Day 2's Dinner

Last night's dinner got lots of raves. I had lots of leftover antipasto veggies: marinated radishes, red potatoes, baby carrots, artichoke hearts, radicchio... but it wasn't enough for three people. But I had cooked a huge batch of wild rice for the Thanksgiving stuffed squashes, and I didn't use it all. So I threw in about a cup of cold wild rice, added the chopped up leftover roast beef, some mizithra cheese I found in the frig, and put it all over a bed of lettuce.

I served it with warm bread and butter.

Not bad. Not bad, at all.

Tonight's dinner? We're getting pizza. And it won't be Zachary's or Cheeseboard, since we don't live in Berkeley.

Darn.

Food? What Food?

After weeks of holiday eating (and drinking),vacations, and an upcoming writing deadline, food has become a side thought around here. I know - I'm having a hard time dealing with that, myself. But I literally have not had the time or desire to think about food.

We're still eating, of course. You know all those extra meals I prepare and freeze? They sure have come in handy.

My meal planning has dropped down to figuring out what to take out of the freezer. Because of dental work, one of us is relegated to soft food for the week, so I'm pulling out things like soups (potato, turkey), rice and broth, baked butternut squash, etc.

I still have a full freezer, but I've managed to use up all my homemade broth - it's time to make more! Today, I pick up our CSA box for the first time in three weeks. I know I'll have to do something about all those veggies. So even in down times, the cooking doesn't go away completely.

Amazing Fact: I did not gain any weight this holiday season. Didn't lose any, mind you. But I didn't gain any either, and I'm happy about that! Last year, from November 07 to - say May 07 , I gained about 15 pounds. I still have to lose that. So I'm relieved to know I didn't add to the problem this year.

Turkey Pot Pie with Pumpkin Biscuit Topping

We had this last night, as another way to use Thanksgiving leftovers.

I had the turkey broth, with loads of meat, already cooked and frozen. I used one jar of it, with some added water, carrots, onions, and peas. I mixed in a little cornstarch to thicken it.

Very simple. Classic taste.

It was the pumpkin biscuits that took it over the edge.

They were butternut-squash biscuits actually, using some squash leftover and also in the freezer. Here's the recipe:

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup squash (I think I had a little more than that)
Milk to consistency

Mix the dry ingredients, cut in the butter until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the squash and mix, adding milk as needed to make the dough pliable.

Knead for a few strokes, pat out and cut into biscuits.

For regular biscuits, you can bake these on a greased cookie sheet at 400 for about 15 minutes.

I placed them on top of the turkey filling, which I'd poured into a greased baking pan. I baked the whole thing, uncovered, at 400 for about 25 minutes,until the buscuits were golden brown.

This was simply delicious. We have enough for two more meals!