Fun Monday...

Mariposa is hosting Fun Monday for this week. She asked us about our collections.

I collect recipes! Please scroll down and check out my Sunday post for more news... ;-) Lil Mouse

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 17

Edition 17-Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is a thick tomato product often found in small cans or tubes. It can be added to the back of a sauce to give a hint of tomato flavor, or as a base to start making something as awesome as spaghetti or pizza sauce. If you have a recipe that calls for tomato sauce, you can simply add tomato paste and water to equal the sauce.

Ed.17 Recipe
Pizza Sauce

(I had already posted this as a bonus for Fun Monday).

Recipes...

If you do try any of my recipes, please be sure and let me know how they turn out. I always like to know. Thanks Jenni for letting me know that the Taco Soup turned out for you. A lady I knew made the same thing but warmed it in a little crock pot and used it as "Santa Fe dip" with chips like tostitos scoops, fritos, etc. Perfect to add to a turkey sandwich the day after thanksgiving. have a happy one everybody...

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 15

Edition 15-Olives

Okay, so olives (black or green, or other) are great items to keep on your shelf. For one thing, if you are stuck with a potluck or food day and you have no idea what to bring, you could throw together a quick relish tray with what you have on hand in your cabinet. For another, they're great to put into a dish during the holidays (just remember to reserve some of the juice in the jar (stick it back in the fridge) or into a tupperware container in case the goodies are not all eaten during your party-then they won't dry out. You can also use them to garnish a dish, or a deviled egg. A few years ago I made several kinds of cheese ball and made into 3 balls like a snowman and used olive slices for the eyes and the "back slice" of the olive that looks like an X for buttons, a little carrot for a nose. I didnt manage to make arms but you could use pretzel rods or breadstick pieces for limbs.


Ed.15 Recipe
Muffaletta Subs

6 sub rolls (or large garlic or french bread loaf)
1 lb shaved ham
1 lb shaved salami
1 lb american, provolone or swiss cheese, shaved
1 C black olives, drained*
1 C green olives, drained
1 jar artichoke hearts in oil (6 oz) ***
1/2 T garlic salt **
1/2 C mayonnaise
1 T capers, drained (optional)

Chop the black and green olives and artichoke hearts in a food processor. Add the garlic salt, mayonnaise, and capers and process the spread until smooth. Split sub rolls; spread mixture on top and bottom of each roll. Evenly layer meats and cheese on rolls. Wrap each roll in aluminum foil and heat in a 200 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Serves six.

* I end up using a small pre-sliced can of black olives because I like the flavor of green olives better. ** I use garlic powder because the olives are already salty enough. *** note these are artichoke hearts, not aardvark hearts, like my brother thought, yup he was like 25 at least.

You can use any lunchmeat and cheese combination you like. YOU MUST LIKE OLIVES TO MAKE THIS DISH. The flavor of the olives really goes through everything. We end up using any combination of turkey, ham, pastrami (so good) and roast beef, and usually swiss or provolone cheese. Watch out for pits in the olives. We found the artichoke hearts in the special section above olives and pickles, and it was already chopped up with garlic in a spread. This is a traditional "New Orleans" - N'awlins dish you could easily make during Mardi Gras or to warm up the house in the winter time.

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 14

Edition 14 - Pita Pockets

Pita pockets are round pieces of a chewier bread that you can cut in half to make "pockets" to stuff "stuff" in. Really, their uses are endless. And they keep well in the freezer. I just took some out that had been stuffed in there since June and they were fine. I let them thaw on the counter. Usually a zap in the microwave (not unlike tortillas) will soften them up a bit and make them more pliable. They would make good pizza pockets (or use the rounds whole like a mini pizza), salad/wraps and more. You can also toast them for a richer flavor, although they may be a little tougher to fill that way. You can usually find them near the deli counter and in the regular bread aisle near the bagels and "flat outs" tortillas on the shelf.

Recipe courtesy of WIU's T- Hall kitchen. Thanks guys.

Ed.14 Recipe
Chicken Caesar Pita Pockets

Pita pockets
Lettuce
Cooked, chopped chicken (steamed, baked)
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Caesar dressing (preferrably with peppercorn influence)
Crutons

Cut and warm the pockets. Fill with layers of the remaining ingredients, reserving crutons for the top. It works out fairly well if you drizzle some of the dressing on the very bottom, that way if you run out of stuffing, the last bits of bread still have a bit of pizazz. Oh and ranch dressing does give a similar flavor if you don't normally have caesar, and don't want to add another bottle to your fridge.

This weekend in pictures...

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 12 & 13

Edition 12 -Canned Fruit and Edition 13 - Canned Pie Filling

Canned fruit can make a quick salad or refreshing snack. Pineapple could be used to top a ham, mango in a chutney, to make a smoothie, you name it. Fruit is low in calories and some of it is very high in nutrients such as vitamin C.

Pie filling isn't just for pie! You can use it to cover that mistake you made in frosting a cake, as an add on for ice cream, or to sweeten the deal on your cheesecake.

Ed.12/13 Recipe
Fruit Salad

21 oz can cherry or peach pie filling
11 oz mandarin oranges, drained
20 oz chunk or pineapple tidbits, drained
10 oz pkg frozen sweetened strawberries
4 bananas, sliced

In a large bowl, combine all fruits except bananas. Refrigerate until strawberries thaw. Add bananas before serving. Add additional fresh fruits to your liking.

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 11

Edition 11- Pudding Mixes

Like Jell-o, but oh so NOT jell-o, is pudding mix. Quick to mix together to fill a bowl or fill a pie, pudding is a great pantry staple. Add a dollop of cool whip for a kid favorite. Or add the mix to any one of many recipes and sweeten up your life.

Ed.11 Recipe
Pudding Salad

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple with juice (can use tidbits)
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding mix (4 serving size)
1 or 2 small cans mandarin oranges (drained)
1- 1.5 C marshmallows
8 oz Cool Whip

Fold together pineapple, juice, and pudding mix. Gently stir in oranges, marshmallows, and then gently fold in cool whip. Serve chilled.

Basic Pantry Staples, Ed.10

Edition 10-Jell-o

Jell-o is a must for your pantry. Boxed mixes keep forever on the shelf and online recipes for salads and desserts containing jello are floating around everywhere. Mix up one for a potluck in a hurry. And, if you have a calm 5 minutes while something else is in the oven or before you have to switch the towels out of the dryer, you have enough time to whip up a batch of jello as a special low-calorie dessert treat for the whole family.

Ed.10 Recipe
Jell-O Pie

2/3 C boiling water
1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip
1 pkg Jello gelatin
1 graham cracker crust (6 oz)
½ C cold water ice cubes

Stir hot water into gelatin at least 2 min. until dissolved. Mix cold water and ice to measure 1 cup. Add to gelatin, stir until ice melts. Stir in whipped topping until smooth. Refrigerate 15-20 minutes or until mixture is very thick and will mound. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 9

Edition 9-Canned vegetables (or frozen)

This is a no-brainer. Everyone should have a few cans or bags of vegetables on the shelf to supplement fresh vegetables, or in our case, totally make up our vegetable diet. It's a great way to add some color, flavor, and vitamins to any recipe.

Ed.9 Recipe
Green Bean Casserole

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
Dash ground black pepper
2 cans french cut green beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (6 oz can) French's French Fried Onions *

MIX first four ingredients and 3/4 of the onions in small casserole dish. Top with remaining onions. BAKE at 350°F. for 25 min. or until hot.

*This does call for more FFO than usual, but what good is a handful of leftover onions when you could make a much crunchier, tastier dish with the whole can tossed in? Also, you may bake it for longer than 25 minutes, the longer it bakes the better the ingredients combine and the flavor goes through the casserole.

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 7

Edition 7-Powdered dip/seasoning mixes

You know what I'm talking about - the Lipton onion mix and Hidden Valley Ranch mix. Their websites have hundreds of recipes. One of my favorites is just to use a pound (16 oz) of sour cream and a packet of mix to make a quick dip for veggies, chips, etc. You can also use the onion mix with a can of cream of mushroom soup on top of a roast before you put it in the oven or slow cooker for some extra flavor and tenderness, or in meatballs in a pinch as a subsitute for onions.

By the way, did you know you could use tortillas and make your own chips in your oven? Spray your baking pan and slap the tortillas down. Add your favorite seasonings and bake for around 5 minutes at 425 degrees. The idea is to watch them. They crisp up really fast. Use your favorite pizza cutter to cut into any shape you want. For a rustic look, tear the tortillas up in random shapes before seasoning and baking.

The following recipe is courtesy of C.S.

Ed.7 Recipe
Taco Soup

1 lb hamburger
1 large onion chopped
3 15.5 oz cans mex style beans, undrained (use any kind of beans you want)
1 15.5 oz can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can whole tomatoes undrained and chopped (or use diced)
1 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies (or use Rotel tomatoes with chilies)
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 envelope ranch style salad dressing mix (dip, seasoning mix)
1.5 C water

(Makes 3.5 Q) Cook hamburger and onion until meat is crumbly and onion tender. Stir in other ingredients to the beef mixture and bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered 15 minutes stirring frequently. Spoon soup into bowls and top with any or all of the following:
corn chips (a must!)
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato
shredded cheese
sour cream
avocadoes

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 6

Edition 6-Powdered Sugar

I always keep powdered sugar on hand - mostly because if you want to make icing, well then you have the main ingredient. Pretty much no matter what icing I've made, they all call for powdered sugar. You could use it in a pinch if you dont have either white or brown sugar (to substitute one for the other) but I still recommend having both of the others...

Ed.6 Recipe
Chocolate Drink Mix

2.54 lb CANISTER Nestle's Quik
8 Qt Box Carnation Milk
11 oz Coffee Mate
1 C powdered sugar

Mix ingredients and store in airtight container. Use 1/2 C mix to 1 large mug of hot water.

They have changed the size of the Quik container again since last year. You could buy 2 small boxes at 1 lb 5 oz and use them, or buy the big canister, I am going to use all of the big canister. The coffee mate will either be 16 or 8 oz. Take your pick, you could use either the big one and dump it all in, or save the rest for your coffee (or visitors coffee), or you could use the entire smaller jar, I dont think it will hurt anything. I got non fat coffee mate (the quik and powdered milk are already non fat) And a cup of powdered sugar is plenty. Like I said, it's not very sugary and with marshmallows on the top, it's a win-win. Let your kids watch you dump the mix in the HOT water and see it disappear. It bubbles really cool. Stir it up and add marshmallows. I'd be interested to know how long the mix lasts for anyone else. My hubby read my blog and started in wanting some more last night. And he mentioned buying ingredients to make more was a good idea -doh! Guess that will go on my shopping list for next week. Oh, and 1/2 C is a VERY chocolately mix - I use an 1/8 C measuring cup (leave it in the container) and use it about twice for mine and more for hubby's cups. Use a couple and stir it -use the spoon to taste it, see how you like it, add more if you want. It's all about taste, and the good thing is that you control how chocolately it is!

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 5

Edition 5-Vinegar

Whether you're using it in a salad dressing, saute, or not as food, but as a cooking method, vinegar is something you should always keep on hand. Whether it's red wine or rice vinegar, or straight up white vinegar like I use, keep one on hand. Today my recipe doesnt INCLUDE vinegar, it's used as an egg-cracking preventative. As a matter of fact, my recipe only has 2 ingredients, plus water and vinegar (again, not IN the recipe, just as a boiling agent)...

Ed.5 Recipe
Easy Deviled Eggs

Place one layer of eggs in the bottom of a large pan. Cover with COLD water. Add 1 T vinegar to the water. Cover. Bring to a full boil. Turn burner off and remove pan from heat. Let set 2o minutes. Pour off hot water and add cold water as needed until eggs are cool. Peel, and cut in half lengthwise. Put yolks in food processor and blend until a fine consistency is reached. Pour yolks into bowl. Add enough Marzetti's slaw dressing for creamy consistency and taste. Stuff reserved egg halves with yolk mixture and sprinkle with paprika, if desired.

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 4

Edition 4 - Cream of... soups

Cream of... soups are great to have on hand. Whether it be chicken, mushroom, chicken and mushroom, celery, etc. they can make a quick and easy gravy or provide the basis for a casserole. I like the 99% fat free kind. There is a particular name brand, which I'm sure you're all familiar with. m m good. They have a website full of recipes using the cream of soups, tomato soup, etc and whatever you have in the cabinet. An easy way to pick out your meal for the night. I personally like using them in casseroles. I generally keep 3 varieties on hand, chicken, mushroom, chicken and mushroom. We have a particular recipe that calls for the c&m one, but I'm not giving you that today. Today I'm giving you...

Ed.4 Recipe
Hamburger Stroganoff

1/2 C minced onion
1 clove/teaspoon garlic minced
1/4 C butter
1 lb ground beef
2 T flour
2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 4oz can of mushrooms, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup*
1 C sour cream
cooked noodles

Saute onion and garlic in butter until tender; add beef and brown. Add flour, salt, pepper, and mushrooms; cook for 5 minutes. Add soup; simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream and heat through. Serve over hot noodles.

*the first time I made this I used cream of chicken. It was fine. So you can substitute the different cream of soups for one another if you dont have one in particular on hand.

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 3

Edition 3 - Garlic

Why garlic? Well, I would probably have garlic over any other seasoning agent available , even salt. It brings out a hidden depth in flavor of meats and casseroles, stews and sauces, "wows" up jarred foods and covers a multitude of sins. It's even rumored to help lower cholesterol, which we could all use. Now, it comes in many forms and I tend to keep 2 on hand at all times. One is garlic POWDER (not salt, not ever salt, hello high blood pressure? - you'll oversalt your food on accident), add it to the top of frozen pizza, sprinkle it in pasta, use it in a pinch to flavor up your dishes. The second kind I keep on hand is minced garlic ( yup, you heard me, pre-minced, refridgerated jar in the door with the condiments) - this is for convenience, alright. And a jar lasts forever. It's packed in water, so no extra oil, you can easily measure (or not) right out of the jar, and it doesn't go bad and start growing green things out of it, begging to be planted in the ground. Nuff said. Today's recipe courtesy of H.M.A., which we had for lunch. Mm Mm Good.

Ed.3 Recipe
Chili

2 Q Tomatoes, mashed (or crushed or diced canned-4 lb cans)
2 Q Tomato juice (one big can plus half another big can)
1 envelope chili-o mix (near the taco and gravy mixes)
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic (rounded teaspoon)
2 cans chili hot beans
1 T brown sugar
1 t salt
2# ground beef

Brown meat with onion and garlic. You can do this in the bottom of your stock pot, draining excess fat from the pan, or start the rest of the ingredients in the stockpot and brown the meat in a skillet and then add it to the stockpot of ingredients (your choice). Simmer 2 hours. Done.

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 2

Edition 2 - Broth/Stock

If you're a vegetarian or vegan, please substitute "vegetable broth" for the following: chicken broth, beef broth. In a pinch, granulated or cubed bullion will do. You can get many varieties now, including ones already infused with garlic, onions, etc.

I highly recommend having both b and c stock in your cabinet. At all times. For one thing, a couple of big cans of broth, any veggies you have laying around and your choice of meat (chicken or turkey for chicken broth and beef, etc for beef broth) and a few pasta noodles (see edition 1) can make a big pot of steaming hot soup that's good for a cold/flu at any time of year. It's also a comfort food on a cold day or when you're just feeling lousy. And it's a common ingredient in most cooking shows. They just expect people to have it or use it (in place of wine) in a lot of recipes with sauces.

For cold season: Now, when I get sick, I get SICK: Thus there have been times that I have felt so bad I just drank plain hot water trying to soothe my throat, it's easy to just fill a cup from the tap and hit beverage on the microwave. Therefore, I try and keep broth around to avoid just drinking water. I'll heat up a can of broth in a pan on the stove and then scoop myself part of a mug. If I can't finish it, I just dump it back in and warm it up with the rest of the broth later. Those are the desperate times though.

Usually I do one of 2 things with broth: Put a couple of cans on the stove, add some egg noodles and cook until noodles are done for lunch. Sometimes I add some canned chicken for protein. Again, this would being during the winter when there are no leftovers to heat up and you really need something warm to eat. Being so fluid-y, it's great to fill you up, and you don't get many calories (I use 99% fat free) it's fast and it's only one pan for clean up.

Now the second thing I would do is make a real soup out of it. One of these days I need to write down an actual recipe. So I would use a giant can of the broth and use a "church key" or bottle opener to poke a tiny hole in one side of the top of the can and a bigger hole in the other - Pour into the pot out of the bigger hole, it just flows better if you do it that way- and you dont have to open the whole can. Just go to the soup section of your store and look, the big cans are there. I would use some pre-cooked chicken or canned chicken, some finely chopped carrots and onion (or run them through the food processor). I would let the veggies cook for like 20 minutes at a simmer --If you want to make chicken and rice, put the rice in with the vegetables--check your rice box for times) if you're making chicken noodle soup, just cook the broth, onion, and carrot first and add the noodles and meat once the vegetables have simmered. Cook them until the noodles are done (noodle package should give you an idea) and season with salt and pepper to your taste. You might need more broth in dealing with your rice if you're using rice. You'd just add more if needed when you add the meat and turn the burner up a bit.

And now for a real recipe...this one you could use 1 1/2 big cans of beef broth or the following:

Ed.2 Recipe
Vegetable Soup

Combine in a big pot and simmer 2 hours:

9 C water plus 9 t or cubes beef bullion (or aforementioned 1.5 cans beef broth)
1 small onion chopped
1 rounded t minced garlic
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1# bag or can mixed vegetables (drained)
1-1.5 lb chunked cooked beef (leftover roast or stew meat)
4 C chunked potatoes
1 t celery salt or seed (opt)
1 pint (or can) of tomatoes - I would suggest diced
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t basil
2 bay leaves (opt) --If using, remove before serving

Recipe courtesy of H.M.A.

Basic Pantry Staples ed. 1

Hi all, since NaBloPoMo is now fully underway, I thought I'd do a theme entry and a regular entry, if possible each day for the month of November. Now that's 30 items. What can I think of with 30 items? Well a pantry of course! I'm one of those people that buys 5 of something if it's on sale. This is in the hope that every time I go to the pantry for a staple of some sort, it's there, and, in that case, I'll never not be able to throw together SOMETHING for dinner or company that shows up unexpectedly. So without further unnecessary introduction:

Edition 1 - Pasta.

Yes, folks, pasta is king of the pantry. It comes in all sort of shapes, sizes, colors and even in wheat and white, like bread! From your first apartment or college days Top Ramen to plain old spaghetti, having pasta in the cupboard is a sure first step to having something that a variety of people will eat and enjoy. Macaroni and cheese, Alfredo and chicken noodle soup, pasta is a necessity. It's also enriched with a lot of vitamins & minerals that are part of a healthy diet.

Okay, so how do you decide which pastas to stock? Where to store it? There are some things to take into consideration, first, how much pasta do you eat, and second, how much space do you have? My thoughts: If there's only one or two of you and you don't eat a lot of pasta, I'd stick to a long noodle, an egg noodle, and a shape. Buy a tall plastic container with a good seal on it for your long noodles for a traditional pasta dish (pick one of fettuccine, spaghetti, angel hair, etc.) The egg noodles would be great for goulash, soup, or basically any other meat stuff you can put over noodles, stroganoff, etc. and the shape (elbow macaroni, wagon wheels, penne) is great for macaroni and cheese and miscellaneous applications, for the same great taste.

Now if there's a family involved, you can go crazy, buy a couple of shapes and mix them. See your kids' faces light up as they see all the different shapes to eat. Buy super enriched 3 color "wacky mac" - it doesn't taste any different than the others and its get more vitamins. Plus the kids will love the colors. I'm not suggesting you make a game out of it, they'll do it on their own, trust me. Buy a box of lasagna noodles and keep them in the tall container with your choice or choices of tall noodles. Keep your other boxes of pasta in the freezer, cupboard, or if you're worried about them keeping or something getting into them, go ahead and get a large fancy container or two and put your pasta in them and keep them on the counter for decoration, or just simple Tupperware types store pasta just as easily.

Ed. 1 Recipe:

Nothing enticing to eat? Want something simple but feel lazy? Have a little bit of pasta in the cupboard? Butter? Spice cabinet? You're all set. Cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain, and put it back on the stove over the keep warm or low setting. This will take the rest of the water out of the pasta. Add some butter and stir, then go crazy, add in your favorite spices, garlic or onion powder, Italian seasoning (basil or oregano), crushed red pepper flake or chili powder, salt and pepper, whatever you like. Stir it up with the pasta and butter (butter helps the spices stick to the pasta better) and you're all set. Recipe courtesy of K.M.A.

Barbecue Sauce

Barbecue Sauce

1/4 C margarine
1/2 C water
1 small onion, chopped
1 t salt
1 clove garlic
1/2 t pepper
1 C ketchup
1/4 t chili powder
1/4 C vinegar
2 T worcestershire sauce
1/2 C brown sugar

Saute onion and garlic in margarine. Add rest of ingredients and stir. Simmer five minutes.

Pizza Sauce

Pizza Sauce

1 small onion, chopped
6 oz tomato paste
1 t minced garlic
2 1/2 C water
3 T oil
1 1/2 t oregano
1 1/2 t sugar
1 t salt
1 t basil
Bring all ingredients to a boil and simmer one hour. Cool.

Easy double chocolate chip brownies

Easy Double Chocolate Chip Brownies

12 oz chocolate chips, divided
1 C granulated sugar
1/2 C (1 stick) butter or margarine
3 eggs
1 1/4 C all purpose flour
1/4 t baking soda
1 t vanilla
1/2 C chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 baking dish and set aside. Melt 1 C morsels and butter in large heavy duty saucepan over low heat. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and add eggs one at a time, stirring well. Add flour, sugar, baking soda and vanilla, stirring after each addition. Stir in remaining morsels and nuts, if desired. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.