Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Budget Stretchers: Leftover Makeovers

 I made a simple pot roast the other day and had a small portion of it left after our meal.  I'd made roast beef sandwiches and a Shepherd's Pie and Hash in the past month and I just didn't want any of those things from this piece of roast.  I thought and thought about what to do with it and I finally decided upon Beef Enchiladas.

I started by making the enchilada sauce.  I use my friend Rhonda's recipe for Red Enchilada sauce, but I do one thing differently.  I add a cup of chicken broth to it to thin the sauce out a bit more.  The pan you see here is a double recipe of the sauce.  I like it very well and like to keep it on hand.

I chopped the roast beef and opened a can of refried beans.  I didn't season the meat or add anything to it.  The meat was very tasty already and the sauce was well seasoned.  I dipped corn tortillas in some of the enchilada sauce.  I find it makes the tortillas more pliable and less likely to break or tear.  I then filled each of 5 tortillas with about 3 tablespoons of meat (about 1/4 cup) and some sharp cheddar and rolled.  I put half a can of refried beans in the bottom of my pie plate and the filled tortillas on the beans.
I guess at this point I guess I just got busy.  I swore I took a photo of the dish with enchilada sauce and shredded cheese over the top...but nope, I didn't.  And it looked so pretty, too...Nor did I take one of the finished dish, sigh.  We didn't eat all five of these.  Two each was plenty and I put the last into the fridge for a supper entree.

And here's the rest of the enchilada sauce.  I'd like to can it (I'll have to change the lid on the one jar if I do can).  This sauce freezes well, too.

Leftover Makeover:  Twice Baked Potatoes
 This is NOT my photo.  I found it on the web and I'd love to give credit where it's due but there was no credit info.

I had a very large baked potato left from earlier in the week.  I split in half and then scooped out the insides and mashed with a fork.  I mixed in a little grated onion, some sour cream, salt, pepper, and shredded cheddar.  I topped with more cheese and some crisp turkey bacon bits and baked at 350F for about 20 minutes until  the cheese was melted.  I served this as a side dish but if you use a whole potato per person it would do as an entree.

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