Happy new year--screw the cooking

Cooking was more fun when it was plastic
and no one expected it to be edible.

If you have been doing your American duty during this holiday season, you have been chained to the kitchen off and on for a month preparing bland, gamey meats (well, that's how I feel about turkey, anyway), inoffensive hors d'oeuvres for your sensitive work friends, and cooking up huge pots of vegetables and mashed potatoes to provide some nutrition without making the little ones work for it.  Sick of it?  Good news--you can recycle all of that crap and turn it into meals that are more interesting than their origins.  Plus it's good for the environment... ba-da-DUM.  


Take any one of those leftover dips you made for guests (chipotle crab, North African, or hummus) and toss it with some pasta and a little of the pasta water to help it mix.  Add leftover veggies like green beans, peas, or broccoli.


Remember that Turkish green beans recipe?  It's a snap (even faster when the vegetable is already cooked), and it can be adapted to any green veggies.  Serve over rice.  Toss in some slivered almonds if you want.  


One word: Coddle.  Just use whatever meat (and leftover mashed 'taters) you have and throw in some freshly cooked bacon.  


Add bacon to everything.  It'll be fine, and no one will complain.