Store cupboard challenge

missychrissy

I sometimes find the living out of your store cupboard challenge a never ending story. I defrost a joint or a pack of meat, cook it together with lots of veg and/or pulses, eat one, then have several portions to freeze taking up more space than the original meat. I find this is a particular problem when I have family staying and I am trying to serve up a variety of meals
resulting in substantial leftovers. I don't waste anything and always freeze one person size portions, but my freezer sometimes magically has more in it after I have been using its contents.

purpleivy

missychrissy wrote: »

I sometimes find the living out of your store cupboard challenge a never ending story. I defrost a joint or a pack of meat, cook it together with lots of veg and/or pulses, eat one, then have several portions to freeze taking up more space than the original meat. I find this is a particular problem when I have family staying and I am trying to serve up a variety of meals
resulting in substantial leftovers. I don't waste anything and always freeze one person size portions, but my freezer sometimes magically has more in it after I have been using its contents.

Weird how that happens!

I found a singular trout in my adventures in Freezerland yesterday. I shall have that for dinner tonight with a few veg. DS to have pizza. At least that won't add anything to the freezer!

patchwork_cat

Feeling a bit despondent about running my freezer down. I don't seem to be making much progress and haven't kept up to crossing what I have used up off my list, so can see I will have to do another inventory.

Is it just me or does everyone elses freezer seem full off things that they just don't really like.

I bought 10lbs of stewing meat from the farmshop and made a Bourginon and a carbonade. I love carbonade, but I am just a) so bored and b) he talked me into buying stewing and I used to use shin and tbh either my memory is going or I just don't like stewing as much as shin. I also don't really like fish, but know we should eat it, so the freezer has a fair bit of salmon, but my favourite way is with cauli cheese and new potatoes and butter, but I am trying to lose weight, so cauli cheese and butter are gone and I just don't fancy it any other way. I must have about 6/8 meals of salmon and even once a week is too much. *sighs* must go into the garage and do a new inventory - think I will wear gloves!

mollythewestie

missychrissy wrote: »

I sometimes find the living out of your store cupboard challenge a never ending story..... but my freezer sometimes magically has more in it after I have been using its contents.

I thought I was the only one with one of those magic freezers!

I have managed to clear a(nother) Guinea Fowl from the freezer and some carrot/swede mash.
But the space will soon be taken up by the pates and terrine I am making for Christmas.
And I still have to clear another shelf by Christmas eve, because MIL always scours the local supermarkets at closing time for the reduced turkeys, hams, nibbles etc. which she buys for us for the new year. I know that I am very lucky to have such a fab MIL!

Shortie

Hi everyone!

I ventured a little into 'Freezerland' today - I like that phrase I have a feeling it's going to stick :rotfl:

I've pulled out some lamb chops to defrost in the fridge for Sunday, and a couple of reduced packs of cauliflour and broccoli...

Whilst there though I also came across what I can only call Lamb 'odds and sods' and I have no idea what to do with them...

We occasionally buy a whole lamb from our butcher and as we have cats and dogs I can only guess I said 'yes Please' last time when he asked if I wanted these bits... I've not got a clue what to do with them now a good few months on :rotfl:

Any ideas? from what I can make out (:o) I have:

a rib cage (good for stewing I know but we don't really do soups or use stock - any good to boil down this weekend to freeze for gravy at Christmas / to pour on the dogs biscuits?)
a lumpy thing that looks like it has a heart frozen in there somewhere :rotfl:
And finally a few thick strands of what I think are just fat

Help! Should I just slow roast the 'soft bits' for the cats and dogs, and then boill the rib cage for Christmas gravy?

Thanks
Clueless from London

CCP

missychrissy wrote: »

I sometimes find the living out of your store cupboard challenge a never ending story. I defrost a joint or a pack of meat, cook it together with lots of veg and/or pulses, eat one, then have several portions to freeze taking up more space than the original meat. I find this is a particular problem when I have family staying and I am trying to serve up a variety of meals
resulting in substantial leftovers. I don't waste anything and always freeze one person size portions, but my freezer sometimes magically has more in it after I have been using its contents.

Yes, me too, is about all I can say. Odd, isn't it?

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Is it just me or does everyone elses freezer seem full off things that they just don't really like.

I'm not too bad in this regard, although I recently threw away a half-pot of cream that I'd shoved in the freezer because it had gone off. I can't imagine why I thought freezing it would magically make it edible again. :rolleyes:

The only things I've got that I really don't have a use for are a pint and a half of milk - I now use 'special' (lactose-free) milk, so normal milk isn't a lot of good. I'm keeping it because I think it might be useful one day - I don't know when, though!

ellemm

Shortie wrote: »

Hi everyone!

I ventured a little into 'Freezerland' today - I like that phrase I have a feeling it's going to stick :rotfl:


a rib cage (good for stewing I know but we don't really do soups or use stock - any good to boil down this weekend to freeze for gravy at Christmas / to pour on the dogs biscuits?)

Thanks
Clueless from London

Many years ago when my children were small we also would have a whole lamb in the freezer (or venison - lived in the country ).

My ex OH used to bone the ribcage and roll it and we would pot roast it slowly over vegetables. Probably a bit of a fiddle to do but I remember it being delicious.

Might also adopt Freezerland -good description.

I have taken from mine today, carrot cake, beef stew, parsnip soup, cooked chicken leg and a tub of marg., not planning to put anything back in after shopping but hey ho who knows

lynzpower

Hello gang-

has everyone stopped using up the store cupboard :eek: and started shopping for Xmas

Well we havent So are trying to carry on regardless- few schoolgirl errors for me over the last few days

1) started a fruit loaf then missed the beeps so no fruit in it - what a goon -Im going to freeze this and aim to make a B&B pud with it- at some point!
2) made flapjacks yesterday and used dark muscovado sugar as I had no light or whirte sugar- it burnt a bit, so have to work out what to do with the flapjack might have to go in the freezer
3) OH made a pizza- and managed to burn it but half of the dough is left and im going to have a stab at a pizza for lunch - otherwise will make into a calzone and freeze it this afternoon.

I hope today is better. I bought a chicken from the M&S deal and Im aiming to portion it ( im so not good at this sort of thing) Tonight as we are going to a carol concert at the cathedral, I want something reasonably easy so will marinade half the chicken in jerk sauce. Ill serve this with rice & beans, lettuce, rice and some sort of butternut squash thing in a crispy tortilla basket.

The other half chicken will probably be frozen as I feel like lazy cooking tomorrow, we have a stew in the freezer and will do a french loaf in the BM and that will do it Id think.

|Hope everyone is emptying not adding too muchto the stores

mardatha

I'm having the same sort of weekend. I made a fruit and nut loaf in the BM that feels heavier than the BM does. I chickened out of investigating and chucked it in the freezer. It was supposed to go in a home made xmas hamper.:xmassmile
I suppose it would do for a cannonball if we had a siege...:D

Olliebeak

I've sorted my herby/spare mugs cupboard and came across a few packs of 'strange teas' that OH bought and never got around to using.

Just wondering if anybody has any ideas for '2 packs of Yarrow Teabags', 'Dr.Stuart's ' and 'Swirling Mist White Tea' - the mind boggles as to why he bought them in the first place!