# How can I make some yummy meals out of this stuff? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 30, 2006, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076 "2006-12-30T04:07:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/1 "2006-12-30T04:07:07Z")
I’m pet sitting right now, and will be for just over another week. My friend didn’t have a lot of food here, so I bought and brought some. I’m not a great cook, but I’d prefer to eat-in than eat out a lot. And I don’t want to eat lots of Kraft Dinner and ramen. So, I thought maybe I’d inquire here and get some advice. It’s a pretty bare kitchen, and not a lot of kitchen tools (for example, no food processor, no blender, no potato masher), so it wasn’t hard to do a food inventory. Here’s my list. Just for fun, I’ve included a star by the things that I brought or bought. I’m going to the store tomorrow, but I’ll be walking and metroing, so I can’t buy a lot or anything too heavy. Suggestions? granola bars\* tropical fruit salad mandarin oranges pear halves in pear juice peach butter\* (Can peach butter go bad, or did I just hate it when I tried it this morning?) raspberry jam graham crackers marshmallows apples 2 small butternut squashes (a pound or less each)\* potato bread (not worth making sandwiches out of, I got an off brand)\* macaroni mac n cheese (generic, if that matters to some people) chicken teriyaki rice-a-roni pancake mix canned light tuna in water cream of mushroom cream of chicken soup 1.25 jars spaghetti sauce garbanzo beans\* canned corn black beans sugar (granulated, brown and confectioners) flour dry lasagna 5 eggs margarine (almost two sticks) shredded mozzerella shredded cheddar presliced cheddar cream cheese and flavored cream cheese swirlled spread hoisin sauce texture (pre-grated parm) 1/4 onion peanut butter (reduced fat) oatmeal\* instant flavored mashed potatoes chocolate chips baking chocolate baking powder vegetable oil breadcrumbs cornmeal olive oil carrots\* various herbs and spices Thanks, all! I hope this is fun for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/2 "2006-12-30T04:22:00Z")
Got any milk or cream? If so, melt the baking chocolate with a little cream (or milk), stir in a bit of the raspberry jam, and you\*ve got a fondue that you can dip the mandarin oranges, graham crackers and and marshmallows in. ---
**Author:** ![Asgardking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Asgardking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asgardking)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/3 "2006-12-30T04:25:22Z")
There’s a distinct lack of meat on that list. You can make a party tettrizini though. Saute about half an onion, chopped in oil until soft add 1 can cream of muchroom or chicken soup add about half a can of water or milk. It should flow but be thick When it starts to simmer add a can of tuna and about half a cup of the shredded cheddar cheese. Let simmer as you boil about a cup of macaroni. When cooked add to soup. Stir and serve. This recipe is great with most kinds of meat, leftover ham, turkey or chicken works great as well. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/4 "2006-12-30T04:25:52Z")
I don’t, but that sounds really good. Maybe I’ll get a little when I’m out tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/5 "2006-12-30T05:29:18Z")
I don’t know how this would go over with your tastes and sensibilities, it might be repugnant to some… but I’m thinking a squash lasagna. Cut the two squash in half and bake the squash till tender: boil the lasagna noodles. Scoop out the squash and mash with a combination of 3 egg yolks, a goodly amount of softened plain cream cheese, a dash of brown sugar, a genorus heap of parmesan, salt and pepper, and a dash of nutmeg if you have it (you can use a fork to mash and combine this, btw). Combine the cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup with **only 1 and a half cans** of either warm milk or water, making a thick volute. Throw down a bit of the volute into the bottom of a baking dish and lay down the first layer of lasagna noodles. Spread a third of the squash mixture on top of the noodles, sauce with the volute, top with mozzarella; lay down another layer of noodles and repeat two times. Top with a final layer of noodles, the remaining sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/6 "2006-12-30T13:43:22Z")
If you’ve got any salsa, black beans, extra cheese, and salsa are nice added to mac’n’cheese. Do pasta with garlic, olive oil, and tuna. Or breadcrumbs, sauteed with onion and garlic. Or a fried eggs. Buy some eggs. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/7 "2006-12-30T14:23:25Z")
Well, today I’m going to get some milk, and probably another onion and some garlic. Oh, and some real butter (unsalted) and some edible bread. Outside of that, I’ll probably buy what impulse takes me. **devilsknew** , I can’t decide on that recipe. I’ve had squash pastas before, and they were yummy. But I’m having a bit of a mental block about combining my squash with the “cream of” soups. **Lissla** , I do have five eggs. If that’s not enough, I’ll be surprised. At home, I don’t go through eggs very quickly, and I’m only here for about another week. I may experiment with making this bread into something else later. Anybody know if yucky bread make edible french toast? ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/8 "2006-12-30T15:10:24Z")
Yucky bread will make perfectly cromulent toast and French toast. Did you think about doing what I mentioned with the squash? ---
**Author:** ![Terrorcotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@Terrorcotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrorcotta)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/9 "2006-12-30T16:00:04Z")
Oh! You’re talking about food in the pantry! What a relief! The abbrieviated preview on this computer made me wonder what pet sitting had to do with making yummy meals… Please, continue your thread while I go get a cup of coffee. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/10 "2006-12-30T17:00:52Z")
[QUOTE=BlueKangaroo] Well, today I’m going to get some milk, and probably another onion and some garlic. Oh, and some real butter (unsalted) and some edible bread. Outside of that, I’ll probably buy what impulse takes me. **devilsknew** , I can’t decide on that recipe. I’ve had squash pastas before, and they were yummy. But I’m having a bit of a mental block about combining my squash with the “cream of” soups. [/QUOTE] I was just Iron Chefing it all out with the ingredients you had on hand. If the soups don’t work for you, an alternative is to make a simple [bechamel sauce](http://www.dianaskitchen.com/page/sauce/bechamel.htm) in substitute. You could crush a clove of garlic in the bechamel for some added flavor as well. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/11 "2006-12-30T19:55:04Z")
[QUOTE=devilsknew] I was just Iron Chefing it all out with the ingredients you had on hand. If the soups don’t work for you, an alternative is to make a simple [bechamel sauce](http://www.dianaskitchen.com/page/sauce/bechamel.htm) in substitute. You could crush a clove of garlic in the bechamel for some added flavor as well. [/QUOTE] Now this sounds yummy. I appreciate your Iron Chef mojo, though. I don’t have any, so I post here with food questions. **Ginger** , I did think about what you said about the squash, I just didn’t do it last night. I decided I wanted real butter to do that, which I now have. I’ll add to my list in a little bit. I still need to run to the corner store and get some milk. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/12 "2006-12-30T22:33:47Z")
Okay, I went to a real grocery store after my tutoring session. My student is a sweetheart, but she really needs to slow down. I can’t seem to get it through to her that if she slows down from the get-go she will spend less overall time doing subjects she hates… Anyway, I did that and also stopped at the corner store for some milk. So, now here’s an addendum to my list above. Whipped plain cream cheese 1% Milk Apple Juice Unsalted Butter Hummus Apricot Jam Cornflakes 2 Lemons 3 Oranges 1 Avacado (Why, I don’t know, but when I saw the avacados, I really wanted one) 1 yellow onion Edible Bread That’s now it, the sum total of what’s in the kitchen, barring her “lean cuisine” meals and things of that nature (and the veggies in the freezer that I hate, so won’t eat). Maybe that’ll make this yet more fun. Anyway, I’m going to try the butternut squash lasagna tomorrow, most likely. And tomorrow I’m going to try to make it to the farmers’ market and get some fresh spinach (and broccoli, if they have it). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/13 "2006-12-31T00:22:43Z")
[QUOTE=BlueKangaroo] Anyway, I did that and also stopped at the corner store for some milk. So, now here’s an addendum to my list above. :snip: Hummus :snip: [/QUOTE] You could have bought some tahini and made your own hummus by mixing your newly acquired tahini with garbanzo beans, olive oil, and lemon juice. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/14 "2006-12-31T00:28:39Z")
That was the original plan for the garbanzo beans, actually. But I forgot the tahini, and then when I got here I found she has no potato masher, no food processor and no blender. So then I decided it didn’t matter anyway. And, frankly, the “real” grocery store didn’t have anything that “fancy” (tahini). I was surprised for Bethesda. I looked for hummus there, and saw none. That was the really surprising thing. The corner store was where I got the hummus, and while I’m sure I paid more than I needed to for it, it wasn’t a lot more, and I’m sure I’ll be super happy to have it when I dip my carrots in it. That, and she doesn’t have enough olive oil for my hummus… ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2006, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/15 "2006-12-31T00:58:25Z")
[QUOTE=BlueKangaroo] That was the original plan for the garbanzo beans, actually. But I forgot the tahini, and then when I got here I found she has no potato masher, no food processor and no blender. [/quote] A mixer should work–I used one the first time. > [@](#): > > the “real” grocery store didn’t have anything that “fancy” (tahini). I was in that situation recently. I got the urge to pick up hummus fixings while in Giant but forgot that Harris Teeter is the only store around here with tahini. Giant did have cashew butter and, thinking that cashews aren’t much differenf from sesame seeds, I bought a jar. I ended up with something not quite hummus but just as tasty. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2006, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-some-yummy-meals-out-of-this-stuff/386076/16 "2006-12-31T01:04:56Z")
Alas, no mixer. Honestly, I had to hunt for a wooden spoon, and when I found it the “made in china” sticker was still on the back of the bowl. This is really a sparse kitchen. I wouldn’t have thought to try cashew butter, but that does sound tasty. And I was in a Safeway, but I didn’t know HT had tahini. I’ve been hitting Whole Paycheck when I need it. I now love HT even more than I did when they had my brand of blueberry tea.