Leftover Roulette

What do you do with all those leftovers ? Are they still good and if so can you repurpose them. What can you creat with a bit of these combined with a smattering of that?Plenty if you know how to do it.

Leftovers get moldy quick. Eat them now or you'll be faced with a  thin coating of white,  green or orange mold. Unless you're conducting a science experiment toss them. fruit also either gets a white fuzzy coating of the stuff alogn with shriveling up quick. The same with veggies. Try to use fruit as part of a parfait or evne breakfast. Of course overly - almost black bananas are a staple in banana bread. Apples and pears with brown spots should be chucked outside either to feed the local wildlife ro added to the compost heap. If you went apple pickingand wound up wirh too mnay baskets, then think about wither giving them to family, friends and neighbors or make pies and tarts for the crowd. Keep in mind that fall's fruit apple and pears can be frozen and they can be used for later use. As for veggies again, if there's even a spot of mold toss them,if not think about salads that just have tomatoes or peppers in them. Onions can keep and they can be shredded and air fried for crispy snacks.

Protein goes quick too,.leftover steak and chicken can be cut up and used in salads. Add tomatoes , broccoli and green beans  Dress with a zingy Italian dressing for  a qucik supper.Another idea is adding the meat  to ratatouille for a different spin on the classic French dish. Serve with toasted baguette slices.Leftover turkey and ham can be ground in the food processor with some mayo . This can take the leftovers into lunch or even as a quick snack spread on crackers. Leftover soup can be revitalized with the addition of broth and smaller pasta like pastina or orzo. It can be stretched also with some leftover steaks or cut up chicken breasts along with whatever cut veggies you have. Leftovers  can also be turned into subs.Yesterday's salad can be used as one of the layers  along with whatever cheese you have in the fridge. Keep in mind that cold cuts have a short life too. Use them within a few days  whether in sandwiches or inyour takes on Croque Monsiur or Croque Madame.

Clear the fridge before you forget and wind up with all sorts of mold. Be creative what the leftovers . They can be turned into something tasty and not be wasted.

Fall's Latest Trends

Falls brings about everything new, from TV shows to fashions. What we eat and drink are no exception. There are some new products and celebrity driven trends that are on any foodie's radar.

Two of the latest trends are pictured below.

One is Bubly, a refreshing new seltzer. To be honest it made its' debut a couple of months ago. There are a variety of flavors and unlike other seltzers are flavored much more strongly than other seltzers. I first became aware of them when I would buy their strawberry flavor for rides down the New Jersey shore. The taste was amazing - as if I had squeezed fresh strawberries in plain seltzer. It was refreshing and delicious , especially for an hour to an hour and a half trip in solid Sunday traffic. When my Stop & Shop offered their twelve box cans on sale, I snapped them. up. The cherry flavor was crisp, think regular cherry soda without all that cloying sweetness. (it made a phenomenal base for egg creams.) Their lemon and lime was also very flavorful and I 'm looking forward to trying their grapefruit. and mango. Another trend is whipped cream made with different milks. Living in a vegan household, makes having certain foods difficult. One of them is whipped cream, the type you spritz on sundaes and hot cocoas. I tried Reddi-Whip's new vegan creams. in coconut.  The taste was slightly like that of an Almond Joy .Unfortunately the trademark ruffly look didn't come out and it kind of looked like vanilla pudding on my coffee. Maybe the almond milk one will be better.

For those wanting a better non-dairy whipped cream  try  this Soyatoo Rice whip.It does have a slightly boiled rice flavor but it holds its'. shape once it's squirted out.

Hershey's has come out with a chocolate and even a peanut butter whipped cream which I can see on ice cream, Death By Chocolate or even cupcakes.Reddi-whip already has a chocolate whipped cream which has been out for some time.Some celebrities  that are trending for the fall food season may be using any of these for their dessert recipes. One big trend right now is Chrissie Tiegen, who just recently published a cookbook. Hungry For More.Her banana chocolate bread looks amazing, especially since she pairs it with salted butter. Another celebrity with a cookbook is the ever practical Joannna Gaines whose Magnolia Table has a juicy homemade chicken pot pie recipe.   (both recipes can be found in the latest issue of People Magazine.

It's fall and that means new food trends and products. Try them for novelty's sake . They may just be your family's new favorite.                            

Your Ultimate Beer Cookbook

Beer is a summer must have.An icy cold one is the perfect foil for barbecued ribs or even a burger. It's even great for those late night gatherings with friends or neighbors.Imagine having it three times a day or better yet, in bread or in fudge. Thanks to a new cookbook beer lovers can.

Eliza Cross has given us a neat little cookbook,101 Things To Do With Beer (Gibbs Smith Publishing) for not just for summer barbecuing but for year round cooking.Beer is one of the most versatile ingredients because there are many types and each are perfect for everything from casseroles to desserts.The small cookbook (only 124 pages!) is  packed with some big recipes. The chapters include appetizers, breads,sauces and condiments, soups, dinners, side dishes, desserts and sweets.She also give definitions of the seven different beers used in the two pages of helpful hints.Pilsner cannot be used for dessert recipes because it's too light and bitter while stout is too rich and almost chocolate-y to be used in batters.Regular  beers is excellent in baking because the yeast in it acts as a leavening agent.It also makes an excellent marinade because its' enzymes have a tenderizing effect. Its' natural sugars help promote browning and carmelizing. Also beers don't have the acidity of wine so meats can be marinated up to forty-eight hours to absorb more flavor.Home chefs should use caution in adding beers to food that will be frozen since the alcohol in it can inhibit the freezing process.

The recipes are great. Party givers and party lovers will enjoy the easy beer cheese dip made with cream cheese and beer. Of course there are the beer battered recipes,  but with a new spin using cauliflower and jalapeno chips (!). There are the beer battered onion rings but spiced up with garlic and Parmesan. Home bakers will love baking loaves with it because the en product will be not only fluffier and moister but will stay fresher than regular loaves.They'll enjoy baking soft beer pretzels. There is also honey wheat beer bread and cornbread waffles. Beer is  even in German coffeecake and a glazed banana bread as well as in foccacia and scones. The dinners include the classic Welsh rarebit, that glorious mix of beer, cheddar and Worcestershire sauce along with the new classic beer can chicken. However beer lovers will delight in the spaghetti with beer braised meatballs and beef boiled  shrimp. Stout lovers will go mad for the beef stout pie. There are also recipes for sides such as buttered mushrooms with beer and refrigerator pickles made with it. Crafty home chefs can also whip up  spicy beer mustard or best beer turkey brine. along with the beer orange dressing. Stout beer, tastes the most like chocolate and it's in many dessert recipes There are chocolate glazed stout brownies and chocolate stout ice cream.. Other beers such as lager star in apple cinnamon beer batter crepes.along with cherry wheat beer in the appropriate cherry beery Bundt cake. For a fun movie night make a batch of chocolate stout fudge or beer caramel corn.

Beer is the perfect summertime drink. Yet it's even better , saucing up meatballs or giving depth to classic Welsh rarebit. Try the recipes in 101 Things To Do With Beer. They'll elevate the brew to another level.

THe book comes out in August but you can preorder it and others on Amazon.

101 Things to do With Beer

101 More Things To Do With Bacon

Pumpkin It Up!

How D'ya Like Them Apples?