The Franken-Pantry

[Keltin]

Lately I have been adding buttermilk or sour cream to my mashies sometimes without the butter.

I’ve done chicken stock instead of water or milk. Beef broth instead. Mayonnaise instead of milk (which is surprisingly smooth and nice). Sour Cream, Buttermilk, and even Lamb Stock. Even used “coconut milk” once.

This was the first time I didn’t have butter to use. Being forced to use only what is there is kind of cool. The heavy cream, coupled with the potato water along with S&P turned out really nicely. I’m impressed with how bright and white the mashed potatoes turned out……no butter to yellow them.

 

[Mama]

Can you use instant potato flakes?

 

[lilbopeep]

Can you use instant potato flakes?

HEY!! If mushrooms and onions can be fresh or dried so can potatoes!! WhooooooooHoooooooooo we have our thickener!! Smart cookie Mama!! Mushroom GRAVY for Keltins taters!!!! Some wine, mushrooms, onions, oil to saute, cream, salt, pepper & instant flakes!!

 

[Keltin]

Can you use instant potato flakes?

Hmmm....why not! It's potatoes after all. I've got a box in my real pantry too. Good idea!!

 

[MexicoKaren]

Keltin, let me start by thanking you for starting this thread. It was really fun, and I hope we do it regularly. Makes you put your thinking cap on, that's for sure!

Here's my Franken-Pantry meal that necessitated creating my own butter. Jerry is a good sport about all of this, but I KNEW he would never eat mashed potatoes without butter, or plain steamed broccoli...

I took two small pork tenderloins, sliced them cross-wise, then browned them really well in oil. Salt and lots of pepper. Set them aside. Added diced onions, five cloves of garlic and some quartered mushrooms to the skillet. More salt and pepper. Deglazed the pan with...water. I only had one bottle of red wine in the house, and it was a really good Chilean merlot that I am saving for company. Put the whole caboodle in the crockpot for about five hours on low. Served with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli - both of which were enhanced with home-made sweet cream butter (Thank you, Luvs and Peeps!).

A pretty good meal, actually. It would have been better with some additional seasonings, and if the gravy/sauce could have been thicker, but I didn't have any instant mashed potatoes, and the sauce actually tasted very good. Jerry gave it an "8". We waited a decent interval and then had some oatmeal pecan cranberry cookies I made this morning. Here are some pics:

 

[Keltin]

Oh good Lord!!! That is simply INCREDIBLE!!! Karen!!! You have scored big time! Major home-run! This looks and sounds divine!!! I'm beside myself! And I want the left-overs!!

I'm very, very impressed! You have exemplified what Fanken-Pantry is all about, and I'm floored! You ought to be on the next Episode of Chopped (TV Cooking Challenge Show)! You have a knack for this!!

 

[Mama]

WAY TO GO KAREN!!!!!!!! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MexicoKaren]

I'm not sure my head will fit through the bedroom door tonight...thanks so much for all your kind words. This was great fun.

 

[VeraBlue]

When will a new pantry be created??

 

[luvs]

we ought begin 1 soon~ that was on my mind, too.......

 

[Kimchee]

Wow, I made a Franken Pantry meal the other night, quite by chance!
Took half a pork loin and cut it open like a jelly roll.
Sauteed mushrooms and onions in a bit of olive oil, deglazed with red wine.
Used that as a stuffing for the loin, rolled it up and baked it.
Served over egg noodles with a gravy made from pan drippings, cream.. and
I ended up using potato flakes to thicken it because I somehow was out of flour
AND gravy mix!

This is a cool idea indeed!

 

[MexicoKaren]

Kimchee - I wish we had pictures! That sounds really good and I'll remember that next time I have a pork loin. Might add some thyme? Marjoram? little bit of some kind of cheese?

 

[Kimchee]

That is one I did a while back, with a mushroom, shallot, garlic and spinach stuffing. It has a bit of panko crumbs, white wine and cheese.. I think grated Romano and parmigiano reggiano. A cream cheese like Alouette's garlic herb is also good! The little ramekin has gravy, I forget how it was made, sorry.
(This is pretty much my standard Pork Loin cooking method... we tend to find a much liked recipe and get stuck on it for a while, LOL!)

Edit to add.. I like to use seasoning salt, pepper and Fine Herbs (the mixture) on the outside, with a dusting of ground thyme.

 

[Keltin]

When will a new pantry be created??

I was going to create it next Tuesday which is a full 7 days after this one was filled. I figure to create it around Noon, but could do it at a different time if anyone wants to make sure they are online and able to get a post in before the Pantry fills.

 

[lilbopeep]

FANTASTIC KAREN!!

 

[Keltin]

Hmmm....now that I think about it, perhaps Sunday is the best day to kick off a new Franken-Pantry. So, if everyone is ok with it, I'll start a new Franken-Pantry every Sunday for as long as there is interest.

 

[MexicoKaren]

That's really beautiful, Kimchee. I love the fine herbs blend - so much easier than dragging out individual bottles of this and that.

 

[MexicoKaren]

Bring it on, Keltin! If I don't make it in time, SOMEONE put butter in there...and broth!

 

[lilbopeep]

Bring it on, Keltin! If I don't make it in time, SOMEONE put butter in there...and broth!

 

[mhend]

I missed the first one, so I'm looking forward to the next one! Fun!!

 

[Keltin]

Inspired by Karen, Peeps, and Luvs, I, like Karen, made butter.

Karen did it first here:

http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16476

 

[lilbopeep]

Good job Keltin!!

 

[MexicoKaren]

AND - your butter crock is perfect!!

 

[Keltin]

AND - your butter crock is perfect!!

Thanks! It's so old school huh? Think I'm gonna shut the lights off and burn candles and oil lamps the rest of the night. If only a thunderstorm would roll in! Loving it!

 

[MexicoKaren]

Don't forget to go out and milk the cows in the morning! Crack of dawn!

 

[Keltin]

Don't forget to go out and milk the cows in the morning! Crack of dawn!

Ugh! Crack of Dawn??? Really????

Sleep in??????

 

[MexicoKaren]

Oh well, these things can be carried too far....
It's Saturday - send DW out to milk the cows.....

 

[Keltin]

Wow, a bit of work went into this one. First, I made butter per Luvs, Peeps, and Karen.

http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16476

Now I have butter.

Then I cut some chops from a pork loin. Idea is to have pork Chops.

I made mashed potatoes like I did earlier in this thread (we love mashed potatoes!!).

Then sautéed mushroom and onions to make a gravy. Deglazed the shrooms and onions with Red Wine, and then added potato water that I saved from boiling the potatoes for mashed.

To that, I added potato flakes to thicken the gravy until it was just right.

I then used the potato flakes as a coating to “shake and bake” the pork chops topped with fresh butter to help them brown.

Once it was all done, I served the steamed broccoli with fresh sweet butter, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, and crispy oven baked chops with a bit of gravy over them.

 

[Keltin]

Oh well, these things can be carried too far....
It's Saturday - send DW out to milk the cows.....

HA! She'd tell me to get up or do without!

 

[mhend]

Yum, Keltin! Look at that gravy and BUTTER!