Take some of the stress out of the holidays by stocking up on ingredients that can get a good dinner on the table fast.
By JANET K. KEELER
Published December 10, 2003
[Times photos: Willie J. Allen Jr.]
The great irony of the Season of Food, which stretches from Halloween until New Year's Day, is that while most of us eat more (and gain weight), we get less nutrition than at any other time of the year.
That's what happens when lollipops, marshmallows, gingerbread and chocolate are elevated to the four food groups. Second helpings don't help either. Bah, hamburger.
Funny, isn't it, that at a time when we need to feel calm and balanced so we can slug through the throngs at the mall, string lights around the house, address cards and smile, smile, smile, we keep ourselves hopped up on sugar or without fuel at all.
"I think families eat the poorest during the holidays," says cookbook author Anne Byrn. "You are just trying to attend to things, get home, prepare for an open house, wrap presents."
Wouldn't it be a big confidence-booster to know you've got food in the pantry that will help you prepare dinner any night of the week and not just when family and friends come together to celebrate a holiday?
Byrn's 1999 bestseller The Cake Mix Doctor (Workman) set her up as the busy cook's best friend by showing how to turn cake mixes into showy desserts. She followed up with Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor in 2001, and this year's The Dinner Doctor turns the premise into a solution for the dinnertime blues.
"We all get in a rut with making dinner," she says. "(Convenience items) make cheating okay."
With Byrn's blessing, we've come up with a list of "cheating" items that can turn those boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or something like them) in the freezer into a decent dinner in minutes.
Canned Beans. Kidney, navy, lima, Great Northern, black, garbanzo and pinto beans can be used in a variety of ways. Add them to salads or canned soups; make a quick chili with ground beef and canned chili-spiced tomatoes. Pair black beans with yellow rice or use them in quesadillas. Puree beans with spices and other ingredients to make dips. Consider rinsing before using to wash off salt. (See recipe for Tuscan Tuna and White Bean Salad.)
Salad Kits. Byrn says that many one- and two-person households rely on salad kits because they are easy and don't leave a lot of leftovers. The Caesar salad kits can be dressed up in numerous ways, the most popular being to top the greens with grilled salmon, shrimp or chicken.
Other ideas from the Dinner Doctor: Fold cubed avocado into the salad and season dressing with a little chili powder and fresh lime juice; toss salad with 3 cups of hot, cooked penne and pass extra grated Parmesan cheese at the table; serve with cold-cooked shrimp and slices of fresh mango; fold a drained, flaked can of tuna into the salad and garnish with oil-marinated green olives.
Frozen puff pastry. This buttery pastry can be cut into rounds or strips, wrapped around ingredients such as brie cheese or topped with fruits. Use it almost any way you would pie dough, but roll it a bit or it will be too thick for most dishes. Puff pastry can be made into flaky, hot-pocket-type sandwiches filled with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni or Swiss cheese, ham and spicy mustard. Make a family-sized pot pie by mixing leftover chicken with frozen mixed vegetables and a white sauce such as store-bought Alfredo. Spread it in a baking dish and then cover with a layer of puff pastry. Bake until pastry is golden.
Puff pastry is a worthy foundation for tarts, both savory and sweet. (See recipe for Artichoke and Feta Puff Pastry Pizza.)
Canned chicken broth. Byrn uses low-sodium broth instead of water to cook beans for added flavor. Use half water, half broth to cook pasta and rice. Chicken broth is the basis of many quick soups and extends canned soups, such as chicken noodle, which are made heartier with rotisserie chicken chunks, sliced carrots and a handful of chopped Italian parsley. Substitute chicken broth for cream or milk in cheese sauces to reduce fat. Always buy low-sodium varieties so you don't have to worry about adding more salt to ingredients such as ham or olives.
Bisquick. This baking mix of flour, leavener and salt has long been used for pancakes and Byrn swears it makes the best waffles. (She keeps buttermilk in the fridge to make the batter tangy.) Bisquick can be used to make muffins, breads, dumplings and scones. (See recipe for Scallion and Cheddar Supper Bread.)
Dressings. Bottled salad dressings can be used for dips and marinades, besides adding flavor to greens. Byrn likes Newman's Own balsamic as a marinade for grilled chicken. Ranch makes a tasty dip and salsa can be used to make Mexican lasagna (tortillas, cheese and whatever else you have on hand) or to top eggs. Add horseradish and lemon juice to salsa and serve alongside grilled shrimp.
Dried pasta. The plethora of shapes is rivaled by the amazing array of ways pasta can be prepared. Good-quality pasta dressed simply with butter, olive oil, kosher salt and cracked black pepper topped with grilled salmon, vegetables, tuna, shrimp, chicken or steak might be just as good as anything you'll eat at a restaurant.
Change the shapes, veggies, protein, cheese and sauces and your family could eat pasta three or four nights a week and not feel like it's the same old thing. (See recipe for Meaty Ziti.) While you're pasta shopping, reach for a few jars of red sauce and know that those can be doctored, too, with fresh garlic, sliced mushrooms, clams, bell peppers, vermouth, wine, green chilis, Italian sausage, almost anything really.
Frozen spinach. On busy nights, vegetables are the first thing to be eliminated it seems. (Not many fast-food joints serve sides of broccoli, do they?) Frozen spinach is an easy way to introduce more nutrients into meals.
Add thawed and drained spinach to pasta sauce and canned soups. Use it as a bed for poached eggs or slices of boneless, grilled meat. Make a dip with sour cream and mayonnaise. Arrange spoonfuls on top of frozen cheese pizza, sprinkle with Parmesan and garlic powder. Mix with beaten eggs, Italian sausage and scramble. Sprinkle hot spinach with chopped hard-cooked eggs and a 1/2 cup of crumbled bacon for a main dish.
Canned tomatoes. These garden gems come plain or paired with spices including Italian (oregano and basil) and Mexican (cumin and chili powder). Make a simple gazpacho from a 28-ounce can of Italian-flavored tomatoes, 1 large sliced, peeled cucumber, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar. Dump a can into a slow cooker to flavor a London broil; use tomatoes and liquid (with some additional water) to cook rice; brown chicken breasts, then add a can of spiced tomatoes, cover and simmer until chicken is done. Byrn says she wouldn't be without canned tomatoes because she knows she can throw together a pot of soup if she has them. (See recipe for One-Bowl Ratatouille.)
Besides stocking these ingredients, it's a good idea to assess what you have. Look in the back of the pantry (Is that duck sauce hidden behind a bottle of cranberry vinaigrette?) and in every corner of the freezer. The door of the refrigerator is also a good spot to find forgotten meal-enhancers such as cocktail sauce, jellies and jams, wasabi and anchovy paste and capers.
However, now is not the time to embark on a major kitchen cleanup (save that for January), but you've probably got more for dinner than you think you have.
And if you don't, there are always candy canes.
Kitchen staples
Stock your pantry, refrigerator and freezer with these items for quick meals in busy times:
Frozen ground beef, chicken, Italian sausage and seafood
Frozen spinach and other vegetables
Pasta and pasta sauces
Salad kits
Canned soups, tomatoes, beans, chicken broth and tuna
