Meal Ideas Using Storage Goods

    Beans recipe that goes over well:

1 1/2 cups of pinto beans
1 1/2 to 2 quarts of water
1 14.5 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 4 oz can of green chilis
tablespoon onion flakes
garlic to taste

Boil for around 12 hours -- if the power's out a wood fire in the yard would be good for this rather than using precious fuel. It can also be set on top of a woodburning stove in the winter and forgotten about until dinner time.

(Note, it's edible at about six hours. But MUCH tastier after a longer cooking time.)

Add a small portion meat of your choice at the end. Good choices are salt pork, ham hocks, bacon, hamburger, beef, canned beef, or a game meat. Would probably work with vienna sausages also, though I've never tried it. Continue to simmer until the meat's tender.

Serve with tortillas, corn bread or bread.

Nutritious, filling. CHEAP. THis is my own "times are tough" recipe when I'm short on money and need something to tide me over until payday.

Leva

Irene-are you able to can your own meat--if you are

Could make hummus out of chick peas.  i haven't done this for years but it would make a change from bean casserole/bean salad.

I hope I'm not duplicating an earlier post. I found this at the Butter Buds website. I knew about Butter Buds, but didn't know they had extended their line of products.  Might be a good idea to have some on hand.

I was searching for no-cook recipes online and stumbled on a nifty website that's designed for campers and backpackers at www.freezerbagcooking.com . As the name indicates, the woman who runs the site figured out how to cook meals in ordinary freezer bags. Although she's promoting a book about this cooking technique, she includes lots of good recipes. All the ingredients are non-perishable- like dried veggies and beans, potato flakes, cheese powder, herbs and canned goods- and only require boiling water to cook. Very interesting and useful ideas for common pantry ingredients.  

Semi Home Cooking (food channel) had a great (and decadent) breakfast receipe:

Hydrangea,  thanks for the link.  Some of these recipes do look good.  I'll have to try making one and see how it goes.  

i had  mushroom soup getting old so i put three cans in a pot with a handfull of shell pasta and cooked it on low for about and our or better i added no water the shells got big and it was yummy. i think i will and pasta to all my soup now it just makes more of a meal .

Boocracker,

Textured vegetable protein, can be flavoered to taste like any meat or can be plain and will "take" the taste of whatever you cook.