The magnificent Jennifer Shaffer offered to host a Valentine’s dinner for our church, with a choice of three menus. Since we all know what an uber-cook she is, we took her up on it.
I went by myself, since Charlie doesn’t like to eat out, and since one of the offers was roast beef and I didn’t want to spend the whole meal listening to him whisper to me about mad cow. YES, I ATE MEAT, WHAT OF IT???
ANYWAY, the meals were all magnificent. When I got ready to leave, Jennifer asked if I wanted to take Charlie a plate. I explained that he doesn’t eat meat, so she made up a plate of veg: carrots, mashed potatoes, and broccoli.
So the next evening, I made a kind of cottage pie. I meant for it to be a little more like cottage pie, but I forgot to add the Meatless Crumbles. Oh, well.
I cut the carrots into rounds and chopped the broccoli spears. Then I melted some vegan margarine in a saucepan and cooked some diced onion slowly in it. I put the mashed potatoes into a bowl, added some of the onion/butter, and microwaved it until it was warm.
Then I added some flour to the remaining onion/butter, then a cup of water, some bouillon, and a couple of teaspoons of browning sauce (although, now that I see it on its native site — CLOROX — it isn’t quite so appetizing).
My Gravy
- 3 Tablespoons vegan margarine
- diced onion
- 4 Tablespoons flour
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cube (1 cube per 2 cups size) vegetarian boullion
- 2 teaspoons browning sauce
I put the chopped veg plus some leftover canned mushrooms into dishes and poured the gravy over, then spooned on the mash.
I stuck ’em in the toaster oven at 350F for about half an hour, until the spuds began to brown. Then I got UNvegan and sprinkled on some sharp cheddar cheese and put it under the broiler until it melted. My bad.
It was really really REALLY good!
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character has enough of something for one person and has to make it enough for two people. (I didn’t have to, it just was.)
MA
joey
February 24, 2016 at 7:39amMmm, looks so good, I’m convinced I can smell it! I often think resourceful cooking yields the best results 🙂
Marian Allen
February 24, 2016 at 8:06amWell, it’s certainly fun! I love those, “What’s in your refrigerator?” features of cooking shows, where you tell the chef what you have on hand and they think up something delicious to make with your odds and ends. 🙂
joey
February 24, 2016 at 8:36amMe too. I used to watch Chopped fairly often.
Dan
February 24, 2016 at 7:57amThis looks very good. Of course, I’m imagining it with some leftover roast beef shredded into the mix 🙂
Marian Allen
February 24, 2016 at 8:07amOh, my dear lord, yes! Now I wish I had asked Jennifer for some scrapings from the roast beef pot to put in my own little dish, since Charlie can’t eat red meat. Dammit!
Jane
February 24, 2016 at 9:28amYUM!
I sometimes watch The Chew. They do all kinds of wacky challenges with ingredients. Plus cooking tips. Plus EVERYthing doesn’t have bacon on it. Just SOME dishes.
Marian Allen
February 24, 2016 at 9:55amSometimes I catch that at one of Mom’s doctors’ office. I love it!
Janene
February 24, 2016 at 2:21pmIt looks like it would be amazing! I am so hungry, I could lick the screen, I would love to sample some of it now! Great job Marian!
Marian Allen
February 24, 2016 at 3:54pmLeftovers are just precooked ingredients, right? 😉
Shelly
February 25, 2016 at 1:47amThe casserole looks great Marian! I really admire how you can make anything out of leftovers! 😀
I can make just about anything out of pantry items, but leftovers into a whole new meal is a different thing.
Marian Allen
February 25, 2016 at 8:16amYou’re so sweet! Thank you! I guess it’s the writer in me. That’s pretty much what writing is. You take the same old 26 letters and pieces of everything and everyone you’ve ever known or known about or can research about, add plenty of your own experience and imagination and mind and emotion, let it cook together for a while, and hope for the best. 😉