Cleaning the freezer- days 4 and 5

Saturday, day 4

We went to a family cookout. I was in charge of the veggie tray. No progress.

Sunday, day 5...aka Sunny Sunday

I took out a container of sauce and boiled a pound of pasta for Monday night's dinner (I will be away on Monday, so dinner is complete for the family.)

I took out a pork loin and marinated it, getting it ready for Tuesday's dinner.

I took out a lemon pound cake and made my blueberry sauce (see the cookmom originals sidebar for recipe) for today. I also took out whipped topping.

I took out some cod and it is thawing so we can grill it later today.

I also defrosted puff pastry. I made a tomato basil tart. Here's what I did...I hope it tastes good.

Tomato Basil Tart

2 sheets puff pastry

1 tomato, sliced

tomato basil feta cheese or Gorgonzola cheese

black olives

capers

fresh basil

cherry peppers

Unfold 1 sheet of the puff pastry and place on a sheet pan. Top with tomato, cheese (I am experimenting so I did half Gorgonzola and half feta to see which one is better), sliced black olives, basil leaves, and cherry peppers. Top with the second sheet of puff pastry and seal edges. Bake at 350 degrees until puffed and golden brown.

Eating from the freezer- days 2 and 3

Yesterday was Thursday and that means "leftover buffet". That has it's place in the regular cleaning out of the frig and because Thursday is a busy day, I counted the leftover buffet as part of my challenge.

Today, I did something I usually don't do on a weekly basis: I actually looked in the cabinets and freezer for items I had to buy. Usually I just go by memory. That is one reason my pantry and freezer fill up.

Also today, I ham having a small birthday party for my youngest. We were in Mexico during the youngest's birthday and we were with my husband's side of the family. We had a cake and bonfire on the beach for the two of them. (No, I was never in Mexico for any of my birthdays with a bonfire on the beach.) Tonight, my side is coming over for a small celebration.

Most of the menu was ordered through Wegman's: wraps, pizza, and cake. I put together a cheese and cracker plate (from refrigerator and pantry), a salad, and lasagna appetizers.

I bought won ton wrappers a while ago for something; I forget what. I saw a recipe in a magazine for the appetizers and have had the ingredients on hand for a while. In muffin cups, simply layer won ton wrapper, ricotta (in the frig, but not anymore), tomato sauce (I had a jar in the pantry), and mozzarella. Repeat the layer and bake. They are in the oven right now.

So far, so good.

Eating from the freezer- Day 1

I am a food hoarder. I admit it. My pantry and freezer are usually overflowing. I do have 2 refrigerator/freezers and one standing freezer. My rationale: the appliances are more energy efficient if they are full. I realize that this is not entirely normal. At the same time, I do cook a lot at one time and like to be ready for an impromptu party. Of course, there comes a time when I have to clean up my mess.

Here's the challenge: eat from the freezer and pantry. I will have to grocery shop for perishables: lettuce, milk, etc. I will allow myself to purchase some items that I am out of and usually use: balsamic vinegar, maple syrup. Otherwise, make as much as I can from what I already have.

Today, we had a marinate flank steak. I used a store bought lemon pepper marinade that was in the pantry. That went on the grill.

Potatoes also went on the grill.

The best part of the meal was grilled vegetables. Here's how I did them.

Parmesan grilled vegetables

Broccoli, cut into florets
Red pepper and green pepper, cut into quarters, no seeds
Frozen corn (i used what ever was left in the bag)
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Parmesan cheese

Place the broccoli and peppers onto a grill pan (one without holes). Coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on grill. After about 10 minutes, stir corn onto grill pan. Grill for 5 minutes and top with Parmesan cheese. Grill until cheese is melted.

Not only did it taste good, it looked great!

Lard Bread

Have you ever had lard bread? If so, and you have a recipe you are willing to share, comment! Please.

Every Sunday during the summer is regarded as "Sunny Sunday". About 20 of us hang at my Aunt's pool and food is abundant. One of our favorite items is lard bread, which we purchased from a local grocery store. Well, the baker who made the lard bread does not work at the store anymore and he took the recipe with him. Not to be without lard bread, I offered to make some. I have the skills...

Prototype number one was yesterday...it was good. I'm still working on it.

Big Plans

Yes, I had big plans for keeping up this blog. Summer was here, I had limited work to complete and what seemed like an infinite amount of time. Yea, right. Enjoying time to hang out with the kids and their activities (ones they don't usually get to do during the summer) took over.

Today I tried a recipe I have been wanting to develop more: Black beans and rice. I have a great recipe for red beans and rice, that I enjoy a lot, but I also like black beans, a lot. This is totally easy and good.

Black beans and rice

1 jar black bean dip (I used Wegman's brand)

2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

rice, cooked according to package directions (using a little chicken stock to replace some water)

Combine black bean dip and black beans. Heat. Serve with rice.

I told you it was totally easy!

Breakfast, Dinner, and more Dessert!

The morning after the blueberry and strawberry toppings for dessert, I made waffles. I'm on vacation so a box mix was the base and, as always, I used buttermilk. The house we are renting has a nice waffle iron available. The toppings were used for the waffles...very good!

Last night, I bought chicken thighs and drumsticks and marinated them in Wegman's Jerk seasoning (that I packed from home). Then put them on the grill. That was for the non-seafood eaters. I also grilled zucchini and yellow squash.

Leftover waffles became ice cream sandwiches with red, white, and blue sprinkles (brought from home). With 11 kids in the house, there is no waste.

Vacation

I cannot complain...I have been away on vacation for 2 weeks. One week at a wedding in Mexico...more to follow about the unaccommodating accommodations at Dreams Puerto Vallarta. Stay tuned...

Now we are on our usual vacation in Outer Banks, NC with friends. Dessert tonight I made strawberry and blueberry topping for angel food cake and vanilla ice cream. The strawberries was the standard cut strawberries with confectioner's sugar. But...the blueberries were special.

Blueberry Topping

Blueberries

A splash or 2 (perhaps 3, depending on how many blueberries you have) orange Grey Goose

Little confectioner's sugar

Put all ingredients into a saucepan. Cook until the blueberries soften and some break apart. Stir often. Refrigerate. Yum. And simple.