Mashed Over Leftovers?

If you have leftover mashed potatoes as I had after making hot pockets with potatoes, put it to work. In my experience re-heating mashed potatoes never worked. I tried oven, cast iron, steam, but it wouldn't come out tasty.

Until I tried this dish. I don't even know its name—moussaka? lasagna?—but it is worth having one! My friend shared this recipe, or rather description, via email. It stuck in my head because of a creative allegory she used: she called a middle layer "an oreo stuffing"

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Meat And Potatoes Layers

1 lb meat—I used ground beef

1 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Salt+ground black pepper

leftover mashed potatoes—about pound and a half

1 whole egg

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup plain (or seasoned) bread crumbs (optional)

In a frying skillet, brown beef and add onions, pine nuts, salt+pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F; layer a lasagna pan with 1/2 mashed potatoes;

Layer browned beef;

Layer the remaining mashed potatoes; beat egg with cream and pour over;

Top with bread crumbs. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on a side.

If you don't like beef, you can layer fried beans or greens, such as spinach or kale, sautéed with onions—as long as there's an 'oreo stuffing' inside!

Cinnamon Bagel Chips

In my big family we have so many opinions and we hardly agree on anything. Bagels, however, serve us a common ground—a soft and doughy common ground. They are my little life savers especially on busy mornings when everyone decides they want something different for breakfast! The code word: Bagels!

Inevitably we have left overs. My sophisticated eaters don't like to eat the same everyday (I totally differ!). Although I strongly encourage them not to be picky, sometimes I just have to choose my battles. And leftover bread—that's what bagel is after all—is never waisted. I make bread puddings, crumbs and, of course, croutons or chips.

So that's what I did to two leftover Blueberry bagels. I made chips. Very easy and very cozy for a family game night, for example.

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Cinnamon Blueberry Bagel Chips
2 Bagels, sliced across
1 TB spoon olive oil
1 generous teaspoon cinnamon sugar
(which I make myself mixing sugar and ground cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 350°F
Cut bagels across into 1/4˝ thick slices
In a bowl, mix bagels, cinnamon sugar and oil, toss to cover all the pieces
Arrange the chips on a cookie sheet in a single layer
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown
Enjoy with some whipped cream cheese as a dip or on their own! And watch them—new family favorite—disappear…

Whey better than just pizza crust

Sorry for the poor picture snapped with my phone but I'm too exited to share this crust recipe with you and I didn't have time to take a nicer photo.

If you have leftover tomato sauce from last night's spaghetti dinner, and especially if it's a home made one, and no one in your family wants to eat pasta two days in a row (happens in mine all the time), then make this easy crust dough and use the sauce to make pizza.

You will need, however, a rather unusual ingredient--whey. I get mine from straining plain yogurt: place a strainer over a glass bowl, line it with paper towel, pour 1 cup (1/2 container) of plain yogurt, cover with a small plate and place a weigh over (the remaining yogurt in the container will do), strain the whey for few hours; or if you have a cheesecloth, put yogurt in the it and hang it over a bowl to collect the whey (this method is faster). You can use the yogurt as you use greek style thick yogurt and now you can use the whey, too.

For the dough you will need:

1 cup whey

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup barley flour*

1 cup all purpose flour {plus some more for dusting}

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1. In a glass bowl mix together whey, sugar, salt, oil and baking soda.

2. In another bowl, mix together whole wheat and barley flour and stir in the whey mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until all combines to make the "sponge".

3. On a clean and dry surface, spill one cup of all purpose flour, add the "sponge" and knead the dough with your hands until all the flour is done.

4. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let rest while you prepare the topping.

Topping must include your leftover sauce and cheese (I used 8 oz ball of fresh mozzarella) and the rest is up to you. I added Kalamata olives and fresh basil.

5. After the topping is all ready (chopped), heat the oven to 425 °F

6. Divide the dough into two pieces, dust the surface with flour and roll out the crusts 1/4 inch thick, poke some holes for air to escape.

7. Place the crusts in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove and add the topping. Drizzle with olive oil and bake pizza at 425°F for 20 minutes.

I will have to repeat it again and maybe describe the process with better pictorial.

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*The use of barley flour is not necessary. I used it because I had it on hand. You can sub it with another cup of whole wheat.

Mashed Cannellini

We crave carbs during winter. What is a better source than straight up starch of potato?! But as much as I respect potatoes, sometimes I need to take it easy on starch.

My daughter once told me that potatoes and beans have the same taste. Although I disagree with her, she's could be right, especially comparing the textures.

So one day, I was cooking beans to make a salad and I over cooked them! Nothing looks nice when overcooked, but it happens. I remembered the comparison my daughter made and decided to just mash them. Canned beans could be heated and used as well (but I'm not a fan of can).

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Mashed Cannellini Beans

16 oz (1 package) dry Cannellini beans, soaked overnight, rinsed, drained and overcooked

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup plain yogurt

1 Tablespoon butter

2 Tablespoons vegetable/olive oil

2 teaspoon ground cumin

Sea salt }to taste

Ground black pepper }to taste

Soak dry beans overnight then drain and rinse. Put in the pot, cover with about 6-8 cups of water and bring to boil over high heat. When boiled, add salt, lower the heat and cook for 40 to 50 minutes- to overcook: you will notice that the beans are skinned and look mushy.

While beans are cooking, heat oil and melt butter in it; sauté onions and garlic in the oil until onions turn light brown. Add salt, pepper and cumin. Remove from heat, set aside.

With an immersion blender or in a food processor mash beans with yogurt until well combined. Add onions. Serve as a side dish in lieu of mash potatoes.

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Зимой наш организм требует углеводов. И что может быть лучше и привычнее картофельного крахмала?! Но не смотря на то, что я уважаю картошку, иногда мне нужно быть немного по осторожнее с крахмалом.
Моя дочка однажды заметила, что картофель и фасоль имеют одинаковый вкус. Хотя я с ней не совсем согласна, она может быть и права, особенно, если сравнивать их текстуру.
Вот в один прекрасный день, я решила приготовить белую фасоль, чтобы сделать салат, и перестаралась--переварила фасоль! Я вспомнила сравнение, которое делала дочка и решила просто смять фасоль в пюре.

Можно использовать подогретую консервированную фасоль, но лучше сварить, то есть переварить сухую.

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Пюре из белой фасоли Каннеллини

1 упаковка (900 гр) сухой белой фасоли, замоченной на ночь, промыть, осушить и переварить

1 мелко нарезанная средняя луковица,

2-3 зубчика чеснока, растолчить

1 чашка обычного йогурта

1 столовая ложка сливочного масла

2 столовые ложки растительного/оливкового масла

2 чайной ложки молотой зиры (римский тмин)

Морская соль по вкусу

Молотый черный перец по вкусу

Замочить фасоль на ночь, затем слить воду и прополоскать. Положить в кастрюлю, залить 6-8 стаканами воды и довести до кипения на сильном огне. При кипячении, добавить соль, уменьшите огонь и варить в течение 40 до 50 минут, чтобы переварить: вы заметите, что у фасоли отделилась кожица и она размякла.

Пока варится фасоль, растопить сливочное масло в подогретом растительном, поджарить лук и чеснок в масле до золотистого цвета. Добавить соль, перец и тмин. Снять с огня.

Ручным блендером или кухонном комбайне размять в пюре фасоль с йогуртом. Добавить лук в масле. Подавать в качестве гарнира вместо картофельного пюре.

Staying Warm and Cozy

Kids were off today. Wind had subsided. Snow was still falling, making everything sterile and quiet. I love this kind of winter weather, especially when I’m inside with a cup of warm freshly brewed tea, and a bread pudding in the oven, filling the air with vanilla sent.

This morning resembled a winter wonderland and I was inspired to make something cozy and slow for breakfast. We had bought an imported Italian cake yesterday and still had some left overs. Three quarters to be exact.

This particular cake, named Panettone, coming all the way from Italy, is already a bit dry when you buy it and keeping it for later didn’t appeal to me for it will only get harder! So, I used it in lieu of plain bread to make bread pudding: “Pane” in Panettone is Italian for “Bread”. Usually this cake is made with raisins, cranberries, or orange peel, but the one I had was plain. I used my own dry fruit and walnuts for the pudding, making this recipe is another Tutti-Frutti breakfast!

{5}Panettone Bread Pudding with Dry Fruit and Walnuts

Panettone cake, cut in 1 inch cubes

4 whole large eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup white sugar

pinch of salt

½ cup chopped walnuts

1 cup mixed dry fruit

Some confectioner’s sugar for serving (optional)

1. Heat oven 350°;

2. Arrange chopped bread, dry fruit and walnuts in a baking dish (lasagna pan will do);

3. Beat eggs in a bowl with sugar and salt, add milk and cream and mix it all until combined. Pour egg mixture over cake;

4. Bake for 40 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center of the dish comes out clean;

5. Serve in a bowl dusted with a little bit of confectioner’s sugar.