AUGUST PANTRY CHALLENGE

RandomOne

I'd love to join in with this, but it's my freezer i need to work my way through. Is that ok, or is there a similar thread dedicated to a freezer challenge?

C_J

purpleivy said:

Items needing inspiration/needing to be used:-

IDEAS?


Part bag of Shana shredded coconut.  
Buttermilk
Jar of pistachio cream. Why did I get this? Pistachio tiramisu? 
Condensed milk
Frozen breadcrumbs
Part bottle Aldi 'Baileys'. seen a fruit cake recipe for this 
Part bottle of espresso martini chocolate booze. Make a choc pud?  

Is the shredded coconut the same as desiccated coconut? If so I’d be tempted to use it in a coconut sponge cake, then maybe slice the cake horizontally and sandwich together with whipped cream flavoured with some of the pistachio paste.

Frozen breadcrumbs are good on top of macaroni cheese, cauliflower cheese, or any cheesy pasta bake to add a bit of crunch.

Both the Baileys and espresso martini would be good additions to ice cream. I like turning condensed milk into millionaires’s shortbread.

C_J

I have two freezers which are both rammed, and I really need to run them down a bit. I’ve defrosted a pack of two chicken breasts, one of which will be roasted in the air fryer for tonight along with a small portion of cauliflower cheese, and the other will be diced and added to a pack of stir fry mix which I’ll cook from frozen tomorrow night. So that’s a tiny bit of space freed up. I’ve never frozen stir fry mix before but I think it should be okay.

I have some burger rolls that have been in there for a while, and when I tried using one the other day it was verging on inedible as it was so dry so I’m just going to admit defeat on these and chuck them. They were free from them community fridge so hadn’t cost me anything - I had thought of turning them into breadcrumbs and feeding the birds with them, but the internet says this is not good for them.

Fizz2015

Hello, please can I join the challenge? On a mission to use up the dregs from the 2 freezers in order to defrost them both before restocking. Have plenty of food in the fridge and cupboards too. I will still need to do a weekly food shop but will plan around what is already in the cupboards. Today did a roast dinner using up 4 pork sizzle steaks that cost 30p last Christmas. Tomorrow will be cod fillets in a sauce (out of the freezer) with mashed potato, carrots, peas, and beans. I'm aiming to get to Thursday or Friday before buying any food. Likely to run out of bread, cheese, ham, eggs & fresh fruit & veg by then but will see how long I can go. I love a challenge. 

RandomOne

So today I'm going to do an inventory of my freezers.
I know that i have an abundance of meat in them, specifically

Burgers (chicken and beef)
Steak
Pork mince
Beef mince
Fish
Chicken breast (both cooked and raw)

So that's what we will be eating a lot of this month. I've already defrosted 2 sirloin steaks. I'm going to use those up in a stir fry and salads this week. 
Some chicken will be used for tonights dinner, I've already defrosted that. 

I'm going to make some breakfast burritos to use up some of the pork mince (I'll add egg, the pork mince, bacon and some ketchup).

cheerfulness4

Lovely to have more on board and of course you can include your freezer food, Random, I am. 

Found some boxes of leftover cooked chicken from roasts we've had in the past so I'm turning one box of those into a curry for DH and DS. I've decided I fancy a vegetable curry myself so dived deep in the freezer and found a part bag of stir fry vegetables that will be excellent with some Mayflower curry sauce.  The lads prefer Korma. 

DS is whittering for a slow cooker rice pudding so I've searched the cupboards and I have some pudding rice tucked away and a tin of evaporated milk right at the back of my highest shelf. I shall work that into my menu plan for one day this week, probably tomorrow as the temperatures are pretty low. That should be cosy. 

purpleivy

Well, the dried fruit is soaking in condensed milk and Bailey's. The recipe needed a whole can and I had an out of date 'light' one, purchased in error one time.  It said 200ml of Baileys. As there was more than that I have used it instead of milk!  I think I need to check the recipe with all this jiggling things round!     

The mixed dried fruit was  over half mixed dried fruit, then some chopped prunes, dates and craisins.  All lurking in the drawer. Not buying any more dried fruit till it's time to make mincemeat!  

ETA, still have mincemeat from last year so maybe that needs to go on the using up list. My parents are coming next week, I have stuff to make pastry so that's a start. 

ETA again!   I have bananas in the freezer to use, so a banana choc chip cake for them too. Mum enjoyed that last time I made it. I guess the oven will be going on.    

Changeyourlife25

How are we all?

finally got round to using some tinned barlotti (?) beans from the cupboard I’ve had in forever.

Is anyone else watching the news and just wanting to stock up even more?  

purpleivy

Changeyourlife25 said:

How are we all?

finally got round to using some tinned barlotti (?) beans from the cupboard I’ve had in forever.

Is anyone else watching the news and just wanting to stock up even more?  

What have I missed?  I have to say, am well supplied for beans. Just need to use them now!   I thought I had ordered two packs of 500g Pinto beans. Turns out it was 2 packs of 5 packs of 500g Pinto beans.  Since then managed to find flageolet beans, which I like.  Lidl had some specials so got black/turtle and something else.  Got some chick peas too.     Please send your best bean recipes!

greent

I'm up for decluttering everything/ everywhere this month - including the food supplies! I've been targeting items that have been hanging around a long time. DS1 had some melting Haddock fishcakes for dinner a few days ago that had been in the freezer for over a year.....😳 (in my defence, I didn't buy them and would never eat them myself, so they were an issue created by DH buying them and not eating them) Yesterday I defrosted half a pack of YS puff pastry and made some jam tarts with various bits of jam hanging around and some sweet puffs (ie, sugar squished into the pastry and then washed with milk and baked) I have thrown away a tub and a half of Italian herbs - I had 4 (none actually bought). I donated another to DD (along with a spare tub of madras curry powder) and squished as many as I could into that tub and the one I've kept. 

Last night we had peri chicken, using most of the remains of a bottle of sauce which has been  in the fridge for years...... there is a tiny bit left in the bottle, along with some sachets from when we had a Nand0s takeaway earlier in the year, so I may do another later in the month. 

I need to inventory the 2(!) freezers in the garage (we have an American ff in the kitchen, which I keep up with the contents of) - the 2 apple trees (1 eating, 1 cooking), the plum tree and the pear tree are all hugely heavy with fruit, so I'll need to freeze some (I'll take some into work and leave it in the staff room, too, but I'll eat things like the plums in overnight oats - gotta love free food 😁)

Yesterday morning I made fridge cake to help use up some ood sultanas, the bottom of 2 packs of rice crispies and the remaining dark chocolate/ raspberry/ coconut mix I had from baking the other week (it was stored in a tub and remelted wonderfully) - and the crumbs from the bottom of the bisuit jar! 

I've moved a large pack of tesc0 weetab1x from the bottom cupboard to the top for DH to eat - he bought them long ago enough that they went ood in Feb of this year! He knew they were there but had lots of other cereals to eat first! (I have a very occasional bowl of cornflakes for supper, but don't eat cereals other than that (not including porridge oats))

Today may not involve any targeted using up, other than various leftovers in the fridge. The plans are to take youngest to the next town to try and buy a suit for college (he has chosen the only college with a uniform!! 🤦🏻‍♀️) However, he is currently still asleep.... 😴💤