Jam Flower Biscuits

No, "flowers" isn't one of the ingredients.  These yummies just look a little like flowers, that's all.

This cute little recipe can be served as a light dessert or as a breakfast food since it's a little like a muffin.  But not quite.  (The biscuit isn't nearly as sweet.)

I tend to differentiate the dessert version by drizzling it with a little chocolate. *a-hem*

This recipe only required a couple of adjustments to become a pantry-friendly recipe--a recipe you can make with ingredients from your pantry.  I'll share the original ingredients, too.

JAM FLOWER BISCUITS

PREP TIME:  10-15 minutes
COOK TIME:  20-25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 c. butter flavor shortening (original recipe:  softened butter)
• 1/4 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-2 Tbsp. powdered milk, mixed according to package directions (original recipe:  milk)
• 6-9 Tbsp. jam or all-fruit spread
• 1/4 c. chocolate chips, melted* (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium bowl, mix flour, shortening (or butter), powdered sugar, and baking powder.  When well-mixed, add enough milk until dough forms.  (Add more milk 1 tsp. at a time if dough is too dry.)  Divide the dough into 6 equal parts.  Roll each one into a ball.  Flatten the balls slightly, then press a deep indentation into the middle using the back of a soup spoon.  Fill each indentation with about 1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp. jam.  Bake until the edges begin to brown, about 20-25 minutes.

* Melt chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each 30 seconds.  Be careful not to overheat as chocolate will seize (making it unusable).

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

To print this recipe, hit the "print" button below.  If you don't see the print button, scroll back up and click on the title of this blog post, then scroll back down and you'll find the button below.

Chocolate Raspberry Breakfast Balls (GF)

These little energy balls are delicious and are gluten-free, too!  They also don't have any refined sugar, though the fruit and mini chocolate chips sweeten them up nicely. 

This recipe only makes 10 balls, though, and I need to remember to double this recipe every time I make it because these chocolate raspberry breakfast balls go fast!

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY BREAKFAST BALLS

PREP TIME:  10 minutes
COOK TIME:  15-18 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• scant* 1/2 c. applesauce (or mashed banana)
• 1/4 c. cashew butter or almond butter
• 1/2 c. rolled oats (not quick oats)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2-2 Tbsp. mini chocolate chips
• 3 Tbsp. freeze dried raspberries (I like getting mine here)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, mix the applesauce (or banana) with the nut butter.  Add the oats, vanilla, and chocolate chips, then crush the raspberries in your hand as you add them to the bowl.  Mix until well-combined.  Using a cookie scoop, drop the balls of mixture onto a greased (or foil-lined) cookie sheet.  Bake 15-18 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes before removing the balls from the cookie sheet.  Make 10 1-inch breakfast balls.

* scant means "just barely" (so, not full or overflowing or packed)

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

To print this recipe, hit the "print" button below.  If you don't see the print button, scroll back up and click on the title of this blog post, then scroll back down and you'll find the button below.

Pantry-Cooked Baked Potato Soup

This is an easy soup made from simple ingredients that store well in a pantry.  I love the chives and bacon pieces in it.

PANTRY-COOKED BAKED POTATO SOUP

PREP TIME:  5 minutes
COOK TIME:  20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c. instant potatoes
• 1 c. powdered creamer (or powdered milk* or evaporated milk)
• 3 Tbsp. dried chives
• 1  2.8-oz. bottle real bacon bits or pieces
• 10 c. water

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a large pot.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then serve immediately.  Stir well before dishing out.

* If using powdered milk, use one that's not nonfat so you get a better flavor.  I like using Nido brand because it isn't nonfat and I think it tastes more like regular milk.  It's from Mexico, so you can usually find it near your store's Mexican food.  Evaporated milk can be a good substitute here, too.

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

To print this recipe, hit the "print" button below.  If you don't see the print button, scroll back up and click on the title of this blog post, then scroll back down and you'll find the button below.

How Long Can I Store Canned Goods?

When a cut of meat says "use by," that's pretty straightforward.  Anything fresh like meat or dairy products should be used by the date on their labels, more or less.

Canned goods, however, have been preserved.  They have a different story than fresh foods.  The purpose of canning fresh foods is to be able to use them well beyond their fresh-shelf life which would only be a few days or weeks.  The preservation process makes them good for years, in fact.

Think about the difference between buying a fresh fish and buying a can of tuna.  You'll want to eat the fresh fish soon, but the can of tuna could stay on your shelf for months.

Keep in mind that "use by" (like you see on meat and dairy products) doesn't mean the same thing as "best by" that you might see on a can of corn.  (More here and here.)

Let's cut straight to the moral of the story, and then I'll give you the story.  The moral of this story is:

Don't be quick to throw away your past-date canned goods!

They are almost always good (and even nutritious) beyond their date-stamp.

My favorite study to back this up was conducted on the steamboat Bertrand.  Well, its sunken wreckage, that is.  In 1865 it sailed the Missouri River with loads of canned goods for delivery to gold mining camps in Montana.  It snagged on something on the river bottom and sunk under the weight of all it was carrying.  The wreckage was discovered about 100 years later.

Some of the canned goods from this wreck were retrieved from the bottom of the river in 1968, and in 1974, chemists from the National Food Processors Association ran tests on the contents of the canned goods.  100+-year-old canned goods.  They determined that although the foods had lost their fresh smell and appearance, they had no microbacterial growth and were just as safe to eat as when they had been canned.

*In a different century!*

There was a decrease in some of the nutrients, as the food was--after all--over 100 years old.  But the food was still safe to eat.

I don't keep my canned goods for 10 years, let alone 100, but the point of this story is that most canned goods last much longer than their expiration dates.

Jumping ahead to this century now, experts say that if you store your canned goods in a cool, dark place, they actually have about double the shelf life of what is printed on the "best by" label.  Most canned goods can still be eaten 3-6 years later.  (Here's another source.)

We're talking about wet canned goods here (like a can of peaches), but dried food (like oats) lasts MUCH longer.  (My favorite place for staples preserved in cans is here.  You can find canned oats, sugar, flour, apples, onions, and more.)  Some dry canned goods like wheat can last 30 years or more!

Don't waste money or food by throwing away cans that have been stored well (out of direct sunlight and extreme heat) and which have no damage.  Never eat the contents of a can with a bulging top as the food inside has likely been compromised, but don't be quick to throw away canned goods just because of a date stamp.  The food inside is almost certainly good for a few years yet.

This is great news if you want to keep a bunch of things handy in your pantry so you can make some of the easy recipes at Easy Pantry Recipes.  And it's even better news if you find yourself in a pinch.

Pantry-Cooked Apple Crisp

You wouldn't believe that all the ingredients for this delicious apple crisp come straight out of the pantry.  And like most other pantry recipes, there's not a lot of prep work involved like chopping.

Win-win.

And in case you missed it, this apple crisp is *delicious*!  No one would ever guess that you hadn't peeled and sliced all those apples yourself.

PANTRY-COOKED APPLE CRISP

PREP TIME:  10-15 minutes
COOK TIME:  40-50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c. water
• 4 c. dried apple slices* (available here and also here)
• 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 c. rolled oats
• 3/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 c. butter flavor shortening
• 1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Put apple slices in an 8x8 baking dish.  Bring water to a rapid boil in a pot, then pour over the apples, stirring a little to make sure all the apples get watered.  Let apples stand in water while mixing the topping.  For the topping, combine shortening and wheat flour with a fork (or pastry cutter) until crumbly, then stir in the remaining ingredients.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples.  Tap the baking dish to settle the crumbs.  Bake 40-50 minutes or until golden.  

* These can actually be eaten plain as a snack, too!  If kept in a cool, dry place, these can last in your pantry for up to 30 years!

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

To print this recipe, hit the "print" button below.  If you don't see the print button, scroll back up and click on the title of this blog post, then scroll back down and you'll find the button below.

Jennifer's Spaghetti Sauce

I won't say my husband fell in love with me because of this recipe.  But I won't say he didn't, either.

Actually, we were engaged when I made this for a fancy date we went on, so this recipe has great memories associated with it in addition to being completely delicious.  It's an all-time family favorite, too, now that we've got three kiddos.  It also holds a place in history as the first recipe I ever made up!

With one little change (fresh meat to freeze dried), it can be made entirely from ingredients you can store in your pantry!  I honestly make it with the freeze dried meat quite often because it's so much faster and easier than cooking up a pound of sausage anyway.

JENNIFER'S SPAGHETTI SAUCE

PREP TIME:  10 minutes
COOK TIME:  30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 3  15-oz. cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3  8-oz. cans tomato sauce
• 1  6-oz. can tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 c. sliced black olives (more or less, to taste)
• 1/4 c. dried minced onion
• 1 - 1 1/2 c. freeze dried pork sausage* (so easy and just as tasty; I get mine here)

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a large pot.  Heat for about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to low and cover the pot with a lid, then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve with hot, cooked spaghetti.

* Or leave out the sausage for a vegetarian version.

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

To print this recipe, hit the "print" button below.  If you don't see the print button, scroll back up and click on the title of this blog post, then scroll back down and you'll find the button below.

Bean and Tomato Salad

This recipe is unbelievably simple.  And quite healthy.  In fact, my daughter made this for an assignment for her nutrition class.  The parameters were:  healthy + using canned goods + something a college student could/would make.

Enter:  Bean and Tomato Salad

My mom used to make this recipe when I was a kid, and I have adapted it to be pantry-friendly.  I use my version of the recipe all the time, and it's a family favorite.  And my daughter got an A on her nutrition assignment, too!

BEAN AND TOMATO SALAD

PREP TIME:  10 minutes
COOK TIME:  none

INGREDIENTS

• 2  15-oz. cans green beans
• 1  15-oz. can yellow (wax) beans*
• 1  15-oz. can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• 1  15-oz. can pinto beans (or substitute black beans)
• 1  15-oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c. your favorite Italian dressing

DIRECTIONS

Open all cans and dump into a strainer.  Rinse the beans and tomatoes with water and let drain for about 5 minutes.  Pour into a large bowl.  Drizzle with dressing, tossing well to coat.  Serve with a slotted spoon.

* I haven't been able to find yellow beans at my local grocery stores for a while.  I substitute an extra can of green beans.

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

To print this recipe, hit the "print" button below.  If you don't see the print button, scroll back up and click on the title of this blog post, then scroll back down and you'll find the button below.

Welcome to Easy Pantry Recipes (& Other Great Stuff)

Easy recipes are easy to love.  But in order to be useful, easy recipes have to be delicious. 

What if we could go even one step further?  What if those easy, delicious recipes could be made with ingredients that you always have on hand, recipes that don't require refrigeration or have quick expiration dates?

Welcome to Easy Pantry Recipes!  I love to cook, but on days when time is of the essence, it's really nice to have an easy pantry recipe up my sleeve.  So I've decided to share some of my favorites here once a month, then explore and find new ones, too.  (As I get the blog rolling for the first little while, I'll share much more than once a month.)

These recipes definitely come in handy on busy days, but think of the possibilities of pantry recipes--you still have delicious, healthy, easy meals even during a big snowstorm or even if you're sick and unable to do your weekly shopping.  In fact, if COVID-19 has taught us anything, it's that ingredients you're used to picking up on your weekly shopping trips may not always be so easy to get.  Having a little reserve of pantry recipes and their ingredients is just the thing for many different situations!

I hope you enjoy the recipes I'll share each month.  I know I do--they're some of my favorites.  

If you're looking for an easy dinner backup, keep the ingredients for your favorite recipe or two on hand all the time.  If you're looking to be able to eat for a month without having to go to the grocery store, I suggest making a month-long meal plan from the recipes I'll be posting, then storing those ingredients and rotating through them regularly.  

Look for a new recipe to be posted here on the first day of each month.  Better yet, subscribe by email so you don't miss a post.  Then enjoy these easy, yummy meals that you can have on hand ready to make for months at a time.

And sometimes I'll post some Other Great Stuff, too!

See you again soon!