Pantry Meal - No Spend Challenge - Copycat Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

I spent last evening sorting through six pounds of pinto beans that were the last in a 12-pound bag. I sorted through the beans while sort of watching a movie. It was just background noise, but before I knew it, I had gone through six pounds of beans instead of just one pound. I soaked a pound overnight. Earlier in the day, I prepared tortilla dough, de-boned a rotisserie chicken and I made a green chili chicken filling for enchiladas. 

I was not hungry when dinner rolled around because I did a lot of taste testing while cooking, but Number One Husband was a happy camper after eating his dinner. I used mini cast iron pans to re-heat single serving sides in the oven while baking the enchiladas.

I hopped out of bed this morning, made a cup of tea and started making tortillas. I rinsed the soaked beans and prepared them for the electric pressure cooker. I waited until noon before I started the beans. I wanted full sun on our solar panels before I cooked the beans, so the electric pressure cooker wouldn't tax our solar system. Meanwhile, I started putting together the enchiladas. 

I turned the beans into refried beans. I used the blender to make smooth restaurant quality
refried beans using our homemade beef tallow. I forgot to take a picture. I had some rice and
 leftover salsa in the freezer, so I made Spanish rice.

I am getting better at making tortillas. These were my best ones so far. 
I think that I have finally figured out the dough and cooking process.

The sauce is made with chicken, sour cream, green chilies and
homemade cream of chicken soup.

I divided the recipe between two pans. One for the freezer 
and one for dinner. We have plenty of leftovers from dinner.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

1 C cold milk

1/3 C Flour

1 Tsp chicken bouillon

Whisk cold milk and flour together while cooking over medium heat. Add chicken bouillon and continue whisking until smooth and thickened. 

I'm putting together some freezer meals, so I won't have to spend too much time in the kitchen while our guests are visiting. I'm not sure what the agenda will be, but I will be prepared for whatever pops up. No Spend = No Eating out!

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Sabbath Breakfast Cookies

Did you know that you can make your own breakfast bars or cookies as I like to call them? Store bought cereal and breakfast bars are very expensive, full of garbage and unhealthy for us for the most part. And one serving is not enough to fill up an adult nor a growing child. 

I prepare our Sabbath meals ahead of time and the easiest breakfast for the Sabbath are these breakfast cookies. I have been making these wonderful breakfast cookies for quite some time now. They are a tasty, filling and easy to prepare in advance breakfast. I have made many different versions using the same basic recipe with different nuts and dried fruits. 

Pumpkin Seed Date Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

3/4 C Packed Brown Sugar

1/2 C Sugar

1/2 C butter, plus 6 Tbs butter or 3/4 C Shortening

2 Eggs

1 Tsp Vanilla

3 C Oatmeal

1 1/2 C All-Purpose Flour

1 Heaping Tsp Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 C Chopped Dates

1 C Pumpkin Seeds

Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl and mix well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix well. Add oats, pumpkin seeds and dates. Mix until well combined. Drop dough with a spoon (About the size of a small egg) onto a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper two inches apart. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack. Store in a covered dish. 

Notes:

Add your favorite dried fruits or nut combination. Just plain works too.

Use applesauce in place of the butter for a lower calorie breakfast.

Use coconut oil and egg replacer for a vegan version.

Use other types of sugars, such as date sugar or honey.

Use gluten free flour instead of all-purpose flour for a gluten free version.

This recipe makes 36 breakfast cookies. I only baked 24 and froze the rest of the dough.

Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Spaghetti Pizza - Pantry Meals

This stuff is the bomb! I really enjoyed making this simple "Pantry Meal". I highly recommend this recipe. It can be made in advance, and it would also make a great freezer meal. Use gluten free pasta, hashbrown potatoes or grated zucchini for a gluten free crust. 

Additional toppings such as onions, peppers or mushrooms can be added to the pizza. This recipe can be converted into a vegetarian pizza by simply omitting the meat. 

I added a little parmesan cheese and pepper jack cheese to the top of the pizza along with jalapeños to satisfy our tastebuds before baking. We like our pizza with a little kick!

Spaghetti Pizza 

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces 

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided 

¼ cup milk 

1 large egg, beaten 

¼ teaspoon salt 

¼ teaspoon garlic  

1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

¼ teaspoon dried basil 

4 oz turkey pepperoni, sausage, or any cooked meat you prefer 

Other toppings, optional

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Mix 1/2 cup mozzarella, milk, egg, salt, and garlic salt together in a large bowl. Add drained spaghetti and mix until well combined. Spread mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Spread spaghetti sauce over noodle mixture. Sprinkle with oregano and basil, then top with remaining 1 1/2 cups mozzarella. Arrange pepperoni (or any cooked meats) over cheese. Optional: You can add other pizza toppings now Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. 

Slices nicely...

Pasta crust...

Yum!

This recipe originated from Southern Country Living on YouTube. Check out their channel, like and subscribe to follow and support Calvin and Marie. 

Enjoy!

Mrs. Smith 

Chicken Parmesan Casserole with Pasta - Pantry Meals

 

Pantry Meals 

This is the first post in a series of posts on "Pantry Meals" that I will be sharing here on the blog. This recipe is an easy no-fuss pantry meal made from the items I had on hand. I made my own simple marinara sauce plus extra for the freezer. I used canned chicken instead of freshly cooked chicken that I had sitting in my pantry that needed to be used up. I also swapped out the Panko breadcrumbs for saltine cracker crumbs. 

I obviously changed up this recipe to fit my needs. This is why this recipe is a great pantry meal recipe. It can be changed up to suit anyone's needs. The original recipe came from Southern Country Living from YouTube. They are the cutest couple. Check them out and give their channel a try. I have made a couple of their recipes now and plan on highlighting a few more of them here on my blog.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole with Pasta 

Ingredients

 • 1/2 lb cooked chicken cut into small pieces (I used one 12.5 oz can canned chicken breast, drained)

 • 1/2 lb Rotini pasta or preferred pasta of your choice  

 • 1 (24oz) jar marinara or spaghetti sauce (I made my own sauce)

 • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

 • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

 • 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs or regular breadcrumbs (I used saltine crackers)

 • 2 tbsp melted butter

 • 1 tsp Italian seasoning

 • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

 

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350° F and grease a medium size baking dish (I used a deep-dish pie pan)

• In a large pan or pot, cook and drain the pasta according to the package directions

• Place the drained pasta back into the pot and mix with the marinara sauce, chicken, half of the mozzarella, half of the parmesan, and 1-2 tsp of Italian seasoning

• Allow the mixture to simmer for a few minutes over medium-low heat and then spread it evenly onto the bottom of your baking dish; sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over top

• In a small bowl, mix together the cracker or breadcrumbs, melted butter and garlic powder; sprinkle it evenly over the top of the casserole.

• Bake uncovered on the center rack for about 15 minutes or until the crust turns golden brown

• Serve alone or with salad, veggies and/or breadsticks. 

Enjoy!

Mrs. Smith