creatively comforting

There are days when we are just not meant to go outside.  This morning seemed like one of them.

Around 8:30 AM, my daughter let the dogs out for their morning potty.  The steps to the front porch and the sidewalk were a solid sheet of ice.  One of the dogs could not make it back up the two brick steps of the front porch, so my daughter ventured out, slowly and cautiously, to attempt a rescue.  In the process, she managed to strain every muscle in her back and arms attempting NOT to fall!  OUCH!  We decided, at that point, that the second dog was on her own to make it skate back inside.  We stood at the door and watched her, opening the door every 30 seconds or so, to holler HURRY UP! words of encouragement… It was at this point that my neighbors garage door across the street went up.  He started backing up, in a straight line, as one would normally do.  As his tires hit the driveway, however, we watched, in slow motion, as his car proceeded to slide down the driveway sideways, half on the driveway, half in the front yard… landing in the street, facing the wrong way.  It was at this point that I made the decision to forego my morning plans of a trip to the grocery store for dinner.  Nope.  I would simply make some sort of (delicious) concoction out of what we had on hand.  Let those creative juices flow, baby….

About an hour later, I went to the refrigerator to evaluate what I had to work with here.  Now those of you who know me well know that I really do love this game.  I love the challenge of taking what I have leftover and making it into something.  Edible. The problem comes in when you try to play this game two nights in a row.  Last night I made some pasta and used up the chicken breasts and the last of the kale… so they were no longer options.  I stood there for quite awhile… pondering the “hodge-podge” of what was left in the refrigerator.  We had the last of a honey bake ham, leftover whole wheat pasta from last night, a bit of chicken broth,  2 avocados and some carrots.  Hmmm…

My daughter and I eat dairy free, so creamy sauces are usually a no-no.  However… there is more than one way to skin a cat – Right? (Just realized what a horrible saying that is!  Ewww…!  Who made that up; and why??)  So the avocados went into the food processor along with a little chicken broth and a splash of dairy free milk.  Voila – dairy free “creamy sauce”.  I cut the remaining ham into small pieces, tossed in a large bowl along with the leftover pasta, the avocado sauce and a jar of one of my very favorite “staples” from Trader Joe’s, the tomato Bruschetta.  Now it was time for a little taste test.  The result?  Creamy and delicious!!  Definitely a “thumbs up”!!!   Did you think that I forgot about the carrots?  Didn’t.  I’m going to oven roast those with a little garlic and rosemary when we are warming up the pasta tonight.  (Don’t you just LOVE the smell of garlic??)

Good news: As it ends up, the perfect “comfort food” kinda meal for an icy cold winter day… We are gonna snuggle in for a toasty night by the fire with a glass of red wine and a movie classic… Either “White Christmas” or “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

Bad news: Tonight’s weather update – It’s supposed to start snowing here soon, and continue through most of the night.  (More) Bad news: After two nights in a row of “creative refrigerator concoctions”,  we are down to 4 eggs, almond butter, hummus and half of an apple.  Let’s face it – If we get snowed in… we’re screwed.