My first post today is what's for supper? That is the question of the day. My family loves to eat but rarely ever has any suggestions of what they want. If they do come up with something, 99% of the time I don't have all the ingredients to make it.
So what is for supper? Well...you look in the refrigerator and then the pantry and back to the refrigerator...as soon as an idea pops into your head and you begin taking out what you need.....then you realize you are missing something. This is what usually happens unless you are one of those cooks that plan each meal and shop for each ingredient. That is Not me. I keep my basic pantry and refrigerator items stocked up and the rest just happens. (see pantry-refrigerator basics)
What to make out of nothing? How do you know it will be good? That's when the intuition comes in. Think of food in categories. There is American, Italian, Mexican, Asian and Breakfast. What ever you make can fall into one of these categories. So my "What's for supper" example today is burgers, Mexican burgers. Can I make a burger when I do not have enough ingredients? The answer is yes! Home-made vegetarian burgers.
All of us have those left over boxes of cereal, chips, crackers in our pantry that no one will eat. For some reason when it gets to 1/4 left, no body wants to finish it off. This is where you come in. Take a look at what kinds of cereal, chips and cracker you have. Do not use any fruity, frosted, sweet cereals for your burgers. (Rice Krispies, Wheaties, Flakes, Corn chips, Tortilla chips, potato chips, Ritz crackers, cheese crackers)
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| THESE CUTE MEASURING SPOONS WERE GIVEN TO ME BY MY HUBBY, WHO APPARENTLY WANTS ME TO BAKE. THEY SELL SEVERAL DESIGNS AT FRANCESCAS. |
http://www.francescascollections.com/ There is a boutique at the mall too.
Dump all the left over chips and cereals into your food processor and grind them to crumbs. WOW, you have just cleaned out your pantry. Now take 3 Cups of Pantry Crumbs and place into a large mixing bowl. Saute in in EVOO any of the following vegetables (diced carrot, onion, peppers,mushrooms) until tender. Add the veges to the pantry crumbs. If you do not have enough pantry crumbs, you can add bread butts and make crumbs in the food processor.
Mix in the following:
1 large egg
1 tsp dried basil or Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic (fresh or powder)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 cup ketchup
(if you are out of these you can use BBQ sauce, french or 1000 island salad dressing)
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1/2 can corn or creamed corn (optional)
1/2 cup cooked rice (optional)
fresh herbs are always tasty and appealing
Be creative
Mix everything together, (add more pantry crumbs or water to make a burger consistency. Make into patties and fry in EVOO. Serve on buns or as a patty with potato and vegetable.
I have found that buying vege burgers can be costly for a family of five. Usually only 4 come in a box. Making your own burgers can save you money and time. I make more than I need and freeze them.
Plus you can make so many different kinds. My family never gets tired of the good ole' fashioned burger.
