Oops... where did last week go ??

 

I'm not sure what happened here.  lol  I didn't make it here to post last week OR SOMETHING.  Getting old is always an adventure.  In the past 9 days, we have taken a trip to celebrate our anniversary and my sober birthday (not far away or anything, but we did get out.)  Then we had some hellacious storms here, fallen trees and tree branches took down power lines and left us powerless (lol) for over 36 hours.  We loaded both freezers down with ice and blankets on top for insulation and luckily we didn't lose any food. Biggest problem was the heat. We've been having temps in the high 90's with heat indexes in the hundreds. Yuck.  Thank Goodness it cooled down for a couple of days. The storms giveth and the storms taketh away. So, there's my pitiful excuses for not posting and I promise I'll try to be better. :)

  So, this week, I want to talk about another important pantry item.  Pastas. Pastas are a great filler of bellies and extender of foods.  Depending on what kind you buy they can also be nutritious. One of my favorites are Soba Noodles. They are made of buckwheat. Soba noodles are some of the healthiest options out there for carbohydrates. Unlike ramen noodles, which often contain oils, fat and salt, soba noodles calories (especially pure buckwheat) are very low in fat and cholesterol, provide healthy carbs and give you protein.

 I keep a variety of pastas and noodles. The difference between the two are the variety of wheat used to make them. Noodles are made from regular wheat and pasta is made from durum wheat. Most of us can't tell the difference.  But back to the pantry. I buy bulk items from Amazon, like the organic soba noodles because the price is so much better. For instance I am out of Soba, so I ordered a pack of 24 packages for 23 dollars. Walmarts lowest price of the same brand is $4.99/package.  I also buy Rice noodles from Amazon. This week I wanted to try something we do not usually eat, although my husband says he ate it in college. I ordered a case of Ramen noodles (soy sauce flavoring packet) for under 7 dollars. It's the cheapest way to get the ramen noodles (and throw away the seasoning packet, lol) I keep thin and regular spaghetti, penne pasta, angel hair pasta, fusili pasta, and fettucine in my pantry.  I keep a gallon jar of egg noodles at all times. These make a relatively inexpensive meal when mixed with a jar of my home canned chicken or roast beef. Filling, satisfying and better for you than the fast food options.   

  Today is Meatless Monday here on Honeysuckle Hill, and my plan WAS to make a cold soba noodle salad for supper. Alas. No soba noodles in the pantry.  So I will make something like it, but with a different pasta, like angel hair or thin spaghetti.  It's in the mid 90's again today, so we need a light but sustaining supper. The cold noodle salads or pasta salads are a perfect choice. I have a take and bake baguette that I can fix in the air fryer oven and make a nice garlicky bread to go with it.  I can make it like a putanesca salad, and use up whatever vegetables in my fridge that need to be used.  I have olive oil (EVOO) or sesame oil in the cabinet to dress it with. I have some fresh basil out in my planter box that will top it nicely.  A very low cost meal, made from things I have on hand. Don't have to spend any money today on gas or groceries, and in my book that's a win-win. So, here's a recipe I posted in about 2012 I think... check it out.     

https://dragonwomansmysticalmeals.blogspot.com/search?q=cold+soba+noodle

  Happy Pantry. You can go out this week to many places like dollar stores and find a nice variety of pastas for your pantry.  Just do it.  lol I store all mine in jars...big and small.