Pantry Pasta

Summertime is full of long days. Swimming, playing outdoors, camping and get-togethers with family and friends.

This year, summertime has meant unexpected spending on vehicles and home repairs. While we were set for a "rainy day", when multiple things come up in a very short time, the rainy day fund dwindles quickly.

Which brings us to this post: Pantry Pasta.

My husband and I just returned yesterday from an annual weekend trip with friends. We were frugal on the get-away this year because of the afore-mentioned summer expenditures. Upon returning home, it was later in the evening and I didn't think to do my check-list for grocery shopping the next morning (today). We always have meat in the freezer and at least some canned or frozen veg we can use in a pinch when we don't have fresh.

So, we woke this morning, not thinking of meals for the day. My husband got ready and I took him to the train station for his trip downtown Chicago to speak at a local convention. Now, when he's not home, I often just eat cereal for breakfast, PB&J for lunch and heat up a quick soup or something for supper. Today was no exception for breakfast. We're out of Peanut Butter, so I ate cereal for lunch too! However, my husband would be home for supper and I realized (too late) that I hadn't planned for it. So, after picking him up from the evening return train, he asked me, "what are you thinking for supper?" He was probably anticipating that I would want to just go out or pick up something on the way home. But, we're trying to be frugal right now, so I said, "I'm not sure, hadn't given it much thought today."

At home, I took a quick look through the fridge and pantry. We do have some meat (ribs, chicken thighs and fish) in the freezer, but none had been set over to thaw. No fresh veg. In the pantry we have pasta and store bought spaghetti sauce, pesto and some shredded cheese in the fridge. So, pasta for dinner it is!

Once the water came to a boil, I added salt, a touch of butter (not oil, though oil is fine if you like to use a fat when boiling pasta) and some garlic powder. Dropped the pasta and cooked it almost to done (al dente). Removed the pasta from the water, reserving about 1/4 cup of the pasta water to add to the sauce. Poured the sauce into the same pot, added the reserved pasta water and a heaping tablespoon of pesto to the sauce and stirred it all together then added in the cooked pasta.

After 3-4 minutes of allowing everything to heat up together, I added a little pepper, salt and ground chipotle. Gave it all a good stir and served it up with a little shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese on top for garnish.

When my husband took his first bite, he exclaimed, "This pasta is cooked perfectly! And the flavor of everything is great!" I'll admit, it was really yummy. There weren't enough chipotles to burn your tongue, just enough to brighten the flavors in the sauce.

Moral of this story? When finances are tight, spend $1.29 for marinara, $1.29 for pesto, $1.00 for pasta, add a little cheese and butter if you have it one hand (they are optional) and you can have a terrific meal for 3 or 4 people for less than $5! Even if finances aren't tight, it's a great meal! Make the most of what you have on hand and you just might surprise yourself with how good it can be!

Catching up... New year, new changes

It's been a while since I've posted anything. I'm sorry. Returning to this blog with a bang:

Menu planning and prepping!

January started out like almost every other January. Except, this year, I am making some changes. I am a fairly healthy, yet overweight woman in my late 40's. I'd like to maintain good health, so have decided to make some small changes in diet and adding regular exercise to my daily routine.

Adding treadmill walking into my day isn't as easy as it sounds. If I'm working on the computer, it's easy to put off walking on the treadmill "until later". There are so many things that you can use to put it off "until later". This is what I have to change in myself. Doing it, instead of allowing other things to distract me from it. Otherwise "until later" becomes tomorrow, or the next day, next week, next month... until you just aren't doing it and you blame it on being too busy. But, I'm not too busy, just to willing to allow distractions in.

Against all my allegations that fitbit and the like are just "visuals" of exercise, that most probably aren't really doing, I bought one. I need accountability, but no one else has the time to devote to keeping me accountable. Besides, I know me, if it's not quietly in my face all the time, it won't work. The fitbit, is on my wrist 24/7, except shower time, when it charges, and I set up notifications so that I'm always seeing what it records. It's working! I'm walking on the treadmill every day. I'm not sitting as much because it reminds me to get up and move every hour. I love it!

Another change is menu planning, large grocery shopping and prepping meals for the freezer for use each week. With this, I'm also incorporating new recipes: a couple of these will follow in future posts.

Menu planning: I started by only planning a week at a time, then was so excited about it, added on an additional 3 days, making it 10 days worth of meal planning. I made it easy too:

Breakfasts: yogurt, cereal, fruit
Lunches: leftovers from supper the night before
Suppers: ah, lots of fun here - and I can change it up every time I plan! For 10 days worth, I incorporated 2 new recipes: Curried Chicken Casserole and Chili Chicken with Hominy Hash. And every other Friday night will be pizza night.

After planning, I made a shopping list and my husband and one of our sons did the shopping for me! Yeah, I'm a fortunate lady! When they returned home, Tim (my husband) and I went straight to work prepping the ones that we could for freezing.

1.Beef stew: cut and seasoned the beef and put it in a large baggie, cut the veggies (won't pre-cut potatoes next time), seasoned and put in a separate baggie, labeled each baggie and placed in the freezer with the date to move to the fridge to thaw.

2. Chili Chicken and Hominy Hash: seasoned the chicken, placed in baggie. Cut up veggies, drained the hominy, seasoned and placed in a separate baggie. Labeled and dated the baggies and placed them in the freezer.

3. Curried Chicken Casserole: Chopped and seasoned the chicken and placed in a baggie in the fridge. Measured out and mixed the seasonings. and set next to the stove for cooking the following day.

The remaining meals were such that they couldn't be prepped early. However, I did store things in the pantry and the refrigerator by meal, and wrote the date for use on them. I only did this so that everyone in the house would know not to use these items for snacks. Our youngest son, will eat every vegetable in the house if we don't mark them for use. (This is not a complaint)

A lesson learned in this experiment: Don't freeze acorn squash - it turns mealy. Eww. Don't cut up and freeze potatoes with other vegetables - they turn black. Yuck.

All in all, menu planning, shopping and prepping will continue. It is time-saving, schedule-friendly, and budget-friendly!

Quick Pork and Sauerkraut

It's Sunday evening and Sunday mornings and afternoons are so busy for me that I just don't want to stand in the kitchen to cook in the evening. But, I must feed my family. We were supposed to have pork chops yesterday, but our schedule just didn't allow for cooking and our boys weren't home, so Tim and I just picked up a baked potato and some chili on our way home from a cookie delivery. (I'm a baker)

So, had the pork chops. Had some sauerkraut. We like them together, though I usually roast pork for a few hours in sauerkraut with some shredded apple, yada-yada-yada, but didn't have time for it today.

1 pkg Sauerkraut (bag style, not can)
1 1/2 T. Mustard (just used yellow mustard)
4 Pork Chops, boneless
1 T. diced Onion (or dried onion)
1 t. Aleppo Pepper, ground
1/2 t. Black Pepper
3/4 t. Salt

Preheat your oven to 375 (but don't worry about giving it the full time to preheat). Put the sauerkraut in a casserole dish, added a drizzle of mustard. Place the pork chops on top and seasone with diced onion, ground Aleppo pepper, salt and black pepper. Bake covered for 40 minutes.

Took my first bite and thought, "wow, I could do this more often." Then my husband tells me, "you could use this on a catering menu, it's so good"!

Took less than an hour from start (getting up from the sofa) to finish (first bite) and it is now a favorite and we will have it again. My boys were thrilled with the addition of the mustard to the sauerkraut. So was I.

All that say this, even when you're tired, you can have a great meal (unplanned to boot) and only be on your feet for about 5 minutes (prep and serving). Go for it!

Apple BBQ Sauce

This is a recipe that started almost 5 years ago! We were on a committee with friends through who were planning a monthly fellowship theme for October of that year (2009, I think?). We opted for an Apple Themed Potluck night. The church would provide Pulled Roasted Pork (I cooked it) and every family was asked to bring a side dish or dessert that had apples used in it.

In the planning for the Pork Roast for Pulled Pork, I used Apple Juice, cut Apples and Onion, Garlic, Salt and Pepper for the roasting flavors. As I was planning, I decided to make our own BBQ Sauce instead of using store bought. This way I could make it a Apple Based BBQ Sauce to go with the theme of the fellowship dinner. I am so glad I did! The sauce was a huge hit!

I roasted the Pork Shoulder and Loins in a large electric Roaster at 350 for about 5 hours. It was delicious by itself. However, the sauce was necessary to make the BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches. Here is what I did:

1 Apple (your choice, I used a gala), peeled and grated
1 sm. Onion, diced
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 t.. Mustard
1/4 c. Brown Sugar
1/4 c. Molasses (can use dark Karo or even Maple Syrup)
1 1/2 c. Ketchup
1/4 c. Soy Sauce
1/4 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

I placed all of this in a medium saucepan, over low-medium heat and allow it to cook about 15 minutes (I was running short on time) before adding in about 3 T. of a blend of ground Chilis that my wonderful, spicy husband put together for me. He used Ancho, Morita and Cascabel, but you can use any chili pepper or blend of peppers that you prefer. After adding the peppers, I used an immersion blender to blend it all as smooth as possible. You could opt to strain it or use a stand blender if you don't have an immersion blender. After blending, allow it to cook a few more minutes and if it needs to be thinned, use Apple Juice (only a splash at a time) to thin it to maintain the apple flavor.

Transfer to a heat-proof squeeze bottle or Mason or Bell jar. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for later use. As is, this will keep for up to 3 months. However, if you want to make a large batch to give as gifts, be sure to sterilize your jars, and that the lids seal before giving them. At this point, with properly sealed lids, this will keep for up to a year. Probably even longer, but I'm skittish about keeping canned foods as long as some people say you can.

Enjoy it. It turned out to be a fabulous BBQ sauce and it repeatedly requested by most who have had it! As well, we repeat the Apple Fest night annually now, and I am the one who is always requested to roast the pork and make the BBQ sauce. I've purchased other sauces to have options, and they don't even get opened. By the way, this was my first attempt at making a bbq sauce, so don't be afraid to try it!

Swiss Mac and Cheese

Yes, you read that right. Swiss Mac and Cheese. A little background to wet your appetite.

 About 17 years ago, my husband, my mother and I traveled to Zurich, Switzerland. It was a work trip for my husband and a pleasure trip for my mother and I. During the day, my mom and I would drive to other towns and countries to take in as much as we possibly could in the short week we were there. We drove most of Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Germany. We tried to go to Italy, but there was an avalanche that closed the tunnels on the day we were headed that direction, so we changed our plans and spent most of our time Lucerne instead.

One day, driving back to Zurich from Lichtenstein, we stopped at a rest area (they are very different there than here - I like theirs better) for fuel, and found that they have cafes and permanent food stands as well. The fuel stations are at ground level, and there is a tunnel underground that houses a food court and such. So, we decided to have lunch there as we hadn't found a place yet to pull over to eat. I don't even recall what my mom chose to eat, because my lunch was so great, it was all I could think about or even remember now.

There was a food stand that offered made to order pasta. Or Swiss Mac and Cheese. You could choose what went in it. I asked him to fix his favorite for me. He added chunks of Ham and shavings of Hazelnut. The sauce of course, was made with white, Swiss cheeses. With a grinding of nutmeg, salt and pepper. Absolutely perfect! This was so exciting to me because I had something new to try and recreate upon returning home. I was a little worried because neither of my children (2 boys) would eat Mac and Cheese. (I know, weird, right?)

They ate it the first attempt! I've changed up the cheeses I use since, according to what I find available here and every time, it's a winner. And the flavor is always so similar to what I remember, that I don't feel the need to stick with a particular blend of cheese... so long as the overall flavor is that nutty, salty, Swiss-y-ness I fell in love with. Here's the basic recipe I developed. Please adjust it to your liking.

Box of  Macaroni Noodles
Pot of boiling water
Salt and Oil
*Add the Salt and Oil to the boiling water before adding the noodles. Cook the noodles 6-8 minutes, until just al dente. Drain and set aside while you make the cheese sauce.

3 T. Butter
3 T. Flour
2 c. Milk, heated - keep warm until ready to use
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
3 - 4 c. Grated Cheese (Depends on desired cheesiness)
       I like to make sure that Asiago or Parmesan is one of the cheeses I use. I try to use 1 c. of a soft cheese, 1 c. of a medium hard cheese and then the Asiago or Parmesan. If I have more than 3 kinds in my fridge, I'll use more than 3.
*Melt the butter, add the flour and while stirring with a whisk, cook the flour/butter for at least 2 minutes to get rid of that flour taste. Then add in the hot milk, continuing to whisk. Once everything is incorporated well, begin adding the cheeses, about a cup at a time to allow melting time without decreasing the overall temperature too quickly. Once all the cheese is melted, add in your seasonings and optional items (below). Then, add in the pasta and stir to evenly and thoroughly coat all of the macaroni with this cheesy goodness. At this point, it's ready to eat. However, you could put it in a baking dish and top with more cheese, crumbled potato chips or sliced tomatoes, or any other topping that sounds good to you and bake it (at 350 for 20-30 minutes) before serving. Just depends on how long you can hold out before eating it.

Options:
Ham or other meat
Grated Onion (I grate it so as not to have bites of onion in the cheesy goodness)
Minced Garlic
Other Seasonings
Chili Peppers (we like chilis, and it's no exception when making Mac n Cheese)

Have fun with it and enjoy!

Unplanned Apple Cobbler

Yesterday afternoon, my husband picked up some fruit: apples, oranges and grapefruit. While putting the groceries away, I took the bag of apples out of the grocery bag and was greeted with stickiness. Yuck.

Upon investigation, we realized that all but one apple in the bag was bruised. Well, you know how it goes, bruised apples rot quickly, so we couldn't just put them in the fruit bowl to be consumed throughout the week. We had to use them up... somehow.

Hence the unplanned Apple Cobbler.

Melt 1 stick of butter. Pour it into a 9x13 baking pan.

Mix together (I use the same bowl that I mixed the apples in)
1 c. Flour
1 c. Sugar
2 t. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Salt
1 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Nutmeg
2/3 c. Milk (room temperature is better, but not required)
1 T. Drambouie (liquor, again optional)
1 t. Vanilla
1 Egg
*Pour (or spoon) this mixture over the melted butter).

Mix together:
7 apples, peeled and sliced (to your desired thickness)
1 c. Sugar
1 t. Cinnamon (I like Cinnamon)
1 t. Nutmeg (I like Nutmeg so I always add a little more)
1 t. Vanilla
1 T. Drambouie (liquor, and yes, it's optional)

*Gently spoon this mixture over the batter and butter. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until top is golden brown. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before eating.

You can do this recipe with any fruit/berry mixture. Just use about 56 oz. of fruit. Seriously, it's not a problem if you use a little more or a little less fruit. As I always say, have fun with it and enjoy the "fruits" of your labors and experiments! 

This was dessert after a dinner of Swiss Mac and Cheese, Seasoned Turnip Greens and sauteed Mushrooms and Onion.  Absolutely delicious meal from start to finish. 

Oh, you want to know about the Swiss Mac and Cheese? Check out my next post. Happy cooking!

Pork Roast

No, Pork Roast itself isn't a leftover or a pantry item. It is delicious if treated and seasoned well.

Why do we cook roasts? Because they are easy, forget-it kinds of meals that taste really good. We put a hunk of meat with some cut up vegetables in a crock-pot, add some seasoning and liquid (wine or juice is my favorite), plug it in, turn it on and forget about it until supper time. Oh yeah, yummy stuff. Or do the same thing but instead of a crock-pot, we put it all in a roasting pan and in the oven. Leave it in for less time, but similar result.

Well, yesterday I cooked a roast. I did not add vegetables. I seasoned it and added Apple Juice to the pan. Roasted it in the oven, covered, for about 90 minutes, uncovered it and allowed it to cook for an additional 15 minutes just to crisp on the fat a little more.

Then I reserved all the broth in a jar, wrapped the roast and put them in the fridge overnight. Why? Because the roast that I had wasn't large enough for a meal for a large family/group. Now, I'll tell you the fun part.

Today, I chopped up the entire roast into bite-sized pieces. I returned half of them to the fridge and used half in a stir-fry for lunch. A little meat, some onion, garlic and sweet peppers (choose your favorite veg), a little Asian seasoning, soy sauce, fish sauce and a touch of teriyaki and pepper and viola - a delicious, quick lunch!

Immediately following lunch, I pulled out a large kettle and began on supper - it was still quick and easy. Here's how.

Chopped an onion and minced some garlic. Chopped a few potatoes and carrots. Opened a can each of green beans, hominy and tomato sauce. Began the saute on the onion and garlic. After a couple of minutes, added in the remaining prepped ingredients. Added a box of chicken broth (or a quart of homemade if you have it on hand), a few splashes of hot sauce (simple Tobasco works well), some ground New Mexico Chiles, Salt and Pepper about a quart of water and brought it to a boil before turning the heat down to let the soup stay on a slow simmer for the rest of the afternoon. A few minutes before serving, I checked for seasoning, made some biscuits to eat with the soup and let me tell you: my family was surprised at how delicious it was!

Just enough chiles to get the flavor without much heat, the hot sauce just enhanced all the other flavors without adding heat and the flavor of the roasted pork was amazing. You could notice the flavor of each vegetable used, but not a single flavor overpowered any other flavor and the combination of flavors produced perfection in a soup.

I will definitely be using this method again. Probably with leftover from a roast meal, but if I find small roasts on sale... this will be what I buy them for. Enjoy!