How to Make Leftovers Delicious Again

People always seem to have leftovers lying around. We used to look at them and shrug, knowing our dish wouldn't taste as exciting the second time around. But, after talking to a couple kitchen experts we learned some great tips for making leftovers delicious again.

Question 1: What are we supposed to do with that last bit of Dijon mustard left in the jar?
Answer: Turn it into a mustard vinaigrette to dress your salads and veggies. The best part is that you can create and store the dressing in the jar so there aren't any extra dishes to do. That's also a great way to take it to work or school for lunch.

Dijon-Lemon Vinaigrette
Now you can make a dressing from the last drop of mustard.
Ingredients: Dijon Mustard, Garlic, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Red Wine Vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, Salt & Pepper


Question 2: What are we supposed to do with extra mashed potatoes?
Answer: Make crispy mashed potato pancakes. Then, top them with sour cream & chives or your favorite sauce.

Mashed Potato Pancakes
Crispy mashed potato pancakes are a great side dish or appetizer.
Ingredients: Leftover Mashed Potatoes, Parmesan Cheese, Egg, Vegetable Oil, Salt & Pepper


Question 3: What are we supposed to do with extra rice?
Answer: Make fried rice. You can also add leftover meat, like ham or chicken.

Egg Fried Rice
Fried rice is easy to cook and customize any way you like.
Ingredients: Egg, Scallion, Salt, Peanut Oil, Asian Sesame Oil, Leftover Rice


Question 4: What are we supposed to do with leftover meats?
Answer: Make a delicious quesadilla. Heat a tortilla with meat and cheese until it's hot & delicious, then top with salsa.

Southwest Chicken Quesadillas
These are delicious and easy to make.
Ingredients: Chicken, Sour Cream, Salsa, Chili Powder, Tortilla, Monterey Jack, Cooking Spray, Salt & Pepper


For even more recipes to make your leftovers sing, use the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine to find dishes using any ingredient in your kitchen.

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The Great Tastes of New Orleans

Another Mardi Gras has arrived, so as the French say, "Laissez les bons temps rouler." Let the good times roll!

While we missed our chance to see all the Mardi Gras madness firsthand (sounds like a great road trip for people in their early 20's), that doesn't mean we can't partake in all the great pageantry and food New Orleans has to offer. The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are green, gold and purple so we plan to dress up in our most festive attire and decorate a King Cake as best we can. The King Cake is a Mardi Gras tradition- it's basically a giant cinnamon roll with colorful icing and a toy hidden inside or underneath. Whoever finds the toy gets good luck (and has to host the next party).

For our New Orleans feast we turned to the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine to find our favorite examples of classic dishes from Beignets in the morning, to Po' Boys for lunch and finally Etouffe and Jambalaya for dinner.

FoodPair has thousands of New Orelans-themed dishes, so make sure to use our powerful filters to customize your search for your family's tastes and diet.

Buttermilk Beignets
The best NOLA mornings start with beignets and chicory coffee.
Ingredients: Sugar, Buttermilk, Salt, Baking Soda, Milk, Peanut Oil, Active Dry Yeast, Bread Flour

Cajun Crawfish and Shrimp Etouffe
New Orleans is famous for its delicious crawfish and shrimp dishes.
Ingredients: Shrimp, Green Bell Pepper, Onion, Celery, Crawfish, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Flour, Vegetable Oil, Hot Sauce, Fish Stock

Fish Po' Boys
This classic sando is loaded with great ingredients on french bread.
Ingredients: Tomato, Lettuce, Salt, Black Pepper, Cornmeal, Canola Oil, Tartar Sauce, Baguette, Flounder

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
This dish is fun to say, eat and cook. Jambalaya!
Ingredients: Bacon, Bell Pepper, Onion, Celery, Cayenne, Chicken, Andouille, Beef Broth, Smoked Ham, Green Onion, Spices, Rice

Mardi Gras King Cake
The person who gets a toy in their slice hosts the next party!
Ingredients: Egg, Butter, Pecan, Sugar, Nutmeg, Raisin, Salt, Flour, Milk, Cinnamon, Active Dry Yeast


Have a great Mardi Gras meal celebrating the great food of New Orleans!

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Delicious Valentine's Day Treats

Happy Valentine's Day! With the big red day here you have two options- run out to buy an expensive box of chocolates or make delicious treats for your Valentine in the comfort of your kitchen. (Can you tell which way we're leaning on this one?) We're firm believers that your homemade Valentine's treats will get the best reception from your loved ones because they show that you're willing to go the extra mile for love.

This year, we like personalized messages atop baked goodies. So, you can start the day with Valentine's pancakes and then move on to a heart-shaped pizza for lunch or dinner. Finish it all off with great treats like chocolate cupcakes with loving white chocolate messages, a Valentine's cheesecake and a luscious chocolate fondue.

To make your Valentine sing, use the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine to find great desserts with your sweetie's favorite dessert ingredients (chocolate, chocolate and maybe white chocolate) or use the keyword "Valentine" to find clever recipes from the top food sites on the web.

To help you get started, we are proud to present our 5 favorite recipes for a great Valentine's Day.

Valentine Pancakes
These pancakes look like Valentine's romance!
Ingredients: Egg, Butter, Sugar, Buttermilk, Salt, Flour, Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Cooking Spray, Chocolate Chips

Valentine's Pizza
This lovely pizza has a flavorful rosemary crust.
Ingredients: Tomato, Mozzarella, Olive Oil, Rosemary, Zucchini, Pepperoni, Black Olive, Active Dry Yeast, Flour, Pizza Sauce

Chocolate Fondue
Valentine's is the perfect day to fire up the fondue pot.
Ingredients: Apple, Banana, Cream, Strawberry, Dark Chocolate, Salt, Candied Ginger, Dried Apricot

Handwritten Valentine Cupcakes with Chocolate Glaze
Personalize these cupcakes with romantic messages.
Ingredients: Chocolate Cupcakes, Chocolate Glaze, White Chocolate

Ghirardelli Chocolate Cheesecake Valentine Hearts
It's hard to beat these beautiful mini cheesecakes.
Ingredients: Chocolate, Almond, Egg, Butter, Sugar, Raspberry, Heavy Cream, White Chocolate, Cream Cheese, Graham Crackers


Have a great Valentine's Day and don't forget to sign the card!

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How to Cook Winter Vegetables

With winter in full swing, it's time to learn how to make great use of all those winter vegetables. In case you hadn't noticed, winter is here and according to the most accurate weatherman (Punxsutawney Phil, of course), it's going to be around for a while. So, what's a winter vegetable? Kale and Mushrooms are in-season in California right now. On top of that, now's the perfect time to use Root Vegetables like Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Salsify and Yams.

How can FoodPair help? We offer free access to nearly a million recipes, so pick a winter vegetable that you already have at home or one you'd like to cook with and enter it into the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine. After that, use our powerful filters to narrow your results by course, diet, your favorite food sites or more.

Without further ado, here are 5 great recipes for using winter vegetables.

Warm Cabbage Salad
This salad is a great option as a starter or side dish.
Ingredients: Olive Oil, Shallot, Cabbage, Parsley, Caraway Seed, Salt, White Wine Vinegar, Green Apple

Roasted Carrots & Beets with the Juiciest Pork Chops
Roasting is a great way to bring out the flavor of veggies.
Ingredients: Garlic, Lemon, Balsamic Vinegar, Rosemary, Beet, Thyme, Sage, Pork Chops, Orange Juice, Carrots

Salmon with Salsify & Celery Root Puree
This elegant dish includes a great puree of root vegetables.
Ingredients: Garlic, Olive Oil, Bacon, Salmon, Shallot, Butter, Celery, Thyme, Sage, Pepper, Salsify

Kale, Mushroom & Tomato Saute with Polenta
Everyone will love this hearty and flavorful vegetarian dish.
Ingredients: Garlic, Olive Oil, Parmesan Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato, Mushrooms, Kale, Polenta, Salt, Black Pepper

Baked Yams with Ginger Molasses Butter
Yams (aka Sweet Potatoes) are incredibly flavorful when baked.
Ingredients: Sweet Potato, Ginger, Brown Sugar, Crystallized Ginger, Molasses, Ground Clove


Now you have all the recipes you need to cook delicious dishes with winter vegetables. Enjoy!

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