Eggs Diablo

Breakfast and Brunch, Eggs, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Mexican

I watched Rachel Ray last night and her show was all about rolling over leftovers. Try to make your food dollar stretch by re-purposing your dinners into some great breakfast, lunches, and dinners. I love this idea! I think it is important to find ways to not throw out food. Food cost money, and no one wants to throw money away!

You may remember last night I raved over my leftover Ragu sauce. I was thinking of this dish last night when I typed out my dinner post. It was everything like I imagined it would be! Eggs Diablo, or Eggs in Hell, are eggs poached in fiery tomato sauce. I decided to re-purpose my Ragu sauce by adding some hot sauce in it to and poach the eggs. Serve with some crunchy bread for dipping. Easy and fast. I made this dish in about 10 minutes.

First I added my leftover Ragu to the pan and put in a few good shakes of hot sauce. Then I cracked 2 eggs on top. Cook for about 5 minutes uncovered. Then take off the heat and add a lid to poach the eggs in the steam. You could also cook this in the oven if you wanted to… 350 for until the eggs are cooked how you like.
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Money shot! Runny eggs are crucial for this dish. The rich yolks and tomato sauce dipped up on a piece of toast…Just yum! You could totally use this as a thick soup and add some tortilla pieces, avocado slice, and a dollop of sour cream. I have more Ragu in the fridge, so I will def. be coming up with another recipe or 2 to rollover this sauce. What is your favorite way to rollover leftovers?
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Chicken and Ragu Sauce

Chicken, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, One pot meal

This sauce has been taunting me from the freezer. EVERYTIME I OPEN THE FREEZER!!!!I made this Ragu sauce with some pork ribs a few weeks ago. Every time I saw it in the freezer, I was transported to my first taste of this amazing sauce. It was when I was cooking in the kitchen and tasted it before anyone else to make sure the flavor and seasoning were right. Heaven.

https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/09/02/pork-rib-ragu/
I had a bunch of leftover sauce that I froze for future use. This thick sauce has a deep rich flavor and leaves a bit of a kick in the back of your throat. It is good with any type of meat, and you can serve it with any type of starch; rice, pasta, potatoes, polenta, etc. Veggies are optional, but you better not leave out some crusty bread for dunking!

p.s. I made mine with white rice. I cooked it with chicken stock instead of water. Read my fool proof French rice recipe as well as my Ragu recipe in the link above. Always add butter at the end. Oh, to both things. To all things.

I have more sauce and rice left over. My lunch idea is a nice thick soup with rice (plus a few bits of chicken leftover). Breakfast will be a bowl of the sauce with a couple of runny eggs. EEEKKKKK! Doesn’t that sound AMAZING! Pictures soon!

Chicken and Ragu Sauce
I had some chicken breasts that I seasoned and browned on both sides. Then I added them to the sauce for 45 minutes at a slow simmer to let them finish cooking.
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Spaghetti with Mushroom and Meat sauce

Beef, Pasta

Sunday was a nice relaxing day at home, so I thought I would make an easy slow cook home made sauce for spaghetti night. Fall is here, which means I will probably be making lots of stews, soups, sauces, chili, braised meats, etc. It also means that my dutch oven and crock pot are going to be my main kitchen tools for the colder upcoming weather. I love how I can put something in the crock pot in the morning and come home 8 hours later and dinner is already made! Weekend cooking also becomes all day cooking. I can braise some short ribs all day and have fall apart meat hours later with equally delicious sauce to dip my crusty bread in . The smell of all the flavors mixing together creates a deep intense smell and flavor that cannot be beat!

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Mushroom and Meat Sauce:
This makes 3 batches for our family of 5.
First diced up 1 onion and 1/2 head of garlic. Cook that for a few minutes in a bit of butter and olive oil mix. Then add an entire 16 oz. container of mushrooms to your dutch oven. Cook that down for a bit. Add plenty of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram). Then add 1 28 oz. can of tomato sauce, 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, 1 28 oz. can of crushed plum tomatoes, 4 squirts of tomato paste, 1/3 bottle of red wine, and 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire, 2 pats of butter, and about 3 tablespoons sugar. The wine and Worcestershire just give it an extra layer of flavor, especially since you are making mushroom and meat (beef)in it. The butter and the sugar help to add a bit of sweetness to the sauce and mellow the acidity of the tomato a bit.

Cook for 2-4 hours. The longer the better. Add in browned ground beef and cook another 1/2 hour or so. Serve with spaghetti or your favorite pasta.

Meal Plan 9/29

Weekly Meal Plans

Well, we are all back from a lovely weekend at Camp Sunshine. It is a camp for kids with Cancer and their families. It was Fall Family Weekend, and it was actually our first time ever going. We had wanted to go many times before, but it just never seemed to work out with timing of treatments, E being sick, etc. But now we were able to go and enjoy a great weekend together as a family. Friday night on the way out of time, we stopped at a cute place in downtown Lawrencville called Local Republic http://www.thelocalrepublic.com/. One of my former co-workers and her husband owns the place, and it is just amazing. It is the first time we have been there, but we will def. go back! No pics, but it was beautiful and delicious.I had the Lamb Belly which was reduced in red wine with roasted veggies & grits. Oh and I also ordered a side of Pimento Cheese Grits. Pimento Cheese Grits. Yes. That is what I said… The girls tried both and loved them, esp. the lamb belly! They has a hamburger and bacon mac and cheese. BACON Mac and Cheese! SQUEAL!!!! My hubby had their Steak & Cheese sandwich. He gobbled it up…I managed to get a bite…YUM! The staff were all lovely and kind, and my daughters just loved the place.

At camp we had so much food. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack…Pretty tasty! I never went to camp as a kid, but I think my girls will be summer camp kids. You do toms of activities that make you hungry all day, so you just end up eating and liking whatever they serve you. My favorite was the yogurt and granola at breakfast, and taco night!

On to the meal planning:

Sunday- As I type this, I am making homemade tomato sauce for my spaghetti and mushroom and meat sauce. Making plenty of sauce to put in the freezer for leftovers
Monday- Hot dogs and baked beans
Tuesday- Leftover Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta- We did not get to it last week.
https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/09/12/creamy-tomato-chicken-pasta/
Wednesday- Chicken and rice with leftover Ragu sauce from the freezer
https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/09/02/pork-rib-ragu/
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