Pantry Potluck

When I was a child, we were in the "robbing Peter to pay Paul" category as far as finances go. This wasn't something I truly processed until later, partially because we were raised to be appreciative for what we had and not ask for more, and partly because my mum is a wiz in the kitchen. She could take a box of penne, a single chicken breast, and a can of black olives and somehow create a delicious, filling meal with leftovers.

Found a box of poppyseed muffin mix in the pantry!

I come from a long line of comfort cooks, and am fortunate enough to have a partner who creates dishes with plate presentation to rival a five-star restaurant even though we're just sitting in our little living/dining room.

I did not inherit this gene.

I can take any of the sort of one-pot meals-- chili, spaghetti sauce, and I make one hell of a pot roast-- but anything that involves timing evades me. If you, also, find yourself lacking Hello Fresh-level meal prep as you rake the back of your pantry for some random can of garbanzo beans or a lone bag of mixed vegetables, I am sharing some recipes cultivated from a few of my nearest and dearest to give you some inspiration. Remember, if you don't have a certain ingredient, improvise! Cooking is a lot more forgiving than baking.

Mum's Meat Pie "I made it up!"
1) Take 3/4 pound ground meat, finely chopped onion, and sautee until browned.
2) Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder.
3) Pour in some beef broth for flavor.
4) Shred 1/2 cup baby carrots and add that plus baby portobello mushrooms in butter and sautee. Mix with meat.
5) Pour into pie crust and cover with layer of dough. Add ventilation holes.
6) Bake like you'd bake a pie-- 350* for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Liz's Gnocchi Chowder "real cozy & chowdery"
1) Sautee vegetables (onion, carrot, celery, peas, green beans, corn-- whatever you have on hand) for six minutes; add garlic and sautee 2 minutes longer
2) Add broth, rosemary, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste
3) add chicken (raw, and optional), bring soup to a boil, reduce to medium low, and then simmer for 8-12 minutes.
4) Make a roux-- melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add flour, stir constantly one minute.
5) Make bechamel sauce-- while whisking vigorously, pour in milk and continue to whisk to smooth any lumps. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until mixture thickens, add in cream, remove from heat.
6) Once chicken reaches 165*, remove chicken from soup and allow it to rest for five minutes before dicing into pieces.
7) Add gnocchi, cook for about 7 minutes.
8) Reduce soup mixture to low heat, stir in milk mixture.
9) Add in cooked chicken and spinach. Cook until spinach wilts.
10) Serve with warm Romano cheese if desired.

Paige Taylor's Brussels Sprouts "I don't measure shit"
1) Cut Brussels sprouts into quarters.
2) Sautee on stove with olive oil.
3) Add gruyere cheese, salt, pepper, minced garlic, and lemon juice to taste.
4) Cook until dark.

Ben's Crockpot Nachos "A 735 Potluck Favorite" 
1) In a crockpot, combine 2 cans of beans, 1 can of corn, 1 jar of salsa, 1 chicken breast, and Red Hot (to taste) for four hours.
2) Shred the chicken.
3) Toss in a bar of cream cheese and cheddar. Melt for 15-20 minutes.
4) Serve with chips.

Jen's Amazing Skinny Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice "It's pretty good and healthy"
1) Combine 1 egg and 2 egg whites in a small bowl. Beat with fork, set aside.
2) Coat a large non-stick pan with coconut oil and heat over medium high heat. Stir in cauliflower rice and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic. Stir fry for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3) Add 1 cooked, diced chicken breast. Stir fry 1 minute. Add in 1/2 cup scallions, 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, 1 cup of chopped celery, and 3 tablespoons coconut aminos.
4) Cook about 3 minutes until heated through.
5) Push mixture to sides of pan, coat pan with oil, and add egg mixture. Cook about 1 minute. Add sesame oil, pepper, and stir fry all ingredients together.

X's Italian Sausage & Orzo Soup "Freeze without the orzo and add that when heating up"
1) Heat olive oil in a pan and add 1/2 chopped onion and garlic. Sautee until onion softens.
2) Roughly break Italian sausages into small chunks; sautee 6 minutes.
3) Deglaze pot by adding stocks. Scrape pan to remove any brown bits and stir in tomatoes.
4) When stock comes to a boil, stir in Orzo pasta, oregano, basil, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
5) Cover and let cook for 10-12 minutes over medium heat, until Orzo is almost cooked.
6) Stir in 2 cups of spinach and let it cook for two minutes. Remove from heat.
7) Stir in 1/4 cup of half-and-half and 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Quarantine PB Cookies  "for your blog"
1) Combine 1 egg, 1 cup of peanut butter, and 1 cup of sugar in a bowl.
2) Bake at 325* for 10-12 minutes.

Mum's Quarantine Banana Bread "Eggs are scarce!"
1) Take one beaten egg, 3 very ripe bananas (mashed), 1 tsp. of vanilla, 5 & 1/3 tablespoons melted butter, 1 & 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp. baking soda, and a pinch of salt. Combine in large bowl.
2) Pour into floured loaf pan.
3) Bake at 375* for 40 minutes or so.