No, I’m not talking about lasagna that’s left over from a few days ago, I’m talking about lasagna made with leftovers. Every now and then I like to make Leftover Lasagna.

Let me explain…

When I make the sauce for my lasagna, I generally use the crockpot. If I’m not making it from scratch, like today, I put a jar or two of the store bought stuff into the crockpot, add some ground beef, sausage and sausage and let simmer for the entire day. During the last couple of hours I throw in some leftovers. For instance, the taco beef from last night? In the sauce. Zucchinis, carrots, and red orange and green peppers from a salad? In the sauce. Spinach? In the sauce. Now my sauce has lots of nutritious veggies and the left overs aren’t going to waste.

In case you’re wondering. I’ve never had a Leftover Lasagna taste bad. The sauce always tastes delicious. I wouldn’t put anything too outlandish in there, somehow though it all just seems to work.

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I am a huge fan of mango anything - mango chutney, mango salsa, it’s all good. I also find mango goes well with pork much in the same way apples go well with it. This recipe, courtesy of the Diamond Crystal people, is delicious and you don’t need a degree in the culinary arts to make it work.

Mango Chutney Chops With Asparagus

Grand Prize Winner 2006 Diamond Crystal^® Kosher Salt Search for the Seasoned Chef Recipe Contest

This creative combination of spicy and sweet ingredients makes for a unique and tantalizing entrée great for summer grilling. Pair the Caribbean-flair chops with grilled asparagus for a flavorful meal.

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When I was in college, a small investment saved me hundreds of dollars in my take-out budget. I figured out how I could stiff the pizza parlor by making delicious pizza at home. I had stumbled upon the baker’s secret weapon: the baking stone. (more…)

Family dinners are really important to me. I grew up in a large family who tried to dine together every night. Even though we have track, band, work, and various activities having to do with teens, we try to have some meals together. Weekends are better for this than during the week, so I try to make something the whole family enjoys. Salmon Croquettes with Tortellini Alfredo is one we all like. I throw in a side of peas to round it out.

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I am all about fast and easy during the week. Today, since I have a bad cold and sore throat, I decided a good dose of chicken broth was in order. The basic Chicken and Noodle recipe I stole from the booster booth at the school. It’s fast, easy and hot for those cold football games and Pumpkin show nights, or nights you are too sick to do a lot of preparation. I add some vegetables to mine to make it a little more flavorful and maybe a little healthier.

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This is one of my favorite recipes and it generally goes over pretty well, especially when the weather is not so great. Since it’s one of those foods that cooks all day, it permeates the house and makes you hungry for it all day — not IT — the food, you knucklehead. This is the food that forever converted my good friend, Renee, to eating spicy food. She loves it and that’s a great endorsement. I’m canning the bulk of this for her and for me sometime later!

If you want to serve this as a vegetarian meal, just don’t put in the sausage and remove a cup of the broth.

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I’m having car problems and the roads are icy today, so I didn’t feel like going to the supermarket as previously planned. Even so, there wasn’t much food to work with in my freezer. I settled on a package of chicken wings. Now, I’m not my husband. He doesn’t mind venturing out in 18 degrees to grill up a batch of wings. I’m not that ambitious. What I decided to do was slow cook them in my crockpot.

A few months ago Buff sent me some T.J.Morgan’s Basting Sauce, and I’ve been finding some good uses for it. Today I marinated my chicken wings with the TJ. Morgan’s Teriyaki Sauce - using the Vacu-Seal to get the job done quicker - and slow cooked the wings to perfection. They’re just about falling off the bone. And Ok, I sample a couple since dinner won’t be for a while, and they’re absolutely out of this world.

T.J.Morgans touts itself as a basting sauce, but I also use it as a marinade. The Teriyaki sauce is absolutely divine. Friends, don’t be afraid to experiment in your kitchen. Sometimes the best food is born out of experimentation.

Black Beans

This is a variation of my red beans and rice recipe.  It’s thick and hearty and my good friend Renee tells me that this is perfect hangover food.  Since she’s a veteran of many a hangover, I believe her.  Reminder:  you should soak the beans over night!

Ingredients:

1 pound dry black beans

4 cups vegetable broth [can substitute chicken, if you’re not a vegan]

6 cups of water

3 14 ounce cans of petite diced tomatoes

1 jalapeño – minced [if you don’t like spicy, don’t add]

1 Vidalia onion – chopped

½ pound of sliced mushrooms

1 green pepper – chopped

1 TBLS ground chipotle

1 TSP dry mustard

4 or 5 stalks of cilantro

1 can sweet yellow corn

Salt and pepper to taste

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This is one of my favorite meals and I get to cook it only once or twice a year - once on St. Patrick’s Day [March 17th for those not in the know] and again when either the mood strikes me or I have special guests.  Well, the other day we had special guests in and not only did I make this special dinner, we actually sat at the Dining Room table!

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