The Country Pantry

My friend Jamie asked me the other day to help her come up with recipe ideas. But, you can’t make a dish without the right ingredients, right? So, I tediously wrote down a list of most everything I have stocked in my pantry. May I also add that I began this list about 6 weeks ago, and I had so much stuff in there my hand cramped as I was trying to record it all and I had to take a 6 week leave of absence from that project! Without any further ado, here is:

My Official Pantry List:

Tomato Products:

Canned spaghetti sauce

tomato sauce

tomato paste

Whole tomatoes (including home-canned ones, I recommend buying whole ones and cutting them up for recipes, the flavor is better!)

tomato based soup base (home-canned)

Red enchilada sauce

Canned fruits:

Pineapples, in own juice!

Pears in own juice,

Peaches, in juice

Cranberry sauce

Beans/Legumes:

Black beans

Kidney beans

Garbanzo (chickpeas) Beans

Great Northern Beans

Pork N’ Beans

Black eyed peas

Pinto beans

Canned Veggies:

Diced green chilies

Pimiento peppers, diced

Creamed corn

Hominy

Sliced Mushrooms

Green enchilada sauce (made from green chilies…qualifies as a veggie for me!)

Miscellaneous:

Organic peanut butter

Solid white albacore tuna

Wolf Brand Turkey Chili, no beans (tastes GREAT)

Dry Goods:

Quick cook oatmeal

Organic rolled oats (takes a little longer to cook than quick cook)

Bob’s Red Mill Muesli cereal

Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats

Bob’s Red Mill 10 grain hot cereal (can you tell I’m a fan of Red Mill now???)

Cream of Wheat

Assorted whole grain cereals, like Kashi Go Lean/Go Lean Crunch

Cheerios

Popcorn, both microwave and kernels

Elbow macaroni

Egg Noodles

Vermicelli

Spaghetti

Fettuccine

Boxed Mac N’ Cheese

White Rice (oh no!)

Instant white rice (horrors!!!)

Instant brown rice

Organic brown rice

Scalloped potatos (boxed)

Taco shells

Panko bread crumbs (for a crispy, crunchy coating)

Seasoned bread crumbs

Rice A Roni

Cornbread mix (I prefer my own, but just in a pinch….)

Graham crackers

Wasa whole grain crackers

Stuffing mix, chicken flavored

Jello, assorted flavors

Mixes/Spices:

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Homemade Cream Soup mix (AWESOME, recipe to come later!)

Onion soup mix

Dried Legumes:

Pinto Beans

Lima beans

Lentils

Navy Beans

Vinegars/etc:

White vinegar

Cider vinegar

Red wine vinegar

White wine vinegar

Rice vinegar

Balsalmic vinegar

Sherry cooking wine

Dry white wine (I use Chardonnay, in the little 4 packs)

Dry red wine (Usually use Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot in the little 4 pk)

Assorted cooking goods:

Olive oil

Vegetable oil

Sweetened condensed milk

evaporated milk

Molasses

Vegetable shortening

Pancake syrup

Baking soda

Cornstarch

Brown sugar

White sugar

Flour (we are currently switching from white to whole wheat)

Powdered sugar

Yellow cornmeal

Powdered milk

Sweetened coconut

Cocoa

Pickling salt (for making canned goods)

Beverages:

Instant coffee

Regular coffee beans

Hot cocoa

Black tea

Whew, see why my hands needed that 6 week break??? Let me also add that I am currently switching everything over to whole grain products where possible, and I am trying to get away from white sugar and white flour, too. So, all of my noodles and such will soon be whole wheat pastas. I’m trying to get rid of as many possible processed foods as I can without going crazy! I hope that this list will help you with stocking your own pantry. Recipes will also be coming soon!

The Simple Life is the Life for Me

“Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without.”

My mom and I were talking the other day about all her stuff that she has. It depresses her to know that she has a huge house full of stuff, a storage building packed to the gills with stuff, and a huge barn full of stuff. What constitutes “stuff”? I would classify it as nonessentials that are taking up space. Essentials being food, some household goods, and some clothes. I made the comment that I LOVE the ‘simple’ look for my home. In other words, lots of uncluttered clean lines. I also made the comment that the act of simplification is HARD! For example, when I decorated my kitchen counters, I had to decide what I use on a daily basis. For the most part, aside from my dry goods such as sugar and flours, if I did not use it on a daily basis, it did not deserve to take up space on my kitchen counter. The most difficult decision was deciding not to leave out my kitchen utensils (ladle, spatulas, etc) which, even though they were tastefully arranged in a vintage crock, were just too much eye clutter for me. It sounds silly, but I do believe that my stress levels go down when I see ‘clean lines’, that is, not a lot of STUFF laying around! I also believe in the power of a CLEAN KITCHEN SINK. I swear, it’s better than anti-anxiety medication!

Anyway, I think this is why I have embraced the vintage country look so tightly. I have also embraced the saying, “If you don’t love it, lose it.” If it is an item of considerable worth, I will sell it. If I can ‘recycle’ it into something new, I will do that. If I just can’t figure out what to do with it, I run it to Goodwill. I think this is an extremely valuable lesson for all of us to learn. Why surround yourself with things that you don’t absolutely love? This is just simplification of your Life. Are you, too, drowning in a vast sea of stuff?

I came upon a website that I fell in love with: The Farm Chicks blog. I am going to direct you to her Laundry Room blog. I saw that blog and it so inspired me that the next day, I took an hour to re-do my own laundry ‘room’. She totally decorates with the same style that I love. I also spent the rest of that same day re-doing my pantry. Three hours later, I love it! I will post pics soon.

In farm news, I would like to brag to you all for a minute. I had this shirt that I got at Goodwill the other day. Truthfully, I did not love it. I will have to admit to you that it was an impulsive, dumb buy for 4.99. But I did love the fabric. Well the other day, I decided to do something with it. I ripped out the side seam of that shirt, and I made each of my girls a prairie skirt/maxidress (why not get 2 uses out of one item of clothing, right???). Oh, they really turned out so cute. And, to top it off, the elastic I used to make the skirts’ waistband was an elastic band I had removed from one of my own skirts that I am re-doing! Oh, please pat me on the back, lol! See, I’m really getting into this whole ‘repurposing’ thing. Like, I took some sundresses that I had, where I really LOVED the fabric, but frankly, as sundresses, they made me look like a beached whale. I whacked off the straps and VOILA! they became a full-length skirt. I have gotten many compliments on them, surprisingly not as dresses, but as the new skirts. So, when I go to Goodwill, yard sales, etc. I don’t always look at something as it’s original intended purpose. God bless my mom for buying me a sewing machine 10 years ago!

Yesterday, I made my first batch of refrigerator pickles. I planted some pickling cukes back in September and they are now ripening. Boy, are they good! Here is another reason to hang onto used glass jars!!! I was wondering what I would do with all of these glass jars that I can’t use for canning. I can’t bear to toss a good glass jar! Here is the recipe for those pickles. I scaled down the recipe to make just one quart jar. I did this by tasting the vinegar solution after boiling (Hint: Do NOT inhale when bringing the tasting spoon to your mouth. Bad, bad idea) I didn’t have enough liquid the first time by simply cutting the recipe down, so I just made some more up, flavoring with sugar and pickling spices. You can substitute pickling spices instead of all of those spices they use, by the way. I believe one reviewer used 2 teaspoons of pickling spice for the full recipe, but do add to suit your taste.

I also made a homemade apple pie! I picked up an apple slicer, peeler, corer at the flea market the other day for four dollars. They are usually about 25 brand new. I had bought one previously for 2 dollars, but I found out it was missing an integral part, so I will have to come up with something to fix it. Anyway, to peel, slice and core and apple with this doodad takes about 20 seconds. It is so awesome! Well, the pie turned out delicious. Here is the recipe. You know it’s good when it gets almost 4,000 5 star ratings! But, I would only suggest this: Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and a tiny (!!!) pinch of nutmeg. Also, after you made the syrup, combine it with the apples, THEN pour it into the bottom crust. That is all!

Well, I ordered 13 books for my birthday from Amazon. As you can probably guess, most, if not all, are on self-sufficiency. Well, I did also get some on how to make rag rugs and vintage kitchen linens. How I love books! Right now I am reading through the complete Tightwad Gazette. It is like my own personal bible. I love it!

Until next time, learn to simplify!

Chef Dad

As you all may know, if you are a regular reader of my blog, we look forward to the cooler temperatures because we are able to cook in our fireplace with our Dutch oven. Jason called this afternoon to tell me he was preparing a pot of fireplace chili, so I was really excited. After I got home, Jason carefully tended his precious Dutch oven with nothing but great love and care. He gently stirred the contents of the pot, all while adjusting the pot oh-so-precisely. As he stood up, he said, “My chili may need a little spice adjustment.” At that very moment, I remembered that I had used up the last of the chili powder about 4 days ago.

I said, “Uh, we don’t have chili powder. What did you use?” J: “Well, I found some powder in a jar.” Me: “Um, it didn’t happen to be a glass jar did it?” J: “Well……”

I thought, uh oh. We went into the kitchen and he showed me the glass jar, which was now missing half of its contents. “This one” he said. I stuck my finger in the spice jar and licked my finger, knowing full well what was coming.

“Bleeeeech! That’s cayenne pepper! Oh my God, how much did you use?”

“Well, like half the bottle.”

I burst out into laughter. “I guess it’s a chicken nugget night, huh?” I said. So, due to the culinary faux pas, we instead ate a plate full of chicken nuggets, which I am almost convinced are not really meat at all.

After dinner, curiosity got the best of us. Jason tasted the ‘chili’ first.

“Oh………..my………….GOD!” he managed to say between wheezes. ” This is DEADLY.”

I took my place in front of the pot. “My Lord! And how many jalapenos did you put in?” “Well, just a few.” A few? There were about 2 whole super hot jalapenos in there! I put a drop on my tongue.

“GAAAAAAAAKKKK!” I managed to get out while spitting the ‘chili’ in the trash. It was so hot, it seared my tongue and throat and made my eyes water.

If I remember correctly, this is also the same man that accidentally substituted salt for sugar in a cookie recipe. Then again, maybe I just have my memories mixed up. Anyway, just so that you all know, Jason actually happens to be a good cook most of the time (with the exception being Chinese food, and when he gets ‘inventive’ with his spices. For whatever reason, he tends to over-garlic things sometimes).

He makes the best brisket this side of the Mississippi, and that’s the truth. Just don’t try the chili on a night when he’s using an unlabeled spice jar!

Just around the corner…

Wow, and to think last time I wrote to y’all, days were in the 100 degree mark and HUMID. Today, it’s misty and 72 degrees! So, now we know fall is just around the corner. This is my other favorite time of year, other than spring. I always love the transitional times of the year the most. The leaves are now beginning to turn; the sassafras is putting on its flame red foliage. We should have a beautiful autumn this year for two reasons; we have received over a week of rain, and the fall’s first cool front is due next week, which is atypically early for us. I’m excited! Well, I may not be so excited when we are experiencing an extremely cold winter, but for now…

We have had a LOT going on in the past month, mainly illnesses in my little farm family. Our youngest developed mesenteric lymphadenitis after a bout with gastroenteritis, and I have been on and off ill with a cold (flu? allergies?) for over a week now. I do have much more energy now, but I think that with all of this rain, I am reacting to the mold levels. In other news, we adopted 2 kittens, a brother and a sister, about 3 weeks ago. They are brother and sister, named Mr. Bobo and Ashley. Aren’t kittens just about the cutest thing to watch? Fran loves to chase them down and chew on their heads, but it’s all in good jest.

We also bought 2 white Plymouth Rock hens and we were graciously given 4 18 month old Leghorn hens, who are still laying big, white eggs. I am planning on buying some MORE chickens very soon. I also want to get some more Cayuga ducks. The duck eggs are WONDERFUL. I know most people balk at the mention of eating duck eggs, but I am telling you that the flavor and richness are unsurpassed by chicken eggs. They do not taste “eggy”; it is a very complex and delicious taste. Of course, our chicken eggs are also delicious. There is NO comparison between ‘grocery store’ eggs and eggs from hens that are allowed a more natural diet. I have the pictures to prove it! Unfortunately, my camera is angry with my computer and refuses to share pictures with it, but I will get them on here ASAP.

The newest additions are 4 guineas that I picked up at the feed store (and one that was hand-delivered…thanks, Rachel!). They are so funny to watch when they see a bug. I told Jason it was like watching a pit bull in a chick suit. They are extremely focused on movement and I have the feeling when I let them in my garden in a few weeks that they will do a great job of snapping up my pests.

Well, Jason finally finished a log splitter that he built out of spare parts at his shop. We already have about a 3/4 of a cord of wood from a fallen hickory in our woods. It sure makes short work of chopping wood! I can’t wait for more of our fireplace cookin’!

I can’t believe we have already been here almost a year. I can’t imagine being anywhere else! Still a LOT to do here…but we’re whipping things into shape slowly. The kitchen garden is ever-expanding and Jason finished several of the raised beds. Now I just need to fill them with compost. It’s also time for me to plant my winter garden. I did plant some winter squash, beans, and cucumbers. I am still harvesting lots of okra, tomatoes (Brandywines from spring), and tons of cherry tomatoes. Oh, and I do finally have peppers, lol. I didn’t do so great with my peppers this year. I’m not sure what happened there, but with the cooler temps and tons of rain, they are finally ‘makin'”.

I have also been putting up LOTS of muscadine and scuppernong grape jelly. We picked 32 pounds of muscadines at a farm, and I am slowly working on turning them into delicious jelly! I hope that soon myself and my MIL will get together (with our new food processors….NO MORE CHOPPING) and put up some more tomatoes/tomato products. You just can’t beat homegrown flavor…no doubt about it! I also got a lot of figs last month, and I’m planning on doing a strawberry-fig jam. I do have to wonder how many people in my age group can things? Hmmmm….I’m willing to bet not many. What a shame. Here’s a great LINK for making muscadine jelly, juice, or jam.

Today’s favorite thing:

Well, I am still on a budgeting kick! I had to update my ‘cash flow’ form last night and wanted to share this form with you. The idea is that NO dollar is unaccounted for. It is fairly self-explanatory, but it is also great to have the book, Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover, which is currently on sale for under 10 dollars. Download this FORM. It is in PDF format. I use this form every month, and I also use 2 envelopes. One holds my receipts for anything that comes out of my checking account, and one holds receipts for anything that I pay cash for (that is NOT deducted out of my checking account). So, at the end of the month, I have a paper trail, and also keep up with where my cash goes. I NEVER have to ask myself, “Where did my money go?” because I KNOW. It is so liberating, trust me. This is a system that works wonders for me. I have been doing this since May 18th of this year. If you are in debt, I URGE (and beg and plead for) you to try this system and find freedom for yourself!!!!

Well, that is all that I have for today, plus my entire right arm is aching for some reason! :0)