topic Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative! in Kitchen

Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

Sooner — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 01:56:30 GMT

I just told my husband that we have some quick bread mixes left from the holidays, and they are now going to be snacks, breakfast breads, and desserts!

Pumpkin spice and peppermint? Yep! Now the newest thing in spring flavors.

I have cans of stewed tomatoes that are simply going to be eaten with a tiny big of butter and elbow noodles as a side dish.

What are you doing in the next few days? Of course we have the inevitable tuna salad! LOL!!!

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

QVCkitty1 — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 02:02:33 GMT

I've got chick peas and canned tomatoes, I'll cook them with onions and maybe a pepper, curry powder and serve it over rice.

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

stevieb — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 02:11:23 GMT

@Sooner wrote:
I just told my husband that we have some quick bread mixes left from the holidays, and they are now going to be snacks, breakfast breads, and desserts!

Pumpkin spice and peppermint? Yep! Now the newest thing in spring flavors.

I have cans of stewed tomatoes that are simply going to be eaten with a tiny big of butter and elbow noodles as a side dish.

What are you doing in the next few days? Of course we have the inevitable tuna salad! LOL!!!

@Sooner I'm good with pumpkin spice breakfast bread any day. Nix to the mint, though. Don't like mint and certainly not mint bread, which just strikes me as rather unappealing. As for the stewed tomatoes, love them. No need to add the noodles or butter for me, though I might bake some of them with bread crumbs and seasonings.

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

Sooner — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 02:28:12 GMT

I think as time goes on we will get more and more 'creative'! At least for a while!

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

J Town Girl — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 02:44:23 GMT

We always have too many items in our freezer. I told my husband at least this will give me a chance to use them up before they get freezer burn. I'm trying to make meals out of what we already have.

I guess this is going to give me a chance to really pare down our food products. We always buy too much on our shopping trips.

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

GenXmuse — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 02:53:57 GMT

It will be great to see what people come up with-sounds fun!

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

denisemb — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 02:55:45 GMT

@Sooner wrote:

What are you doing in the next few days? Of course we have the inevitable tuna salad! LOL!!!

It sounds crazy, but one of my favorite comfort foods is tuna macaroni salad! Have the fixin's, so it's bound to be on the menu before the celery goes bad!

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

bunjetto — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 03:14:29 GMT

that sounds so good right now!

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

GrailSeeker — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 03:28:49 GMT

Those little canned hams and canned corned beef come in really handy. They are so tender. The ham is good by itself, but you can also add some to dried cooked beans. I like the 15 bean mix. Jiffy cornbread to go with.

I have used one can of corned beef to make corned beef and cabbage, and a couple of Reuben sandwiches, grilled on rye bread with swiss cheese and sauerkraut. When the rye bread was gone, I baked fresh bread with Rhodes frozen bread dough. Five loaves in a package.

Cream of Wheat for breakfast. That box will last me a year. It only takes 3 tablespoons of Cream of Wheat for a single serving.

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

homedecor1 — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 03:34:27 GMT

@denisemb

I made this favorite for us this week! That's about as "creative" I've been this week🙂

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

denisemb — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 03:40:59 GMT

My problem is that i seem to be missing at least ONE essential ingredient to make any of our favorites...arrrggghhh!

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

Catiele — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 03:46:23 GMT

Cinnamon pancakes with French vanilla ice cream.

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

ECBG — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 03:50:27 GMT

@Sooner I'd take those canned tomatoes, add some frozen corn and okra with a little Worchesthire and soy. Yum!

Or I'd make soup.

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

Renata22 — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 04:02:09 GMT

@denisemb What do you put in your tuna macaroni salad?

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

SouthernBee — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 09:16:26 GMT

@denisemb : yes! While quickly shopping for groceries trying to think of items to substitute and would discover the product was not available. I have quick and easy recipes for like meal in a dish but two items always listed was a can of soup and some type of cheese.Stores were sold out of soup and cheese- every variety of cheese- no blocks of cheese to shred and canisters of shredded Parmesan. Store was sold out of cream cheese and sour cream. I have enough of chicken breast and chuck hamburger meat for two weeks. I know with the chicken can make soup, bbq chicken, chicken and rice. Then meatloaf, hamburger steak , soup with ingredients in the pantry but then desperate on ideas since my normal substitutes not available. Store also sold out of can goods, dried beans and very limited frozen foods. Southern Bee

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

novamc1 — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 12:11:03 GMT

After trying (for the first time in my life) to prepare a food plan for the next several days or week, I've decided I must be a food and ingredient hoarder. I have so much miscellaneous stuff that I'm having a hard time making decisions!

Trying to decide which ingredients need to be used up first.

I could use the very fresh iceberg lettice and tomatoes for my own version of a taco salad.......or as a side salad with something else as a main dish.

Or start seasoning two small pork tenderloins with Montreal steak salt/pepper/garlic mix, which would make two meals---first as roasted and sliced meat served with rice, and leftover meat used for an Asian-type stir-fry using some frozen vegetables

Or make a frittata using eggs, half a roll of sauteed ground pork sausage plus a frozen blend of red, green, yellow peppers and onions, with shredded Parmesan /cheddar cheese added.

Or pull out of the freezer some beef stew from about two weeks ago.

Or.........I've got several other options, and I don't know how I got so well-prepared for this crazy situation, because I shop randomly and never try to be real organized.

I will run out of products and ideas eventually. Now the problem for me is making a decision as to how much work I want to do in the kitchen to prepare all this stuff. I'm not real motivated to be a chef at the moment.

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

Sooner — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 16:06:06 GMT

@ECBG wrote:
@Sooner I'd take those canned tomatoes, add some frozen corn and okra with a little Worchesthire and soy. Yum!

Or I'd make soup.

YEP! You are right!

You reminded me: I buy canned okra, tomatoes and corn all in one can. I add it to chicken broth, after I saute onions, celery and bell peppers, and chicken (sometimes leftover or in a real hurry, canned white chicken breast) and some Cajun seasonings and it's quick but good chicken gumbo!

That is a pantry go-to for us. We serve it over rice and spicy!

You are right about SOUP!!!!! LOL!!

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

Sooner — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 16:07:36 GMT

@J Town Girl wrote:
We always have too many items in our freezer. I told my husband at least this will give me a chance to use them up before they get freezer burn. I'm trying to make meals out of what we already have.

I guess this is going to give me a chance to really pare down our food products. We always buy too much on our shopping trips.

@J Town Girl My hubby is sort of in charge of the freezer. I told him yesterday to start with the oldest stuff in there and bring it in to thaw out! LOL!!!

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

Sooner — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 16:10:33 GMT

@denisemb wrote:
My problem is that i seem to be missing at least ONE essential ingredient to make any of our favorites...arrrggghhh!

@denisemb My mom was sometimes maybe too creative. My husband was astonished when she used a spoonful of mayo in place on an egg in a cake mix. It worked. . .

Re: Stuff In the Pantry--Let's Get Creative!

denisemb — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 18:56:49 GMT

@Renata22 wrote:
@denisemb What do you put in your tuna macaroni salad?

It's just really basic. Tuna, usually little shell macaroni, finely diced celery and sweet onion, mayo, salt & pepper.

Only one extra ingredient when it's just for DH & me: sliced green olives.