Day 30

Thanks to the discovery of a jar of tomato sauce in the pantry, I officially had all of the necessary ingredients for some Cincinatti Chili.  :)  I used rice as an accompaniment instead of the those listed here.  Also, I used some of the stock that I made from my Thanksgiving Turkey, as well as some diced up Thanksgiving turkey instead of the ground beef.

My go-to recipe for Cincinnati Chili is courtesy of America's Test Kitchen:

Chili

·       2 teaspoons table salt (or more to taste)
·       1-1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
·       2 tablespoons vegetable oil
·       2 medium onions, chopped fine
·       2 medium cloves garlic
·       2 tablespoons chili powder
·       2 teaspoons dried oregano
·       2 teaspoons cocoa
·       1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
·       1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
·       1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
·       1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
·       2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
·       2 cups water
·       2 tablespoons cider vinegar
·       2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
·       2 cups tomato sauce
·       hot pepper sauce

Accompaniments

·       1 pound spaghetti; cooked, drained, and tossed with 2 tablespoons of butter
·       12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
·       1 15-ounce can red kidney beans; drained, rinsed and warmed
·       1 medium white onion, chopped fine
 

Bring 2 quarts of water and 1 teaspoon of the salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the ground chuck, stirring vigorously to separate the meat into individual strands. As soon as the foam from the meat rises to the top (this takes about 30 seconds) and before the water returns to a boil, drain the meat into a strainer and set is aside.

Rinse and dry the empty saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is warm, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and browned around the edges, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the chili powder, oregano, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, allspice, black pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring constantly until the spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, water, vinegar, sugar, and tomato sauce, scraping the pan bottom to remove any browned bits.

 

Add the blanched ground beef and increase the heat to high. As soon as the liquid boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chili is deep red and has thickened slightly, about 1 hour. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt and hot pepper sauce to taste. (The chili can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring to a simmer over medium–low heat before serving.)

To serve, divide the buttered spaghetti among individual bowls. Spoon the chili over the spaghetti and top with cheese, beans and onion. Serve immediately.

Tracking of used up items:

- All-purpose flour (11.25)

- Soy milk (11.30)

- Carnation Instant Breakfast packets (12.01)

- Silk Egg Nog

- Milk

- Yogurt (12.23)

- Clemantines

- Celery

- Popcorn (12.22)

- Graham Crackers (12.18)

- Sliced cheese

- Feta cheese

- Tomato sauce

- Cake mix (12.18)

- Frosting (12.18)

- Banana Nut Bread mix

- Eggs

- Fresh garlic

Day 18

Long time no update on my little adventure...

My turkey pie did turn out very nicely:

For over a year, my standard breakfast has been Carnation Instant Breakfast with soymilk. I'm not much of a breakfast person, so that works for me.  I have had to come up with a new "regular" breakfast.  It took me a few days, but I settled on oatmeal with a touch of cinnamon and maple syrup, some dried tart cherries and some slivered almonds:

I also made some potato soup last week.  I boiled some diced up potatoes in some of the broth from the boiled down Thanksgiving turkey.  Once they were tender, I added in some chopped up onion, celery and garlic.  Once those were all tender, I used my hand blender to puree everything and make a nice smooth soup.



Tracking of used up items:

- All-purpose flour (11.25)

- Soy milk (11.30)

- Carnation Instant Breakfast packets (12.01)

- Silk Egg Nog

- Milk

Day 8

In my attempt to work my way through all of my Thanksgiving leftovers I decided that I am quite blessed to have a full fridge, freezer and pantry.  So, given that this time of year is full of excesses, I am going to work my way through what food I do have in the house.  And to make it more interesting, I am not allowing myself one last, go hog wild and stock up on anything and everything trip to the store.  I find it a little sad that I find it sad that a weekly trip to the grocery store is not going to be on my to-do list for a while here.

Due to a recent sale, I am well stocked up on other "essentials" - i.e, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry supplies, dishwasher detergent, etc.

My goal is to not go to the grocery store for the rest of the year.  Right now, the last time I went to the grocery store was Wednesday, November 24th putting me at Day 8 by my calculations. 

I have pretty much made it through all of the Thanksgiving leftovers that didn't end up in the freezer, so I do plan to cook tonight. I'm thinking pot pie given all of the leftover turkey goodness, plus, I have some milk that needs to be used up.  And since I much prefer baking with milk than having to drink it...


Betty Crocker's Classic Turkey Pot Pie

Crust:

- 2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour

** I will be substituting whole wheat flour since I used up my all-purpose flour during my Thanksgiving baking

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening

- 4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Filling

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 3/4 cup turkey broth - from my boiled down Thanksgiving turkey :)

1/2 cup milk

2 1/2 cups shredded turkey

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

 

Heat oven to 425°F.  Combine flour and salt in a large bowl; cut in shortening with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Mix in enough cold water with fork until flour is moistened.  Divide dough in half.  Shape each half into a ball; flatten slightly.  Wrap 1 ball in plastic food wrap; refrigerate.

Roll out remaining ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 11-inch circle.  Fold into quarters.  Place dough into ungreased 9-inch pie plate; unfold dough, pressing firmly against bottom and sides.  Trim crust to 1/2-inch from edge or pan; set aside.

In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.  Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended.  Gradually stir in milk and broth, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.  Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables.  Remove from heat.  Spoon into crust-lined pie plate.

Roll out refrigerated ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 11-inch circle.  Gently fold dough into quarters.  Place dough over filling; unfold.  Trim, seal and crimp or flute edges.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover edge of crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Tracking of used up items:

- All-purpose flour (11.25)

- Soy milk (11.30)

- Carnation Instant Breakfast packets (12.01)