The night GB’s Kitchen became Desperation Diner, a true story.
For the past several months I’ve been focused on tightening our grocery budget. I’m a foodie at heart: I love to cook, to eat, and to feed people. A well-stocked pantry, freezer and cupboards make me feel secure and prepared. But when we emptied everything out to redo the kitchen, I realized I had an inventory problem. After running businesses for over 20 years where inventory control was essential, it became obvious that I had far more food than we actually needed and I wasn’t using our money as efficiently as I could.
One solution that helped is a weekly grocery pickup. No wandering aisles, no impulse buys — just the items on my planned list. I keep a small capsule pantry and a running shopping list in a notebook by the fridge so I can see at a glance what we have and what we need. With those basics on hand I can usually make at least 20 different meals without extra shopping. If you’d like, I can share that capsule pantry list.
No system is perfect, though. A few days ago I browned a pound of ground beef, reached for the one item I needed from the cupboard — and it was gone. Completely. I refused to run to the store for “just a few” things. Temptation lurks three minutes away in two huge grocery stores, but I held firm.
Improvisation to the rescue. “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” I pulled together what I had and, in less than 20 minutes from realizing Plan A was unavailable, dinner was on the table. It wasn’t haute cuisine, but it was tasty, thrifty and quick.
Every once in a while, making it up as you go is fine. Not every meal must be five-star. Often a spur-of-the-moment dish becomes a “let’s make that again” favorite. If not, it simply becomes a fond memory from the long list of dinners past. Keep smiling and keep experimenting in the kitchen.
Asian Ground Beef Improv
A quick one-pan meal, ready in about 15 minutes.
- 1 pound ground beef, browned and seasoned to taste
- 2 packages soy-flavored Ramen noodles
- 1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups water
- 2–3 Tbsp soy sauce, to taste
- 2–3 Tbsp green onion, finely chopped
- 1 can or bag crunchy Chinese-style noodles for serving
-
Brown the ground beef in a skillet and season with pepper and garlic (omit salt if you prefer). Break the dry ramen noodles into pieces and add them to the beef in the skillet. Stir in the can of soup, 2 cups water, the seasoning packets from the noodles and soy sauce. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender.
Serve the mixture over a bed of crunchy Chinese-style noodles and garnish with chopped green onion. I served this with frozen peas.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share it on your social media. I’d be delighted and grateful. Thank you!
Love, GB (Betty Streff)