The last day at the cabin is reserved for leftover clean up and clean out!
Do you do that?
My mom was always very good about having one night a week where ALL the leftovers came out of the fridge and meals were made from what was left behind.
There may have only been a couple of servings of leftover baked beans, or some left over potato salad --- maybe one ear of corn on the cob, some leftover meat loaf.
It made for some funny meals, but the food was always very very good and usually nothing went to waste. If there was ever left over spaghetti and sauce, that was mine!
We really did have more food up here than we needed this week, especially thanks to kind mountain neighbors who loaded us down with produce: Lettuce, tomatoes, squash AND cucumbers are coming out of our ears! Some will be going home with me, but we felt a little adventurous tonight and wondered what we could make with:
4 yellow summer squash
half of an onion
half of a green pepper
half of a carton of mushrooms
one package of pre-cooked fajita meat that as of yet was unopened.
Doesn’t sound too bad does it? As of yesterday we are out of eggs at the cabin, and I’m still living my life gluten-free so a casserole with bread crumbs or eggs just wasn’t going to happen.
Stir-fry all the veggies you’ve got in some olive oil and add some minced garlic, salt and pepper!
When everything is tender, transfer into a 9 X 13 pan.
Layer the fajita meat on top, cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. It was pretty juicy when it came out of the oven, but boy did it smell good! You can drain the extra liquid if you want, but we found it to be a nice flavorful sauce.
**This would have been really good served over rice but we didn’t want to wait to make some before eating.
Say Cheese!!
There was just enough left in a package of shredded cheese to sprinkle some over the top and let it melt while we set the table.
This was so good we both had seconds! I think I LIKE “clean out the fridge night!”
Any leftovers of THIS meal will be going home with me for lunch tomorrow after dropping Mickey off at the airport in Greensboro.
The sewing area is cleaned up --- all dog ears, threads and snippy bits have been vacuumed, swept and boxed away. It's been a blast having friends to sew with at the cabin this week and the time went by TOO QUICKLY. Tonight is for relaxing with chick-flicks on Netflix, feet up and hand-stitching away to the glow of tandem ott lights ---
Almost time to say goodbye to Quilt Villa – at least until next time!
18 comments:
That casserole looks yummy! You can't go wrong with fresh veggies from the garden and some cheese. Have you cleaned out all possible remnants of the lint in your sewing machine? We never did get to see any strings from fabrics on the carpeting; that would definitely tell us what colors were involved. We are so ready for a new mystery quilt! Glad you ladies all had a nice retreat. Enjoy your "leftover" casserole tomorrow.
You make your life fun. I know there are exceptions, but as I get older I think happiness is a choice. Choose happiness always.
I just want to thank you in advance for the mystery that you are working on for us! I can't wait to pull from my stash a plethora of colors to make your new creation! I'm still plugging away at my Turkey Tracks, got sidetracked with 2 baby quilts. I am still loving the pattern and all my reds,! Bonnie, you're the best! Thank you, thank you!
oh yes, a friend of mine shared how she has "mustgo" once a week. I have continued since then, it only makes sence and yes, you come up with some strange meals, but creative and frugal! Anne
famarsaw@aol.com
I don't think I've learned how to stop cooking for 4 (one was a starving boy) and now just cook for the 2 of us. We always have way too much. We have many leftover nights, but I still end up throwing way too much food away - it drives me crazy! Groceries are so expensive! Your casserole looks yummy! Glad you girls have had tons of fun!
Like a quilter who uses every scrap of fabric...not a speck of food goes to waste . I need another Ott light for evening sewing. Can't see the eye if the needle tonight
Leftover nights are my husband's favorite!
I like to call it refrigerator potluck! It always makes for some interesting meals. I really enjoy your blog, quilts and take on life.
I just got my Quiltmaker Magazine. What a wonderful quilt pattern from you! Thank you. I am going to treat it kind of like a "mystery" or quilt along...Wonderful issue.
Wednesday is smorgasbord night for me. Usually use it all up then before going shopping again.
Thanks for sharing. Your food looked yummy.
Barby MH ARK
You do make life fun, Bonnie! We also have "must go" at our house and I package leftovers in one person meals for my mother in law who is 87 and lives in an assisted living complex. She is very grateful for all the "must go" meals she receives. Sometimes something I'm not to wild about she just loves. Got the borders on my string spider web quilt today after cleaning the lint out of my sewing machine. If I can figure out how to send you a picture I will after it is machine quilted! I too am anxious for the new mystery quilt. Thanks for all you do for us...it is appreciated!
DH (who retired before I did & was a good cook) used to call this type of meal "slum-gullion" and it usually tasted just great. Problem was he could never duplicate it -
We got some summer squash last night... gonna cook it up with some olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, other spices... serve with steak off the grill... yummy!
Bonnie, have you tried Pioneer Woman's Carb Buster Breakfast? Quickly stir fried squashes and onions with poached eggs and a slab of cheese. Yummy! I highly recommend it for a carb-free breakfast or dinner. I poach my eggs right in the skillet with the veggies as I found her water poaching method made the dish too runny. We love it!
Are corn tortillas on the GF diet? If so, this would make great tacos/burritos. It looks yummy!
Had a good laugh at this!! When my 3 girls were little, when it was time to "clear the fridge", I put all leftovers together, added some simple cornstarch gravy and served it over rice, which was a constant at our place, and called it "Tobias Special"! Years later, visiting them all in Hawaii, I asked if they would like me to fix a meal for them, and they all asked for that dish, saying how much they loved it. Had to come clean and tell them what was in the dish. They all still make their own version now!!
We had an elderly friend who called those leftover meals must-gos ... as in 'I'm having mustgos for dinner tonight'. I like mustgos too. :)
Oh, I liked your "left-over" story...we do the same at our house once a week. Growing up, the children actually didn't complain about it because they only would take what they really wanted...instead of "having to try a little of everything"! I'm usually the last one to be served, so I really get the left-over left-overs, but that's okay!
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