AUGUST PANTRY CHALLENGE

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!

themsthebreaks

In my quest to empty the small freezer, last night I took sweet potato chunks and chicken breasts out to defrost, so they’re ready to make into a sweet potato and black bean curry, and salt & pepper chicken. 

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.... 😴💤

K9sandFelines

C_J said:

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.

Hi CJ probably too late now but you could have made bread and butter pudding with them 

cheerfulness4

We're going to be having quiche for dinner for the next two days with salad as I've some bacon that I want to use.  I'm hoping there will be enough to have a bacon sandwich for tea as well as I have  a craving!

Going to a buffet type party on Sunday and so I'm doing to defrost some Lentil and Bacon Soup that is in the freezer to put us on until we go.  

That means that's us all taken care of until Monday. 

Matron_Midge

I’ve just made and frozen courgette soup with a glut of homegrown courgettes ready for autumn soup season. It is not as yucky as it sounds I promise

Sweat off onion and garlic. When golden add chunks of courgettes and season. Again sweat down for a while until the courgettes are almost mushy. Cover with stock of choice, water or milk (less is more as courgettes have lots of moisture and you don’t want watery soup) and a couple of  Parmesan rinds (I stash these in my freezer and use in soup/bolognaise to give a yummy flavour)
Simmer for about 20 mins. Remove the Parmesan rinds and blitz with blender. Serve straight away or cool and portion/label for freezer.

greent

I made lentil and carrot soup earlier this week - the carrots were finely diced and frozen - in Jan 2023!! There's still some carrot left, so when school starts back I'll make some more for easy lunches 😊

cheerfulness4

DH made some yoghurt last night from a packet of Easiyo yoghurt mix that was slightly out of date.  It worked fine and I had banana and cocounut/mango yoghurt for my breakfast. Lovely!

Had pulled a packet of faggots out of the freezer so will have those with boiled potatatoes ( from a too good to go bag a bit ago) beans from the garden and some bits and pieces of veg from the freezer. 

Tomorrow I'm going to be using up some leftover chicken from past roasts with a korma sauce.

mandy47

Having a freezer week. I really need to make room for garden produce to see us through the year.

themsthebreaks

I am making a vegan pasta bake shortly, and will use up some sliced vegan chicken, leeks, celery, scotch bonnet chillies, and mushrooms from the freezer, as well as cabbage and a vegan single cream which has recently gone out of date, from the fridge. It will do for a couple of days meals, too.