Chicken Tostados Using Leftovers

Tostados are a forgiving dish.

 

This recipe is not the classic beef and refried beans Tostado. See Resources below for traditional Tostado recipes.

 

I struggle to use up perishables and avoid waste.

 

As I surveyed the frig, I had LO carry-out chicken, lettuce, cream, black beans, corn tortillas, rice, cucumbers, cottage cheese, mixed vegs, and eggs, I knew I had to use these in a limited timeframe.

 

I planned on making pickles from the cucumbers but I was not sure about the rest.

 

Originally, I thought I’d make tortilla chips from the corn tortillas,  then the light bulb went off, no, I am going to make tostados and the rest of the ingredients fell into place.

 

 

 

Chicken Tostados Using Leftovers (LO)

 

Pre-Preparations:

 

You can buy pre-made Tostados and sour cream, but I choose to make DIY Tostados and DIY Sour Cream, see post below for instructions.

 

https://riastoneblog.blogspot.com/2020/09/microwave-mug-ochilaquiles.html

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Tostados

LO Canned Black beans

LO Carry-out chicken, diced

Canned Salsa

Perishable lettuce

Shredded cheese

DIY Sour cream

 

 

Process:

 

Place 1 or more Tostados on a plate.

Add a layer of black beans, drained.

Add a layer of diced chicken.

Top with 1-2 Tspns of salsa.

Add shredded or torn bits of lettuce.

Sprinkle shredded cheese over the lettuce.

Dribble DIY sour cream, to taste, over lettuce.

 

Yum, yum!

 

It's when I make something like this that uses sour cream do I remember how good sour cream is on many dishes.

 

Resources:

 

The Mexican Grocer

https://www.mexgrocer.com/mexcocina-may1.html

 

My Latina Table

https://www.mylatinatable.com/traditional-mexican-tostadas/

No Bake: Lime Cream Cake Freezer Dessert - Experiment #1

You are going to see several No Bake Lime Cream Cake Desserts here because I can't seem to make the same one twice. This has a lot to do with the ingredients I have on hand and my own "cooking" abilities.

This will be one of those desserts I won't be able to duplicate because I was also trying to use some leftover cream and yogurt, so I probably won't have this combination of ingredients on hand at the same time, again.

 

One of these days, I hope I can come up with a Universal No Bake Lime Cream Cake Refrigerator Dessert.

No Bake: Lime Cream Cake Freezer Dessert - Experiment 1

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 Cup cream

1/2 Cup condensed milk

1/2 Cup evaporated milk

2-3 TBspns Yogurt

3 dollops lime juice concentrate

6-8 sugar cookies, crumbled

 

 

Process:

 

Add cream, milks and yogurt in a bowl.

Stir and whip with a spoon until smooth.

Add lime juice.

Mix liquids thoroughly.

Make thick layer of cookie crumbs on the bottom of small rectangle microwaveable glass loaf dish with a cover.

Add 1/2 of cream mixture, no need to use it all.

Top with 2 crumbled cookies.

Sprinkled top with lime zest.

Put in freezer.

Freeze overnight or 6-8 hours.

 

Personally, I like to let it defrost a bit before serving, it makes it easier to divide the portions.

 

This No Bake: Lime Cream Cake Freezer Dessert came out pretty good. It was very tasty, just the right about of lime. But, it could have used more crumbled cookies.

No Bake: Blueberry Cream Cheese / Yogurt Refrigerator Dessert

No Bake: Blueberry Cream Cheese / Yogurt Refrigerator Dessert

Ingredients: 

 

8 Sugar cookies

1/2 8oz Package Cream Cheese

2-4 oz Plain yogurt

4-6 TBspns Canned Blueberry pie filling

Process:

In a bowl, mix cream cheese and yogurt together.

Stir until smooth.

Add more yogurt to make mixture thinner, if desired.

In a dessert or small bowl, add a layer of 4 roughly crushed sugar cookies.

Add a thin layer of cream cheese/yogurt mixture. It is not necessary to use all the mixture.

Smooth layer out to sides of bowl.

Add blueberry filling, spread fulling to sides of bowl.

Top with a layer of crushed sugar cookies.

Refrigerate overnight.

DIY Fix: What to do with a broken Spray Nozzle

What to Do With a Broken Spray Nozzle

 

Again, this DIY craft adventure has been surprising. I save shampoo bottles, body spray bottles, cleaning solution bottles with spray, pump, and squirt tops, and more, and reuse them for various DIY cleaning solutions, diluted shampoo, DIY hand soap, and DIY hair spray, for example.

When I got tired of trying to fix the spray pump on my shampoo bottle, I went to Youtube to find repair ideas. I found some but they did not work, so I exchanged the faulty spray pump top with a dishwashing bottle squirt top.

 

Watching YouTube DIY videos and reading articles about living frugally inspires creativity and imagination.

 

I’ll try to fix the spray bottle at another time.

 

 

Using Pasta Water and Vegetable Water in Soups

While I do not have a large frig, I like my frig. But, I can’t save everything. Already, I have bottles and containers of stale beer, pickle juice, tea, coconut creme, sesame creme, lime juice concentrate, cranberry and other juices, so I am tight for space, so I do not often save my pasta water or vegetable water.

But, recently, I made a batch of pasta and saved the pasta water.

I had just cooked a whole patti pan squash in a pot of water and had saved the vegetable water.

After making the pasta, I decided to use the pasta water and squash water to make chicken broth.

 

I did not include quantities here because I just used what I had, about 1-3 cups of each.

Using Pasta Water and Vegetable Water in Soups

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Pasta water

Vegetable water

Onion flakes

Garlic powder

Ground black pepper

1 chicken bouillon cube

Extra water if needed

 

 

Process:

Add a dollop of vegetable water to a pot.

Add spices and bouillon cube.

Stir to mix well.

Heat on medium-high for a few minutes while stirring.

Add extra vegetable water, if needed.

Add pasta water.

Add remaining vegetable water.

Add extra water if needed.

Stir.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer.

Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Remove.

Divide broth into individual serving freezer containers.

Hours later, I wanted to see how the broth tasted.

So, I emptied one serving into a large bowl and added about 2 TBspns of diced leftover chicken.

I covered the bowl and microwaved it for 4 minutes on high. (Microwave for 2-3 minutes if broth is not frozen.)

Be careful when removing bowl from microwave, the soup will be very hot.

I was pleasantly surprised, the soup had a smooth tasty flavor.

 

DIY: Easy Creamy Honey Mustard Dip

With guidance from the recipe below, I used an almost empty honey jar and made a creamy honey mustard dip.

 

 

DIY: Easy Creamy Honey Mustard Dip
(Adapted from: https://www.thespruceeats.com/mustard-mayo-dip-3056312)

Ingredients:

3 Heaping TBspns Mayo

1 Tspn yellow mustard

2 Tspns Honey

3 Tspns Dry Parsley flakes

3 Tspns Dry onion flakes

1-2 Drops Hot sauce

A pinch Tarragon powder

Ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 Capful of lime juice concentrate

Options: add Horseradish and / or Worcestershire sauce

Add ingredients into a jar and stir well to thoroughly mix the ingredients.

Refrigerate when not using the dip.

DIY: Crafts - Uh oh, Phase - Projects on Hold - Cardboard Earrings

DIY: Crafts - Uh oh Phase - Projects on Hold - Cardboard Earrings

While crafting, The Use What You Have approach was working great, then I fell in love with cardboard earrings and I didn't have jump rings and my skills to twist wire into jump rings wasn't working, so the potential cardboard earrings pile began to grow because I don’t think going out for jump rings is worth risking lives especially since I live in a hot zone and craft stores don’t deliver.

I am obsessed with cardboard earrings.

“Obsession - a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling - broadly : compelling motivation....”
—Miriam Webster

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obsession

I found that postcards, greeting cards, scrap paper, photographs, maps, bookmarks, business cards, and even carry-out container stickers can be used to make cardboard earring designs.

So, if you see me staring at something, I am probably wondering if it could be used as a cardboard earring design.

Fabrics and yarn aren’t on the agenda, yet.

But, I have a secondary obsession, making cardboard stained glass earrings.