I’m sure you’ve read many articles about what to keep in your pantry, but, my pantry has a little bit more than the rest of the bloggers.   Below I explain.

 

I keep the standards like most people: spaghetti noodles, rice, cream of mushroom soup, dried bread crumbs, chicken and beef stock.  But aside from the standards, I also keep canned fish, such as canned crab, canned oysters and canned shrimp. I actually use more of these meats than the fresh meats you buy at the store.   Why you ask??  Well, let me tell you, I make a few killer recipes with these kinds of meats.  Not to mention, they do not go bad like the fresh meat you buy at the store.   The kind of recipes I use these kind of meats, are my killer crab cakes and gumbo.   Crab cakes you ask?? Yes, crab cakes, everyone in my family loves my crab cakes.  If there is one dish my entire family can agree on, it’s crab cakes.  I’ve tried different crab cake recipes and my original is always the favorite (I will post on my crab cakes in a different post, I promise).  I can make my crab cakes in less than 30 minutes and if I have everything on hand, it’s super easy.  One thing I can say about making crab cakes is I use the regular old crab meat and not the fancy lump crab meat.  The lump crab meat does not seem to keep the cake from falling apart.  I’ve tried too many times with the lump crab meat to have a patty that is not falling apart.  If you use the regular crab meat, it seems to make a better cake.   Bumble Bee seems to be a better crab to use at the store.   If you got to amazon, you can buy bulk for a lot cheaper price.

 

I also keep canned shrimp, lump crab and canned oysters in my pantry for the gumbo I make. But I use a sauce from a company called Cajun Power Sauce(http://www.cajunpowersauce.com/).  This soup is super easy and delicious to have.  Again, my entire family can agree on my gumbo.    I buy Cajun Power Sauce’s gumbo by the case and it makes for a quick family meal if you have everything at home.

 

Flogger Dilemma:  I have 4 boys; 20, 8, 7 and 4 and not to mention my husband.   Making my simple go to canned meat dishes is getting increasingly difficult since it takes a double batch to make anything to feed a family of 6, that means 4 cans of crab for crab cakes and 2 cans of shrimp, oysters and lump crab meat and two jars of gumbo for my gumbo.

 

Flogger Addition:  I also keep bread crumbs, dried mustard (for my crab cakes), Dijon mustard and Cajun seasonings on hand for recipes.  I’ve had many times a recipe calls for Dijon mustard and/or seasoned salt.  I replace the seasoned salt with Cajun seasoning and my fam bam loves  the extra kick in taste.