Pantry Prep - Getting Ready for a New Season

 Hello all - hope this finds you all well and safe.  It is a lovely day here so far.  The sunrise was just beautiful this morning.  Pinks, oranges against the blue - it was lovely.  It is a cool fall morning but will return to an 80's summer day later on!  Yep, we get to enjoy 2 seasons each day.

Many have been talking about and taking action, to get ready for the winter season.  Pantry preps always come to mind when the seasons change.

We all want to save as much money as possible from new purchases, we want to have plenty in our homes for various reasons, and then there are the holidays.

There are several things we can all do right at home to prepare and add to the pantry.  They cost very little, and they are healthy options.

I know I have listed some of these before - but we always get new people reading, and I like to remind our regulars of creating at home.

Click on recipe to enlarge for easier reading.

This is great to mix up and have on hand for soup or for adding to another type of soup, casseroles etc.

Cream of soups can be costly at the store, and they contain a lot of 'stuff' we don't necessarily want in our food.  Make up a batch of this and add in whatever you want to make your own versions of cream of!!!!

Here is a basic outline for creating casseroles for a quick night's dinner using what you have around the house (including leftovers).  This was originally listed by Amy of the Tightwad Gazette.  I have used this outline many times over the years.

It can sure make a tasty meal for next to nothing.

End of the season and end of the garden and have a bunch of green tomatoes to use?  Can them and you can use them all winter long.  I do this almost every year.  It is super easy to do, and I can enjoy one of my favorite things during the winter!!!!

Once you drain these and then batter - fry and they taste just like fresh!!!!!

Make your own ranch mix.  You can make dressing or dip.  I have most of these ingredients on hand all the time - and it is so easy to whip up.  No fillers or preservatives in this mix!

If you do not have dried chives - you can dehydrate the tops to green onions and use.

It is just nice to have many of the basics on your shelves for any type of use.  Life gets hectic and busy at times, and it is nice to just not fret and about what is in the pantry.

Hope everyone is taking inventory and looking to add some great homemade goodies to your shelves and your belly!!!!

Some of these would make Christmas gifts and goodie bag additions as well!!!!

Have a glorious day, be happy and be kind.

Forgotten Recipes - Let's Give Them a Try!

 Hello all.  Another cool morn here - it is 58*F at the moment - going up to 80's today.  Yesterday was so nice - the sky was a beautiful blue, hardly a cloud to be seen until later in the day.  It was breezy and just lovely.  I keep AC off until late afternoon (if at all).

Saw a bunny running down the alley yesterday morning!  Mr. 'Hog' has decided this is not the place to be now.  He can't seem to get under the shed to hide now (after I fixed) so I haven't seen him since.

I just came in from feeding the critters and Licorice.  There is a stray showing up now and then (very nice), so I gave it a little food.  It acts starved but then just eats a little.  I see it mousing outside a lot!!!  Good kitty!

I was going through some recipe books yesterday and came across one I had forgotten I had.  It is called Forgotten Recipes.  They are recipes that were in magazines way back in the day.

I am going to share a couple of them - because they sound yummy to me.

Some I would not be challenged to try - but others sounded yummy.  These are all from the time of the depression and before when there wasn't a lot of money.

1927 PEANUT BUTTER BREAD

2 C flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/3 C sugar

1/2 C peanut butter

1 1/2 C milk

Sift all the dry ingredients together, then add peanut butter.  Beat the mixture well.  Now add milk; beat well.  Pour batter into a well greased bread pan and bake at 350* for one hour.  Makes one large loaf or 2 small ones.

 

I am going to try this one for sure!  I can imagine slicing, toasting and topping with butter and jelly!!!

1944 GREEN TOMATO PIE

"On the 'home front' women were trying to cope with the meat shortage with recipes like this one."

Double crust - for 9" pie

1/2 C sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

Grated rind of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. salt

4 C sliced green tomatoes

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

3 Tbsp. butter

Line a pie pan with one crust.

Mix sugar, flour, lemon rind, allspice and salt together.  Sprinkle a little in the bottom of pie crust.

Arrange tomato slices, a layer at a time, as you cover each layer with the sugar mixture, lemon juice and a dot of butter on each slice.

Cover with a latticed top (2nd crust) and bake at 350* for 45 minutes.

Sounds good to me!  Definitely something I would try at the end of the season.  Great way to use up those end of season green tomatoes.

1943 BAKED BEAN SANDWICH

I have done baked beans on toasted bread before (sort of a sandwich) - but this is different! 

1 C baked beans

1/4 C chopped walnuts

1/4 C chopped celery

2 Tbsp. minced onion

1/4 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. chopped pickle

2 Tbsp. ketchup

Serve on buttered whole wheat bread

Combine everything, except bread.  Mix well.  Spread on buttered bread.  Makes about 1 1/2 C.

Folks used what they had to get creative and make food and meals stretch.  They HAD to.  

I know mom did a lot of different things to stretch the dollars and the ingredients.  There wasn't much that she made that I didn't like (except cooked oatmeal!).

As people today try and navigate through the supplies they have - it is always fun to take a trick or two from those that came before us.

I will post more later on.

Make everything into something.  Don't waste.  THRIVE!

Do you remember or have any fun things that was off the norm?  I bet you do.

Have a wonderful day on this first day of October!  

Make this the month of being creative and using it all up!