Iron Chef meals (or: "making do with what is on hand")

[lala]

what are some of your Iron Chef meals?

you know, those meals made with the last little bit of whatever....

tonight in our oven:

4-5 medium red potatoes, sliced into thin rounds (not paper thin), and parboiled.
pizza blend grated cheese
I tried to make heavy cream by shaking powdered milk, water and some Land O Lakes margarine in a jar... didn't work, but poured it over one layer of potatoes anyway.
topped with a can of chili beans and more cheese.

we shall see how it tastes. I think it could be fixed with some salt.

semi soft veggies, like those about to go bad, either thrown into minestrone or if they are compatible, steamed and served as a side dish, or, sometimes i steam them and puree and throw into spaghetti sauce (spinach, bell peppers, soemtimes zucchini, etc).

personal pizzas made with those thick flour tortillas, spaghetti sauce, grated cheese, maybe some chopped veggies, bake in oven for a few minutes to melt cheese.

same goes with leftover french/sourdough bread. cut into either sort of bite size pieces (baguette style) or cut in half lengthwise and top with pizza stuff to make pizza bread. (works great if you frequent food banks! the one close to me always tries to load me up on french bread)

while on the subject of leftover french bread.... make croutons. cut bread into cubes, toss with a ton of olive oil, garlic salt, Italian spices, etc, single layer on baking sheet, turn every few minutes til hard and crusty. let cool to room temp, store in any container. use in soups as well as salads. mmmmmm

or simply cut into bite size pieces/rounds, brush with olive oil/margarine/butter, bake for a few minutes and serve with a dipping sauce. Easy to make!
mix oil, a little balsamic vinegar (this works the best, but red wine vinegar might work?), dried basil, fresh garlic crushed, salt, pepper and anythign else that is sort fo Italian spices. Mix in a little dish. doesnt have to be perfectly mixed. pour onto a plate and serve with warm toasted bread. its a semi healthy snack for hungry people who cant wait til dinner.


Post your meals here.
Thanks!

[Jenn4262]

Mine is always based on either diced tomatoes or chicken stock. I take diced tomatoes, and either pasta, rice, or potatoes and then mix in whatever I have on hand... veggies, cheese, leftover chicken, whatever. Chicken stock in my mind is soup, so I dump whatever is in my fridge in there too.

[lala]

I made a delicious corn chowder for dinner tonight using instant mashed potato flakes, powdered milk, a can of corn, and some other cheap ingredients.

Served with famous food bank sourdough round.