I second the foil sling suggestion for pan pizza and second Sunset for buying brick cheese, though who knows why Sunset of all places carries it. Last trip out to Vermont, I took 3 lbs of brick cheese from Sunset in Libertyville to my brother so he could experiment with making Detroit-style pizza.

I do not have any exciting recipes or pictures ... as my meals are strictly "what can I use up from my pantry."

First, there was Roast chicken with a Brown Sugar Glaze. The recipe actually sounded pretty disgusting BUT my wife wanted me to try it. Since I did not have an open box of brown sugar, we used a ham glaze from a spiral-cut ham. It was a mix of brown sugar and dried honey. Actually, it was pretty good.

Then, there was a pasta salad. This was used to get rid of a box of WW rotini that my neighbor dropped off when leaving the state. It was an opportunity to use the rotini and to get rid of the remaining vegetables from last week's food delivery.

Then, there was pork enchiladas. The pulled pork came from a roast that went into my posole back in January. That allowed me to use up a can of green enchilada sauce that has been there since October 2016.

Then, there was a Hungarian sausage and potato soup from Food Wishes. I used up the Usinger's andouille sausage and I used some of the sauerkraut in lieu of fresh cabbage as I still have half a jar.

Twice a week, I go through my pantry and my two freezers to figure out ways of using up all of the older things in stock.

We are still getting two deliveries a week - one from Walmart and Kroger's. At this point, 90% of our purchases are fresh produce as we started with full freezers. In the coming week, we will be stocking up with ground beef, a pork butt, and chuck roasts as I expect to be in lockdown until early June and I expect meat supplies to be in tight supply in coming months.

jlawrence01 wrote:I do not have any exciting recipes or pictures ... as my meals are strictly "what can I use up from my pantry."

First, there was Roast chicken with a Brown Sugar Glaze. The recipe actually sounded pretty disgusting BUT my wife wanted me to try it. Since I did not have an open box of brown sugar, we used a ham glaze from a spiral-cut ham. It was a mix of brown sugar and dried honey. Actually, it was pretty good.

Then, there was a pasta salad. This was used to get rid of a box of WW rotini that my neighbor dropped off when leaving the state. It was an opportunity to use the rotini and to get rid of the remaining vegetables from last week's food delivery.

Then, there was pork enchiladas. The pulled pork came from a roast that went into my posole back in January. That allowed me to use up a can of green enchilada sauce that has been there since October 2016.

Then, there was a Hungarian sausage and potato soup from Food Wishes. I used up the Usinger's andouille sausage and I used some of the sauerkraut in lieu of fresh cabbage as I still have half a jar.

Twice a week, I go through my pantry and my two freezers to figure out ways of using up all of the older things in stock.

Awesome! Helluva line-up. Your resourcefulness is what it's all about right now. I told my wife the other day that I can't wait for this to be over, so I can refill the freezer with more stuff I won't use for 1 or 2 years.

=R=

making a fennel-sausage ragu rigatoni tonight - a little tomato paste but mostly wine, homemade stock from freezer, cream. running low on green veggies; will probably have a spinach salad on side, or maybe wilt the spinach in with the pasta. fennel and onions last a decent amount of time, so this is a freezer/pantry meal.

The GP wrote:On my last Costco run, I grabbed a two pack of soft goat cheese. As often happens with my impulse buys, I had no idea what I was going to do with it. We had an abundance of potatoes from our produce box from Urban Canopy and I guessed we could find a recipe to use both. Epicurious for the win! Potato gratin with goat cheese and garlic Mr. X was in charge of making it. No heavy cream so he thinned out sour cream with milk. He also forgot to add the garlic. That was remedied by sprinkling the top with Penzey's roasted garlic. It turned out great.

Well, you certainly did inspire me, Mary. Converting four aging potatoes into something delicious was a satisfying exercise . . .


Scalloped Potatoes
Potatoes, heavy cream, evoo, butter, dijon mustard, garlic chives (yes, I got another pound of them this week ), garlic confit, s&p, grated parmesan (at the end). Mixed it all up (except the parm), baked it, covered loosely with foil, for 45 minutes at 350 F. Removed the foil, stirred it up, baked it at 375 F for another 30 minutes. After that, sprinkled a tiny bit of parmesan over the top and broiled it for about 3 minutes. Definitely a comforting dish, and a hit with the family, too.

The rest of our meal was, well . . . strange. It consisted of a couple other items that, while delicious in their own right, didn't exactly synergize with the potatoes . . .


Steamed Asparagus
Julie is the master of the steamer and she did a great job on these. We had some leftover basil remoulade from a recent meal carried out from Prairie Grass Cafe that went great with these perfectly-steamed, plump stalks.

Separately, I'd made my weekly pot of beans during the day and with no real plan at dinner, decided to have some then . . .


Adzuki Beans from Three Sisters Garden
That's not my method/recipe but I'm sure it works just fine. As they say, Farmer Knows Best.


Cooked Adzukis In The Pot
This pot of beans, like almost every other one I cook, was totally vegan. I find that I don't really need meat, bones, stock or anything like that to make the beans sing, though if I have something to use up, I'm not opposed to including it. One thing I almost always do is put in four whole, single-slitted chiles in the pot during the simmer. For this batch, it was two jalapenos and two serranos.


Adzuki Beans, Serrano Chile
Great stuff but kind of overkill with the potatoes. I'll eat the beans throughout the next week or so, mainly at breakfast, usually with a couple of over-easy eggs and some grated cotija on top of them.

=R=

One of the things I'm enjoying about being home a lot is being able to prepare things that take several hours of simmering. Now enjoying yummy pot roast -- normally only an occasional treat. I used a three-pound Angus sirloin roast -- so I'll have food for several days -- but still thinking I'll try to fit one more in while I'm still stuck at home -- fill the freezer.

Tonight's freezer and pantry dinner: Chicken Enchiladas.

Hi,

A while back in the marked-down meat section at Woodman's, they had a package of meat labeled for Milanese. I looked at it closely, yep, this could also be German rouladen. Both use top round, which is lean and not very tender. While Mexicans will bread and fry their Milanese, the Germans will stuff, roll and braise.

The other incentive to make these now, the days will soon get warmer and braising not a great seasonal option. Better to make it now or wait until the autumn.

I learned to make rouladen from MsIngie's sister. You begin by sauteing onions and mushrooms together until they begin to caramelize. Meanwhile you slice onions into strips, bacon into 1/2 pieces and quarter small dill pickles (though I used the Aldi gherkins recently purchased). Lay out the meat, salt and pepper, then spread Plouchman's Stone Ground mustard (because I knew I could finish the jar with this recipe). I distributed the pickles, bacon and onions, then rolled it up.

I consulted this video to tie my rouladen with dental floss:



My meat rolls looked quite put together. Over lunch today, my Dad recalled his Mother used string. When she died, I found these metal cages to enclose the rouladen. The few times I made rouladen, nothing I made fit well (too small or too big) using them plus the regularly jammed the drawer I stored them at. Eventually they went to charity for someone else to be frustrated over.

I removed the onions and mushrooms from the pan, then added oil and browned the rouladen. Once finished, I deglazed the pan with wine, then returned the roulanden, mushrooms and onions to the pan. I added water just to cover, then let it simmer for an hour.

Today I served the rouladen in bowls with egg noodles and lots of gravy. This was accompanied by the last asparagus in the refrigerator.



Just five more weeks of this!

Regards,
Cathy2

seebee wrote:If you can, watch for skirts to go on super sale at Mexican tinged markets, especially around May 5th . Oddly, my little fruit market around the corner had choice OUTER skirt on sale for 3.99/lb last week (whole/uncleaned.) The norm lately I've seen is that it's always been inner at most markets, and sale price has been a steady 4.99. In a normal situation, I'd load my freezer up with that 3.99 outer. And I mean load up for the entire summer / fall season.

There is a Mexican market around me that had outer skirts advertised for $6.99 lb. I've never seen them advertise those. Could it be that outer skirt is just more easily available due to restaurants not competing for them?

Artie wrote:There is a Mexican market around me that had outer skirts advertised for $6.99 lb. I've never seen them advertise those. Could it be that outer skirt is just more easily available due to restaurants not competing for them?

Well, that's a theory, I guess.
I actually just got back from masking up and hitting my fruit mkt down the block. They had them for 5.99/lb in their case, along with inner, too. They usually ONLY have inner.

I'm holding out for Cinco De Mayo.

This is really Coronavirus "cooking"--pantry/freezer staples edition. I heard Samin Nosrat in a guest appearance on the radio show 'Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me' describe a recent dish she cooked at home: Annie's shells and cheese with frozen peas (which fit perfectly in the shells) topped with chili crisp. I tried it today and it was delicious...

off-season challenge! a packet of originally excellent thanksgiving turkey, unearthed from the freezer. what's the best repurposing option?

^^
That looks really good.

Yesterday, I took the day off .... sort of. I made up a box of Tony Chachere's Jambalaya which I bought at Jungle Jim's a few years ago to use up some shrimp and andouille that I had in the freezer. Then I pulled out some blueberry cobbler that I had purchased at 99 Only. I originally bought two as they looked good. The first one was not very good so this has been in the freezer for 6+ months. The second one was actually pretty decent. It was made by some bakery in Wentzville, MO.

Tonight, I am roasting a whole chicken that I finally received. I have been looking for a good excuse to use up a bag of Orowheat dressing mix that I received free with an $8 purchase at the Bimbo Outlet as well as a can of Cranberry sauce that has been in my pantry forever.

G Wiv wrote:.20c to correct guess what I’m making.

Grilled cheese?

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

G Wiv wrote:.20c to correct guess what I’m making.

Grilled cheese?

=R=

Don’t pay Ron until he settles his $.25 tab with me.

Dave148 wrote:Don’t pay Ron until he settles his $.25 tab with me.

Tab? I thought it was Fresca . . .

Today's adventure.

I have been trying to get cornish hens for three weeks. Neither was available at either Walmart or Krogers. Finally, the lady who orders and picks them up suggested a real chicken. That was fine with me ... a 6.5# chicken.

I roasted the chicken and used up the rest of my free Orowheat dressing bread and polished off a can of cranberry sauce, which has been in my pantry for three years.

After we ate our fill of chicken, there were two large bags of leftover meat. Half of that will go into an Indian simmer sauce for dinner tomorrow night. The rest will be made into chicken salad sometime tomorrow.

Of course, that left the carcass. That went into boiling water with onions, celery and carrots. I have just under 2 quarts of chicken soup base that will be used in the coming weeks to use up the rice noodles that I have in my pantry. I will probably also add in some pickled mustard greens.

Mrs. jlawrence01 does not really like homemade chicken soup as it has bones and occasionally a piece of skin. I have always thought that farm girls whose parents always raised chickens would be fed homemade soups. But she wasn't. To understand why, you had to be at my in-laws for Thanksgiving. When my late MIL was finished with a turkey carcass, it had about as much meat as a museum skeleton. The year that I taught my nephew how to use a carcass to make a stock, I asked him to distract his grandmother so that I could steal the carcass and throw it into a waiting pot of boiling water. She WAS NOT amused.

Another day of cooking in place. I think that we are up to 31 days with about 40 more to go.

Has anyone seen lamb anywhere lately? I've been looking for a leg of lamb for a couple of weeks at four different stores, and there is no lamb in any form anywhere that I've been. Is there a shortage? Or is it just because I shop late and the lamb is all gone when I arrive?

I was at Costco Glenview about 2 weeks ago and they had leg of lamb.

Cynthia wrote:Has anyone seen lamb anywhere lately? I've been looking for a leg of lamb for a couple of weeks at four different stores, and there is no lamb in any form anywhere that I've been. Is there a shortage? Or is it just because I shop late and the lamb is all gone when I arrive?

I am having the same problem finding lower volume meat products like smoked pork neckbones and cornish hens.I have been unable to order either online.

Cynthia wrote:Has anyone seen lamb anywhere lately? I've been looking for a leg of lamb for a couple of weeks at four different stores, and there is no lamb in any form anywhere that I've been. Is there a shortage? Or is it just because I shop late and the lamb is all gone when I arrive?

Fresh Farms in Wheeling had some earlier this week.

G Wiv wrote:.20c to correct guess what I’m making.

Correct answer, Pancakes!

The 6.5# chicken was roasted yesterday afternoon. It yielded:

1 meal of Roast chicken and dressing with cranberry sauce
2 meals of Chicken Maafe.
1.5# of chicken salad
2 quarts of chicken food base (chicken and vegetable stock to which noodles/rice will be added)

Chicken Maafe is a West African simmer sauce (Kroger's Private Selection) that includes coconut, peanuts, and, sweet potatoes and peppers. It is one of those items that I bought on promotion at the local Kroger affiliate three years ago. Since it calls for garbanzo beans, it helps me clear out more of the beans from the pantry. (Canned beans are sold by one of the local parishes at their annual parish fiestas.)

Cynthia wrote:Has anyone seen lamb anywhere lately? I've been looking for a leg of lamb for a couple of weeks at four different stores, and there is no lamb in any form anywhere that I've been. Is there a shortage? Or is it just because I shop late and the lamb is all gone when I arrive?

I have seen it at Pete's in my neighborhood. Last Sunday was Orthodox Easter, so I'm sure Jimmy made sure he had lamb in his stores. Not sure about now as I haven't been in any stores since Monday.

Every April for the last 43 years, I have gone to North Carolina on business. It was cancelled this year. When there, I always have a fried bologna sandwich at least twice at the Dog House ( a great greasy spoon ). So, I just had to go to Poeta's meat market in highwood and get some bologna and fry it up. Not quite the same as the Dog House's white bread, but it was very good. Served with Cape Cod chips.

Sauteed Mushrooms - this is something I cook fairly often for my family. We received two pounds of beautiful River Valley Ranch creminis this morning and I made quick work of them. With a helper*, it took no time to slice them up . . .


Sliced Cremini Mushrooms and Crushed Garlic


Hot Saute
A little evoo into a very hot pan, followed by a few of the mushrooms, then the garlic, then the rest of the mushrooms. I gave it a few tosses to get the mushrooms coated, then added salt and pepper. After they browned and just started to give off some moisture, I added some homemade glace and a generous splash of red wine. From there, I stirred it all up, reduced the heat and let it all simmer slowly until almost all the liquid had cooked off.


Mounting With Butter
Once most of the liquid had cooked off, I turned off the heat and threw in four mini cubes of unsalted butter, which I swished around, effectively emulsifying it into the hot mushrooms.


Plated Mushrooms
A look at the finished product.


Plated Mushrooms and My Helper*
Shigeki Tanaka 33 Layered SG2 Damascus Habakiri Gyuto, 210mm, Ebony Handle. Though it looks beautiful, I don't normally favor damascus in kitchen knives but this one produces no drag at all. It just fell through the mushrooms like they weren't even there and made the work very quick and easy.

We'll have these as a side dish on the day I cook them and then, if there are any left over, work them into other dishes, like frittatas, quinoa, salads and sandwiches.

=R=

Yesterday, I went on a great journey. I went to Evanston to pick up my Top Box vegetable and fruit delivery, which had:
- 3 lb 5 oz of golden delicious apples (far, far better than the red)
- 2 lb 15 oz of yellow onions
- 2 lb 13 oz of green cabbage
- 2 lb 3 oz sweet potatoes (plus one already at home, I can now make something)
- 1 lb 10 oz (two) cucumbers
- 14.6 oz (two) pears
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes
- 7.5 oz (two) lemons
- Two Starbuck rice crispie treats
- One Fire Detector with 10 year battery life
The fire detector alone was worth the $15 paid for this delivery.

The hidden value was having to leave the bonds of my hometown border to go somewhere beyond. I added a visit to Chinatown for some odds and ends, plus a bag of frozen shrimp, scallop and pork dumplings for dinner. I went to Shop and Save for some Ajvar for today's lunch.

Sometime ago, I bought some ground lamb with plans to make stuffed grape leaves. I have since changed my mind to make some cevapcici. After years of trying various types, I finally settled on the cevapcici recipe on SeriousEats. During the summer, they are grilled outside or I use my caste-iron grill received from jlawrence01.


I made Bulgarian Shopska salad from cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, red onion, green onion, some parsley, salt and pepper with a simple dressing of red wine vinegar poured over it, followed by olive oil. It took years to figure out it was this simple.


I also made some Yugoslav cabbage salad, which is so unbelievably simple: 10 ounces slivered cabbage, two tablespoons white vinegar, one teaspoon salt and pepper. It should be made 30 minutes in advance.


I may not be going anywhere anytime soon, but that trip was pure joy. Oh and lunch was pretty good, too!

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:During the summer, they are grilled outside or I use my caste-iron grill received from jlawrence01.


Regards,
Cathy2

Glad to see that you are getting some use out of it. There are times that I think that if everyone got together with all of their surplus kitchen equivalents and miscellaneous groceries and brought them in, there would be a lot of items finding new homes where they would be appreciated.

Cathy - that was seven years ago when I packed up my kitchen in Woodstock and you relieved me of a good number of items. When you are ready again, you can come out to Arizona and releve me of a few more items. (g)

I sent my son-in-law to the freezer yesterday to retrieve some meat for tonight's dinner. He brought in a package of ground beef. Cooking for my family of five can be rather daunting. I have food allergies, one daughter doesn't like beef other than ground, the other only likes rare steaks. One loves pork, the other doesn't. Luckily my son-in-law eats most everything.

So what to do with the ground beef? I looked through my recipes and found one for Fleischkuechle (German Meat Pies or Empanadas.) I found the recipe here: http://familyfudge.blogspot.com/2011/10/fleischkuechle-meat-pies.html?m=1

The recipe as stated seemed bland. I added salt, pepper, celery seed, thyme, and a small minced onion to the ground beef. I made the dough with dairy-free half and half; turned out well.

The family liked them. Different dipping sauces included bbq, ranch, sour cream, sriracha, and mayo.