So it’s not the most original after-holiday leftover makeover, but at least I had fun with it. Mom suggested that I try her pie crust trick with the puff pastry… so what you see is (ahem) my (errr) interpretation of a turkey.

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What better holiday breakfast or brunch item is there?

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I’ll admit it… this is about as close as I can come to making a 30-minute meal; in that regard, I’m no Rachel Ray. However, when the mood strikes me and the ingredients are at hand, I have been known to put together some pretty nice dinner salads. This one was tasty (although Cat, as I’m beginning to find out, is not overly thrilled with roast beef of any type.) The greens: a mix of spinach and romaine. I had some really pretty button mushrooms, some shredded white cheddar cheese, and some leftover flank steak to buff things up, and for something interesting, I made “pickled” great northern beans. (Basically, I rinsed them, tossed with apple cider vinegar, sugar, and very thinly sliced white onion, cut into 1″ lengths, then set them aside to marinate for about an hour before assembling the salad.) I topped the whole thing off with some cracked black pepper, and drizzled a bit of the “marinade” over mine in lieu of dressing. Cat opted for homemade buttermilk herb on his. Light & easy… and rounded out with some toasted egg bread. Weird to eat in the dead of winter, I guess, but I love salads any time of year.

After a busy couple of weeks, during which I had a rather large number of mouths to feed, I decided to take the afternoon “off” from major cookery. A plate of nachos whipped up entirely of leftovers (no, I didn’t even stop and make some fresh salsa! Alert the media!) fit the bill nicely.

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I’m not a marshmallow fan, as anyone who’s been here knows. We go through plenty of styrofoam-like blobs at our house, though, because I’m the minority in this regard and because where there’s a bonfire, there must needs be marshmallows — even I know that! I’ve wondered for a while about making them at home, and whether or not they would be more like… well, I dunno… food, perhaps? I came across a recipe and lots of encouragement on one of my favorite food forums, eGullet, and decided to give it a whirl. (more…)

Sometimes, simple is fine. I had a couple of very ripe pears, so decided to make a little treat for Cat and Tishie. I peeled and sliced them (the pears, not Cat and Tishie,) arranged them in an ovenproof skillet, and drizzed them with brown sugar, melted butter, and crumbled Amish bleu cheese. Next came a sprinkle of cracked black pepper, and into the oven under the broiler they went, just until they began to brown a little.

I burned my mouth eating mine; I couldn’t wait until they cooled.