Pantry Raid

I am always amazed by the crazy number of people (number of crazy people?) who run panicked to grocery store at the first whisper of snow. Do they have no food at home? Do they anticipate that here in the mid-Atlantic it will take WEEKS to dig out? I'm just not sure. So here's the deal. In honor of our fearful friends, one week's worth of plans that do not require ANYTHING I don't already have in the house. We usually run out for fresh produce nearly daily, and here in a major city, it would be easy to still do that. But let's go with the worst case scenario here. Let's say there was nowhere to buy food for a week. What would I do?

First: Take stock of my pantry, fridge and freezer.
Freezer -
1lb ground turkey
1 lb turkey sausage
1 package bone in chicken breasts & 1 package boneless chicken breasts
frozen corn, peas, butternut squash
homemade chicken stock
Pantry -
black beans, red beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas
pasta, rice (regular and arborio)
flour (barely), cornmeal
canned tomatoes
milk (Parmalat)
potatoes, onions, a lemon, garlic
Fridge -
a limited amount of cheese
eggs
normal condiments (bbq sauce, soy, ketchup, mustard)
beer and vermouth
mushrooms and flour tortillas (I'm going to avoid these in my official plans, since I
doubt most people would have them on hand)

So can it be done? Can I make a week's worth of tasty dinners without going to the store even once?

SUNDAY -
BBQ Chicken and Cornbread - While we're not fans of the Colts or the Saints, we're still watching the Superbowl, and barbecue seems festive enough, right? I'll use the bone in breasts so that it can get nice and tender in the oven.

MONDAY - Ziti with White Beans and Sausage - Oh the shame. We still haven't tried this recipe. But it doesn't require a trip to the store!

TUESDAY -
Corn Chowder - We've got stock, frozen corn, potatoes, onion, and stock, and enough milk and cheddar. Besides, if there's any leftover cornbread, that would help round out the meal.

WEDNESDAY - Lemon Chicken - pretty much only requires, lemon, butter, chicken and pepper. We'll cook up some rice, and break out the frozen peas. Simple.

THURSDAY - Tortilla - eggs and potatoes, check. I'll have to be a little creative with the cheese, we don't have a ton of any one kind left. But this is great for throwing in whatever else is lurking in your fridge (like those mushrooms I didn't want to count on having).

FRIDAY -
Chickpea Pasta - Always easy and I always have the ingredients.




See? Success. Now to go shovel out the car.