to use a frozen one, I'd recommend taking it out two days in advance, or at least the night before--one day to thaw, one day to marinate.  

I prepped the marinade before I went to work this morning. Start with a ziploc bag (gallon or quart, depending on the size of your tenderloin), and add 2 Tbsp of brown sugar, 2 Tbsp minced green onion (I just chopped up two stalks), 2 Tbsp of bourbon (Jack and I are buddies, but feel free to take your pick), 2 Tbsp of soy sauce, and 2 Tbsp of dijon mustard (I don't have dijon mustard, so I used spicy brown) to the bag. Seal the bag and toss it around a bit to mix everything together, then pop your little tenderloin in its new baggie home for the next 8-18 hours to marinate in the fridge. If you get the chance to periodically flip him, the marinade will absorb a little more evenly, but it's not a necessity.

So, like I said, start the marinating before work, and when you get home, all you have to do is cook it. (And read ahead before you toss the marinade!!) The recipe says to grill, but being in a small apartment, I don't have one of those (I'm working on getting a grill pan). Instead, I heated up some olive oil in an oven-safe pan big enough to hold friend-tenderloin and gave it a good searing before popping it in a 300-degree oven for about 40-45 min, flipping every 10-15 min until it's cooked to your specifications and/or has an internal temp of 155 degrees. Personally, I like a pretty thoroughly-cooked chunk of pork, but adjust your cooking time accordingly. The only thing I'll eat still pink is a steak. 

Now, take your marinade that you saved by diligently reading ahead, pour it in a saucepan with either 1/4 tsp of cornstarch or 1/2 tsp of flour (since I was out of cornstarch....remember what I said originally about substitutions?), and bring that to a boil for about a minute until it thickens. Voila! Delicious tenderloin sauce.

Once your tenderloin is done, let it rest for about 10 min, then smother it in sauce and start slicing. Or vice versa. Then start eating!!! (Not that I needed to tell you that)

Though I had a small tenderloin, it was still a pretty hefty piece of meat, so I invited my sister-in-law, AC, and my puppy-niece Maggie to join me. Her and I had two good-sized slices each, and there was enough left for one more meal. If you're short on dinner guests, slice it, but wait on the sauce. Tenderloin makes great leftovers (sandwiches, stir-fry..use your imagination) and also freezes well, but for some leftovers recipes, brown sugar and bourbon sauce might not be too tasty.

 Dinner is served! With a tossed salad topped with homemade white wine vinaigrette.

 If you could only smell....

 Maggie could. She even got a little taste, and the tenderloin passed the rigorous Yellow Lab standards for cooked meat.

The full, original recipe for those interested:

Bourbon-Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin
Makes: 6-8 servings | Hands-on Time: 30min | Total Time: 8hr 30min

2 (1-lb) pork tenderloins
1/4 c firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 c minced green onions
1/4 c bourbon
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c dijon mustard
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp cornstarch

1.) Remove silver skin from tenderloins, leaving a thin layer of fat. Combine brown sugar and next 5 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag; add pork. Seal bag, and chill for 8-18 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade.

2.) Preheat grill to 350/400-degrees (medium-high heat). Grill pork, covered with grill lid, 8 min on each side or until a meat thermometer into thickest portion registers 155-degrees. Remove from grill and let stand 10 min.

3.) Meanwhile, combine reserved marinade and cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook, stirring constantly, 1 min. Cut pork diagonally into thin slices, and arrange on a serving platter; drizzle with warm sauce.

(Take from Feb 2011 Southern Living, pg 106)

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken with Green Beans

Ok, so I'm a sucker for bacon. On anything. Or by itself. Who isn't?? And this single-serve recipe actually TOLD me to use my toaster oven! Needless to say, it won me over quickly. I'm not a fan of heating up the big oven when I don't have to.  Power bills and all.

The recipe in question is....*drum-roll, please!*....Bacon-wrapped Chicken with Green Beans. Sound simple? Yes, it is, but don't underestimate its deliciousness.

Here's the link to the original recipe from delish.com: Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breast with Roasted Green Beans

You read right, that says "prosciutto" and I said "bacon". Well, poor girl had bacon in the fridge and wasn't going to grocery store. All I can say is, if you can get your hands on prosciutto, use it! As good as it is with bacon, I can only imagine. But anyways....

If you haven't figured it out yet, I made a few modifications to fit what I had in the fridge. First, I had two small tenderloins in the freezer, so I used two of those instead of the split breast. I just wrapped both of them together in the bacon and sprinkled some seasoning salt on top. Also, I had a bag of frozen green beans, so I thawed some of those out and topped them with fresh pepper and sea salt.

 Bubble bubble cook....yum!!

Try squeezing the lemon over the green beans, and even the chicken. It's surprisingly pretty tasty. Just adds a little something.


One big plate of deliciousness!