Food Hoarders Challenge

[Rouge]

Ikwym about the dry stuff. Tomorrow night I'm going to make some corn soup. It uses sweet corn and polenta. I have a few chicken carcass in the freezer. They'll make for a great stock and I'll make a big loaf of bread to go with.

[CinderToriella]

I have wanted to do this so many times .. We have so much in our cupboards that we don't use , packets of pasta rice , dried beans , tins of everything ..

What rules do you allow yourself ? What do you buy , obviously fresh fruit and veg , but anything else to add to meals or so you only use what you have there ?

[OceanPrincess]

Tonight we had chicken and veggies. Drumsticks from the freezer, marinade from a jar in the pantry. I stopped buying jars when I got the thermomix so it's been there a while Really yum. Win.

But I went to look for Parmesan cheese and we were out. So that sucks, because I was sure we had two bags in the freezer. But when I went hunting we had like three bags of pizza cheese and two tasty. If I'd done my inventory a bit earlier, I would have know that.

DH is down with the food hoarders challenge

[Astrid]

No real rules here. Just work out what needs to be used first and try to do so. Don't want to spend $$$ specially just to save on throwing out a $1.50 packet of something, but if I can make something with the normal fresh foods we buying then that is great.

Thinking of grabbing a basket of some kind to keep in the pantry where I can put the items that I come across that need using. If I just pull them to the front of the pantry, they end up getting pushed back and I don't want items cluttering up my benches any more than needed. That way I can keep on top of items during the year.

[Rouge]

No real rules here. Just work out what needs to be used first and try to do so. Don't want to spend $$$ specially just to save on throwing out a $1.50 packet of something, but if I can make something with the normal fresh foods we buying then that is great.

Yep that's the same here. It defeats the purpose otherwise.

Love the basket idea.

[trishalishous]

we are doing this in January as well!

[~Kim~]

We do this regularly too. Particularly if it's tourist season and the supermarket is packed all the time lol. Did it about a months before Christmas and about due again. I can get away with doing it more often when DH isn't here.
I have a basket Astrid and it works a treat. Recently got rid of some dried peas that the kids got in a show bag at the show lol.
I shall start an inventory though. That's a good idea. Since it's garbage night tonight I generally have a clean out of both fridge and freezers. We have to freeze most of our foodstuff waste until garbage night or it's rank.

[LimeSlice]

Just as an aside - what show does one go to to obtain a showbag with dried peas in it? LOL

[~Kim~]

ROFL live in a country town that's what
Nah they had this community type program where the kids followed a map to all the local stalls. They got something at each one. That wasn't the weirdest. They also got a spud, someone offered a wilted little plant, a hat with mental health on it (remember they're aiming at kids lol), a bag of rice....

Well a container of pistachio and cranberry bark that didn't get brought out at Christmas (because we had too much food) was turned into cheats fudge today with a tin of condensed milk.

I am going to drain and freeze the 6(!) tins of mangoes that I have for slushies and lassies. We have tonnes of fresh that the girls are ploughing through, but I don't want to freeze them.

I have chucked all I couldn't I.D. today. Freezer's actually pretty bare.

Found a thing of bolognese and some frozen fresh lasagne sheets so will make lasagne tomorrow.

Used the last of a packet of arborio and the rest of some sad parsley and roast chook from last night to make a seriously good risotto tonight.

Also going to turn the peppermint bark into brownies to freeze for unexpected pop-ins and used some of my tonne of frozen blueberries to make bagels tomorrow ( or maybe tonight, we'll see).

[Rouge]

Kim. You. Are. My. Hero.

I'm going to use up the leftover fudge in some cookies. And leftover rocky road in muffins!

We had roast chicken tonight. Used up some leftover anchovies in the braised peas. Will use the leftover chicken tomorrow to make Ina's Chicken Salad sandwiches.

I haven't thought about dinner tomorrow. But I'm excited Sad but true.

Got fresh fruit and veg today. Woot!

[MrsFabuloso]

I love this thread and have been reading!

I am going to try the challenge. I went grocery shopping today, and got only what we needed. Did a detailed list of what to buy, and went through the cupboards well.

Today I made some stuffed tomatoes and capsicums, and used up a packet of left over risoni, and some parsely I had in the freezer which I would have other wise just thrown out.

I also made some blueberry and zucchini muffins and apple and pumpkin with some ready to be thrown out veggies and frozen fruit I had.

I hate being wasteful and by doing this, I feel so much better! I usually put things like over ripe fruit or almost dead veggies in the freezer, thinking I will use it for such and such, and then totally forget it.

[wysiwyg]

What is bark? As in peppermint bark, and pistachio and cranberry bark - it isn't a term I am familiar with.

[Rouge]

It's deliciousness. Thin pieces of chocolate with stuff in it. Thin as bark. I made candy cane white chocolate bark at Christmas.

[chody47]

I occasionally do something like this, but not to the same extent. We really should though! Every month or so I get to the point where most of my 'good' Tupperware containers are in the freezer and its starting to look a little full so I tell DH I'm not cooking until we empty it out a bit. Usually 2-3 days of dinners and/or lunches does it.
I was meant to go food shopping this weekend but figured we have enough in the freezer to get us through this week. I should check out the pantry too. We may have enough to get us through the fortnight!

[OceanPrincess]

Leftover fudge - what is this?? This is not a term I am familiar with, to quote wysiwyg

Didn't do so well here today. Late afternoon party on the other side of town = fish n chips.

Back to reality tomorrow. Time to plan.

[Rouge]

Ok tonight is corn soup with bacon, spring onion and sour cream. I'm making a beautiful Cobb loaf in my Chasseur Dutch oven. Thinking of making a custard tart for dessert. Ingredients are next to nothing. I love it.

Fudge will go into brownie muffins. And rocky road into chocolate cookies. I'll freeze the lot for snacks.

[Astrid]

Just checked the bank accounts, no choice this week and half other than to make do with the pantry and freezer! Which will be fun, as the girls start vacation care next week and need to take packed lunches.

Have a few baking dishes lined up, chicken impossible pie, raspberry muffins etc. Will need to knock up some pizza scrolls for the girls next week.

Kicking myself at the moment, I left an almost full tub of yoghurt out on the bench last night! What a waste.

[~Kim~]

Ah poo. That does suck.

Bagels were awesome!