Let the Potluck Begin--with Super Leftovers!

The Super Party is Over.  The Ravens won and the 49ers put up a good second half.  The commercials had some winners and losers, too. The half-hour long game (and commercial) delay caused by the power outage may have caused guests to empty Super Party buffet tables more than usual, still, we're betting that there some leftovers tucked into cabinets and fridges. 

Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters the month-long celebration of our very own "National Potluck Month" is just beginning. . . and beginning with the best makings for great "potlucks" in the first meaning of the word -- the luck of the pot. 

There are loads of opportunities for savvy and clever cooks to use the Super leftovers to make more meals and snacks. Of course in the name of food safety, any food--other than those which are temperature-stable such as chips, raw fruits and vegetables, or cheese--that has been sitting out for more than an hour or so should be discarded.  But for many of us, that still leaves a lot of possible, creative and money-saving possibilities. 

Here are seven ways of thinking about some of the most familiar Super Party leftovers. 

1.  Here in the northern Midwest, we know there is no better topping for a casserole or "hot dish" than crushed potato or corn chips.  Gather up all those crumbs and tuck them away. No need to make buttered crumbs when you have these tasty morsels at hand. 

2. When is a dip not a dip?  When you convert it into a sauce!  Even the smallest drib or drab of creamy dip can be mixed with cooked vegetables and a bit of milk to make a quick creamed vegetable.  Sour cream and onion dip mixed with cooked frozen spinach or boiled new potatoes, yum!  Add leftover salsa to cooked carrots, green beans, or corn, more yum!  You don't need a lot, even the last two tablespoons make a tasty difference. 

3. As the French say, "The sauce is everything!"  With leftover cheese, bits of ham or turkey, and even partial bottles of wine, you have the sauce makings for pasta, macaroni, vegetables, potatoes, or to pour over a toasted English muffin for a quick dinner.

4. Slightly wilted vegetables from the veggie tray slip right into soup stock.

5. Combine slighted fruits such as strawberries, apples or pineapple cubes with sugar and cook into sauces or ice cream toppings

6. The Avocado!!  Unopened ripe avocados will hold for a few days in the refrigerator. You can deploy ripe ones into mashed potatoes. Chop and mix the avocado with a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice to stop it from turning brown, then add to the potatoes and mash away!

7. Chicken Wings!!!! Reports surfaced over the weekend that more than one billion chicken wings were slated for Super Party platters.  The truly frugal among us would have gathered all those bones, combined them with water and some of the veggie tray leavings to simmer into a stock.  I'm not that thriftily willing to take something that has been in someone's mouth and make it into soup.  However, I would happily cook up any unconsumed wings after rinsing off the salt-containing sauce. 

Copyright 2013 Rae Katherine Eighmey. All rights reserved

Baltimore Super Bowl® Ham

Count down to Super Sunday is now in its last week for the teams and for those of us who relish the game at parties, or just sitting in front of the television cheering loudly for our favorite teams. . . or commercials. However you watch it, the day is all about stars.

Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters we got to looking in the fridge for game-treat ingredients and discovered the end of the holiday ham nicely nestled in the freezer. And we got to thinking about those who sit on the bench, waiting for their opportunity to get in the game and take off as a star.

We've already put up a couple of recipes for the 49ers and the Ravens. This time we took our inspiration from a book loosely based old Maryland colonial-era recipes. We found a baked ham coated with brown sugar and doused in sherry. What would happen if we brought those flavors to the last cup of leftover holiday ham?

Well, we ended up with "Put Me in the Game, Coach" Minced Ham.

Quickly made, this new ingredient combination is ready to help any number of other culinary players elevate their game. It effectively stretches a sandwich's worth of ham into enough deliciousness for several sides or snacks.

 Use it to:
Stuff mushrooms
Mix into deviled eggs
 Put into scrambled eggs or omelets
Mix half and half with buttered bread crumbs Great for for green bean casserole topping
Toss into salads or scalloped potatoes
Blend with granted cheese, spread on English muffin and broil
The list goes on and on.

And it couldn't be easier to make.

Baltimore "Put me in the Game, Coach" Minced Ham

1 cup minced ham
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 teeny, tiny pinch ground cloves
3 or 4 grinds black pepper

Put all ingredients into a medium frying pan and cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the liquid is evaporated.

Add small amounts to make eggs, potatoes, leftovers and other dishes sideline stars.
Keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for a month.

 Super Bowl is a registered trademark of the National Football League 

 Copyright 2013. Rae Katherine Eighmey All rights reserved.

Super Bowl Viewing--Potluck Cook-Off

This is the first event in our third annual, self-proclaimed "February is National Potluck Month" celebration.

Some have called “Super Sunday” a national holiday. Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters we’re not sure the big game ranks up there with Valentines Day or even President’s Day in the range of February events. But we do know it is a time when our favorite kind of event come into its best. The Game Day Potluck.

With four teams and three weeks left, it is definitely time to plan. This year we’re taking our inspiration from a 1922 cookbook—The Stag Cookbook: Written by Men for Men and featuring the favorite recipes of famous fellows of the era. Reading through the recipes it seems as though many of them were actually cooked by the notable gents. There are a fair number of simple spaghetti with canned tomato sauce dishes along with mac and cheese and scrambled eggs. That’s a clue to the genuine nature of these dishes.

So, if those gents could come forth with tasty treats nearly a century ago, why not offer the challenge to the guys who attend this year’s Super Game Day parties? Kick-off is at 6:30 EST. Plenty of time for folks to gather and have a Potluck Cook-Off.

Instead of the usual chips, salsa, wings, pizza, toss out the challenge. Bring your best dish to be scored on a 7-point scale for flavor, texture, and overall appeal – with 2 extra “safety” points awarded for healthful ingredients, low sodium, or low fat. A bonus 3-point “field goal” score for using totally fresh ingredients.

To get the ball rolling, here’s one of the 1922 recipes.

Harry Houdini’s Famous Scalloped Mushrooms.

1/2 pound (8 ounces) fresh mushrooms of any kind
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup fresh bread whole wheat bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon salt, optional
several grinds of fresh black pepper

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F.
Wipe off the mushrooms and cut into thin slices. Lightly butter a tall, one-quart casserole dish. Divide the mushrooms into thirds. Put one layer in the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crumbs and pepper, Dot with butter, using about 1/2 tablespoon. Repeat layers. For the last layer of crumbs, melt the last 2 tablespoons of butter and add the last 1/4 cup of crumbs and mix well. Sprinkle these buttered crumbs over the top of the casserole. Bake until the mushrooms are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. The layers will sink considerably as they cook.

Serves 4.

NOTE: The key to this recipe is having three even layers of mushrooms and crumbs. It is easy to make a larger version using 1 pound in a two-quart casserole or 1 1/2 pounds in a three-quart casserole and increasing the other ingredients proportionally. Baking will take longer.

Now for treats form this year's four semi-finalist teams:

Starting with San Francisco

San Francisco 49er’s Chocolate Gold Rush Bars

Celebrate a 49er’s victory with a glass of champagne and these not-too-sweet treats made from two kinds of San Francisco’s famous Ghirardelli chocolate and some California red wine. They are so versatile that they could be a wonderful complement to ice cream if you need to sooth the shattered dreams caused by a “big game” defeat.  Perfect the way they are, but for a sweeter taste you can give them a glaze of chocolate or golden browned-butter icing.

1 cup Ghirardelli ground sweet chocolate

2 cups all purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup pitted dates, diced

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 8-ounce bar Ghirardelli dark chocolate 60%

6 tablespoons cold, hard butter

1/8 teaspoon salt, optional

2/3 cup wonderful California red wine

additional sweet cocoa powder for forming the bars 1/4 to 1/3 cup, approximately

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.   In food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the ground chocolate, flour, salt and baking powder. Add the raisins, dates, pecans,  the slightly chopped dark chocolate, and the hard butter cut in tablespoon-sized pieces. Pulse until the chocolate and fruit are chopped and the butter is blended in.

Note: if you do not have a processor, chop the raisins, dates, nuts, and chocolate into quarter-inch pieces. Blend the dry ingredients and butter as for piecrust and stir in the chopped ingredients.

Stir, or pulse, in the wine. Knead briefly, about 30 seconds, to form a smooth dough. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Divide the dough into 12 balls. Dust a work surface with the extra cocoa powder. Dip a ball of dough into sugar and roll under your fingers on the surface into a snake-like piece about 3/4 inch thick and 12 inches long. Cut into 2-inch long pieces and place on the baking sheet and flatten slightly with your fingers. You could easily make these into football shapes by tapering the ends. Continue with the rest of the dough. Bake until firm, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove to a wire baking rack to cool.

Yield: about 6 dozen bars.

Browned Butter Glaze

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon milk, more or less

Melt the butter in a small, heavy saucepan. Watch carefully as it begins to bubble and the butter solids turn brown. It can go from perfect to burned very quickly. Stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Add the milk a little a time. You can also add more sugar if the mixture is too runny. 

For the New England Patriots we have Patriots Corn Cakes with Cranberry BBQ Beef and Apple Slaw

For the Falcons we have Atlanta Peachy Chicken with Peach Pecan Chutney

And 

For Baltimore you can add a can of crab meat to this non-fat dip with tasty carrot chips

Good Luck to All the Teams and Fans!!!

Copyright 2013. Rae Katherine Eighmey. All rights reserved. 

Green Bay Sacked Potatoes

Cheer on the Green Bay Packers in the Big Game with these easy to make stuffed potatoes. Good hot, warm or room temperature, this healthful and filling dish couldn't be easier to make. Tomorrow's dish as our National Potluck Month continues -- Steelers' Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Green Bay Sacked Potatoes

Ingredients::
"B" size red potatoes
Fully cooked "brown and serve" sausages -- one for each whole potato
Cheddar cheese, finely grated -- 2 teaspoons for each whole potato

Method:
Scrub and then gently boil the potatoes until tender. Cool and slice in half. With a small spoon, scoop out a hollow bowl in the middle of the potato, reserving the scooped out potato bits. Cook the sausage according to package directions then dice.

Combine the cooked potato, diced sausage and grated cheese. Put back into the potato shell. Warm under the broiler or in the microwave until the cheese melts. Serve hot or at room temperature. You can make these ahead and store in the refrigerator until game time!

Potluck with the Champions

Super Bowl contenders Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers fought their way through teams with some tasty cuisine to get to the Big Game. One Potluck Paradise theme for a Super Sunday buffet features classic dishes from those cities.

The Pittsburgh side could feature Baltimore crab cakes and New York Reuben sandwiches or soft pretzels with mustard. On the Green Bay side of the table how about Chicago-style hot dogs -- beef dogs served on steamed poppy seed buns with yellow mustard, green relish, chopped onion, a couple of tomato slices, pickle spears and a dash of celery salt. There is only one way to pay homage to the Philadelphia Eagles -- a hearty cheesesteak!

Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters we've had a hard time choosing a dish to celebrate Atlanta's team, there are so many possibilities among great urban Southern dishes. Then we came up with Peachy Atlanta Falcon . . errr Chicken .. and Peach-Pecan Chutney.

Easy to make, good served hot or at room temperature, this dish will bring folks around to the Green Bay side even if they are rooting for Pittsburgh. The only hard part is allowing time for the chicken to marinate in the yogurt for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator. But it is a treat that is well worth the wait.

Peachy Atlanta Chicken with Peach-Pecan Chutney Sauce

2 pounds skinless chicken pieces -- You can use tenders, breasts either whole or cut into pieces, or thighs With or without bones.
1 8-ounce container peach yogurt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic

For the Sauce
1 14- to 16-ounce can peach halves or slices packed in juice
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup peach juice drained from the can
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 cup chopped pecans

The day before you are going to cook the chicken -- wash the chicken pieces, pat them dry and place them in a gallon-size zippered plastic bag. Mix the seasonings into the yogurt. With a spoon, spread the yogurt on the chicken, trying to cover all sides. Shut bag and gently smush to spread yogurt over chicken even more. Refrigerator for at least 8 hours, turning and smushing the bag a couple of times. When ready to cook: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with heavy-duty foil and place the chicken on it in a single layer. Bake until cooked through and lightly golden on top. Thickly cut tenders take about 20 minutes. Full breasts on the bone will take much longer.

To make the Sauce:
Drain the juice from the peaches and set the fruit aside. Combine all ingredients except the pecans in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and then cook for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Watch that the sauce does not scorch. After 10 minutes, remove it from the heat. While the sauce is cooking, finely dice the peaches and add them to the cooked sauce. The heat remaining is enough to cook the peaches into the sauce. When ready to serve alongside the chicken, sprinkle with pecans.

Super Deviled Eggs

Take Deviled Eggs to any potluck or Game Day party and just stand back. It's magic! They practically disappea before your eyes.

Our Potluck Paradise version updates the classic recipe with a bit of hidden, heart-healthy, finely grated carrot. The result: sunny yellow filling with half the cholesterol of a traditional version. All the flavor and a bit of added texture for interest. Best make extra for the family, because we guarantee you won't have any leftover to tote home.

Super Deviled Eggs
Quantity for 4 eggs ( 8 halves) Can easily be doubled or tripled.
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced in half
1 large carrot
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon mustard (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon dill weed
a couple grinds fresh black pepper

Peel and grate the carrot on the finest side of a box grater. The strands should look like thread. Put the carrot into a double layer of paper toweling. Wring out to remove excess moisture. You will have about 1/3 cup of dry carrot strands. Remove the yolks from the egg whites and DISCARD half of them. Put the remaining yolks in a shallow bowl and mash with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and seasonings. Stir in the carrot strands and spoon into the egg whites. Cover lightly and keep refrigerated until serving.

Potluck Paradise Method for Cooking Eggs to Hard Boil.
Always use the oldest eggs in your refrigerator. If I know I'm going to want to make hard-boiled eggs, I will often buy the eggs a couple of weeks in advance. As eggs age in the refrigerator, the air pocket extends and expands between the white and the shell. The larger this air layer is, the easier they are to peel after cooking.

Fill a saucepan with warm water. Put the eggs in so that they are in a single layer and covered with the water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Once the water is at a full boil. Turn off the heat, cover pot and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes, Longer time for larger eggs. Drain off water. Fill pot with cold water, gently crack the eggs all around the shell and put into the cold water for a couple of minutes. The pull an egg out and start removing the shell at the bigger end. If the shell is still sticking, hold the egg under a slow stream of water from the faucet and let the running water get between the shell membrane and the white.

Countdown to the Big Game

Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters we've declared February to be National Potluck Month. What better way to start the event with a countdown of recipes and ideas for the Super Day.

We're starting off with a healthy take on chips and dips. Non-fat cream cheese forms the base and we're slicing carrots into a chip. Holds more dip that a carrot stick and healthier than a salty corn or potato chips.

We'll have more recipes this coming week so you can prepare for your game-day Potluck.

To make Carrot Chips.
Pick a fat carrot. Peel with a vegetable peeler and then peel a thick slice off one side to provide a flat edge to make the chips. Carefully slice a long diagonal along the length of the carrot. Then cut slices about 1/8 of an inch thick into chips.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip with Carrot "Chips"
1 8-ounce container fat-free Philadelphia cream cheese
2 ounces dried cranberries
2 ounces chopped pecans
2 tablespoons minced green pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce, jelly or whole berry


Copyright 2011 Rae Katherine Eighmey All rights reserved

Starting Now, February is National Potluck Month!

Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters, we've decided to declare February "National Potluck Month."

If ever a month defined potluck, February is it. Days are quiet. Company is gone. Holidays are over, spring is coming, but not soon enough. The weather is capricious. Up here in Minnesota fresh snow is much less delightful now than it was the first week of December -- and, from what we've seen on the new. the same is true for 48 other states.

February is a time to make the most of what you have. To share good times with friends, family, and co-workers. To find your own bit of Paradise in a fun-filled Potluck, if only for an hour or two.

We'll be celebrating four potlucks this month. Watch for posts with recipes and ideas. But here's a hint of the themes: We'll start with thoughts on The Big Game played on February 7 -- the super Sunday. The middle of the month is Valentine's Day and we'll party while keeping our hearts healthy. Lincoln and Washington's Birthdays give a chance to look at some traditional recipes and finally, we'll round out the month with a Resolution Celebration.

Potluck Pizza
You can make this easy, delicious pizza almost faster than the delivery can arrive. It makes a great platform for using up the last bits of meats and vegetables, too.

DOUGH:
1 package dry yeast
2 tablespoons lukewarm water
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons shortening
1½ teaspoons salt
3 cups all purpose flour (or bread flour for a chewier crust)

Sprinkle yeast on top of the 2 tablespoons warm water; let stand until dissolved and it starts to foam. Pour 1 cup boiling water over shortening and salt in a large bowl. Cool to lukewarm and stir in yeast. Add half of the flour and beat until smooth. Add the remaining flour and knead into a smooth dough. Divide dough in half for two11-inch thin-crust pizzas, or just form into one 13-inch thick-crust pizza. Flatten dough into round(s) and place on greased cookie sheets. Make edges thicker to keep toppings from escaping during baking. Let rise in warm place as you prepare toppings.

TOMATO TOPPING:
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup Parmesan cheese
¾ pound sliced mozzarella cheese
2 cups ripe tomatoes, diced, or 1 (14- to 16-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 minced clove garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Brush dough with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, then arrange half the mozzarella on top. Combine tomatoes with garlic, salt and pepper; sprinkle on top followed by remaining cheese. Sprinkle with dried herbs and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Note: Other ingredients can added to taste. Tomato sauce can be put on as the first layer.