Leftover Wednesday - Steak Soup

Once again, I found myself with leftover steak this week.  I also had leftover baked potatoes, but they got eaten by someone around here.  I didn't even get to make any breakfast hash with the leftovers.  So, I made Steak Soup for dinner.  Soups are a great way to use up leftovers; I'm a big fan.  I use Simple Comfort Food's Steak and Potato Soup recipe as my base but, as usual, I make modifications.  That's the beauty of cooking - it's an art - and art is subjective.  So we can change anything to our tastes, dietary needs and what's on hand.

SCF's recipe calls for adding the onion and garlic to a hot pan at the same time.  I rarely add garlic to a pan first.  It burns quickly; the smell is unpleasant and the taste will negatively effect your dish.  I'm allergic to olive oil, so I heated half butter, half Wegmans Basting Oil over medium heat and sautéd a whole Walla Walla Sweet onion, diced.  (So excited that the shipment of Walla Wallas arrived from my aunt in Washington!)

While my onions softened in the pan, I scrubbed and chopped the last of the carrots in the house (they were on their last legs so I was glad to use them up).  Because we buy organic carrots, I don't peel them.  A good scrubbing is all they need and you get more good-for-you parts in your food.

While the carrots and onions were enjoying themselves in the pan, I peeled and chopped 3 good-sized white potatoes ($1.99/5# bag, that's why I had white potatoes on hand).  I usually don't peel potatoes, but decided to do it tonight because B does not like the peels and I did not feel like hearing about it.  I threw the potatoes in the pot and put the garlic on top of them.  There is now plenty of cushion between the garlic and the bottom of the pan to save it from burning.

The hubs' tummy is sensitive to cooked tomato products so I don't add the 1/2 cup tomato sauce called for in the original recipe.  Below, you'll see my squirt of tomato paste.  I stirred that in and let it caramelize for a minute to add depth and flava!

Below, I've already stirred in salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce.  The author of the original recipe is so right about the worcestershire - it is key to the flavor.

Added in my diced up leftover steak and stirred...

...then added beef stock and brought it to a boil.  I did not add in the full 4 cups of stock, probably 3 or slightly more than 3, just enough to cover everything in the pot.  Since it cooks for a while with the lid on, more liquid will be created.

Yummy Steak Soup served up with fresh, homemade bread; it doesn't get any better than that!

Oh, yes, it does - I had enough for a freezer bag full of leftovers.  :oD

Leftover Wednesday: Dinner Leftovers...for BREAKFAST?!

Yes, peeps, that's how I roll.  Most "breakfast" foods are starches and they don't stick with me but an hour or two, even the ones full of fiber that Weight Watchers swears fills you up for a long time.  My tummy's not built that way, evidently.  When I eat dinner leftovers for breakfast at 8am, I can go until 2pm before I get hungry again and I have plenty of energy.  And I'll eat all leftovers for breakfast - casseroles, pizza, grilled meats, whatever is in the fridge.  So let me tell you about my favorite leftover, Breakfast Hash!

Paula Deen and I have so much in common and one is that we both keep cooked potatoes around as a staple.  We happened to have steak and baked potatoes the night before, so I made sure I cooked extra potatoes.  Dice a baked potato, add to a hot pan with your favorite oil and cook until crispy on all sides.  I used to use butter in my hash but learned from my Uncle Lanny that butter was the reason they didn't crisp up.  You need oil for that!  I also salt, pepper and paprika the potatoes at this time (the paprika was another secret I got from Uncle Lanny).

After the potatoes are crispy all around, or just crispy on one side if you want some softness to your potatoes, add in some diced onion and cook until the onion is as done as you like it.

 Next, if I have other leftover veggies I want in my hash, I'll toss them in after the onions have cooked and before the meat.  They just need a minute or two to warm up; you don't want them overcooked.  Then you throw in whatever leftover meat you had for dinner the night before, diced up.  The smaller you cut it, the quicker it will heat up.  The longer you cook it, the tougher the meat will get, so just a minute or two will heat up diced meat.  Don't be hatin' on the temperature I eat my red meat, y'all!  ;o)

 Ta-da!  Yet another appetizing meal ruined with a crappy picture of the finished product.  LOL  But I eat with my taste buds not my eyes because I have learned from experience that you can't judge a book by it's cover!  This lovely hash was served with a zigzag of ketchup on top and set the tone for a productive and energized day!

 I hope you give breakfast hash a try.  It's a great way to serve breakfast for guests, especially at holiday time.  You always have leftover ham, potatoes and green beans after Easter.  Make a big, one-pot breakfast hash for everyone to eat!  You only have to cook once.  As people awake and stumble into the kitchen at different times, they can scoop themselves out some hash and pop in the microwave to heat up if need be.

Baked Potato and Sausage Soup

I made this for the hubs and B's dinner on Halloween.  I was in the mood for Milwaukee Pork Stew and made that for myself.  This recipe is easy and quick and simple changes can make it gluten-free or dairy-free if you want.

2 baking potatoes, baked and cooled 

8oz smoked sausage, sliced and quartered

1/2 tbsp butter

1/2 a small onion, diced 

2 tbsp flour 

3 cups milk or chicken stock

3/4 cup frozen corn, rinse to thaw

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

Fresh ground pepper, salt and onion powder, to taste

Add butter to dutch oven and heat medium-high.  Cook sausage and onion in dutch oven until sausage browns and onions are soft. While they are cooking, cut cooled baked potatoes in half, scoop out flesh and mash with a fork. Save skins for an appetizer another night or just dice up potatoes with skins for this soup; I have done both. Once onions are cooked, sprinkle with flour, stir to coat for a few minutes to cook out the "floury" taste. Gradually add milk or stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Continue to stir until mixture thickens, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan (the best part!). Add potatoes, corn and cheese to mixture and stir until cheese melts and everything is heated through. Add pepper, salt, onion powder and/or whatever other spice to suit your taste.  Serve with The Bread.

• You can use fresh sausage that is GF and or DF in lieu of the smoked.
• You can skip the flour or use a GF alternative
• Use your favorite cooking oil in lieu of butter
• The cheese can be left out and it will taste just as good
• When I am planning this dish ahead of time, I'll bake the potatoes in the oven with another night's dinner to save energy.  If I am making this last minute, I throw the potatoes in the microwave for 8 minutes.
• I made this the other night with milk b/c I was out of chicken stock, but I usually make it with chicken stock.

Recipes: Baked Potato and Sausage Soup with Beer Biscuits

The soup is a dump recipe I made up a couple of years ago as the result of a craving.

Baked Potato & Sausage Soup

2 baking potatoes, baked and cooled 

8oz smoked sausage, sliced 1/2" thick and then quartered 

1/2 tbsp butter 

1/2 a small onion, diced 

2 tbsp flour 

3 cups milk or chicken stock

3/4 cup frozen corn, rinse to thaw

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Fresh ground pepper, salt and onion powder, to taste 

Cook sausage in dutch oven until brown; remove. Add onion to same pot and cook in sausage fat until soft. Add butter if needed in order to cook onions. While they are cooking, cut cooled baked potatoes up and mash with a fork. Once onions are cooked, sprinkle with flour, stir to coat and cook for a few minutes to cook off the flour taste. Gradually add milk or stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.

Continue to stir until mixture thickens, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add potato, sausage, corn and cheese to mixture and stir until cheese melts and everything is heated through. Add pepper, salt and onion powder and/or whatever other spice to suit your taste.

Do you know Paula Deen?  She ranks right up there with The Pioneer Woman, in my book.  Ben used to think she was really Mrs. Claus and Paula Deen was her alias.  I made her wonderful Beer Biscuits to go with the soup.  I usually half the recipe and bake 6 biscuits when it's just us.  The hubs then eats the leftover biscuits for snacks.

Beer Biscuits

4 cup Bisquick 

1/2 cup sugar 

1 12-ounce can of beer 

2 tablespoon butter, melted 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients well. Pour into well-greased muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with honey butter. Makes 12 - 16 biscuits. 

Honey butter: mix room temperature butter with honey in a 3:1 or 2:1 ratio, depending on your taste.

Recipes: Pan-Fried Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes and Iceberg Wedges with Ranch Dressing

Do you know The Pioneer Woman?  If not, you must get to know her!  She cooks up some darn good grub!  I have not liked every recipe of hers that I've made, but most of them, I do.  This past weekend, I made her Pan-Fried Pork Chops, some mashed potatoes and Iceberg wedges with her homemade ranch dressing.  Everything was a hit, except for the potatoes with B.  He does not like skins on his potatoes and I insist on cooking with them b/c of their nutritional value.  Also, I did not make gravy and B only wants to eat mashed potatoes with gravy on top.  Too bad, he had to eat what I served.  The best part was that B ate the entire wedge of salad that I put on his plate without a single grumble!  He loved the dressing that much.  I'm onto something here...  Oh, and my leftover-hating son ate the leftovers for dinner the next night, too!

Some modifications to the recipes:

I did not buy bone-in chops.  I have thick cut, boneless chops that I sliced sideways to make them nice and thin.

I have no idea what her secret is to cutting Iceberg wedges into wedges that stay wedges on the plate.  However, no one noticed or just chose not to comment due to the deliciousness of the homemade ranch dressing.  Oh, and I cooked up a couple of slices of bacon and crumbled them on top of the dressing.  Probably a bigger distraction to the lack of wedges than the dressing.

I didn't buy dill nor cayenne at the store b/c I was convinced I had some at home.  Turns out the hubs finally decided to do some cleaning in the fridge and the spice pantry w/o my knowledge.  *sigh*  So, I really missed the dill in the dressing, but the boys didn't notice.  Next time, they're going in the dressing though.

I used milk instead of buttermilk b/c I never use up all the buttermilk in a carton before it goes bad so I try to avoid buying it.  I could have made some, but I was lazy and hungry, so I just used regular milk.

I did add the optional vinegar, worcestershire and paprika to the dressing.

This dinner was a big hit and will be added to my dinner rotation.