Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

When our friend Sara posted a recipe for Peanut Butter Oreo Brownie Cakes, I knew it was something I could run with.

The concept is solid.  Alas, after making my first batch, I thought the brownie was, too.  I decided that chocolate cake batter would work better - making them a bit lighter which would allow for a fabulous icing.

I made them with both peanut butter and boysenberry jam, but all the while dreaming about peppermint for Christmas.

Tonight, I decided to do a test run.

I took peppermint sandwich cookies and placed them in cupcake holders.  On top of the cookie I added some cream cheese mixed with just a tad of creme fraiche and peppermint extract.  I added another cookie, another dollop of cream cheese, and then about 3 tablespoons of cake batter.

Into the oven at 350° for about 18 minutes.

Here's Ina's cake recipe. It's a really simple cake to throw together.

Ina’s Chocolate Cake

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper; butter the paper. Dust the pans with flour, tapping out any excess.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt at low speed. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the oil, eggs and vanilla.

Slowly beat the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just incorporated, then slowly beat in the hot coffee until fully incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then invert the cakes onto a rack to cool completely. Peel off the parchment paper.

When they cooled, I made a peppermint cream cheese icing:  1 8oz block of cream cheese, 1 stick butter, powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and a bit of heavy cream.  I piped it on top and added a chocolate waffle cookie for decoration.

Oh my goodness gracious!  These are good!

I'm going to bring the bulk of them into work tomorrow morning because I'll eat every one of them if I leave them here.

But another batch will be made for Christmas!

Yum.


Sweet Potato Cottage Pie

When I was doing the shopping for Thanksgiving, I ended up with more sweet potatoes than we needed.  I suppose I could do what some folks have done - just bring them back to the store(s) where I bought them and say I want my money back because I didn't need them - but I'd rather find fun and new ways of cooking something.

I'm weird that way.

Fortuitously, the latest issue of Fine Cooking Magazine arrived with several sweet potato recipes.  And even more fortuitous is that we both really like sweet potatoes.

There was a recipe for Sweet Potato Cottage Pie that really seemed like fun.  I've made cottage pies for years but the seasonings in this were different from what I usually make.

I decided to give it a try.

I'm really glad I did!  Victor totally cleaned his plate ooohing and ahhing all the while.

I followed the recipe as written except I added fresh green beans and used arbol chile powder in place of the ancho.  I had a really nice kick to it!

Sweet Potato Cottage Pie

For the sweet potato topping

  • 2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 lb. total)
  • /2 cup whole milk
  • 3/4 oz. (1/4 cup) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
  • Kosher salt and
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For the filling

  • 2 medium celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. ancho chile powder or other pure chile powder
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1-1/2 lb. ground beef (85% lean)
  • 1 14-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pimento-stuffed green olives
  • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped raisins or dried cranberries

Prepare the topping:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Line a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and set them cut side down on the baking sheet. Roast until very tender, about 30 minutes

When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh into a medium mixing bowl. Add the milk, cheese, butter, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper and beat with an electric hand mixer on low speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Set aside.
Prepare the filing

Heat the oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and 1 tsp. salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, fragrant, and starting to turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, chile powder, and cinnamon and cook for 30 seconds. Add the beef, season with 2 tsp. salt, and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Tilt the pan and spoon off all but about 1 Tbs. of the fat; return the pan to the heat.

Pour the tomatoes and their juice into a small bowl and crush them with your hands or a fork. Add the tomatoes to the meat and cook, uncovered, until thick, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the olives and raisins and cook for another minute; season to taste with salt.
Assemble and bake the pie

Tip: You can use another size dish for baking the pie, but keep in mind that the thickness of the meat and sweet potato layers will change, which may affect the baking time.

Transfer the beef mixture to a 9x9-inch baking dish. Spread the sweet potatoes over the top in an even layer. Bake until bubbling around edges, about 30 minutes. Switch the oven to a high-broil setting and position the rack about 6 inches from the broiler element. Broil the pie until the sweet potatoes are a bit browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

 

This really did work well.  The potato topping was great and worked perfectly with the the spicy filling.

I have a feeling I'll be making this one again.

And to think...  If I had brought those potatoes back, I never would have tried this.

Lucky me!


Turkey Soup

Once upon a time Thanksgiving meant 4 days off.  And I usually took Wednesday off to cook, so it was a 5-day holiday. Friday after Thanksgiving was our Christmas Decorating Day.   None of this shopping at 3 ayem junk.  A good nights sleep, and then we decorated until we dropped.

Then we moved east and I changed professions.  That luxurious 5 days off is a thing of the past.

But while the days off may have changed, the decorating hasn't.  We still get up early and start hauling out the bins.  That's "bins" as in plural.  Many.  A lot.

Merging Christmas Decorations was fun.  17 years of buying even more has been even more fun.

And making Turkey Soup on Decoration Day is the final part of the tradition.

I do not understand people who throw away the turkey carcass!  Turkey soup is the whole reason for roasting a turkey in the first place!  It is the best part of the feast.

Thanksgiving evening, I break out the stock pot and into it goes the carcass, a couple of onions - skin and all - plus celery, garlic cloves, and carrots - also unpeeled.  The skins and peels add flavor and color to the stock.  I usually add a bit of gravy to the pot, as well.  I make a lot of gravy.

I let it simmer overnight - it's a big pot and not about to boil dry - and the following afternoon I strain it all and have the base for several batches of soup.  I portion it up and freeze some and the rest is for the leftover soup.

Leftover Soup.  I call it that but could just as easily call it clean out the refrigerator soup.  Same concept.  Everything goes into the pot.

Today's batch included the leftover risotto from the appetizers, stuffing, spinach, and turkey, plus leeks, carrots, celery, white beans, red-skinned potatoes, mushrooms, peas, green beans, and a bit of salt and pepper.

Clean out the 'fridge, indeed.

We're slowing down a bit with the decorating.  The number of bins has continued to grow and it's taking us two days now to get everything done, but the soup just continues to get better with age.  Of course, it doesn't take any effort.

And speaking of decorating...

About 5 years ago we finally went out and got an artificial tree.  I know...  I know...  We thought the same thing.  No Way!  Travesty!  What we finally figured out, though, is the tree really is all about the ornaments.  Virtually every ornament on our tree comes with a story...  We have handmade ornaments, ornaments bought on our travels, family ornaments, beautiful gifts from friends, and the first two ornaments we exchanged on our first Christmas - that always go on the tree first.

Some of the ornaments really are priceless to us and we just wanted to take as good care as we could with them.  It works for us.

And I don't miss cleaning up the needles...

 

 

 


Thanksgiving and Anniversaries

I suppose it was inevitable that the two of us would meet around the biggest food-related holiday of the year.  While it was baseball that got us first talking, my KitchenAid Mixer and Victor's Calphalon pretty much cemented the deal.  It's not like either of us are really mercenary or anything, but, hell... merging our kitchens was not a bad thing...

And we've been having fun and eating well, ever since.

Today is 17 years since we first met.  17 years of holidays, food, family gatherings, and fun in the kitchen.  We added to the Calphalon collection over the years - we now have all we'll ever need and will never have to buy another pot or pan - and the KitchenAid is still going strong.  Buy quality.  Buy once.  You save in the long run.

We're hosting Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow for a mere 13.  The smallest gathering we've done, I think.  Naturally, we're going to have enough food for twice that amount.  We can't help it.  We seriously tried to limit hors d'oeuvres, desserts... It didn't work.   Every time we turned around, we were adding something to the list.

But it's okay.  We'll deal with it.

I started making the pie crusts a few days ago.  I just wrapped them up and stuck them in the 'fridge.

I know there are reasonably good frozen crusts out there, but I just can't do it.  These are just too easy to make.  And homemade is better.  Always.

One thing I had to get used to when we merged kitches was the rolling pin.  Victor really liked the long fat-broom-handle-type, while I had always used the more traditional pin with handles.  He was right.  That rolling pin is so easy to use, and I have perfect control over anything I roll.  I can also control the weight and pressure when rolling something out.

Love it!

And when you make your own crusts, they really fit in the pie plate!

Of course, sometimes you may want to make something a bit different - and not use a pie plate...

A Pear Crostatta fit the bill.  With the desserts all done, and hors d'oeuvres all organized, tomorrow will just be cooking the turkey and the rest of the main meal.

Easy money.

Our menu for tomorrow is:

Butternut Squash Risotto Arancini
Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce
Hot-Smoked Peppered Salmon
Baked Brie en Croute
Tomato Jam Bruschetta

Spinach Salad with Pumpkin Dressing
Roast Turkey with Giblet Gravy
Nona's Stuffing
Sourdough Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Marie's Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes
Honey-Glazed Carrots with Dill
Corn Pudding
Cranberry Orange Sauce
Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Homemade Pumpkin Rolls

Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Cranberry Apple Walnut Pie
New York Cheesecake
Pear Crostatta

This was Victor after I had finished the pies.  That mess was mild.  I've done much better.  Or worse, depending upon your point of view.

And, of course, we have our family traditions covered...  The jellied Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce has to be on the table for Victor's father.  Served in the cut glass dish that my mother always served it in.  We never-ever had homemade cranberry sauce growing up.  But we also never-ever had frozen pies.  Mom made the pies - from scratch.  I'm just following tradition...

So the table is set, glasses sparkling, lots and lots of food in the house, and more cooking in the morning.

This has been the best anniversary, yet!


Fancy Mac & Cheese

This is what I came home to last night... a fabulous casserole of ham, cheeses, peas, and orecchiette pasta.  Oh my goodness gracious was it good.  As in really, really good!

It was so good, in fact, we had it again, tonight.

It was the perfect dinner for a couple of reasons.  First, because it tasted so good, and second, because reheating it was about all I had energy for after my marathon day in the kitchen.

Okay...  It wasn't really all that much - I just made 48 cupcakes - 24 each of two different kinds plus different icings, a cheesecake, 4 pie crusts, and sourdough croutons for the Turkey Day Bird...  But I knocked it all out in just a couple of hours.  It was a lot of multi-tasking.

Victor usually curls up on the couch in a fetal position when I get into Manic Cooking Mode.  I do have a knack for getting flour - or anything else - into every nook and cranny in the kitchen and adjoining rooms.

It's a gift I have.  A true talent.

But I fooled him this time.  I kept my messes to a minimum and actually had the entire kitchen cleaned and put back together before I started dinner.

One of the secrets for staying together for so long (our 17th Anniversary is Wednesday) is doing the unexpected.  Keeping him slightly off-balance by doing the unexpected works wonders.

The cupcakes are for a pot-luck at work tomorrow.  The recipe came via our friend Sara.  The concept is Oreo cookies layered with peanut butter, covered in brownie batter and baked in cupcake cups.  Ingenious.

I made them the other night and it was an epic failure.  I didn't have muffin liners so I made them right in the well-greased cupcake tins.

What a mess.  I couldn't chisel them out of the tins.  A total mess.

I bought liners today to do it right.  And then I frosted them, because, well...  they needed a cream cheese and peanut butter frosting!

And I made a big batch with boysenberry jam between the cookies and a cream cheese boysenberry icing.  Frosting?  Icing?  I'm confusing myself.  It's like dressing and stuffing.  I use both interchangeably.

I didn't use Oreo's because...  well... I'm not an Oreo-Eater so I used a chocolate cream sandwich cookie, instead.

Peanut Butter Brownie Cookie Cupcakes

  •  1 box brownie mix
  •  24 sandwich cream cookies
  •  1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350° and line a 12 muffin cup pan with paper liners.

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. For each cupcake top each cookie with peanut butter  and stack them on top of each other. Spoon  batter over each stack making sure it runs down the sides of the cookies.  Bake about 15-18 minutes.

Yummy stuff.

 

 


Non-Holiday Ham

Let's see...

It's 40° outside, with Turkey Day a week away.  Time for a ham.

I love ham. but buying one for two people is a commitment.  Even a quarter-cut spiral ham like the one I picked up yesterday is enough for a few dozen meals, sandwiches, and a pot of bean or lentil soup.

As I said...  a commitment.

So we started off with just the basics...  ham, sweet potatoes, and baby broccoli - with little rolls to make little sandwiches.

The sweet potatoes were a bit different than usual.  I mashed 2 small sweet potatoes with about a half-can of pumpkin I had left over.  I added a pat of butter, salt, pepper, and a bit of thyme.  They came out really good.

We barely put a dent in it.

As I said... a few dozen meals.  I see a mac and cheese with ham and peas in our future, and maybe even fried ham sandwiches.  My father used to make fried ham sandwiches that were just to die for.  Fried ham on toast with butter.  That was back in the day when ham came in a tear-drop-shaped can and you needed a little key to open them.  The same type of key that was on coffee cans.   Yes.  Coffee used to come in metal cans.  Actual one-pound cans that had one pound of coffee in them.  My mom used to use them to make Coffee Can Bread.

But I digress...

We're getting ready for Thanksgiving...  Planning the menu and starting to buy what we can.  Around here it is a pretty much made-from-scratch meal, so a lot of things can't be bought until the last minute.  If the gods are willing, I'll be able to finish shopping Tuesday and spend Wednesday in the kitchen having fun.  It's a small group this year - 13, I think - so it will be pretty no-rush relaxing.

And then there's the Turkey Soup!  The best part of the holiday!

 

 

 


Shrimp Risotto

I was given a choice for dinner tonight - Shrimp Scampi or Shrimp Risotto.

I chose the risotto.

There is just something about the rich, luscious, creaminess of risotto that just sends my taste buds a'fluttering.  It's one of my most-favorite cold-weather dishes.  And tonight is cold-weather.  Br-r-r-r-r.

Risotto may be one of the easiest dishes to make, but it tastes so good, no one thinks they can do it at home.  Guess what?!?  YOU CAN!

The recipe is as basic as basic can be - and it's extremely easy to add different things, switch out the shrimp for vegetables, add chicken, whatever.

The basic is to saute about a half-cup of chopped onion and a clove of minced garlic in about 4 tbsp butter.  Add 1 cup of arborio rice and cook and stir until translucent.  Stir in a cup of white wine and cook until almost completely absorbed.  Add ladles of hot broth one at a time, stirring until almost completely absorbed before adding the next, for a total of about 4 cups.

Add shrimp, vegetables, - in our case, peas - and a bit of grated parmesan cheese. When rice is juuuuuust barely cooked, remove from heat, stir in parsley, and enjoy.

Delicious!


Ricotta Cream Pear Tart

I just love it when Victor disappears into the kitchen after dinner.  Actually, I love it any time Victor is in the kitchen, but when it's after dinner, that means dessert is being made.  And I ♥ dessert.

We had a pie crust left over from the other day when I made the walnut pie (if I'm making a crust, I'm making two of them!) so last night Victor decided on a pear tart - since we also had a couple of pears that were really ripe.

What was especially good about this was instead of making a custard for the filling, he whipped heavy cream and ricotta cheese together!  Really!

He whipped about a cup of heavy cream with about 3/4 cup ricotta, a quarter-cup of sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla.  Our measuring skills can leave a bit to be desired, at times.  He eyeballed it all but this is is approximation.

He first par-baked the crust in a tart pan for about 20 minutes.  When it was cool, he brushed it with melted chocolate.  Next went the whipped ricotta cream, and then he topped it with thinly-sliced pears.  And a bit of a chocolate drizzle for fun.

It really was outrageously good!

And even better - there's more for tonight!

Sometimes the most simple things really are the best.  I love to get crazy and complicated now and again, but, really... it's especially nice to be able to taste and enjoy every ingredient on its own and as part of the whole.  The tart was just that - I could taste everything, but everything blended perfectly.

I'm trying to keep this as my mantra for Thanksgiving Dinner.

I'll let ya know on the 25th if I was successful...

 

 

 


Corn Flake Oven-Fried Chicken

I can't recall the last time I bought a box of corn flakes.

I used to love them as a kid, but somehow they just lost their appeal.  Possibly the ingredients did it...

MILLED CORN, SUGAR, MALT FLAVORING, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SALT, IRON, NIACINAMIDE, SODIUM ASCORBATE AND ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), VITAMIN A PALMITATE, FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN B12 AND VITAMIN D. TO MAINTAIN QUALITY, BHT IS ADDED TO PACKAGING.

Not to mention that it's probably GMO corn... The organic corn flakes I picked up are probably about as nutritionally unsound, but the ingredients are better.  Kinda.

But I digress...

I've been craving corn-flake-crusted oven-fried chicken.   Mayonnaise-dipped corn-flake-crusted oven-fried chicken.  A classic recipe from years past.  It's interesting how a recipe idea gets into my mind and doesn't go away.  The meal may morph and side dishes change a dozen times in my mind as I'm thinking of it, but the concept or idea usually stays.

Tonight was a perfect case in point...

I originally thought oven-fried mayonnaise-dipped chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans.  Fairly classic.

I ended up with a chipotle mayonnaise dipped chicken with oven-roasted cauliflower and cheese and leftover rice from the other night.

And it was everything I hoped it would be.

To about a cup of mayonnaise, I added a teaspoon of chipotle powder, half-teaspoon of cumin, a half-teaspoon of garlic powder, and salt and pepper.  I marinated the chicken breasts in the mayo for about an hour and then dredges them in crushed corn flakes.

I baked them at 425° for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, I cut up the cauliflower, drizzled it with olive oil and salt and pepper, and then grated parmesan cheese over.  It went into the oven with the chicken.

It was really crunchy with just the right amount of heat from the chipotle.

I'm definitely in comfort-food-mode right now...  Weather changes and family memories have me going.  Tomorrow will be my parents 63rd wedding anniversary.  They got to celebrate 52 of them together.

I'm trying to think of an appropriate dinner for tomorrow night.  It's Election Day, as well - something my Democrat Parents took very seriously.

What's a good Liberal meal?!?  Hmmmmmm.....


Chocolate Brandy Walnut Pie

 

I was charged with making something "chocolatey-nutty" for my sister-in-laws birthday a couple of weeks ago.  Alas, there was this little snow-storm and we didn't have electricity for a couple of days.

The situation was rectified last night when we went over their house for Sunday Dinner.

The recipe is bits and pieces of several pecan and/or walnut pie recipes we have around the house, starting with one my mom used to make years ago...

Use your favorite pie crust.  I make mine because it is my firm belief that any homemade pie crust is better than a store-bought.

Chocolate Brandy Walnut Pie

  • 1 single-crust pie shell, unbaked
  • 8 large egg yolks
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 4 oz butter
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3 Tbs brandy
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups walnut halves and pieces
  • 2 oz chocolate melted with 1 tsp neutral oil

Blend egg yolks and vanilla and set aside.

In small saucepan, heat brown sugar, maple syrup, cocoa powder, butter, corn syrup, heavy cream, brandy, and salt until mixture is slightly warm and butter is melted.  Do not boil.

Slowly whisk warm syrup into eggs and vanilla.  Strain into large measuring cup.

In a separate pan or bowl, melt chocolate with oil.

Brush unbaked crust with melted chocolate.  Add walnuts, spreading evenly.

Slowly pour filling over walnuts.

Bake in a pre-heated 350° oven about 45 minutes or until filling is firm and no longer wobbles in center.

I do have to admit this came out pretty good.  However, next time, I may add a few chunks of chocolate in with the walnuts just for the heck of it!

 

 

 


Snow Storms and Other Meals

Ah, snow storms...

They are fun, aren't they?  Especially when they come in October.

I must admit I wasn't thinking too much about the storm when it hit Saturday.  I thought we might get an inch or two of slush and that would be it.  I really wasn't expecting to lose power for two days - starting just as Victor was cooking dinner!

Out here in 'burbia, we have no natural gas.  The heat is oil, and everything else runs off electricity - except our cooktop.  When we bought the house, neither of us wanted an electric stove, so we had a propane tank installed just for cooking.

It was one of the smarter decisions we have made over the years.

I had pulled veal chops out of the freezer earlier in the day and Victor was cooking them up - a simple piccata with lemon and capers.  The power went out just as he put the sweet potatoes into the oven.  As he continued in the kitchen, I brought the potatoes out to the gas grill.  It makes a perfect oven.

He dredged the veal chops in flour, fried them in a bit of olive oil, and then finished them off with a splash of wine, lemon juice, and capers.  Brussels sprouts finished off the plate.

The kitchen was candle-lit when I took the picture - flash bulbs don't make for good food pictures, but you get the idea.

And it was good!

Sunday, we were  in town and didn't have to cook.  We were hoping to see lights on when we came home, but...  they were still out.  Another cold night.

Actually, it wasn't all that cold.  We had put

Monday dawned and I went checking out the freezer.  Everything was still frozen, but I had a pack of veal stew that was less-frozen than everything else.  Out it came for dinner.

We had pulled all of the peppers off the bushes out back when the snow started falling, so I decided a veal and pepper stew was in order.  I could cook it in the dark with ingredients on hand.

This was an easy one.  I floured and browned the veal, added a cup of red wine, a can of diced tomatoes, about 3 cups of sliced green peppers, a pinch of garlic powder, and about a teaspoon of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.   And then simmered it for about 2 hours.  While it was simmering, the power came back on!  We were very pleased.

I served it over creamy polenta and then baked a cake.

Electricity is good.

Tuesday came and Victor was in Charlotte, so I ate hot dogs.  It's tradition.

But he was home today - just in time for a clean-out-the-refrigerator stew.

This one was really a clean-out-the-refrigerator dinner!

I sauteed some pancetta and then added a cut up chicken breast and 3 links of chorizo I had grilled on Monday.

When it was looking good, I added a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles and a quart of chicken stock.  I let it all simmer for a while and then added a bag of baby spinach, a half-bag of frozen corn, a can of small red beans, and a diced sweet potato.  I liberally dosed it with garlic powder, and added a bit of salt and pepper.  When all was cooked, I thickened it a bit with cornstarch, and then topped it with a sheet of puff pastry and put it into the oven for 20 minutes.

Really good.

Some of the best meals we have are concoctions we just call "stuff."  They're meals based upon what's in the kitchen at the moment and will never really be replicated.  It really is the best sort of cooking and it ensures that nothing goes to waste - even in snowstorms.