Author Topic: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2  (Read 1183699 times)

theadvicist

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #450 on: May 22, 2015, 03:06:40 AM »
Just wanted to say a quick thank you for all the ideas in this thread. My average grocery shopping is £215 / month, and so far in May it has been £59! And we have been eating very well (we were away for a few days. But honestly, we are most months).

The best thing is that with space in the freezer whenever I see 'Ooops' meat I can jump on it. Haven't paid full price for meat since I found this thread.


SisterX

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #451 on: May 23, 2015, 06:06:38 PM »
I forgot to update when this happened, but a few weeks ago I managed to stuff everything from the chest freezer into the fridge freezer and UNPLUG!!!  I danced around the kitchen and my husband laughed at me.  Then he got irritated for a few days when things jumped out of the freezer at him every time he opened it.  :)  But we ate some more down so that problem has been solved.  In fact, it's now only about half full.
To get rid of our halibut, and as an excuse to see friends here before we leave (next week already!), we threw a little party and cooked up some beer battered halibut.  Best part: it used homebrew, halibut, and some of our flour and spices.  Didn't have to buy anything except some vegetables for a side and lard to fry in.  Husband told me it was some of the best halibut he'd ever had.  We also gave away two more giant salmon fillets to a friend.
We've been cooking up so much freezer-burned salmon for the dog that she actually walked away from her bowl the other morning, all droopy-eared and sad, like, "Oh, it's salmon again."  She got about four steps away, then perked up again and rushed back to the bowl.  I could practically hear her thinking, "Wait, what am I talking about?  It's salmon!!!"
We still have a bunch of chicken broth to use up, but it's far too hot to make soup.  (Upper 80s in Fairbanks in May?  Holy hell.)  Also have some frozen peas to use up, but that should be easy enough. 
Even if we don't use it all up, what we've got frozen should be easy enough to take with us, at least as far as my in-laws' house.
Wheee!!  I still can't believe how much progress we made on this, and a lot of it is due to the support and inspiration I found in this thread.  Thank you all!

wintersun

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #452 on: May 24, 2015, 02:18:55 PM »
I put some dried red beans in the crockpot.  They should be ready tomorrow morning.  I hope the amounts are right.  I used one bag of beans and then filled the medium crockpot to the top and put it on low.  It is an experiment.  If it works then we shall be eating a lot more beans in the future.

PJ

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #453 on: May 24, 2015, 04:23:06 PM »
I forgot to update when this happened, but a few weeks ago I managed to stuff everything from the chest freezer into the fridge freezer and UNPLUG!!!  I danced around the kitchen and my husband laughed at me.  Then he got irritated for a few days when things jumped out of the freezer at him every time he opened it.  :)  But we ate some more down so that problem has been solved.  In fact, it's now only about half full.
...

Even if we don't use it all up, what we've got frozen should be easy enough to take with us, at least as far as my in-laws' house.
Wheee!!  I still can't believe how much progress we made on this, and a lot of it is due to the support and inspiration I found in this thread.  Thank you all!

Yay for making sure you don't have to waste much, if anything when you move!

I put some dried red beans in the crockpot.  They should be ready tomorrow morning.  I hope the amounts are right.  I used one bag of beans and then filled the medium crockpot to the top and put it on low.  It is an experiment.  If it works then we shall be eating a lot more beans in the future.

Beans soak up a lot of water while they cook, so depending on the size of your crockpot, and the size of the bag of beans, you may need to divide into two batches to cook, in order to get enough water in there.  Try to keep an eye on it the first few hours to see how it seems to be doing.  You can always take some out, stash them in the fridge, and restart with them tomorrow night.

SisterX

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #454 on: May 25, 2015, 01:32:56 AM »
I put some dried red beans in the crockpot.  They should be ready tomorrow morning.  I hope the amounts are right.  I used one bag of beans and then filled the medium crockpot to the top and put it on low.  It is an experiment.  If it works then we shall be eating a lot more beans in the future.

Did you soak the beans first?  I always do that.  They soak up a lot of water in that time (usually overnight, for me) and then the next morning it's much easier to judge how much water they actually need to cook because they won't plump up quite as much during the cooking phase.

Coincidentally, also have red beans in the CrockPot tonight.  :)  HusbandX is having some friends over to play a game tomorrow night so I'm making a giant batch of red beans and rice.  It will use up our last onion, a spare bell pepper my husband accidentally bought (thought we needed more for a recipe than we did), and some of our giant surplus of both red beans and rice.  Total win.
Going to the grocery store tomorrow for the last time before we move.  Have about four things on the list to see us through the few days before we leave.  I'll be buying dates so that I can make more energy bites, which will use up some of our nuts, and we'll have them for road snacks on the trip.
Have begun packing kitchen items up.  Shit's gettin' real.

1967mama

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #455 on: May 26, 2015, 12:29:06 AM »
@wintersun, Did the beans turn out ok?

GardenFun

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #456 on: May 27, 2015, 04:43:31 PM »
Husband back on his diet so all he wants is salad and chicken breast for dinner.  Enables me to go through all the single serving containers of meals squirreled away in the freezer.  Lunch was ham and lentil soup.  Dinner is jambalaya. 

somecobwebs

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #457 on: May 28, 2015, 12:57:58 AM »
Replying to subscribe to this cool thread! Will read more later :)

benjenn

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #458 on: May 28, 2015, 05:23:25 AM »
Since we'll be moving the end of July (when we RE!), I'm now inspired to go through our pantry and fridge today to see what I can either use or get rid of so we don't end up moving boxes and boxes of food stuff.  :)  I used to have a bad habit of picking up something that looked interesting at the store and then just never getting around to using it.  We might have some interesting meals ahead of us.  Thanks to everyone on this post for the inspiration!

LiveLean

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #459 on: May 28, 2015, 11:26:46 AM »
I'm the declutterer in our house. I was going to go to the store to grab a cake mix -- as I usually do -- for Mother's Day when the wife told me to just grab one from the pantry, along with some icing.

An hour later, I served cake to wife and sons, who pronounced it awful. Wife asked if I forgot an ingredient.

It's cake. Not difficult to make.

I checked the best-by date on the box -- February 2013. The icing was even older.

I went through the pantry and pulled out everything. Tossed out dozens of expired items. Set dozens of unexpired items aside for local food pantry. We've since been eating through the freezer. Found some good fish we had frozen a few months back.

theadvicist

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #460 on: May 29, 2015, 04:31:02 AM »
I used to have a bad habit of picking up something that looked interesting at the store and then just never getting around to using it.  We might have some interesting meals ahead of us.  Thanks to everyone on this post for the inspiration!

Along these lines I used up a box of tiny pasta grains (looked almost like squashed rice) that was languishing in the back of the cupboard. DH asked with horror, "are they LENTILS?" to which I replied, "It's tiny pasta, but you're always welcome to make something for yourself if you don't want it". Obviously he lapped it up and had seconds. And I've got leftovers for lunch. Only a tiny box out, but it feels like a larger weight has lifted, as I wasn't sure what to do with it.

Anje

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #461 on: May 29, 2015, 04:54:01 AM »
The random "I've never seen THAT before, let me buy it"-items is my challenge, too. I curently have a box of vacuumpacked chestnuts. No idea what one makes with chestnuts, but I'll have to figure it out.

On the note of using up food I've boiled all the dried lentils, beans and so on languishing in the back of my cupboards (there may or may not have been duplicates of several of them...) and put them in the frezer. Luckily I rediscovered how good lentils and beans are in the prossess, so they'll be eaten soon.

I also found a bag of sesame-seeds gone out on date that still taste good and have been putting them randomly in all from oatmeal (not a hit) to baked goods (bagels with sesame seeds is a winner) and vegies (am now adicted to brocoli with sesame seeds). Randomness often leads to good food.

theadvicist

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #462 on: May 29, 2015, 05:04:30 AM »
The random "I've never seen THAT before, let me buy it"-items is my challenge, too. I curently have a box of vacuumpacked chestnuts. No idea what one makes with chestnuts, but I'll have to figure it out.

On the note of using up food I've boiled all the dried lentils, beans and so on languishing in the back of my cupboards (there may or may not have been duplicates of several of them...) and put them in the frezer. Luckily I rediscovered how good lentils and beans are in the prossess, so they'll be eaten soon.

I also found a bag of sesame-seeds gone out on date that still taste good and have been putting them randomly in all from oatmeal (not a hit) to baked goods (bagels with sesame seeds is a winner) and vegies (am now adicted to brocoli with sesame seeds). Randomness often leads to good food.

So there are a few of us then! I find Aldi (my favourite supermarket) particularly dangerous for the 'ooooh, new to me!' phenomenon, because of the specials, especially ones that focus on different cuisines. I've decided if I don't have an exact recipe / meal in mind, I don't buy it.

nikki

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #463 on: May 29, 2015, 06:13:17 AM »
Yay I love these challenges! Mostly because I like reading all your posts and trying to imagine what your pantries, freezers, and fridges can possibly look like. Are they like the TARDIS, bigger on the inside?

I'm not sure I can fully participate in this one because it might not really be much of a challenge. I've been challenging myself to spend only 20,000w (~$18 USD) each week on food, which has resulted in an almost-empty fridge and freezer by every Saturday! The real fun is making a shopping list that results in three meals a day for seven days from almost nothing.

What I would like to work on is using up spices I don't usually use, like mustard seed, marjoram, sage, fennel seed, and celery salt. There's also some cream of tartar and poppy seeds in the "baking spice" section to deal with. And I have far too much rosemary...

GardenFun

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #464 on: May 29, 2015, 10:28:40 AM »
What I would like to work on is using up spices I don't usually use, like mustard seed, marjoram, sage, fennel seed, and celery salt. There's also some cream of tartar and poppy seeds in the "baking spice" section to deal with. And I have far too much rosemary...

Add a 14oz can of stewed or diced tomatoes to 3-4 cups cooked noodles (elbows or shells work great).  Top with 1 Tbsp olive oil, cap of red wine vinegar, black pepper and celery salt to taste.  Voila - light main meal or great side dish. 

nikki

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #465 on: May 29, 2015, 06:51:00 PM »
What I would like to work on is using up spices I don't usually use, like mustard seed, marjoram, sage, fennel seed, and celery salt. There's also some cream of tartar and poppy seeds in the "baking spice" section to deal with. And I have far too much rosemary...

Add a 14oz can of stewed or diced tomatoes to 3-4 cups cooked noodles (elbows or shells work great).  Top with 1 Tbsp olive oil, cap of red wine vinegar, black pepper and celery salt to taste.  Voila - light main meal or great side dish.

That sounds good, but diced tomatoes are about $4 a can in Korea, so I avoid those. Fresh tomatoes are maybe $1 each--also not the on the top of my shopping list.

I forgot to mention that I don't have access to the same ingredients! Red wine vinegar? Hah! :-p

I think that's another reason I like this thread. I read about all these strange ingredients people have accumulated elsewhere! I suppose I could do the same thing with Korean ingredients, but I tend to stick to what I know I can cook with for Korean foods.

I sprinkled some celery salt in spinach pancakes I made last night. I didn't really notice a different taste, though, so it was probably too masked. I guess I'll just dump little bits of things into dishes and see what happens.

somecobwebs

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #466 on: May 29, 2015, 09:47:58 PM »
Trying to eat down on the following pantry items:

Easy to Use:
pancake mix, technically a few months expired
tons of boba mix and tapioca balls
stale cinnamon cookies
mole sauce
jam
apple butter
stir fry sauce
mustard

Need Help:
dried coconut strips (need to be cooked somehow; I can't eat them raw)
molasses, technically expired
muffins that nobody liked
pumpkin puree
tamarind chutney

Any ideas? I've been mashing the stale cookies into pie crusts. Right now I am thinking of mixing the pancake mix with the pumpkin puree to make a.... pumpkin pancake thing?

Kerowyn

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #467 on: May 30, 2015, 01:05:36 PM »
Ooh, this is a great thread! I've been meaning to make a list of the things I need to use up in my pantry. My husband and I are hoping to move out in a couple of months (currently we live in a house with roommates and hate it, or at least I hate it) so it would be great to have our stuff cleared out of the pantry. I know I have arborio rice that I haven't even opened, dried mushrooms to go in that risotto, some noodles, tons of chia seeds...

somecobwebs, pumpkin pancakes are awesome! And I don't think molasses really expires--it's basically sugar. Make gingerbread!

GardenFun

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #468 on: May 30, 2015, 01:46:01 PM »
Ooh, this is a great thread! I've been meaning to make a list of the things I need to use up in my pantry. My husband and I are hoping to move out in a couple of months (currently we live in a house with roommates and hate it, or at least I hate it) so it would be great to have our stuff cleared out of the pantry. I know I have arborio rice that I haven't even opened, dried mushrooms to go in that risotto, some noodles, tons of chia seeds...

somecobwebs, pumpkin pancakes are awesome! And I don't think molasses really expires--it's basically sugar. Make gingerbread!

Molasses is good in homemade granola/bars.  Flavor is strong but use 1/4 cup and it won't overpower. 

Villanelle

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #469 on: May 31, 2015, 01:47:20 PM »
Three months out from an international move, I'm about 6 weeks into some version of this challenge.  My goal for now it just to have 2-3 meals a week where at least the main ingredient is something from the back of the cabinet.  Unfortunately, this means we are eating a lot more processed food than I'd like. 

GardenFun

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #470 on: May 31, 2015, 08:42:20 PM »
Used frozen turnips from 2013 in a roasted mix of cubed turnips, sweet potatoes and russet potatoes.  The peppery flavor of the turnips balanced the sweetness of the potatoes.  Even DH ate it and deemed it worthy of repeat cooking - and he is definitely not a sweet potato fan. 

Erica/NWEdible

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #471 on: May 31, 2015, 10:46:17 PM »
Today I ran out of rice! (Background: I buy rice by the 50 pound bag(s)). Huge eat-down-the-larder win.

dudde_devaru

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #472 on: May 31, 2015, 11:27:35 PM »
Today I ran out of rice! (Background: I buy rice by the 50 pound bag(s)). Huge eat-down-the-larder win.
How much was the 50lb bag and where? I pay $15 for srilanka/Indian 20lb bag

Erica/NWEdible

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #473 on: June 01, 2015, 04:28:52 PM »
Today I ran out of rice! (Background: I buy rice by the 50 pound bag(s)). Huge eat-down-the-larder win.
How much was the 50lb bag and where? I pay $15 for srilanka/Indian 20lb bag
Almost certainly Costco - probably the business Costco - but possibly Cash and Carry. One of the restaurant supply places around here. Looking online I see Calrose is currently $30 for 50 pounds and Jasmine is $37.64. There isn't a 50# bag of Basmati/Indian rice, but the Jasmine is pretty much the same on a price per pound basis. The 20# of Kirkland Sig Basmati is $29.40, so that's twice what you are paying!

dudde_devaru

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #474 on: June 01, 2015, 04:50:53 PM »
Today I ran out of rice! (Background: I buy rice by the 50 pound bag(s)). Huge eat-down-the-larder win.
How much was the 50lb bag and where? I pay $15 for srilanka/Indian 20lb bag
Almost certainly Costco - probably the business Costco - but possibly Cash and Carry. One of the restaurant supply places around here. Looking online I see Calrose is currently $30 for 50 pounds and Jasmine is $37.64. There isn't a 50# bag of Basmati/Indian rice, but the Jasmine is pretty much the same on a price per pound basis. The 20# of Kirkland Sig Basmati is $29.40, so that's twice what you are paying!
Thanks for the update! I will drop by some small restaurant and ask them for the source of their rice. For sure, they won't pay MSRP like the consumers

Nancy

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #475 on: June 02, 2015, 04:32:47 AM »
Peeled some sweet potatoes for a recipe and then baked the skins for some yummy chips the next day. Used up some brown sugar with a "best" by date of 2014 (obv. those dates are not regulated/do not mean expired) in some cookies for my husband. Also used up the last of my frozen garbanzo beans, so now I have to buy some more dry beans to cook/freeze.
« Last Edit: June 02, 2015, 07:12:53 AM by Nancy »

Anje

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #476 on: June 02, 2015, 07:10:54 AM »
Need Help:
dried coconut strips (need to be cooked somehow; I can't eat them raw)
molasses, technically expired
muffins that nobody liked
pumpkin puree
tamarind chutney

Any ideas? I've been mashing the stale cookies into pie crusts. Right now I am thinking of mixing the pancake mix with the pumpkin puree to make a.... pumpkin pancake thing?
http://www.donalskehan.com/2011/10/roast-pumpkin-coconut-and-chilli-soup/
I recomend this. Trust me, you will wish there was more pumpkin puree to be used up.
Possibly you could also toast/cook the coconut strips and eat on/with it?

Re the muffins: Depending on where in the world you live (the definition of muffins varies greatly) you could make breadcrumbs for meatballs and the like?

SisterX

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #477 on: June 02, 2015, 11:12:48 PM »
Well, we've started our move.  Currently visiting family before leaving the state, but we're already 500 miles away from where we'd been living.  Anyway, the final tally for food: one small to medium box (depending on your definition) of spices and baking items.  One small-ish cooler filled with frozen foods, most of which my MIL tossed as soon as we got here because it wasn't worth taking up freezer space with seriously old fish.  One medium box filled with canned food, mostly home-canned salmon which we hadn't even realized was in the cabinet above the refrigerator.  (When I opened it up my husband slowly closed it while whispering, "Shhh...just pretend it never happened.")  The final box we brought down was a cooler, mostly filled with condiments (still good, will be used by my in-laws) and a few items like cheeses.  So, not bad, all things considered!  I'm quite proud of us.
My part in this challenge is officially over.  Thank you guys for help and inspiration!  I'll still read along as I have time, and offer suggestions if I have any.

Nancy

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #478 on: June 03, 2015, 04:33:30 AM »
Well done, SisterX! That's inspiring!

GardenFun

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #479 on: June 03, 2015, 07:51:39 AM »
One medium box filled with canned food, mostly home-canned salmon which we hadn't even realized was in the cabinet above the refrigerator.  (When I opened it up my husband slowly closed it while whispering, "Shhh...just pretend it never happened.") 

I am still laughing 5 minutes later about this!  That's awesome....

swick

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #480 on: June 03, 2015, 08:30:32 AM »
One medium box filled with canned food, mostly home-canned salmon which we hadn't even realized was in the cabinet above the refrigerator.  (When I opened it up my husband slowly closed it while whispering, "Shhh...just pretend it never happened.") 

I am still laughing 5 minutes later about this!  That's awesome....

This happens at our house quite a bit :) Great job at getting it all sorted out!

I'm still plugging away, really we have as much new food coming into the house as going out, but at least it is getting rotated through. I opened an old jar of Avjar that has been giving me the stink eye from the pantry. I have used it as a soup base - white beans, chicken stock, avjar, some frozen spinach and a cut up sausage. Was very tasty! Also added some along with Mexican spices to the crockpot of chicken thighs I have going. The plan is shredded chicken flautas with crockpot refried beans for supper.

I also used some of the white beans I cooked up to make a white bean dip with fried capers. Yes, Fried capers are a thing and they are easy, and delicious! Mind blown! You basically just drain em, dry them real good and fry them in a bit of olive oil until they are toasted and crunchy. I forsee my stock pile of capers (yes I stock pile weird things) being used up quick!

Erica/NWEdible

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #481 on: June 05, 2015, 12:20:03 PM »
Help! I have a bunch of Almond Flour (meal) and Coconut Flour I need to do....something....with.

Anyone have any awesome ideas/recipes? We are complete omnivores, so I can mix and match these flours with grain-based flours or whatever, but am totally fine with GF/Paleo/Etc recipes if they taste awesome.

Anyone have any suggestions? Thank you!

MountainGal

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #482 on: June 05, 2015, 01:50:29 PM »
Help! I have a bunch of Almond Flour (meal) and Coconut Flour I need to do....something....with.

Anyone have any awesome ideas/recipes? We are complete omnivores, so I can mix and match these flours with grain-based flours or whatever, but am totally fine with GF/Paleo/Etc recipes if they taste awesome.

Anyone have any suggestions? Thank you!

I make a cheese cake crust from almond flour.  Either flour can be used to make cheddar biscuits.  Almond cookies are good with the almond flour, too.

Runrooster

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #483 on: June 05, 2015, 07:36:16 PM »
Somecobwebs, i also have three large cans of pumpkin puree, bought when I was doing more baking (low fat) and before my mom grew some in her garden.  I made a pumpkin custard with one can but wished I had only made half, basically pumpkin pie filling.  Good, but too much.  Pumpkin gnocchi, pancakes, muffins, bread pudding.  I'd been looking for a spicy soup so I'm going to try that recipe, but maybe start with just half and add sausage. I think you could throw it in a brownie mix instead of fat, too.  What about pumpkin ice cream?

Tamarind chutney is fabulous, I use it as the back taste in peanut sauce, along with Lemon/lime juice.  I also mix it with coriander/mint chutney and put it on potatoes, hard boiled eggs, bread.  You could do small amounts of hot sauce if you don't have green sauce, its kind of cloying for me to eat plain.  On top of yogurt, with salt/cumin/pepper.  Its basically brown ketchup.

Kerowyn

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #484 on: June 07, 2015, 08:20:32 AM »
Yesterday I made two different dishes that between them used five items from my list to use up! I only actually finished one of them, but hey, it's progress, and I'm definitely going to be making them again. The first was a stir-fry with broccoli, cashews, and shirataki noodles--and I discovered that I love shirataki and will probably be making it a lot in the future. At $2 for a bag that makes two meals, it's definitely less expensive than my other favorite noodles, and it's really easy to prepare. The second was risotto, which is fun to make and also delicious. I'll have to make it a lot in order to use up my arborio rice before we move, but I think I can do that.

Noodle

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #485 on: June 07, 2015, 07:41:44 PM »
This project was on hold while I moved (just across town, so the food came along) but the accumulating of ingredients always seems to run ahead of the cooking. Latest project was a batch of Nutella brownies, which took care of two partial jars of Nutella, the end of a bag of chocolate chips, and a small jar of "gourmet" cocoa powder someone had given me as a gift.

Erica/NWEdible

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #486 on: June 08, 2015, 09:22:43 AM »
Almond meal: makes really excellent shortbread. Same as standard wheat flour shortbread, pretty much. Butter, sugar, almond meal, a bit of salt, almond extract. Portion and bake until lightly golden. Tasty kids lunch snack, and more filling than a standard cookie.

Penny Lane

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #487 on: June 08, 2015, 12:39:59 PM »
I add pumpkin puree to my chili when I have it-- you can't pick out the exact flavor, but makes it taste richer; also avoids having to use sugar etc to make a baked item.

swick

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #488 on: June 08, 2015, 01:51:59 PM »
I Like Erica's idea of Almond shortbread! I have been contemplating doing the same thing with my overflow of corn meal - but we are trying to cut down on Sugar which makes pretty much everything with Cornmeal seem not as tasty.

I did make some savory cornmeal muffins using the last of my jar ajvar which turned out pretty tasty. Also made a huckleberry honey corncake. Hubs and I are suffering through some seasonal allergies after moving and apparently having local raw honey is a good way to get your body use to some of the pollens and plants in an area...I think it is a good enough excuse :)

Erica/NWEdible

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #489 on: June 08, 2015, 02:05:11 PM »
How do you feel about fat? I mean, if you are ok with something that's fatty/fattening and are just avoiding sugar, here's a thing I did recently that was AWESOME - a dough of about 4 parts masa harina to 1 part cornmeal. Salt to taste, water to make a thick dough. Roll it out about 1/4" thick, slice into strips that are, let's say, the rough size of a Frito. Deep fry. Additional salt on top. ZOMG good. Here's a photo. I can find an exact recipe if'n ya want.



swick

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #490 on: June 08, 2015, 02:17:34 PM »
How do you feel about fat? I mean, if you are ok with something that's fatty/fattening and are just avoiding sugar, here's a thing I did recently that was AWESOME - a dough of about 4 parts masa harina to 1 part cornmeal. Salt to taste, water to make a thick dough. Roll it out about 1/4" thick, slice into strips that are, let's say, the rough size of a Frito. Deep fry. Additional salt on top. ZOMG good. Here's a photo. I can find an exact recipe if'n ya want.



Ohhh those look amazing! I would love the recipe! I have come to the sad realization that my body does better when it is sugar free :(

chasingthegoodlife

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #491 on: June 08, 2015, 03:59:11 PM »
I made a spice cake/bread using up plain yoghurt and old prunes that really needed to go,  perfect for work snack with my mid morning coffee. We have an excess of self raising flour at the moment so have been trying to sub that into recipes that call for plain/baking powder.

The items we need to use up now are: canned sardines, canned mussels, icing sugar, bread mix, palm sugar, kale from our garden, and rationalise all the half used jars of tomato relish and chilli sauce. Will need the boyfriend on board for the last part, he loves trying these but always returns to the same few.




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swick

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #492 on: June 08, 2015, 04:29:30 PM »
and rationalise all the half used jars of tomato relish and chilli sauce. Will need the boyfriend on board for the last part, he loves trying these but always returns to the same few.
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Sounds a lot like Mr. Swick. I have been using up the random jars of tomato based products and chili sauces in savory things. Added to chicken stock makes a tasty soup base - base for crock potted meat - savory muffins  - I have been using this recipe and subbing the salsa for whatever needs to be used: http://www.thekitchenismyplayground.com/2014/03/spicy-salsa-muffins.html

Hot sauces - I have found a really good dead simple pantry meal that tastes great hot or cold - Peanut noodles: http://dinnerthendessert.com/5-ingredient-asian-peanut-noodles/

I usually add some herbs from the garden or leftover bits of shredded meat or whatever we happen to have. It is surprisingly filling so one pot served Hubs and myself for several days.

Erica/NWEdible

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #493 on: June 08, 2015, 04:33:49 PM »
I would love the recipe! I have come to the sad realization that my body does better when it is sugar free :(
Mine too. But I love all the foodz so much. But I love fitting in my pants, too. Damn these tradeoffs.

Recipe:

1.5 c Masa
.5 c cornmeal
1.25 c VERY HOT water, or a bit more if needed
Salt. Be generous.
2 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)

Some large qty. of fat for frying. I used mostly lard. This is totally up to you but make it high heat.

Mix all ingredients together, and knead the dough a bit. Dough should be like play doh almost. If it's crumbly, add a bit more water.

Plop the dough on a sheet of parchment and top with another sheet of parchment. Roll dough out betwnen the parchment until it's a big circle about 3/8" thick (or a bit thinner if you want more like chips and less like cornmeal fries).

Slice the dough into strips maybe 1/2 inch wide, and 2 or 3 inches long. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Heat up some oil or lard or whatever to about 375, or until a tester corn strip bubbles when you drop it in. Fry the strips in batches until they are golden brown and delicious, about 4 minutes???

Use a big slotted spoon to transfer the strips to a cooling rack to drain, and sprinkle with a bit more salt as they come out of the hot fat.

Eat warm, with guacamole if possible.

theadvicist

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #494 on: June 09, 2015, 02:35:40 AM »
Used up some expensive chocolate chips that I bought for a very specific recipe that have been hanging around for far too long. Made brownies, they aren't amazing (I kind of 'adapted' the recipe to what I had on hand, it was a bit of a throw it all in and see job), but they are pretty tasty. So glad that container is gone.

celticmyst08

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #495 on: June 09, 2015, 11:22:21 AM »
I need to get in on this! We made our quarterly Costco run the other day and while putting food away, I kept discovering things in the cupboards that have been sitting there for ages. So I think our goal for the next couple weeks is to only buy produce from the grocery store to supplement what's stocked up in the pantry.

Also, our balcony garden is absolutely exploding, too, so I have more mint, parsley, rosemary, and thyme than I know what to do with. Pretty soon I'll have a bunch of basil too (we got a late start on growing it from seed, so the plants are only a couple inches tall now). Any ideas? I've made a lot of roast chicken/potatoes/veggies using the rosemary and thyme (SO GOOD), we've put parsley/mint in salads, mint in mojitos, etc. (Can I just say, I will never pay for a mojito in a restaurant again after learning to make them myself!)

somecobwebs

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #496 on: June 10, 2015, 11:40:14 PM »
Update:


dried coconut strips - tried to soften with water, but results were pretty mixed. oh well.
pumpkin puree + pancake mix - Alas, came out poorly! Used too much of the puree, and it was just... overwhelming.



http://www.donalskehan.com/2011/10/roast-pumpkin-coconut-and-chilli-soup/
I recomend this. Trust me, you will wish there was more pumpkin puree to be used up.
Possibly you could also toast/cook the coconut strips and eat on/with it?

Re the muffins: Depending on where in the world you live (the definition of muffins varies greatly) you could make breadcrumbs for meatballs and the like?

Somecobwebs, i also have three large cans of pumpkin puree, bought when I was doing more baking (low fat) and before my mom grew some in her garden.  I made a pumpkin custard with one can but wished I had only made half, basically pumpkin pie filling.  Good, but too much.  Pumpkin gnocchi, pancakes, muffins, bread pudding.  I'd been looking for a spicy soup so I'm going to try that recipe, but maybe start with just half and add sausage. I think you could throw it in a brownie mix instead of fat, too.  What about pumpkin ice cream?

Tamarind chutney is fabulous, I use it as the back taste in peanut sauce, along with Lemon/lime juice.  I also mix it with coriander/mint chutney and put it on potatoes, hard boiled eggs, bread.  You could do small amounts of hot sauce if you don't have green sauce, its kind of cloying for me to eat plain.  On top of yogurt, with salt/cumin/pepper.  Its basically brown ketchup.

I add pumpkin puree to my chili when I have it-- you can't pick out the exact flavor, but makes it taste richer; also avoids having to use sugar etc to make a baked item.

Hooray, thank you all! Those sound like much better pumpkin puree options for the rest of my jar.  And that's a great tip for tamarind chutney! I'll experiment with mixes and proportions until I find something that I like.

Crumbs in meatballs, hm? It's worth a try, I suppose! Would they be good in hamburger too, I wonder?

Also, SisterX - congratulations on your truly momentous accomplishment!

I have more mint, parsley, rosemary, and thyme than I know what to do with. Pretty soon I'll have a bunch of basil too (we got a late start on growing it from seed, so the plants are only a couple inches tall now). Any ideas?

You can freeze fresh herbs in stock or water in ice cubes to use for later :)

SisterX

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #497 on: June 15, 2015, 11:47:46 PM »
Also, SisterX - congratulations on your truly momentous accomplishment!


Thank you!  We arrived at our destination late last week and now we're trying to settle in, which is even harder because we're staying with my folks until we get on our feet/get jobs sorted out and figure out what would be the best place to live in relation to the jobs.  So we're getting settled, but it's not really our space so we also can't settle in as we would if it was our own space.  We're trying to make my old bedroom seem homey and usable for two adults, not the easiest task.  I should start posting more on the decluttering thread, since I'm getting rid of a LOT of junk that was in my old room!  And then I'm going to help my parents declutter, which they're excited about.  It will be an interesting summer.

wintersun

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #498 on: June 17, 2015, 05:19:05 PM »
I am joining in again.  I have wasted so much food lately, it is awful.  So I have made a list of what I have now and am cutting down on shopping unless it is necessary in order to consume an existing food.  Pots are boiling as I write!  What do you all do with corn in large quantities?

somecobwebs

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #499 on: June 18, 2015, 02:07:35 AM »
I am joining in again.  I have wasted so much food lately, it is awful.  So I have made a list of what I have now and am cutting down on shopping unless it is necessary in order to consume an existing food.  Pots are boiling as I write!  What do you all do with corn in large quantities?

Chili! I've also made spiced corn soup, which came out really well :)