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

Frugalista

Help!  My sister helped out at her local food share and was asked to take away all the "leftovers".  As well as loads of veg, she has given me 6 500g tubs of Jalapeno Hummus!!!  I told her I couldn't possibly use that much but she said it was me or the bin! Luckily it has around a week before the date is up.

Has anybody got any ideas - I was thinking maybe some sort of soup - but can't think of where to begin.  Help!

Cherryfudge

Crumbs! @Frugalista, I hope you like jalapenos?

My best thought it to portion it out and freeze it. The tubs always say it doesn't freeze but it seems to freeze well enough to me. I suspect the caution is because the texture might change, but I've not found that to be an issue.

LotsOfTea

I'd definitely freeze it @Frugalista . I freeze hummus all the time and it's absolutely fine. It just needs a good stir when it thaws. In fact, I recently defrosted and happily ate a tub that had been 3 years in the freezer and it was fine. Not that I'm recommending keeping it that long!

Good luck!

Frugalista

Thanks folks - but I just don't have that much room in the freezer - maybe enough for 1 pot divided up.  Any other ideas?

weenancyinAmerica

Have a party and invite friends to bring potluck? Give it away to friends? 

rtandon27

@Frugalista - try freezing it flat in zippy bags - I do this for soup amd then when solid stack it upright like a filing cabinet!  Takes much less room than tubs!

PS - found this recipe!
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/hummus-soup-recipe-8285957

Watty1

Stores slowly going down but finding favourite meals in the use up plans. Latest favourites are some hot cooked salmon from Ald1 that have been in the bottom of the freezer.  Served with a lentil salad (using a box of lentils) lettuce leaves and a chopped orange and sprinkled with pumpkin seeds  (Why I have 3 bags of pumpkin seeds I have no idea but these taste fine despite being out of date).

Did make a curry last night and had planned naan bread to get through some of the flour but so busy at work I didn't get to that.   

This evening a sausage stew is in the slow cooker. This "use up" has been fun, MSE and I'm enjoying my food.  Would have made a cake this weekend but currently feel a bit sick following tea and very sweet cake at the local village hall.

YorksLass

Out: Beef balti and naans for tonight's tea and lamb hotpot for tomorrow.  I've also used half a bag of frozen mixed veg for a vat of minestrone-type soup.

Not much left in the freezer now and the bulk of it will be used up by Thursday, which is just as well since I've ordered a new fridge/freezer to be delivered on Thursday.  There could be some frozen bread-y things left but these can defrost and go in the bread bin to be used up as and when.  If I do have to bin anything it can't be helped and it won't be much anyway so no great loss.  I'm looking forward to re-stocking with what we want rather than having to use up what's there, although it has produced some "interesting" meals.

Cherryfudge

I cleaned the fridge yesterday and chucked out the remnants of a few jars that weren't going to get less manky for being left. It was scrapings of things like curry paste and pesto. I also threw out some ginger root that wasn't good when we bought it and had got beyond reviving. Other ginger has been frozen, as have scraps off a yellow pepper. A well-out-of-date jar of cranberry sauce has been deemed fit for use so I had some with Sunday dinner today, but what to do with mint sauce, please? I'm the only one who likes it, and the only thing I know to have with it is lamb, which is a rare treat and not going to use up more than a smidgeon.

I've also thrown out two jars of Brazil nuts which seems wasteful but they had gone rancid. At least they went in the compost. Some pate, pesto and ham are being used from the freezer, creating a tiny bit of space.

There's less in the cupboards, fridge and freezer than there was, but things are still going to waste. Must try harder.

I also went through the 'emergency' cupboard last week and am eating up some of the backlog from there: too much in the way of coffee, oatcakes, bottled fruit and home made marmalade. Oatcakes and marmalade are going down well.

Lastly there is the vast collection of apples from assorted gardens, but DH is eating his way through those fairly happily!

LotsOfTea

Mint is delicious in curry so I reckon a spoonful of the sauce would work just as well as the fresh stuff. Also good with peas so maybe a spoonful stirred through peas or in a pea soup?

Well done on all the clearing out. It's really annoying when you find stuff that has gone off but it's certainly helping me find where I can do better in future. I've been baking a lot recently and keep finding things in the cupboard with an the baking stuff that I'd forgotten about. I've got 2 half used big bags of unsalted cashews and loads of small half used bags of dried fruits and seeds that I need to consolidate and start using up.