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We're having an eat-down! Quite frequently, our pantry cabinet becomes so full that I can't find anything that I'm looking for. I'm not sure how this happens. I guess I just go to the store and buy things for recipes, without paying much attention to what we have stowed away. So, every once in awhile, I'll decide that it is time to clean out the cupboards. Thus, the eat-down begins.
Until some friends and I were discussing the creative uses of ingredients on facebook last week, I had just referred to this practice as "eating what we have." Then, someone (I can't remember who, sorry ladies) introduced me to the term "eat-down." Isn't it appropriate? It sounds like something fun, like a hoe-down. But, you're eating. Awesome!
So, we're having our eat-down. So far, I've fixed chicken salad, popcorn chicken, grilled cheese with tomato soup, and American chop suey. Tonight, we're having ham soup with cheddar biscuits. Tomorrow, we'll eat leftover chop suey and/or soup. Other stuff that I have laying around to make: tuna noodle casserole, spaghetti with sauce, chicken noodle soup, fish sticks and home fries, and I don't even know what else. I'll reevaluate once I've made all that. We're also going to be eating all the half-bags of chips, pretzels, cookies, and more for snacks and having grits and frozen homemade pancakes for breakfast, perhaps topped with frozen fruit from last summer. This stuff has to go!
What about you? Do you ever have eat-downs, or do you only buy what you need and then use it all up before you return to the store? Do you have an ingenious recipes using random pantry ingredients? If so, please share.
I lived by myself (roommate free-whee) for a year before I moved in here with Mister M. He always made fun of me because I would eat absolutely everything I had until I was forced to go grocery shopping again, because I hate it so much. So, towards the end there I'd be eating some pretty strange meals like, baked beans with cereal for dinner, etc. Now that I'm here, "we" do things more normally I guess. Hehe.
ReplyDeleteBeans and cereal? That's pretty funky, Nancy. At least my concoctions go together! LOL
ReplyDeleteThe other night we had tamales, mashed potatoes with gravy and mac and cheese. That's the oddest combo I've done recently and it was only because once I got the pork chops out to cook they smelled way to funky to eat. I think we need to have a serious freezer and pasta 'eat-down' in our house, thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteWe call it "shopping our own pantry." We look to see what we have then make out our menu plans.
ReplyDeleteBefore I go to the store I always check the pantry to see what I have and what I need. I do bulk up on sale items and canned goods that have a long shelf life. Fortunately for us stale items, items out of date, freezer burn and funky leftovers go to the livestock. Nothing goes to waste here! KSW
ReplyDeleteWe call it "Playing North Pole!" ..As in, if you were at the North Pole, you probably wouldn't be able to get out of the house for groceries, so you'd have to eat what you have in your house. We do it often. A few nights ago, it resulted in vegetable (an onion, can of tomatoes, a can of greenbeans, V8 Juice and three squash) barley soup and cheese sticks! :) Frozen Go-gurt for dessert :) Love to know that others play this game!
ReplyDeleteUsually we end up donating items to the food bank because GG won't find any of my suggestions yummy enough to eat.
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