A New Form Of Food Chain

 It's is beyond tough  to maintain a pantry nowadays. More and more do our family and friends need help in getting proper foods  alongwht proper nutrition.It's time to create a new kind fo food chain, one where we cna help family and friends and they us when we need help.

One  way to create a food chain is to have everyone with a garden to gather up their extra produce. It;'s still summer. There are still tomatoes peppers, squash and eggplant along with lettuce and herbs. to be gathered. everyone should bring these to one designated backyard. Then everyone picks out what they need. If you can have extras like bread crumbs and small bottles of olive oil ol for cooking these. Inexpensive varieties of  the oil  and breadcrumbs can  be found at Lidl , Aldo or Walmart. Fruit tree owners should bring any early harvest too.Another idea is  have a group go apple or pear picking. Split the cost of a bushel or basket  and let those who need it ,take more fruit than the others.An extra link in this chain is everyone getting involved in a baking fest where pies and tarts can be made and baked. Everyone can take home a pie and tarts or mini pies for the kids.Apple and pear cakes can also be made with everyone going home with a homemade dessert.

The food chain can alo be expanded by buying extra. Give the second to family and friends who need it. This can also apply to neighbors who are financially struggling too.Many groceries have buy one get one free or half priced. Take advantage of these.. That extra salad or box of cereal can go a long way for many families. A free package of cheese or bread will be able to fill a few lunchboxes.If you think this can be too embarrassing then get the family a gift certificate for the food store. It  does make for the perfect anniversary , birthday or holiday gift. They can even splurge on extras like certain seafood or beef for a special meal.Pot luck dimmers also make for an excellent way to add to the food chain. make foods that can be brought home for a second and even third meal.What wo9rks for this? A big pot of chili with homemade cornbread. pasta with meatballs and garlic bread,  a meat or veggie lasagna. One person who can afford it  can also make a turkey or a ham. These can be sliced down into left over dinners . This works well with the ham. SLabs can be taken home and turned into everything from sandwiches to  a hot meal.

We have to create a new form of food chain to help each other.These are tough times. we're all struggling. yet we can help each other with extra food and love.

A Small Quiet Christmas Dinner

Everyone thinks of Christmas dinners as big lavish affairs with  tables groaning with roasts and bowls of mashed potatoes with gravy , followed by an endless array of sweets. Some households may have that. yet there is also the ones with only two or three people. They can still celebrate but on a smaller scale.

Roasts are always the stars of a holiday table. Yet a twenty pound turkey or ham would be  way too much  not to mention providing leftovers until Valentine's Day. Think small. A four to six pound turkey will work and there will still be leftovers for sandwiches.Another idea is turkey breast. it can range anywhere from two to eight pounds. The smaller ones only take between an hour and a half to two hours to roast and there's not as much fuss to them.It can even be  cooked in an Instant  Pot. There can be gravy  by using the pan drippings.  Individual Cornish hens are a lavish  yet not so overwhelming as a  main dish as well . Like turkey, there will be crunchy skin and tender white meat and juicy dark.Ham has always been a Christmas favorite. Get a small one  - a little over one pound will be satisfying to a party  of two or three.What about vegans? Gardein has  four turkey cutlets that come with a reasonable facsimile of gravy.If there's a table of four then  think about their holiday roast. It's stuffed with cranberries and rice along with having its' own gravy packet. The taste is exactly like the real thing too.

What about sides? A full holiday table will have three or four plus a salad or two. This would be too much for two or even three people. Write down a list of favorite sides and narrow it down to two. That way dinner isn't so overwhelming and there's no waste or a ton of leftovers in the fridge. If you're having stuffing, then nix the dinner rolls. Decide on what kind of potato you want , whether the usual Idaho or russet or sweet. Think  larger casserole type sides such as scalloped potatoes or candied yams may be too big a dish for two. You could just have baked russets with a fancy garlic or herbed butter.Or try just roasted yams, with maple butter. Something green is always a nice compliment to ham, turkey or tofu. Get the steamer bags of broccoli and green beans. There's just enough for two to three people.Serve with melted butter or vegan butter and sprinkle on some Parmesan.. Dessert should just be for two. Duncan Hines has  their Perfect Size cake mixes with icing that makes for a sweet ending to a holiday meal. Jazz it up with a sprinkling of red and green sprinkles or crushed candy canes.

A Christmas dinner for two or three can still be lush and delicious. Just think small. It'll be a perfect meal, with the right amount of food.

My Year To Fly

Every home chef needs to grow. I know I do and that will be one of my many New Year's resolutions . What will I do? What will I try?

Thanks to a new oven, I will be baking a lot. I've already baked Ghiradelli's Double Chocolate Brownies.They came out a little too gooey , so hopefully with more practice I'll be baking much more firmer ones. With baking comes decorating so I am definitely going to be honing my icing - hello again buttercream - along with practicing rose and leaf skills. Savory baking is also going to be high on my list. I want to experiment with strata, and rediscover the luscious leeks on toast ( double yum) and my Swabian zweibelkugen or onion pie (again double yum) a dense quiche like confection, rich with eggs, cream and onions. Homemade pizza will also be making quite a few appearances as well.

Another must is rediscovering roasts, hams, chickens, turkeys and London broils. It's going to be wonderful, with crunchy, crisp skins and slices of tender meat.There will also be sides  that will be cooked ( and all of these will be shown as Foodie Pantry how tos).I want to relearn how to make scalloped potatoes and baked Mac with bacon.As with cuisines, since French and Filipino are going to be big this upcoming year I want to expand into that, especially in creating the perfect crepe.

Every home chef and baker should resolve to expand their culinary arsenal.I know I will.I get to grow which makes for a better cook - or so I hope!