Easy Sauces Make
Easy Meals for Back to School

As much as I like to cook, it is challenging for me to make dinner during the Back to School rush.  This year I'm following the hashtags #BTSIdeas and #cbias to get some new back to school dinner ideas.  One thing I usually do is to stock my pantry with some quick and easy options for dinner for those crazy busy nights.  One staple I always have in the house is canned evaporated milk.

I love to make simple sauce recipes using canned milk.  Although you can use refrigerated milk, I find the consistency of canned milk is better for sauces, and creamy dishes.  Another advantage of making your own sauces is you can control the fat, sodium and even sugar content of the dishes you serve your family.  Look at all of the options Nestle offers in their Carnation Evaporated Milk; whole, 2%, and fat-free.  I also like keeping both the larger 12 ounce size cans in the house as well as the smaller 5 ounce cans.

There are three easy sauce recipes I make for my family using canned evaporated milk, a Cheesy Sauce which is great served over veggies or pasta, a Garlic Dipping Sauce for Pizza, and a Homemade Chocolate Sauce for ice cream.  If you have the ingredients in the house, you can whip these up anytime!

Easy Cheesy Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter or light tasting olive oil

2 Tablespoons flour

1 (12 ounce) can Carnation Evaporated Milk

8 slices (about 8 ounces)American Cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium/low heat.  Stir in flour.  Add evaporated milk and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until mixture starts to thicken.  Add cheese, one slice at a time.  Stir until melted.  Serve over veggies or pasta.  Can be made in advance and reheated.

Garlic Dipping Sauce for Pizza

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter or light tasting olive oil

4-6 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 Tablespoon flour

1 (12 ounce) can, Carnation Evaporated milk

1/4 teaspoon salt (can be omitted)

Directions:

Melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium/low heat.  Add minced garlic and cook until soft, but not brown.  Add flour and stir well.  Pour milk in pan and stir constantly while cooking over medium/low heat for 2-4 minutes or until thick.  Add salt to taste.  Serve with pizza as a dipping sauce.  In the picture above, the sauce is served with Pizzeria Pizza by DiGiorno

Homemade Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) can Carnation Evaporated milk

1 (12 ounce) bag Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 Tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup granulated sugar (or to taste)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan.  Stir constantly while cooking over medium/low heat for 2-3 minutes or until sauce is a smooth consistency.  Serve warm over ice cream.

So, as my kids are thinking about backpacks and buying new clothes to get ready for school, I'm thinking about getting my pantry and freezer stocked so I can still make an easy dinner on busy school nights.  Here is some of my stash on a recent trip to Wal-Mart.  You can see my entire shopping trip on this Google+ Album.  You can also find more back to school dinner ideas by checking out Nestle Easy Meal Ideas at Wal-Mart.

I'd love to hear how you prep your pantry for the back to school rush or if you have any other great uses for canned milk.  Feel free to add your comments below!