Make Yourself a Dang Quesa-dilluh!

I had good intentions of participating in Leftover Tuesdays hosted by David of Cooking Chat. I was looking forward to trying to come up with something to do with leftover risotto because reheating it the next day is entirely unappetizing, why ruin a good thing? However, I didn’t have a chance to do that because even though I thought I had made tons, it was all gobbled up. But all is not lost as I have since learned from Mickey of Kitchen Inferno that leftover risotto can be made into little balls, covered in egg wash, crumbed and then fried. This was then confirmed by Rob of Hungry in Hogtown who went on to add that they’re called arancine which means little oranges. Rob also suggested that for a real treat I should put a ball of buffalo mozzarella in the centre before frying. After reading that I’m thinking of making risotto just for the leftovers! Even as I write this, more suggestions are still coming in, thanks folks. I will definitely be trying some of those ideas next time but unfortunately no number of risotto leftover suggestions could actually produce leftovers for this round of LOT. Ha, since when is not having leftovers a problem? You know you’re addicted to blogging events when…

No worries though, leftover chicken came through in the clutch. I roasted a chicken last night, nothing fancy, but I had leftovers and I knew that I could think of something good to make with them. I always make stock from the bones which I make soup out of or freeze for another time, so I didn’t want to post about that. It didn’t feel special enough and I like making new things. Then I remembered seeing that Freya of Writing at the Kitchen Table had recently made quesadillas and she made me want to make them too. I don’t know what I was waiting for so I got in the kitchen and made myself a dang quesa-dilluh! My next problem was what kind of quesadilla to make? Clearly I had none of the traditional ingredients, but that’s a-okay. What I did have was leftover chicken, a ripe mango, some old cheddar, black olives and a Curried Mango Grille Sauce. That sounded like a winning combination to me. But what about the tortilla? Right. I didn’t have any. But I did find some enormous whole wheat pitas, perfect. I split one in half and filled it with chicken and my other finds and stuck it in the oven at 350F until the cheese was nice and gooey. The pita even ended up being a nice change from a regular tortilla. It got crispy and chip-like which made for a lot of crumbs, but tasty crumbs. This was leftovers made easy and I certainly enjoyed it for lunch.

What was even better than my lunch was the discovery I made while preparing it. As I was reaching for the Curried Mango Grille Sauce, (which I looove) the logo on the jar caught my eye and I had a sudden flashback to last month: I could see myself standing in front of the fridge with a spoon in one hand and a jar of Spiced Rum Butterscotch Sauce in the other, shamefully scooping it into my mouth. On that jar was the same logo as on the Curried Mango Grille Sauce! The Spiced Rum Butterscotch Sauce, (which I had received as a gift) was the one that I raved about when I paired it with Dorie Greenspan’s Black and White Banana Cake. At the time, I longed to have the recipe for the sauce, but like an idiot, I didn’t even look at the jar closely enough to realize there was a website for the company printed right on it. Well, I’ve since smartened up and have been doing a thorough investigation of the Stonewall Kitchen via its website. I’ve also realized that I’ve tried quite a few of their products and all of them have been amazing. If you’re looking for a tasty foodie gift for someone, this is a great place to check out. They sell all sorts of drool inducing delectables, such as: Pineapple Rum Raisin Sauce, Black Cherry Cognac Sauce, Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce, Tequila Lime Cocktail Sauce, Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam… Oh I could go on, and they have more than just food, there are other great things for your kitchen too.

One last though on leftovers: If you’re ever stumped about what to do with them, just think that EVERYTHING can be improved by adding bacon, cheese, chocolate or olive oil. Over on Matt’s blog, Deglazed he suggested it as a fun dinner party, to try to come up with a food that couldn’t be improved by adding Bacon, Cheese, Chocolate or Olive Oil. It’s an interesting challenge indeed, but not possible. Anything you suggest, I can argue how it would be improved with one of those four ingredients.

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Quesadillas + Chicken + Recipe + Cheese + Leftovers