Recipe for Stuff on the Back Shelf

I was given some stuff from a woman who was moving and didn't want to take it all with her. It was some stuff that I'd rarely buy and seldom get at a food pantry. The items I had my inspiration from was a box of Shake and Bake, one jar of mushrooms (the Portabella ones that can taste kinda slimy) and  half a can of green beans from the food pantry. I have WAY too many cans of green beans taking up space. I'm not particularly fond of canned green beans.

It struck me that the mushrooms might be tasty if they were fried or otherwise made crisp-ier. I spotted the Shake and Bake in the back of the cabinet. I thought, Why Not? So I mixed everything together and put it in a frying pan with a little oil. I cooked it until it started to brown. I would have baked it but don't have a working oven.

\Viola.' It wasn't bad. It pretty much made a meal in itself. And I got to use up some things that tend to linger on the shelf.

By the way, I've updated my Wizzley article How to Live on $1.25 a Day. You might want to check it out.

Recipes for Food Pantry Food

I'm not a cook, have never been interested in cooking, but I do like to eat. I'm reaching a food crisis though. It is becoming necessary for me to invent some new ways to use the same old ingredients. I'll be sharing some recipes as I discover them.

Food pantries are not all alike. Even in the New England towns I used to live in, there were differences. Some loaded you up with meat and cheese before doling out the canned goods. Some were canned goods only. Some had bread, but most did not. Some let you pick your own. That I loved. I didn't end up with 20 cans of my least favorite vegetables
Down here in Texas, the lines are longer and the bags are already filled. Everyone gets the same thing. I'm accumulating a closet shelf of food I don't particularly care for or have eaten so much of it, I'll gag if I eat it again.Two dishes I simply cannot face again are pasta and spaghetti sauce and rice and beans.

 Some months ago I had been keeping grated Parmesan cheese on hand. It seems to make everything taste better. I had ramen noodles which I was getting heartily sick of, but it is cheap. This time it was from the pantry along with chickpeas which I do like but not by itself.

I had a flash of inspiration. I discovered Ramen Noodle and Chickpea Soup.

I prepared a bag of ramen noodle by pouring hot water over it in a bowl and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and sprinkle on grated cheese. Simple, filling and tasty!