The first week has gone fairly well with the "Eat From Your Pantry Challenge" using the items we have on hand in our "pantry". What's really helped get us off to a good start is the left over New Years food which carried us through last weekend into Monday or so: Orange Cranberry Macadamia Brunch Strata and then plain scrambled eggs or pancakes or bagels/toast and orange juice. Also, from the New Year weekend food we had several Taco meals with guacamole, beans, chips, soft tortillas, and desserts of Pumpkin Roll (recipe below) and Orangeblossom's Raspberry Ribbons. Daisy has again stayed with her food of my Sweet Potato Turkey Meatloaf (one of my own recipes below), bagels, mashed potatoes and/or peas or green beans.
I did go to the store Wednesday for milk, orange juice, eggs and some other food items because of the Winter Weather Advisory in our area. I don't go out or drive in it if I don't need to. I was outside this morning for 10 minutes when it was 15 (feels like 4) degrees and that was enough for me. I love snow, a real winter, it's beautiful and I love to get out in the SNOW, not frigid arctic cold. The older I get I don't like it that cold so I enjoy it right from my front window or breakfast nook window overlooking the backyard in my warm, warm kitchen! AND the kitchen has been very warm again this week with Orangeblossom's cooking. Wednesday she searched online for recipes and found just what she was looking for – a bread recipe that didn't require a lot of kneed/rise time: Easy Cheesy Bread and a potato soup recipe: Panera's Creamy Potato Soup both from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures who is also participating in the "Eat From Your Pantry Challenge". Wednesday and Thursday dinner meals were taken of – we some times eat the same thing a couple of days in a row. The soup and bread are sooo goooood, recipes we'll definitely keep, make again, and highly recommend! Just the thing for the arctic blast we're having and for sharing with the rest of my family: my mom, sister, my mom's brother/my uncle and my m-i-l, all either elderly, have health problems, unemployed, on fixed incomes. I'm eager to see how much further we can stretch our dollars and food made from our pantry. It appears it might be more economical to make larger quantity dishes from scratch with bulk items and ingredients but I'm not sure. Now, I'm looking forward to the weekend food planning and next week!
While looking around at other blogs and sites participating in the pantry challenge I found Heather's Substitution List (at her My Red Apron) to keep in our pantry.
Sweet Potato Turkey Meatloaf
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups Spelt breadcrumbs, about 2 slices
½ Cup non-fat milk
½ small to medium chop/mince onion
1 small to medium clove minced garlic
1 medium fresh peeled, cooked, mashed sweet potato
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 whole egg
2 egg whites (eliminate egg whites and use 2 eggs)
1 TBSP honey
Directions:
Peel, cube, cook sweet potato and when cooled, mash and set aside
Crumble Spelt bread slices, then soak in ½ Cup milk, then mash
Grate or hand chop/mince onion and garlic
Slightly beat eggs with 1 TBSP honey
In a large bowl mix ground turkey with mashed sweet potato, mashed breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, then add eggs and honey.
Place into loaf pan and bake for 50 – 60 minutes at 350 degrees.
Remove from oven and check internal temperature which should reach 160 degrees. Allow meatloaf to rest a bit before slicing.
Pumpkin Roll
Preheat oven 375 degrees
Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
½ tsp lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
(instead of using individual spices, substitute 2 tsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice)
Nut Topping:
1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
Filling:
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
5 1/3 TBSP butter, softened at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
½ tsp vanilla
Step 1
3 eggs - beat on high speed for 5minutes, eggs will look thick and pale
then
GRADUALLY add in granulated sugar
next fold in pumpkin puree, lemon juice, and vanilla extract
Step 2
in a separate bowl stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt
fold into pumpkin mixture
Step 3
line a 13 X 9 cookie sheet with wax paper
spread pumpkin batter evenly over the wax paper on cookie sheet
sprinkle batter with sugar pecan mixture (sugar pecan mixture is optional, I don’t add nuts some times)
bake for 15 minutes
Step 4
turn out on a clean dish towel, wait a couple of minutes and then gently peel off the waxed paper
while still hot, start on the longest edge side, roll up in the towel and allow to completely cool
Step 5
combine filling ingredients and beat until smooth, keep at room temperature
after sponge roll is completely cook, gently unroll
fill with a generous layer of icing and roll back up and chill
dust with powdered sugar before slicing and serving
I love this quote and this will be the third time I'm repeating it:
There is something about saying, 'We always do this,' which helps keep the years together. Time is such an elusive thing that if we keeping meaning to do something, but never do it, year would follow year with no special thoughtfulness being expressed in making gifts, surprises, charming table settings, and familiar food. Tradition is a good gift intended to guard the best gifts.
~Edith Schaeffer~
It's still the New Year -- Happy Traditions -- Happy New Year!