With the days of high food prices upon us, we shouldn’t throw out food. You’ve got a couple spoons of meat or veggies leftover? Give it to the dog or use those little leftovers for soups, casseroles and quiches (aka meat pies for the men out there).
Quick Basic Quiche
4 eggs
1 to 1 1/2 C milk, half and half, or cream (with water to dilute it)
8 oz. cheese, shredded
Spray pie plate or small baking pan with cooking spray. Save out half the cheese and stir together the above in a pie plate. Stir in your leftovers. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until the dairy is set and the top is golden.
Note - The higher the fat content of the milk/cream, the less time it takes to cook through so adjust cooking times. Or add another egg to help firmness of low fat milk.
Combinations could be:
Spinach/ham/swiss cheese
Bacon/onion/swiss
Green chilies/onion/cheddar
Ground beef/mushroom/combo of leftover cheese
Sausage/bell pepper/mozzarella
Mixed veggies/american or velveeta
Combinations don’t really matter. Throw in that last bit of salad, those four chicken nuggets (chopped) and two spoons of corn from last night’s supper, add salsa and cheddar and you’ve got tonight’s mexican dinner.
I also dislike throwing out food, and have a habit now of making “garbage soup”. (named for the kid’s benefit). I may have written this before, and if so, apologize for the repeat. It is just really good, and we have it at least once every 2 or 3 weeks.
Save little bits and pieces of leftovers or treasures in a big zip lock bag in the freezer. Chicken carcases (cooked), or the backbones cut from chicken quarters (uncooked), chicken necks and gizzards, bones from steaks, that last little bit of mashed potatoes or tablespoon of green beans or half a can of tomato paste. Celery tops, onion skins, or the remains of baked garlic. Also, when I have baked some meat, I take water and get the fond from the pan and add that to the bag.
As you see, we end up with a mix of cooked and uncooked bones and veggies. When I have enough that it starts crowding my freezer I put it all in the big pasta pan I have, in the pasta strainer. Barely cover with water and simmer for several hours. When all the flavor has cooked out, simply lift the pasta strainer to drain and toss all the “garbage”.
Either refrigerate and remove the fat, or spoon it off the top, and you end up with a really rich full flavored broth that works for anything you need. My family loves it, and it is always different. I saute onion, carrot, and celery and add it to the finished broth. Choose between rice or noodles, add any meat you have, any vegies in the fridge (that haven’t hit the freezer bag yet), and dinner is on.
Just be careful not to use things like broccoli or cabbage or too much green pepper. Ham bones are saved for their own broth. The cabbage family and ham flavor is too strong and will overwhelm the broth.