Let me set the stage...
I recently had my kind and sorta cute freezer repairman over to look at my "no frost" freezer that was making all kinds of "frost". He said that I had packed too much in it. And he was right. It was bursting at the seams. That is until my hungry, grad school, son made a visit and took some meat off of my hands. But it still has plenty in it... too much to tell the truth.
I also recently purchased a Foodsaver system. You know the kind that sucks the air out of the bag you put food in. This things works great- just don't use it on bread. Bread never regains it's shape- oops!
It seems that I love to look at recipes and make menus and cook, cook, cook! But I often forget what is in my freezer and pantry. So I have 5 chickens, and 4 bags of crossiants, and 3 lbs of bacon, and 6 lbs of Bob Evan's sausage ( just in case I need to make a breakfast casserole!)... I could go on and on. I have meat very well wrapped in foil and then in freezer bags with no identification as to what lies inside!
So here is what I have decided... I am challenging myself to use what is in my pantry and freezer until all the meat ( and other stuff) is gone. I am limiting myself to $50.00 a week for groceries. This is big for me- I hate to admit this, but when it came to groceries and cooking I had no budget. Shame!!!!!
I will peruse my freezer and come up with creative meals. I am hoping to do this for 1 month. UGH! I'm sure this will be very hard on me! But it will be very good for my freezer and budget.
The worst part is that I know there is "game" meat in the freezer!!!! Not that Bobby has ever shot anything in all of his hunting trips, but his friends feel terribly sorry for him and bring us meet. I truely don't like game! Sorry to all of you wonderful game cooks. I just don't like that gamey taste. And I can't stand the smell of rendering game fat- little as it is! But I must buck-up ( ha, ha, I made a funny!) and just do it!
Come with me on this culinary adventure to purge and organize and cook in the process. I might need hand holding and lots of encouragement, but I know you are such a supportive group and will cheer me on.
So here goes...
Monday:
Bible Study Christmas Party- Out for dinner
Lobster Mac and Cheese for 30- Monday doensn't count, I committed to it long ago!
Recipe- Lobster Mac and Cheese: from The Neelys- Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/lobster-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/index.html
Tuesday:
Rotiserre Chicken ( I have a rotisserie and a whole chicken... 4 to go!)
Nani's sauteed rice
Carrots with brown sugar glaze
Recipe: Carrots with brown sugar glaze
1 bag carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds
3 TBS butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
Cook carrots in boiling water until al dente. Drain.
In a large skillet, melt butter. Put carrots in pan and cook for 1 minute. Add brown sugar and cook on low heat until sugar is meltted and covers carrots. So yummy!
Recipe: Sauteed Rice
http://stonegable.blogspot.com/2009/11/menu-nov-30-dec-4-2009.html
Wednesday:
Individual Chicken Pies
Individual Raspberry Cobblers with vanilla ice cream
Recipe: Individual Chicken Pies:
2 lbs cooked chicken, diced ( already in freezer)
1 meduim onion chopped
1 bag frozen peas and carrots
3 potatoes peeled , diced, cooked and drained.
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup flour
4 TBS butter
1tsp dry thyme
3 TBS fresh parsley
salt and pepper
pie crust (freezer from Thanksgiving)
egg wash
Preheat oven 375 degrees.
In a large skillet add butter and heat over medium heat till slightly bubbly. Add onion and cook until transulucent and soft. Add flour and stir. Cook flour for 4 minutes. Add chicken stock and whisk. Continue to cook until thickened. Adjust thickness if needed by adding more chicken stock. Add peas and carrots, potatoes, chicken, thyme, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to individual oven-proof bowls. And top with pie crust, overlapping the edge of the bowls and putting 2-3 slits in top of crust with a knife for steam. Using a pastry brush, brush on egg wash.
Put bowl on sheet pan and cook for 40-45 minutes.
Serve while hot.
Makes 4-6 servings, depending on the size of your bowls.
Thursday:
Roasted Garlic Pork Loin
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Broccoli with Garlic Oil
Recipe: Roasted Garlic Pork Loin
see recipe from Thursday,
http://stonegable.blogspot.com/2009/11/menu-nov-30-dec-4-2009.html
Friday:
Sausage and Cheese and Roasted Broccoli Fritatta
Waldorf Salad
Recipe: Fritatta
http://stonegable.blogspot.com/2009/11/menu-nov-23-nov-30-2009.html
Saturday:
Out to dinner (yea!)
Sunday:
Turkey Noole Soup ( Made with carcus from Thanksgiving) - Look for recipe on future foodie friday.
Toasted Crossiants
Have a great week!
I am joining the Organize Junkie for Menu Monday.
Well good for you! I don't cook much anymore I'm afraid and there isn't much in my freezer. Maybe I will get the cooking bug again. I love to read your menus, they make me 'think' about cooking at least.
ReplyDeleteMy freezer is full but I have tons of doctors appointments this week. I am not going to make a menu this week but am enjoying reading the menu's of others. I gotta look up the recipe for that Lobster mac and cheese!
ReplyDeleteIsn't this the wrong time of year to do this project? Maybe January 2nd? That is when I've decided to pull out Dave Ramsey's book and see if I can possibly stick to a budget for a few months:)
ReplyDeleteLobster Mac for 30...oh my! I've never had it, I can't get good lobster around here, but I've seen recipes and it sounds so good.
Are you sure that we are not long lost sisters? I did this last month to have more money for Christmas and New Years. Our youngest is a New Years Eve baby so we have started doing parties then. Like there isn't enough to do with Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI got a tip for you with wild game. My husband is a big big game hunter. We eat it all too. Wild boar is awesome. The kids friends love to spend the night cause I usually make bacon for them. So many moms have asked me where I get my bacon cause their kids came home raving about it. The trick to wild game is to get off all the fallow. You do have to do it before you freeze it though. You can trim it off and cut down on the gamey taste before you cook it. The fallow is that white filmy membrane covering the meat. That is where you get the gamey taste from. Also marinate the meat overnight. I love my seal a meal! I use it for everything! I even repackage grocery meat with it. Marinate red meats in milk and white meats in coke. It will also help to take out some of the gamey taste and make the meat tender. Throw out the marinade before cooking, but don't rinse the meat.
Your blog has made me even more of a hit! I made your Chicken Parisian for my hubby's birthday and everyone loved it! I made the Cashew Crunch for a hostess gift when some friends invited us over for dinner. It was incredible! Keep the great recipes coming!
Just stopping in to let you know I am still alive. Just busier than a one legged man at a butt kicking contest!
Yvonne....I have had this same issue in my freezer. This is a GREAT and timely post for me. I've found especially as my children leave home (2 down, 2 to go, lol), that it take me a while to *get it* -- shopping and cooking is different. I like the idea of restricting myself to using only freezer and pantry and purchasing only what fresh foods we'd need. This will be my plan as soon as the holidays are over :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Gail
P.S. Your menu looks outstanding...as usual :)
Yvonne,
ReplyDeleteIt must have taken seven hours to write that post! I have things in my freezer, but not much...a few bags of frozen red peppers (frost bitten)...a piece of catfish, too small for two, too big for one..(frosted)..a nearly empty pint of ice cream (if I buy more, I eat the whole thing)...and a bag of peas (in case I sprain my ankle, and need an ice pack)..how pathetic is that?
We tend to buy fresh, since it's just the two of us, which means I spend way too much at the supermarket...I seldom get out for less than $50 a day, let alone a week...I really need to rethink all this.
The recipes sound great!
XOXO
Jessica
thnx for stopping by my blog....i take venison steaks and cut them into two-bite size pieces, dredge them in seasoned flour and fry them (use canola or olive oil to make it a little healthier, i use a blend of canola and olive)!! yummmy!! this is how my MIL always did it and my hubby loves it. I think it helps witht the strong flavor too!! good luck...
ReplyDelete