How to organize your pantry!

About a month ago I found this organizer on pinterest.   I decided that Amy from Then She Made is a genius!! I have a cabinet-style pantry in the kitchen and it can get heavy on the cans - so I loved her idea of repurposing a carton from a 12 pack of soda into a can holder!  She used scrapbooking papers, which looks gorgeous, but I had a different idea.

You know I'm a chalkboard spray paint addict, right?!  See where this is going? First, I cut a small rectangle on the back of the top - to reload the cans. 

Then I gave each container a light coat of CB paint all over (I went a little heavier on the top - not so much on the sides, since noone will see them).  The front of each container got 3 coats of CB paint.  After they dried, I brought them inside and emptied my shelves, lol!

you can see the logo through the one coat of paint this got.  I don't care - it will be front-side out in my pantry, so no one will see it!  Cut a rectangle on the top back to drop more cans in as you buy them...

Next time I'll write on the front of them while empty, standing them on their ends.  It's alot harder to write on them from the front side when they are full! I have one for my soups (but my larger cans of soup don't fit in these), one for tomatoes (crushed, puree, small cans of sauce), and one for fruits.  I'll add more for veggies as I gather more of the cartons!   This project took less than 30 minutes and used items I already had on hand, so it was easy-peasy and super cheap!  If you try my version or Amy's please link back with a picture - I love to see what other crafty mamas out there make!

These fit my third pantry shelf perfectly and I think there is room for one more!

And while I'm at it - I am going to show off some of my recycled pantry helpers I got at Goodwill & cheap containers from Dollar Tree!   My Goodwill store has a whole aisle of kitchen helpers & gadgets, which often includes little wire shelves, plastic bins, lazy susans and more.  I stock up whenever I find them!

I've donated to D's school, my husband's food drive, plus taken things to my Nana so I have let my stockpile get low.  I'll be restocking it soon so I took advantage of my almost-empty pantry shelves to move things around today to organize a bit.  I pulled out two of my Goodwill three-tier shelves and a lazy susan (all 3 cost me under $5) and put them to work!   Double click on the pics for up close look...

This shelf holds items for baking.  Three tier shelf in back corner holds smaller baking ingredients, plus extracts and an extra salt grinder.  The container holding my cornmeal mix is from the dollar store - they come in a three pack and I love them!!

Next shelf down holds large soup cans, pasta sauces, olives, dressings, canned pasta, baby food purees (I add these to everything to give us extra veggies!) , bread crumbs and olive oil .  It also keeps my large mason jar that holds all of my cupcake liners! (It's too tall for my baking shelf, so I keep it on the one below). The lazy susan lets me find pizza sauce, dressings, canned chicken or condiments easily. 

Being organized doesn't have to cost a fortune, and you can recycle/repurpose a variety of things or use items from the thrift store or Goodwill to keep them out of the landfill!  I'm back on my Flylady routines starting this week, so getting my pantry back together ROCKS!

How to make Poppy Seed Chicken Rolls

Last Spring I got a version of this recipe from Emealz.com when we subscribed to one of their menu/meal planning services.  It's a simple but filling meal that I tweaked a bit, and now it reminds me of my favorite poppy seed chicken casserole ~ here is the final result!

Poppy Seed Chicken Rolls ~ makes 8 rolls, but recipe can be halved

1 large can of white meat chicken, finely chopped
3/4 of a block of cream cheese (I use light cream cheese), softened
2 tbs butter or margarine, softened
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
salt & pepper to taste
2 tsp poppy seeds
2 cans of crescent rolls (can use reduced fat version)

melted butter or margarine
1 tsp poppy seeds

Separate crescent rolls into 4 large rectangles per can - press the seams on two triangles together to make each one.  Place 4 rectangles on a baking pan, brush each lightly with butter.   In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese, and butter.  If it seems too stiff, add a tsp or two of milk and mix well.  Season to taste, add taraggon & 2 tsp of poppy seeds.   Add heaping spoonful of chicken filling in the middle of each rectangle, then pull corners of dough together & pinch ends to seal.  Repeat with remaining four rectangles and remaining chicken mixture.  Brush the tops of each roll with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining poppy seeds.  Bake at 375 for 15 - 20 minutes til golden brown on top and rolls are cooked through. 

I serve these with a side of honey mustard dressing for a dipping sauce.  So yummy and they make a quick, easy meal! As a couponer & stockpiler, these are all items I keep on hand every day, so it's a quick & inexpensive meal to put together!  I'm not a huge fan of canned chicken, but the texture is perfect for this recipe, so I hope you'll give it a try!

How to make Pasticcio (Greek Lasagna)

There is the greatest Greek diner down near my husband's office that we eat at once every couple years.  (It's 40 miles away, the kids and I aren't near his office often!)  They have some of the most delicious food, and about 5 years ago I tried their Pasticcio, which is a Greek Lasagna.  OMG ~ it is divine.  They use macaroni, a little tomato sauce, cheese, and a heavenly Bechemel sauce.  It's to die for!!  This dish always reminds me of my college roommate and dear friend Yvette.  After college, she married a Lebanese man and moved to Greece - we used to talk about visiting Greece in college, and then she was lucky enough to live there!

Last month, when we went to The Georgia Renaissance Festival, we stopped at the diner on the way back home.  The Pasticcio called my name again (as did the Baklava, for dessert -mmmmmm!).  It was as good as always, and I've been craving it ever since!!

Yesterday, I started looking online at recipes, and this is the one I found.  It's very close to what we have at the diner.  I discovered that this is a PERFECT stockpile recipe for me!  Why? Because my stockpile has diced tomatoes (from the big Italian sale at Publix earlier this year), frozen ground turkey (Kroger), and parmesan-reggiano cheese (Publix).  Oh, and don't forget the pasta!! I have so much pasta in my stockpile right now!! (Publix).  So here's the recipe, and you'll see my notes in italics beside each ingredient that I tweaked....

Ingredients:

1 lb penne (I used tri-color whole grain Penne pasta)
2 c finely grated parmesan
1 cup whole milk (I used skim)
2 large eggs

Sauce:

1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs  unsalted butter  (left out)
1 medium yellow onion (left out - used onion powder)
3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced (didn't have on hand, used garlic powder instead)
salt and pepper
1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 lb ground pork  (used turkey instead)
28 oz can crushed tomatoes with juices (used petite diced tomatoes)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Heat oven to 375, place rack in middle
Boil pasta according to directions.  Run drained pasta under cold water to cease cooking
For the sauce:
Heat the oil and butter in large frying pan over medium high heat.  When butter foams,  add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.  Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are soft and golden, about 5 minutes.   Add meat, break it up with a spoon.  Cook until browned, stir in tomatoes and cinnamon.  Season to taste again with salt and pepper.  Cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes more.  Remove from heat.

Butter a 2 1/2 - 3 quart baking dish.  Sprinkle 1/3 of cheese in bottom of pan, then 1/2 of the pasta.  Add all of the meat sauce, 1/3 cheese, remaining pasta, remaining cheese. 

In a small bowl, whisk milk and eggs together til combined.  Slowly pour over entire dish (Completely cover  noodles).   (This is kinda-sorta like the fancy bechamel sauce - not as wonderful as homemade, but still really good!)

Cover, bake until bubbly, about 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake until bubbling and browned, about 10 -15 minutes more.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. 

Delicious with bread and a tossed green salad!

The casserole before we cut into it...

and after we cut it!

 My pictures do not do this justice, it looks better than this and tastes incredible! : )