Eat ALL the food in your house

[SingleMomDebt]

I wish someone would show up at my apartment tonight with Jell-O shots! 

I'm making steady progress on our freezer.  I need to cook some pierogies this weekend.  I also have plans to use a few pounds of frozen vegetables (bulk cooking) while restocking the freezer. 

Our fridge has been better, but I still have a lot of tahini.  No chickpeas for hummus.  Any other ideas?

I am with you on that one! Someone needs to swing by my place, too.
Love peirogies!
As for the Tahini, found a great collection of recipes. First thing I thought, was something of a spicy Tahini sauce like you would use for chicken satay.

[4alpacas]

Thank you, Chippewa!  I saw a few recipes that I want to try, but I'm definitely going to try the black bean hummus this weekend.  I'm making a large batch (2 pounds) of black beans in my slow cooker this weekend, and I should have some leftover.

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

I wish someone would show up at my apartment tonight with Jell-O shots! 

I'm making steady progress on our freezer.  I need to cook some pierogies this weekend.  I also have plans to use a few pounds of frozen vegetables (bulk cooking) while restocking the freezer. 

Our fridge has been better, but I still have a lot of tahini.  No chickpeas for hummus.  Any other ideas?

I am with you on that one! Someone needs to swing by my place, too.
Love peirogies!
As for the Tahini, found a great collection of recipes. First thing I thought, was something of a spicy Tahini sauce like you would use for chicken satay.

Ok, we've got the makings of a fabulous potluck here:
-Jello shots
-Peirogies (also a huge fan)
-Tahini, which we can spread on my 5lb bag of frozen green beans and/or my canned salmon

Just talked to DH and he said NO on the Jello shots for tonight's soiree. We are instead being adults (boring) and bringing homemade hummus and mojitos with homemade simple syrup and foraged mint.

[SingleMomDebt]

Just talked to DH and he said NO on the Jello shots for tonight's soiree. We are instead being adults (boring) and bringing homemade hummus and mojitos with homemade simple syrup and foraged mint.

Haha! This makes me laugh. Have fun tonight. Mojitos make for a close second. Especially w/homemade and foraged ingredients!

[swick]

Our fridge has been better, but I still have a lot of tahini.  No chickpeas for hummus.  Any other ideas?

I really love the Halva Shortbread from Moosewood, a copy of the recipe is here:
http://homecooking.about.com/od/cakerecipes/r/blc78.htm

It is a little crumbly, but buttery and sweet and awesome. I also use Tahini like peanutbutter on toast, it's even better mixed with some grape or mulberry molasses, but I know those aren't common ingredients over here.

[Worsted Skeins]

I did a pretty good job of clearing out the freezer before refilling it with this year's bounty.  Remaining from last fall are a couple of bags of pumpkin pulp which I'll use in baking or soup if it ever cools down.

I used up various grains but still have loads of beans on hand. I swear that they are multiplying in the pantry (probably due to too many jello shots!)

[Prepube]

So I read this post and thread a few weeks ago, and decided we needed to eat as much as we could from the pantry and freezer before restocking.  Here's today's question... How old is old?  last night I made brownies from a boxed mix that "expired" in 2006.  It was pretty good! I found concentrated lime juice in one of the freezers.  It supposedly was past its prime as of 2004.  It made some excellent margaritas!  So what's too old to eat?  Anyone have a realistic rule of thumb for this?  My wife wont eat it if the expiration date has passed.  Of course, I didn't tell her the margarita she was drinking was more than ten years old...

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

So I read this post and thread a few weeks ago, and decided we needed to eat as much as we could from the pantry and freezer before restocking.  Here's today's question... How old is old?  last night I made brownies from a boxed mix that "expired" in 2006.  It was pretty good! I found concentrated lime juice in one of the freezers.  It supposedly was past its prime as of 2004.  It made some excellent margaritas!  So what's too old to eat?  Anyone have a realistic rule of thumb for this?  My wife wont eat it if the expiration date has passed.  Of course, I didn't tell her the margarita she was drinking was more than ten years old...

If it smells bad or is growing mold that can't easily be skimmed off (I'm thinking of some cheeses that often get a spot-o-mold that can easily be cut off). I think, in general, expiration dates are far too conservative. Not sure about meat expiration dates--we don't eat much meat, so I can't comment on that.

[horsepoor]

I think with stuff like dry cake mix, it will last indefinitely in that it won't hurt you.  However, I wouldn't eat anything if it started smelling sort of dusty/musty/sawdust-like because it would probably not taste very good.  Stuff like flour does have a shelf life in that it is better when it's fresher, but it doesn't suddenly turn and give you food poisoning unless it maybe gets moisture in it and molds or something.

It's harvest time, so there's more coming in than going out, but that gives me more motivation to use up random stuff and make room.  Which reminds me, I should go dump the little drab of balsamic jelly into the short ribs I have braising right now.  Maybe I'll even throw in the last of the habanero jelly.  Sweet isn't a bad thing with short ribs.

[Noodle]

Unfortunately, my most recent attempts have resulted in using up food by ruining it (goodbye overly salty steel-cut oats! Goodbye chia seed pudding that I didn't mix well enough!) but I did get rid of a frozen pie crust by making turnovers and have cleared out some of the grain surplus.

[JoyBlogette]

Of course, I didn't tell her the margarita she was drinking was more than ten years old...

Ha ha ha.  I consider everything in the freezer or in a can to last forever.  So far, I haven't been proven wrong by experience.

[JoyBlogette]

Anyone have recommendations for edamame (not in pod)? 

What about these?
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/edamame_ginger_dip.html
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/warm_quinoa_salad_with_edamame_tarragon.html
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/herbed_corn_edamame_succotash.html

[4alpacas]

Anyone have recommendations for edamame (not in pod)? 

What about these?
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/edamame_ginger_dip.html
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/warm_quinoa_salad_with_edamame_tarragon.html
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/herbed_corn_edamame_succotash.html

I think the quinoa salad could be an option if I sub in brown rice.  The succotash is an awesome option for a side dish. 

Thanks! 

[swick]

Anyone have recommendations for edamame (not in pod)? 

We have BAGS of it  from a trip to the Asian grocery store.  Since I found out I have a soy allergy, I haven't used any of it.  However I'm motivated to make something for husband to eat just to get rid of it. 

Also...puff pastry?  I bought a thing from Trader Joe's over a year ago.

Could you make a edamame bean hummus?

For puff pasty you could make strudels, tarts, pizza pockets, samosas...basically anything wrapped in a puff pastry crust is usually a win :)

[4alpacas]

Anyone have recommendations for edamame (not in pod)? 

We have BAGS of it  from a trip to the Asian grocery store.  Since I found out I have a soy allergy, I haven't used any of it.  However I'm motivated to make something for husband to eat just to get rid of it. 

Also...puff pastry?  I bought a thing from Trader Joe's over a year ago.

Could you make a edamame bean hummus?

For puff pasty you could make strudels, tarts, pizza pockets, samosas...basically anything wrapped in a puff pastry crust is usually a win :)

I'm a serious newbie in the kitchen, so I've never used puff pastry!  I've never made any "wrapped" items. 

I'll look into making a edamame hummus.  My DH is picky, so I'm not sure he'll like it.  Oh well!  I do have a lot of tahini in the fridge. 

[Noodle]

You can also use puff pastry as a pizza crust. No folding required!

[swick]

Puff pasty is the easiest to work with. Thaw in the fridge, roll out, cut and shape as desired. I make Palmiers for the easiest and most impressive appetizer ever.

there are tons of variations and you can change up the cheese/spices. Basic recipe is here:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1805673/red-pepper-walnut-and-goats-cheese-palmiers

I do a Parmesan and cracked black pepper, cheddar and smoked chili powder...you can customize them really easy

[4alpacas]

Puff pasty is the easiest to work with. Thaw in the fridge, roll out, cut and shape as desired. I make Palmiers for the easiest and most impressive appetizer ever.

there are tons of variations and you can change up the cheese/spices. Basic recipe is here:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1805673/red-pepper-walnut-and-goats-cheese-palmiers

I do a Parmesan and cracked black pepper, cheddar and smoked chili powder...you can customize them really easy

Awesome!  Thanks for the recipe.  Since I've never used it before, I've been overwhelmed.  I'll try to defrost it next week!

[SingleMomDebt]

Puff pasty is the easiest to work with. Thaw in the fridge, roll out, cut and shape as desired. I make Palmiers for the easiest and most impressive appetizer ever.

there are tons of variations and you can change up the cheese/spices. Basic recipe is here:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1805673/red-pepper-walnut-and-goats-cheese-palmiers

I do a Parmesan and cracked black pepper, cheddar and smoked chili powder...you can customize them really easy

Awesome!  Thanks for the recipe.  Since I've never used it before, I've been overwhelmed.  I'll try to defrost it next week!

it's okay if I eat the whole lot to myself? ;) yum. thanks for the recipe, too!

[4alpacas]

Thanks for all of the advice!  I finished off all of the chicken breasts from the freezer and half of a container of panko (never opened).  My husband loved it, but I thought it was bland.  Our freezer has room!  In the past few weeks, we have finished off a package of ravioli, chicken pierogis, two pounds of corn, black bean quesadillas, and marinara sauce.  From our cabinets, I've finished all of our canned soup, a few of our seasoning packets (curry), and few cans of coconut milk. 

Any advice for canned asparagus or artichokes? 

I will try to use in the next 2 weeks:  Tahini, puff pastry, edamame (SO much), and seasoning packets (we have SO many). 

The biggest upside to this activity has been curbing my tendency to buy things we don't use.  We have so many seasoning packets that we pick up for <$1 at ethnic markets, but we never use them.   Our grocery bill has gone down significantly by eating out of our cabinets, but this activity will help keep it down. 

[JoyBlogette]

We have a bunch of "disaster preparedness" food stocked in the pantry.

So many "dried" soup packets to eat.  Ick.  Any ideas to turn these into some sort of meal?  Lots of veggie soup (just add water variety).  Wondering if I could use it to flavour rice/quinoa/couscous... hmmm... I may be on to something here. 

Also, canned meat (turkey, chicken, ham)... any ideas?

[swick]

Any advice for canned asparagus or artichokes? 

Are the canned artichokes water or oil packed? Oil packed I shop up and add to drained pasta - with a little lemon zest and Parmesan, maybe some oil packed sun dried tomatoes, if you have them? makes a great light meal.

Waterpacked artichokes I use to makes dips. I buzz up some white beans, spinach, artichokes and whatever cheese I have kicking around (a blend of Cheddar, Parm and some sort of melting or cream cheese ) and spices with a dollop of mayo, sour cream or yogurt, throw it into a ramekin to bake and get all bubbly. Takes about 5 minutes to make, is way, way healthier then the restaurant artichoke dips, makes a ton and is really good with chips, bread, crostini, as a sandwich spread. I actually keep a jar from costco on hand specifically for this, it is a life saver whens someone invites you over or you have to make something last minute.

We have a bunch of "disaster preparedness" food stocked in the pantry.

So many "dried" soup packets to eat.  Ick.  Any ideas to turn these into some sort of meal?  Lots of veggie soup (just add water variety).  Wondering if I could use it to flavour rice/quinoa/couscous... hmmm... I may be on to something here. 

Also, canned meat (turkey, chicken, ham)... any ideas?

Dried soup mix is a good boost of flavor in the above dip or in a spinach dip. My main issue with it is the veggies seem to never really fully rehydrate for me and I hate the texture. My mom makes an "Instant" soup mix out of all her garden dried veggies which is awesome. You might be able to do the same with the veggie soup mixes by pulverizing it in a blender? I find it really handy to have on hand at work when I'm feeling snacky or to warm up in the winter. It also makes a "veggie seasoning" powder that I use to thicken soups and rices and such, it is just a more usable form.

I'm not sure what form the canned ham is in if it is flaked or more like the Spam/Swift variety. My Dad use to say the Spam/Swift was a million times better lightly fried in a frying pan and hidden in some garlic fried rice :) I imagine fried rice would be an option for any of those proteins.

Or made into cakes? Mashed potato base (I cheat and use the instant mash from Costco that doesn't have a bunch of crap in it) and whatever meat and veggies you want? coated in Panko, bread or cracker crumbs and lightly fired.  I usually do a curried Salmon cake with frozen green peas and serve with a side of homemade chutney. Might be one of Hubby's favorite meals and incredibly quick - all out of the pantry and freezer.

As you can tell, I don't really use recipes and rarely measure, but I hope the ideas help :)

[Noodle]

Lots of cooking going on over the last few days...

So far, got six bananas out of the freezer (three in a chocolate banana bread, three in a smoothie with some peaches and cantaloupe that needed to go). Cleared out cottage cheese and goat cheese that had to be eaten in some twice-baked potatoes, and lettuce and microgreens on their last legs in a salad. Cherry tomatoes that were on the verge went into a fresh tomato pasta that also used up the end of a container of blue cheese. Coconut milk and frozen shrimp into a Thai soup that also cleaned out some produce.

So basically, not so much pantry clean-out, but catching up with the fresh produce and dairy that had gotten a bit out of hand. And now I can eat for the rest of the week!

[swick]

Awesome Noodle!

I spent the day experimenting with watermelon rind. A chutney, curry and pickles are all on the go. They helped me put a dent in my spice collection - have to wait till tomorrow to see if they are successful. If so, I'll feel pretty good about finding some new uses for something I would normally just compost.

Turned a bunch of whole spices into some Garam Masala mix to have on hand, I put it in everything but have been out for a while so it was time to make a new batch.

[Ascotillion]

Had a litre of milk that was about to expire, so I finally made a powder pudding mix I got as a gift from my parents when they went to Spain. The food itself was fine, but not seeing that box in my pantry is much tastier!

[Noodle]

I had somehow grabbed a bottle of honey mustard yogurt dressing instead of the flavor I wanted at the grocery store, and opened it before I realized what I had done. I really do not like sweet salad dressings, so I have been pondering for quite awhile on what I might do with it. Googling around, I came up with the inspiration to used it in baked chicken fingers. I got a recipe on the web, but where it said to dip the chicken in an egg-milk mixture, I used the salad dressing instead. Then went on to dip in breadcrumbs (used panko) and bake. Very good with a little sriracha on the top, and it cleared out the end of the panko as well as most of the salad dressing.

Otherwise, still working on the produce. I did a very nice potato and green bean salad to use up those two, and a couple of strawberry banana smoothies to use up overrripe bananas, the end of LAST year's frozen strawberries, and the last of a carton of almond-coconut milk.

[unix_kung_fu]

Had a kale/tomato/cucumber/mushroom/carrot salad getting about ready to check out in a day or two. Instead of the both of us eating very large portions of it 2x the other day, I dumped 2 cups of dried split peas into my pressure cooker, dropped in some already homemade veggie stock on hand, and that salad, along with a seasoning mixture I make for certain soups. Also cut up the last potato on hand.. 15 minutes later we have soup that will last us for a few days.

I pretty much do this for all produce about ready to check out but this was the first time we had a large quantity of salad that I just dumped straight in, heh.

[Write Thyme]

I'm so in. I want us to eat healthier (especially since baby will be eating real food soon) so I want to clear out all our food to make room for a fresh healthy start.

Our freezer has a lot of unmarked food "items" that one of us keeps waiting for the other to use up. Our pantry isn't too bad, but I still want to clear it all out and restock with ingredients instead of convenience.

[Write Thyme]

I found a 4.5/5 star muffin base recipe on All Recipes that I plan to make using up random leftover fruits and other things like shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and whatever else I can find in the pantry.

Here's the recipe if anyone wants. I find the reviewers to offer great ideas for flavors:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Ever-Muffins/

[MandalayVA]

My chest freezer is full of meat.  I don't keep much in my pantry but I'm definitely planning a Labor Day Weekend Cooking Jihad because the chest freezer badly needs to be defrosted.

[Noodle]

Made blueberry buckwheat muffins. These addressed: using up the end of a bottle of agave sweetener I found I didn't like, using up cornmeal, whole wheat flour, and buckwheat flour that needed to be used up, making a dent in the frozen u-pick blueberries (turns out I pick a lot faster than I would have thought), clearing out buttermilk that needed to be used. Verdict: They were fine...nothing I'll ever feel the need to make again, but an interesting experiment. They would probably be best with some jam or cream cheese, which sort of negates the point of healthy muffins...

Next up--a new miso-glazed fish recipe, which will take care of the end of the honey and also a bag of frozen fish that needed to go.

[scrubbyfish]

Did this in spring, now re-joining to clear kitchen in time for a house move!

I don't keep much around in the first place, so it gets interesting :)   Last round I learned from the boards how to make whole salmon delicious again and again, and fast, and I've done that several times a week since.

[Dicey]

I wondered where this thread had gone; glad it's got new life.

My best of late was over Labor Day weekend. I made scratch waffles for breakfast and we packed a picnic for a free concert in the park. Next day, I was looking at two extra waffles and some leftover Key Lime Pie that a guest had brought to the picnic. You guessed it, the pie went on top of the waffles! I toasted the waffles, then topped with a slice of pie and zapped  both for thirty seconds. I'm ashamed to admit how sinfully good it was. But all in the name of eating everything in the house...