Post Christmas Potluck!
Some of you may recall when I was the “Naked Gourmet?”
(I’ll show that photo sometime!) The whole concept was me cooking on the fly with what was in my fridge and pantry.
There’s no better time to do that than after a holiday of feasting when you have the best leftovers ever, even if not many of them.
Christmas 2019 produced a dearth of leftovers, but the “naked gourmet” is unbothered and unflummoxed by a lack of ingredients!
If you think too hard or force the issue, you miss the point and the fun. My real objective was to not toss lovely things, and, to empty my fridge and clean it in time for my New Year’s salad salad salad mantra. At least I only had to cobble enough for me to eat; too bad since others would have loved chowing down on these dishes!
After Christmas Quiche
I had one pie crust left, 4 eggs, about a cup of veggies (onions, carrots, red and green bell peppers) originally cooked in a crockpot with a roast beef and a fine gravy, and a half cup of eggnog. I whipped the eggs in a bowl, added the veggies, eggnog and poured all in the uncooked piecrust. I sprinkled on a little salt and a lot of pepper and baked at 350 for about 25 minutes. I was expecting a so-so quiche. Instead, I ended up with a super savory slim quiche that tasted so gourmet and the eggnog made a perfect addition (I had no milk or cream) in that warm pie crust. It took about five minutes to make (since the ingredients were cooked) and produced something I could not have found a recipe for, or made up myself, or that would have been as good starting from scratch.
Potato Soup Better Than Even the French Make!
I took two leftover baked potatoes, peeled them and cut them into smallish cubes and tossed them into a soup pot. I took the leftover gravy from the crockpot roast (it included scallions, onions, carrots, and I forget what else), a final dab of sour cream from the bottom of the carton, the last of the chives, a broken up potato pancake from the last breakfast, and let all simmer until hot before I tasted it. Yum! I chilled it in the fridge then skimmed off the fat now solid on top and reheated. Since I had no ingredients for cornbread, I cooked a box of Stovetop stuffing and poured the soup over that. Some wow after Christmas comfort food, indeed.
Gingerbread Not to Dread
I had a wonderful brother-in-law who was unable to eat solid food after a serious medical event. His last Christmas, I asked him if he’d like for me to make him some gingerbread. He lit up like a four-year-old and nodded heartily. I used a boxed mix and he had to have it processed (what my sister calls zizzed) and so he ended up with a warm gingerbread milkshake that he gulped down with a smile on his face and let out a sincere, “Ahhhhhhh!” It could not have made him happier than it made me to do something so simple for this dear man. This Christmas I also made a batch of boxed gingerbread, adding some pineapple juice, shredded coconut, and a tad of vanilla and cinnamon. At the local grocery, I bought a muffin pan that had shallow square holes perfect for gingerbread squares. The squares were delicious, fluffy soft, and in a bowl with a scoop of eggnog ice cream on top were better than any other holiday dessert I had made. I ate mine for breakfast, lunch dessert and a midnight snack. The ;last one was in honor of Paul, who had passed away.
The Naked Gourmet is now retired until next Christmas but ho, ho, ho to impromptu cooking all year. It tastes the best!
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