Power of the Pantry

Yes, it has been way too long since I have posted to this blog. but I am coming out of my self induced hiatus and hope to post continuously again. It's not that I haven't been cooking....I have! but it has been too much with the schedule to actually get to the site and post. With spring around the corner and all of us coming out of our winter hibernation I say "VIVA LA POST!"

So as my first post I will share something very humorous that may make my Diva followers gasp. But it is a good example of ingenuity when you're in a pickle.

A few weeks ago I was in Killington Vermont staying with a very good friend at her ski house. By 8pm everyone but me was smashed and they all poured into the ski house looking for dinner. What ensued was quite amusing. a bunch of drunk people trying to make dinner for a party of about 30. SO I shooed everyone out of the kitchen and went to work.

resources were limited. One of the key pieces of the meal was pasta with red sauce. But as anyone who follows the blog knows, red sauce does NOT come out of a jar! Fortunately I had brought some home made pesto for what i thought was going to be breakfast--but hey, why not dinner instead.

Susan had onions, fresh basil and garlic and canned diced tomatoes. I put in the homemade pesto and cooked bacon. IT was good-but lacked zing. It needed to be "bound" together. First I searched for half and half or cream or cream cheese. Nothing. then I searched the pantry for evaporated milk. nothing. UGH-what is a girl to do???

then, I spotted it-a can of creamy french onion dip! I poured the whole can in the tomato sauce and Viola! it turned it into a lovely pink sauce immediately. it was delicious. Everyone wanted to know what the secret ingredient was. How amusing is that. French onion dip. Now you know...never under estimate the power of the pantry.
Did I tell you they were drunk :).