Ree hasn't been to the store in weeks and she's still got another day to go before she can hit town. Over the next 24 hours, she dips into her trusty staples to whip up some food from what she can find in her pantry and freezer.
Ree hasn't been to the store in weeks and she's still got another day to go before she can hit town. Over the next 24 hours, she dips into her trusty staples to whip up some food from what she can find in her pantry and freezer.
Below are the recipes used in today’s episode:
Simple, Perfect Chili:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/simple-perfect-chili-recipe-2107099
Pantry Pasta:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/pantry-pasta-recipe-2119139
Apple Brown Betty:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/apple-brown-betty-2102355
French Toast with Berry Butters:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/french-toast-with-berry-butters-recipe-2047715
On The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond shares her comforting home cooking from her kitchen on the ranch. With direct audio from her hit Food Network TV show, you can now enjoy Ree’s company as she cooks up meals for every occasion, from last-minute family suppers to elegant celebrations.
For even more recipes head to discovery+ and stream full episodes of The Pioneer Woman on discovery+. Head to discoveryplus.com/pioneerwoman to start your 7-day free trial today. Terms apply.
Find episode transcript here: https://the-pioneer-woman.simplecast.com/episodes/all-stocked-up
REE DRUMMOND: I'm Ree Drummond. I'm a writer, blogger, photographer, mother. And I'm an accidental country girl. I live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. And I've got a lot of mouths to feed. My style of food is simple yet scrumptious. And all my recipes have to be approved by cowboys, hungry kids, and me. Here's what's happening on the ranch.
We've been a little busy around here and I haven't been able to get to the store in a while. So for the next 24 hours, I'm relying on whatever I've got on hand to cook up delicious pantry pasta for a mom-daughter dinner. Notice my very large bowls. That was no accident.
Then the next morning, I'm whipping up French toast with berry butter for breakfast for the kids. Who else wants one?
SPEAKER 1: Me.
SPEAKER 2: Me, me, me me.
REE DRUMMOND: Followed by a hearty meal later in the day of simple perfect chili with all the fixings and a delicious home baked apple brown betty all from what I can find in my pantry, fridge, and freezer. It's all about stocking up. Welcome to my frontier.
Well, we've been pretty busy around here between soccer and football and school and work. You know the drill. And I haven't had a chance to get to the store in a little while, so I'm relying on my trusty staples. My husband, Ladd, has the three younger kids with him at a soccer game tonight so I'm getting ready to raid the pantry for a mother-daughter dinner.
All right, let's see what I got. Pasta, of course, onion and garlic. Diced tomatoes, that's a good one. And then, oh, assorted olives, artichoke hearts. I like the looks of those. How could I forget pesto? And of course, pine nuts because Alex and I both love him. I think I'm set.
I've got some red onion sauteing in a little olive oil in the skillet. And I minced up quite a bit of garlic. I'll throw that in there and let it saute for a couple of minutes. Pantry pasta is just a go-to basic pasta that you can make with whatever you have in your pantry. And you can customize it according to who you're cooking for.
And then I've got some really great Greek olives, a couple of different colors so they're really pretty. If I were making this for my husband and my boys, this is an example of where I might leave out the olives because they think olives are a little on the salty side. But since it's my daughter and me, we're going to totally go for it.
I'm just going to give them a rough chop. And then I've got some jarred artichoke hearts. And you can do plain or marinated-- again, just whatever you've got. So I'm just going to cut them in half.
And then I've got a can of diced tomatoes. So I'm just going to add these with the juice. You can do whole tomatoes, too. The diced tomatoes seem to keep their shape a little bit better. And since this is a quick pasta sauce, they don't need to spend very much time cooking.
And then I'll add the olives and I'll add the artichoke hearts. Give it a stir. And some chicken broth, and just splash it in. Just any kind of liquid so the sauce can cook and bubble up. Add a little salt and pepper.
OK, now I'm just going to let this simmer for a bit. And I'll go ahead and throw in the pasta. Again, you can use whatever pasta you have in your pantry. I like to collect different shapes of dried pasta because I'm just a pasta nut.
So you can do linguine, spaghetti, anything you have. These are kind of cute little flowers, they're called. And I thought that would be, oh, so appropriate for a dinner with my oldest daughter.
You know, living in the country, I never know when I'm going to get to town to go to the store. Sometimes, I go every week. And sometimes, I wait a little bit between trips because I like to stay home a lot.
But two or three times a year, I go to the city and really, really stock up at a larger store. It's nice to have everything on hand. Then I can whip up a meal no matter what's going on in our lives.
I always have beans, especially pinto beans. I put them in soups or just cook them with a ham hock. Potatoes, onions and garlic, and I store them in a basket so air can circulate. Canned tomatoes, pastas of various kinds, and different stocks and broths.
And I always have chipotle peppers. I use them all the time in salad dressings, soups, and sauces. And a new favorite of mine, panko breadcrumbs. They make the most incredible crisp toppings and coatings. Then my trusty seasonings-- balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce for extra heat.
OK. The pasta is done. All right, now I'm not sure if I'm going to add all the pasta. Just add enough so that we both have a really good portion. And this is where the for me category comes into play-- pesto.
Pesto is such a great way to get an injection of herbs into your dishes. So I'm going to add a nice healthy portion. Actually, I'll go ahead and add two healthy portions. And pesto smells so good. It just completely transforms whatever you stir it into.
And I've got another ingredient that's great to keep in the fridge because it lasts a really long time-- feta cheese. You can buy it crumbled or I really like these large blocks. Break up the chunks a little bit.
Ah, feta has such a wonderful smell, too. Just sprinkle that over the top, give it a stir. And then finally, toasted pine nuts-- perfect pantry item. All right, perfect. Alex. All right, time to eat.
Up next, it's French toast with berry butter for the kids' breakfast.
Hey, baby. Here you go.
Then my simple perfect chili and apple brown betty all from the fridge and freezer. Yay for being stocked up.
Well, I'm not going to get to the store until tomorrow so I'm basically relying on whatever I've got in my freezer in my pantry. I'm making the kids French toast with berry butter for breakfast this morning. I brought a loaf of bread home from the lodge. It was in the freezer.
And I'm going to mix up my favorite French toast base. I've got four egg yolks. I like French toast made with egg yolks. It just gives it a wonderful richness. And I'm going to add 2 cups of half and half, about 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Vanilla and French toast go hand in hand, I think.
And then I'm just going to add the zest of a lemon. If you don't have one of these zesters, you need to ask for one for your birthday. They are miraculous. Then I'll just tap the zest into the bowl. And finally, I'm going to add a good tablespoon of sugar, just for a little sweetness.
All right, now whisk that together. Ah, it looks so beautiful and creamy and egg yolk-y. Now, I'll just dunk the bread, totally submerge it. I really like using bread from the freezer to make French toast because it's usually a little bit tough, a little on the dry side. And dunking it in this makes it almost like a fresh loaf of bread.
All right, I've got the last two dunked. And I've got a little bit of liquid left so I'm just going to drizzle that over the rest of the pieces. I wouldn't want this glorious concoction to go to waste.
I've got all the bread soaked in the mixture. I've had the griddle heating up, medium low heat. So I'm just going to swipe some butter over the griddle. OK now, I'm just going to get the French toast on the griddle. Oh, it already smells so good. I smell that vanilla.
OK, the French toast is ready to flip. The yellow color is so beautiful. And they're toasting so perfectly. I don't like to rush French toast. I kind of put it on a medium low griddle. I really want it to cook all the way through and get crispy on the outside so be patient with it.
And then I'm going to grab the berry butter that I brought home from the lodge. It was in the freezer. And just like the bread, I let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
It's just two sticks of softened butter whipped in the mixer using the whisk attachment. Then you throw in 1/2 a cup of blackberries or any other berry you like. Then using the paddle attachment, turn the mixer on low for about 5 seconds just long enough to mix the berries in but not to turn it into a mess.
Then just turn the butter onto plastic wrap set over a sheet of foil and roll it into a cylinder. Seal it inside the wrap, secure the foil around it, then gradually apply more pressure as you twist to make the cylinder taut and twist the ends. And that's it.
They really keep so well in the freezer. I've made them and stuck them in the freezer before and forgotten about them for months. And they're still delicious when I thaw them out. Or if you want to make them and serve them right away, just stick them in the freezer for about 30 minutes and let them firm up.
I made blackberry and raspberry butter. I like to slice it pretty thick. And that way, when it melts over the French toast, you have this cascade of melted butter and then these bits of berries that are left behind. And it's too beautiful for words.
And I'm going to put both kinds of berry butter on the French toast. Then I'm going to sprinkle the whole thing with powdered sugar, drizzle on some warm maple syrup. To die for. Hey kids, breakfast. Sorry to shout.
Hey, baby. Here you go. Who else wants one?
SPEAKER 1: Me.
SPEAKER 2: Me, me, me, me.
REE DRUMMOND: You guys are hungry.
I'm often asked about how I stock my pantry and my fridge and my freezer. So I decided to write a little blog post and outline how I do it all. Here's what I usually have in the fridge.
I always have lemons and limes, butter and long lasting cheese like cheddar and feta, and of course, bacon. I've always got to have bacon. The freezer is one of my favorite spots for stocking up-- things like green beans, peas. And around the holidays, I have pumpkin puree.
And then I have a little trick for all those annoying little containers of spices that accumulate over time. I just dump them all in a container and then I just use it as an all purpose seasoning mix. All right, the post is done. I'm going to go ahead and publish.
Next, I'm heading up to the lodge to raid the fridge and freezer so we can chow down on simple perfect chili and apple brown betty. The family's out moving cattle so they're going to be hungry. Ladd and the kids are out moving some cattle around. And since I'm still not going to get to the store until tomorrow, I'm relying on whatever I've got in my pantry and freezer.
This is my simple perfect chili, and it really is just that. It's a total cinch to make. I just throw 2 pounds of ground beef into a large pot with two cloves of chopped garlic, then cook it till it browns.
While that's happening, I mix up the herbs and spices. 1 teaspoon of ground oregano, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, a 1/4 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons of chili powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Then I'd add an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, the spices, and give it a good stir. Put on the lid and simmer it for an hour.
After that, I grab a 1/4 cup of masa mixed with 1/2 a cup of water. Masa is corn flour. And it thickens the chili and adds a great corn flavor. After an hour, I dump the massive mixture into the chili, stir it together well, then let it simmer for a few more minutes. Then it's done, simply perfect.
OK, I just snip the bags open. Dinner doesn't get much easier than this, does it? And I'm just going to place them in the pot and then just pour some water over the top, and then heat them up. And the water will eventually evaporate and it'll be perfect.
SPEAKER 3: Right now, we're going to sort a few of the little cattle off of these. And then we're going to haul the big ones over to another place on the ranch. They need to go into a fresh pasture where they're going to spend the winter. Bigs, little. Come on, kids.
REE DRUMMOND: And now, I'm going to start on the beans. My recipes are very, very complicated, beware. You know what I love so much about chili is that you can serve it on its own in a bowl with fixins or you can do any number of other things with it. It's so, so versatile.
Chili cheese burgers, one of Ladd's all time favorite meals. A bun, a burger, a pile of chili, and some grated cheddar cheese. That's got my husband's name written all over it.
Walking tacos. Corn chips, chili, grated cheddar cheese, and a sprinkling of diced red onion. Such an easy and really fun treat.
And sometimes, we have stuffed red, green, or yellow bell peppers. Take a bell pepper, lop off the top, take out the seeds. Then fill it with chili, top it with grated cheddar cheese, and bake it in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes at 375. So, so good. I just love all those recipes.
All right, the chili's thawed. I'll just throw the beans in. I'm using kidney beans and pinto beans. But you can use whatever beans you have in your pantry. And I'm just going to let this simmer gently until they get back for moving cattle around.
And then I've got some fixins ready for the chili. The great thing about these fixins is they're all pantry and fridge standbys. I've got tortilla chips, lime wedges, red onion, and, of course, grated cheese. You got to have lots and lots of grated cheese when you serve chili.
Next, I'm a half a day away from getting to the store. But I'll still be able to get apple brown betty and hearty chili on the table for my gang. Stocking up is the only way to go out here. For recipes from this episode, go to foodnetwork.com/pioneerwoman.
I'm still not going to make it to the store until tomorrow so I'm cooking from my trusty staples. Ladd and the kids are out moving cattle around. And I know they're going to be starving when they get back.
So I've made chili, and I'm getting ready to whip up apple brown betty. I've got the apples from the fridge, the bread from the freezer. And now, I just have to throw it all together.
Start by sprinkling Granny Smith apples, which have been peeled, cored, and diced, into a buttered baking dish. Next, sprinkle on 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar, four slices of diced wheat bread, and 8 tablespoons of butter.
Then repeat with the other half of the apples, another 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar, the other half of the bread. Then the top gets dotted with eight more tablespoons of butter. And you end it by sprinkling 1/2 a cup of water all over the surface just a spoonful at a time.
See what I mean about throwing it all together? I love easy desserts. Now, this bakes at 375 for about 45 minutes with the foil on. And then I'll take the foil off and bake it for another 10 minutes. And by that time, the family will be back to eat.
SPEAKER 1: You got it?
SPEAKER 3: Yep. You ready?
SPEAKER 1: Yeah.
REE DRUMMOND: All right, who wants chili?
SPEAKER 1: Me.
REE DRUMMOND: Here you go, Alex Marie.
SPEAKER 2: One scoop, please.
REE DRUMMOND: One scoop for Todd? Daddy, how many scoops?
SPEAKER 3: I'll take 3 to start off with. And then I might have to eat Bryce's. Look good
SPEAKER 2: And mama's chili is good chili.
SPEAKER 3: Yes, it is, Todd.
REE DRUMMOND: Oh, I am stuffed.
SPEAKER 1: Me too.
REE DRUMMOND: And who wants dessert?
SPEAKER 1: Me.
SPEAKER 2: Me.
SPEAKER 3: All right, dessert.
REE DRUMMOND: Apple brown betty, guys.
SPEAKER 3: I'm ready.
REE DRUMMOND: Todd, you get to go first. Dig in. OK, yum.
SPEAKER 3: All right. Thank you, mama.
REE DRUMMOND: You're welcome.
SPEAKER 3: A hot apple dessert with ice cream is just hard to beat.
REE DRUMMOND: It really is. They were meant to go together. So who volunteers to do the dishes?
SPEAKER 2: Me.
REE DRUMMOND: Hey, hey.
SPEAKER 3: That's nice, Todd. How about you, Paige? OK, I'll help Todd.
SPEAKER 2: You don't have to.
SPEAKER 1: I will too.
SPEAKER 2: Neither do you
REE DRUMMOND: The family's doing the dishes. I don't have to go to the store till tomorrow. Life is good.
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