9.17.2020

# cook with me # creamed spinach

Dinners of the Week + Meal Plan and Prepper Pantry Tips


Welcome to a new week of dinners plus some tips on how to create a prepper pantry.



It's a great idea to stock up on bulk items when you can... things like rice, beans, canned goods, and other staples that could help your family if the world is to face any food shortages. In today's video I talk you through our pantry stocking resources. I buy our bulk foods from Costco, Amazon, and restaurant supply stores.




Many people don't realize you can get many bulk foods delivered to your home on Amazon. I'm leaving a link to my Amazon store here which has an entire section devoted to the prepper pantry. Also mentioned in the prepper pantry section is my discovery of Fire Cider.

Also, the Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies are on sale right now for 10% off with code dailyconnoisseur

Now, let's have a look at the recipes.



Pastrami Sandwiches
Ben and I have been craving The Hat, which is a Southern California restaurant known for their pastrami sandwiches and chili cheese fries (I know... I know...)
We decided to recreate the dish at home. I toasted some hoagie rolls in the oven, then slathered them with yellow mustard. On the stove, I heated up the pastrami (purchased from the grocery store). I placed the pastrami on the rolls and added a layer of sliced pickles.

Chili Cheese Fries I sliced 3 large potatoes in my French fry slicer and soaked them in water for 15 minutes (this step is essential). Then I drain the water, pat the fries dry, and add 2 Tbs oil, 1 Tbs paprika, 1 Tbs garlic powder, and salt and pepper (whatever amount you feel comfortable with). Then I place them a pre-heated air fryer on the French fry setting. (All air fryers are different, so follow the instructions on yours... this is the Air Fryer I have.)

I topped the French fries with cooked chili (previously made), shredded cheddar cheese, and diced onion. We serve pepperoncinis on the side and honestly... this was better than The Hat! :)



Oven-Cooked BBQ Ribs
We normally grill our ribs on the BBQ outside, but today I tried a new technique I learned from Mandy in the Making's channel (Tell Mandy I said, "hello"). After placing a dry rub on the ribs, I tented them on a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and placed them in the oven at 300 degrees F (If I were to change it, I would cook them at 275F as Mandy suggested). We let these cook for 3 hours. Then I pulled them out and brushed BBQ sauce on top and finished them off uncovered, under the broiler for 15 minutes (Depending on. your broiler, broil for 5 to 15 minutes... check every 5 minutes to make sure you don't burn the ribs).

Creamed Spinach I don't normally measure my ingredients when I cook so this time, I made too much cream sauce. Always remember that spinach cooks down to nearly nothing, so plan accordingly. I will leave the proper measurements here for your reference. Sauté 20 oz of spinach in a lightly oiled pan until fully cooked. Combine 4oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, and 1/8 cup shredded parmesan in the same pan the spinach was cooked in. Cook on low heat until the sauce is melted nicely. Once the sauce is warm and mixed together completely, add the cooked spinach and season with salt and pepper.


Taco Salad
The kids could probably eat tacos 4x a week. I do tend to burn out on them. So while I made beef tacos for the rest of the family, I made a taco salad for myself. I used a freezer meal for this one. I like to prepare large batches of ground beef taco filling and freeze it in separate portions. I cooked this freezer meal in a slow cooker on low for four hours and it was ready to use.

I placed tortilla chips on the bottom of the plate, topped with lettuce, the taco filling, corn, sliced olives, sliced tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced red onions, and crushed tortilla chips on top. I squeezed the salad with lime juice and topped with Ranch dressing. Delish!


Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
When I was a child, the drive to my Grandmother's house seems to take forever. Our trip was always marked as half finished when we passed a restaurant called, Anderson's Pea Soup. Every time we drove past that restaurant, I craved a bowl of pea soup! I re-created it here in the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

Author: Jennifer L. Scott

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbs butter
  • 1 Tbs minced garlic
  • 1 medium chopped onion
  • 1 bay leaf (optional)
  • 1/2 cup diced ham (or one hambone) 
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 3 medium carrots, chopped
  • 4  cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups dry split peas, rinsed
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Set your Instant Pot to sauté and sauté the butter and garlic for one minute. Add the chopped onion and cook for 4 - 5 minutes. Add the sliced ham and cook for another couple of minutes. Turn off the sauté function. Add the chicken broth, celery, carrots, split peas and bay leaf. Season with pepper. Place the Instant pot on sealing and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Do a quick release and stir the soup until your split peas are in the desired consistency (the more you stir, the creamier the soup gets). Remove the bay leaf and ham bone (if used) and enjoy. 
Created using The Recipes Generator



Shrimp Scampi Linguini
This is a very quick and easy pasta dish that the whole family loves. There are many variations to this, I am leaving a recipe card for today's variation down below.

Shrimp Scampi Linguini

Author: Jennifer L. Scott

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1 Tbs minced garlic
  • Juice from one lemon
  • handful of chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 lb cooked shrimp
  • 1 package of dry linguini
  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

  1. Cook the linguini according to the package directions.
  2. Melt the oil and butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Add the diced garlic and sauté for one minute. Squeeze in the fresh lemon juice. Add half of the chopped parsley. Stir. Add the cooked shrimp (or you can cook the shrimp in the pan now, they will just need to cook longer until cooked through). Add the cooked linguini noodles and incorporate into the sauce. Top with extra chopped parsley and cracked black pepper and parmesan cheese. Delish! 
Created using The Recipes Generator


🍂 What I'm wearing
Mont Kiji Secret Garden scarf
Tee shirt by Mott & Bow JLS10 for 10% off
Jeans by Mott & Bow JLS10 for 10% off
Oliver Cabel driving shoes code JSCOTT10 gives $10 off your purchase
Red Nail polish Londontown (Changing of the Guards) JenniferS 25% off
Lilysilk white blouse Daily12 for 12% off
Pearl bow scrunchie SKYE Jennifer20 for 20% off

🍂 Featured in the video
Meal planning notebook/ grocery list
Instant Pot
Air fryer
French fry chopper
lemon juicer
Herb cutting board and chopper (similar) (Many people have asked about my herb chopper. It was a gift from my parents and I've had it for over a decade. I have linked a similar one here.
Cast iron skillet
Blue & white Churchill plates 
The Daily Connoisseur poster

🍂 Time Stamps
0:00 Introduction
1:35 Pastrami sandwiches and chili cheese fries
2:24 BBQ ribs in the oven with creamed spinach
4:28 Taco salad
6:18 Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
8:21 Shrimp Scampi Linguini
9:52 Pizza
11:11 Prepper Pantry Tour & Tips

🍂 Check out my friends!
Faith and Flour
This and That with Denise Jordan
Mary's Nest
She's in Her Apron
Free to Family

I hope you enjoy today's video.

News
📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for September.

📍Take my new eCourse, Carry Yourself with Poise. There are so many amazing ladies on this course, bonding and building friendships as we rally around elegant living. Tamara writes, "I absolutely adored this course! One of the best investments I have ever made in my life. Jennifer, I would like to thank you for taking the time to create a course that is enriching. I look forward future courses."

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.)

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.


On Instagram
Lessons from Madame Chic in good company...
View this post on Instagram

Dreaming of France and all its glory🍾🥐🤩💝

A post shared by Ingrid Kay (@ingridkayyt) on




Comment of the Week

Stephanie H. writes, "I’ve never posted on YouTube before but I wanted to let you know how much I truly enjoy these videos. As a SAHM with three kiddos, the message I commonly hear are about “self care” aka time away from our kids. But I think your message is far more powerful and realistic. Instead of just getting through the day until you can break away from the kids/family, why don’t we change our mindset to find fulfillment in the everyday tasks. If I’m being totally honest, I watch one of your videos almost daily but specifically on days I’m dragging my feet. Folding laundering with painted red nails makes me feel pretty and proud.
Thank you for making such an impact in so many of our lives and for showing us what really matters."

Stephanie, thank you so much for your comment. I appreciate that you don't comment normally and your perspective here has meant a lot to me. I appreciate it!


Thank you for joining me today. I hope you enjoyed the meals this week and the look into my prepper pantry. If you make the meals, I would love to know how they turn out!

*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

Visit my newly designed Author Website

Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the POISE *NEW course*, debt-free living, and efficiency at home




FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are affiliate.

6 comments:

Mystery Reader said...

I have made many of your recipes and they are always delicious. I appreciate the time and care you put into your videos and posts. Your content is always high quality and informative and I know the cooking segments and meals are especially time consuming for you to prepare. Thanks for adding the print feature on the recipes.

Unknown said...

Love Whole Foods new rebranding of hundreds of products with their 365 brand. I find their prices on par with Trader Joe’s and often lower with a much larger selection and better ingredients. Six kinds of organic spaghetti sauce at $2.29 a jar. Amazing!

Susan M said...

I know there are some negative connotations with the term Prepper Pantry, but I still prefer that to Victory Pantry. Having a victor implies there is a loser, even if the victory is just over the circumstances.
I would love to see you do a review of the Carlin hair clip in the future.

terrylee said...

Love these video's, keep them coming. The best pizza dough recipe is from Natasha's Kitchen for a thin crust pizza....so easy and perfect every time. I have made some of your recipes and they have been great. Print feature is so helpful!

Sam L. said...

I stumbled across your blog years ago with the ten-item wardrobe. I bought and read Lessons from Madame Chic back then, and I continue to visit your blog now. Then, I had just left my career as an accountant to be a stay-at-home wife and mother. I was a little lost on how to manage my new life - how to manage a household, nurture a marriage, care for children, present myself as an elegant lady (the style description that most appeals to me) and set personal goals for myself that were outside the "wife" and "mother" roles. I find balance in your blog. I love the variety of posts: wardrobe, meal prep, homeschooling (we also homeschool), cleaning, remodeling, seeking out the arts, etc. It reminds me that as homemakers, we manage a variety of tasks, and that variety adds a richness to life. I particularly like the segment in this post about the prepper pantry. We, too, keep a stash of supplies on hand for any number of emergencies. Some blog posts about prepping can seem very extreme, end-of-the-world-ish. Your presentation, however, exhibits prepping as a useful, practical, homemaking skill. Thank you for sharing all of your ideas with a positive, uplifting energy. With each of your posts I watch/read, I have a new joyful outlook on being a homemaker. All of the work you put into your blog is very much appreciated.

The Daily Connoisseur said...

Mystery Reader- Thank you so much. I really appreciate that!

Unknown- thank you for that tip!

Susan- I agree and many others do too! I like Victory pantry as well!

Terrylee- Thank you! Many people recommended that recipe too so I will have to check it out!

Sam- Your comment made my day. Thank you! I have always covered a variety of subjects on the blog so as not to get bored so I'm glad you enjoy the variety too!

Thank you all so much for commenting. I will continue to do dinners of the week and will try to make the blogposts and recipes easier to print too. Have a wonderful evening!

~ Jennifer