Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Using The Pantry - Get Creative

 Happy Tuesday to you all.  What a wonderful weather week we have had so far.  Yesterday and today 80's!!  Sunshine galore!  Windows have been open and airing the house.  Rain comes in later tonight and then it cools some.  It has been glorious!  I hope you are getting some lovely weather as well.

Today, let us continue along in our pantry series with some ways to use what we have and not waste.  We all need to get creative at times - it makes things fun!  There are many ways to use many ingredients.  When watching your dollars, it is great to have an arsenal of ideas so that you don't waste food nor money. (good for us all).

Last weeks in the comments there were instructions from a couple contributors as to how to make dried beans.  They are so inexpensive and they can be so good.  You don't have to use them just as soup beans - there is beans and rice, refried beans, they can be cooked and frozen for later and used in chili, soups, etc.
Beans are always a wonderful thing to have in your pantry.

NEVER throw away bacon grease.  It is great to have on hand for flavoring and for frying bland items - adds lots of flavor!!!  I keep mine in the frig.  Heck, I remember mom had a small canister that she kept on the stove back in the day.  I feel safer keeping it in the frig.  I have another jar for grease from beef (like hamburger).  I use it sometimes when cooking ground chicken or turkey - to give it a beef flavor!
Any combo of veggies can be considered a salad.  You can blend what you have in a big bowl for several servings or a salad can be just a couple items in a side dish in my opinion.  When I say I have had a salad - it may be carrots and radish cut up, or cukes and tomatoes, or onion and cukes, or olives and radish and cauliflower........  whatever you have fresh can be considered a salad.  Throw in a little dressing and yum!
ALWAYS have some cookbooks on hand with cheap and easy ingredients.  Cookbooks are part of the pantry in my opinion.  You can get so many easy ideas - and you can tweak it to your individual taste.
Yard sales are great places to find books for pennies and you can often find some of the older ones, which are great!!

PASTA - so many uses.  There are lots and lots of variety of pasta available.  Make it plain with a little oil or butter, or add sauces of any sort.  Use in salads - a hearty pasta salad can make a meal with some garlic toast if you want a light and cool dinner.
use in soups and casseroles.  As a side.

Use your ingredients to make pancakes or waffles.  Freeze for later use and a quick breakfast.  Biscuits can be made ahead and frozen.  Make up some breakfast biscuits - with egg, bacon, sausage, cheese...whatever you choose.  Breakfast burritos and wonderful to have on hand.  Tortillas, some scrambled eggs and whatever else you choose to add.  Wrap and freeze.  Keeps you from running out to buy breakfast - grab heat and eat from home!!!!

Baked potatoes can make a meal.  Top with leftovers or whatever you choose and have.  A nice little salad on the side and you can have a full belly!

RICE is another versatile food.  Fried rice, stir fry, Spanish rice, as a side, in soups, casseroles, etc.  It can even be mixed with an egg for the base (crust) of a quiche.  You can add some broken pasta and make your own rice a roni!  There are unlimited use for rice and it can be flavored with anything.

Think about using tortillas as wraps for things other than Mexican food.  I love wraps in the summer hot months.  Add cold cuts or loads of veggies, chickens strips, fish, you name it.  Place your meat and veggies on a flat tortilla, add a little dressing or condiment of choice and roll up and EAT!  Lighter than a sandwich, but still filling.
                                              Turkey, veggies and dressing prior to rolling!

Keep your bones from chicken, turkey or beef or ham to make stock.  You add them to water and 'cook' for a long while.  This gives you a wonderful stock/broth to use for making soups.  You can freeze.  I know this may be beyond "new" pantry stockers and that is OK.  It is something to keep in mind as you keep learning.

Keep things simple.  Spaghetti, hamburger veggie soup, chicken and rice or noodle soup, salads, pasta bakes of any sort, stir fry with all your leftovers - all these are just so easy to make and use up things.
Never forget the good old fashioned tuna casserole!  You can add cream of soup, or cheese or veggies to it and it is so filling.  Tuna can be used instead of salmon for fried patties.  Make the same way.  Tuna salad is always good.

Down to the last bits of jelly in a jar?  Pour some milk in the jar and shake, shake, shake.  You can drink it then, or place in an ice cube tray and freeze for a fun treat!  Don't waste.

THINK TWICE before you throw anything away!!!!  Don't waste and use it all up!
There is almost always another use for things and a new recipe that can be made.
There are just so many, many ideas out there.  I know the gals here will list some other ideas as well.
Please know if you are NEW to this journey, it really can be fun and enjoyable.

There is a lot to learn, and the fact that you are here and wanting to learn speaks volumes!!!!  You have made the first step.  Each new step is one forward in this journey.
You have this and you can do it.
Make it a game of sorts - "how can I use this?"  But have fun and learn a little and save as you eat well.

Have a fantabulous day everyone!!!!!



33 comments:

  1. You are the Queen of Using Up Bits! We use tortillas to make pizzas. Lightly brown the shell in a skillet and then add sauce with whatever appeals to you to the pizza. It is cooked in the convection oven on bagel, which does a fine job.

    It is beautiful today! Still working on the dreaded sweet gum balls. Enjoy your day!

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    1. Thanks! Great tip on tortillas. Love the idea of an individual pizza using what you have on a simple tortilla.
      It is beautiful out today. Enjoy!

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  2. I add a bit of water to jars/bottles to get the last little bit. Surprisingly, not everyone does this! Or I add additional ingredients to the jar, shake and I have a salad dressing or sauce.

    I'll add hot tea to my "empty " honey jar to get the last bit of sweetness.

    Flour tortillas make a nice base for pizzas. There's a restaurant here that makes a super thin crust pizza that's very popular. Flour tortillas approximate their crust very nicely.

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    1. I do that with things to make dressing too. Makes some tasty flavors.
      Smart idea with the hot tea!!!!! I like that.
      Just your size pizzas - that is just a great idea and so cheap.
      Thanks

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  3. All great ideas Cheryl. My grandmother kept her bacon grease out too and no one ever got sick but I do refrigerate mine. Egg roll wrappers are another great buy. You can make cheeseburger eggrolls, traditional eggrolls, veggie, you name it and they freeze very well. I love having things like them, savory hand pies, calzones, etc. in the freezer for quick meals.
    It got up to 87 here yesterday. It's a bit cooler and sunny today but storms are coming this evening and then cooling things off by a lot this weekend. Crazy Spring weather at it's finest.
    Enjoy your day!!

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    1. I knew you gals would come up with more tips for everyone!
      Yes, egg roll wrappers are so versatile. I have been making them in my air frier and they take no time and are so good. Great ideas.
      Our weather is so similar. I do love the warmer days - not going to complain! (yet)
      Thanks - you as well!

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  4. If I cook bacon for breakfast I often just leave the skillet sit covered for sautéing vegetables for supper. It sure does make them good!

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    1. Good idea! Oh bacon grease makes everything taste good - I mean it's from bacon!!!! Bacon may be one of my favorite FOOD groups! LOL
      Thanks!

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  5. I like adding pasta or potato slices to an omelette to make it more filling. A splash of milk, cooked bacon bits, a little bit of chopped onion and grated cheese added to cooked pasta and beaten eggs makes a tasty Carbonara omelette. For a Spanish omelette I sauté thin slices of raw potato with thinly sliced onion until tender, then add cooked peas and a chopped tomato, along with the beaten eggs. I usually add chopped chives sprinkled over the top of both of them when serving, just to add a bit of extra colour.
    My quick pizza method is to brown one side of a slice of bread and toast the other side just enough to dry it out, rather than colour it. I then add my toppings and put under the grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese is bubbling. My Mum used to serve this up when I was a kid, so it brings back happy memories!

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    1. I have done neither one of those things for eggs - that is quite a good tip. I like that - as it would truly stretch the ingredients and sounds wonderful.
      I remember having 'toast' pizza when I was younger - bubbly cheese - yum! I make French bread pizza a lot - it is truly my favorite way to have pizza.
      Thank you for the tips.

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  6. I used to make "pizza" for the kids with English Muffins. That was way back before tortillas were even a word I knew! :)

    Thinning salad dressing with water makes it go further and often works better. Some bottled dressings are so thick they don't spread into the salad well, so I keep an empty bottle on hand to put my thinned dressing in. :)

    What a beautiful day today! Spent the morning working in the yard - still picking up sticks and now pulling up baby weeds that are all popping up after our good rain.

    MaryB

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    1. Another great pizza tip!!! English muffins do make good pizza.
      Good tip on the dressing too. I have used water, milk, and oil depending on the type of dressing that needed thinned out.
      These beautiful days are glorious aren't they. The glory after the winter.

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  7. I agree, cookbooks are an important part of a pantry. I love them, although I don't always follow the recipes, but more for suggestions on combinations of things and ways to use things differently.
    English muffins are a very useful item, I always have some in the freezer. Can be sweet or savoury, and like MaryB says they do make great mini pizzas or with a lick of garlic butter they make great garlic bread to serve with a soup or stew.
    We have had two wonderful days in a row, prompting a lot of yard work, and I'm feeling the after effects (boy, when did I get so old!)
    Last night we had some lovely gentle rain and everything feels clean and fresh today. Louise.

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    1. LOL - we must be soul sisters. On the cookbooks - I may follow a recipe once - but generally they are simply suggestions! Yep - I do that too.
      Yes, those muffins are great. Nice to have on hand.
      I have aches in spots I never noticed before - yep, this getting older isn't for sissies!!

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  8. Now I’m hungry.
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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    1. LOL - I do that all the time. Thanks for coming by!

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  9. Love this series and all of the comments. When I heard about a pizza carryout that was making something called "pizza bowls" I decided to make my own . So simple to do and satisfies that craving. The first time I made it I used crumbled up leftover meatloaf, left over no'mato sauce, mozarellla cheese, sauteed pepper, onions, and pepperoni. I just layered it in bowls starting with the sauce then the meatloaf, then the veggies, more sauce, cheese and pepperoni. I used what was on hand. Put each bowl in the oven to melt the cheese. When the jar of peanut butter only has a couple of tablespoons left I make Thai peanut sauce to go over vermicelli noodles, but any kind of noodle will work. We also love southern peanut soup. The first time we had it was in Williamsburg, Va. and I've been making it at home ever since.
    I always have Vietnamese rice paper on hand. It's great to make summer rolls ( Uncookedfresh vegetable spring rolls), and it also can be used to make dumplings, and instead of puff pastry it can be used to make mini strudels and put in the airfryer. Wacky cake made into cupcakes is another money saver for dessert. It can even be made gluten free and there are many variations. Cookie

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    1. I am a fan of bowl recipes - just put all the ingredients together and mix! So easy. Smart idea!
      Oh that is neat on the peanut sauce - I have never thought of that one. Never had peanut soup - sounds interesting. i love when people figure out the restaurant foods!
      Hmmm - I have never bought rice paper - now I may have to just to try these ideas.
      Such great ideas. Thanks!!!

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  10. Great ideas. I do many of them already, but never have used tortilla's for pizza bases. Must try that.

    My new use it up will be using the woody portions of asparagus to make soup. Should be an interesting experiment.

    God bless.

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    1. Jackie, I make soup with the woody ends and it come out delicious. Best trick is to puree them so that they become creamy.

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    2. I dehydrate those woody ends and powder and use it for flavoring in asparagus soup. Love you guys use them too.
      Tortillas makes a nice crispy thin crust.

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  11. I am already saving up the woody asparagus ends for soup. I'll make it this weekend. Splash in a little cream for a smooth texture ( I use milk because I can't find lactose free cream, but cream is better!). I'll make this with tougher broccoli ends also. Tracy's Spanish omelette sounds good!

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    1. Good for you. It all sounds good. I peel the broccoli ends - they are actually my favorite part of broccoli. Yes, the omelette sounds terrific.

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  12. I took my mom shopping today. I saw a tub of shelf stable BACON GREASE! EIGHT DOLLARS! Can you believe that?

    It's been months since I've perused the inner shelves of a grocery store. I noticed lots and lots of single serve type items. Oh my are they expensive! A single serve cup of oatmeal was $3! I think it said it was 1.5 oz of oatmeal. I paid less than $2/lb for my organic oatmeal. That's 10 servings for less than $2 so I guess I don't feel so bad about paying a little more for the organic.

    Single serve breakfast bars were $2-3. My grandson called them dessert. I'm thinking why not just make up a pan of raspberry bars, cut them up and freeze? Call them breakfast bars! Lol.

    Seems a lot of people are paying for convenience and not food!

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    1. I have seen the bacon grease at the stores too - crazy price.
      There is a lot of single serve stuff available. You are so right - they cost sooooo much and I hope people stir away from buying them. Homemade is much better and so much cheaper. I used to make granola type bars years ago for G. He would grab and go for breakfast. Yep, super cheap using what you have at home.
      Your last statement speaks volumes!!!!

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  13. In the fridge, leftover tikka masala sauce, chickpeas. Hmmm? Sauteed chopped onions, yellow pepper, threw in a pint of canned green beans, added the mashed chickpeas & heated everything through with the tikka masala sauce. Served over rice garnished with feta cheese. Delicious!

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    1. You know how to do it!!!! I love this - using what you have and wasting nothing. I bet it was delish!

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  14. Cheryl, I just appreciate your tips and tricks so much! :) Just wanted you to know!

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  15. We love beans here and eat them regularly. Yes, save the bacon grease, it's so flavorful for so many things. And I agree, a baked potato is a meal by itself. :)

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    1. I love beans too. Bacon grease makes everything good! I have had many a baked potato for dinner. Quite filling.

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  16. (Little Penpen) hi Cheryl! I definitely save bacon grease! They actually sell it in the grocery store these days. lol I’ll be pantry cooking tonight. We are making ham biscuits, green butterbeans, and mashed potatoes.

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    1. Hi Penny! Great to see you post! Yes, and that stuff is expensive.
      Oh your meal sounds perfect. Good old down-home cooking!

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