Cooking from the stash

[Wifezilla]

This thread is for recipes made from items in your emergency stash. (For you people who can actually use regular food in a stash and not have them eaten by your family, just move along. Nothing to see here )

Creamy Chunky Chicken Soup
1 can cream of chicken mushroom soup
1 can chunk chicken meat (drained)
1 can Nestles table cream
water
dried carrots
dried onions
spices to taste
any fresh veggies you can scavenge that are in season

Combine all ingredients and cook. Add water until you have the desired thickness. To stretch it even further, serve over rice, steamed spaghetti squash, or cooked mild white beans

 

[tamlynn]

Does stuff in the freezer count as emergency stash?

 

[Wifezilla]

Sure. Freezer, dried food, canned stuff, etc...

 

[big brown horse]

Oooo, good thread, this is going to be fun!

Now, what is Nestles table cream?

 

[Ldychef2k]

I am laughing out loud....Since I started my Austerity Challenge on January 1, there hasn't been a day that I haven't cooked from my stash at least one time, many times twice. Since I only eat twice a day, that would be every meal ! LOL

Today I thawed out some posole for lunch and BBQ chicken for dinner, with beans and carrots.

 

[Wifezilla]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nestle-For-The-Table-Cream-7.6-fl-oz/10804333

 

[freemotion]

Hey, I made hominy from my feed barrels (corn for the chickens), does that count? It goes into every pot of taco soup! Made from my stash of dried herbs, fermented peppers, canned tomatoes, and dry black beans.

 

[Wifezilla]

I am laughing out loud....Since I started my Austerity Challenge on January 1, there hasn't been a day that I haven't cooked from my stash at least one time, many times twice. Since I only eat twice a day, that would be every meal

I try to cook from the stash a couple of times a week to keep the stock rotated, figure out what I am missing, try out recipes, and test products.

I have already figured out there is one brand of coconut milk I really don't like, but 3 others that are great.

 

[Wifezilla]

Stash Chili

1 lb bag of pinto beans
2 cans of diced green chili
2 small cans of tomato paste
dried red peppers
dried onions
red hot pepper flakes to taste
garlic powder
sea salt
lots of cumin
whatever ground meat you have on hand (browned)...beef, buffalo, turkey, or a fresh killed squirrel...

Properly soak pinto beans overnight before cooking*. Rinse very well and cook until soft but not mushy. If beans don't seem to want to soften, add a pinch or two of baking soda and cook until they soften. Once the beans are cooked, add remaining ingredients and spice to taste. I usually cook this in my slow cooker. A solar oven might work too.


*Soak beans overnight in filtered water with whey added. This isn't done to just make them cook faster but to neutralize phytic acid and other anti-nutrients. This step is not optional if you want to get the proper nutrition out of your beans.

 

[ORChick]

Wifezilla, I'm not sure if I have posted this anywhere here before. No matter, here it is for whatever it is worth. My favorite Asian cookbook - http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Asia...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266295281&sr=1-4 - tells how to make coconut milk from dehydrated coconut flakes (or from fresh, were one so lucky as to have any!). I find it much more practical (for me) to make it as I need it, from one large jar of bulk bought coconut, rather than having numerous cans of the canned stuff.

Coconut milk -

2 cups of dried coconut (unsweetened)
21/2 cups hot water

Put both in a blender and blend for about 30 seconds. Strain through a fine sieve or piece of muslin. Repeat process, using the same coconut and 2 1/2 cups more hot water.

The first process will produce "thick" coconut milk; the second "thin" c. milk. Letting the first sit for awhile lets the coconut "cream" rise to the top.

If a richer milk is needed, use hot milk instead of water.

If lacking a blender, using the same quantities, pour the water over the coconut in a bowl. When cool enough, knead the coconut with your hands for a few minutes, and then strain.