Dejah

Most of the family have gone home...only daughter and s-i-l here - a quieter supper for the four of us. Pulled out some beef tenderloin, sliced up, seasoned with frajita seasonings. Cooked up in my cast iron wok. Fixings were prepare beforehand. Wraps were commercial low carb.

All the kids and kidlets were home to celebrate our oldest son's 39th birthday. That helped quite a bit on the freezer challenge. Baked up a dozen of the Moroccan Spiced Cigars I had made and froze for Xmas. Still have 6 pieces left, but the dozen cleared up the space taken up by the Tupperware. I got rid of 8 x 500g packages of snow Crab (stock-piled specifically for this day), a bag of tater tots, and a bag of potato wedges. Grandson's gf does not eat shellfish, so I also roasted a 5 lb boneless sirloin roast. Eleven-year-old granddaughter is now vegetarian by choice (saw the piggies going to market), so I bought a bag of roasted cauliflower ravioli for her. Didn't take a picture of the roast as grandson & gf came later due to work schedules. We do have roast beef leftover for sandwiches today. The second letter C was Cauliflower, broccoli, radish stir-fry. Dessert was Chocolate Oreo Cookie Blizzard Cupcakes and Strawberry Shortcake Blizzard Cupcakes, which had only been in the freezer for 1 hour.

We were invited out for supper on Tuesday, then last night I didn't get home until 7:30, so I invited "Wendy" home for supper. Back to the freezer for tonight. Had picked up a large try of chicken thighs a while back. I should have bagged them into portions for two people. I think I was trying to get the package into the freezer before hubby saw it. Thawed the whole thing last night, and today, I seasoned 1/3 with Ethiopian Berbere seasoning, 1/3 with New Orleans seasoning, and the other 1/3 naked but pan fried in butter (for the kiddies). The other 2/3 were baked in the oven. We ate some of the berbere ones for supper with leftovers from the fridge - spaghetti squash au gratin, and a mix of green beans and asparagus...no alliteration tonight going down tonight but the freezer-contents is! Soon I'll be able to shop again! We liked a squeeze of lime on the chicken...tangy, spicy, aromatic.

Spatchcock rubbed with harissa and roasted for an hour. The skin was lovely and crispy. Eaten with Spaghetti Squash au Gratin and stir-fried asparagus, Sugar Snaps and bell pepper. Am I to be called up for cheating...Spatchcock instead of Chicken? Condiment of choice was a spoonful of East Indian Lime Pickle made by friends. Perfect!

Roast Beef, Green Beans, and pan-fried Bean curd. Made gravy with the drippings, green peppercorns from the freezer, and a bit of parsley. Turned out more medium than we'd like as time got away on me while collating midterm exams.

@Anna N: I hear ya! I pulled out a single-rib roast thawed for today, but I wish I knew what to do with it besides throwing it into the oven...

Thanks for this thread! Brings back a lot of memories from our trip last April. We did north and south on a 28-day tour, and the locations you described mirror our itinerary. It was interesting about alcohol and the process to buy. We saw many lines going into alleys, upstairs to a wicket, etc. And yet, alcoholism is a rising problem in India. We were at a homestay in Alleppey, the Backwaters. On an evening walk along the canals, we saw two men up in the coconut trees. They were tapping the blossom ends and sap for coconut liquor or palm wine (toddy). It’s collected in jugs and taken to a special pub and sometimes offered for private sale. The alcohol content starts off at 2% but increases to 8% almost overnight. The jugs can’t be capped as they will blow the top off. Sanjay, our guide, had some for tasting with our supper. Some were quite put-off with the smell and needed three or more fingerling bananas to get rid of the taste. LOL! As sartoric mentioned, churches are quite prevalent in the south. This was the influence of the Portugese explorers who first settled in this southern area.

It's a Beef weekend. Pulled out a 1.5 lb package of ground Beef and a 1/2 lb of ground Pork : made a double batch of Cowboy Chili Casserole. Ingredients included Beef, Pork, Peppers, and eaten with Ciabatta Bread. Had half a container of grape tomatoes that have been sitting on the counter for a couple of days. Tossed them in when the pan went into the oven. They still looked "raw" and so pretty, but OUCH! The insides were liquid and HOT! Have enough for lunches for a couple days next week or they could go into the freezer? Or NOT... We had containers of outdoor Xmas decorations to take to the farm house for storage. I browned some Beef tenderloin trimmings and threw them into the slow cooker. Added some Chinese cooking wine, big knob of ginger, star anise, dried orange peel, and chunks of onion in with splashes of soy. By the time we got back to the city, 4 hours later, it was smelling might good. Added some carrots and deep-fried Bean curd and braised some Chinese cabbage, and supper was ready! It looks much like a dog's breakfast, and all the gristle cooked down...no chew, but still tasty.

I realize now just HOW FAR I had gone down this road of FAD ( Food Addiction Disorder)! I HAVE made a dent in the hoard but even after a week or so, I am still not allowed to buy any new protein. So, it's Fffffing day in the challenge: Fish and Fennel. Had picked up 35 lbs of pickerel fillets in November ( I didn't keep ALL of it! Gifted half to neighbors who clear the snow in our driveway all winter and family members too). The fillets were breaded with low-carb breading and pan-fried in butter. We needed a change up from the ubiquitous cauliflower, so it was braised fennel. I didn't have any ouzo in the house, so I threw in a couple of star anise when I added the chicken stock. I loved it! Hubby loves licorice but doesn't think it should be in the form of a vegetable. However, he ate it along with asparagus, which were on sale at $2.98 / lb. This was a nice drop from the $5.98 / lb last week!

Curry Chicken and Cauliflower: I am not a fan of the individually frozen seasoned chicken breasts that come in a box. Can't remember the weight of the contents as I had to throw away the box to make room in the freezer. It was $15.00 I think, and I thought it might be handy for something. I've had them since Sept.. Today was a busy teaching day and I've got mucho essays to grade, so something quick was needed for supper. Cut up Chicken breasts and browned in ghee. Cooked in some Indian curry powder, Patak Curry paste, and dded chunks of onion and eggplant. Simmered with chicken stock and thicken slightly with guar gum. Eaten with mashed Cauliflower and stir-fried mixed vegetables (still trying to eat down the stuff in the fridge. Bought 4-to-a-bag green peppers, another of red peppers, and several zukes 'cos they were on sale!)

Grab a chunk of Lamb out from the freezer 2 nights ago meant for last night's supper. But, with a late afternoon meeting with financial planner until 5 (no...I wasn't checking to see if I can afford to buy a new upright freezer!), and booked to babysit grandkids at 6, we had A & W burgers at 9 pm instead of sleeping with a full tummy of lamb. After much thought and checking ONLY the produce aisle in the store, I found the second L ingredient - Lobak or daikon. The lamb loin was purchased in the summer, along with 2 others in anticipation of a visit from daughter and s-i-l, which didn't happen. Seems I've used this phrase before... The loin was grilled on the cast iron pan until pretty marks appeared. It was then finished off in the oven. The only seasoning was Berbere spice a colleague brought back from a trip somewhere. The loin was a pain to carve, so I just cut down to the back bone? and broke it into 4 segments. Licked my hand after for the lovely bits of brown and grease. The lobak was steamed in the microwave then onto a fry pan for a bit of crust. Stir-fried Shanghai Bok Choy was the other veggie. Lamb Loin purchased June 2016

@robirdstx: Looks so fresh! Love everything in it ...except for the tuna. I love canned salmon but just can't do the tuna. I keep try!

The Superbowl steaks got eaten tonight. Think I'll go the Beef steak and Broccoli with cheese route. Steaks were from the freezer. Vegetables were from fresh. A colleague brings spices back for me every time she and her husband travel - about 3 trips a year. The steak was the tail end piece of a whole tenderloin. It had some gristle and fat, and I had hoped to braise this and other collected pieces. That didn't happen. They were fine grilled on the cast iron pan. Had enough protein for two, plus some for my lunch salad tomorrow.

Started the morning with stuff from the fridge freezer...before something falls on my toes! I have been contemplating an upright freezer. I would have to stop this food hoarding first as I visualize me hobbling around on toe-less stumps for feet! Hey! That would be like "Golden Lilies" of my grandmother's day! Pulled out a Ziplock with 4 Hot Italian Sausages and a bag of those balls of frozen Spinach. A dozen eggs, some crumbled feta cheese, full fat cream, and a splash of unsweetened almond milk later, I got 18 low-carb frittata muffins for today's breakfast and for next week on-the-go. Had some Hot 'n' Sour Soup base in the big chest freezer. Added some Shrimp, pork neck bone meat, chicken, and tofu, and it was a hearty lunch. Had also pulled out a bag of Steak. That would have been supper with a big Salad. However, it might be tomorrow's supper as that soup was pretty filling, and it is now 9:21 PM. So, we ended up using leftover chicken from earlier in the week and had Salad for supper. The chicken was part of the challenge, and I added Saskatoon berries that I had froze in the summer to the salad. The rest of the berries will be made into muffins tomorrow...maybe... It was a day of "S", and my fridge freezer is a tad "safer" for it.

@Anna N: I know you said "less said about the latter the better" What was your recipe for the low-carb muffin? Almond flour? Coconut flour?

@Anna N: Thanks for the encouragement! (as I trudge along on this challenge) I DID go to the grocery store yesterday, but only to pick up raspberries (for granddaughters coming to spend the day) and a cauliflower. NO PROTEIN...Should have a "Proud emoticon". Supper tonight was chicken "drumettes" purchased in Dec.to make canapes which didn't happen. Pulled out the Best of Bridge - First Efforts cookbook, which I haven't used for ages. Always loved the Drumsticks Canapes on page 65 for potluck when I was just learning to cook. I made these for the 2 and 4 year old granddaughters, and used a spicy Keto- friendly BBQ sauce for hubby and myself. Roast cauliflower and bok choy accompanied our plates while the Princesses had raw veggies and tater tots.

Using up the second half of the package of ground pork left from last night's supper. Chopped up some shrimp, Chinese mushrooms, and Chinese cabbage. Mixed in the ground Pork and seasonings (salt, white pepper, pinch of baking soda, cornstarch, and a dash of oyster sauce). Stuffed the mixture into Pepper wedges. I was given some fresh tofu skin. I've never used them before, but I've had them at dim sum. The skin is thicker than what I've had, so the "sealing" of the edges was not possible. Both stuffed items were steamed. I also caught a chicken trying to escape from the freezer. Rubbed the skin with salt, and stuffed Kaffir Lime leaves under the skin and in the cavity. It was roasted at 400F for 45 minutes. Parts of everything were eaten with steamed green beans with fermented tofu (fu yeu) The tofu skin was the perfect foil for the flavourful filling. It also served to replace rice. Fourth day sans shopping! There should be a shaky emoticon!

By Jove, I think I've finally got it! From the freezer: ground Pork, from the fridge Peppers , Purple eggplant (does it count?) and Peas Supper Trio: Stir-fried ground pork with peppers, purple eggplant in toban sauce Sides: Tofu in Oyster Sauce. Clean-out-the-Fridge Veg Medley: peas, celery, peppers, wood ear (leftovers from Hot'n'Sour Soup), ginger, zucchini. THIRD Day without any shopping! Starting to feel a twinge of withdrawal

DUH...Last night, I finally pulled up the first page of this thread, and it seems that I was not following the rules! So I tried last night to get something for tonight's supper. From the "beef basket" in the main freezer, I pulled a chunk out, and it was a chuck roast that was purchased "some time ago". It caught my hand because part of the packaging was ripped. From the fridge freezer, I had a package of frozen excess celery and some leftover coconut milk. With addition of mushrooms, onion, leftover kolhrabi, and Thai red curry paste, we ended up with Coconut Curry Beef for supper. Side was steamed asparagus.

I haven't been to the store today AT ALL! That's quite an achievement. In keeping to this challenge, I found 2 pork tenderloins buried in the plethora of protein - purchased in October. They weren't even vacuum sealed. Tonight's supper was a recipe I googled and seemed easy enough to do on a work night: Creamy Mustard Pork Loin - adapted for tenderloin. It turned out fine, eaten with sauteed mixed vegetables from the equally packed fridge: kolhrabi, bell peppers, mushroom, red onion, zucchini. The sauce was from deglazing the pan with chicken stock, apple cidar vinegar, a splash of cream, and half a Meyer lemon. The meal was in keeping with Keto-low carb way of eating.

ACK! How the heck would these rooster's testicles be harvested?!

My Chinese New Year resolution: I WILL NOT buy any more protein of ANY kind until the freeze is half empty! Now is a good time to take up the challenge of this thread. Had picked up packages of ground lamb at Safeway in October - at 50% off. Finally using up the last 2 packages for Greek Moussaka tonight. This had the low-carb version of "bechemal". Eaten with mashed cauliflower and bok choy.

Good lord! How can a BLT look so delectable?!

Being Chinese New Year, we had savory tang yuen with daikon, Chinese sausage, dried baby shrimp, pork, bak choy leaves, and cilantro. Dipped the glutinous dumplings in soy sauce, sesame oil, and black and white pepper.