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

carinjo

Out last night: fish fillets. Today, ys breaded cod and pilau rice from TGTG bag. Last of frozen mixed veg.
Brought the allotment potatoes in from the shed, they'll go in a cupboard for winter

carinjo

Last few days. 
Out: mystery veg stew, mystery lefover meat (lamb/venison shoulder), pasta. Enough for 2 meals for work. Venison patties for dinner. Risotto rice for mushroom risotto tonight. Ms C is doing a veggie stew in slow cooker for lunch boxew next few days, includes tinned red kidney beans and tinned tomatoes

Cherryfudge

I bought a large chicken the other day for £3.25 - end of day discount. So far it's done us 2 portions of roast dinner, one cold dinner, four portions of chicken and vegetable pie and 2 portions of chicken chasseur. There's enough left in the freezer to make about four more portions of pie!

With the weather being so wet over the last couple of days, I've dipped into the emergency backup cupboard. Admittedly it wasn't an emergency though I was glad to have matches and candles in there when the power went out. The accidental overstock of jam is reduced by one, I'm out of oatcakes and tinned fruit is getting a bit low. I need to go shopping soon.

We are still mostly okay for fresh fruit and veg, though I think the last of the pre-prepared salad will go in the compost unless time has stood still in the fridge. We did manage most of it. I also stopped DH from composting the green part of a leek, and added it to a lentil and mushroom soup (one portion left of that). The original recipe was rather basic so I googled for more modern versions and added thyme and soy sauce, a la Martha Stewart, and cheese on top. Amazing difference, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's lunch, but I need more soy sauce now.

carinjo

Oh @Cherryfudge, wish i saw your post this morning. A sad (not smellie) bag of salad can go into a soup or sauteéd for omelette filling. And if you got any marmite/vegemite, can substitute for soy sauce.
Was too tired to do risotto last night, so that is tonight.
Out: carton pineapple juice for slow cooker gammon. Dried Porchini mushrooms, veg stock, risotto rice.
In: 0
 
I've ordered venison haunch from my venison guy for xmas main course. I really feel blessed to have this option for our table.

Cherryfudge

Thanks @carinjo, but I fear this last bit of salad is beyond it! I should have shoved it in the freezer a week ago for soups but I was busy having grand children and it slipped my mind. The marmite is a great idea, and we have plenty.

I've now found the other bottle of soy sauce that I thought I had, so a small but real victory!

Other adventures have been finishing the lentil and mushroom soup and deciding it's a keeper, and tidying out the coffee cupboard. Yes, I really have a coffee cupboard though it houses a few recipe books, fruit teas and tubs of vitamins as well as coffee and coffee paraphernalia. The thing is, people give me coffee, so I had and have a great deal of ground coffee that I can't get through as fast as I'm given it. I've now donated some to family members who are serious coffee drinkers (it's a nice gift by the way, if anyone is stuck for a gift for coffee-drinkers at any point - just be sure to check their cupboards before giving).

I realised I had bread flour in the cupboard, also not getting any younger, so out came the bread maker and we had rye bread with home made soup tonight. I've used up the yeast but need to get more to use up the flour... and so on. I also made a batch of marmalade, so the jam stash remains to enhance my legacy. I bet my children will be delighted. She could have left us a fortune - no! we get forty-year-old jam! Perhaps I'd better ensure I keep that cupboard under regular review.
So In: marmalade x 6, bread, various tins of things that get used often, one portion remaining of tonight's soup.
Out: yeast, four bags of coffee, sugar, bits of other things.

Gammon cooked in pineapple sounds scrumptious. Does it tenderise it?

carinjo

@Cherryfudge the gammon was lovely and tender.

finally seeing some gaps in the kitchen freezer. a big bag of allotment chard and shortcrust pastry was used for swiss chard tart  and leftover for omelette next morning. had to bin expired yeast sachets, but found another pack still in date. used for slow cooker pesto bread to use up jar of pesto. mine rised to the top of the slow cooker! so tasty.

tomorrow is emptying the salad drawer from whatever is left over and some lamb bones from freezer for a throwtogether soup.

Ms C threw some tinned sardines in spicy tomato sauce in basket recently, mixed it with y.s. oriental veg couple of days ago, was a revelation. had the second tin today with more y.s. veg and fresh egg noodles. will stock up next time at L1d1.

i refrained from buying a £1.75 fruit and veg box, last few times had to bin some things, so being good.

and took out some allotment blackberries from freezer for porridge tomorrow morning

London_1

Yesterday i had a nice result in the little  Tesco metro locally to me I had been across to the small precinct to drop off a prescription and to pick up a couple of birthday cards, and although I really didn't need anything I thought I'll just have a quick look at the prices .As I was walking around one of the assistants was filling up the reduced section and I had a good look and spotter 9 1 litre cartons of UHT milk reduced to under £4 so snaffled those as I do use UHT and they were dated until next August I asked her why they were being reduced and she said because of space the manager had decided not to stock as much of it as they used to previously.So I have more than enough for me to last until well into January, a few other tins of stuff well reduced as they were dented (I'm not fussed as I don't eat the tins ) mainly veg, beans and chopped tomatoes and came out with two full bags of bit and pieces that means (fingers crossed ) no more shopping this side of the New Year.I am away at Christmas and New Year anyway so my food budget is not very high anyway. I've sorted out the extra bit I've got and have more than enough supplies so what with whats in my freezer and store cupboard I am 'food shopping free' until into the New Year. 

I usually do a 'big' shop for staples etc at this time of the year, as being slightly disabled like to know I don't need to go out when the weather is bad. I usually spend around £80-100 on a big shop, but as my daughter and her OH and I are moving hopefully in the early spring (Our houses go on the market in January) I am working my way through my food stocks anyway.So yesterdays 'top-up' shop was well reduced and came to a tad under £14.00 and I now today will work out roughly my menu's for the next 6-8 weeks with stuff I have in store . As there is only me to feed at home I know I now have enough to keep me going without needing to shop I will be using up the frozen and tinned veg where I can, and am pretty good at making something out of nothing :0 

Today I have a red pepper to use up, which I will stuff with the last of my mushrooms, and some cheese and a little cooked rice so out will go the pepper and mushrooms. I also have a banana  to use up so will make some custard to go on top, as it too needs using up. 

I have got some chicken thighs  out of the freezer which I will slow cook, when defrosted  in a jar of butter sauce from the cupboard and portion up for the freezer once cold . I found some 'beef skirt' in the freezer and am looking for a recipe to use that up as well any ideas chums.

My mission is to have an almost empty freezer by the end of January and a greatly reduced cupboard stock. I don't want to be moving with boxes of food stuff We are consolidating two households into one larger one when we move.

Looking through my store cupboards I can't believe how much stuff is in there so its going to be used up one way or another.
Bit of a challenge but i'm quite looking forward to seeing what I can conjure up out of what there is

JackieO xx 

Cherryfudge

@carinjo, I must remember to use pineapple for gammon, it sounds yummy.

I like the look of the pesto bread too - I had to search a bit to find the quantities (through a 'jump to the recipe' link at the top) but it's one I might make as have some flavoured pesto to use up (nearly finished the rye bread).

@London_1, that was a very useful Tesco haul! I'm not much good with beef recipes but perhaps someone will help there? If you and your daughter still have extra tins come spring, perhaps it would be worth pooling resources so you don't get tired of the last few.

I love banana and custard and I have both to use up too. It may not be today as I'm working my way through a Greek semolina cake which I like but my husband doesn't - so I've been having it for breakfast and snacks for what seems like a week! I feel as though I'm at a hotel abroad.  

There's a bit of salad to use up in the fridge and a big block of cheese I bought then accidentally left in my son's fridge, so I've only just retrieved it. There's also half a jar of pesto, but tonight's dinner will be liver and bacon, then I need to see what else needs to be used up.

Does anyone know if out of date but unopened mozzarella should be okay? Obviously I won't eat it it if it tastes or smells or looks off, but all else being equal, what do you think?

Rosetta92

Hello Everyone, I mostly lurk but I’m following this thread with interest. @carinjo if you don’t have spicy tomato sardines to hand you can also use regular tomato ones and add Tabasco. @Cherryfudge if the mozzarella is only a couple of days out of date I would risk it, especially if cooked into something. 

Cherryfudge

Rosetta92 said:

Hello Everyone, I mostly lurk but I’m following this thread with interest. @carinjo if you don’t have spicy tomato sardines to hand you can also use regular tomato ones and add Tabasco. @Cherryfudge if the mozzarella is only a couple of days out of date I would risk it, especially if cooked into something. 

I just checked and it's 17/10! nd it's a 'use by' not a 'best before', so it had better go. Thank you anyway.  

I've also realised I have a cauliflower needing to be used up so it will be cauliflower cheese for lunch today.