Reverse Meal Planning

Suffolk_lass

@joedenise I hadn't realised I wrote blackberries, I meant blackcurrants. I was obviously still in the covid aftermath or having a poor old thing moment! I did actually make a blackberry juice over Christmas and made some hm ice cream with it!

joedenise

@Suffolk_lass - just didn't want you thinking you were making cassis with blackberries!  Glad it was just a typo and not you getting confused with your liqueurs!

Suffolk_lass

I do have some blackberry juice in a pot in the freezer but I don't have enough to go with a litre of vodka...

No reverse meal planning here yesterday, but the other half of the oxtail stew will get covered tonight (maybe a scone-topping or maybe a shortcrust pastry one). I have leftover cauliflower to use up so that will accompany it with possibly a half jacket potato, I think. Stewed rhubarb may go under a crumble top if I don't cover the oxtail

zafiro1984

Quite a lot of uninteresting reverse meal planning here. I'm trying to use absolutely everything up on two accounts. Firstly I hate waste and secondly I'm trying to spend less each month than I did last year. Jan was a good month.

I went over to the Cotswolds on Monday to collect something I bought so opened the one tin of corned beef which made DH's lunch and a toasted sandwich the following day. The last of the uncooked shortcrust pastry (LO from the flan) made a pie yesterday. There were four sausages in the fridge, the choice was, wrapping them in bacon but that would mean breaking into a new packet of bacon or toad in the hole, however, they ended up just cooked with onion gravy and mash. Most of the fresh veg has been used. As I said, nothing wasted but nothing interesting as well.

I have a small freezer under the fridge in the kitchen which I use for all the bits and bobs. Bits of sauce, opened pks of vegetables, I freeze quite a lot of leftover things in ice cubes, such as pesto when I make it, unused green Thai sauce, double cream etc. I know I've some chestnuts, some chillies and some pastry as well - nothing has been lurking for any period of time but nothing is labelled. I must make an effort to use things up this month. 

Progress on DH:- the break is mending but it will never be as strong as it was before he fell, so he will always have to be thoughtful on what he does. The feeling has come back in his arms and legs but has left him very deaf. He cannot turn his head as far round as he used to which has led to some hilarious moments. I have to direct him backwards when he's in some of his machinery as he cannot turn to see going backwards. I shout but he's deaf....... Hand signals are good. He's pushing the boundaries. Yesterday he was using a machine that grinds tree stumps. I've given up trying to say anything, I just make sure he's wearing his frame!! Still quite a lot of appointments to go  - at the moment 6 between now and middle of March.

Primrose

zafiro  - you have a double challenge, don't you?  Trying to do the Frugality thing and support your OH too,  I guess you're continually checking he doesn't over extend himself too quickly and cause further injury.
My personal experience after two accidents which caused me problems in earlier life is that you think you make a reasonable recovery over time but as the years pass, the ageing/degeneration process catches up with you in  ways that you had never anticipated,  I hope he makes a good recovery but it's always sensible to have a Plan B if you find that physical issues don't work out quite as you plan.  Spinal injuries, I'm discovering, have a nasty habit of degenerating on you years after they originally happened.

MissRikkiC

In an attempt to curb my shopping I am trying to use up what Is fresh. We’ve had a rough week with my youngest so last night I declared it was freezer surprise for everyone. 1 portion of each, butternut and sage risotto, enchilada pie, cottage pie and something else random which hub had between a couple of slices of bread today 😂 we’re both still unsure what it was. Today, slow cooker curry used up 2 peppers 🫑 which was welcome and a ton of kidney beans on account of not having soaked any over night. 

This weekend we have no major plans so let’s see what we can get used up as if time allows (when does it ever) I’d like to clean out the fridge! 😇

Suffolk_lass

I realised about 2pm yesterday that we had nothing out for supper. I can always rustle up mac and cheese but I remembered I had frozen two pyrex dishes of pasta bake without the cheese sauce. I got the bigger one out before we went out to look at a doer upper possible house (overpriced, with structural damage, meaning either demolish and replace or expensive repairs to an uneconomic refurb). I made a cheese sauce and topped it then baked it for half an hour. So nice and comforting. DH eat the rest of the HM blackberry ice-cream and I had the rest of the shop-bought dairy ice-cream.

Today we are roasting beef (bought and frozen when on special offer) and I have made a YP batter to have with it - so the 2 remaining (2) potatoes will be enough between three of us (as DS is coming too) with carrots and cabbage. I stewed some frozen homegrown rhubarb and gooseberries so crumble and fool seem likely

MissRikkiC

Today or yesterday was national YP day @Suffolk_lass

so we will too be having them but likely Saturday kitchen live style and made into a roast dinner burrito!

Suffolk_lass

Ooh thanks you, @MissRikkiC - an excuse (as though I need one!) I make it in the roasting pan, and put the meat on a rack above it so it drips onto the big slab of YP batter. It's very popular but I only make batter for Beef or toad - including roadkill toad (squashed sausagement, embellished with herbs, caramelised onion, chilli and other seasoning). The trick is really hot fat in the pan and increasingly, I have understood it doesn't really matter that much what if it is hot enough (just not something that burns, like olive oil)

zafiro1984

Had a good search through the cupboards today, looking for items I could use in biscuit making.
We always like to finish lunch on a something small and sweet, a couple of biscuits suit quite nicely and as I hadn't any left in the biscuit tin and there was nothing on the order coming later today I thought I'd make some instead of nipping out to the farm shop and getting a couple of packets. 

Did quite well, marg/butter in the freezers, sugar in the pantry, the hens are laying, some sultanas, raisons, choc chips, mixed spice, stem ginger, concentrated orange squash, a couple of pks of SR flour, plain flour, syrup, vanilla, bi carb, plus quite a lot of other things which I didn't use but now know where they are. I had so much in stock because I didn't do my usual amount of cooking over the festive period so I was able to put some of it to good use this morning.
I made biscuit dough and froze it in portions that make about 10-12 biscuits, (8 different varieties of biscuits, 54 pks in total) - that should last quite a while and there is still more stuff I could use.  

It only took a couple of hours to do and freeze but I did need a cup of tea afterwards.