Saturday, April 7, 2012

"Planned Over Easter"

Even on holidays I make extras or "planned over" food that can be made into something else.  This makes the rest of my weekly cooking much easier.

Have you ever went down the frozen food aisle and wondered if you could freeze something similar you make at home? Now is your chance.  Try it with a small amount of  your "planned overs".  If it works great; next time make a double recipe and freeze one. If it doesn't work only a small amount of food was tested and not a whole recipe.

My favorite website to get ideas of what to do with "planned overs" is All Recipes . I just click on ingredient search and I  get tons of recipes to give me inspiration!

Here are some ideas of what to do with Easter "planned overs".   Be creative! You have nothing to lose. 
 
Have a Happy Easter and take it one prep at a time!

Chef Jackie

Ham
  • Add to egg sandwiches, omelets, frittatas, quiches (can be frozen) and stratas
  • Add to salads including potato salad, chef salad and pasta salads
  • Toss with steamed green beans
  • Make hot ham and cheese sandwiches, these can be made ahead.  On a bun place ham slices and cheese.  Wrap in foil.  When ready to eat; thaw and bake in foil.
  • Chop extra ham and freeze in 1 cups servings to use as pizza toppings, omelet fillings or in soups 
  • Make Monti Cristo sandwiches; ham, Swiss cheese and Dijon mustard between two slices of bread dipped in french toast batter and pan or deep fried then dusted with powder sugar and served with raspberry jam on the side
  • Add to soups; split pea, baked potato, bean and ham and shrimp chowder
  • Serve as a topping on baked potatoes with cheese and eggs
  • Add to twice baked potatoes; these can be frozen for another meal
  • Add to Au gratin potatoes
  • Ham salad- grind cooked ham and combine with chopped hard boiled eggs, onions, celery and mayo
  • Make Ham Fried Rice
  • Chicken Cordon Blue-chicken stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese; can be frozen 
  • Add to Pasta Carbonara
Hard Boiled Eggs
  • Add to salads-spinach, Cobb, chef, macaroni, tuna and potato
  • Add slices to sandwiches
  • Deviled eggs
  • BLTE's-serve in a lettuce wrap with bacon, tomatoes and mayo or on toasted bread
  • Add to smoothies-I know it sounds disgusting but you won't even taste the egg and it adds protein to this sweet drink
  • Make egg salad; serve on toast for breakfast

Scrambled Eggs
  • Make egg and cheese quesadillas
  • Roll cooled eggs and toppings into wraps or tortillas; wrap in parchment and foil and freeze.  Reheat in the oven or a steam basket for a quick breakfast anytime
  • Serve on top of baked potatoes with cheese
  • Make Breakfast Nachos-Place tortilla chips, scrambled eggs, cheese and your choice of toppings on a cookie sheet; bake until warm and cheese is melted
  • Add to stir fries
  • Add to smoothies (see above)
  • Breakfast Super Bowl-layer eggs, potatoes, meat and cheese in bowl; heat and eat
  • Breakfast Pizza-top a pre-baked crust with scrambled eggs, toppings of your choice and cheese; bake in 350 degree oven until cheese is melted 

Roasted Potatoes
  • Make Potato Salad; toss with mayo or ranch dressing, crumbled bacon or ham, chopped hard boiled eggs, celery and onions
  • Make Pesto Potato Salad-toss with Italian Vinaigrette, pesto, cooked sausage, onions and peppers
  • Make Egg strata and replace the bread with "planned over" potatoes
  • Make your favorite Hash
  • Potato Nachos-top with cheese and bacon crumbles bake at 350 until cheese is melted; remove from heat and sprinkle with chopped green onions.  Serve with sour cream.
  • Add to omelets, quiches and fritatas

Veggies
  • Make pasta salad; toss with cooked pasta and vinaigrette
  • Pasta Primavera-Re-warm in a saute pan and toss with angel hair pasta, Italian vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese
  • Pesto Pasta-  Toss warm angel hair pasta with pesto and warmed "planned over" veggies
  • Add to omelets, fritatas, quiche and stratas
  • Add to Panini Sandwiches or quesadillas
  • Freeze "planned overs" and add to soups and stew
  • Make vegetable stock
  • Add to meat or chicken pot pie
Sausage or Kielbasa
  • Jambalaya
  • Gumbo
  • Sausage and Lentil Stew
  • Sausage and Peppers cooked in spaghetti sauce; served over rice or pasta
  • Sausage, apples and cabbage sauteed in butter
  • Cabbage and Sausage Soup or Stew
  • Remove casings and crumble, freeze in 1 cup portions for pizza toppings
  • Sausage gravy over biscuits
  • Add to egg dishes
  • Add to chili
  • Add to chowders
  • Make sausage hash
  • Serve with beans and rice
  • Make pork and beans
  • Sausage Fried Rice

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