Gourmet Leftovers

Last weekend I took the entire family for a much needed getaway on the coast.  Opted to rent a house vs. staying in a hotel – best decision I made.  Chose this particular house because of this kitchen…

Going to be difficult to go back to the cramped quarters in my own little kitchen after being spoiled with so much counter space!

On our final morning, I was trying to clear out as much stuff in the fridge as I could.  The night before I had made a tequila pineapple chicken (which I will share at some point), and as a side, I made the potato tacos that the girls love so much.  I had quite a few left over, so for breakfast, I decided to reheat them and top them with bacon, some sautéed onion and jalapenos, a fried egg, and whatever toppings we had left from the night before. 

I think I’ve mentioned that I’m not really much of a breakfast person, but this was a pretty spectacular use of leftovers, if I may say so.  Would make for a great hangover cure, too, with just enough spice and richness to help cope with the ‘day after’ blues.  But even without the need for a ‘cure’, we still enjoyed the heck out of these, and it was one of the best meals of the weekend.

Kind of took some of the sting out of having to come home.

Stromboli!

I have a little secret to impart…

I don’t really like pizza.

There.  I said it.

I blame it on the weekly treks my family would make to a mediocre pizza joint in a nearby town that offered free pop if you brought in their plastic cups, and discounts on their pizza thanks to a never-ending supply of coupons.  Apparently I get my frugality from my mother.

Anyway, while I have HAD pizza that I admitted was ‘good pizza’, it just isn’t really something I’m going to get all emotional over.

This stuff, however, may be a different story.

I blame Food Network for sending me here.  My Sunday morning ritual has become tucking Peanut in bed with me for a little snuggle while watching TV.  We (well, I, actually, since he’s not interested in TV) just happened to catch a show called ‘The Best Thing I Ever Made’, and Scott Conent made a Stromboli that just looked so enticing, I had to try it for myself.

Stromboli, like pizza, are only limited by your imagination.  You can go crazy with the fillings here.  The trick is to keep everything pretty dry and save your sauce to use for dipping.  I went with a really simple oil and balsamic dipping oil, flavored with garlic and herbs.

Oh, and O2, who also is not a fan of pizza, proclaimed it ‘amazing’.

Since I basically used the recipe exactly as written, I’ll just send you there.  The only change I made was to use peppered salami and omit the pepper called for.

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All ready for rolling, and dressed for the oven...