The focus of our final 3 recipes is SIMPLE & EASY! We all have busy schedules and sometimes the last thing we need to face is a long grocery list and fixing a complicated meal. So here are three especially simple meals to add to your Working Pantry ...
RECIPE #1: SUPER DUPER CHILI (Makes 10-12 servings)
Who doesn't love a good Chili recipe - remember Fall chili weather is coming - and I love this one because it is just a bunch of canned stuff you can easily have on hand and just dump it together in a pot, simmer and enjoy! You can also adjust the heat to suit your family's tastes.
1lb Pork Sausage (Hot or Mild, you choose. You could also use Freeze-dried Sausage Crumbles)
1 lb Lean Ground Beef (Again, you could use Freeze-dried Ground Beef)
2 - 151/2 oz Cans flavored chili beans (you choose the heat level.)
1 - 16oz Jar salsa
1 - 16oz Can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 - 15oz Can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
1 - 141/2 oz Can diced tomatoes (OR use up some of those fresh tomatoes from your garden.)
1 - 8oz Can tomato sauce
1 Sweet green, red or yellow pepper, diced (OR use some dehydrated ones from your food storage.)
1 Onion, diced (Do I even need to say it...dehydrated onions from food storage.)
1 1/2 teaspoons Chili powder (or to your family's taste.)
Dash of Red pepper flakes (again, to your family's taste - here's where you could really amp up the heat.)
In a large cooking pot, brown meats, onions and peppers (if using dried veges, rehydrate first according to package directions). Add all other ingredients. Stir to mix well. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes; 60 minutes at the most. Serve garnished with any of the following...grated cheese, sour cream, salsa, sliced avocados and/or tortilla chips. Enhance the heat level with some hot sauce. Or, mix it up by serving it over the top of rice, pasta or baked potatoes. Enjoy!
SHOPPING LIST (these amounts will allow you to make this recipe 3 times in your 3 month working pantry cycle.) 3 lbs pork sausage
3 lbs lean ground beef
6 cans flavored chili beans
3 - 16oz bottles of your favorite salsa (or use homemade)
3 - 16oz cans kidney beans
3 - 15oz cans pinto beans (sometimes I substitute black beans)
3 - 141/2 oz cans diced tomatoes
3 - 8oz cans tomato sauce
3 sweet peppers, 3 onions (these can be purchased, diced and frozen in amounts needed for each recipe)
ITEMS TO HAVE ON HAND: Chili powder
Red pepper flakes
Sour cream, grated cheese, hot sauce, salsa, avocados, tortilla chips; pasta, rice, baking potatoes.
RECIPE #2: CHICKEN PIE (Serves 6-8)
This is another comfort food classic and is soooo simple. It is also a one dish meal that includes all the food groups in one serving.
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk (or reconstitute some dry milk)
2 cups cooked chicken, diced (or use canned, drained & rinsed)
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
2 unbaked already made pie shells
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 4 ingredients and divide mixture between 2 pie shells. Bake for 50 minutes. NOTE: You could top these pies with one of the following to mix things up...
A crumb crust made with crushed Ritz crackers, moistened with some melted butter OR
A second pie crust on top...just buy extra ready made pie crusts and lay over the top, cut a vent and bake as directed (may take slightly longer for top crust to brown) OR
15 minutes before pie is done, remove from oven and top with an inch or so of mashed potatoes then return to oven and finish cooking until potatoes are just turning brown.
SHOPPING LIST (these amounts will allow you to make this recipe 3 times over your 3 month Working Pantry cycle): 3 cans cream of chicken soup
3 cups milk (having some powdered milk on hand would work very well in this recipe...just mix up the amount you need following the package directions.)
6 cups cooked, diced chicken (this can be packaged in "per recipe" proportions and frozen until ready to use (OR you can use 6 cans white meat chicken OR you could use 6 cups reconstituted freeze-dried white chicken dices.)
6 cups frozen mixed vegetables
6 prepared pie shells
ITEMS TO HAVE ON HAND: Fresh Milk (if you choose this route.)
And, if you choose to add one or try each of the suggested toppings...
Ritz crackers, butter
6 extra prepared pie shells
AND/OR some Mashed Potatoes (the potato flakes they sell at the Sandy Dry Pack Cannery are delicious!)
RECIPE #3: FIREMAN'S BREAKFAST CASSEROLE (Serves 4-6)
OK, we all have a recipe for this type of casserole...it's a classic and lends itself to using food storage items very well.
6 to 8 frozen hash brown patties (with or without cheese)
1 lb bacon, sausage or ham, cooked & crumbled
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup cheese, grated
Onions, chilies, salsa, peppers can be added as desired.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9X13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray then lay frozen hash brown patties on bottom of dish, covering as best you can. Spread cooked, crumbled meat of your choice or a little bit of each on top of hash browns. Pour beaten eggs over all and top with cheese and any other items desired (onions, chilies, peppers, etc.). Bake for 35 minutes or until eggs are set. Serve with salsa, sour cream, extra cheese, etc. as desired.
SHOPPING LIST (these amounts will allow you to make this recipe 3 times during your Working Pantry cycle): 18 to 24 frozen hash brown squares
3 lbs bacon, sausage, ham OR 1 lb of each to mix it up
18 eggs
3 cups shredded cheese of your choice
HAVE ON HAND: Favorite items to add-in or top casserole with... onions, green onions, chilies, salsa, sour cream, extra cheese, peppers, mushrooms etc.
Well, that concludes my efforts to help you build up a 3 Month Working Pantry food supply. Good luck and don't be afraid to get started any time and add your own recipes as well. In September, I have some fun ideas for storing and using Pasta...
Welcome to our blog... this is a place where we can all help each other follow the advice of our church leaders and get ourselves and our homes in order. Click on the tabs at the top of this page and link to encouraging thoughts and articles about home and family preparedness and local grocery ads for comparison shopping as well as other helpful sites and tools. Or click on one of the informative videos on the side Video Bar and listen to others share how they have made food storage work for them. Also on this site, look for monthly info on a specific storage staple and a tested recipe for using that staple. Also look for a weekly comparison chart with the best buys from 4 main grocery stores side by side. And, watch for important dates for events coming up that will help you get prepared. The important thing is that we all get started...let's do it together and make this the year we all feel a little more prepared and a little less afraid!
WEEKLY GROCERY STORE BARGAINS
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As requested...COPYCAT Cafe Rio Recipes from the Relief Society Garden Party 8/14/2012
BARBACOA SWEET PORK
Makes 6 Generous Servings
2-3lb pork shoulder/picnic roast (with bones)
1/4 cup Southwestern Spice Rub (Made by mixing 1/2 cup Kosher salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon each of ... black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground oregano, chili powder, cumin... and a dash or two of cayenne pepper)
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 liter Coke (not diet)
Water
1 can mild chopped green chilies
1 can green or red mild enchilada sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar (can add more or less to adjust to your taste)
One full day before cooking pork, pat roast dry then rub with Southwestern seasoning all over. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight. The next morning, spray your crock pot with cooking spray and cover the bottom of the crock pot with onions and green bell peppers. Place seasoned pork on top of vegetables. Pour 1/2 of the liter of Coke over the top of roast in crock pot. Then add enough water to come up to about 1 inch of top of roast. Cover and cook roast for 4-6 hours on high/medium high (or until pork can be easily pulled into tender shreds with a fork). Remove pork from pot and set aside to cool until you can handle it.
In the meantime, discard cooking liquid and make a fresh sauce by mixing the remaining Coke, the green chilies, the enchilada sauce and the brown sugar in your crock pot and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and adjust sauce to be sweeter if desired. Shred pork and add it in with sauce. (At this point, pork can be refrigerated and saved until a later serving time.) If using right away, cover crock pot and turn back on to high. When juices begin to bubble, reduce heat to low/warm and keep until ready to serve.
CILANTRO, LIME RICE
Makes 6 Salad Servings
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups rice (long grain white rice works best)
1 lime, juices and zest
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
In a skillet, melt butter. Add rice and cook and stir until it just starts to brown here and there. Add chicken stock and all other ingredients. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and serve as desired.
TOMATILLO DRESSING
Makes 2 1/2 cups
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
Mix these 3 ingredients together as directed on the packet. Set aside to thicken while you prepare the following...
1 small bunch cilantro, large stems removed and chopped to make about 1/2 cup
3 tomatillos, outer skins peeled away, washed & quartered
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Juice & zest of 2 limes
1 teaspoon green Tobasco sauce
Place cilantro in the blender and pulse until cilantro is chopped. Add tomatillos, garlic, lime juice & zest, and Tobasco sauce. Add the already prepared ranch dressing that you set aside. Blend until smooth and well-mixed, scraping down sides if needed. Pour into a bottle with a lid, cover and chill until ready to serve.
Now, TO ASSEMBLE a COPYCAT Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad, layer as follows...
Warmed Flour Tortilla
Cheese (whatever kind you prefer)
Shredded Sweet Pork
Beans (any good seasoned black or pinto bean will work)
Cilantro/Lime Rice
Chopped Lettuce
Tomatilla Dressing
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Crispy Tortilla Strips (you can make these yourself by cutting corn tortillas into strips and deep frying them or you can buy them in the salad dressing/crouton section all ready made)
ENJOY!!!
Makes 6 Generous Servings
2-3lb pork shoulder/picnic roast (with bones)
1/4 cup Southwestern Spice Rub (Made by mixing 1/2 cup Kosher salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon each of ... black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground oregano, chili powder, cumin... and a dash or two of cayenne pepper)
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 liter Coke (not diet)
Water
1 can mild chopped green chilies
1 can green or red mild enchilada sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar (can add more or less to adjust to your taste)
One full day before cooking pork, pat roast dry then rub with Southwestern seasoning all over. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight. The next morning, spray your crock pot with cooking spray and cover the bottom of the crock pot with onions and green bell peppers. Place seasoned pork on top of vegetables. Pour 1/2 of the liter of Coke over the top of roast in crock pot. Then add enough water to come up to about 1 inch of top of roast. Cover and cook roast for 4-6 hours on high/medium high (or until pork can be easily pulled into tender shreds with a fork). Remove pork from pot and set aside to cool until you can handle it.
In the meantime, discard cooking liquid and make a fresh sauce by mixing the remaining Coke, the green chilies, the enchilada sauce and the brown sugar in your crock pot and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and adjust sauce to be sweeter if desired. Shred pork and add it in with sauce. (At this point, pork can be refrigerated and saved until a later serving time.) If using right away, cover crock pot and turn back on to high. When juices begin to bubble, reduce heat to low/warm and keep until ready to serve.
CILANTRO, LIME RICE
Makes 6 Salad Servings
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups rice (long grain white rice works best)
1 lime, juices and zest
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
In a skillet, melt butter. Add rice and cook and stir until it just starts to brown here and there. Add chicken stock and all other ingredients. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and serve as desired.
TOMATILLO DRESSING
Makes 2 1/2 cups
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
Mix these 3 ingredients together as directed on the packet. Set aside to thicken while you prepare the following...
1 small bunch cilantro, large stems removed and chopped to make about 1/2 cup
3 tomatillos, outer skins peeled away, washed & quartered
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Juice & zest of 2 limes
1 teaspoon green Tobasco sauce
Place cilantro in the blender and pulse until cilantro is chopped. Add tomatillos, garlic, lime juice & zest, and Tobasco sauce. Add the already prepared ranch dressing that you set aside. Blend until smooth and well-mixed, scraping down sides if needed. Pour into a bottle with a lid, cover and chill until ready to serve.
Now, TO ASSEMBLE a COPYCAT Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad, layer as follows...
Warmed Flour Tortilla
Cheese (whatever kind you prefer)
Shredded Sweet Pork
Beans (any good seasoned black or pinto bean will work)
Cilantro/Lime Rice
Chopped Lettuce
Tomatilla Dressing
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Crispy Tortilla Strips (you can make these yourself by cutting corn tortillas into strips and deep frying them or you can buy them in the salad dressing/crouton section all ready made)
ENJOY!!!
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