Meal Building from what is on hand (spinoff)

[Sandi]

pepper jelly

bread crumbs
quinoa
dehydrated wild mushrooms X2
1 pack of organics vanilla pudding mix
1 box of sure-jel

mojo sauce and marinade
hoisin
bruschetta relish
green olive tapenade
roasted red peppers
2 jars of apple cranberry chutney
1 jar green olives
peperoncinis
sliced jalapenos
capers
sliced kalamatas (very small jar)
lowfat sesame ginger salad dressing


elbows
thin spaghetti
half a box of rotini
brown rice pasta - called penne, but more like tubes of macaroni
tinkyada mini shells
polenta (tube)

huge jar of apricot sauce
huge jar of mango sauce
2 jars of lemon curd
yuzu spread
agave syrup
assorted honeys and creamed honey
tapioca

large can petite diced tomatoes
2 cans coconut milk
2 cans evaporated milk

1 cans black beans
2 cans cannellini beans
3 cans black eyed peas
1 can navy beans
1 can garbanzo beans

1 can green beans
1 can of sweet corn

2 cans Dave's tuna

maybe three cups of navy beans
maybe four cups of black beans
a huge container of red lentils
um - I don't know what that is - maybe oatmeal
popping corn

12 gallon size ziplocks of whole peeled tomatoes, roasted cherry tomatoes, and crushed roma tomatoes

6 packs of pesto starter + 2 containers


huge bag of frozen blueberries
3 bags of corn
2 bags of organic broccoli

[LatteLover]

my jaw is dropping... i am overwhelmed with that list lol

[Sandi]

me, too - hence, eating out all the time!

[3Gs4Me]

but what I do is to pick a meat or main item and then just work around that. It is nice to have a base for the meal and makes it easier to visualize other possibilities.

[stephanielynn]

oh my goodness! that's a lot of food. good for you! i'm awful at this game and have to post of own ingredients every so often to get help. hope someone's able to see lots of meals for you!

[Sandi]

I should explain myself a bit, too. When we were first married, we lived out of town and didn't have a car. So, we would grocery shop for a month at a time. I still tend to do that - find something on sale and load up. I also go to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods and buy tons at a time because it's far away. On top of that, I've been learning to "put up" what I come across in sales, in the garden, and at the CSA.

But, it gets overwhelming - and I don't want to cook and I don't want to dig through the pantry. So I shop again - from scratch (hence the doubles, triples, and even quadruples of items)

A lesson in organization right there!!! My pantry is now organized and I can see what I have (both there and in this list) which helps tremendously.

[Mrs. Mommy]

Something that stands out, because it has been sounding good to me, is eggplant Parmesan.

[Jayne]

I've made this soup several times this summer with my tomatoes. It is very rich so I serve it with a light salad. It will use up some of your tomatoes. I do use the heavy cream that is optional to the recipe.


Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence





2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, vine and plum tomatoes)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 small yellow onions, sliced
Vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, optional
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 quart chicken stock
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, optional
3/4 cup heavy cream, optional

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. If using vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, add them as well, leaving them whole and on the vine. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.

Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot (set aside the roasted vine tomatoes for later). Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third.

Wash and dry basil leaves, if using, and add to the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish in bowl with 3 or 4 roasted vine cherry tomatoes and a splash of heavy cream.



Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
User Rating:











Episode#: TU0201

[Sandi]

FANTASTIC!!!

Our CSA has unlimited cherry tomato picking and we get gobs every week. I've roasted almost all of them (another two sheet pans last night - FULL) and have them frozen. This is an excellent use for them. Thank you!!!

I also love putting them on pasta - they taste sort of like sundried tomatoes (sweet and caramelized) without being leathery

[Sandi]

Oh - oh - oh - I have two huge leeks, too. I should make potato leek soup.

[Jayne]

In the crockpot layer 4 cups of frozen corn
2 cans black beans
cubed raw chicken breast (about 6 or so)
sprinkle with cumin, garlic, ect
jar of salsa

Cook on high 2 - 3 hours. Stir in 8 oz cream cheese. Cook on high until it melts. Serve over rice. Top with cheddar.

[Sandi]

yum yum yum

[CityLove]

Forgive me if this is a dumb idea but it came to me as I read your inventory. I'll start by saying we have maybe an 1/8 of that list at any time. Your list is awesome though. What if you were to meal plan for the week WITHOUT really thinking of your inventory, then go and shop through your pantry. It would be so overwhelming to me to see that list of foods and try to make a meal plan. However I'm assuming that since you have this stuff that it is what you would use in the course of cooking your normal meals. Does that make any sense?

In fact I'd even clear out a spot in your pantry and put the foods that you'll be using for just that week there. Same for the freezer and fridge.

[LatteLover]

Originally Posted by CityLove

Forgive me if this is a dumb idea but it came to me as I read your inventory. I'll start by saying we have maybe an 1/8 of that list at any time. Your list is awesome though. What if you were to meal plan for the week WITHOUT really thinking of your inventory, then go and shop through your pantry. It would be so overwhelming to me to see that list of foods and try to make a meal plan. However I'm assuming that since you have this stuff that it is what you would use in the course of cooking your normal meals. Does that make any sense?

In fact I'd even clear out a spot in your pantry and put the foods that you'll be using for just that week there. Same for the freezer and fridge.

I think this awesome advice!!! ITA with it. If you don't have something just substitute. Once you get some of this food pared down, then you can plan from what you have.

[Marina]

I was overwhelmed looking at the list too.

Then it came to me. You need to plan a meal around the produce that is most likely to go bad first, and then the next, and then the next. If it's tomatoes, then make the easiest quickest meal on your normal rotation (so there's no stress involved, you know, those things you could make in your sleep) that uses tomatoes.