Use it up! Challenge

[Contrary Housewife]

I'm challenging all of you to go to your fridge, freezer or pantry and identify 10 items that need to get used up before they go bad or stale.

You know, that half portion of vegetables you stuck in the freezer last summer saying you'd use it for soup? That open box of crackers in the back of the pantry? The sour cream that expires tomorrow? Maybe you have some specialty item you bought like black bean sauce or wild rice that you tried but haven't finished using.

In the next 30 days let's try to work these items into menu plans and eat them up before we have to throw them out.

Here's my list:

eggs (sell by Jan 10)
whole grain mustard (can't remember why I bought this)
cranberries (how did I end up with 3 bags in the freezer?)
masoor dal (like lentils)
vanilla pudding (1/2 envelope)
wild rice
udon noodles (1 serving)
dried black eyed peas (I see soup in my future)
artichoke dip (use by Jan 19)
egg nog (sell by Jan 11)

[Ssindi]

I'm in ! I know that I have some stale bread and crackers that I want to make into crumbs. Posting here will make me get with it faster

I also know that there is a jar of Nuttella in there that I need to figure out how to use it creatively. I wasn't really impressed with it plain.

BBL

[Contrary Housewife]

I have a jar of Nutella that I bought to make christmas cookies out of. I make these with plain sugar instead of sprinkles, and no candy. Chocolate-Hazelnut Smooches Recipe : Giada De Laurentiis : Food Network It is a nice cookie to have with tea or coffee.

[OOwl]

Well, I used two boxes of au gratin potatoes from my pantry that were just about to expire with the leftover ham from new year's for a casserole for the family (can't partake myself because of the MSG in boxed potato seasoning).

I did throw out the eggnog, thinking I wouldn't use it, but in retrospect, I should of made french toast. Bad for me. :-( I'll do better next time. . . . That's why I'm here.

So, three items down, seven to go.

[Spirit Deer]

Hahahaha! I've probably already used up ten food items this year. I've been making it my mission to use up things. It's been saving us money, too. I just now made up a batch of OAMC chowder that called for a veggie I purposely didn't buy, because I had something else in the freezer that needed to be used.

I also made apple crisp with some apples that were getting soft, instead of buying the pie my husband wanted.

I needed crab for some other OAMC meals, but the tuna that had been in the pantry too long did just as well and didn't cost me an additional $3.50/pound.

I'm not joining the challenge because I'm in too many already and I know I wouldn't keep track, but I just wanted to cheer everyone else on.

Good challenge!

[oheoh's momma]

hubby likes egg nog made into waffles i need to look and see uhm.

[Contrary Housewife]

Oooh....I bet I can use my egg nog to make up that vanilla pudding....

[Contrary Housewife]

Eggs, vanilla pudding, udon noodles, and egg nog are gone.

I think I'll look up some hearty winter soup recipes for the dal, wild rice and beans.

How are the rest of you doing?

[Ssindi]

I used some sweet potatoes to make soup that came out to thin to suit me. Guess I'll have to use the rest of them to thicken it up some.

[Spirit Deer]

Wild rice is a specialty item?

I used up a bottle of molasses by making homemade pancake syrup. Two more bottles to go!

I used up an outdated bottle of barbecue sauce making ribs yesterday.

Some wild rice tips:
~You can cook it up and freeze it in pint jars for use when you don't have time to cook it.
~It's really good cold in a salad, like a three-bean salad or where white rice is called for.
~Brown rice and wild rice have similar cooking times so can be used together to make a wild rice mix to have ready on the shelf.
~It's also good cooked with barley.
~If it's puffed, it's overcooked.
~It can be cooked easily in a rice steamer or a microwave.
~It pretty much keeps forever.

[zakity]

I'm in...

1. one serving of leftover soup
2. salsa
3. opened pack of tortillas (think there are two left)
4 and 5. two partial containers of sour cream
6. partial package of lunchmeat
7 and 8. two partial packages of bagels
9. partial bag of tortilla chips
10. partial bag of cereal

I can see nachos/salsa and dip/quesadillas in our future. The soup became my "brunch". Now, to devise a plan for the bagels and the cereal.

[Contrary Housewife]

Wild rice is a specialty item?

Around here it is considered an exotic ingredient. We like it in soup and sometimes pilaf.

~It pretty much keeps forever.

Yeah, it does. I have a bag I bought last year but it was low quality, all broken grains, so I haven't been using it much. I want it gone so I can buy a fresh bag of rice.

I'm working on the artichoke dip today for lunch. It's too rich to eat much of it at once.

[Spirit Deer]

I wouldn't say broken rice is low quality. It's a good way to get wild rice at a discount. It's the same as the whole grains, just in smaller pieces at a lower price. I sometimes buy it myself.

Wild rice actually does grow wild around here. I have friends who hand harvest and parch it the old way. They've given me some of it and I'm always so touched because of all the work involved. A gift of hand-parched wild rice, given by the person who processed it, makes me feel very special.

I have river rice I've had for at least fifteen years. I don't use it very often because it's very hard to get, it was given to me by someone special, and it cooks up more tender than regular wild rice.

I used up an outdated bag of coleslaw mix and some leftover ribs for supper tonight. Also some leftover onion and the last bit of white rice I've needed to get rid of for months.

[NicJean]

Last evening used a bottle of sun dried alfredo sauce(expiry 9/11=oops), half box bowties (got last year for .88) and a bag of frozen veggies. Using up the last of the grapes I got on sale for lunch, and beef stew given to me by MIL.

[Ssindi]

I used up two jars of mincemeat that have been around forever and made a pie for dessert.DH says that he will keep me a little longer.
Also used up a roll of pancetta and made fettucine cabonara for dinner.Now to finish up the box of fettucine.