Day Before Payday Casserole (And Other Culinary Delights)

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     I had a memory pop into my head last night as I was making dinner that I hadn't thought of in years.  My mom's Day Before Payday Casserole.  I don't remember what was in it (I do remember that I didn't care for it....sorry, Ma) other than tomatoes, cheese of some kind, and some form of noodles.  It must have been something she came up with one night when her three small kids weren't interested to know that Dad's paycheck was a day away, they wanted fed!  Thus, the clever name, and a dish that made regular appearances on our supper table.


     I played my own little game of Chopped with last night's dinner.  I had, thanks to my quantitative impairment, a daunting amount of quinoa left over from Monday's dinner.  I also had a few pieces of rare roast beef left from Tuesday.  I had taken out two chicken breasts for some purpose, and I thought....fried rice.  I found some hoisin sauce I didn't know I had, and got to work.

     The chicken went into the wok first, with a little bit of sesame and vegetable oil.  (I think sesame oil is too overpowering to use alone.)  After getting a nice sear on the chicken, I threw in the beef.  I had minced some ginger and garlic, and this went next, followed by a little bit of brown sugar.  From there, it was pretty much a free for all.  I'd add a dash of hoisin, followed by a splash of soy sauce.  A couple of shakes of red pepper flakes for heat, followed by more hoisin, followed by more soy sauce.  Then my vegetables went in...a simple mix of peas and corn, since that's what I had.

     While fishing in the fridge for the quinoa, my eyes landed on the curried rice and beef mixture I had used in my egg rolls last week.  I thought....why not?  There were only a couple of cups left, and I figured the spices would compliment.  I stirred everything together, gave it a taste, and boy, I was right.  It was really good.  The Boy had three helpings, I had two myself, and The Man wondered if we'd ever have that particular and rather bizarre combination of stuff left over so that I could make this again.  I just looooove it when my lack of a plan comes together.

Chicken and Beef Fried Rice and Quinoa Stuff (Evidently I don't possess my mom's gift for clever names)

     The cleaning out the fridge style of cooking made me think of Mom, and her resourcefulness in the kitchen.  I wish I had appreciated her then like I do now.  Because now, I know what it's like to play refrigerator roulette with dinner.  And win.