Just add spices....

The spouse has been out of town the last week  well, pretty much month.  Very weird, because I am usually the travel person of the family.

However, I have got a lot done, we now have a garage that you can park in. whoa, dude, heavy.

The malamute and I weeded the yard, in which malamute proceeded to weed.....the yard.  Non-discriminatory my dog is.

However, in a fit of pure laziness and later justifying it to be a 'learning' experience, I forewent my daily shopping extravaganza and decided to 'live from my pantry'.  I knew we had a crap load of canned goods in there.  Many a time I've actually had to toss them, or donate them to the food pantry before they expired.

Side note:  State of Kansas, get over yourselves, do you realize what it would do to your tax revenue if you allowed one-stop shopping for groceries, beer, wine?  Well, baby, I DO.  If it comes down to making one trip for food and wine,  or two trips to get food, then wine....well, sorry, most days, wine might win.
I'm not an alcoholic, I just play one on this blog.

Anyway, Special K, focus.

If you find yourselves in a situation where you would be living off of canned goods....it ain't so bad.  I suggest two things:
1)  SPICES SPICES SPICES
2)  Variety in the canned food department.

So, this week's menu, completely pantry influenced.  And by pantry, the wine cooler may have been involved.

• New Age Marinara
• Petite Diced Tomatoes
• Tomato Paste
• Sliced Black Olives
• Minced Garlic (first in pantry now in fridge)
• Worchestshire Sauce
• Red Wine
• Basil
• Oregano
• Smoked Paprika
• Italian Seasonings (I have the grinder version, both at home and on boat, OMG, yes, do it)
• Throw ingredients in pot and let simmer until flavors blend
• Serve over pasta
• Salmon Burgers 
• Caveat: I forgot how ...  ewwww ... canned salmon is and I almost belayed this mission, but I persevered
• canned salmon (there will be bones, they cook down, however, mine went to the dogs...literally)
• egg beaters (yes, fridge involved, shut up)
• bread crumbs  (side note:  if you have a micro and inverter, micro a couple pieces of bread until they are self toasting, then crumble in hands= bread crumbs)
• parsley (the new freeze dried stuff is. the. bomb.)
• dried mustard
• mayo (on my boat, RV, house mayo is a staple of my world)
• lemon juice (most boaters tend to have lemons/limes on board I've noticed)
• pepper
• onion (fresh diced or recon thrown into mix, if using recon--let it set in mixture to moisten up)
• more spices of your choice
• mix all and then grill or pan fry until cook through -- realize that you are just cooking the egg.  Mixture will be pretty moist

So, I made a couple of good meals, with 2 days of leftovers, and realized that canned goods do not have to be what I grew up with, just like Brussel Sprouts, Beets, Lima beans are not what I had to grow up with.