Day 19 - Going to the Dogs: Liver Bread!

I set my sights on using a box of Jiffy Cornbread Mix. And once again, there on www.recipezaar.com, was the perfect recipe: Liver Bread. Quick - 10 mins; Easy - a food processor and an oven; and simple - 3 ingredients (liver, Jiffy mix, 1 T garlic), all of which I had on-hand.

Yes, I had the liver. You see, in addition to my pantry excesses, we also buy beef from an Amish farmer by the 1/2-side. Yes, it's better beef. Yes, it's less expensive than buying individual cuts at the grocery store. But it also means that we ALWAYS have a variety of beef in our freezer.

ANYWAY - So I puree the 1 lb. beef liver, add the 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix and the 1 Tbs of garlic powder. It was, hands-down, the absolute grossest thing that's ever been in my kitchen.

I really am a fairly big fan of liver. In fact, my childhood response to "what's your favorite food?" was always "liver." That answer was based as much in truth as it was in the shock value I could always milk out of it! But this particular puree was - oh, I'll just say it: disgusting.

It's a good thing the liver bread is actually a dog treat because I couldn't even bring myself to taste the finished product!

I spread the pureed schlopp out in a thin layer on a well-sprayed jelly roll pan, baked it at 400* for 10 mins, and viola! Every dog's culinary fantasy!

I cut the 1/4"-thick "bread" up in 1-inch pieces for Storm, our beloved 60 lb pit bull who thinks she's a lap dog. By the look on her face, she clearly would have done any trick in the book to get her vice-grip jaws around the entire batch!

I had her do a few basic commands, gave her two luke-warm pieces and let the rest on the counter to completely cool before putting them away. Storm has never done this before, but she laid down on the kitchen floor, directly in front of the counter where the liver bread was waiting to be put away. She looked up at the counter, over at me....up at the counter, over at me.... As in, "I know what's up there and I'm going to plant myself right here just in case A) any falls to the floor or B) you and your opposable thumbs decide to help me out here!"

The good news is that the recipe made LOTS of little pieces of liver bread. So it's going to be quite a while before I have to deal with the pit bull puppy-dog-eyes when she realizes we've run out and there will be no more Jiffy until the cupboard is bare!

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Friday Grocery Bil Update: maintained the 50% decline and bought NOT A SINGLE pantry item! Woo Hoo!

Day 15 - Dinner: Nothing from the pantry!

My MIL, who is now living with us, was craving a baked potato. So tonight's dinner ended up being completely pantry-free: T-bones on the grill, baked potatoes on the grill (my favorite way to "bake" them!), frozen green beans almondine.

I did, however, make pasta salad using pasta (of course!) and one of those dozens of bottles of salad dressing from the pantry. I had to donate something for a school picnic. Previously, I probably would have carefully selected a recipe, made a list and gone shopping. This time, I volunteered my "kitchen sink" pasta salad because I knew I could use pantry items and improvise the rest. So, it turned out like this because it's what I had on-hand:
1 lb corkscrew pasta, cooked
1 bottle Kraft Light Italian Dressing
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 c sugar peas, julienned
1 shredded carrot
2 c broccoli florets
feta cheese

Mix it all up and Viola! Delicious as usual!

Side Note: Bulgur in Spaghetti Sauce

Trying to find something creative to do with bulgur wheat, for which I normally only have one use: my AWESOME vegetarian chili, I stumbled across an idea to add it to meatballs. Not only does it add more fiber - and who couldn't use more fiber?! - but it also makes the ground beef go further.

So, I used 1 lb. ground beef and added 1/2 c of bulgur wheat along with my regular meatball ingredients. I got 20 meatballs out of just 1 lb of meat with the bulgur! I browned them, added my doctored-up jarred spaghetti sauce (Shhhh...don't tell my dad, whose last name is "Serafino!") and simmered almost all day.

The bad news is that since I hadn't added any breadcrumbs to the meatball mixture, several of them just fell apart during the simmer. The good news is that the remaining meatballs were great and the sauce was freaking AWESOME! I will make my "spaghetti and meatballs" like this from now on. Having some of the meatballs break up into the sauce created a sauce ("gravy" for the true Italians!) that was thick, meaty and just full of bulgur body.

Enjoy!

Day 12 - Grocery bill: 50% less!

Friday's trip to Harris Teeter was an interesting one. I avoided all the pantry stuff on the shelves in the middle of the store, cruised the fresh foods sections, and bought only two extremely justifiable pantry items:
- 2 bottles of 7-Up -- My MIL moved in with us this weekend and it's her favorite. I thought the sale price of 2/$2 made it a nice welcome for her.
- 2 boxes of Kashi Strawberry Fields Cereal -- Not only is it my ABSOLUTE favorite cereal, but A) it was sale priced at 2/$6 and B)I had a coupon for $1.50 off two. I just could not pass up my favorite cereal that I haven't had for weeks when it was $2.25/box. I did, however, avoid buying SIX boxes which was an accomplishment because I did have 3 coupons!

All in all, my grocery bill was less than 50% of what it has been recently, and I still saved more than 10% in coupons. I'm not saying this is solely because of the moratorium on pantry items, but this project has really gotten me in-tune with my inner frugality. I'm more focused across the board on using available resources - no need to drop major coin on produce that's not in season and/or not on sale...no need to replenish an already full freezer, for example.

Speaking of which, tonight's dinner is swordfish steaks and scallops, which was last week's impulse frozen seafood buy.

Stay tuned.

Day 10 - Let the Improvisation Begin!

This morning, Sydney's breakfast was the final Campbell's Soup at Hand, hold the drama! I guess the cooler mornings have definitely put her in a "soup" mood. And there was no drama. Life is good.

But more importantly, last night's dinner! I had decided yesterday morning to try a new recipe for Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas, using the leftover turkey breast from the other night, homemade spanish rice and canned f/f refried beans. It's a 10 pt dinner, but I had planned for it so I had the WW points available.

So, I'm cruising through my day, knowing I've got dinner all planned. It's pantry-friendly AND I'm using leftover turkey, so I'm all proud of my resource effincies.

So around 5:00, I start gathering the ingredients.

First ingredient: 2 cans cream of chicken soup. "No problem," I think, I ALWAYS have a full supply of "cream of whatever" soups. Uh, NO! I search the kitchen pantry and the spare BR closet. Not one can. Nada. Null set. Zippo.

Previously, I would have added "cream of whatever" soup to today's shopping list, made the mexican fiesta tonight and improvised with something quick/easy for last night's dinner at hand. But, dear readers, that is no longer an option.

So, I went on a substitution quest. What could I substitute for the soup that is going to be mixed with tomatilla salsa verde to make the enchilada sauce?

Aha! Google to the rescue! I actually found a recipe (below) for "cream of whatever" substitute that worked out pretty well. And I think I might just keep the dried mixture on-hand and mix the liquid in as-needed for future soup substitutions....at least until I run out of dried milk.

Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas (from Campbell's...shhhhhh! Don't tell them I substituted the soup...and also made a few minor changes to make it more WW points friendly)

2 can 98% f/f Cream of Chicken Soup* (or equivilant of substitution below)
1 17.6 oz bottle tomatillo salsa verde (could probably use regular salsa)
1 1/2 lb cooked poultry meat
2 fresh red peppers, diced
1/2 lg sweet onion, diced
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
3/4 c 2% shredded cheddar
8 96% f/f flour tortillas

-Combine soup & salsa & set aside. In separate bowl combine remaining ingredients except cheddar and tortillas. (In the future, I suggest sauteing the peppers & onions first. If you add them raw they're still a little firm after baking.) Add 1/2 c cheese and mix well.
-Spoon 1 c salsa mixture on bottom of 9x13 baking dish.
-Divide poultry mixture evenly among 8 tortillas and roll up to form enchiladas. Place each one in the baking dish, seam side down. It will probably be a tight fit but squeeze them in.
-Pour remaining sauce evenly on top of enchiladas & sprinkle with remaining cheese.
-Bake at 375* for about 30 mins or until cheese is melted and enchiladas are slightly brown. Makes 8 generous servings.

My Spanish Rice
2 c chicken stock*
1 c instant rice (uncooked)*
1 pkt taco seasoning*
1/3 c salsa*

Boil stock, salsa & seasoning. Add rice. Simmer on low, covered, for 20 mins. Makes 4 servings (ATTN WWers: I only had a 1/2 serving of this to keep the whole meal under 10 pts.)

"Cream of Whatever" Soup Substitute (from "thriftyfun.com")
2 cups dry milk powder
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken boullion granules
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. onion powder

Combine all. Mix well. Store in air tight container. Yield: 3 cups

FOR CONDENSED SOUP SUBSTITUTE:
Blend 1/3 cup mix and 1 1/4 cups water in micro-safe dish until smooth. Microwave 2 1/2 - 3 minutes, stirring occasionally; cool. Use as substitute for 10 3/4 oz. cr. chicken, celery or mushroom soup.

FOR 1 1/2 CUPS SOUP:
Blend 1/3 cup mix with 1 1/2 cups water and prepare as above.

OPTIONAL:
May add freeze dried mushrooms when finishing soup. OR add finely chopped celery for celery soup. If you use it before it cools is seems to be a little thin but will thicken when cooled. If I plan to use it in a recipe I try to make it a few hours (or the night before and refrigerate it) so that it has time to thicken.

Day 9 - Pea Soup for Breakfast?!

For the last two days, Sydney has requested split pea soup with ham for breakfast with the leftovers packed up in an insulated container for her school lunch! I haven't mentioned that she's helping the Project that she still hasn't really embraced yet.

We'll see what tomorrow brings since there's no more pea soup. Will she happily eat something else -- another kinds of soup, perhaps? Or perhaps something more traditional like cereal? Oatmeal? Even a bagel?

...Or, will there be the drama and angst of a Tween's impossible life when her mother just doesn't understand how critical pea soup is to her well-being.

I hold my breath in anticipation. ;-)

Day 8 - Food Pantry to the Rescue: Canned Chicken GONE!

I had the opportunity to donate canned goods to the Howard Co. Food Pantry today. In the spirit of the CHALLENGE this project is supposed to be, I resisted the urge to donate some of my more obscure items (coconut milk, jalapeno jam...). However, I did completely wimp out and donate the 2nd and final can of chicken.

Other items included one box of Jolly Time Microwave Popcorn - just can't stand the stuff, and we had FOUR boxes!; a can of infant formula we received as a free promotion in the mail recently (boy, does someone need to clean up their database marketing!) and something else I can't remember.

So, all in all, I don't think I compromised the integrity of My Mother Hubbard Project too much, and I still was able to help out the Food Bank.

P.S. As for the turkey breast for tonight's dinner, I ended up just crock-potting it: Pour 2 c chicken broth* over the turkey breast in a crock pot set on low. Two hours into cooking, mix 2T melted butter and 3T Worcestershire Sauce*. Pour that over the turkey and keep cooking on low till it's done (for my hot crockpot, just 4 more hours). Sides were leftover rice & veggies.

'Night all.

Day 7 - Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco

Tonight for dinner, it's Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco, another one of my typical recipes. I got it from www.recipezaar.com and have been making my tweaked version of it for years. (Serves 4)

4 chicken thighs, skinned
1/2 onion, diced
couple carrots, peeled, sliced
couple celery ribs, sliced
couple garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c red wine
1 can diced tomatoes*
16 oz. marinara sauce*
1 tsp oregano
2 T parsley

-Dry the chicken thighs a la Julia Child and brown them in skillet. (If you dry meat with a paper towel, you don't need oil to brown it.)
-Remove thighs from pan, sweat veggies & garlic, cooking until soft.
-Deglaze pan with red wine and simmer to reduce by half. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, oregano & parsley.
-Cook until bubbly & return thighs to pan.
-Simmer 40-60 mins (the longer the better). Remove bones from thighs. Serve over noodles if desired.

Without the noodles, it's only 4 WW pts per serving. A well-defatted chicken thigh is only 2 points!

I doubled the recipe, dipping into the tomato and sauce supply even more. AND, tired of looking at the straggly bag of Trader Joe's freeze dried green beans in the pantry (I thought they'd be a good snack when I bought them. They're horrible!), I threw them in the pot as well during the last hour, getting me one small step closer to my goal.

Not a fancy dinner, but a yummy pantry-friendly one.

I have a turkey breast thawing for tomorrow, but I have no idea what I'm going to do with it yet. Stay tuned!

Day 6 - Some things just weren't meant to be canned!

I am eating the least delicious thing I've had in a very long time.

Another Lunch From The Pantry for me and once again, it's pseudo-Indian food. I use that term loosely because no self-respecting Indian food lover (like me!) would be caught dead eating this schlock.

I decided that the can of Jyoti Delhi Saag ("spinach & mustard greens with ginger and peppers") had been taunting me from the pantry long enough. I was determined to do something with it today. I added a diced roma tomato (tomatoes are in saag, I reasoned), garam masala (Yes, I have that in my spice cabinet! Told you I love Indian food!), cumin and a dash of cinnamon. And, I added a 12 oz. can of chicken. The fact that I even HAVE a can of chicken (actually, TWO cans!) is just...well, I still am not sure why. I think there was a recipe once...

ANYWAY! So, I heat the pseudo-saag and taste. Blegh! I know this problem could be solved, as many can, by adding some nice, rich CREAM, also a main component of saag. I never buy cream and decide to go with just a few Tbsp of its alter ego, fat free half-and-half. Okay, it's now edible, but just barely.

I don't feel like dealing with rice, a mandatory saag accompaniment. It must be basmati, which I have of course, but it's not instant and I don't feel like waiting. I can't put instant white or brown rice (both of which I have) with SAAG, even if it isn't real SAAG. I just can't do it! So, I whip up a 1/4 c of couscous and call it a day.

It's all in a bowl, and I realize it's about as good as it's going to get without real cream, some butter and, well, let's face it, ingredients that don't come from a can!

I've typed this as I continued eating, and now it's cold and downright disgusting. I could nuke it again, but really? It's 9 WW points, which is wayyyyy too much for something that's barely edible. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to pitch the remaining 1/4 serving as well as the entire 2nd serving.

Some things just weren't meant to be canned: saag....chicken....and I'm sure I'll come up with more before my pantry is bare!

Day 5

Went grocery shopping yesterday for the first time since starting this project. I failed a tiny bit and my bill wasn't any lower, which is discouraging. :-(

While I spent the majority of my time on the perimeter of the store in the fresh foods sections, I did venture into the middle for pretzels, tortilla chips and 2 cans of black beans. The snacks are two of Craig's favorites and Sydney questioned them immediately. But I decided, you know, Craig works really hard and if he wants a couple snacks now and then, he is certainly more than entitled. I did not feel the need to deprive him for the sake of my quirky project.

As for the beans, that's just weakness on my part. I have used the last of my black beans and just couldn't bear the thought of no more corn/black bean/avocado salad, or several other dishes that I'm currently hooked on.

As for my grocery bill being the same as usual, I attribute that to the increase in fresh produce as well as an impulse buy of sale priced sea scallops and swordfish steaks.

Dinner last night was some frozen Chinese I picked up while shopping. Again, that goes against the spirit of the project. I hang my head in shame.

However, I am proud of my imperfect effort. I passed by several BOGO sales on salad dressing, snack foods and other stuff we clearly have in full supply. So, although my first shopping trip wasn't perfect, it was definitely a step in the right direction.

Dinner tonight: pizza with friends. Tomorrow, my nephew's 16th bday party. So, the next real pantry cooking will be on Monday. Tune in. It's bound to be exciting!

Day 2

Today for lunch, I just wasn't in a "salad" place. So, I had my first official Pantry Experience of the Project. You know the one: Standing once again in front of the open pantry, looking at allllllll the foodstuffs, wondering how half of them got there in the first place. Carefully spinning the packed shelves of the 6-foot-tall lazy susan, I'm thinking "there's nothing to eat."

This time, instead of closing the door and turning to the fridge for a sandwich, or the freezer for a Lean Cuisine, I make myself pull something out of that pantry. Hmmmm... Lentil Rice Biryani from Trader Joe's....Description: "A classic Indian dish with Basmati rice, tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils, green beans and select aromatic spices and herbs." *MICROWAVABLE* Ready in 90 seconds"

But it's in a plastic pouch. "How good can this possibly be?" I think, turning up my nose. Realizing I have some leftover cooked chicken in the fridge, I throw 3 oz. of it into the rice, nuke it and viola! It's lunch for a reasonable 7 WW points. After the first taste, I also stir in a teaspoonful of light sour cream to make it a little more creamy. After a few forkfuls, I realize - hey! This really isn't too bad! And by the time I finish, I'm memorizing the plastic pouch so that I can pick it up next time I'm at Trader Joe's. Well, when the pantry is bare, that is!

Tonight for dinner, it's the only "Hamburger Helper" Sydney knows: my homemade version, which is pretty pantry friendly.

1 lb gr. beef
1 c diced onion
1/3 c salsa*
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 c pasta shapes*
8 oz. light Velveeta*

Brown the ground beef and onion. Stir in salsa, chili powder and 2 3/4 c water. Bring to a boil, add the pasta, cover and simmer for 20 mins. till pasta is cooked. Stir in Velveeta. Done. (Serves 6) Dinner for 7 WW points AND I used three pantry items (*)! (I also add a fresh green veggie side.)

Day 1

Since I'm basically starting with a fully-stocked pantry, this really isn't so dramatic yet. Last night's dinner was a family favorite, pulled pork (a delicious dry rub, baked at 250* for 7 hours). I whipped up a packet of Idahoan Roasted Garlic & Parmesan mashed potatoes from the pantry and finished off the meal with steamed broccoli. No different from any other meal here. Boring. Yawn.

I need to get more creative. Maybe today.

False Start!

Okay, so I make this big announcement ("big" is a relative term) that I'm going to start cooking my way through my pantry....and then nothing. Well, Craig and I had a rare date last night with Sydney off at an overnight bday party. We went out for Indian food (my favorite!) and went to see "Taking Woodstock" (blegh). So, no cooking last night.

Today, I've spent the afternoon working in the yard, trimming and cutting up trees. Too hot, sweaty & tired to cook, tonight's dinner choice: the leftover chili I made on Thursday or Friday...which, happy accident, is a great pantry food with all those canned beans and canned tomatoes.

So, since it's leftovers tonight, and we have a Labor Day celebration at a friend's house tomorrow night, my project will officially start on Tuesday (9/8).

Stay tuned...

And enjoy the last holiday weekend of the summer!

Old Mother HubbardWent to the cupboard
To get her poor doggie a bone,
When she got thereThe cupboard was bare
So the poor little doggie had none.

-Nursery Rhyme

Inspired by "Julie & Julia" and "The Amazing Adventures of DietGirl," I have decided to cook my way through my pantry without buying ANY nonperishable food items until the pantry is empty. Oh, and I'm going to blog about it.

I have become an avid couponer. And I do get a little thrill when I can combine a coupon with a sale and get an item for free or nearly free. While this is great in theory, I now have not only a burgeoning pantry in the kitchen, but have also managed to fill half of a closet in a spare bedroom with our "surplus." Did I mention that I am feeding a mere family of 3 (husband, 10 YO daughter and me)?

As I plopped 2 large, full reusable grocery bags down in front of that closet today, fresh from yet another round of coupon roullette at our local Harris Teeter, I looked at my cans of garbanzo beans that I brought from PA when we moved to MD - TWO YEARS AGO. My glance hit the jar of thai chili paste - what recipe did I HAVE to have that for? There was the spiced cider mix, also brought from PA. And don't forget what has to be about a dozen bottles of salad dressing in several different flavors - LOVE the buy-one-get-one specials combined with $1 coupons! I took in the shelves of all these surplus bargains and decided: enough is enough.

I am going to use every last item in this closet and in the kitchen pantry before I buy one more box of cereal, one more bag of pasta spirals, or one more jar of "really good," fancy fruit preserves. In fact, before I buy another non-perishable food item. I realize this could lead to some very interesting recipes/combinations. Cocoa-encrusted chicken with a strawberry preserve glaze, anyone?

When I told my family about this project tonight at dinner, the reaction was mixed. My husband Craig said "go for it!" After all, it will drastically reduce our grocery bill for the forseeable future!

My daughter's reaction was less enthusiastic. Sydney kinda listened, took it all in and said..."You mean you're not buying any more Cheez-Its?" (Interesting, since I buy Cheez-Its, like, twice a year but just got 2 boxes today - 2 for $5 + 2 $1 coupons.) "No Cheez-Its, but maybe I'll learn how to make snack crackers," I told her.

She thought a little more. "No more Lean Cuisines??" Although they technically do not fall under the auspices of a "non-perishable pantry food," that would not be keeping in the spirit of the project. So no, no more Lean Cuisines, I told her.

And she was truly disappointed. Really, truly, genuinely disappointed.

Which makes me wonder a whole other point: I spend a great deal of time planning our dinner menus, making nutritious foods that everyone enjoys. With all the time/energy I spend recipee-ing, list-ing, couponing, shopping, COOKING, FOOD is a major investment of resources for me. I am by the accounts of our friends and extended family, a "very good" cook. And Sydney's two biggest concerns are Cheez-Its and Lean Cuisines. ...Things that make you go "hmmmmmmmmmm...."