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

Wraithlady

We started an 'Overflow box' (kept under the dining room table) when Covid hit and shops were unreliable. 

It's still there, and still full - though obviously not of the same things - in the event of a ZA we could definitely beat the advancing hordes to death with either the 5kg of pasta or the 2 2.5kg of chocolate chips I still have (long story, tl:dr didn't realise the rather expensive chocolate chips were actually 4 x 2.5kg, not just one)

Cherryfudge

I'm sitting here chortling away: those poor zombies don't stand a chance, do they? I'm going for them with 16 jars of jam and some four year old meringues.

Cherryfudge

You may guess from the above that I've started to tidy the emergency cupboard: never thought I'd be able to hoard jam faster than DH can eat it, but I added to 'good offers' with h/m marmalade and here we are.

I've taken jam and cappuccino sachets (1 item of each) down to replenish kitchen stocks, and two or three tins of salmon that we have got out of the way of using: there's no point storing them ad infinitum so I need use them up. I don't think even I could invent a dish with tinned salmon and meringue, so the latter are upstairs for now.

The cupboard looks a lot better, mostly because I can't fit the rest back in and it's now on the spare bed.

I have a week of being in most evenings, so I'm defrosting chicken liver and will probably make a casserole with that and smoky bacon (I think there's some in the freezer). If I make enough, some will freeze for DH's dinners when I'm working.

The soup stocks are down to a couple of portions but I have courgettes and mushrooms to use up so... more soup to come.

Nelliegrace

A forum friend was snowed in for a week in the California Blizzard in February 23. She had an emergency ration pack for 3 days, dehydrated potato soup and powdered mac and cheese, which sounded revolting. She and her neighbour had very little food, mainly snacks and treats, for a week. No milk of any sort so had UPF ice cream or butter in her tea. 
Would families who rely on takeaways have the basic ingredients for meals for several days? I think the winter of 62-63, with 62 unbroken days of frost and snow, and long power cuts, is still in our old bones. 

Cherryfudge

You have reminded me, @Nelliegrace, I could do with replacing the dried milk that I used up from stores as it was getting old. Looking at the things in my cupboard, I'm struck by the fact that dehydrated things are lighter and easier to store (so long as they can be kept free of rodents and insects).

I think I should get some dried soups to add to the pasta, cous cous and dehydrated mashed potato. Also some more tins of fish, corned beef and the like to keep up protein levels if necessary. I'm not expecting any particularly harsh conditions but better safe than sorry.

LotsOfTea

There's definitely sense in having an emergency store. I keep 4 2L bottles of water in stock as we've had a couple of water pressure issues over the last few years when all you can get is drips out of the taps. It's usually only been for about half a day but it's annoying enough.

I managed to use up a packet of veggie mince from the freezer and the can of sweetcorn I'd grabbed from the ZA stores in a veggie chilli last night. It was very tasty and there was just enough rice and chilli left to fill a tupperware for a future one-person ready meal so that went back in the freezer suitably labelled. 

DS started secondary school today so I waved him off a little tearily and am now trying to motivate myself to get on with everything that needs doing and not just wonder how he's getting on. 

LotsOfTea

I've been using up a few more things from the freezer these last few days -
Falafels which we had in wraps with salad and hummus
Cheese sauce for macaroni cheese
Burgers which we had with hm normal potato and sweet potato chips and corn on the cob

I've also soaked the ancient bag of black turtle beans so I've just got to read up on the pressure cooker instructions to get them cooked. It's been so long since I last used it I've completely forgotten how it works! The beans had a best before of 2018 so I'm definitely going to add extra time to whatever the recommended cooking time for dried beans is.

I just need to decide what to do with the cooked beans then. I remember years ago I used to do a really nice spicy stew with squash & black beans which I'm pretty sure had chilli, thyme and treacle in the flavourings. I've no idea where the recipe came from but I might have a go at recreating that with some of them. 

Cherryfudge

You are doing well, @LotsOfTea, lots eaten up there. I still need to brave the pressure cooker setting on my Instant Pot, which I've used regularly to slow cook or make yogurt. I am afraid of blowing it up, and could do without the hole in the ceiling of family legend.

Our fridge is looking less full, as I'm down to the end of the lots of veg being transformed into lots of soup. There will be more soup to come as I'm thriving on it.

I've taken a gammon out of the freezer for dinner today and I'm turning some odds and ends of bread into spiced bread pudding.

LotsOfTea

Well I cooked the black beans in the pressure cooker and once I'd refreshed my memory how to work the thing (mine's an instant pot as well) it was fine. I did put it on for a bit too long though as the beans came out very soft but I had soaked them for 24 hours as well as I was convinced the fact they were so old would mean they'd take forever to cook. I think getting the timing right on beans is going to be a bit trial and error.

I ended up with masses of beans of course so I've frozen a tub full to start off with and made a pretty good approximation of the black bean and squash dish I remembered. I cooked onion and garlic then added stock, thyme, butternut squash, peppers, sweet potatoes, some of the beans, all purpose seasoning and a spoonful of treacle. It used to have chillies in it as well but I skipped those as I'll see if I can get DS to try some and I can always add a squeeze of hot sauce to mine. It came out tasting pretty close to what I remembered. 

I also made a chuck it all in soup from onion, garlic, fennel, a big chunk of a big yellow squash and some of the beans. I blitzed it all up once it was cooked and it looks a rather unappetising grey colour (didn't think about what would happen to the black beans!) but tastes delicious. I've still got another tub full of beans to either make something else with or freeze. You forget how much dried beans swell up.

I won't be doing too much more cooking before I can get to the shops on Tuesday as I've only got one onion left and I need that for making sag paneer as I've taken a block of paneer out of the freezer and have a bag of fresh spinach to use with it. 

Cherryfudge

I made some progress on using up with another batch of spicy courgette soup and banana muffins but am realising we have new baking stuff that needs to be sorted out as DH bought fresh for the fundraising cakes so I need to sort out if there's any of the pre-existing stock left.

There's also gammon left from yesterday which I might add to some chicken to make a pie later in the week, and the leeks can make soup.