The Stocked Kitchen Convert
On my last birthday my wonderful husband gave me The Stocked Kitchen, by Sarah Kallio and Stacey Krastins, and I am not exaggerating when I say this book has changed the way I look at food and has given me a new perspective on meal preparation.
The jacket describes the book as “the first complete meal creation system with only one standard list of groceries. If your kitchen is ‘stocked’ with these ingredients, you will always have what you need to create any of the 300 delicious recipes in this book…both busy moms, Sarah and Stacey have proven that The Stocked Kitchen system works. It has reduced their grocery bills, stress levels, trips to the market, and food waste.”
Now, after reading this I immediately had two thoughts. One, if this works then I wouldn’t need to blog about cookbooks anymore; and two, with my past experiences with cookbooks I’m skeptical that it can live up to the artfully worded Madison Avenue cover. I’m happy to report that I’m wrong on both counts!
Not wanting to jump in to fast, I took the suggestion of the authors and did not give myself over to the whole system at once, rather just selected a few recipes with similar ingredients and started slow. I also followed their suggestion of cleaning out my cabinets, making note of the items on the list I already had and throwing away or donating anything that had not been used in some time. I’m ashamed to admit that most of the stuff in my cabinets had expired more than a year ago, but it helped me to see that I do buy on impulse rather than with a clear plan. I was honestly surprised by the number of things on the list that I already had, which helped to motivate me to really give this book a go.
Being a picky eater for all of my 38 years, I have not given many foods a chance and usually when I walk into a grocery store I head straight for either something classic and familiar (spaghetti, chili, burgers, hot dogs, etc.) or something that can be thrown in the oven and done in 20 minutes. The ingredients on the list are simple and not exotic at all, but it was like a scavenger hunt finding items like the frozen bread dough and jarred roasted red peppers. (By the way, I have been all over my Kroger and can still not find the jarred roasted red peppers.) After a couple of more shopping trips to get stocked, the magic of having a real plan finally began to sink in and I started cutting my time in the grocery by almost half!
Now, when I actually started cooking I had a misfire on the very first recipe. A stuffed chicken breast that had spinach and cheese inside sounded simple enough to try for my first experiment, but my assumption about not cooking a side-dish because the vegetable was already inside resulted in a very carnivorous evening which left my husband and I feeling a bit under-whelmed. My second attempt at the book was an absolute homerun, and the Cheesy Chicken Chili is now a staple in our household. What I love most about it is you can change the taste each time you make it by switching up the heat level of the salsa used in the recipe. The versatility of each recipe ensures that you can switch up items and still get very tasty results.
I came across some ground chicken on sale and had it setting in the freezer for a couple of weeks because I wasn’t sure what to do with it (but for less than $2 a pound on manager’s special I figured it was worth running the risk of having to throw it out at some point). There weren’t any recipes in the book that specifically called for ground chicken so I turned to my trust “Joy of Cooking” for some ideas. To my great delight I found a recipe for chicken meatballs that called for ingredients I had already “stocked.” A chicken meatball rolled in batter, paired with “The Stocked Kitchen’s” Ginger Sauce and Thai Peanut Noodles became a quick Asian inspired meal!
Okay, so I made a slight modification to the Ginger Sauce by not putting ginger in it since my husband and I don’t like ginger, but it still made a superb sweet and sour sauce in which to dip the chicken. And that is the glory of this book. You can change stuff up and keep building upon the foundations set in it and never run out of ideas for a meal!
By far my most favorite aspect of this book is that it has introduced me to frozen bread dough and all the delicious doors this versatile product opens. I no longer buy pizza crust mix, buns or breadsticks/garlic toast because all I have to do is thaw a loaf and let my imagination be my guide! One night an inspiration hit me and I chopped up a pound of chicken breasts into one-inch cubes, tossed them with some breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cooked the chicken in a frying pan with olive oil until they were no longer pink, then pulled my thawed dough into a large rectangle, covered it in the pizza sauce (an awesomely delicious recipe in the book) placed my chicken on it and smothered the whole thing in mozzarella cheese. Twenty minutes in a 400 degree oven and my husband and I had a meal so good we didn’t talk for the duration of it because we were too busy eating!
I’ve been using the system for almost a month now, and can honestly say I have never been more proud of the food I’m serving. Cutting out the prepackaged foods has reduced the amount of trash we produce, and my husband and I are physically feeling better. I now come home excited about making dinner because I don’t have to wonder what there is to cook. My only thought now is which recipe am I going to make, or am I going to get wild and come up with something new.
Now, having praised this cookbook I must also add a disclaimer: it is very “bean” heavy and while not all the recipes call for black, cannelli or kidney beans, a great many do and if you suffer from gout (like my dad) you know that beans are one of the trigger foods for flare-ups. Or, if you are like my dear friend Jennifer, and you would rather kiss a goat than eat any kind of bean then this book is definitely not for you. Although with a little creativity the bean issue can be worked around. If you have no problem with beans, then try the bean burger recipe and make your own buns using the frozen bread dough. I served it to my husband, with salsa and a healthy pile of shredded cheddar on his and at first he didn't realize there was no meat in them!
It also failed the toddler test, and I’ve yet to find anything my toddler will eat. I even lovingly prepared the book’s Chicken Strips and sat down with my darling 3-year-old to sample them, when she took a bite, turned her head and spit it out and proclaimed “disgusting.” In all fairness to the authors, they were really good and Geneva calls everything “disgusting” that isn’t spaghetti, peanut butter or popcorn chicken from the Wal-Mart deli counter.
It is a great book with a great concept and great food. After telling my friend and co-worker, Deanna West, about the book she summed it up best with the statement “It is about time someone came up with an idea like this.”
I couldn't agree more!
www.thestockedkitchen.com
The jacket describes the book as “the first complete meal creation system with only one standard list of groceries. If your kitchen is ‘stocked’ with these ingredients, you will always have what you need to create any of the 300 delicious recipes in this book…both busy moms, Sarah and Stacey have proven that The Stocked Kitchen system works. It has reduced their grocery bills, stress levels, trips to the market, and food waste.”
Now, after reading this I immediately had two thoughts. One, if this works then I wouldn’t need to blog about cookbooks anymore; and two, with my past experiences with cookbooks I’m skeptical that it can live up to the artfully worded Madison Avenue cover. I’m happy to report that I’m wrong on both counts!
Not wanting to jump in to fast, I took the suggestion of the authors and did not give myself over to the whole system at once, rather just selected a few recipes with similar ingredients and started slow. I also followed their suggestion of cleaning out my cabinets, making note of the items on the list I already had and throwing away or donating anything that had not been used in some time. I’m ashamed to admit that most of the stuff in my cabinets had expired more than a year ago, but it helped me to see that I do buy on impulse rather than with a clear plan. I was honestly surprised by the number of things on the list that I already had, which helped to motivate me to really give this book a go.
Being a picky eater for all of my 38 years, I have not given many foods a chance and usually when I walk into a grocery store I head straight for either something classic and familiar (spaghetti, chili, burgers, hot dogs, etc.) or something that can be thrown in the oven and done in 20 minutes. The ingredients on the list are simple and not exotic at all, but it was like a scavenger hunt finding items like the frozen bread dough and jarred roasted red peppers. (By the way, I have been all over my Kroger and can still not find the jarred roasted red peppers.) After a couple of more shopping trips to get stocked, the magic of having a real plan finally began to sink in and I started cutting my time in the grocery by almost half!
Now, when I actually started cooking I had a misfire on the very first recipe. A stuffed chicken breast that had spinach and cheese inside sounded simple enough to try for my first experiment, but my assumption about not cooking a side-dish because the vegetable was already inside resulted in a very carnivorous evening which left my husband and I feeling a bit under-whelmed. My second attempt at the book was an absolute homerun, and the Cheesy Chicken Chili is now a staple in our household. What I love most about it is you can change the taste each time you make it by switching up the heat level of the salsa used in the recipe. The versatility of each recipe ensures that you can switch up items and still get very tasty results.
I came across some ground chicken on sale and had it setting in the freezer for a couple of weeks because I wasn’t sure what to do with it (but for less than $2 a pound on manager’s special I figured it was worth running the risk of having to throw it out at some point). There weren’t any recipes in the book that specifically called for ground chicken so I turned to my trust “Joy of Cooking” for some ideas. To my great delight I found a recipe for chicken meatballs that called for ingredients I had already “stocked.” A chicken meatball rolled in batter, paired with “The Stocked Kitchen’s” Ginger Sauce and Thai Peanut Noodles became a quick Asian inspired meal!
Okay, so I made a slight modification to the Ginger Sauce by not putting ginger in it since my husband and I don’t like ginger, but it still made a superb sweet and sour sauce in which to dip the chicken. And that is the glory of this book. You can change stuff up and keep building upon the foundations set in it and never run out of ideas for a meal!
By far my most favorite aspect of this book is that it has introduced me to frozen bread dough and all the delicious doors this versatile product opens. I no longer buy pizza crust mix, buns or breadsticks/garlic toast because all I have to do is thaw a loaf and let my imagination be my guide! One night an inspiration hit me and I chopped up a pound of chicken breasts into one-inch cubes, tossed them with some breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cooked the chicken in a frying pan with olive oil until they were no longer pink, then pulled my thawed dough into a large rectangle, covered it in the pizza sauce (an awesomely delicious recipe in the book) placed my chicken on it and smothered the whole thing in mozzarella cheese. Twenty minutes in a 400 degree oven and my husband and I had a meal so good we didn’t talk for the duration of it because we were too busy eating!
I’ve been using the system for almost a month now, and can honestly say I have never been more proud of the food I’m serving. Cutting out the prepackaged foods has reduced the amount of trash we produce, and my husband and I are physically feeling better. I now come home excited about making dinner because I don’t have to wonder what there is to cook. My only thought now is which recipe am I going to make, or am I going to get wild and come up with something new.
Now, having praised this cookbook I must also add a disclaimer: it is very “bean” heavy and while not all the recipes call for black, cannelli or kidney beans, a great many do and if you suffer from gout (like my dad) you know that beans are one of the trigger foods for flare-ups. Or, if you are like my dear friend Jennifer, and you would rather kiss a goat than eat any kind of bean then this book is definitely not for you. Although with a little creativity the bean issue can be worked around. If you have no problem with beans, then try the bean burger recipe and make your own buns using the frozen bread dough. I served it to my husband, with salsa and a healthy pile of shredded cheddar on his and at first he didn't realize there was no meat in them!
It also failed the toddler test, and I’ve yet to find anything my toddler will eat. I even lovingly prepared the book’s Chicken Strips and sat down with my darling 3-year-old to sample them, when she took a bite, turned her head and spit it out and proclaimed “disgusting.” In all fairness to the authors, they were really good and Geneva calls everything “disgusting” that isn’t spaghetti, peanut butter or popcorn chicken from the Wal-Mart deli counter.
It is a great book with a great concept and great food. After telling my friend and co-worker, Deanna West, about the book she summed it up best with the statement “It is about time someone came up with an idea like this.”
I couldn't agree more!
www.thestockedkitchen.com
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