Recipes and Remains

No Money March is coming to an end.  We are heading into some interesting meals.   Our strangest meal has been our “Finish off the Appetizers” night. It included mozzarella bites, smoked salmon on crackers with cream cheese, and deviled eggs.  The only thing left in our freezer now is two Klondike bars, ice cubes, and a fourth of a bag of frozen blueberries.  It was packed so tight before I don’t think we even realized we had Klondike bars!

Planning out our menu at the beginning of the month was the best method.  Even with menu, I miscounted the number of canned chicken we had, so we might be a few meals short.  Digging through our remains, I was very tempted to buy some turkey.  In the far back of the pantry I found a can of turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, and the last can of green beans.  Looks like we’ll have an “unturkey” meal for Easter dinner!

The most exciting thing about this month has been that I have used my beautiful cookbooks.  They have not just been a decorative stack on my shelf, but a resource for meals with limited ingredients.  I have found Quiche is the easiest, what-ever-you-have, go-to meal.  I have used a large supply of Bisquick for everything from piecrusts and pizza dough, to pancakes and biscuits.  I wish I had more in my stockpile.    I made a homemade substitute but it did not perform as well when baked. 

Last but definitely not least, here is a list of the ingredients I will keep in good supply in my pantry: Bisquick, pasta, rice, canned chicken, sugar, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, chicken and beef bouillon, and canned tomatoes.  It is amazing what you can make with these ingredients and a few spices.

Well, I am off to plan our meal for tonight.  Looks like a cheese and bacon quiche is on the menu!  Do you have a go-to meal?  How do you reuse your left overs or use simply what’s left in the freezer?