hummingbirdkiss

GOOD MORNING! MY LARDER IS (for the most part) DELARDED! All I have left that really needs a use up ...is a bag of shelled pistachios, a bag of pine nuts and half bag of ground almonds (I am going to make a couple of batches of biscotti later and that is it for that!) ..everthing left in my pantry, fridg, freezer or on the counter is either good to have round or easy and ready to eat..... I felt like "Meals on Wheels" delivering to friends last night! ... it was fun and as satisfying as making the food... everyone is tired (we are in the midst of of flu season at the clinic ..this flu strain that was missed in this years batch of flu serum has kicked our asses ..very sick people coming in) ....lots of over time and self neglect going on this time of year...it was wonderful to see my friends digging in the bags and all the hugs I got made it all worth while!!! my youngest son is also coming over to see what he can take for the next few days of lunches/dinners/ect ..so nothing is going to go to waste This feels good I am going to do the big wipe down of everything this morning just to put a sparkle on things my goal of not buying any groceries or going out to eat for 10 days will be met and the food I made will last until Wed! ...(well almost perfectly met less the $25 of essentials and the $5 bowl of Pho I caved and ate last night just to get out of my own kitchen!) I am not a money driven person ..but I realized by spending just a few (exhausting) days focused on what I have and in a cooking frenzy ...creating dishes from ideas you have shared with me ...we ate/are eating very well (so are our friends).....and the cherry on top was with this effort saved enough money to go by myself a new digital camera!.. If I had not done this I would have just ended up ...over time ... tossing in the trash/compost heap or to the birds... food that would shortly become freezer burned, wilted or just flat out old ... how is everyone else doing? COME ON SPRINGTIME I AM FULL ON READY FOR YOU!!!

ACTUALLY I want the challah and the ice cream they both look absolutely amazing!!!

Well it is exhausting and I am kind of sick of doing this I cooked my ass off today ..used up almost everything and have meals/desserts/snacks for the next three days....and want to go and have a big bowl of Pho for dinner!!!

the mushroom in season here is the one that is my favorite....and morels are coming in very soon!!!! I am writhing with th urge to go hunting..for now then they will be my favoites then! if I can find it and get it on to a plate I am happy they are my favorite food.s.. mushrooms and cheese alone or together

let me start by saying two things Goya has anchovy stuffed olives??? I can not wait until I find them! I have saved a ton of money this week!!! maybe not a ton but quite a bit!!! not one grocery store trip ..not one meal out ...I figure a good $300 at least!!! I am almost there! today I am at the end of my big line up I think! new finds and to go's are the following 3 packages of lumpia wrappers frozen berries (thanks to Doddie I am going to make fruit lumpias what a great idea! ) 1 package of Fall River Chow Mein gravy (1970s Providence RI Lincoln School for Girls ..the only lunch I would ever eat there was on Chow Mein day and this is the stuff! nothing but MSG, starch and seasonings but makes me suck my thumb and twirl my hair when I make it) this will use up the water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, straw mushrooms, a big chicken I have and the partial bag of Jasmine rice..the lumpia wraps sliced thinly and deep fried (I will cave and buy oil today) make good noodles for the dish a couple of lbs of really wonderful chourico (also from Fall River my friend sends me a care package every year) along with a huge bag of pre roasted peppers of all kinds I figure a stir fry of those two together some muenster and I will toss together some pita today to wrap them in and a pan of berry crisp with the last of a container of oatmeal I am sending a huge care package to my buddies Patrick and Mark who struggle boiling eggs and have to work this weekend .. this should be about the end of anything easy to toss together ...I am actually way ahead of the curve here I have five days left and meals for two more ahead done .....freezer is down to a leg of lamb ..a few chickens and that smoked salmon I have yet to figure out why I froze to begin with ..(I have a tiny freezer and no real pantry just cupboards for everything) my husband is going to run to the store for a few essentials I have to cave on ..cream, sugar, eggs, butter, celery and oil today that is it ..... less than $25 on food this week so far ...and a cleaned up larder ...I am pleased .. you guys are all amazing how is it going? such great ideas here ...thank you all so much for sharing ..it has helped me that is for sure!

I live in the South Puget Sound area of WA and they are in the freezer section of most Asian Markets here ..also Safeway, QFC and Albertsons have them as well ..next to won ton skins and egg roll wrappers...quite easy to find...and we have a few brands as well

thanks so much Doddie I will do that I am going to thicken the filling first however maybe with some masa because there is a lot of juice and the cream cheese was off so I tossed it ....I was really close to just sitting them on top of the fruit ..I am so glad you intervened or I would have had a mess I bet ..

my larder is getting low so I could use some help here with some things I really need to use up... or perhaps be directed? I have three packages of frozen lumpia wrappers and lots of frozen berries ..I would like them to be together... but not deep fry anything (I am out of oil) ..have plenty of butter and some sugar ..honey ..cream cheese ...Cointreau... can I layer them like a pastry on top of the fruits or will that get soggy? anyone have any suggestions on how to put this together? thank you in advance

ok I still have about five cups of masa and no more corn husks ...but that will be for tomorrow while I was making these I used the leftover cherry mix (see above) and added the rest of the merlot, a bunch of cut up roasted pork ..and the cracked corn I did not use in the tamales ..put it all the dutch oven and it is just making the most amazing smelling cherry pork and corn stew in there ...

OFFICIAL LARDER TAMALES!!! ok an artichoke was about most stupid choice for plating but it was clean and close by so whatever ..I just wont not post it in the dessert thread... I just wanted to show these off they are full of "larder", easy to freeze (but that was not the point.so I will give some away)...and flipping fantastic to eat ..i was going to make some whipped cream to top these but they taste like a really moist flavorful masa pastry/cookie ..I dont know just flat out good

Damn!!! What a twerp! And you lasted a whole hour?? ← the sex was good but with out food what is the point? and after an hour I wanted something to eat

I feel validated KA thanks I am going to make it into fertilzer and be happy doing it! I keep finding more shit you know ..every time I take one thing out there is more behind it ..I did not do comprehensive inventory because I just found some cracked corn and am going to put that in with the cherry filling ..make a nut layer and have a coconut masa man I have a list of use ups in these things ..just hope the neighbors like them!

Ok the weather sucks but I have a new Los Lobos CD and all these ingredients that need to be used up ...right? I am going to turn these things into tamales! what a genuine cheer up making these can be I think ... not one of them was meant (when I found them to be for each) they all had differing dishes to go into... but today in the pouring rain I am going to pretend the rain outside is a warm summer rain ..put some music on ..and hopefully turn this into something good list of what is in the picture (not in order) corn husks coconut milk masa ground pumpkin seeds star anise frozen cherries manzanita peppers chipotle pepper cointreau salt my delema (where are you when I need you Chef???) please if anyone has any ideas I planned to do the masa with the coconut milk and butter (you have to have a lot of fat in there) ..or would coconut milk alone be ok? to wet the masa and keep it moist..I dont have lard or I would use it with the coconut milk the filling ..I am going to make a batch of modified cherry pepper jam with the Cointrau, anise ..chipotle and diced up manzanitas.and brown sugar..should I toast and put the pumkin seed meal in the filling you think? or encorporate it into the masa? any ideas? 12 cans of sardines are going to the food bank tomorrow (I have no idea how I ended up with these) ...I will keep two and make some lime chile dip with them but that is it someone else can use these up faster and better than I can

hmmm when I was in Canada last year I had a sweet roll wrapped in seaweed..it was very good actually the seasalty on the outside and then sweet bread inside ... I could try? anyone heard of this or have an ideaa? or plant food?

I understand that seaweed makes great fertilizer? kelp season here is in April and I want to appreciate it! ...right now I have one gallon zippy bag left of a thin dry seaweed that is usually used for soup or salad (I have no idea of the name I am sorry ..I am trying to learn them..but this is so generic a one to me I have no idea) ...I am done ..sick of it ..tired ..done ... even beach fantasies are not helping me unless someone can tell me quickly something else to do with this that would be good ..I am going to give it to my plants

ok someone bugged me badly and since it was so long ago I almost forgot! I was married for about an hour right out of school to this guy would only eat food that had no seasonings other than morton salt and preground pepper...over cooked dried out meat and mushy vegetables..mashed or baked potatoes were the only option for starch (God forbid I cook a pot of rice!) ..margarine no butter...and no going out to eat because he was paranoid of what people did to food... the foods had a specific day too ..chicken breast on Mondays baked, steak on Tuesdays ..it had to be eye of round and cooked until it was tough...Wed pork chops no seasoning broiled until leather ...you get the point ..making dinner was hell for me!!! I never got it right ..but of course his mom did ...(she was a horrific cook) I was not even allowed to cook my own food because he made such a big deal about how badly "it stinks" if I used garlic or anything else...well "allowed" was not my thing...one day he told me the Thursday hamburger I cooked the snot out of was "too raw" ..so I threw it at his head ..told him to "choke on it" got my keys and left ..for good ... I am not sure why I married him to begin with ......but I am sure how I could forget him! my sweet husband of almost 30 years (yikes) is just a dream to cook for ..he adores food and food adventures....

I will eat anything .... but I dont care for broccoli flowers I love the stems but not the flowers ..so I buy/order/eat Chinese broccoli and that solves the whole issue

No, what are biscochitos? I've been eyeing the Fried Chicken thread thinking that lard might make a tasty batch of fried chicken... you can use the wine and the lard in this recipe for biscochitos ..I learned how to make these in Santa Fe when my kids were little they are a very good biscuity cookie..this recipe is not exact so feel free to make it your own! I love these cookies they are kind of a soul food! Katherine's Biscochitos step 1 3-4 cups AP flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 teaspoon Salt 1 teaspoon anise seed (smash it just a little) 1 tsp fresh ground cinnamon mix all the dry stuff together (you can use grated citrus peel as well in here) Step 2 cream together until very fluffy 1 cup lard (or half butter half lard but then it is not the traditional ones I know) 1 cup (more or less) of regular sugar 1 egg scrappings of the inside of one vanilla bean just under 1/4 cup of red wine add the dry to the wet stuff and mix together well ..chill the dough over night if possible but at least an hour is good .. roll them out (try not to add more flour but if you need to it is ok) to about just under 1/2 inch and cut with a biscuit cutter ..dip the tops in cinnamon sugar and bake on a baking sheet (I always use parchment but you dont have to these do not stick) 350 for about 10 min (watch the first batch) they should be golden brown on the bottom

I find midweek (when everyone is at work) parking not so bad in Richmond..I wish there was a commuter or even an easier walking option there but really that is the only place we actually drive to when we come for visits ..and as long as we do that town mid day mid week (trying to avoid the lunch rush too is kind of a feet in itself but that is a narrow window) 9-11am and then 1-4pm Mon-Fri...(unless we go for dinner and honestly that is not as often as I would like because of the parking and traffic) we seem to be fine..otherwise ...yes it is really hard to get around and find places to park that are in reasonable distance to where you want to be..

Thank you Jamie Lee ..I felt so badly when I read that I would never want my words to be offensive you guys are awesome in your efforts ...today was really rough for me to pull it together at all... let alone for food! I just ate the last avocado for breakfast and then tossed all kinds of crap into a bag and am picking through it now making it "lunch" tg it is my Friday ..I can cook more and be more creative the next few days .. Viva you are my hero!!! how wonderful you turned everything into gold! I had forgotten about spoonbread! what a great idea grits I love them in the cheddar/jalepeno casserole if I had a quart of lard I would find something to deep fry! if it is pure lard then I would bake some biscochitos (have you had/made those? they are so good and keep well I think) KA I totally agree with you ..I never meant for this to be "hard core" (except for me because it has to be right now or I will not do it) Djyee you are so on this what great ideas thank you!!! that ice cream sounds too good JuJube I want to come live in your larder!! Mizducky ...all of you thank you so much for joining in ...this is so helpful!!! tomorrow I am going to do a full on attack and start from top to bottom...I have until next Wed to get this done...and I will do it ... as I promised myself and you witnessed it .... I just have to figure out now what to make for dinner tonight ..as tired as my husband and I are right now ....maybe a piece of cheese on a plate and a pint of beer (that has to go too right? not exactly "diet food" but I gotta make room for more )

OMG Jamie Lee NO that is not what I meant at all I am sorry I was trying to explain my own motivation and what I was doing to get beyond the "want what I want" thing ..I am sorry maybe I should delete that post if it came across like that I did not mean that at all I am so so sorry

off topic...well it is great you did a fine job at expressing the core of what you feel so YAY!!! on topic I did not have sugery just a huge appetite put on some weight loading sugar into myself...and am now on a diet and so similar to you as well...with out all the time I was spending carbloading my miseries..that did not work by the way but stopping that has... I have a ton of energy (like drunks when the stop drinking same thing..I get it when I give up sugar) I am purging my pantry ..spring greens are almost here.....and if it is good salad dressing I could use it! and trade you for some capers....or maybe these sardines???... I have to focus on my own list now and start thinking more about menus for later this week...instead of peaking in to all over yours to see what I can borrow

I completely understand this ...that is why I am doing it....my life four months ago was hit with the tragidy of a lifetime (and thanks to this board and the distraction ..consideration and brilliance here I have been able to plow through and just find a diversion that has helped me remember who I am ...so thank you) ..anyway ..one thing I noticed during this time is that I lost part of the core of my being ...that is to really appreciate what is there in front of me ...I wanted more instant gratification and have had a horrible time trying to get control of this because of the sadness (sadness is very consuming) .....this spring purge helps with that ..there is nothing in the pantry that will kill me if I force myself to use it (well except the candlenuts I still have not had the nerve to eat )... food is central to my being..and symbolic in my life in so may ways (as it is in most folks here from what i see) ...wasting it is also a huge shame ....this is almost a religious thing to me (and I am agnostic so that is big) ..this spring purging is a reminder ..that yes we do have some things we can control in life ...while there are many we can't ...we were nurturing ourselves when we bought it ...not using it is denying that....we can make a meal out of anything and find some way to enjoy it.....my own satiety level may not be into a bowl of seaweed soup three times this week for lunch ..but I bought the stuff and it is my obligation to honor the food by eating it and not wasting it....it is time to do that .. because it opens to the doors to letting new things in..emotionally as well has physically...and if I go and buy a whole bunch of something wonderful in season in the next few months I can do this with out thinking "hmmmm I should have used that bag of masa before the bugs got in there" ..with out the guilt having so much already I can start fresh ..people are starving ..it costs the envorinment to create things things for us to enjoy ..why ignore them...(this is just me I am not proselytizing please know that just how I really believe and try to live ...but I am run down and tired and have to exercise this in order to get better) .....so the real bottom line to me ..is to rediscover the reason I do what I did to begin with and try to find new ways to satisfy that are good for everyone ..not just me ... I am not great with words I just hope this helps answer Jamie Lee as to how I am dealing with the want what I want ..vs the eat what is here and make it pleasurable and satisfying...I just remind myself there is a bigger picture than what is on that plate ...the food took a very long time to get there and it deserves my full attention ... (remind me of this when I whine about what I am eating a bowl of capers for Sunday dinner this week ok??? ) speaking of capers I have three jars of opened ones (and several in the pantry) ..please anyone know how to use these up besides the obvious? Jamie Lee go back and try to remember the pleasure you had in making that soup and how you did it and what you put it there to nurture youself ..and condiments if needed and savor the goodness you have inside you... that is what I suggest .. OOOXXX to all of you tomorrow an avocado smoothie for breakfast !!! seaweed soup for lunch (when I smell it I can pretend I am at the beach for a few moments gathering )

as Sethro mentioned dried fruit purees work really well I have done this ..filled them with sweetened flavored sticky rice and little strips of different fruit leathers inside or chunks of chewable jelly candies soft caramel ..ect ..even nuts ...I did chocolate inside as well just cut it the size of a thin long French fry you can also fill them with a cream cheese or ganache filling ..the leather makes a great thin wrapper in various colors (including green ..I used green apples to make it and then added coloring) they are so easy to roll and cut fun project but have no idea about molding chocolate so I guess I skirted the issue a bit here

Thank you so much for joining in all of you! How wonderful! even just getting rid of a few things or a small area is such a good motivator! it funny I find myself mind shopping in all of your larder trying to figure out what we could all make if we lived near each other...With the masa Pennylane and I have we culd have a tomale party ....there are infinite soups and curries to be made and desserts gallore!!!! Tarascant I need to make some pizza and freeze it for my housesitter! what a great idea to use some of this stuff up ..and make something fun for him ..I even put a little masa in my dough to get it an extra something something (If you have never tried it you just add 1/4 cup to a standard dough recipe it increases chewiness and gives it a wonderful flavor) Viva the jelly ..I make a glaze for lamb that calls for a jar of jelly (like a cup) a 1/4 cup of good mustard and a cup of gin bring it to a hard boil then simmer a bit until the gin is reduced ..you can brush your meat while it is cooking or serve it with the meat ...it is current jelly in the recipe but if you have the grape I am sure it is no matter Doddie I would gladly take a couple of those pears off your hands ..I saw the pictures of those things!!! WOW!!!! Zeemanb ..1 the anal retentive chef I love it!!! 2. your blog!!! Chufi good luck with your move! we moved a lot when we were first married because of my husbands work....it was hard to empty and restock a pantry like I did ...but our moves were biggies hope yours is not far and easy for you Djyee100..you got it going on in that larder!!! I dont know about the fish sauce! at least it pretty much keeps forever!!! if everyone gathered and combined stashes ..we could live a long time on what we have stashed anyone want to share some menu's or recipes? Breakfast today (still going strong) it is my early day so I will grab an avocado off the table...and the rest of the boiled peanuts and eat between patients this morning ... Lunch a spicy seaweed soup ..I wash the seaweed at home dress it with sesame oil and sesame seeds.. put it in a bowl ....a spice packet..a crumbled hot chile ...one raw egg in the shell and shiratake noodles.....add scalding water at work ...then the egg and noodles ...zap a bit to cook the egg and that is it....I wish I had some of Rachels kimchi to put in there!...I will hear it about the smell of this soup trust me! I am going to make an antipasta and take it to work as well (does not go with seaweed soup but about 3pm it will be nice to share with folks) I have all those pickles ..cheese and stuff so it is an easy way to use it up... dinner is going to be chicken and rice with cauliflower (sounds kind of colorless ) ...and berries for dessert (I am not sure how but I will toss something together when I get home) I am drinking Jamaica flower/basil seed tea this week that is for sure I had no idea I had three big bags of the flowers! ..my husband got some at the Mercado last week when he tried to find the ones we already had and couldn't! I told my husband who works from home to just eat his way through the leftovers from the past two days when he gets hungry today ....he is good at that time to move my ass , grab this stuff and put it together ...so my intentions and motivation will remain! all of you thanks so much for adding to this..and please have a good day all ...