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

Cherryfudge

And oh, dear... we have a mouse again. Thankfully the only evidence is in a lower cupboard which is mostly tins, but it ate holes in a couple of packets so I've thrown out some crackers and lentils. The rest of the lentils are in big glass jars now, and the biscuit-type things are in tins. We have a humane trap which I will bait with sultana Ryv1tas, as the mouse seems to like those. I don't think it's been there long as the damaged items are fairly new.

The inside of the cupboard is cleaned and that and all the tins have been wiped with bleach so I will put things back in before I go to bed and take the bin out because there was a mouse last winter that worked out how to get in the base of the bin and eat holes in the bag. Each time we've had one, the area targeted has varied, but that's quite encouraging really as it means they aren't teaching each other. Either that or they have an advanced strategy that involves waiting a few months then zooming in somewhere I won't expect so they get to tuck in a bit longer before being evicted.

I also threw out some stock and gravy that had been in the fridge too long.

I need to replace a few bits and pieces of larder stock, random things like mango chutney, muffin cases and garlic. I stopped at the market on the way to work today for fruit: it's £1 a bag for apples and pears and two punnets of raspberries for £2 and the fruit is lovely so I need to make the effort more often.

LotsOfTea

Since I last posted I've used a few more bits from the freezer and it's now only about half full. 

A few odd slices of frozen bread have been used for toast. 
A pack of grated mozzarella has been used for pizzas.
A small tub of berry compote had been used up in my morning porridge.
I finished off the last of the banana flapjacks which I froze half of a few months ago. I've been having one in my packed lunch every day I've been in to work over the last couple of weeks.

For tonight's tea DH has promised to eat some mini sausage rolls and cocktail sausages that are frozen party leftovers and I'm going to eat the 1 remaining portion of Thai green veg curry left in there. 

Aside from the determination to empty the freezer, I made an apple cake on Sunday and it was a bit of a fail. It's one I've made before and had previously come out fine. This time it came out soggy and not completely cooked in the middle and I'm mad at myself! It's hard to test with a cocktail stick as the apple layer tends to confuse things so I thought it was fine. I'm going to have to microwave it in slices and add custard to rescue it I think. Don't think I'll be going on bake off any time soon!

LotsOfTea

The apple cake actually wasn't as bad as I initially thought and we've been happily munching our way through it for the last few days, although there's still plenty left. 

I've used up a couple more bits from the freezer as well. I cooked a packet of veggie mince with some veg and some Thai chilli paste and DH and I had that for dinner with rice yesterday. I've also used a pack of paneer up with a load of assorted greenery (cabbage, leeks, cavalo nero) to make a sort of sag paneer. That'll be on the menu tonight with leftover rice as I deliberately cooked too much yesterday. 

Nothing new has gone into the freezer so far so it really is actually going down at the moment. 

Cherryfudge

I used some green lentils in a veggie chilli though there are still a few left. DH liked the chilli but only my guts can tolerate the amount of fibre, so I have about four meals' worth left over. Will freeze at least some of that.

I've topped up supplies of regularly-used tins and today we're having fish from the freezer.

Watty1

I have two bags of soya mince in the cupboard. 
How do I use these up instead of regular mince?  It is a straight swap or do I need to "do" something first?  I've tried interviewing google and got confused so coming on here!

(Tonight is beef stew, jacket potatoes and peas. The beef stew was a former slow cooker meal which made more than needed).

Cherryfudge

I seem to remember using one of the dried minces and it really soaked up liquid so I had to add extra, @Watty1. Might have been TVP, not soya though. Sorry not to be much help.

I have had to stop half way through mixing the Christmas cake as I can't find my large square cake tins. This is crazy - I've lost a couple of other things in the past few days too. On the more positive side, I have an equivalent round tin that I can substitute and I've written the tin substitutions into the recipe now as I have to look them up every year,

I've finished most of two opened bags of ground almonds and all but a handful of the glace cherries, also used up two part-bags of SR flour and made inroads into another. Christmas cake is now on hold as DH is shopping for eggs. I'm not sure I will have enough cooking time if I assemble it much later this evening!

Watty1

I shall experiment with those soya minces!  

Today's lunch is broccoli soup using up some broccoli that was languishing in the fridge and there were no plans for its use. I took inspiration from google and see that i can make cream of broccoli using up the creme fraiche that also had no plans and some cheese to make cheese and broccoli soup. It is very windy here so suspecting we both might be hungry I will add some naan to mop it up.    The "very old" SR flour is now used up along, not quite enough to make the naan so I added the remains of some ww flour to the mix.  Two old bags empty and gone.

Then went and did a freezer stock check. So many of the random items are now gone. I have not refilled it yet with actual cooked meals as we keep eating what does end up in there on busy days!   The random items are now in one tray:  five pre mixed pre-mixed shakes, three bags of chopped veggies for veg smoothies and two pre made bone broths.     I look at those and think how expensive!  So I need to use them up.  This week I will use the protein and fruit mixes for lunch, add some veg smoothies to up my veg intake and use the bone broths as the base for stews.

Now off to do a stock check on the tinned and packaged cupboard. I know there is a lot of flours in there still but I need to review "other bits" as a christmas cake is on the list for this week, inspired by @Cherryfudge

LotsOfTea

@Watty1 in my experience soya mince absorbs quite a bit of liquid and doesn't have much taste of its own so adding extra stock when you use it really helps. I often also add a teaspoon of marmite to add a bit of savoury flavour but I'm veggie so I'm never using a meaty stock and you might not need it. It sounds like you're doing really well at running down the freezer stocks and finishing off the old flour - congrats 🎉 Got to celebrate the little wins!

I found a single portion of DS's favourite curry in the freezer so I've taken that out and also made a squash, cabbage and chickpea curry for DH & me. I'm going to try and get DS to try a bit of ours as he tends towards wanting to only eat the same things he knows but I'm fairly sure he'll try a bit and reject it. Gotta keep trying though!

Watty1

I have just been told that I have made the most delicious soup the VNM has ever tasted.   I will chuck left over bits of broccoli in the freezer from now on to make cheese and broccoli soup!  

Thanks for the tip @LotsOfTea bearing that in mind it will either become curries or a pasta sauce so that was helpful.

Cherryfudge

I really think you missed your calling @Watty1! You obviously have a gift with flavours. I'm glad you have an audience who appreciates it. 

PS. Do you include the broccoli stalks?