I am known to "make a meal out of nothing" . The best part is on a cold day when I don't feel like shopping, I can just grab something from the freezer, pull something from the pantry and create a completely new meal. Plus, since I technically didn't go shopping that day, I feel like I saved money.

Elona
www.eatingatelonas.com

We do this kind of thing all the time! It is such a fun way to improvise new recipes. Last night my husband wanted to make hummus but discovered we were out of tahini. So he went to the pantry, grabbed a can of black beans and made the most wonderful bean spread: black beans, salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, and a dash of hot sauce. Whizzed it up in the food processor and we had it on slices of my homemade baguette, along with a wonderful frittata he made with piquillo peppers (also from the pantry). It was a fantastic and quick pantry meal - perfect for this very blah time of year.

For me, cooking from the pantry is all about what's best about cooking--it's a creative release! Most of the time I just adlib with what's there--a spicy Moroccan stew, a sort of jumbalaya, and dried mushroom risotto have been the results this week. But also, it gives me an excuse to try out recipes I might not otherwise. For example, when truly desparate (i.e. having pretty much just eggs and onions) one night, I found Deborah Madison's egg and caramelized onion fritatta, which is finished off with sherry vinegar and butter. Truly divine, but a simple dish I might have otherwise ignored.

My husband is a pro at this-me not so much since I am not as creative in the kitchen but I am getting better. But, we do this every once in a while as its a good exercise in saving money.

About once a month we don't do any shopping and all week we eat meals made out of what we have on hand. It saves money and keeps our freezer and pantry from getting too cluttered.

You're re-inspired me to do the same! We try to eat all that's in our house, before going out shopping again...which sometimes means we "shop" at the pizza place or take-out Chinese. I'd love to get rid of the random bags of pasta and dried peas/beans...thanks for the motivation!

Like Bethamphetamine, this is a regular must for me. I'm not as organized about the timing, but if I find myself digging around, unable to see what I've got, it's time.

I'm fond of these compost cookies as a tasty resting place for leftover bits of all kinds of sweet and savory snack foods.

Last night, I made chicken thighs cut into bites and made a curry sauce from left over piece of red bell pepper, garlic, some spinach, peanut oil, and leftover coconut milk (and some of his white zinfindel). I used the spices I had that I am trying to desperately use up because they are old. I made a bit of brown rice that was left over in a baggie. There was enough for both hubby and I. As I was putting the kids to bed, he came up the stairs with his plate and said this is one of my best meals. I truly put it all together in an instant because I knew McDonald's was not going to fly.

Sometimes (like this week) we get too busy to shop, so I try to *only* cook from the pantry; picking up necessities (fresh fruit, milk, etc) from the corner store.

It can make for odd pairings (like last night's dinner was pan fried-steak & corn served with Parmesan-topped & broiled hamburger buns), but then again that's half the fun.

my husband is the cook. i'm the baker.

however, we tagteam on the choosing ingredients so he can bring out the creativity.

we stand in front of the fridge, each taking out 1 ingredient at a time, 2 or 3 each.

then move to the spice rack, then the pantry.

by the end, my husband has 6-10 ingredients to choose from, a handful of spices...and he just whips something up that's spectacular each time.

if you're going to try this for yourself, please keep in mind the most IMPORTANT part of the system - compliments on his/her badassery. very important!

I like doing it and feel accomplished when I do. I make chicken and dumplings out of a bit of leftover meat, a carcass, and stuff from the pantry and it is one of my favorite meals. Sites like Foodily and Supercook are good for ideas when you get stumped on what to do with something.

This is the level of skill that I'm trying to achieve! I have a resolution this year to try a new recipe each week, but find that I'm buying a lot of individual ingredients for one dish! I'm inspired to try mixing things up and working with what I've got to help develop my palate (and confidence!)

When I was a child, one of my favorite stories was "Stone Soup." I love the idea of concocting a wonderful meal out of seemingly nothing - and this is the feeling I get when I improvise from what's on hand.

choosing a couple of ingredients and googling (recipe +X +Y...) can give enormous boosts of inspiration. some of my best cooking has happened this way.

and, don't be afraid to substitute. different grains, different dried fruits, different beans, different pasta shapes, different nuts - use what you've got, use your gumption! ;)

I dont usually have so much of a problem with my pantry as I do my freezer. I make a lot of foods ahead of time, especially in the harvest season, and then become stingy about using them, afraid I will run out and not have enough to get me through to the next harvest. Then, I find that I am using a lot of it, come spring. It works out. Take for example my enchilada sauce. I make a green enchilada sauce from green chilies and freeze it. Same with Pesto, home made, come spring we are having alot of goodies with those types of sauces.
Now if only I could figure out how to make room in my freezer for premade meals.

Last night I wanted to make meatballs. Normally you have to soak breadcrumbs in milk, chop some onions blah blah. I was out of milk, only had Panko, and had shallots instead of onions. I just decided to throw the Panko in there, add some Dijon mustard and Worchestire sauce and shallots, some garlic etc. Just threw whatever seemed right in there. They were fantastic! I was pretty pleased with myself as I'm always afraid of not having a recipe.