Making My Plan Work
Holding calendar in hand while checking freezer and pantry shelves, it seemed like a good plan. With some special celebrations in the beginning of the month and houseguests expected towards the end of October, my idea had been to eat some creative and resourceful meals in the weeks between, using the resources on hand. This would give ample opportunity to concentrate the food budget purchases where most needed.
The middle of the month, however, proved to be a bit busier than first anticipated with a wealth of unexpected although much appreciated invitations. Coupled with my own desire to have a dear friend over and create another celebration of sorts, my middle-of-the-month menu was not going to be as simple as I had first thought.
Now I stood in the kitchen with my list of meals needed for the upcoming events we would be attending, as well as for the food for my own get-together, and I knew a menu strategy was necessary. On top of all this, I had a busy schedule with little time to prepare before each event.
Seeking to use this day at my disposal to forge my plan, I decided to tackle the Friday night event first. A dessert was needed that could be eaten without utensils. Cookies immediately came to mind, and since I buy oatmeal in bulk and had some in the freezer, oatmeal cookies should be fine. It was then that I realized that the brown sugar was gone! I told myself to find a substitute and dashed for the computer. It turns out that 1 cup of sugar mixed by fork with 1 tablespoon of molasses could suffice. These cookies could also be taken to the church cover dish on Sunday along with a main course. Two chicken racks that I kept in the freezer for such a time as this came to mind, and into the pot they went. Covered with water and spiced up by some chopped onion and celery that really needed to be used, the chicken soup got a start and would cover the church main dish and dinner for tonight.
Working backward, the Saturday birthday party was next on my list and I was glad to see some frozen fajita chicken that is delicious when cooked slowly in a crockpot. Not having anything easy to make as a side dish, I finally decided there would be time to make deviled eggs before we would need to leave. I had already dealt with the Friday get-together and now was ready to tackle my luncheon for the next day. This was going to call for some creativity as I scoured my available resources. Baked potatoes with sour cream might work and I could add cheese and crackers and make a spread of cream cheese with jelly on top. Egg salad sandwiches would complete my meal, and my double batch of cookies could be stretched to provide a simple dessert!
Then the call came and lunch needed to become breakfast. Well, the egg salad could become an egg casserole. But what would I use for the meat that makes the casserole so good? Rifling through the freezer, I discovered a bag of frozen shrimp from a recent sale. This would be great! I added chopped green pepper to my egg creation and found a recipe for coffee cake that would use my extra sour cream.
Taking the time to think through each requested meal and being willing to use what I had on hand paid off. I would be able to satisfy the food needs and still be faithful to my budget plan. Those little budget “leaks” that plague me when not I’m not prepared or do not take the time to think through my menu had been plugged.
My favorite breakfast casserole recipe is:
- 5 eggs slightly beaten
- 1 cup of milk (evaporated or regular)
- 2 slices of crust-less bread (homemade whole wheat is best, but any will do)
- 2 handfuls of grated cheese (cheddar is our favorite)
- ½ pound of meat (sausage, ham, bacon, what ever you have on hand)
- Salt, pepper, onion powder, celery seed (whatever is to your taste)
My favorite part is that this can be made the night before and refrigerated. I usually double this recipe and then bake in a 9” by 13” pan. Try 375° for about 40 minutes. It’s done when it feels firm to the touch.
Do you have a favorite recipe when you are using what is on hand at your house?
related posts:
- Where’s the Beef? Here we are, smack in the big middle of my...
- Frugal Ice-Packs and Learning to Plan Ahead I assume we all know the emergency tip about using...
- Chicken Soup It started out to be chicken soup. While putting ice...
- It’s in the Sauce Last week I started a five week Create -a-Casserole series...
- Over-the-Top Delicious! Hi, I'm Mother Hen. I blog at Ship Full O'...
One Response to “Making My Plan Work”
October 15th, 2010 at 7:42 am
Well, it depends on what’s in my hand.=) Soup or stews are always flexible. Fried rice is another favorite because it can utilize small bits of leftover veggies and/or meat, and if I have no meat we can do eggs or vegetarian.
Popcorn is another thing I often will use to fill out a meal as a side-dish- where other people serve chips, we often have popcorn.
Leave a Comment