To make sure I always have a back up of certain items I try to buy two of them when I can and then put the extra into the pantry area and forget about it. When I can't spend too much on groceries for some reason. Like an unexpected car expense, a birthday or a bill that was forgotten I always have the extra items I can count on.
By RoseMary
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This was a saver when we were low on groceries. We always had a variety of canned veg's on hand. You can make this soup with most anything from the pantry, except beets. Use, for example, one can each of; green beans, peas, corn, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes (can use fresh), etc.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have carrots, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, canned tomatoes, canned cream mushrooms, sweetcorn, tuna, ham, cheese, feta cheese, mozzarella cheese, tofu, chives, parsley, basil, dried herbs, pasta, and rice what can I make with it?
By holly
Do you have any meat available, other than the ham and tuna? If not, you could make spaghetti or something similar. I sometimes spray a casserole dish, and make spaghetti sauce and layer it with pasta and cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Is cheap, good and goes great with a salad. Or, you could make a scalloped ham and potato casserole. Slice or shred your potatoes and mix with cheese, onions, cubed or shredded ham, cream of mushroom, salt/pepper, etc.
I would just get creative if it was me. When I have a strange mix of stuff in the cabinets, I tell my husband I am going in the kitchen "to pull a rabbit outta my hat" and he knows by that, that there is no telling what kind of dinner we will be having. It's kinda fun to see what you can come up with and it usually turns out pretty good. Don't be afraid to experiment.
Good luck. Hope this helps. :)
You have a pretty good base for quiet a few different combinations . Do what I have done-look at your list and combine to make different combinations.
carrots, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, canned tomatoes, canned cream mushrooms, sweet corn. chives, parsley, basil, dried herbs, pasta or and rice - soup
tuna, onion, mushroom, mozzarella cheese, parsley & pasta=tuna casserole
tuna + flour + spices+ egg=tuna cake if don't have an egg search for some mayonnaise, cook rice & veg (carrot, onion & mushroom) separate and serve with cake.
Carrots, mushrooms, onions, cooked rice, and feta cheese or mozarella cheese mixed and cooled in frigde, and flavored with salt and Italian type seasonings could be a mediterranean type rice salad. You could also add the tuna &/or tomatoes, drained well and dried between paper towels or a kitchen towel, for more of a main dish type of meal.
For future reference, cookingbynumbers.com has all sorts of recipes. All you have to do is click on what you have on hand and they will come up with a recipe. It borders on the miraculous. Hope this helps.
So much to choose from.
Slice the potatoes and either bake them or fry them with salt and pepper to taste. You can also add diced ham to the fried potatoes near end of cooking or when baking from the begining with a little of any or all of the cheeses on top. Slice the mushrooms and saute with butter, salt, pepper , onions and your herbs, pulverize the tomatoes and add after the mushrooms are done, a dash of sugar and cook down, serve over spigehti noodles or rice. Dice one half to one potato, a quarter cup of each, corn , mushrooms and canned cream mushrooms, canned corn, onions, tomato or any vegetable you like, season with onions, chives, basis, Itallian season, add any type of meat diced including fish or shrimp, pork or chicken, cook on low for two to three hours, serve over rice or alone with corn bread.
www.homeplansoftware.com/
go here for free recipies and free software to save your recipies to along with a free shopping list creator that adds up you total cost for your shopping list.
Where can I find a way to make the best use of the odds and ends left in the pantry, before I do a re-stock?
By Sandra
Maybe you can find a few ideas here: havenofhome.blogspot.com/
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After being trapped at my camper for a week while my car was in the shop, I've decided to really stock up the pantry.
