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I came over here to post this thread, and I saw the other one at the top! No relation.
Anyway, over the past 2 years I have cooked a lot less at home. I live by myself, have lots of after work commitments during the work week and I get food at work! So basically it makes it is really hard to cook when you aren't sure how many days you'll be at home to eat it, and you don't bring leftovers for lunch!
Keeping a well stocked freezer is pointless. Buying more than snack-y produce is risky.
So these days, unless I am cooking for a special occasion, I take short cuts to make something if I am cooking a meal at home. It is cheaper to take shortcuts with stuff from the salad bar, selectively pre-chopped stuff and even some prepared foods. You can get smaller quantities!
Today I am home because I have a cold, and I really wanted chicken soup! I don't love canned chicken soup - the veggies are over cooked and there is not enough meat! So I decided to get a few groceries to compose my own soup.
What I bought:
pre-chopped mirepoix
salad mix with baby chard, kale and spinach
boxed low sodium broth
cooked shredded plain chicken from the fresh foods section
quick cooking farro
At home:
poultry seasoning
marsh peppers
olive oil
salt and pepper
I make killer sphagetti sauce- using prego as a base--
i sautee onions, hot italian sausage, alittle crumbed lean ground beef and sometimes little thick peppered bacon, and pesto if I have it (the Costco Kirkland brand is really good), then add the prego and simmer on low for at least 20 minutes- Viola- great sphagetti sauce-
you can add what ever chopped veggies you have on hand and feel like adding as well- like mushrooms, zucchini, etc...
I make a delicious appetizer with store-bought hummus (either Sabra or Boarshead) and naan. I heat the naan in a little olive oil in a hot skillet. Then I spread hummus on the naan, top with diced red onions, diced black olives, and diced roasted red peppers. Then sprinkle some fresh herbs on top and cut into pieces.
3 things come to mind: an appetizer using mayo and parmesan cheese adding chopped green onions and spreading on either small pieces of rye bread or your favorite cracker and sticking broiling for a couple of minutes til eveything melts together. Serve hot or cold.
corn chowder: frozen corn, chicken broth,either canned or I make my own, chopped chilies, canned, a little diced onion and spices. cook slowly. I like to use a small crock pot. Before serving place the soup in a blender so it becomes creamy. You can add some chopped chicken to make it a little tastier and more of a meal.
Strogonoff casserole; left over steak cut in small pieces: mushrooms, fresh or canned; diced onions, a mixture of sour cream and canned mushroom soup. noodles; mixed noodles with the other ingredients. Heat in over about 30 minutes. You can use chicken and chicken soup or other meats as well. Also can do a cheese sauce instead of canned soup.
3 things come to mind: an appetizer using mayo and parmesan cheese adding chopped green onions and spreading on either small pieces of rye bread or your favorite cracker and sticking broiling for a couple of minutes til eveything melts together. Serve hot or cold.
corn chowder: frozen corn, chicken broth,either canned or I make my own, chopped chilies, canned, a little diced onion and spices. cook slowly. I like to use a small crock pot. Before serving place the soup in a blender so it becomes creamy. You can add some chopped chicken to make it a little tastier and more of a meal.
Strogonoff casserole; left over steak cut in small pieces: mushrooms, fresh or canned; diced onions, a mixture of sour cream and canned mushroom soup. noodles; mixed noodles with the other ingredients. Heat in over about 30 minutes. You can use chicken and chicken soup or other meats as well. Also can do a cheese sauce instead of canned soup.
btw:the corn chowder has milk or 1/2 and 1/2 as well.
I dont' make my own pie crusts anymore. Pillsbury refrigerated rolled crusts are my go-to. An easy chicken pot pie is some leftover chopped chicken, a bag of mixed frozen veggies thawed in the microwave, one of the pie crusts parbaked in a 9-inch pie plate, and a quick homemade bechamel with celery seed in it, mix the chicken, veg & bechamel and dump into the pie crust, and then top with a package of premade mashed potatoes (Bob Evans or similar). Bake for about 30-40 minutes.
I dont' make my own pie crusts anymore. Pillsbury refrigerated rolled crusts are my go-to. An easy chicken pot pie is some leftover chopped chicken, a bag of mixed frozen veggies thawed in the microwave, one of the pie crusts parbaked in a 9-inch pie plate, and a quick homemade bechamel with celery seed in it, mix the chicken, veg & bechamel and dump into the pie crust, and then top with a package of premade mashed potatoes (Bob Evans or similar). Bake for about 30-40 minutes.
I don't do my own crust anymore either. I imagine many of us have turned to buying ready to bake crusts.
Pillsbury's refrigerated crust (not frozen) tastes similar enough and has a similar enough texture to my homemade crust that it's a worthwhile timesaver.
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