Chicken Noodle Salad

First, I must apologize for the odd looking noodles. It was completely overcast and even rained a bit as I was taking photos! I'll take lousy light if it means I get a slightly cooler (91 degree) day and a few sprinkles!

This is one of the happiest 'throw together' meals I've ever made!

Last summer, we were running low on food (I hate strongly dislike grocery shopping), and rather than go to the store, I searched for whatever I could find that might masquerade as dinner without requiring me to really cook.

Here's what I came up with:

Chicken Noodle Salad

2 c. cooked, cubed chicken breast
1 lb. pasta, cooked and drained
2 apples, diced fine (I use gala and granny)
2 stalks celery, diced fine
a couple of handfuls of sunflower seeds
a couple of large handfuls of shredded cheese

dressing
1 c. mayo
2 T. acid (red wine vinegar is our favorite, but lemon juice works too)
large pinch kosher salt
lots-a fresh ground black pepper

Mix dressing in a small bowl then add to other ingredients; mix well. Chill at least two hours before serving.

That's it--a complete meal. You get meat, pasta, fruits and veggies all wrapped up in a happy mayo blanket!

I keep cooked, diced chicken breast in 2 c. portions in the freezer, so outside of boiling noodles for five or six minutes, this is a cooking-free meal which, when it's climbing towards 110 outdoors, is a very good thing.

Sortin' Beans

I wonder how many hours of my life I've spent sorting beans. You?

While the girls took nappies today, I cranked out some prep-ahead food for the freezer.

Six pounds of elk burger, browned, seasoned, bagged and in the freezer.

Two quarts of vegetable broth bagged in two cup increments frozen flat for easier storage.

One giant roasting chicken (7.74 lbs. it barely fit!) cooked in the crock pot. Waiting to be disassembled in the fridge. I'll make stock tomorrow.

Six cups of grilled, diced chicken tenders bagged in two cup increments.

Two pounds of black beans soaking, waiting go go into the crock overnight.

Three pounds of pinto beans soaking, waiting to go into the crock tomorrow.

Whew!

So, why did I list this with Pantry Pleasers? All of these foods are ones I keep on hand in my 'Frozen Pantry' to help make meal prep/clean up go faster on a daily basis. Without many of these ingredients on hand, our favorite Pantry Pleaser recipes wouldn't be possible!

Do you keep foods/ingredients cooked and frozen in a 'Frozen Pantry?' What about main dishes?

Hello Fall. Welcome Home.

Although our days are still reaching the low 90's, our nights are cool. As in, the grass is actually cool under your feet and you don't immediately start to sweat if you go outside after the sun goes down.

That's the biggest blessing of the desert. Even when the days are still hot, the nights can be downright chilly.

In celebration of our third cool night in a row, I made our first fall/winter meal. This is one of our family favorites and is also a Pantry Pleaser! It took me less than ten minutes to have this ready, including toasting some wheat buns to serve as a side. The key for me is to keep browned hamburger in the freezer in one pound portions.

Posse Stew (Although it is actually a soup.)

1 lb. ground beef, browned (Seasoned to taste; I use garlic, onion, S&P)
1 can pinto beans
1 can hominy (I buy the big can)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn (or 1 c. frozen kernels)
1 small can green chilies
1-2 c. water or chicken stock

Put browned, drained burger in a large pot along with contents of listed cans (including juices). Heat on medium high until hot.

This can also be done in the crock pot by heating all ingredients on low for 2-3 hours.

This stew/soup is super yummy with just a hint of spicy from the chilies and is very filling thanks to the beans and beef.

Enjoy!

Pantry Pleasers: Baked Penne

Mmmmm . . . I love pasta. I love cheese. I love pasta sauce. I love this dish! The best part is, everything I need to make it is usually in my pantry.

What you'll need:

Penne pasta (preferably rigate-with the lines), chicken sausage, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, pasta sauce-any flavor, butter/cooking spray, S&P and any other add-ins you may have on hand. We usually add canned mushrooms and roasted red peppers. Not today. Today, I just felt like being basic and boring and well, basic.

Oh, you noticed there's no Ricotta in the photo? Good for you. I plum forgot. No butter? Again, I forgot.

Did you notice the unmentioned spice bottles? Again, good for you. You see, I haven't been to Sprouts in ages. Sprouts is where I buy lots of wonderful things like fresh ground chicken sausage and sea salt in bulk. I used all the chicken sausage from the freezer, so I bought a pound of ground chicken at the grocery (the one that's only 11 miles from my house as opposed to 25) and added diced onion, minced garlic, dried thyme, basil & oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt & pepper. It wasn't as good as the fresh sausage, but it worked in a pinch.

Finally (I promise we'll get to the recipe soon!), did you notice the lovely blurry photo? I took it without the use of my trusty tripod. I tend to shake, which is why it is blurry. Well, the ridiculously poor lighting in my little 1950's kitchen doesn't help much either.

Here we go!

First, put on a large stock pot of water to boil. You'll need four quarts of water per pound of pasta. When the water comes to a boil, add a good handful of salt. The water needs to be salty-like sea water. Watch out, when the salt hits the boiling water, it has a tendency to boil up and sometimes over. Add the pasta and stir until the pot returns to a boil. Cook as long as the package directs, stirring occasionally. When al-dente, drain off the water, return to the pot and cover. I usually reserve a cup or so of the pasta water in case I need it later. (I LOVE how the red elements on my stove show up purple. Now, if LG had really made them purple, I might just forgive them for making a stove top that's so hard to keep clean!)

While the pasta is cooking, brown the sausage (or the chicken & spices) and drain the fat, if any.

Add in the jar of sauce and mix the chicken in. This is where I usually add mushrooms and roasted red peppers. On days when I'm not lazy feeling basic.

Now add one small container or half a large container of ricotta cheese. (In a dish like this, you can use frozen ricotta. It needs to come to room temperature and be mixed well before adding--it separates some when thawed and the texture is a bit different than fresh ricotta.)

Now add about a cup of shredded mozzarella. Warm through. I like to add fresh ground pepper to the sauce, but if you're not a fan of the pepper, well, just skip it!

When the sauce begins to simmer, transfer it to the pot with the cooked pasta. Mix well. Here's where I add the reserved pasta water if I think it's looking to dry . . .

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray (or smear it well with butter) and add the pasta/sauce mixture.

Cover the pasta with 1/2 to 1 cup mozzarella cheese and sprinkle on the Parmesan! I like to add a few pats of butter on top too. Only I forgot. So, I left it in the oven a little longer than I usually would so that the cheese would be extra brown on top for My Man.

Finally, you can bake this at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or so (until it's all bubbly and browned on top) OR you can pop it under the broiler for about five minutes if you're starving and just can't wait!

Either way, you'll end up with an absolutely delicious meal straight from your pantry that didn't take much time at all!

Pantry Pleasers: What's That?

I have learned to love, and I mean love, having a well-stocked pantry. I keep a dry pantry and a frozen pantry. I belong to a coupon website that helps me keep track of the coupons/weekly & monthly ads and identifies the best deals of the week. I also receive three Sunday papers in order to get multiple coupons. This has helped me stock our pantry for a lot less by buying multiples of things when they are on sale with a coupon.

My dry pantry contains anything that comes in a jar, bottle or box that doesn't need to be refrigerated.

My frozen pantry contains frozen dairy products, meal-portioned raw meats, meal-portioned cooked meats, frozen veggies and (of course) chocolate chips! I also keep all things that could potentially collect bugs like dry pasta, cereal, cake/cookie mixes, grains and pre-ground flour in the freezer to preserve freshness.

I have a stash of recipes that use all pantry items, or pantry items + one or two fresh items that I thought would be fun to share over the coming months.

If you have a Pantry Pleasers recipe that you love, please email it to me and I'll try it out. If it's something we like, I'll post the recipe along with photos-giving you all the credit, of course.

Update 6/4/08: As I was making/photographing the first Pantry Pleasers recipe last night, I realized that a lot of the "one or two fresh ingredients" that I add to Pantry Recipes are ones that I always keep on hand--like a Fresh Pantry. Now, I realize there isn't a terribly long shelf life for these items, but since I always keep them around, I use them just like a regular pantry item. Things like sweet onions, small red and Yukon Gold potatoes, garlic, fresh tomatoes, carrots and apples. Basically, when I run out of one of these items, I know it's time to go to the grocery.