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

carinjo

I had fun looking for recipes for you @Frugalista! You can do bacon and curd bites using the puff pastry! 
The pastry and bacon will all freeze well btw. I recommend you portion the bacon before freezing, a pain to do afterwards. 

Long time no posting, life threw a few curveballs.

Doing Jamie's butternut sausage rolls tomorrow, so out:
Ready rolled puff pastry, pack cubed butternut from 2 seasons ago on allotment. 

Frugalistamama

Hi all,

I've been doing ok since my last slip up. I've only shopped once last week and managed to use up quite a lot of things that needed to be used. I've done a meal plan for next week based on what I've got in and will shop for a few fresh things tomorrow. 

Cherryfudge

Frugalista said:

I have a large pack of cooking bacon to use up, so plan is to make Jack Monroes' Bacon, Black & Cheese casserole for tomorrow and Carbonara for dinner tonight.  I will still have loads of bacon left so will have to get my thinking cap on.

My sister has given me a pack of curd cheese - does anyone have any ideas how to use this?  I would prefer something savoury rather than sweet.  I also have 4 packs of ready-rolled pastry - 3 puff, 1 shortcrust (don't ask) - so maybe they could be incorporated.  Thanks in advance!

Traditional Yorkshire curd tart recipe - BBC Food 

Bacon... will freeze . Even better if you remember to divide it into portions first. Lightly cooked liver and bacon with fried onions and red wine gravy and mash is still wonderful, though I know the thought of liver puts some people off.

@carinjo, I'm sorry to hear about the curveballs. I hope things are looking up now.

I've just remembered there's at least one can of stout languishing deep in the larder - any ideas please? I bought it to go in Christmas pudding but didn't need the whole pack and I don't really drink it.

carinjo

Ooh, i know the answer to this one @Cherryfudge! raises hand excitedly.
Mushroom rarebit or Onion Soup. Both i've done and loved.

Cherryfudge

carinjo said:

Ooh, i know the answer to this one @Cherryfudge! raises hand excitedly.
Mushroom rarebit or Onion Soup. Both i've done and loved.

How did you know I have mushrooms in the fridge, @carinjo? And I bought onions the other day. Have you been looking through my kitchen window? If so, sorry we dashed out without tidying!

kboss2010

I’ve been batch-cooking today for the week and to top up the freezer using one sauce to make both lasagnas & fajitas.

Out:
Red lentils
YS aubergine 
2 tins of plum tomatoes
1/2 bag of frozen peppers
1/2 punnet of past-best tomatoes
2 YS peri-peri chicken breasts
Miso
Chicken & beef stock cubes
Handful of raisins
Curry powder
1/2 jar of mayo
6 pasta sheets
1 packet of rice
1 tin of taco beans (to make refried beans)
1/2 an avocado
Flour & Greek yoghurt to make fajita wraps

In:
3x red lentil & veg lasagnas
4 filled chicken fajita wraps
Freezer grab bag of fajita chicken & veg sauce filling, Mexican rice, refried beans & avocado
Coronation chicken for baguette filling

I make my lasagnas upside down so that when I tip them out they’re the right way up.

carinjo

@kboss2010 i am very impressed with the lasagne idea! Do you reheat it first (in container), before turning over onto plate? And does the sauce split? I'm asking because i love this idea!
My experiment with making my own mixed grains for freezer had, well, mixed results! The containers each holds 4 portions, the idea being 2 for dinner, 2 for lunch or dinner the next day. But of course that never works and i found that the leftover 2 portions goes off very quickly (smell test). It also goes a bit grainy texture wise, but that is not a major issue. So now i am attempting just to take out 2 portions at a time from the remaining ones in freezer, but they now also reaching their best before date of 8weeks. 

Out yesterday: flour, frozen bits of stilton for courgette and cheese loaf. Sunday: half a cooked roast beef from freezer for stroganoff, and slices for sandwiches.
In on weekend: portioned sausages, breaded fish, frozen veg, tinned potatoes.

Cherryfudge

I'm in the throes of using up what I can from the fridge as we're going to be away for a few days. Lunch will be salad and probably pizza as I have leftovers of both. Dinner will be salmon from the freezer, an I'll see if the leftover spinach is fit to be frozen.

Still to find homes for: half a cucumber, cherry tomatoes (some will go with the salmon), mixed leaf salad, beetroot, yogurt, a lot of fairy cakes that I made but am not so keen on, carrots, couscous, red onion, feta and cheddar cheese, celery, smoothie, red wine, bacon, lemon, red pepper, 8 eggs.

The plan is probably some soup  and lemonade. The red wine is just enough to add to a casserole and I don't drink it, so that might freeze if it's not gone vinegary. The salad, cakes and yogurt are going to be the difficult ones.

By the way, DH can't have dairy and loathes cucumber, so I can't use those things for shared meals.

Cherryfudge

Progress: a slice of pizza and the rest of the prepared salad for lunch, the salmon is cooking for tea with some red onion, the red pepper, a bit of garlic, some tomatoes and some spinach. the rest of the spinach should be fine to freeze (in the space the salmon came out of). One more cake eaten for elevenses.

I discovered red pesto in the fridge but sadly had to throw it out as it was furry. Such as waste - and a shame as it would have been lovely on the salmon.

Cherryfudge

The pizzas are finished and so is the red wine - before you think I'm partying, the wine went in a casserole as did some liver and bacon, onion, tinned tomatoes, sage and carrots. The only one actually used up was the wine but the fridge is getting emptier. I finished the smoothie, and the celery and spinach are chopped up and in the freezer ready to add to things. I made more inroads into the cakes: there are three left. I also finished up a pretend maple syrup that's been around a while (in yogurt).

Still to eat up or find new homes for:
carrots, lots of yogurt, bacon, half a cucumber, couscous, some of today's casserole, beetroot, feta, cheddar, eggs, lemons.