Our local leaders advised us last week to try to stay home for just one entire week. Don’t go anywhere, including the grocery store. We were strongly encouraged to NOT go anywhere unless it was an absolute emergency. We were given a 2-day notice that law enforcement was going to be cracking down on folks just randomly out and about. I’m not really sure how they intended to actually police that, but I did my best to comply.
That meant, however, that I had to take stock of what I actually had on hand in order to know what I needed to try and find in the next 2 days. Our local grocery store still has lots of stuff, but sometimes it’s not the stuff you want. I’m learning how to be creative. I go with my list of preferred items and my list of back-up items, just in case.
Anyhow, my freezer contained some interesting finds. 1 turkey – yay!! 3 racks of ribs. 3 packages of hamburger meat. 2 bags of shrimp, which I bought when they were on sale. 1 frozen lasagna. Several packages of frozen vegetables (mostly broccoli). 1 large bag of frozen shredded Swiss cheese. 2 loaves of bread and some miscellaneous items.
Next, I consulted my many recipe books, binders, boxes, etc. and started looking for dishes I could make with those items. When I found several, I inventoried the pantry and refrigerator. Huzzah!! With just a few substitutions (canned mixed greens for frozen spinach), I was able to come up with a menu that would last us the entire week, if not longer, depending on whether or not we ate leftovers for lunch or could stretch 1 dinner into 2 dinners.
Because I have lots of breakfast items, I started with the quiche. Broccoli, sausage and cheese went into that meal that lasted 2 nights. Taco crescent bake was next. I didn’t have crescent rolls so I substituted biscuit dough. Yummy. Spinach (using canned mixed greens) and chicken (substituting turkey) enchiladas, using the left-over turkey that we barbecued for our anniversary. With that turkey I made some homemade dressing and that lasted us a couple of days, plus turkey sandwiches for lunch.
I have lots of dried beans and legumes and rice, so 1 day I made ranch style lentils using the last package of ground beef. Red beans and rice came next, although I did have to purchase some andouille sausage for that recipe. One night we had BBQ ribs with hashbrown casserole (remember those breakfast items?). With the leftover ribs I was able to make pulled pork sandwiches for lunch the next day.
I was able to make spaghetti with a twist. I didn’t have the ingredients to make traditional tomato sauce, or any meat, but I did have the ingredients to make an Alfredo-type of sauce using cream of mushroom soup and the last of the sour cream. I added shrimp and frozen broccoli. Another yum.
Twice I made cookies, once I made an apple cobbler thingey with a box of yellow cake mix and a can of apple pie filling. It was odd but tasty. And, I managed to dig up all the ingredients to make a pumpkin pie! Life is good.
During this whole process, memories came flooding back of my college days when I had 13 part-time jobs, copious amounts of homework, and an apartment I couldn’t afford. Ramen noodles and macaroni and cheese were staples back them. Which reminds me . . . Eureka! I just so happened to have 3 packages of Ramen noodles and 1 box of mac and cheese. Add in 3 packages of microwave popcorn and I knew I was going to be okay. But, I would love a fresh salad right about now. And – bonus – I still have that frozen lasagna!
How are you all faring? Do you keep a well-stocked pantry? Do you stock up on items when they’re on sale (like turkeys and shrimp)? Are you creative in the kitchen? What clever substitutions have you made during this crazy time?
By the way: My book On Hallowed Ground, is still available at a very discounted price. If you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, use the link below which will direct you to the your desired e-book platform.
Word of the Day: Herpetology
Fun fact about me: I’m currently attending my weekly dance class via Zoom. It’s weird, but it seems to be working. I don’t really recommend it though.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, April 2020. Images by Google Images and Pexels.
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You are amazingly creative, and you must like to cook. I despise cooking. The only thing I’ve cooked so far is bacon — and a couple of Lean Cuisines. My roommate and I make sandwiches and either pick up food or order in quite often. We spread the meals over several days. That’s just how we roll.
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I do like to cook but so many nights I just resort to the old tried and true things that I know how to make without consulting a recipe. I also love recipes and cookbooks. I have tons. Everything always sounds so good when I see the ingredients but then I file the recipes away and forget about them.
This has actually been a good experiment to find some new dinner choices. We’ve been eating good but that’s also because I’ve had a lot more time at the end of the day to cook. Usually I’m flooded with guests checking in or wanting to visit or something that I rarely have time to devote to the art of cooking.
So, there’s an upside and a downside. No guests = no money = good suppers. Oh the irony.
Thanks for visiting. Enjoy your week. I think we’re starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel.
Patricia
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Sounds like you’re eating well! I usually have a decently stocked pantry, and we also have plenty of venison in the freezer. There are usually a couple standby meals I can make without going to the store, but otherwise, it seems there’s always something missing (usually side dishes) that necessitate a trip. Luckily, our “stay home” order isn’t very aggressive, and my husband very quickly volunteers to go just for the sake of getting out. They’re already talking about lifting the orders and reopening some businesses here next week. Hope things start looking up on your end soon!
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I think we’re coming to the end of our stay-at-home edicts as well. We’re supposed to be entering phase one as soon as next week. They’ve already said some of the lakes and beaches and gold courses could open this week. We’re still supposed to try to maintain social distancing but nobody is exactly sure how all of that is going to work.
I’m not one of those people who goes to the grocery store every day anyway. I really don’t like to grocery shop that much. My “normal” was shopping about once a week and that was mostly for breakfast stuff.
I’m anxious to see how this is all going to play out, especially as it relates to traveling. I’d love to start renting rooms again.
Take care. Thanks for visiting.
Patricia
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I’m headed over to your house for dinner! We keep our pantry well-stocked, which is sometimes a problem as stuff gets pushed to the back and forgotten. Every once in a while I go on the hunt for whatever needs to be used up before it expires and finding recipes I can use it in, but not often enough. I have so little free time that I hate to use too much of it to cook and clean. All the grocery stores in Oregon are still wide open, so beyond the weird hoarding of toilet paper, we’re not lacking anything. Thank God! I hope you stay safe and well-fed. 🙂
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Most people here have been sheltering in place for 6 or 7 weeks already and it’s getting weird. People are hoarding weird stuff. There is literally no flour to find anywhere. I’ve looked the past 3 times I’ve been at the store. And the last time I was at the store I could not find granulated sugar. I guess folks are baking 1000% more than they ever used to because flour and sugar have NEVER been in short supply.
One time I couldn’t find a single package of tortillas, flour or corn. What’s up with that? Dry pasta and rice are also hit and miss items. The only bread is the expensive kind, which I use anyway as I hate cheap white bread. And heaven help anyone looking for hand sanitizer, Kleenex or toilet paper. Fortunately we had just stocked way up on those in early March as we were preparing for our busy season here at the inn. I have so much in fact that I’ve actually been gifting some to my friends who can’t find any.
Anyway, you’re always welcome for dinner. Just let me know what time you’ll be arriving so I have enough. I can do gluten free, too.
Thanks for visiting. Have a great week.
Patricia
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Cook what you got. Love it. The last few times I volunteered at the food pantry we were handing out boxes of what we had on our shelves – each person got a mix of protein, carbs, vegetables, starch, and sweets. It was intended to help a family in need. As I was loading cars with the boxes I thought to myself what would i do with the mix if it were me… you answered the question for me. Keep the positive attitude and stay healthy and well. Peace.
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I knew we weren’t going to starve to death, but things tasted a little different using the substitutions. Everything was good though. And, mostly I’m trying not to shop because we don’t have any income right how. It’s more of a save the dollars issue than an actual stay at home issue. I could have stocked up in those 2 days before the actual “don’t go out,” week hit.
If you’re creative and keep an open mind, you can come up with something in almost any instance.
Thanks for visiting. Have a great rest of the week.
Patricia
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Yes I have done the same. Our stock was down as we were supposed to be in America for April and our supermarkets were pretty poorly stocked in the beginning due to people hoarding but we survived. Always have tin stuff because if reenactment . Made bolognese from lentils was tasty and healthy, also mushroom soup for a base for pasta sauce. Pastry free quiche. Also did a bit of research on wartime emails which needed little ingredients . Fat free leek and potato soup can be made in bulk and frozen. Home made bread is always nicer. If you can cook and can adapt you don’t have to starve. Maybe cannot be so choosy as what to have but there are so many without food it has taught me to be grateful . It has also taught me how lucky I have been by having so many choices and learnt not to be so extravagant with things. Most leftovers end up as soup or stir fry. You are such an amazing cook Patricia No one would starve and would be well satisfied with anything you cook. You definitely do the best breakfasts in the whole world. Great post . 👏👏👏❤️
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Oh, thank you my friend. You are so sweet. A lot of people here are on the bread baking band wagon here so for about 4 weeks you couldn’t find flour anywhere. People are just so stupid. It’s like they have to have all or nothing. Nobody knows how to ration.
But, I finally found a bag of flour. I was using mine to make cookies for Corey. I finally found a recipe for some gluten-free peanut butter cookies that he absolutely LOVES and no flour needed. Win, win!
I’ve since re-stocked my pantry as well. I finally got some government hand-outs in the form of unemployment money. Took me 5 weeks to get it, but at least now I have some money for groceries. It was getting scary there towards the end of April.
God is good and we are well. Glad to hear from you. Take care.
Patricia
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