We're expecting a change in the weather and I want the bulk of cleaning up the garden duties behind me before we get more rain or cold weather. Last year we had snow in the late fall that stayed until spring and some of the garden clean up didn't get finished. I don't want to be surprised again. So I've been working in the garden all day. And tonight we are having a pantry dinner!

This pretty much consists of only items from the pantry and/ or the garden. It is usually a quick throw-together fare that allows me to get supper on the table fast for starving teenagers who simply must eat NOW hungry farm kids. 

So here it is: 

1 quart canned chicken (I pressure canned last fall)

1 can diced tomatoes (I have a couple of quarts I canned last fall too but I didn't want a whole quart of toms this time :)

2 cans black beans (I'm working on pressure canning beans. Right now I love the whole soaking-over-night-for -a-great-pot-of-beans thing so I haven't really ventured into pressure canning beans.....yet)

3 cups white rice (I only have white rice in the pantry right now- it stores almost indefinitely where brown rice tends to go rancid....it's the oil in the brown rice I think)

onions and greens from the garden

Cook rice in 6 cups of water. Chop greens and add to pot of rice just at the end of the cooking/ steaming process so the greens can steam too.
Chop onions and add the rest of the ingredients. Add the juices of all the cans if you like a wet-ish finished product. If you like your throw together, one pot dinners on the dry side, drain all the cans before you drop the contents into the pot. (But save the juices for another meal.....added to home made soup maybe?)

Here's the finished product. You can add a side salad and/ or loaf of crusty bread along if you'd like.

For us, a dash of Parmesan cheese and we have a meal fit for starving teenagers who simply must eat NOW hungry farm kids.  



Just a quick side bar:   I LOVE this enamel cast iron pot! I got it at Costco about 2 years ago for a fraction of the price of the fancy French cookware ($239.95 vs $78.99!). It has been my go-to cooking pot almost everyday since I bought it. It's nice and big and the color is the best! I smile every time I get to use it....every time!