Simple Meals From Your Prep Pantry

[Oscar Wilde]

I wasn't talking about my home canned soups coming unsealed.

Ah, gotcha. When ya said pop top I was ... never mind.

Yeah I had problems with them cans too but different, the content ate it's way outta the side and bottom of the cans.

O.W.

[Lenno]

500 views!

[Lenno]

Whatcha mean Oscar? I wasn't talking about my home canned soups coming unsealed. It's those pop top cans of Campbell's CHUNKY soup that don't seal well. Seems everything is going to those type of seals, and they don't last. I was looking for some Campbell's cream of celery soup the other day. All I could find were sealed in the pop top fashion. I refused to buy any. Even the Wal-Mart off brand version has those type seals. So now I'm gonna have to have an adventure hunting all over town for brands of cream of celery soup without pop tops!!

I agree, there is the alternative:



I'm not associated w/any company

[Sherree]

I agree, there is the alternative:

Yeah, always good to have back ups for your back ups, Lenno. I like variety, and don't put all my eggs in the same basket.

[Sherree]

500 views!

I don't really know what you mean by that, Lenno, but am glad you found reason to keep up with the view count! I haven't been paying attention.

Back to the OP, I was hoping to get recipes that are quick and simple using things all of us had stored in our pantries for that special event, you know, the SHTF one. I started it with two recipes that I had that used rice and beans. Others may have their own recipes for those, since most people have a good store of both, but doesn't have to be limited to just rice and beans. Like I said in my above post, I like variety and was hoping for more ideas for my own use.

[4Him]

The all time fav at our house is:

Turkey noodle soup.

I make homemade noodles for Thanksgiving. After the holiday I take the turkey carcass and whatever is left of the turkey, put it in a very large pot add water celery, carrots,onions and chicken bouillon. Cook for an hour or so until veggies are soft . Add leftover noodles or Reamers frozen noodles or store bought dry noodles and cook until noodles are al dente. Can in quarts at 10# for 90 min. Mine usually makes about 18 quarts. Makes a fast meal on a cold winter day and just like eating Thanksgiving all over again. Just open jar, add a little water and eat. I usually buy the biggest Turkey I can find so we have plenty left over for soup.

[Sherree]

Thanks, 4Him. Sounds delicious! Those home made canned soups and stews that don't need much fuel to heat and serve could make a huge difference in a SHTF event. I know that I rely on some myself. We're partial to chicken instead of turkey, though. The main reason for that is, at Thanksgiving, my sister is in charge of the turkey at our family gathering. She takes all the left overs home with her. I'm always in charge of the ham which I bring back home with me. I cut it up in chunks and freeze separately to use later in pots of dry beans. Like you, I go for the biggest smoked ham I can find, so they'll be plenty left over.

[farmermom]

One of my go-tos is what I am calling salsa. Oven-roasted tomatoes, peppers, and garlic, with whatever fresh herbs I feel like throwing in the roasting pan for the last half hour or so. This is slow-roasting--about 250 F. Olive oil and salt on the vegetables before they're roasted. I adjust the heat to make hot, medium, and sweet by adjusting the proportion of hot to sweet peppers. It is very thick and the flavor is outstanding.
I put it in pints and half pints. Use it straight as pasta sauce. Cook some hamburger and add it. Add it to the dried beans as they cook. Put it on rice or in rice. Put it in soup, stew, or pot roast. It's incredibly versatile and makes a good, quick, and easy meal all by itself.
I also make and can stock--both with and without meat. Beef, lamb, veal, venison, turkey, and chicken. Roast the bones. Cover with water and cook until the meat falls off the bone. Take the meat off and refrigerate it. Put the bones back with some cider vinegar and cook some more. A quart jar get half-filled with meat and filled up with broth. Whatever is left over goes in pints. The meat and broth becomes soup, or creamed whatever, or whatever in gravy, depending on my mood and how hungry I am.
I like mix and match. Now if the SHTF and I had no power, my wood stove and I would be very busy cooking and canning meat!

[Sherree]

Thanks farmermom! I love salsa, and hope to can up a bunch if I can get enough tomatoes this year. Like you, I love that it's so versatile. I use it in several recipes, especially in my Spicy Salsa Mac and Beef one skillet meal.

I bet it would also go great in a pot of pinto beans and ham, too. I've been asking for ways to cook them to where they're not so bland. This is an idea!

I haven't got into canning meats too well yet. Ground beef is all I have tried. I use a lot of bouillon cubes instead of canned broth. They're easier to store and take much less space than canning jars, but the salt content is worrisome.

[Sherree]

Because of health reasons, I make a lot of skillet meals that are simple and take little time. Also, in a grid down situation these quick and simple meals are great made on a camp stove or wood stove. I mentioned my Spicy Salsa Mac and Beef recipe in my above post, so thought I would share it here.

Spicy Salsa Mac and Beef

1 lb. ground beef
2 cups beef broth
2 cups uncooked macaroni
1 can Campbell's Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
1 cup salsa
1 1/3 cups water

Brown ground beef and drain. Stir broth and water into the skillet with beef. Heat to a boil. Add macaroni. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir for about 10 mins. or until pasta is tender but firm. Most of the liquid will be absorbed. Stir in soup and salsa. Cook and stir til hot and bubbling.