My Pantry Challenge Menu

Hi everyone, as part of my Pantry Challenge, this is the menu that I came up with to use up what I have on hand.  I had to make a change already due to unforeseen circumstances on Monday, so I am making the Pinto Beans tonight and will push the fried rice out to another day, maybe one day on a weekend.

I will try, as time permits, to make a post each evening showing what I made, with a recipe.  I also want to let you all know that what we do not eat, I plan to put in ziploc bags or containers and freeze to make an easy meal in the future.

Crock Potting Made Simple: Pantry Challenge

Join me as I clean out the Pantry in a Pantry Challenge!



Crock Potting Made Simple: Hi everyone,  As I mentioned in my earlier post, I...: Hi everyone,  As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am presently doing a Pantry Challenge to use up what's on hand so nothing goes to was...

What's In My Pantry for the Pantry Challenge

Hi everyone,  As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am presently doing a Pantry Challenge to use up what's on hand so nothing goes to waste.  I welcome you to join me in this if you want, this is a good way to keep your food rotated so nothing goes out of date.  There's nothing worse than making a pot of Pinto Beans and grabbing the cornmeal out to make some cornbread and finding out after you've made your bowl that it's gone bad.

I'm going to embarrass myself by publishing my list of what's on hand, it's a very long list and I have far more of some things than I should but you know how it goes, things get moved, pushed back on the shelf or put in a place where it's normally not at so you miss it and buy more.

Here goes nothing!

Fridge Freezer downstairs
2 pk homemade turkey broth
2 pk Turkey Bacon
3 pk of sandwich meat
1 2lb pk ground beef
1 pk Halal cube steak
2 pk cube steak
1 pk steak-3 steaks
1 pk molokia
4 pk stew beef
1 container Savory Garlic Cooking Creme
1 pk Falafel

Deep Freezer downstairs
4 bags of walnuts
2 bags Navy Beans-dried
1 bag Pinto Beans-dried
1 bag Yellow Split Peas-dried
1 Sirloin
1 Chicken Breast
3 bags Broccoli
10 1lb rolls of Halal Ground Beef
3 Apple Spice Cakes
4 Bags of Bagels
2 bags of Bread rolls
2 pks California Medley Veg
1 pk TatorTots
2 pk Pita Bread
2 pk Tortilla
1 Turkey Breast
1 pk diced pepper
1 pk each Hamburger and Hot dog Buns
8 Chocolate Easter Bunny's
1 pk Hamburger steak 3 pc
5 thin Steaks
1 pk Waffle Fries
2 pk Yellow Squash

Kitchen Freezer
1 roll Halal Ground Beef
1 Beef Hot dog
1 pc Broccoli/Cheese Stuffed Chicken
2 pk Chicken Kabob-4 Kabob's
1 pk Toaster Strudel-4 Strudel's
1 pk Steamed Corn
1 bowl Maashy
2 pk Cilantro Lime Chicken-freezer meals
1 California Medley
1 Cauliflower Riced
1 ziploc with 3 servings of ziti
1 Sandwich Thin
1 whole Chicken
4 pc Chicken Breast
1/4 bag Pizza Rolls-Cheese
1/4 bag Chicken Nuggets
1/2 pk Salad Shrimp
Box Mozzarella Sticks
6 Hamburger Patties
1/4 bag Tatortots
1 Chimichanga
1 bag Meatballs-Vegan
2 pks Sugar Cookies
2lb Deer Meat Ground~~Anyone want this?
1 pk each Hamburger and Hot dog Buns
1/8 bag Cranberries
1 Browned Stew Beef
1 pk Pie Crust-2 crusts
1 bag Chicken Fajita
1 bag Roasting Veg
1 Roasted Turkey Breast
1 pk Cheese Ravioli
3/4 Garlic Bread

Phew, and that's just in the freezers!

Cabinets-this list is extensive because it's in several different places but I will try to condense it down as much as possible.

5 jars Prego Cheese Sauce
3 Pasta Sauce
2 Veg Broth
1 Chicken Broth
1 Chicken Broth-can
2 Enchilada Sauce
1 Sloppy Joe
4 Water Chestnut
1 Apple butter-homemade
3 Sugar Free Jelly
1 Frenches Fried Onions
2 Mustard
1 Spicy Mustard
8 Tuna
3 Chicken
1 Hotdog Chili
5 Candy Cane-full boxes
1 Cheddar Cheese
1 Spaghetti o's
1 Ravioli
1 Bisquick
2 boxes and 1 sleeve crackers
1/4 box Quick Grits
2 Boxes Confectioners Sugar
1 1/2 box Bread Crumbs
2 Brownie Mix
12 Muffin Mixes
4 Pks Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
1 Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
1 Corn Bread Mix

Fruit
2 Pineapple
4 Mandarin Orange
2 Peach Cups
1 Fruit Cocktail
1 bag Coconut

Vegetables
8 Corn
6 Green Bean
2 Peas
2 Carrots
2 Mixed Veg
2 Creamed Corn
6 Potato
1 Sauerkraut
1 Mushroom
1 Beets
1 Spinach
4 1/2 instant potato-Butter
1 Instant Potato-Roasted Garlic
1 Okra with Tomato
1 Au gratin Potato

Soups
2 Tomato
5 Chicken Noodle
6 Cream of Onion
5 Cream of Chicken
1 French Onion
1 Butternut Squash
1 Potato Soup Mix

Tomato
8 Diced
4 Paste
2 Sauce
1 Crushed
1 Mexican Salsa tomato Sauce

Beans
3 Pinto
6 Kidney
1 Chili
1 Butter
1 Black
2 Fava
3 Refried
1 Chili Fixin's
1 Great Northern Bean-Dried
1 Pinto Bean-Dried
1 Black Bean-Dried

Milk
1 Evaporated
3 Condensed

Dinner Kits
1 Chicken and Biscuits
1Chicken Helper
1 Hamburger Helper
1 Chili
1 Chicken and Rice
3 Ramen
1 Ramen Lunch

Pasta/Rice
10 Macaroni and Cheese
1 Rotini
4 Boxes Spaghetti
1 Bowtie
1/2 Elbow
3 Bags Rice
2 1/2 Boxes Instant Rice
1 Chicken and Ric
2 Creamy Garlic Shells
1 Chicken Pasta
Uncle Bens Instant Rice-Chicken

Seasoning Mix
1 Ranch
3 chili
5 Taco
3 Boxes, 1 Pk Onion Soup
1 Meatloaf
1 Knorr Veg

Welcome back

Hi everyone.  It's been a while since I last posted, i'm so sorry about that.  I had some life changes going on, moving, traveling, moving again, children moving out/in/out again, my father's passing, traveling again, being homeless and finally getting a home and remodeling.  Phew, that's a lot, but i'm back now and hoping to get this going again.

To update everyone on a major change, my hubby is now in the States with me and we are almost ready to move into our newly remodeled home.  It's a single wide, mobile home, but it's been remodeled to update it with new flooring, new heat and a new layout.  Best of all, it was given to us.  We are hoping to get the last of the flooring put down, paint the walls and get moved in by the end of the January.

We are now empty-nesters, our oldest children, ages 27, 24 and 24, have all been on their own for almost 2 years now and our other children, ages 13,12 and 5, live with their mother in Egypt. I am thankful that none of our children were caught up in all of the drama involved with traveling and coming back homeless.

I will hopefully get back on track with crock potting, pressure cooking and just cooking in general once we are settled in and I have my own kitchen to work with.  For now we are living with my mom and presently doing a pantry clean out to use up what's on hand so that nothing goes to waste.  I will make a post about that shortly.

Happy cooking everyone!

Jennifer

When hubby made it to America!

Rubber Chicken (One Chicken, Three Dinners)

I know, I know, the title confuses you, but you can use one chicken to make 3 meals, you just didn't  know it.  Buy one whole chicken, wash and pat it dry.  Massage some salt and pepper onto the skin and place in a baking bag that has been sprinkled with some flour to prevent it sticking to the chicken and place this inside of your baking dish.  Check the package for directions as to how long and what temperature the bag will tolerate.  I generally bake it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Serve this chicken to your family with the appropriate sides of your choice.  I use green beans, mashed potatoes, corn and homemade biscuits.

After dinner, do not throw away any part of the chicken, even keeping the bones.  De-bone the rest of the meat and set it aside. Rinse off any bones that may have been eaten off of or gotten food on them from the plate. Now, put all the bones into a stock pot of water, chopped carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper and bring it to a boil.  Boil this for 45 minutes to extract everything from the bones and the vegetables.  Now you have a homemade chicken and vegetable broth.  Allow to cool, strain it into another pot (or storage container) to remove the bones and cooked veggies, then place in the fridge until ready to use.  If planning to use it at a later date, place it into a freezer container and freeze until ready to use.

For dinner the next night, use the chicken meat that you set aside and make a casserole or any other dish that uses chicken meat only.  A casserole is simple to make using the meat along with a cream of * soup and a box of stuffing.  The cream of * soup can be any that your family prefers, I like to use cream of chicken, onion or potato.  Layer the meat in the bottom of your baking dish, mix the cream of soup according the the directions and pour it over the chicken spreading it out evenly, now top it with the cooked stuffing mix and baking it in the oven for 20 minutes at 375, until it has time to heat and cook through.  Serve this with sides of your choice, I use the left over vegetables from the night before.

Now you may use this broth to prepare any type of soup of your choice.  I like to use it to flavor rice or to cook with orzo for a quick chicken soup when someone it ailing and just needs some nourishment.  I have also used this to make some chicken and dumplings.  The possibilities are endless.

An alternative to boiling just the bones after dinner,  you can boil the entire chicken along with the carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper.  Strain this into another container and allow this to cool enough for you to handle the chicken, cut the chicken in half, placing it bone side down, into a baking dish on top of some sliced potatoes, onions and tomatoes and bake for 30 minutes at 375 or until the potatoes are done. This is how my husband prefers it.  Still de-bone the rest of the chicken after dinner to use for dinner the next night.

What you need to have:
1 whole chicken
1 baking bag
1 bunch of carrots
1 bunch of celery
1 large onion
1 can of cream of *soup
1 box of stuffing mix
salt and pepper to taste

Alternate method also needs
1 large potato, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 large tomato, sliced

Stuffed Cabbage or Maashy Crump

Stuffed Cabbage or Maashy Crump

While this is not simple, it is an easier way to prepare this dish.  This is a time consuming adventure into cooking, but the flavors are worth the time.  This recipe can be found here, be sure that if you make the Arabic Seven Spice  (recipe is linked below), it is not a small amount, so have a container ready to store it in.

1 large green cabbage 
2 cups short-grain white rice 
1 onion, grated to almost liquid 
1 large onion, chopped 
1 bunch fresh parsley (finely chopped, including some of the stems) 
1 bunch fresh cilantro (finely chopped, including some of the stems) 
1 bunch fresh dill weed (finely chopped, including some of the stems) 
2 fresh tomatoes, pureed 
1 tomato, sliced thin 
3 tablespoons tomato paste 
canola oil 
1 garlic clove (crushed) 
2 chicken bouillon cubes 
1 tablespoon cumin 
1 tablespoon Arabic spices (see recipe for Arabic Seven Spice) 
2 tablespoons salt 
1 teaspoon black pepper 
2 tablespoons dried mint 
1/2 lemon, juice of 

Directions:

Rice mixture
On top of stove, put a good amount oil or butter; add chopped onion and pureed onion sauté. Add garlic when onions almost finished not to burn.  Add a spoon of tomato paste and stir around until all coated. Add pureed tomato, a few drops of water and cook until liquid is almost gone. It should be a little thick, not too watery. You can add some salt to taste to this too. Set aside.

Put washed rice in mixing bowl. Add the above tomato mixture. Add raw, chopped greens- parsley, dill and cilantro. Its okay to chop some of their stems, gives the mixture more flavor. Add a little canola oil.  Add all spices and dry mint. Take 1 chicken bouillon cube and crush it, add to rice.  Mix all ingredients until well blended set aside. Try to taste, will be raw I know, but you can taste and not swallow rice. Adjust seasonings. Salt is most important, if too salty, don’t worry, once cooked it will lessen.

Cooking the Cabbage

Wash the head of cabbage well. With a paring knife, gently cut around core, loosening it a bit. Try to cup deep, but try not to cut leaves, or separate at this point. Using a large pot, fill with water, and a few dashes of cumin. Once boiling, add the head of cabbage, with core facing up.  As the cabbage starts to cook, with a knife, gently pull away leaves from core and cook until a bit soft, but not translucent.  So you will have the large head of cabbage in a pot and you will be cutting leaves and letting them boil alone aside the head. (Hope this makes sense.).  When the leaves are a bit soft, tender not translucent, remove to a large tray. Continue this until all cabbage is cooked. You will have the very small leaves towards inside core, you will be able to use some of these, but some maybe too small.  Once the leaves are cool, you will begin to stuff.

Rolling the Maashy

Prepare a large pot (or your crockpot), put some oil in bottom of pot to coat.  Slice 1 large tomato thinly and place on bottom of pot. You will arrange cabbage in this pot as you roll. Take a cabbage leaf and cut from the bottom, where core starts.  Cut away the hard core and reserve the two sides from leaf making a pile.  Save a few of the cores stems as well.  Tricky but you are trying to get a pliable leaf for rolling.  You want to make the leaf small, cutting a half of the leaf in half. The end result should be size of small cigar.  Don't worry about how they look, they will not be real tight and they may seem like the rice will come out, just close as best you can, they will be fine.

So with leaf laying flat, spoon a small amount of rice onto leaf, fold up bottom and roll like a cigar. Don't worry the ends will be open, but cook ok. Some rice may boil out but not much trust me. Roll all until leaves are finished. Once all rolled and arranged in pot, add a crushed chicken bouillon cube. As you are arranging in pot, you can put a few of the core stems in between layers to help stay in place.

Take approximately 3 cups water and mix with tomato paste, pour over cabbage. Water should reach just above cabbage. If not enough, add more water.  Take an old plate, invert it over cabbage to keep from moving too much.  Put on high, bring to a boil, cook for about 10 minutes, then turn to a lower simmer and cover.  Should cook for approximately an hour or so, you can check it periodically by tasting to see if rice is cooked inside. Once cooked let sit for a little to cool a bit before removing from pot. 

If preparing in the crockpot, arrange the core pieces to cover the bottom completely, then layer the tomato followed by the stuffed cabbage, turn on high and allow to cook for 4 hours, check rice for done-ness.

If prepared in the crock pot, skip this step and arrange them on a platter using tongs to prevent burns as some water may still be in the base of the pot.  When ready to remove, take a large serving platter, put over top of pot, then flip pot to empty onto platter. Be careful and do over sink if you are unsure. Its easy but take s a little practice. Remove core stems, fix tomatoes that are on top, to look presentable.


*** LEFTOVER TIP: THE NEXT DAY PREPARE THE LEFTOVERS THIS WAY -- PUT SOME BUTTER INTO A PAN, FRY THE STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN ON ALL SIDES. SUPER TASTY, ENJOY! ***.

Roast Beef with Au Jus for Dipping

Roast Beef with Au Jus for Dipping

2 lbs deli sliced roast beef (thin slices)
1 onion chopped
1 Tbs minced garlic
2 bullion cubes
2 cups water

Place all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high 2-3 hours.  If you want you can remove the onion pieces from the sauce but my family likes onion so we left it.  If you prefer more sauce just add another cup of water when starting to cook.

Serve on rolls with a small cup of sauce for dipping, or spoon some sauce onto the roll.

To freeze for later use, place all ingredients in a freezer, zip lock, bag and freeze.  You may thaw over night before cooking (preferred) or place in the crock pot frozen and adjust the cooking time to allow for defrosting before it can cook.