Challenge: Cook your way through your freezer (part 2)

[Anna N]

 

Shrimp, mushrooms and rice from freezer.  Potato salad used up the last of the little potatoes in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.  

[Anna N]

 So last evening showed me that even though I had inventoried my freezer drawer it was still too challenging. I have no wish to bore anybody with my physical challenges but I needed a way to limit the time needed to be bent over digging around.  

 

 I knew there were two packages of lamb loin chops. I found one but had to give up finding the second one. 

 

 This morning, bit by bit, I collected like things together and stored them in large reclosable bags. There is a bag of duck and a bag of pork and a bag of beef etc.  I think this should largely address the problem.  Each bag is clearly labelled in very large letters.

 

There are still a few things that I need to gather into their own bags but I have made a very good start on this. 

 

 I think the inventory will still work without having to redo it.

 

 I know there are others on the board who are facing physical challenges so perhaps this might be helpful to someone.

 

 

 

[heidih]

4 hours ago, Anna N said:

 So last evening showed me that even though I had inventoried my freezer drawer it was still too challenging. I have no wish to bore anybody with my physical challenges but I needed a way to limit the time needed to be bent over digging around.  

 I I know there are others on the board who are facing physical challenges so perhaps this might be helpful to someone.

 

 

 

 

Our freezer is a bottom drawer. When I had an ER nosebleed drama the doc said I should absolutely not bend  over for at least 10 days. I unearthed one of those gripper things  with the long handle and used it both to open freezer and to retrieve. 

 

 

 

[Anna N]

29 minutes ago, heidih said:

 

Our freezer is a bottom drawer. When I had an ER nosebleed drama the doc said I should absolutely not bend  over for at least 10 days. I unearthed one of those gripper things  with the long handle and used it both to open freezer and to retrieve. 

 

 

 

Thank you I actually have a number of these —one in every room and a couple of spares to boot. But they don’t really work that well when you are trying to unearth something that is buried under piles of other stuff. They are, however, quite useful for many things. 

[kayb]

I got a package of ground beef out of the fridge to make meat loaf tonight. Small steps. I am obligated to cook a pot roast Friday.

 

 

[ElsieD]

Last night 's dinner was good old mulligan stew.  From the freezer i used up a pound of ground chicken, the rest of the pearl onions, peas, corn, diced squash, chicken broth and a couple of Roma tomatoes.  Fresh items were mushrooms, green beans, celery, carrots, onions and fennel.  I think that's it.  I made a batch of @Lisa Shock 's cream biscuits with added grated old cheddar cheese  to go with it.  Enough left over for two lunches for John.

[Okanagancook]

Lamb stew made with sous vide shanks.  Just need to cook some potatoes and carrots for veggies.

Yesterday we were watching Ugly Delicious on Netflix and got a craving for Chinese food.  I happened to have some pork dumplings in the freezer....well, you know what happened next.

[Katie Meadow]

Wracked with guilt I did clean out my freezer, but there was a lot more throwing out stuff (method like the one in the cartoon in Food Funnies) than there was eating stuff. I have an awful confession to make: some of the containers were so mysterious and/or unappetizing that I needed help from my husband to disappear it, despite his disapproval. In the end he agreed and I left the kitchen while the operation was in progress. I admit that I am squeamish about the freezer contents, but this is a great improvement and I actually have room for more stock. Anything with icicles in it was tossed without question.

 

There were some identified containers of soup that were probably less than a few months old which we ate. And there were some pork neck bones that I defrosted and tossed into a stock pot with some chicken parts. There were also lot of roasted green chile packages in various bags stuck in all sorts of nooks and crannies. I threw out the ones with old dates and put all the rest in one large freezer bag. I definitely have enough to last until next fall's crop at the farmers' market. And surprise surprise, I unearthed a lamb shank, so I bought another one and made Scotch Broth. I'm sure it was older than 6 months, but I'm alive to tell the tale.

 

 

[kayb]

49 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

 And there were some pork neck bones that I defrosted and tossed into a stock pot with some chicken parts. 

 

 

Ooohhh. Neckbones. When I was a kid, Mama used to make neckbones and dressing. She'd boil the neckbones, pick the meat off them, use the broth to make up a cornbread dressing with no or very little sage, but heavy on the black pepper, and stir in the meat. With long-cooked green beans and potatoes, and maybe some corn, that made a fine, fine dinner.

 

I had neckbones and gravy over egg noodles at a soul food place in Cleveland, Miss., a year or so ago. First neckbones I'd had since I was a kid.

 

Edited January 16, 2019 by kayb (log)

[Katie Meadow]

32 minutes ago, kayb said:

 

Ooohhh. Neckbones. When I was a kid, Mama used to make neckbones and dressing. She'd boil the neckbones, pick the meat off them, use the broth to make up a cornbread dressing with no or very little sage, but heavy on the black pepper, and stir in the meat. With long-cooked green beans and potatoes, and maybe some corn, that made a fine, fine dinner.

 

I had neckbones and gravy over egg noodles at a soul food place in Cleveland, Miss., a year or so ago. First neckbones I'd had since I was a kid.

 

 

Yeah, neck bones are tasty. Whenever I cook them in stock I gnaw off the meat for myself. I don't think I've ever made a meal of them, but I can see the fun there. Acadiana Table has a recipe for a pork neck bone fricassee, basically a gumbo, to which is added andouille and the usual suspects.

[heidih]

I have to say I have zero freezer issues but reading this makes me feel remotely more organized. One less issue to check off the list

[ElsieD]

I found some Costco rotisserie chicken in the freezer and used it for this.

[Okanagancook]

With the football games on Sunday, I need to serve quick nourishment so I do not miss any action.  I happen to have a mitt load of nibbles in the freezer...like

green onion cakes with dipping sauce

trotter spring rolls from Happy in the Kitchen...RIP Richard Michael, served with ginger dipping sauce which I can make Saturday

Home made chicken tenders which I will cook in the air fryer served with salsa verde

veggies and dip

that’s 5 containers from the freezer😃

 

dinner will be gumbo, rice and salad...3 more containers from the freezer😃

 

and for good measure...friend staying over on Saturday for the Sunday games...we will have 

keema mattar

quiona & mushroom curry

lamb ribs with tandoor spices for appetizers and cocktails

rice

puri

cucumber raita

another 4 containers

 

TOTAL  12 🤪

[ElsieD]

20 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

With the football games on Sunday, I need to serve quick nourishment so I do not miss any action.  I happen to have a mitt load of nibbles in the freezer...like

green onion cakes with dipping sauce

trotter spring rolls from Happy in the Kitchen...RIP Richard Michael, served with ginger dipping sauce which I can make Saturday

Home made chicken tenders which I will cook in the air fryer served with salsa verde

veggies and dip

that’s 5 containers from the freezer😃

 

dinner will be gumbo, rice and salad...3 more containers from the freezer😃

 

and for good measure...friend staying over on Saturday for the Sunday games...we will have 

keema mattar

quiona & mushroom curry

lamb ribs with tandoor spices for appetizers and cocktails

rice

puri

cucumber raita

another 4 containers

 

TOTAL  12 🤪

 

You go girl!  I am in awe.

[FauxPas]

50 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

 I happen to have a mitt load of nibbles in the freezer.

 

Wow, your freezer is definitely raid-worthy!  

[Okanagancook]

Thanks.

there is a lot of really good stuff in there...duck leg confit, more trotter rolls (those are so decadently delicious), pork tacos, spring rolls for the air fryer, spanakopita, Chili, Paul Prudhomme gumbo and spicy black beans, various soups made with garden fresh veggies, a couple of curries, various tomato sauces and other sauces.  Then the raw ingredients like, steaks, two lambs, duck breasts, turkey thighs....etc...etc.

 

my goal is to empty one of the chest freezers to serve as a back up in case of failure...I have three freezers and the bottom drawer of a fridge 🙃🙃

[Jacksoup]

@Okanagancook I am so jealous of your many freezers.  I’ll be moving to boyfriend's house within the next 6 months and there is  lots of room for freezer(s).  And a huge garden area, so I’m hoping to have lots of produce to freeze.

[Katie Meadow]

Nothing says football like quinoa.

[ElsieD]

Last night we had chicken chili made from ground chicken of dubious age.  We had that with cheese biscuits.  Tonight I sous vide a small sirloin pork roast at 140 for about 5 hours and we had that with apple butter, red cabbage and potatoes roasted in goose fat in the CSO.  That pork roast has also been languishing in the freezer for some time.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

21 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Last night we had chicken chili made from ground chicken of dubious age.  We had that with cheese biscuits.  Tonight I sous vide a small sirloin pork roast at 140 for about 5 hours and we had that with apple butter, red cabbage and potatoes roasted in goose fat in the CSO.  That pork roast has also been languishing in the freezer for some time.

 

Wish I had that pork roast in my freezer.

 

[liamsaunt]

I am back in for this challenge.  My freezers are out of control!  So, here is last night's freezer meal.  I thawed out some Ribeyes and cooked them using the recipe in the Balthazar cookbook

 

 

My steaks were ready 15 minutes before the recipe said they would be, but I was prepared.  I am still getting used to my new stove.  It's a Wolf six burner dual fuel and I love it, but it's a lot hotter/faster than my old stove.  Sliced steaks

 

 

My sister and I do not eat red meat so I had to make a substantial side.  I chose to make Risotto, using peas and mushrooms from the freezer

 

 

And then for dessert, I raided the freezer again and served Ree Drummond's mini turtle cheesecakes to the teen and the guys (ladies were full)

 

 

And I was Rewarded for my efforts with a Patriots victory.  Who was the idiot that scheduled an all-staff meeting starting at 8AM the morning after the Super Bowl? Oh yeah, that was me 😞

[Anna N]

42 minutes ago, liamsaunt said:

I am back in for this challenge.  My freezers are out of control! 

 I am so happy to see other people joining (and re-joining) the challenge. I’ve had to take a break for a few days but I shall be back at it when I can.

Edited January 21, 2019 by Anna N
Just to acknowledge that people are returning to the challenge as well as beginning it for the first time. (log)

[ElsieD]

For dinner last night I pulled out a portion of the Christmas capon, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.  A second portion of capon was also taken out for lunches.  There is one dinner portion of capon still in the freezer.

[Miriravan]

Pulled a little ribeye out of my freezer for last night's dinner.  This whole project is kind of slow, since there's only me to feed here, but I shall persevere! 

[Anna N]

Just now, Miriravan said:

Pulled a little ribeye out of my freezer for last night's dinner.  This whole project is kind of slow, since there's only me to feed here, but I shall persevere! 

 There is only me too so it’s a slow process no matter what.  But it goes to hell in a handbasket pretty fast.😂