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

Cherryfudge

Now what are the chances of this? Straight after replying here, I opened this post.

Cherry pie rules!

YorksLass

Ha ha.  LotsOfTea and I obviously think alike!      

Rebelle333

Hi all

A bit of movement on the freezer front here, I cooked the ham joint I had in there & made a few meals from it: ham & eggs, had some with baked potatoes, had the rest with creamy garlic & herb pasta (sauce made using Boursin soft cheese, I found it a bit bland & would add caramelised onions next time).

Today I've taken out a couple of slices of black pudding to have with eggs, & I'll be putting in 3/4 loaf of bread which I got yesterday reduced to 35p!

I spent just under £20 yesterday on fresh fruit & dairy, I'm hoping to spend as little as possible for the rest of the week.

Very envious of the store cupboard pics! 

Have a good week all xx
 

LotsOfTea

Update on the cherry pie filling - DH has confirmed it's a good pancake filling 😋. He also found a can of salmon in the stores and had some of that with salad for his lunch. We'll keep going until the stores are 1)a reasonable size and 2)all in date. Got a way to go....

Nelliegrace

What flavour is the runny jam? I had a batch of orange peel and apple jelly which refused to set so I used it up instead of sugar in the weekly Bara Brith. It is a very forgiving recipe, sometimes the dried fruit is eked out with grated apple or carrot. I rinse out the last of the jar of jam, honey or marmalade with tea before pouring it on the dried fruit to soak. 

Runny jam would be good on a hot sponge or suet pudding. I would use it up in plain Greek yoghurt. 

Cherryfudge

Still resisting buying the cherry pie filling here!

My runny jam is marrow and ginger. It's not really gingery enough to be interesting and runny enough that a little goes a long way but you are right, @Nelliegrace, I can indeed use it on yogurt or in overnight oats. Much as I love a pudding, I don't often make them. I really like the idea of using it in a fruit loaf, though. The actual syrupy bit is all right, though non-descript, but the marrow chunks are tough! Perhaps I could dredge them all out, blitz them and stir into either the oats or a fruit loaf? It never occurred to use it as a straight sugar substitute, but that's a bit of genius. Thanks!

I've rather lost track of freezer usage over the last week but the rest of the cooked gammon went in, chopped, and some cod is out and defrosting to try this recipe. That will also make a start on the lemons left over from an overbuy, an accidentally-opened tin of chickpeas and some aging chorizo.

The larder still isn't finished: it's been my busy week plus the remains of a virus, and I haven't felt right to stand on a chair handling glass bottles (top shelf). That's today's job before, as DH puts it, the fridge takes root in the lounge.

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - oh yum - that cod recipe looks like my kind of meal! - Will definitely book mark that one & also might add some Kalamata olives!

Are you a fan of tajine?  If so try this recipe for preserved lemons, much more economical than the store bought ones, and they last at room temp in the larder for about two years as long as the salt liquid is above the level of the lemons.  We saved a bag of lemons from 0li0 this way in the autumn and they are still going strong, a fresh zingy addition to mid-east style food.  A quick rinse before using will ensure your food is not over salted, though I'm sure the purists would have my hide for saying that!

Glad to hear you are on the mend, but please do take it easy, often the healing is as long as the worst of the illness.

LotsOfTea

Oh that is a good tip for rinsing preserved lemons @rtandon27. I've never really liked them because they're just too salty for my taste (I can't be doing with lime pickle for the same reason) but I reckon with a reduced salt level they would be nice in things like tagine. 

Cherryfudge

I do like tagine though for some reason I've never tried the lemons. Now I'm looking for a large enough jar! Thank you for the recipe.  

The cod recipe was good, I think we will have it again. I didn't measure all the ingredients but I think it's fairly forgiving as so many of these things are. I also did all the cooking on the stove top rather than put the oven on for just ten minutes, and apart from a few extra minutes to cook the fish right through. it seemed to work fine.

Aside from that I've finished a jar of peanut butter and thrown out the last of some chocolate spread that I never liked.

LotsOfTea

I used up a packet of veggie "chicken" chunks from the freezer for last night's tea with some veg and the last of a jar of curry paste. I'd frozen the packet from fresh and it was dated 2020 so it's only been in the freezer 5 years! Some of the chunks were a bit dry but it was perfectly edible. I served the curry with flatbreads from the freezer (but only from a week or two ago so still in very good nick). There's still quite a few ancient bits in the freezer that I'm determined to use up. 

I'm also still using up the last pack of really old SR flour (BB 2017) from the zombie apocalypse stores and made some naan bread to go with today's veggie tagine & roasted broccoli for lunch. DH & DS finished off the last of a bargain Xmas pud I got in January.

I also made a soup that will do DH & me for lunch tomorrow out of a couple of broccoli stalks, 3 bendy parsnips, some red lentils and garam masala for flavour.