The all new using what you have from your Freezer, Cupboard or Shed (Barn)

Cairnpapple

I'm back on using up sugar again, it was easier when I was baking regularly. 

Today I emptied a bunch of those paper sachets of sugar (that you get for tea) into a banana bread mix. We would never usually pick them up but we got them when we went on holiday between lockdowns and were told to take any of the supplies we didn't use. I'd been keeping them but we don't know anyone who takes sugar in tea and there's also no risk of us running out of (some sort of) sugar!

Also going to try to remember to use some of the endless Swedish pearl sugar on top when I actually come to bake it (waiting for a medical call before putting it in the oven).

wumph

Am making big effort to use stores.  Had tin of pineapple now used up,  some long life cream  from fridge, keeps ages until opened, ditto some bagels.  Took previously used cheese out and cut the sides off all round before doing on toast. Then freezer, last 3 days have taken portions out for dinner and some frozen American pancakes, now used up, will not buy again. Finished off frozen blueberries and taken out couple of previously cooked sausages to defrost for tonight.  Working at it.

Cherryfudge

I made a large pot of chicken chasseur with the bulk-buy of chicken pieces and we had some today. It necessitated buying mushrooms but I didn't fancy chicken so I had extra mushrooms with mine, which means there's no punnet of mushrooms hanging about. There's plenty of chasseur in the fridge now for other meals. It also finished off a small bottle of wine that was opened for another recipe.

There had been cooked chicken in the fridge from previously so I had half for tea one day and froze the rest. I may have mentioned it. Some of the stock made from the carcase went into the chasseur and some can go in risotto if I can organise myself to make some.

I had eggs that were getting close to too old to use, so I've pickled them, which has finished some oddments of vinegars and led to me tidying out the oil and vinegar stash. I think four bottles have been finished over a couple of cooking sessions, including throwing out a Balsamic vinegar salad dressing that should have been refrigerated but was mistakenly put with the actual vinegar and smelled unappetising.

I've bought more eggs, flour, margarine, mustard and cheese as I'd promised scones for an event. The first batch I made were very odd: they wouldn't mix up properly and tasted bland. Later I realised I'd missed out the margarine, mustard and salt in my haste! Those scones are now in a tin: very chewy but nice with pickle. I made another batch to give away.

Also chucked out: a part-bottle of Prosecco that tasted wrong and a jar of meat juices that were too old to risk.

There's still a surfeit of butternut squash, melon (which I daren't start as no fridge space), monkey nuts (slowly going down), some pate and now lots of odds and ends of cheese - and no freezer space.

LotsOfTea

I've made some progress with clearing some of the Armageddon bunker over the last few weeks. I've used up several cans of assorted fruit and can confirm that mandarin oranges are still every bit as delicious as when I used to have them as a kid and fruit cocktail is very disappointing. It seemed to be mostly pear and didn't really taste of much. Still, it's all made good breakfast material with yoghurt, oats and seeds. 

I also finally ate the random tin of veggie ravioli I'd found (a mere 3 years out of date). It was fine of course and the taste of the herby tomato sauce it came in took me right back to my childhood (a very low-brow Proustian rush!). Anyway, i won't be buying another can anytime soon, I can't imagine feeling the need to eat it again.

At the back of the stash of tins I came across 6 giant double-sized tins of chopped tomatoes which have been there years (I'd totally forgotten I had them). I used one to make a big batch of Greek-style butter beans and when I checked the others the cans seemed to be bulging a bit at the ends so I'm going to throw them out. 

I've started one of my 4 jars of mango chutney and have been adding it to cheese sandwiches and also added a dollop to a very nice squash and chickpea curry I made for tea last night so it's going down.

Still lots to wade through but I'm making progress.

wumph

You really inspire me and although I have been working on freezer, not too rammed in there now,  I still cannot get out of the habit of buying tins.  I do use some now and then,  potatoes/b.beans maybe fish in little tins to go on toast, but dont force myself,  have peas and sweetcorn in there as well as the freezer,  just bought some more fruit but I have grapes in freezer to go on my porridge. note to self  USE MORE TINS. x

Cherryfudge

DH ate his way through the chicken chasseur and I made a batch of the braised rice with cabbage, so there's an end of the cabbage till next time. That recipe was very much a keeper, thanks @leftatthetrafficlights.  

We still have an unopened melon and several butternut squashes, one pot of pate, some cheese (steadily being snacked on with the help of digestive biscuits) and monkey nuts... as well as all the rest of the things in the cupboards and freezer.

DH bought ice cream when we had guests but it's really not inspiring. He can't eat it so I've had a couple of bowls full. I tried adding jam to jazz it up, but no. Still uninspiring. I'm also reading the Dr Chris van Tulleken book, so am seriously thinking that our next lot of ice cream should be home made.

Meanwhile we still have lots of frozen blackberries, but this year's harvest is looking like a record breaker so there are only a few weeks to finish the old stock!

Cherryfudge

Last night I emptied a big jar of dried butter beans into a pan to soak and right now they are in the slow cooker ready to make into this curry. There are more than are needed for the recipe so I have to fit some more into the freezer, but in a few days I might turn some into houmous.

The curry will also finish off some veg but I need some more so I'm going down to the shops in a jiffy. DH has finished the pasta from earlier in the week and tonight he's having the rest of the lentil and chorizo soup. He's not sure about the curry so I will have some tonight and he says he'll try it tomorrow. 

I've finally finished the bananas that I bought cheaply last week - a false economy really as they were quite bruised and I had to throw some out as they were incredibly soft and pungent! In fact we are low on fruit apart from in the fridge where I'm munching my way through blueberries and strawberries in porridge, and cherries on their own. I must remind DH to help me eat them because strawberries seem to go over so quickly.

A few bits have been thrown out as beyond use: I had lots of work recently which often means I lose track of the fresh foods. I'll be adding some mushrooms to the freezer too - they were yellow-stickered and I put them out in the sunshine to boost the vitamin D, but all that will be wasted if they spoil.

Cherryfudge

The mushrooms needed a wash so they are now drying before I try to find them some freezer space. The curry is in the slow cooker so I can try it when I get home. It might be a bit short of curry flavour as I was short of a quarter of the amount of curry powder, but there are other spices aplenty in there. There were a lot of ingredients but the method wasn't too complex.

The odd thing was that I knew I had two smallish punnets of mushrooms to use, but I nearly bought more (y/s ones) while I was out. I'd had the discussion with myself but put them in the basket, then suddenly saw sense. At this time of the day I'm hardly saving them from not being bought, and I have no plans for them, but I still habitually went to buy them.

Anyway, I didn't. The fridge is slightly emptier, which is a good thing, but there are still some oddments to use soon. I remembered a really nice soup recipe that would use a lot of the butternut squash, but I need to use up other stuff first. Also any curry that's not used tonight will be taking up fridge space! However, there's larder space where the butter beans were and I used quite a lot of the cherry tomatoes in the curry - two victories.

Cherryfudge

Sadly, the curry wasn't as nice as I expected and DH didn't like it at all, so I now have loads to use up! I think a few sultanas might improve it but I won't be making it again. And I don't think the full amount of curry powder would have made much difference.

The mushrooms is frozz, not other progress to report.

Cherryfudge

I found a very odd mixture that successfully made the curry a lot more palatable: I thickened it with instant mash and added a handful of dried cranberries. Never have I had those two together before, but it worked - and what's more, by the time I've finished the curry, I will probably have finished the mash and cranberries too, which is great as they both needed to be used up.