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Edited on Sat Dec-25-04 07:23 PM by Lisa
Especially if you're in a cold, snowy place -- chickadees, woodpeckers, etc. love beef fat or suet. It helps keep them warm at this time of year. (The naturalist at a museum where I used to work would melt the suet, dunk pine cones in it, and roll the cones in birdseed before hanging them up where the nuthatches etc. could get at it.)
Leftover beef "mock teriyaki" recipe -- if you grate a clove of garlic and stir-fry it with ground black pepper and a spoonful of oil -- then put in small pieces of beef, with some soy sauce -- it's very good over rice, with some chopped green onions on top.
For those with leftover chicken or turkey -- try this gumbo recipe. (This is my Christmas dinner this year, since I'm on my own and don't feel like roasting a whole bird ... so I'm using chicken pieces and cooking them longer in the pot, until they're done.)
Dice an onion and saute in a bit of oil, in the bottom of a decent-sized pot or saucepan. Add turkey or chicken meat, in bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with black pepper and some chile powder. (You won't have to cook it long if it's already been cooked.)
When everything is sizzling nicely, pour in some canned tomatoes. Rinse out the can with water and add that as well. Also toss in a couple of spoonfuls of tapioca powder (if you don't have the powdered sassafras-based "file" mixture traditionally used for gumbo) or cornstarch, as a thickener. When it's simmered for awhile, and is just starting to thicken up, add okra pods (frozen is okay), and chopped celery and/or sweet peppers. Keep cooking until the vegetables are done but not too soft. Serve over rice or noodles, or just in a bowl with some bread on the side. (This also freezes well.)
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