This is always a time of gratitude and thanks and as thanksgiving day soon approaches, many have noticed empty spots on shelves at their grocery stores and the rising prices are adding stress. However, there are things you can make for Thanksgiving, with no grocery store needed! In fact, you probably have everything you need sitting in your pantry.
You can make several delicious Thanksgiving foods easily with you can find in your pantry. The foods listed below can be made for Thanksgiving (or any time) with items most of us store in our pantries at home. Obviously, these are not your only options, and feel free to manipulate the recipes to your desire! If you don’t like garlic, for example, feel free to leave it out!
Apple Pie from Brandied Apples
Not too long ago, we wrote an article showing how to can brandied apples. We also have since made a pie out of those apples and it was incredible! Use fruits that you have canned from your garden or orchard. These will make delicious and nutritious pies to enjoy for dessert during your Thanksgiving dinner! Check out our WaY Out There channel on YouTube and follow our homesteading life.
For a perfect pie crust, my daughter begrudgingly agreed to share her pie crust recipe with you all. It truly is the closest recipe I’ve tasted that comes to grandma’s pies.
Perfect Pie Crust
makes 2 single or 1 double crust
- 21/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup cold butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
- 7 tablespoons cold water (spooned one at a time)
- Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl and stir until incorporated.
- Add the diced butter and mix until ingredients combine to resemble coarse crumbs. The mixture should be dry and powdery.
- Add tablespoons of cold water, one at a time until dough crumbs become moist and formable.
- Transfer dough to a clean surface and roll dough into a small bowl. Divide dough in half and flatten it into two rounded circles.
- Refrigerate one hour before baking.
Simple Meat Stew
If you have canned any meat for storage this year, you could forego the turkey and have something different! Many are already warning that those Thanksgiving turkeys will be in short supply this year, so if you can’t get your hands on one, why not try a stew out of meats you harvested and canned? We were able to successfully can elk meat, and make it into an enjoyable stew.
Cornbread
We love cornbread at Thanksgiving and typically use it for our cornbread dressing or simply have a pan of it made in the cast iron pan for extra crispy edges. As a southern girl, cornbread is the ultimate comfort food and it’s made with simple, wholesome pantry ingredients. This is our favorite cornbread recipe!
Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes are so dang cheap, it’s always a good idea to have these guys ready for a quick mash. We grow and store potatoes but eat them sparingly. So Thanksgiving is the perfect time to bring out one of my all-time favorite comfort foods! (I now make this dairy-free, however, if you can, use real butter and milk!) It’s pretty easy to peel several potatoes, cut them up, and boil them until fork tender. (You can easily spear one piece with a fork.) Then mash with milk and butter. Add more milk and butter to make this the consistency you desire. Add some salt and pepper if you want, and that’s it!
Roasted Vegetables
This one is simple too. Just grab whatever veggies you have in your fridge, cut them up into bite-sized pieces, put them in a roasting pan with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Stir them around to coat with the oil and put in an oven about 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like your veggies. We have done this with potatoes, bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, carrots, kohlrabi, rutabaga, garlic, and green beans. It turns out great every single time! Veggies like potatoes may take longer than others to roast, so be aware of that if you add them. But this is a great way to use up what you have and create something nutritious for your Thanksgiving table!
Make-Ahead Apple Chutney
You could easily use your canned brandied apples to make an apple chutney as well! Here’s what you’ll need:
You will need
- One jar (about 2 lbs) of your brandied or canned apples (or pick two fresh apples)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about a cup),
- 3/4 cup golden raisins (optional)
- 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds, any color is fine,
- 1.5 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- grated zest, and juice of 1 lemon (optional)
Once you have all your ingredients ready, combine all the ingredients in a large, nonreactive pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and then turn heat to low and cover the pot. Cook for 20 minutes. Uncover and raise the heat to medium, adjusting the heat as necessary to allow the mixture to stay at a constant simmer. Simmer, stirring often, for 20-40 minutes more or until the chutney thickens and darkens. You can purée the chutney in my food processor to a coarse thickness, however, if you are using canned apples, this is highly unnecessary. Transfer chutney to a jar and store in the fridge for one to two weeks. Use on Thanksgiving day on your cornbread, vegetables, or even mashed potatoes! You could also dip homemade crackers in this chutney as a pre-dinner appetizer…
Homemade Crackers
If you want to save a buck or two and have some extra sourdough starter you need to get rid of, here’s a simple cracker recipe using pantry staples.
It’s pretty easy to whip up some quick 10-minute crackers with supplies most of us have on hand. You will need, 1 1/4 cups flour whole wheat, fresh ground, or all-purpose, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika regular paprika works fine, 4 Tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup water, 1 Tablespoon honey, Sea salt. To make these, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Measure all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until it looks like pea-sized clumps. Add in water and honey, stir until just combined. Lightly flour a baking sheet or stone. Roll dough out on it. Use a pizza cutter and cut into desired shapes. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 10 minutes!
These simple recipes could be used any time of the year, but they incorporate those typical Thanksgiving flavors we have grown to know and love! What are your favorite Thanksgiving recipes? Think about how you can make them using items from your pantry without having to go to the store, so we can all still enjoy a wonderful holiday full of thanks and gratitude even if the world appears to be crumbling around us.
This article was a lift to my spirits. I was thinking of just forgoing the holiday as merely another day. Now I can use what I has along with an imagination to create my own thanksgiving dinner!@