My five-week challenge

lisa110rry

Okay, day one. I've only de-cluttered a little today (working day): one ready meal from the freezer with a little Parmesan from the fridge, and one half-used tub of cottage cheese into the bin, which should have been thrown long ago.

At the weekend, I'll start in earnest, must look for a recipe for chicken for the slow cooker or casserole, or perhaps a curry? As all the meats in the freezer are portioned for two it will have to be something I can keep to eat again later. I'm keeping the frozen ham bone to make 'Red Beans and Rice' , one of my favourite Louisiana dishes (I don't come from Louisiana).

mum2one

glad hubby got off safely, looking forward to catching up on the decluttering journey xx

lisa110rry

Thanks mum2one, as it's lunch time, I've been googling for a chicken slow cooker recipe to make this weekend...

lisa110rry

My plan is to make Chicken Tikka Masala on Saturday. Tonight I will defrost the chicken from the infamous freezer, tomorrow I will marinate it for several hours in yoghurt. Saturday I will make my own garam masala from cumin, coriander, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg; most, if not all, of these are lurking in the equally infamous pantry. I will only need to buy some ginger (unless there's some in the fridge - might be) as I have all the other ingredients including coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato paste, onions (from the garden) and garlic. This will make a large slow-cooker of chicktikmas which I will portion and return to said freezer to eat once in a while over the next few weeks (defrosting the freezer can wait a while) or invite friends to share with me, so I don't get lonely!

savingpennies

lisa110rry wrote: »

Good morning and thank you all for your comments!

In addition to my de-cluttering, I shall indeed be having some "me time". This coming weekend, the pantry will be done, or at least partially completed, as I have a hair appointment on Saturday (I find it boring, sitting for three hours while my hair is coloured, washed, cut and dried, so I use iPlayer radio and listen to radio plays while waiting and this time, I'm thinking of taking a small thermos with chilled white wine and a glass!). On Sunday, I have promised myself a visit to the Lady Lever Art Gallery (as mentioned by another on here) to see the last day of an exhibition on 30s evening gowns.

I would be fine without spreadsheets for my freezer and pantry, were it not for the fact that my husband does most of the food shopping, being retired, and he tends to purchase randomly and put things in the pantry even more randomly!:rotfl:Whereas, I like all soups to be together, all sauces, all vinegars, etc.

Thank you all for your good wishes, have to confess as the hour approaches I'm feeling a little anxious for some reason (not about the pantry and freezer but about his trip).

I love the tip about the chilled wine in a thermos flask! Enjoy yourself and I look forward to seeing how you progress.

lisa110rry

Well, things are calm and quiet at home, little dog has been walked and we are watching a programme about Eric "Winkle" Brown, Britain's most prolific test pilot, on BBC2.

All I had to buy for the mega-masala was cardamoms and coconut milk, oh and a small pot of yoghourt, and I'll start marinating shortly so I can start the dish tomorrow morning in the slow cooker.

I do find, however, that I really don't want anything to eat in the evenings, not having to cook for my husband. I fear clearing the freezer is going to be more difficult than I thought if I don't find an appetite!

Lynplatinum

Evening lisal0rry - you can always find friends - I find they help finding an appetite! Always a good way to stop being lonely and build up a list of invites back :-)

lisa110rry

Yes, indeed lyn, I'm blessed with many friends, though getting them all together at once is problematic. Of my closest circle, one is a midwife on nights, another a long-haul hostie, another a surgical nurse on days and the last sort of semi-retired but living further away!

Anyhooo... Started de-cluttering the pantry this morning, have just stopped for a mid-morning bacon butty (that's the end of the bacon and the bread) and have cleared the top shelf and made two piles, charity shop and to be put back in. Most of that stuff, a toaster, a water purifier, some old vases, I'll never use! They can go to International Aid.

Right, back to work!

lisa110rry

Well, the top half of the pantry where all the food goes is now very clean and tidy and all my flours have been binned. How does everyone else keep flour? I need some new tall, narrow jars or Tupperware. Four kinds of flour, if cornflour isn't counted, regular and self-raising, strong white and whole meal for bread making. And who has two unopened jars of mint sauce in addition to the one in the fridge?

Luckily, I have a young friend who loves to shop and makes multiple trips to the US monthly, I'll get him on the case for the flour containers...

I'm really pleased with how the shelves look now, all my store cupboard items, the ones that are used only occasionally, are in gleaming jars on the top shelf where the 'spare' toaster, vases and jugs used to be.

There's very little left to deal with in there now, as the woodwork, including the window, has been cleaned down. Just need to rationalise the cleaning stuff and a historic wedge of carrier bags and a few shoes on the floor that never get worn, then mop the floor. However, after a short break, then a change of clothes, I'm off to the hairdresser!

Edited to add: for those with modern kitchens, this project is like deciding to sort, wipe, clear and clean down every one of your kitchen cupboards at once! Well, the ones containing food and miscellaneous other stuff at least, although my shelves do have plate rails at the back, glassware, dinnerware and glasses are kept in cupboards in the kitchen here.

mum2one

l cheat and use old icecream containers for the flour, thou our pantry does need to be gutted.... xx