...I *love* fresh ingredients! Especially in the summer. But it's been a few season since I last posted and I've been missing you, Blogger. So I'm ba-ack!
Since the last post, Adam and I have simply been moving away from stocking the pantry with anything but supplementary "pureplay" items: spices, simple one-note sauces OR sauces that just aren't worth making for two working people (hoisin, ketchup). And we've been dialing up the fun factor in the fridge.
Speaking of, we got a new fridge! So now we're not worried about the vegetables freezing and the ice cream turning to mush. So we've taken things to the next level.
Our challenge has become less about working down the pantry than it is about folding fresh ingredients we've never used before into our meals and, if they're good, into our normal repertoire.
We've had some hits and we've had some misses, and I'll be blogging on all of them at:
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Monday, September 1, 2008
The cupboard is bare! (-er)
I've been too busy cooking to remember to blog about it. (Yeah, that's my excuse!) Really though, I've been cooking up a storm and have been good about not buying any of the pantry items I'd said I'd stay away from. So far we've done the following damage, give or take:
*Made vermicelli for my pal Brooke! Used a big package of rice noodles.
*Pasta-- two packages down
*Cracked open eggplant dip for a party the other night
That's the major stuff, but it's nothing compared to the biggest pantry achievement to date: homemade veggie burgers!
The other night we had a party and we have a few friends who are vegetarians. We were doing something of a burger-fest with four different kinds of meat burgers, but had Boca burgers for our V friends-- and it just didn't seem right. So at the tail end of cooking-- seriously, like an hour before people were to show-- I decided to whip out the old Moosewood Cookbook to see what veggie burgers entailed. I found this recipe for chili burgers that called for a few cups of beans (check!), oats (check!) some condiments (check, check!) and an onion, a handful of shredded carrots and chili powder/cumin. I pulled a tree-lovin' Betty Crocker and whipped up a batch lickety split. Super easy, and what a hit! I dazzled my pals! One even asked me how long I had to soak the beans for. That she even thought that I went that far was A) kind of exciting in that she thinks I'm hardcore, but also B) kinda disturbing because that'd be super hardcore. I don't want all my friends to think that they can't invite me to dinner because I'll poo poo their semi-homemade goodness. ::sigh::
*Made vermicelli for my pal Brooke! Used a big package of rice noodles.
*Pasta-- two packages down
*Cracked open eggplant dip for a party the other night
That's the major stuff, but it's nothing compared to the biggest pantry achievement to date: homemade veggie burgers!
The other night we had a party and we have a few friends who are vegetarians. We were doing something of a burger-fest with four different kinds of meat burgers, but had Boca burgers for our V friends-- and it just didn't seem right. So at the tail end of cooking-- seriously, like an hour before people were to show-- I decided to whip out the old Moosewood Cookbook to see what veggie burgers entailed. I found this recipe for chili burgers that called for a few cups of beans (check!), oats (check!) some condiments (check, check!) and an onion, a handful of shredded carrots and chili powder/cumin. I pulled a tree-lovin' Betty Crocker and whipped up a batch lickety split. Super easy, and what a hit! I dazzled my pals! One even asked me how long I had to soak the beans for. That she even thought that I went that far was A) kind of exciting in that she thinks I'm hardcore, but also B) kinda disturbing because that'd be super hardcore. I don't want all my friends to think that they can't invite me to dinner because I'll poo poo their semi-homemade goodness. ::sigh::
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Cookies and black bean sauce. Mmm.
Busted: we went out to dinner last night. Faced with all this pantry madness, wouldn't you, too?
If it makes it better, we used a 2fer coupon. And we got it back for free, to use again! I'm not sure how this place makes their money, but that's another story...
The thing is, though, we found a way to work in the challenge. When we got home, drunk and full, I squeezed in a cookie bake for my product team and used one bag of those chocolate chips, about a cup of flour (all we had left-- this is where the drunk part comes in-- it wasn't enough!), the remainder of brown sugar, some cookbook vanilla and baking powder, and lots of butter (but you don't care about that). The cookies turned out lacey-- not like normal cookies. They tasted right but looked... wrong. And I had every intention of coming up with some fancy-pants name for them, like chocolate lace wonder, but I dropped the ball and instead opted to simply plant a bag of these on each team member's desk this morning. Because nothing says "sorry for all the work you had to go through to pull of this kick-butt product" like chocolate, right? Even if it's messy.
BTW the product is at Evening Edge if you're curious!
The night before we dipped into the rice, but that's about it from the pantry. We made a black bean mango stir fry. Weird, right? But it was actually delish! Sauteed some tofu, separated that out... chopped up some green onion and sauteed those in abt a tbls of oil... threw in some trimmed snow peas and some thinly sliced summer squash, and diced fresh mango... some julienned fresh ginger... poured two tbls jarred black bean chili sauce over this... tossed together and let it cook for 2 min... tossed in tofu, ba-da bing ba-da boom. Done! Dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow!
I leftovers when they're things that require mingling of flavors, like this. Am I the only one?
If it makes it better, we used a 2fer coupon. And we got it back for free, to use again! I'm not sure how this place makes their money, but that's another story...
The thing is, though, we found a way to work in the challenge. When we got home, drunk and full, I squeezed in a cookie bake for my product team and used one bag of those chocolate chips, about a cup of flour (all we had left-- this is where the drunk part comes in-- it wasn't enough!), the remainder of brown sugar, some cookbook vanilla and baking powder, and lots of butter (but you don't care about that). The cookies turned out lacey-- not like normal cookies. They tasted right but looked... wrong. And I had every intention of coming up with some fancy-pants name for them, like chocolate lace wonder, but I dropped the ball and instead opted to simply plant a bag of these on each team member's desk this morning. Because nothing says "sorry for all the work you had to go through to pull of this kick-butt product" like chocolate, right? Even if it's messy.
BTW the product is at Evening Edge if you're curious!
The night before we dipped into the rice, but that's about it from the pantry. We made a black bean mango stir fry. Weird, right? But it was actually delish! Sauteed some tofu, separated that out... chopped up some green onion and sauteed those in abt a tbls of oil... threw in some trimmed snow peas and some thinly sliced summer squash, and diced fresh mango... some julienned fresh ginger... poured two tbls jarred black bean chili sauce over this... tossed together and let it cook for 2 min... tossed in tofu, ba-da bing ba-da boom. Done! Dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow!
I
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The Pantry List
Here is it, the list! Watch it be whittled away!
quantity category item
1 box drinks tazo chai bags
1 box drinks czech lemon tea
20 drinks chamomille tea
1 drinks swiss miss hot chocolate mix
2 drinks starbucks caffeinated single pot ground
1 drinks CARE caffeinated ground\s
1 drinks green mtn toasted almond single pot grounds
1 asian red curry paste
1 asian pickled mango
1 asian mango pickle relish
1 asian cilantro ginger marinated grill sauce
1 asian sweet mango chutney
1 asian kung pao sauce
1 asian Szechuan preserved vegetables
1 asian chili paste w/soybean oil
1 asian hoisin sauce
1 asian chirashi prepared vegetables
1 asian masaman curry paste
1 asian black bean chili sauce
1 asian preserved bamboo shoot
1 asian indian mixed pickle
1 asian black bean sauce
1 asian korean bbq sauce
1 asian wasabi powder
1 asian chili paste w/sweet basil leaves
1 asian tom yum soup mix
3 asian light coconut milk
1 canned canned lentils
3 canned chickpeas
2 canned baked beans
1 canned sliced black olives
1 box instant black beans
1 canned no salt added tomato sauce
1 canned kidney beans
2 canned conch chowder
2 canned anchovies
1 pasta polenta
3 pasta spaghetti
1 Mexican taco shells
1 pasta pasta shells
0.5 pasta lasagna
vitamins Echinacea & golden seal
vitamins pau d'arco
vitamins american ginseng
vitamins peppermint gels
vitamins vitamin e
vitamins calcium + d
2 drinks vosges hot chocolate
4 small maple syrups
1 balsamic vinegar sampler
3 old fashioned oatmeal
3 multigrain & flaxseed crackers
1 light rye crisp bread
many asian small snack packets
1 snacks lowfat graham crackers
3.5 drinks crystal light tubes
1 drinks chocolate hazelnut cocoa
0.25 drinks chai mix
0.5 drinks jacques torres hot chocolate
1 sauces asian apricot stir-fry and dipping
1 sauces charred pineapple bourbon sauce
1 sauces toasted raspberry chipotle
1 asian sriracha w/ginger
1 sauces salsa verde
2 sauces salsa inglesa
1 sauces pineapple hot sauce
1 sauces pad thai sauce
1 sauces chili oil
1 jar rosewater
1 jar roasted red peppers with garlic
2 jar hot jerk seasoning
1 jar mild jerk seasoning
1 jar fried shallots
2 jar raw honey
2 asian sushi ginger
1 fat free balsamic vinaigrette
1 lemon tagine stir fry paste
1 apricot and chili chutney
1 ginger wasabi sauce
1 mingling olives
1 eggplant garlic spread
1 pinjur
1 baking light corn syrup
1 baking baking soda
1 baking walnuts, lb.
1 baking sliced almonds, cup
1 baking panko breadcrumbs
1 baking tapioca starch
1 baking pecans, cup
2 baking diced almonds, cup
1 baking pancake mix, multigrain
1 baking pancake mix, buttermilk
1 baking bisquick
1 baking baking powder
1 dried currants, cup
1 bag baking chocolate chunk scones
1 bag baking cranberry orange muffins
1 baking corn starch
2 cups baking semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 oz baking mint chocolate chips
6 bars baking hersheys dark chocolate
1 bar baking unsweetened belgian chocolate
1/2 box baking baker's unsweetened baking chocolate
1 bag baking semi-sweet chocolate chips
1.5 lbs baking ghirardelli dark chocolate
1 bag baking semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cans asian tom yum soup
spices cinnamon sticks
spices whole oregano
spices ground fenugreek
spices whole nutmeg
spices szechuan peppercorns
spices ground flax seed
spices dried cilantro
spices dried dill
spices dried basil
spices ground turmeric
spices ground Hungarian paprika
spices ground cardamom
spices whole chili peppers, dried
spices jerk seasoning
2lbs wild black quinoa, organic
2lbs Indian red lentils
spices ground red pepper
spices crushed red pepper
spices garam masala
spices whole anise
spices ground coriander
spices ground cinnamon
spices whole cardamom
1 cup pine nuts
2 lbs cous cous
sushi rice
sundried tomatoes
1 box rice pilaf w/lentils
.25 container breadcrumbs
3 cups sticky rice
1 box arborio rice
1 lb wheat berries
pasta sprinkle spice
medium hot chili powder
creamy peppercorn dressing base
english prime rib rub
cajun seasoning
s chinese cassia cinnamon
jerk seasoning
2 pkgs asian noodle cart lunches
1 pkg asian tuna in green curry sauce
1 pkg asian mushroom vermicelli soup
1 [kg asian lemongrass and chili vermicelli soup
1 pkg asian madras lentil lunch
1 pkg asian punjab eggplant lunch
1 pkg asian rava dosai mix
1 pkg asian miso noodle soup
1/2 jar skippy peanut butter
1 bottle hershey's special dark syrup
1 jar fresh strawberry preserves
1 pkg asian banana leaves
1 cannister asian shredded seaweed
1.5 pkgs asian nori
2 pkgs asian size 4 rice stick
3 bunches asian soba noodles
5 pkgs asian thin vermicelli
20 asian spring roll wrappers
1 cup grits
3 pkgs single-serve spicy instant seaweed soup
1 kimchi rice seasoning
2 ebi fumi rice seasoning
2 wasabi rice seasoning
1 salmon rice seasoning
1 spices cajun spice
spices chipotle powder
spices curry powder - hot
spices hot mustard
spices bbq spice
spices garam masala
spices chili blend
spices jerk seasoning
spices garlic powder
spices kala namak black salt
spices bolivian pink salt
spices peruvian pink salt
spices dried mint
spices dried marjoram
1 spices thyme leaves
1 spices fenugreek
1 spices ground cumin
1 spices ground ancho pasilla
1 spices ground white pepper
1 spices bay leaves
1 spices dill
1 spices herbs de provence
1 spices red pepper flakes
1 spices dried cilantro
1 spices ground flax seed
1 spices oregano
1 spices basil
1 spices rosemary
1 spices chinese 5-spice powder
1 spices curry powder
1 spices raz el-hanout
1 spices hot pico de gallo
1 spices saffron
1 spices ethiopian gorem masala
1 spices ethiopian coriander
1 spices chili powder
1 spices caraway seeds
1 spices whole cloves
1 spices ground ginger
1 spices ground allspice
2 spices pumpkin pie spice
1 spices ground cloves
1 spices cookbook vanilla
1 spices vietnam extra fancy cinnamon
1 spices ground cumin seed
1 spices dutch process cocoa
1 spices east indies ground nutmeg
1 spices star anise
1 spices malaysian curry powder
1 spices za'atar
1 spices paprika
1 spices black sesame seeds
8 lbs red rice
1 bottle EVOO
1 small bottle balsamic vinegar
3 jars newman's own sockarooni
2 jars classico pasta sauce
2 bottles asian fish sauce
4 cans crushed tomatoes
1 spicy brown mustard
1 ketchup
1 asian korean hot pepper sauce
1 spray canola oil
1 asian sweet soy sauce
1 asian nuoc mam
1 jar wildflower honey
1 bottle asian rice cooking wine
1 bottle spices pure vanilla extract
1 bottle asian sesame oil
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
3 pkgs food coloring (no red)
1 container beef demi-glace
4 cubes tom yum soup mix
4 cubes hoanh thanh soup mix
10 cubes chicken boullion
spices old bay seasoning
baking tollhouse brown cocoa
quantity category item
1 box drinks tazo chai bags
1 box drinks czech lemon tea
20 drinks chamomille tea
1 drinks swiss miss hot chocolate mix
2 drinks starbucks caffeinated single pot ground
1 drinks CARE caffeinated ground\s
1 drinks green mtn toasted almond single pot grounds
1 asian red curry paste
1 asian pickled mango
1 asian mango pickle relish
1 asian cilantro ginger marinated grill sauce
1 asian sweet mango chutney
1 asian kung pao sauce
1 asian Szechuan preserved vegetables
1 asian chili paste w/soybean oil
1 asian hoisin sauce
1 asian chirashi prepared vegetables
1 asian masaman curry paste
1 asian black bean chili sauce
1 asian preserved bamboo shoot
1 asian indian mixed pickle
1 asian black bean sauce
1 asian korean bbq sauce
1 asian wasabi powder
1 asian chili paste w/sweet basil leaves
1 asian tom yum soup mix
3 asian light coconut milk
1 canned canned lentils
3 canned chickpeas
2 canned baked beans
1 canned sliced black olives
1 box instant black beans
1 canned no salt added tomato sauce
1 canned kidney beans
2 canned conch chowder
2 canned anchovies
1 pasta polenta
3 pasta spaghetti
1 Mexican taco shells
1 pasta pasta shells
0.5 pasta lasagna
vitamins Echinacea & golden seal
vitamins pau d'arco
vitamins american ginseng
vitamins peppermint gels
vitamins vitamin e
vitamins calcium + d
2 drinks vosges hot chocolate
4 small maple syrups
1 balsamic vinegar sampler
3 old fashioned oatmeal
3 multigrain & flaxseed crackers
1 light rye crisp bread
many asian small snack packets
1 snacks lowfat graham crackers
3.5 drinks crystal light tubes
1 drinks chocolate hazelnut cocoa
0.25 drinks chai mix
0.5 drinks jacques torres hot chocolate
1 sauces asian apricot stir-fry and dipping
1 sauces charred pineapple bourbon sauce
1 sauces toasted raspberry chipotle
1 asian sriracha w/ginger
1 sauces salsa verde
2 sauces salsa inglesa
1 sauces pineapple hot sauce
1 sauces pad thai sauce
1 sauces chili oil
1 jar rosewater
1 jar roasted red peppers with garlic
2 jar hot jerk seasoning
1 jar mild jerk seasoning
1 jar fried shallots
2 jar raw honey
2 asian sushi ginger
1 fat free balsamic vinaigrette
1 lemon tagine stir fry paste
1 apricot and chili chutney
1 ginger wasabi sauce
1 mingling olives
1 eggplant garlic spread
1 pinjur
1 baking light corn syrup
1 baking baking soda
1 baking walnuts, lb.
1 baking sliced almonds, cup
1 baking panko breadcrumbs
1 baking tapioca starch
1 baking pecans, cup
2 baking diced almonds, cup
1 baking pancake mix, multigrain
1 baking pancake mix, buttermilk
1 baking bisquick
1 baking baking powder
1 dried currants, cup
1 bag baking chocolate chunk scones
1 bag baking cranberry orange muffins
1 baking corn starch
2 cups baking semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 oz baking mint chocolate chips
6 bars baking hersheys dark chocolate
1 bar baking unsweetened belgian chocolate
1/2 box baking baker's unsweetened baking chocolate
1 bag baking semi-sweet chocolate chips
1.5 lbs baking ghirardelli dark chocolate
1 bag baking semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cans asian tom yum soup
spices cinnamon sticks
spices whole oregano
spices ground fenugreek
spices whole nutmeg
spices szechuan peppercorns
spices ground flax seed
spices dried cilantro
spices dried dill
spices dried basil
spices ground turmeric
spices ground Hungarian paprika
spices ground cardamom
spices whole chili peppers, dried
spices jerk seasoning
2lbs wild black quinoa, organic
2lbs Indian red lentils
spices ground red pepper
spices crushed red pepper
spices garam masala
spices whole anise
spices ground coriander
spices ground cinnamon
spices whole cardamom
1 cup pine nuts
2 lbs cous cous
sushi rice
sundried tomatoes
1 box rice pilaf w/lentils
.25 container breadcrumbs
3 cups sticky rice
1 box arborio rice
1 lb wheat berries
pasta sprinkle spice
medium hot chili powder
creamy peppercorn dressing base
english prime rib rub
cajun seasoning
s chinese cassia cinnamon
jerk seasoning
2 pkgs asian noodle cart lunches
1 pkg asian tuna in green curry sauce
1 pkg asian mushroom vermicelli soup
1 [kg asian lemongrass and chili vermicelli soup
1 pkg asian madras lentil lunch
1 pkg asian punjab eggplant lunch
1 pkg asian rava dosai mix
1 pkg asian miso noodle soup
1/2 jar skippy peanut butter
1 bottle hershey's special dark syrup
1 jar fresh strawberry preserves
1 pkg asian banana leaves
1 cannister asian shredded seaweed
1.5 pkgs asian nori
2 pkgs asian size 4 rice stick
3 bunches asian soba noodles
5 pkgs asian thin vermicelli
20 asian spring roll wrappers
1 cup grits
3 pkgs single-serve spicy instant seaweed soup
1 kimchi rice seasoning
2 ebi fumi rice seasoning
2 wasabi rice seasoning
1 salmon rice seasoning
1 spices cajun spice
spices chipotle powder
spices curry powder - hot
spices hot mustard
spices bbq spice
spices garam masala
spices chili blend
spices jerk seasoning
spices garlic powder
spices kala namak black salt
spices bolivian pink salt
spices peruvian pink salt
spices dried mint
spices dried marjoram
1 spices thyme leaves
1 spices fenugreek
1 spices ground cumin
1 spices ground ancho pasilla
1 spices ground white pepper
1 spices bay leaves
1 spices dill
1 spices herbs de provence
1 spices red pepper flakes
1 spices dried cilantro
1 spices ground flax seed
1 spices oregano
1 spices basil
1 spices rosemary
1 spices chinese 5-spice powder
1 spices curry powder
1 spices raz el-hanout
1 spices hot pico de gallo
1 spices saffron
1 spices ethiopian gorem masala
1 spices ethiopian coriander
1 spices chili powder
1 spices caraway seeds
1 spices whole cloves
1 spices ground ginger
1 spices ground allspice
2 spices pumpkin pie spice
1 spices ground cloves
1 spices cookbook vanilla
1 spices vietnam extra fancy cinnamon
1 spices ground cumin seed
1 spices dutch process cocoa
1 spices east indies ground nutmeg
1 spices star anise
1 spices malaysian curry powder
1 spices za'atar
1 spices paprika
1 spices black sesame seeds
8 lbs red rice
1 bottle EVOO
1 small bottle balsamic vinegar
3 jars newman's own sockarooni
2 jars classico pasta sauce
2 bottles asian fish sauce
4 cans crushed tomatoes
1 spicy brown mustard
1 ketchup
1 asian korean hot pepper sauce
1 spray canola oil
1 asian sweet soy sauce
1 asian nuoc mam
1 jar wildflower honey
1 bottle asian rice cooking wine
1 bottle spices pure vanilla extract
1 bottle asian sesame oil
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
3 pkgs food coloring (no red)
1 container beef demi-glace
4 cubes tom yum soup mix
4 cubes hoanh thanh soup mix
10 cubes chicken boullion
spices old bay seasoning
baking tollhouse brown cocoa
The Great Pantry Experiment Kicks Off!
The other day I went to Trader Joe's to stock up on ingredients. I'm a sucker for their simmer sauces, their jarred olives-- the stuff that makes cooking easier. Except that I like to cook from scratch, from what's available now, and I seem to forget this when I'm at Trader Joe's. So I come home to find that I'm now the proud owner of not one, but five jars of simmer sauce, about 3 jars of different honeys, 4 kinds of chutney... ::Sigh::. Just like so many people we feel the need to stock up, like we'll never get to Trader Joe's again... but the reality is that when we go back, we'll likely have the same stuff we stocked up on last time, and we'll just be going back for more. And the worst part is that our bill is about twice what it is when we go to our fab local market, DeKalb Farmers Market, to do our weekly produce and protein shop.
So. I'm taking it upon myself to save myself, my husband and Lily, our dog, from a pantry filled to the brim with overpriced chutney: we're dedicating ourselves to cooking from our pantry, and cooking down to the very last drop, if we can. Of course, we can't live off chutney, so we've got to lay down some ground rules. Here are the things we're deciding are "on limits" to buy:
Protein
Dairy
Produce
Grains, like bread. In fact, just bread.
Basically, perishables.
Of course, part of this challenge is also cooking through what we have in our fridge and our freezer(s) (we have two; the previous owners left their full freezer downstairs). We haven't taken inventory of what's in there yet (and there's a load, let me tell you) but to make this all official we did take inventory of our pantry and had some pretty exciting discoveries. Like, we need to make vermicelli stat, preferably with jerk seasoning. If I figure out how to attach the doc I will, otherwise I'll just have to post it, cut and paste.
The first thing we wanted to do when we finished our inventory was go out to dinner. Danger, Will Robinson! This isn't for the faint of heart and, being dedicated troopers, we ultimately decided to use one of our stir fry sauces to create an asian stir fry for a quick dinner.
The upside of all of this is obvious: we'll save a load of money, we'll maybe figure out how to use some of the exciting packaged items we seem so drawn to in the stores (what does one do with rose water? just puddings?), and, of course, we'll make room for more.
As I have the attention span of a flea, I'm hoping that some people out there in the universe who share our plight will join us in our cause. We can push each other, like a weight watchers support group.
My intention is to keep my pantry list up to date, and I'll also have to take inventory of what we have in our freezer shortly and keep that up to date as well. We'll carefully monitor what's coming in, and if it doesn't meet our requirements for items we can procure, there better be a pretty darned good reason (such as my parents coming for birthday dinner next weekend. Chutney, anyone?).
I'll also post about any new recipes I come up with, making use of the weirdo ingredients in my pantry like tapioca flour. What the heck was I thinking?
Game on, fellow food hoarders!
So. I'm taking it upon myself to save myself, my husband and Lily, our dog, from a pantry filled to the brim with overpriced chutney: we're dedicating ourselves to cooking from our pantry, and cooking down to the very last drop, if we can. Of course, we can't live off chutney, so we've got to lay down some ground rules. Here are the things we're deciding are "on limits" to buy:
Protein
Dairy
Produce
Grains, like bread. In fact, just bread.
Basically, perishables.
Of course, part of this challenge is also cooking through what we have in our fridge and our freezer(s) (we have two; the previous owners left their full freezer downstairs). We haven't taken inventory of what's in there yet (and there's a load, let me tell you) but to make this all official we did take inventory of our pantry and had some pretty exciting discoveries. Like, we need to make vermicelli stat, preferably with jerk seasoning. If I figure out how to attach the doc I will, otherwise I'll just have to post it, cut and paste.
The first thing we wanted to do when we finished our inventory was go out to dinner. Danger, Will Robinson! This isn't for the faint of heart and, being dedicated troopers, we ultimately decided to use one of our stir fry sauces to create an asian stir fry for a quick dinner.
The upside of all of this is obvious: we'll save a load of money, we'll maybe figure out how to use some of the exciting packaged items we seem so drawn to in the stores (what does one do with rose water? just puddings?), and, of course, we'll make room for more.
As I have the attention span of a flea, I'm hoping that some people out there in the universe who share our plight will join us in our cause. We can push each other, like a weight watchers support group.
My intention is to keep my pantry list up to date, and I'll also have to take inventory of what we have in our freezer shortly and keep that up to date as well. We'll carefully monitor what's coming in, and if it doesn't meet our requirements for items we can procure, there better be a pretty darned good reason (such as my parents coming for birthday dinner next weekend. Chutney, anyone?).
I'll also post about any new recipes I come up with, making use of the weirdo ingredients in my pantry like tapioca flour. What the heck was I thinking?
Game on, fellow food hoarders!
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