Dejah

Welcome anytime, Ann N. Then my freezer content will go down faster!

I DID weaken last week and stock-piled the freezer with T-Bone steaks that were on sale at Sobeys. Used 10 of the 24 I picked up. This week, AAA A Angus rib steaks are on sale on Monday at Walmart at $5.77 / lb. How can I refuse? They will lie flat, so won't take up much room...

More protein from the freezer being used: A tray of baby back rib, marinated overnight with Hoisin sauce, Chinese wine and cooked in the oven. A small chicken rubbed with Township Chicken - African spices a colleague brought back from working in Africa. Chicken was cooked in the Big Easy. Stir-fried bell peppers. Cauliflower was cooked with another packet of African herbs and spices: Cape Malay Rice Spice. It was not as I had hoped as the cauliflower does jot absorb flavours as does rice. Kids all came home for the long weekend. Used a tray of sweet Italian sausages and 2 lbs of lean ground beef I had in the freezer and made a huge "meatza lasagna" for the carnivores in the family. Also made a vegetarian one for 12-year-old granddaughter who changed her eating habits after seeing the piggies go to market in a big truck.

Had none of the great toppings you folks are enjoying, but our friends visiting yesterday brought a loaf of freshly baked lemon loaf. It had a lovely dense texture and fresh lemony taste with a sugar crumb topping. SO good this morning (and last night after they left) with my coffee...

Friends who travelled to China with us came over to exhange memory cards full of pictures from our village visit. A favourite dish from his childhood days was the request for supper. Pork spareribs (freezer collection) steamed with brown bean sauce and plums in brine. Simple stir-fried baby bak choy, jasmine rice Soup was Chinese Mustard Greens with pork ribs. Another favourite dish was Beef (tenderloin from freezer collection) and Tomato with Egg. Needed lots of rice for that tangy tomato sauce! Dessert was Green Tea ice-cream, a sample container from a friend whose husband has an ice-cream company. They are testing out a new CanAsian series of flavours. We have had Peach Lemongrass, Mango, and Coconut so far. A couple of other meals I was able to cobble together with more "freezer collection" Ground beef Moussaka and Mashed Cauliflower. Unfortunately, the ingredients made a huge panful, so there are 3 more meals for two back in the freezer. Roast Chicken legs with Moroccan Harissa rub with steamed asparagus.

Jet lag has not released me from its grip. These 3-hour afternoon naps have messed up my meal planning and night time sleeps. Anything that is easy to throw on is my MO for meals these days. Bought beef tenderloins at an excellent price in Dec. These were trimmed and cut into sizes possible for Beef Wellington, but were out-voted by crab legs over Xmas and NY. Had pulled a piece out of the freezer a couple of days ago in anticipation of better things; however, it was divided into 4 thick pieces, grilled on stove top, and eaten with more delicious store-bought corn (compared to China) and sauteed yam leaves with garlic and a dash of fish sauce and garlic. And, here I am at 4:30 am posting about it!

Just back from our 3 week trip to China, with a visit to my family home where I was born! We were on a tour with a Canadian company, so meals were pretty pedestrian, set up for the mass of tourists. We extended our trip by a week, so food by choice was much much better.Dim sum and street food in Guangzhou were the best! However, back to the reality of the freezer challenge. The kids haven't been home, so the level of the contents has not changed. First dinner home, prime rib bones with pepper leaves and rice. We enjoyed these pepper leaves at many meals in China, but this was the first time I had seen them at the Chinese grocery store in the city. Had picked up a package of prime rib bones a couple of months back. Was feeling the need for good beef on the bone! Tonight, we had a grilled rack of lamb I had picked up at 50% off...The gremolata added a nice brightness to the meat. Corn-on-the cob and a salad was what we needed. The corn we tried in China was horrible - dry and tasteless. Might have been field corn for fodder? But everyone was eating and seemed to enjoy them...

@chromedome: " I seem to recall reading somewhere that it originated as a way of masking the muskiness of mature mutton, which makes perfect sense to me. " Makes sense to me as well. But I sometimes crave that minty - tangy taste too. Think I will now have lamb by itself, and just use the mint for the taters. Can't give it up totally Tonight, a last third of a boneless pork loin I picked up @1.77 / lb. Rubbed it with olive oil, chopped rosemary and roasted garlic granules. Left it to marinade while we went to an afternoon concert. When we got home, I put the pan into a preheated 400F oven. Got busy with something else and over-cooked the pork. It was tender, but not as juicy as we'd like. Loins are too lean for my taste, but I couldn't pass up the price... Tried jicama for the first time - cooked in the oven as "fries". It was ok. Might not have steamed it enough before I roasted them. Have had better luck with purple-top turnips and kohlrabi as "fries"

Working down the freezer a little more before we take off for China! 2 packages of rack of lamb - a 4 rib and a 3 rib. Simply seasoned and grilled on top of stove. Had half bag of frozen mixed vegetables - used up now. Basmati rice seasoned with brown mustard seeds and cumin seeds. No mint sauce this time - just enjoyed the lovely taste of the lamb...

@Ann_T That halibut! @scubadoo97 - one of my favourite combinations - grilled green beans, salad, with the trout.

Been such a slacker for photos - my excuse? Too busy with end-of-term prep. and still hobbling a bit from the leg-issue from a couple of weeks ago. Tonight, I was late getting home from an acupuncture treatment after work. Had pulled out a bag of boneless chicken thighs on my way out to work. Needed something quick for supper, so Butter Chicken it was. While the chicken simmered, I fried up slices of tofu and steamed a handful of green beans. The green beans were tossed into the chicken just before scooping up. I LOVE fresh mint leaves on dishes like this.

Challenged meals the last couple of days: Grill tenderloin steak with mashed celeric and salad in lovely new blue and white bowls - gift from a colleague. First time eating celeric and we loved it - a lovely changeup from mashed cauliflower. Last night's dinner was Lemon-dill Steelhead trout in foil. Eaten with gai-lan and green beans. Freezer content - about 2/3 down in meat!

Having been basically off my feet for the last few days, I was able to go up and downstairs yesterday to be driven to work. So, I now have access to continue the challenge of cooking through my freezer! Had picked up a package of drumsticks on sale at Safeway before Xmas, so we had Lemon-Rosemary grilled chicken legs for supper. Not having been to pick up fresh vegetables for a few days, it was stir-fried dregs from the fridge vegetable crisper. The new cast iron wok I have gets and stays super hot. Even with the broth added to the veg, and the fact that I couldn't get back to it quickly, the veg. had a "nice charred" flavour to it. Definitely NOT wok hei" but was edible.

I've been laid low by a gimpy leg since the weekend. It started on Saturday and got gradually worse as the weekend progressed. Had to leave work early afternoon on Monday due to pain and have been home with muscle relaxants since. Teachers on staff have been filling for me. Luckily, I had pulled a prime roast out of the freezer on Sunday and it got cooked with hubby's help on Monday. We've had some leftover meatballs and cheesy broccoli on Saturday, roast beef for Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday a rotisserie chicken from Safeway came to the rescue along with spaghetti squash. No pictures were taken. Last night, I pulled a corned beef from the fridge freezer. Got it on sale at 50% way back when. It got cooked tonight along with asparagus and rice. I'll have to dig around the fridge freezer to see what's available for tomorrow

.Very late lunch of Chinese BBQ duck - mainly bones - from the freezer. Added to chicken broth with baby bok choy and shirataki noodles. Crunch and spice from pickled Sechuan radish strips. + Using up a package of frozen pickerel fillets, purchased from Lake Winnipeg fisherman in October. Took liberties and used a Lemon Chicken Piccata recipe. Had to subsitute kalamata olives for the capers it called for. Enjoyed the lighter taste of the lemon pan sauce as opposed to the slurry thickened lemon sauce. |Both broccoli and cauliflower were languishing in the fridge. Both were devoured with the pickerel.

Back on track: Half a bag of purchased beef meatballs, warmed up in a bag of arrabbiata sauce, both from the freezer. Eaten with tofu shirtaki noodles and salad.

Using up the 1.5 lb container of ground pork from the freezer.. Last night we had Mapo Tofu with eggplant. Had some fresh mint leaves and they went nicely with the spicy toban sauce. When we were in the city a couple of weeks ago, I discovered bags of tofu skin, thin and pliable. Been wanting to make tofu rolls dim sum style, so it was a good way to use up the remaining lb. of the ground pork. Added chopped shrimp, bamboo shoots, re-hydrated Chinese mushrooms, oyster sauce seasoning, and cornstarch to make the filling. The skins were huge 18" rounds. Cut them into 8 triangles, soaked them in water, and made up cigars. The rolls were pan-fried last night. Tonight, I decided to deep fry them instead of steaming them in a sauce. I did make a dipping sauce with chicken stock, oyster sauce, and chili oil. Cooked up the few leftover mushrooms with gai lan and slivered ginger and supper was complete. This was the first time I made these rolls, but it won't be the last as I still have ALOT of the tofu skin left! Apologies for the Abysmal Absence of Alliteration

Pulled a chunk of top sirloin roast from the freezer 2 days ago. It has been hiding since late spring 2016. The freezer contents must be getting lower for me to have found this fella. It came bound in a string mesh bag and cryovac, and no sign of freezer burn. Thawed in the fridge and cut into chunks. I also had a bag of celery in the freezer - stalks that were not in the best of crispiness, so I had frozen them for such an occasion - stew! A colleague's wife is working in Kuwait for the next few weeks. Altho' she has stocked their freezer and fridge, he is not one to get it ready to bring to work. Yesterday, he picked up a sugar-loaded muffin, and he is diabetic! Another colleague and I have decided we will take lunch for him each day so he will at least have one balanced meal. I will take some of the stew for him today with a bun. The other colleague who is also diabetic said it would be fine in terms of his dietary needs. One bonus - no leftovers for us! Reducing my freezer content will be even faster! Eaten with pea shoots and konjac noodles.

@chromedome: Sorry to hear about your father, but you are doing something constructive as you work through this difficult time. You parents will appreciate this act of love.

@Anna N for starting me on this journey! For the last few weeks, I have not been excited when the flyers come out on Thursday because I am not allowed to buy meat! I do go to the store, but it's mainly for the produce or bacon. Looking forward to THAT day again.

Catching up - three meals with protein from the freezer: The last whole Chicken - stuffed with kafir lime leaves under the skin and roasted. Sides - mashed Cauliflower, stir-fried mixed veg. and spicy pickled green beans (Safeway) Hubby prefers the breast and Chinese cheese (Fuyu) Pork loin chops with roasted cauliflower and steamed green beans - no alliteration was harmed in the process. Second last bag of boneless chicken thighs were cooked up as Brown Butter Chicken with Sage and Proscuitto. Made a Keto-friendly Afredo sauce for the Tofu-Shirataki Fettuccini noodles, annnndddddd...green beans! Another couple of weeks and my freezer will be emptied enough for a defrosting. Hope to get this done before we head off to China for the month of April. Won't have to worry about losing much meat if the freezer quits.

Avocados are relatively cheaper at the moment on the prairies - a bag of 5 for $2.98. My new breakfast lately: chopped avocado with chopped soft-boiled egg - gooey, creamy, and spicy with a sprinkle of lime and chili spice. Keeps the growling tummy happy and low on carbs.

Boneless Lamb shoulder, marinated in tri-colour peppercorn, fresh mint, rosemary, garlic, raspberry vinegar, burgundy. Then it was coated with Dijon mustard, more freshly ground pepper roasted for 1 1/2 hours... a little too long as I was too busy visiting with daughter and s-i-l. Eaten with grilled zucchini, Leeks, pecan toasted with Worchestershire sauce, radishes then tossed in lemon juice, olive oil, Italian parsley, and same peppercorns. We also had mashed cauliflower, a portion with leftover black garlic butter, and a portion with just butter and roasted garlic granules. And I just had to post these T-shirts my daughter picked up: She DOES have a Great Pyrenees, and she thought the saying on my T-shirt was definitely me

One of my sons showed me a picture of a lovely English fry-up. I took it as a challenge to see what I had in the fridge...everything except the blood sausage. So, for his breakfast, I fried up tomato, Portobello mushrooms, bacon, eggs, and baked beans with toast. He was happy and in food induced comatose for a long afternoon nap.

Most of the family has left, just daughter and s-i-l here - much quieter! I had taken out beef tenderloin and made Cantonese Chow Mein for the kids who were leaving after lunch. Cauliflower, broccoli, carrot stir-fry accompanied. For the evening, the four of us enjoyed Beef Fajitas with Bell peppers, guacamole, and other fixings.