The Scroll #161 Stretchy Pants, Hot tips and a Secret

​ ​ I see you! Still wearing your stretchy pants in case leftovers happen today! Personally, I've got my eyes on some stuffing and gravy in just a bit and then I'm gonna take some leftovers and roll them into burritos to put in the freezer (my new favorite thing). A terrible thing happened at 2am. I woke up starving and the only thing I could think about was that terrific pumpkin pie. Was anyone else enjoying a piece of pumpkin pie and some ready whip at 2am? Maybe a little tooooo much ready whip? No? Just me? Ok. Let's move along then.... It was a super short week at Loaves and Dishes this week because, HOLIDAY. A few years ago, my internet guru guy told me that the less I change my site on a holiday week the better because of something called "caching". I do not have to understand any more than, "take the week off". I mean, that's what I heard, right? You might want to know what to do with some leftovers today, right? This mac and cheese soup is the perfect way to use up leftover macaroni and cheese. Yum. Nothing better on a cold day with a peanut butter sandwich. Not kidding. Speaking of mac and cheese, this is a great way to use up some left over evaporated milk. Pizza! Pizza is a terrific way to use up leftovers. Those pilsbury pizza crusts in the can (near the canned biscuits at the store) work perfectly. Use some jarred sauce and then pile on your favorite leftovers. Again, mac and cheese for the win on a pizza, not kidding (as long as it is super creamy). These breakfast burritos are basically like what you can do with your leftover Thanksgiving dinner. Same principle, just spoon in some turkey, gravy, stuffing and whatever else you fancy, roll it up, freeze it and then you've got a quick run out the door lunch ready in minutes! _____________________________ HOT COOKING TIP OF THE WEEK Adding a BANG of flavor is sometimes as easy as just knowing the right tricks. Here are a few that not everyone knows, but now you do! Have you ever started to chop some garlic and find that it has begun to sprout? No worries, just pull the green part out. The green part can add a bitter flavor to what you are making and no one wants that, so just remove that part and you'll be good to go. When marinating meat, always score the meat (cut little cuts into the surface in a cross hatch pattern). This helps the marinade to absorb into the meat better! When marinating meat, massage the marinade into the meat while it's resting in the fridge (if it's in a plastic bag) or just give it a stir every once in a while. This helps the marinade to get into all the nooks and crannies. If you do not have to worry about adding too much liquid to a recipe, just ignore instructions to remove the seeds and good from inside the tomato because THAT is where the flavor is! Ever noticed that some fat on meat is hard as concrete and some is soft and flavorful? When trimming beef stew, remove that hard fat, it isn't going to help you. Leave a thin layer of fat on pork when preparing it to cook (like on pork chops). ____________________________ THREE LITTLE THINGS I'm trying to be more thankful in my day to day life and sharing some of that here in hopes of encouraging others to think about what they are thankful for too. I'm thankful that I get to spend so much time with my little grandsons. I remember what an influence my grandmothers had on me and I didn't get to spend much time with either of them. I would have been so grateful to spend more time with them. Of course, I didn't know it at the time. All I knew was that I loved them and it was quite obvious that they loved me too. It's good to be loved. I'm grateful that my family was able to gather around the table yesterday, share laughs and enjoy each other. As a young mother with three warring children, I would never have believed that they would sit around a table and enjoy each others company. Ever. Yesterday, however, no one said, "He's looking at me" "Sarah isn't eating her green beans" "Sandy fed some of her carrots to the dog!" "He opened his mouth and showed me his chewed up food Mama!" etc. etc. etc. Instead we laughed and joked and when Sandy got up to take the baby to the bath and a naked baby emerged back into the living room followed by a harassed mama who said, "he pooed in the bath water", we all just howled in laughter. So thankful for the blessing of meaningful work that enhances my own life and helps others. What a tremendous blessing. ____________________________ A FINAL WORD If you follow along over on the YouTube channel or on the Facebook page (or really, even if you follow along on the main page of the website), you'll find a surprise coming December 1. I want to tell, but I'm sworn to secrecy so we just have to wait a bit. Anyway, some easy, fun, and tasty stuff is coming and I can't wait for you to see what's happening. It means that we will be a bit busy over the coming month, but that's ok, who isn't? Take care and remember you've always got a friend RIGHT HERE. All you have to do is drop me a note (click reply to this email, it comes straight to my inbox and no one else will see it). I try real hard to answer all of them, but I'm gonna admit, sometimes I miss one or two. It's not personal, it's because I need to clean out my inbox. It's totally my fault. That doesn't change how much I think of you! Love you! ​ Till next week in your inbox, God willing and the creeks don't rise. Wendi ​ ​ ​Unsubscribe | Update your profile | PO Box 82 , Danbury, NC 27016