Leftover Spaghetti, Reinvented

Leftover day couldn't wait until the weekend -- I had some leftover spaghetti and sauce that I needed to use up. So, change of plans for tonight's dinner.

Of course, I couldn't just make plain old spaghetti again. Well, I could, but I just didn't feel like it. I remembered many moons ago making a spaghetti casserole, so I thought I'd see what was in the frig languishing that I could incorporate into my creation. I came up with a partial can of evaporated milk, some cream cheese, the leftover spaghetti sauce with a little bit of spaghetti, some mozzarella cheese, and a couple Italian sausages.

The casserole went together like this: First layer, cooked whole wheat spaghetti mixed with cream cheese, evaporated milk, and a little rice wine vinegar. Second layer - sliced Italian sausage, sauteed. Third layer - mostly sauce, a small amount of spaghetti. Top layer - shredded mozzarella.

Into the oven for a little under an hour at 350 degrees. Added a salad and voila, dinner!

The Frugal Pantry, Stage One

What makes a pantry “frugal”? These are items that you should always have on hand, use often, and are there so you don’t need to run to the grocery store for every meal. They are also a cushion in case of a long winter’s storm or other emergency. We’re in earthquake country, so a minimum of two weeks of groceries on hand is recommended. In addition to what’s listed below, we also keep a few days of “zero preparation” foods, like prepared soups and stews that only need a can opener for preparation. If you live in an area where this type of preparedness is needed (who doesn’t???) you might want to add these types of foods to your list. But I digress!

Think about your family

I’ll be posting my sample Pantry List in two “stages”. This post covers Stage One -- these would be my suggestions for families who are just starting out in stocking their pantries. If you’re not quite ready to jump in to baking your own bread and making everything from scratch, but STILL want to cook at home and keep your food costs down, this is the list for you. Now, you will want to adjust this list for your OWN family’s health needs and preferences. It doesn’t make sense to stock items your family is allergic to, doesn’t meet health goals or needs, or won’t eat. Also, a family of six will have different needs from a single person. Adjust as needed!

Make a List!

First, you’ll need a rough list to get started -- use this one or make your own, based on your own family’s preferences and needs. Base your list on at least a week’s worth of meals planned. Use that plan to figure out how much of each item you’ll need. Don’t have a menu plan? Start with seven dinners your family enjoys. Then, buy what you need! Wasting food because it has gone bad before you use it is NOT frugal! For the most part, except for the fresh items, you should look for great prices on these and stock up. How do you know what’s a good price? I recommend keeping track of prices of items in a Price Book or List, a concept introduce by Amy Dacyczyn in The Tightwad Gazette. More on that in a later post!

So what can you make with all this? How about these ideas?

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Pancakes with fruit, Scrambled eggs and sausage, Biscuits and gravy, Omelets, Granola.

Lunch: Peanut butter and jam, Tuna salad, Green salad with hard boiled eggs, toasted walnuts and a Dijon vinaigrette, Lentil soup, Split pea soup, and Baked potato with chili and cheddar cheese.

Dinner: Everything included above (breakfast for dinner is always a fast and frugal solution!) plus spaghetti with meatballs, chili with cornbread, quiche with a seasonal vegetable or sautéed greens, and macaroni and cheese to name a few.

The possibilities are endless, all made possible with a well-stocked and frugally purchased pantry. More on what you can make with your pantry staples in an upcoming post!

Sample Pantry List, Stage One:

Dry Goods
All-purpose flour	White sugar
Corn Meal	Rolled oats
Brown sugar	Rice – Arborio and a long grain, preferably brown rice
Popcorn	Baking Soda
Pasta – spaghetti, penne, macaroni, egg noodles	Cornstarch
Baking Powder
Canned Goods
Tomatoes –  whole or diced, crushed, sauce, paste	A variety of canned beans – pinto, chili, kidney, black
Corn	Basic red pasta sauce
Fruits – applesauce, peaches, pineapple	Mushrooms
Tuna or salmon	Evaporated milk
Soup – Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Celery	Chicken (if budget permits)
Refrigerator
Milk (soy or cow)	Eggs
Butter	Dijon mustard
Cheese – mozzarella, cheddar	Plain yogurt
Condiments – ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish	Fresh veggies – carrots, celery, greens, other in season
Fresh fruits –in season	Concentrated stock base (beef and chicken)
Jam
Freezer
Nuts  -- walnuts, almonds, pecans	Chicken – whole and/or parts
Ground meat	Sausage
Frozen Spinach	Frozen Mixed Vegetables
Frozen Corn	Frozen Peas
Frozen Broccoli
Herbs and Spices
Sea Salt	Pepper
Basil	Oregano
Parsley	Chili powder
Cinnamon	Nutmeg
Other pantry items
Split peas	Lentils
Peanut butter or other nut butters	Honey
Vinegars – white wine, red wine, apple cider, rice wine, balsamic	Oils – canola or safflower, olive
Onions	Potatoes – white and sweet
Coffee	Garlic
Fresh bread	Tea
	Tortillas (corn and Whole wheat flour)

Use It Up!

Remember when your Mom told you to eat all your vegetables? Sure, she had your health in mind. In addition, waste is a bad thing! This week, my goal is USE IT UP!

This week, in the wake of our holiday celebrations, we've got various foods lurking in the frig. I spent this morning menu planning so they won't go to waste. Most the remainder of the ham was chopped and portioned and put into the freezer. I've got at least FOUR more meals from that ham stashed in my freezer now! The remainders of the pickled fish and smoked salmon will go into (separate) meals tonight and tomorrow. Tonight will be a tomato-ey fish sauce over linguine. Canned tomatoes are a great start for this sauce, as they are economical year round. Tomorrow will be a smoked salmon chowder with potatoes, carrots, celery, and of course smoked salmon.  Yum!

So, take a look around. What do YOU have that you can use up this week?