Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Full Pantry Part 3

We have filled our dry pantry and our freezer. Now for the perishables in our refrigerator. This really all depends on what you are cooking and the tastes of your family.
We always have the following:
1. Milk and usually a pint of heavy cream ( easy to whip up for homemade whipped cream- no non dairy stuff in this house )
2. Creamer- fat free half and half AND flavored creamer
3. Eggs- plenty of eggs especially if you are a baker
4. Butter - whipped butter and stick unsalted butter. I keep at least a pound of sticks in my refrigerator and a few pounds in the freezer. I also whipped butter and stick butter on sale and stock up.
5. Cheese- blocks of Parm, bags of shredded, slices of low fat....
6. Condiments- all condiments that have been opened are kept in the refrig. Things like Salsa, Sour cream, any bottled dressings or marinades are on a shelf so I always have it ready to use. I have one shelf on the door that is all Asian condiments....plum sauce, soy, ponzu, hoisen, siracha, etc....
7. Produce- we always have fresh salad ingredients in the drawer...greens, cukes, onion, fresh herbs, and ALWAYS have soup mire poix such as carrots, celery and onions. Fruit goes in a separate drawer and only oranges and ripe fruits are kept in it. I personally like all my fruits cold so I add as I need! Ripen your fruit on the counter!
8. Food that is thawing....defrost all foods in the frig for safety. Meat always goes on the bottom. I usually take food out of the freezer 2 days before I need it for proper thawing and prep.
Your refrigerator is what you need it to be to keep food fresh. I put all leftovers in containers and label them for freezing or for future lunches in the frig. We always have a couple containers set aside for lunches for my mom and her hubby. I like being prepared and organized, and you will to. Makes busy life a little easier when we can grab something out of the pantry or the frig and put together a healthy and tasty meal for ourselves and our family. May all your morsels be tasty!

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Full Pantry - Part 2

A couple of months ago, I asked for a small box freezer for the garage. It was mostly to house pre-made home-made items that during the holidays and winter months tend to take up too much room in the kitchen freezer section of our refrigerator. Since the holidays are over, all the cookie doughs and most of the hors d'oeuvres have been used up. Its time to restock some necessary freezer items. Here is my list for what I keep on hand in the freezer.
1. Meats - we always have chicken thighs - boneless and skinless, chicken breasts - boneless and skinless, ground turkey, beef or chicken, hotdogs, sausage-  italian hot and sweet and turkey sausage and turkey breakfast sausage as well, depending on sales at our local markets we may have flank or skirt steaks, ham steaks or kielbasa....this is really up to you and what your families taste is.
2. Frozen Veggies- I cant get enough frozen veggies. Sometimes frozen veggies have more nutrients because they are frozen right after harvesting. I always have mixed veggies to throw in soups, broccoli to add to pasta and stir fry mix for asian meals, I freeze alot of my own cooked veggies as well. Roasted corn from summer and beginning of fall, onions chopped, squashes that have been roasted and mashed or pureed. Most fresh veggies can be frozen, you may have to blanch them before freezing but well worth it.
3. Stocks- I make most of my own stocks. Shrimp stock from the shrimp shells is perfect for a chowder soup, an oven stuffer roaster chicken will be turned into a great stock, and even veggie stocks.
4. Leftovers - leftover Rice,  mashed potatoes, sauces, pasta....anything. Most foods can be frozen and I waste nothing. Leftover pasta or rice can be added to soup, leftover mashed potatoes can be turned into curry puff appetizers or used to thicken a sauce. I had leftover roasted squash recently and turned it into a cheesey stuffed shell mixture. I also use leftovers for lunches. I label everything and a small 1/2 cup of leftover rice is a nice addition to a lunch for one of the seniors.
5. Breads and Rolls - I always have package of hamburger or hotdog rolls in the freezer. Ya never know! A freezer bag with some small ciabatta rolls makes it easy to pull out what you need last minute. Even some flatbread - can be used to make pizza or just serve with hummus or spread for that unannounced company. I even try to keep a loaf of challah bread in the freezer for that delicious Breakfast french toast bake you just might decide to make last minute!
6. Fish - we buy and eat alot of fish. We buy fresh frozen portioned individually wrapped fish from BJ's. As long as its WILD caught! Shrimp too! I never buy precooked shrimp either, I like making my own stock from the shrimp shells.
7. Cheese - I love having different bags of shredded cheeses. They freeze well and thaw quickly. I always have Part Skim Mozzarella and Shredded Cheddar! 
8. Homemade meals - I premake alot of meals and label for later use. Soups, pasta dishes, casseroles....you name it. If I can prep it ahead I do! Currently I have Delicata squash stuffed shells with a brown butter bechamel sauce, Stuffed Shells with Marinara sauce, Minestrone soup for dinner for 2, 2 servings of Minestrone soup for 1, Roasted Butternut squash side dish for 3, veggie stock, Shrimp stock, turkey stock, Mushroom gravy, and still a bunch of hors d'oeuvres from the holidays.
Each kitchen will find what works for them. This is MY kitchen and I love being prepared. I love going into the freezer to choose my protein and work out my menu from there. Sometimes our plans dont work out as we have planned and its nice to open the freezer or go into the pantry and find something yummy to whip up for a meal! Final pantry part 3 coming soon!

Friday, January 10, 2014

Full Pantry - part 1

Nothing better than a well-stocked pantry. Our lifestyle, our geographic location and whats available to us plays a part in what may be in your pantry, but there are certain items that I know I always need at hand. With some basic items you can usually whip up a quick easy and tasty dinner for you and the family. Even though my menus for the week are planned and usually thought out while food shopping, I still have the occasion to pull something out last minute and create a meal. Its always nice to go into the pantry and have choices.
My pantry includes the following and I have included potatoes and onions in this list because I store all these items in the garage pantry.
1. Rice - Brown, Jasmine, Wild, Arborio and Yellow
2. Grains- Barley, Couscous, Quinoa, assorted flours, bread crumbs
3. Pastas - all kinds - whole wheat and white semolina
4. Potatoes- Yukon gold, Sweet, Squashes and any other faves
5. Tomato Products ( all- diced, fire roasted, sauce, crushed )
6. Beans - dried and canned....all sorts, black beans, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans
7. Condiments - Vinegars ( all flavors ) , Oils ( canola, olive, sesame, peanut, coconut, flavored ), ketchup, mustards ( dry and bottled ) chili sauce, horseradish, honey, soy sauce and other asian flavorings, worcestershire sauce, coconut milk, clam juice, maple syrup
8. Onions, shallots and garlic
9. Stocks and bases - veggie, chicken, beef and any flavors you may want to try or use ( I recently bought a Thai curry coconut stock that was delish ) normally I make my own stocks, its always good to have a box on hand.
10. Dried herbs and spices - everything! 
11. Crackers, saltines, Oyster crackers 
part 2 coming!!


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

2014 Let's do it this year!

I have not blogged in a long time, and the last time I did was after the passing of my Aunt. 2013 was not a great year, as I lost 2 very special people, my son moved 10,000 miles away, and my right hip replacement has been bothering me. It has also been a good year, as I got to spend a month with my family in Texas, watched my son move 10,000 miles away to fulfill a dream, watched my brother run the NYC Marathon and finish, took over the family tradition of making the Lessard Tortiere Canadian Meat pie for Christmas and spent the holidays with most of my family making new memories. I have been blessed. I have given myself a few goals for the New Year, and one of them is to blog once a week. I am on facebook alot and have a Michele's Morsels page there, so I tend to neglect my blog. I also want to  I want to make a meal from a new recipe at least once a week.....I have over 100 cookbooks in one bookcase and I think its time to get myself moving. I also have several binders with printed pages from the internet, several different magazine subscriptions from the past that I have actually gone through and condensed, and some culinary magazines that are targeted to professional chefs. I LOVE cookbooks. I can sit and read them as if they were novels. ( I actually am going to start reading my Larousse Gastronomique that I got a couple of yrs ago for Christmas.  If I lived another 50 yrs, maybe I could get through alot of the recipes. LOL I usually plan my meals before or during food shopping for the week, I try to keep a stocked pantry with essentials, and am pretty good at substituting something I may not have on hand. I was always a pretty good cook, but culinary school gave me the tools I did not possess. I usually take a recipe and somehow twist it and tweak it to make it my own. These are all good things. May all your morsels be tasty!