What would you make?

Options
MelanieCN77
MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
in Food and Nutrition
How about a thread to liven up our pantry possibilities? Post a bunch of ingredients you have on hand but are uninspired by, and people can suggest some way to cook with it all.

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    Options
    i only buy things i know what im going to do with, or know what i CAN do with?

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    Options
    If I need ingredient inspiration I type it into Pinterest and get lots of ideas on how to use it.


  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
    Options
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    In this thread: people who don't want to use this thread :D

    LOL. I'll start. Don't say chili - I made that Friday.
    Produce: one onion, one hot pepper, a butternut squash, a spaghetti squash, carrots and some wilted celery in the fridge.
    Dairy: I have eggs, milk, blue cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese and a few ounces of cheddar.
    Canned goods, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and a tin of anchovies. I have both red and green lentils, white rice, bulgur and whole wheat bread
    Condiments - most everything. Spices - pretty much everything I like. Fresh herbs: rosemary, flat leaf parsley

    Oh and I have a whole chicken that I bought the other day.

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    Options
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    In this thread: people who don't want to use this thread :D

    we are such killjoys LOLOLOL
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    Options
    bebeisfit wrote: »
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    In this thread: people who don't want to use this thread :D

    LOL. I'll start. Don't say chili - I made that Friday.
    Produce: one onion, one hot pepper, a butternut squash, a spaghetti squash, carrots and some wilted celery in the fridge.
    Dairy: I have eggs, milk, blue cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese and a few ounces of cheddar.
    Canned goods, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and a tin of anchovies. I have both red and green lentils, white rice, bulgur and whole wheat bread
    Condiments - most everything. Spices - pretty much everything I like. Fresh herbs: rosemary, flat leaf parsley

    Oh and I have a whole chicken that I bought the other day.

    roast chicken and veggies with cheesy rice
  • anewell28
    anewell28 Posts: 79 Member
    Options
    @bebeisfit a yummy bolognese sauce!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
    Options
    bebeisfit wrote: »
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    In this thread: people who don't want to use this thread :D

    LOL. I'll start. Don't say chili - I made that Friday.
    Produce: one onion, one hot pepper, a butternut squash, a spaghetti squash, carrots and some wilted celery in the fridge.
    Dairy: I have eggs, milk, blue cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese and a few ounces of cheddar.
    Canned goods, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and a tin of anchovies. I have both red and green lentils, white rice, bulgur and whole wheat bread
    Condiments - most everything. Spices - pretty much everything I like. Fresh herbs: rosemary, flat leaf parsley

    Oh and I have a whole chicken that I bought the other day.

    Appetizer (crostini): Cut bread in appetizer sizes/shapes, top with some combination of 1) garbanzos smashed/pureed with olive oil if you have it, and your choice of sesame seeds (well, they're on my spice shelf), cumin, cayenee, garlic or garlic powder; 2) tinned anchovies; 3) well-drained bits of canned tomatoes (preferably throw these in the oven for a bit to roast/dry before putting them on the bread); 4) blue or cheddar cheese (but not if you're going to serve a cheese final course, and not the same cheese as you use in the risotto, if you choose to add cheese there).

    Main dish: Stick the celery (reserve some for a pilaf if making it, see below), rosemary, and parsley inside the chicken (along with some salt and pepper) and roast it. If you're up to it, before you stick it in the oven, lift the skin over the breast and thigh and spread some fat (assuming you have some butter or olive oil and didn't mention it), salt and pepper.

    Starchy veggie side: Meanwhile, also roast the butternut squash and carrots (with olive oil, if you have it). You can either eat them plain or saute a little onion (reserve some for the pilaf if making it, see below) in a soup pot, along with the hot pepper if you like, then add the pureed squash and carrots, and thin with milk or stock if you have it (or if your condiments/spices include some kind of instant bouillon or bouillon base) for soup.

    Pilaf or risotto: If you want another side dish, saute or toast some lentils and rice or bulgur (your choice) and (optional) onion and celery. Add water (or stock if you have it, see above under veggie side), all at once for pilaf or in half cup amounts, stirring until absorbed, for a risotto (with rice). You could add a cheese of your choice, but I personally wouldn't unless I had parmesan -- just my taste preference.

    Dessert?: Not many options for a final (dessert course). Looks like cheese to me. Do you have any fruit (fresh or dried), nuts, crackers, pickles, honey, or jam you. Or you could do a rice pudding if you didn't make the pilaf/risotto (eggs, milk, sweetener, cinnamon).
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    Options
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    In this thread: people who don't want to use this thread :D

    Just offering the pinterest idea because that works really well for me.
    I'm not against your thread. I don't need people here to tell me how to use my squash or extra ginger because I already looked it up. I'm happy to give other people ideas though. :)
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    edited November 2017
    Options
    bebeisfit wrote: »
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    In this thread: people who don't want to use this thread :D

    LOL. I'll start. Don't say chili - I made that Friday.
    Produce: one onion, one hot pepper, a butternut squash, a spaghetti squash, carrots and some wilted celery in the fridge.
    Dairy: I have eggs, milk, blue cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese and a few ounces of cheddar.
    Canned goods, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and a tin of anchovies. I have both red and green lentils, white rice, bulgur and whole wheat bread
    Condiments - most everything. Spices - pretty much everything I like. Fresh herbs: rosemary, flat leaf parsley

    Oh and I have a whole chicken that I bought the other day.

    Lentil soup
    Butternut squash soup
    Scrambled eggs
    Cook the chicken and remove the meat from the bones. You could use it for sandwiches. Make chicken and rice casserole or fried rice or omelet rice. Chicken and rice soup.
    Tomato chickpea stew or curry
    Pizza
    Hummus on toast, cheese toast
    You may have the stuff for this- https://therealfoodrds.com/buffalo-chicken-stuffed-spaghetti-squash/
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Options
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    In this thread: people who don't want to use this thread :D

    Just offering the pinterest idea because that works really well for me.
    I'm not against your thread. I don't need people here to tell me how to use my squash or extra ginger because I already looked it up. I'm happy to give other people ideas though. :)

    Yeah I'm pretty creative and a decent cook, I love Pinterest, but I know there are things people are doing that they want to tell about!
  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
    Options
    Wow!! You all rock! I had a couple of ideas, but you all upped my game. I honestly thought I would just make a plain marinara sauce. I can make a few of these things and have food for the week! Yay!

    I'm going to hold off on the chicken until tomorrow, but I'm adding the rosemary & butter. I'm going to roast that butternut squash at the same time. I only have so many pans.. and time.

    @lynn_glenmont I want to come to your house for dinner! Appetizer, side dishes AND dessert? I'm single, so I likely won't be making all of those things.. but I like how you think. My bread is sandwich bread, so no crostini and no crackers in the house.. Because that sounds amazing. No dessert for me today. But I like the rice pudding idea for another day.

    @anewell28 I've never had bolognase sauce.. I'll have to look up a recipe, I can make a marinara - but I'm not sure what makes it bolognase, I think milk. Sadly no parm in the house, but the fresh mozzarella will be a good substitue and I can serve it over the spaghetti squash.

    Spanish eggs - yum! or any cheesy eggs, fast and easy.
    Cheesy rice? I've never had it. Who knew that was a thing.
    Rice pilaf? I've never made that either
    Lentil soup/stew - yum! I can use some of the butternut squash in there.

    Thanks again everyone. I'm headed to the kitchen


  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
    Options
    One more idea: lentil curry. I can't believe I forgot this since I have a pot of this in the fridge I've been eating for a while. Mine was made with canned pumpkin, but the butternut squash will work just as well. I also had white potatoes, but I don't they'll be missed.

    Roast the butternut squash, and mash or puree when it's done.

    Meanwhile, cook the lentils in water or a mix of water and stock. Saute the onions and carrots (and celery if you want, but that wouldn't be to my taste) with curry powder or a mix of spices such as cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric, ground coriander, ground nutmeg or allspice, black or brown mustard seeds. Add the mixture to the lentils when the lentils are tender. You can add the canned tomatoes too, if you like (chop if they're not diced in the can). Stir in the squash puree. You can blend with a stick (immersion) blender, if you like, or not, as you prefer.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Options
    Alright I'm going for a run and gonna make dinner when I get back...

    Chicken breasts, a steak, ham steaks, eggs, frozen fake chicken, frozen fake ground beef, frozen lentils, frozen cauli rices
    Brussels sprouts, cauli, tomatoes, carrot, parsnip, onion, green onion, broccoli slaw mix, kale,
    Canned tomatoes, broth and the like
    Rice, pasta
    Wheat pita, white bread
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Options
    Bolognese is usually a meat cooked basically in marinara. I use canned tomatoes, some paste, a little meat stock and oregano.
  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
    Options
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    One more idea: lentil curry. I can't believe I forgot this since I have a pot of this in the fridge I've been eating for a while. Mine was made with canned pumpkin, but the butternut squash will work just as well. I also had white potatoes, but I don't they'll be missed.

    Roast the butternut squash, and mash or puree when it's done.

    Meanwhile, cook the lentils in water or a mix of water and stock. Saute the onions and carrots (and celery if you want, but that wouldn't be to my taste) with curry powder or a mix of spices such as cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric, ground coriander, ground nutmeg or allspice, black or brown mustard seeds. Add the mixture to the lentils when the lentils are tender. You can add the canned tomatoes too, if you like (chop if they're not diced in the can). Stir in the squash puree. You can blend with a stick (immersion) blender, if you like, or not, as you prefer.

    I make lentil curry all the time. Usually with a sweet potato and the tomatoes. But I also add coconut milk. Delish!
    Thanks again for all the great ideas. I think risotto is in my future.
  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
    Options
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    Alright I'm going for a run and gonna make dinner when I get back...

    Chicken breasts, a steak, ham steaks, eggs, frozen fake chicken, frozen fake ground beef, frozen lentils, frozen cauli rices
    Brussels sprouts, cauli, tomatoes, carrot, parsnip, onion, green onion, broccoli slaw mix, kale,
    Canned tomatoes, broth and the like
    Rice, pasta
    Wheat pita, white bread

    I would make the steak and vegetables on the side
    chicken Stir fry? with the cauliflower rice
    Ham and eggs & toast

Categories