Cleaning out the cupboards can be yummy!!!

In my ever increasing attempt to keep our grocery bill as small as can be I am always on the look out for recipes that call for ingredients that I have on hand and want to use up.

This is one such recipe. I needed a quick meal last week and forgot to thaw anything!!! So remembering a recipe that I have not made in a very long while I grabbed Miriam B. Loo's Family Favorites cookbook and looked up the recipe for salmon cakes. Well I had one can of salmon (14.25 oz). The original recipe called for one(7.5 oz can) but only served 2-4 people. Well to feed our crew I would need to times it by 6. What to do I had no more salmon, no tuna, nothing defrosted I need to go to the store and shop badly and it was already 6:00 at night. With no time to think and children crowding around me crying out in hunger what was I to do. Also because the shopping was still a day away we were out of peanut butter, bread, and milk. Well just when I thought that I was going to have to spend money on a pizza I decided to just go for it and times it by 6 with only a double recipe of salmon.

The next ingredient was 1/3 of a cup of saltine crackers. Well I had none of those. So I combed the cupboards for all the different remains of the crackers we did have. Wheat thins, generic Ritz, anything. I still didn't have enough to make the two cups I needed. So I added bread crumbs to make up the last half of a cup. Then six eggs. Check (whew I had that). 12 TBSP. onion, equals 3/4 of a cup I have none so I leave it out. 3/4 of a cup of milk, none open a can of evaporated milk. Was going to use 1/2 evaporated milk and 1/2 water but forgot and used just milk oh well. 6 TBSP. lemon juice, check. Butter or margarine for frying. Mixed it all up and crossed my fingers. Well I couldn't make patties like the recipe instructed so I just dropped it bu a spoon into the pan. Waited a couple of minutes and flipped. All plated up with carrot sticks and some ranch dressing. Sat the kids down and we all dug in by 6:30, it was at least fast. O.K. wait for the picky eaters to start complaining. Nope everyone loved it and has requested it again already. A WINNER!!!!!

Well if you want the "correct" recipe here it is:

1(7 1/2) can of salmon, drained and flaked
1/3 cup saltine cracker crumbs
1 slightly beaten egg
2 TBSP. chopped onion
2 TBSP. milk
1 TBSP. lemon juice
2 TBSP. butter or margarine

Combine all ingredients except butter, blending well. Shape into 4 flat patties. Melt butter or margarine in a small skillet; saute patties on both sides until golden brown and heated through. Add more butter to skillet, if necessary. Serve topped with white sauce and peas.

We left out the peas of the white sauce.

Linking to Kimba at A soft place to land for DIY Day

Michelle