Saturday, August 31, 2013

Pantry Raid

My pantry can become a little overrun with dry goods on occasion.  I do so love my glass jars full of pasta, beans, rice, and other handy, non-spoiling items.  The time comes, naturally, when I need to do a little inventory and clean out. 

Here's a list of stuff I need to make use of:

  • Cornmeal - I really should make cornbread from scratch, but often wind up using Jiffy brand mix.  Shame on me.
  • Pearled barley - Used in beef stew in wintertime, but needs other applications, too.
  • Couscous - I'm sure there's something interesting I could do with this.
  • Rye flour - Purchased with the intent of making rye bread, which never happened.
  • Wheat bran - Purchased for whole wheat bread recipes.  Still searching for a perfect recipe combo of flavor and texture.
  • Tricolor spiral pasta - Used for pasta salad, needs other uses.
  • Ditalini pasta - Used for pasta e fagioli soup, needs other uses.
  • Canned beets - Purchased originally for including in smoothies.  I love beets, but nobody else in the house will eat them.
  • Brown rice - Bought with the intent to eat more healthily.  We love rice in this house, but the brown just doesn't do it for us.  Maybe there's some interesting method of preparation that could change that.
  • Black eyed peas - Bought for making cowboy caviar, have some left over in the freezer.  Again, I like them- nobody else is a fan.
  • Lentils - I occasionally use them to make soup for myself, but would love to make them for the family without receiving grimaces.
  • Split peas - See above.
  • Self-rising flour - Purchased for a particular recipe that called for a couple of cups.  Not sure what to do with the rest.
  • Bulgur wheat - Used to make tabouli.  Not sure what else you can do with it.
  • Pinto beans - Need to eat more pintos.  Love them.
  • Chickpeas - Used for hummus, which is well-received.  Something makes me think you can make blondies with these.  I'll have to look into that.
  • Orzo - I make a Greek orzo side dish with Cavender's Greek seasoning, minced onion, and chopped green olives.  I'd like to do other things with it.
  • Navy beans - Every time I cook navy beans, there's something to the taste that I'm not fond of.  Am I doing something wrong?

If anyone has any suggestions for an item, holler at me!  I'd love some ideas.  Meanwhile...to the Pinterest!

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