Growing up, my Dad would sometimes make what he coined as "refrigerator surprise." He would take all the leftovers sitting in the fridge from that week and somehow magically whip up a culinary masterpiece. I can't say the dinner always looked appealing as my brother and I would cautiously poke at the plate. But, nevertheless, it always tasted great.

At the time, I don't think I truly appreciated or understood the genius in throwing together a complete family meal made entirely from the week's leftovers. But now that I'm older... and the days are undeniably shorter...whipping up something that is not only satisfying, but also quick, easy, and reduces waste. Well. That's just pure genius!

This dish isn't exactly the "refrigerator surprise"I grew up with. I know... I got you all worked up. But, this does have a similar concept and is a great dish to throw together on those "long, busy days you come home exhausted and starved, but have nothing in your fridge and need to go to the store" days.

Yeah, those days.

This dish is super simple and doesn't follow an exact science. You can pretty much throw whatever you have on hand in this dish.

Just take some old, crusty bread and toss it in a dish. Then top with some cheese. I had a little bit of cream cheese and some shredded cheese almost at it's end on hand, so I threw both of those in the dish with the bread.

Then I took all of my four eggs left and whisked them together with my last bit of half and half. I threw in some sliced green onions, then poured the mixture over the bread and cheese. At this point, you could probably throw this in the oven, but I knew I had a few leftover scraps that would make this even better. Plus, I always celebrate a small victory when I find a way to use up leftovers.

Throw in whatever leftovers you have sitting in your fridge - chopped veggies, pasta sauce, sauteed onions, peppers, salsa, whatever! Then throw the whole thing in the oven and boom! Refrigerator surprise, folks!

Lazy Bake a.k.a. "Refrigerator Surprise Bake"
inspired by Pioneer Woman's Bagel and Cream Cheese Baked French Toast

Ingredients:
old crusty bread, cubed or torn into chunks (I used old sourdough bread)
4 eggs
1/3 cup half and half
cream cheese (enough to drop a few dollops throughout)
shredded cheese (about a handful or two)
2 green onions, sliced
salt to season
dash of cayenne
dash of ground mustard

optional leftover topping ideas:
pasta sauce/marinara
diced onion, peppers
chopped veggies
cilantro
salsa

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a small oven-proof casserole dish (I used a 3 cup, 7x5 inch pyrex) with butter or coconut oil. Spread the bread cubes in the dish. Add in a few small dollops of cream cheese throughout the dish (I put about 7-8 dollops). Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top.

In a separate small bowl, add the eggs, half and half, green onions, salt, cayenne and ground mustard. Whisk until combined. Pour the egg mixture in the casserole dish over the bread. This is your "bake" base.

Pull out whatever leftover scraps you may have on hand to add as toppings to your base. Add whatever you choose over the top of the bread, cheese and egg mixture.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake covered for about 15-20 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for an additional 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a minute. Cut into squares and serve!
For this particular bake, I used leftover pasta sauce and some diced sauteed onion and peppers I had from the previous night's dinner. I also used leftover pico de gallo and cilantro I had on hand to garnish after baking the dish.

seared bone-in pork chops with spicy cranberry chutney

Is anyone else as ready for Thanksgiving as I am? The other day I was stumped on what to make for dinner. All I could think about was turkey and cranberry sauce. Well, really just the cranberry sauce. Does anyone else crave cranberry sauce in November? Just me?

I knew I wanted something different than the usual suspects, but I still wanted it to feel like Fall, if you know what I mean. I wasn't about to roast an entire turkey on a random weeknight, so that was out. That left me with just the cranberry sauce. And no, I'm not talking about that canned version in all its cylinder mold perfection (though, that stuff is pretty freakin' awesome). No, I'm talking about chutney folks. Spicy cranberry chutney. The real stuff.

You know what goes well with cranberry chutney, aside from turkey? Yep, you guessed it! Pork chops! At least it does in my book. Especially when the chutney has a kick like this one.

Want to know the best part? These chops are super simple to make! I never realized how easy and amazingly delicious pork chops were until...well, until I made them for the first time! Yep. Pork chop newbie over here. So, if I can make them on my first try, that means you can too. No joke.

You're going to want to buy the bone-in pork chops that err on the thick side. The bone is what makes these things incredibly flavorful, moist and juicy. Trust me.

In about ten minutes these babies are cooked and good to go! How can you beat that? This may not be the turkey feast your salivating for, but it sure does come in a close second...maybe a first once you whip it up for yourself and have a bite!

Seared Pork Chops with Spicy Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients:

2 bone-in, thick cut pork loin chops

salt and pepper 

olive oil for searing

parsley, chopped for garnish

cranberry chutney:

2 cups fresh whole cranberries

juice from one orange

2-3 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp cayenne

dash of salt

Directions:

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides and set aside. 

In a separate small pot, over medium heat, add the cranberries and orange juice. Allow the cranberries and orange juice to come to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Stir in the maple syrup, cayenne and dash of salt. Let the mixture simmer, while mixing every so often. The cranberries will pop and the mixture will begin to thicken as it cooks down. Simmer for 5-6 minutes, until mixture has thickened. Add more orange juice if the mixture becomes too thick. Remove from heat and set aside covered.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add olive oil (about 2-3 tbsp). Once the olive oil is heated, place the seasoned bone-in pork chops in the skillet and sear on both sides until brown (about 4-5 minutes each side). Remove the skillet from the heat and using a meat thermometer, make sure the internal temperature of the pork reads 145 degrees. 

Let the pork chops sit in the skillet and "rest" for about 5 minutes before plating. Top pork chops with cranberry chutney and garnish with chopped parsley.