This all started last night. Joshua and I got home from Tampa around 5:30pm and we were starving. Josh ate a sandwich to tie him over until dinner was ready and I started looking around, suggesting to my starving husband things that could be made. Because we'd been away all weekend, there was no meat readily available and defrosting anything would have taken too long (according to Josh), So we decided on Hawaiian pizza (Joshua's Favorite).
The ingredients that I had were:
- loaf of Pillsbury French bread in a tube
- 28oz. can of crushed tomatoes
- dried oregano
- lots of fresh basil and thyme
- shredded cheddar
- ham
- pineapple
I heated and combined the tomatoes and herbs with a little salt and pepper, unrolled the French bread onto a pizza stone forming it to be round with a crust and drizzled a little EVOO on it. spooned the sauce to the crust and topped it with the cheese, ham, pineapple and some dried oregano. I placed it in my 400 degree oven and voila, in about 15 minutes, we had a pizza.
Pretty simple, right?! The husband loved it and it got me thinking...
To start off this personal challenge, let me list what I currently have in my refrigerator and pantry:
- Half gallon of OJ and Milk
- 3/4lb of Sliced ham for sandwiches
- a little prosciutto
- provolone cheese
- goat cheese
- cheddar
- sour cream
- Lots of butter
- half & half
- eggs
- tons of Carrots
- celery hearts
- fresh kale
- Spring onions
- bell, sweet, cayenne, and jalapeño peppers (from my garden)
- Garlic
- 14 oz of crushed tomatoes
- small can of crushed pineapple
- enormous amounts of sweet onions (so many that I'm hoping to give them away to friends... anyone want them??)
- 5lbs of small red potatoes
- Kamaboko (Josh is allergic to crab meat...)
- Wantons
- 1lb of ground italian sausage and lean ground beef
- lots of frozed chicken breasts
- 1 sirloin steak
- Frozen peaches, blackberries, mango's, and strawberries
- 2 can cans of artichoke hearts
- lg cans of corn, green beans (French cut style)
- 4 cans enchilada sauce
- tomato paste
- Crushed tomatoes
- whole tomatoes
- salsa
- beef and chicken stock
- cooking wine
- various seasoning packets
- Many many herbs, dried and fresh from the garden
- Oatmeal
- chocolate chips
- flour
- sugar
- vanilla
- cocoa powder
- other various backing supplies
- bread crumbs
(I'm sure I missing a ton, but I'm at school right now and can't check to be sure. So is life...)
Ok, so I know that the above seems like a lot but who wants to cook with things that they already have? I personally LOVE scouring the internet for new recipe ideas, making a list of what I need and going shopping for everything, picking up random ingredients that I might need along the way only to put everything away, get too busy to cook what I planned, forget what I got and repeat the process all over again week by week. Pathetic, I know, so bear with me as I challenge myself to be creative with what I already have.
For tonight, I'm thinking stuffed chicken with goat cheese and spring onions coated with bread crumbs and baked in a white wine, butter and artichoke sauce with a side of steamed Kale and mashed potatoes. Could be amazing, could be terrible. I already have everything for meal, so cost will be $0. I will of course have leftover potatoes so I might try to make Pierogies which I've never made before, so I will use this recipe and make a salad as a side. My friend Tristin introduced me to Pierogies a while ago and boy, were they delicious! I can only hope that the linked recipe is as good as her's was. I'm sure that I'll have leftovers from both of these meals, so who knows what I'll make next!
Also, this week I plan to make a bunch of cookies and other various treats for my brother-in-law Jared who is in the army, bake bread, and do whatever else I can to keep busy while Joshua is gone. I know, I'm pathetic :-)
Here's to dinner!
Hey Suzanne! I saw your link to your post on FB and was impressed! You sound like an amazing cook! Haha, I don't even have 1/8 of what you do in my fridge. Good luck with your challenge! I may be checking back to see how it is going. Sounds like life is going great for you :)
ReplyDeleteSounds impressive. How was dinner?
ReplyDeleteHey! Saw your most recent post (linked from FB) and just read this one, too. You are definitely NOT alone in your planning/shopping/putting away and never using method. haha!! I find myself doing that ALL the time! The one thing that has helped me in the past (as long as I've kept up with it!) is keeping an inventory of food in the pantry and possible recipe applications. But, I really haven't done this lately. Paul always looks at me like I'm crazy when I say we don't have any food in the house because the pantry has plenty of food in it... I just have lost track of what I intended it for. :)
ReplyDeleteI think I might take you up on this challenge!