Tasty and Easy Recipes to Make from Items in Your Pantry
Some of the best recipes you can make are found from basic items found right in your pantry. Social distancing has necessitated everyone spending more time at home, which translates into less time at restaurants and more time cooking. The good news is cooking is a great way to eat healthier, save money, and also spend time bonding with the people in your home. Here are three delicious and easy recipes that can be made from items you most likely already have on hand.
Jambalaya
Why not kick things up a bit? After working from home, playing from home, why not add a little spice to things and make one of Louisiana's favorite dishes. This is a great dish that you can make in the traditional fashion or with a twist to make it your own. Jambalaya is flexible, fun, and easy to make. You start off sauteing some sausage and some chicken in a pan with Cajun seasoning in a large pot. If you don't have Cajun seasoning on hand, it's easy to make with a simple recipe. You can also take whatever spicy seasoning you have on hand and toss that in. Brown the meat with some onion and garlic and get it cooking. If you have some shrimp you can also throw those in for an extra level of yum. Once those are done, take those out and saute any vegetables you have on hand. Green or red peppers are usually the tastiest and work well with the spice flavors. Put the meat back in with the veggies and let it all cook a bit. Throw in some hot sauce, some rice, and some chicken broth and let the pot simmer for 25 mins or so. Test to make sure the rice is soft and if it is you are good to go. Dish that up into some bowls, grab some crackers or bread, and you have a one-pot dish made from stuff you have on hand.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
There is nothing like chicken soup when it comes to comfort food. When that steaming hot bowl is set down in front of you and the smell wafts up through the air, you can't help but smile. Chicken Tortilla Soup is a twist on a classic and adds a little kick that makes it just a little bit more fun. This is another one-pot meal that can be made from whatever you have on hand. You start with a big pot, some olive oil (or avocado oil or whatever you prefer), cut up some onions and garlic and saute them until the onions are clear. Throw in some chopped up chicken (white or dark meat) and cook that with the onions and garlic. Once the chicken is cooked toss in whatever vegetables you like or have on hand. Celery, carrots, and broccoli are a great place to start, however, whatever you like is what is good to add into the pot. Once those are all cooked, add some chicken broth and Mexican seasoning and let that simmer for about 20-25 mins. When the soup is done top it with tortilla strips or corn chips, cheese, and a dollop of sour cream and there you have a one-dish meal that is simple and delicious. Add a side of corn chips and guacamole for a little something extra.
Cake Mix Cookies
Most people have, lurking somewhere in their pantry, a box of random cake mix. Sometimes there is an accompanying icing, but sometimes there isn't. This recipe for cake mix cookies lets you use your miscellaneous cake mix and turn it into something easy to enjoy, easy to freeze (if you don't eat them all), and best of all easy to make. There are only three ingredients in cake mix cookies. From that basic recipe, you can do so many things to make it your own. The basic recipe is cake mix, 2 eggs, and some vegetable oil. That's it for the basic batter. From there you can add sprinkles, chocolate chips, whatever you like. Scoop out tablespoon-size balls of dough and bake them at 350 for 9-10 minutes. It's that simple. Let them cool and you have a great batch of cookies to eat or freeze or even make ice cream sandwiches with. If you do happen to have icing, that's just, forgive the pun, icing on the cake.
Cooking is a great way to spend the time you are at home. With just a few things from your pantry, you can make delicious and easy meals that you, and everyone, in your household, will love. Cirque has the perfect kitchens for you to make some of your favorite culinary creations. Take a virtual tour today.