Lately, the cutting board has become warped, presumably from putting it in the dishwasher, and I’ve realized it is a bit small for my needs.  Looking at what is available I’m still inclined to go with plastic over wood.  Even though I know I occasionally mix meat and veggies on an individual day, at least with plastic I can stick it in the dishwasher and be sure it is clean the next time I use it.  And if warping is a problem with the plastic board, I know it will be far worse with a wood cutting board.  Now, while I admit I don’t get new cutting boards very often,  I found the Preserve line of cutting boards, made by Recycline and sold at Whole Foods,  to be appealing because they are made from recycled plastic. Hey any thing we can do to be eco-friendly is a good thing in my book.  The boards come in several sizes but the big 14 x 11” board was just the size I wanted, although the smaller 10x8" board seems really appealing for small, quick cutting jobs.  The board has a handle on one end that I initially thought would get in the way, but it really is very handy for lifting the board.  As I said, cutting boards are a personal choice, and many prefer wood but since plastic is a better choice for my kitchen habits at least I can feel good knowing this one doesn’t add to the waste of plastic out there… 

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Last weekend, a friend and I spend nearly all of Sunday baking cookies.  The bake fest lasted about 7 hours and resulted in nearly 20 dozen cookies.  We each made 3 different types of cookies.

I’d never baked with anyone before, other than my mom and sister that is, but it really was lots of fun.  Before we met, we both picked out a list of recipes we wanted to make and then we finalized it the day of the bake fest.  We then went to the store for all the miscellaneous items we didn’t have.  The actual cooking lasted about 5 hours.  We each made our own recipes but helped each other with ‘issues’, tray rotations, timing, and so forth.  Having someone in the kitchen to talk too and bounce ideas off was great.  Husband was around, but he wisely left the kitchen to the women for the day – although he did help with some mixing, dish washing, and of course periodic tasting!

The cookies?  We each made a variation of white mice (aka Mexican wedding cakes, Russian tea cookies, etc).  I used the recipe in Elizabeth Falkner’s Demolition Desserts.  The result?  Absolutely fabulous cookies that were slightly crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside -  or as my neighbor said after trying one from her gift box “they were like a drug!”. 

I also made the Vanilla Roll-Out Cookies from the article by Dorie Greenspan in this month's Bon Appetit and I made the 'Mike's dark chocolate black bottom bites"  from I’m Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas.  Both of which were great.

What we did we do with all of these cookies?  I gave tins to my neighbors, kept about a dozen, and then (bravely) had Husband take the rest to work so we wouldn’t eat them!

My friend wrapped hers in gorgeous little gift plates and gave them as gifts to friends.  I don’t have the patience for that but she did a great job and the gifts looked wonderful!

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This week on Project Foodie we spotlighted a cookbook that not only presents recipes but serves a good cause.  The cookbook, Americans Cook!, is the brainchild of Westchester, NY girl scout troop leader Felice Kaufman.   The cause has multiple facets.  One is supporting the Girl Scouts troop but another effect of this effort is exposing these girls to cooking.  While generations past may have merely been concerned with getting their children to eat their vegetables, in today’s world we have young adults who don’t know anything about cooking!  I’ve had conversations with people in their 20’s asking how to cook the most basic items; like cooking dry boxed pasta!  Obesity and general health issues are increasing while our eating habits seem to continue to decline.  Sure, just because you cook your own food doesn’t mean what you eat will be low in fat, low in calories and high in nutrition but at least you have control over it.

Getting our children (and young adults) to cook involves many steps and no single simple solution exists.  Having said that, I applaud Felice Kaufman for envisioning and executing a creative project for these girls that will not only help them raise money but will also open their eyes to the world of cooking…

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What did you do with your leftovers this month?  That’s the question Leftover Tuesdays ask and this month’s Leftover Tuesdays event has some really unique answers!  In fact, I suspect the culinary creativity of your fellow foodies will amaze you as we have some great entries this month. So, without further ado let’s see what everyone has been up to this month with their leftovers…

	Laurie from Tastes Like Home: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska constantly challenges herself to create amazing Greek Cuisine with ingredients available in Alaska.  She has nicely accomplished that with her transformation of leftover halibut into Savory Fish Cakes.  And as if the transformation isn’t enough, she also shares with us her approach to recording her recipe creations for future use!
	Foodie Heather from here at Project Foodie created not just one but two meals from leftover Kale.  First, she used Kale, that she forgot to put in its originally designated meal, to create a wonderful hash.   Then she transformed the leftover hash into a Potato, Kale and Tomato Frittata.
	Tigerfish from teczcape – an escape to food may have out done us all this month with this mouthwatering creation.  Using leftover wonton skin, unused almond butter, and overly ripe bananas combined with a hefty dose of ingenuity, Tigerfish created Banana Peanut Butter Wonton Pockets.  Now tell me don’t those look absolutely sinful? Wow!
	Windy from Windy's Food Corner in England has transformed leftover Lamb into a great Korma Curry Lamb.  Not a big lamb fan?  Windy says this dish is also great with leftover chicken – yum!
	Foodhunter over at The Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine had several unused portions leftover from her Thanksgiving meal - sausage and mushrooms from the stuffing along with parmesan and mozzarella from a lasagna. The transformation?  Pizza! Which incidentally is one of my favorite ways to use leftovers.  Foodhunter's pizza looks really good.
	Joel from Food Monkeys made a grand slam out of a roast chicken. Following the initial meal of sliced chicken breast, the other breast was converted into Cranberry Wild Rice with Roast Chicken Breast, the next night one chicken leg was the star in a Chicken Pot Pie, and the final night the other chicken leg was used for Curried Chicken Leg.  Wow!  Four meals from one $2 chicken. And he also had a great leftover creation pizza this month What leftover devotion!
	And finally, my transformation of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving into  tasty, albeit not photogenic, enchiladas.  Trust me these Turkey and Mushroom Enchiladas with a Spinach Cream Sauce really tasted great despite their appearance!

Thanks everyone for playing along with Leftover Tuesdays.  Can’t wait to see your next creations!

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