So...our friendly cooking "competition" really inspired me.
Paul knows some of the fancy terms, like mirepoix, so when he mentioned it on Saturday night, I remembered that it was what Melissa D'Arabian used when starting off her ribs recipe. So I decided to make an attempt at a homemade spaghetti sauce recipe, starting with a "mirepoix", which is simply a mix of chopped celery, carrots and onion, sauteed in a touch of olive oil (and/or butter - I did use a bit of both).
Once the vegetables started to soften, I added in some tomato paste (almost a whole small can), as well as some garlic and fresh basil. Then I added in a can of diced tomatoes (the kind with basil and oregano flavoring), undrained, as well as a bit of chicken stock. A healthy dash of red wine and I let it simmer to bring all of the flavors together. Last but not least, I chopped some spinach into it since I knew the spinach would cook down, and to get rid of some of the leftover spinach I had.
Speaking of leftover spinach, I made a very tasty (and simple) spinach salad to go with it. Started off by destemming the spinach and placing in a bowl. Then I hardboiled 2 eggs and crumbled them, as well as using the last of the chopped pecan as a garnish. Some mandarin oranges completed it, with the exception of a dressing. I LOVE a hot bacon dressing and decided I could probably figure out how to do this. I started with some raspberry pecan preserves, olive oil and chopped pecans and used the food processor to blend. After some internet research, I added in bacon bits (I used artificial), dijon mustard, white wine vinegar and some sugar. The end result - delish!!! The perfect complement to a spinach salad.
Next was my chicken. Lots of leftover chicken from Saturday night, so I sliced it into small, thin pieces. Put it in an egg wash, then dipped it into a mixture of flour with some dipping sauce and sauteed it all up. Had it warming in the oven while I finished things up.
Now for the fettucine. I do love homemade pasta, but obviously that is a bit time consuming, so I used the Bertollini (I think that's the brand) refrigerated fettucine. It is SO much lighter than boxed pasta - a bit more expensive and I have not come across a whole grain option yet, but it was light and tasty.
And last but not least, a bruschetta with the bread that I never used Saturday night. I warmed it, topped it with a light spread of garlic, then on some pieces I added fresh diced tomatoes. But since most of our family are non-tomato lovers, I left them off on most. A sprinkling of parmesan cheese, and we have a simple but tasty bread dish.
Since it looks like our refrigerator will now not be fixed until THURSDAY, I have to keep being creative in using up leftovers and using what we have. Thankfully that only means figuring out meals for tonight and tomorrow night since Wednesday night is trivia, but it has been SO frustrating. Tonight is definitely a leftover night, and I think I will defrost some chicken for tomorrow and continue to use what we have on hand, hoping my creative juices will flow!
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