[Spirit Deer]

RS, just add jalapeňo flakes or powder to taste to anything it sounds good to add it to. I have red pepper flakes (hot) and chipotle pepper flakes in shakers on the table to sprinkle on salads, in soups including chili, over meats, potatoes, vegetables, rice pasta, etc as needed. I mix ground jalapeňo to cheese powder and use as popcorn seasoning, after spraying popcorn with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter so it will stick. If I'm out of cheese powder, I use a cheese packet from a mac and cheese box. Use jalapeňo the same way you use black pepper, to taste where it sounds good. Start on the low side for the amount, since you can add more if it's not hot enough, but you can't remove the excess if it's too hot. Although adding sour cream will make spicy foods less hot. Also keep in mind heat, as in temp not spiciness, releases more of the heat in hot peppers, so be careful about that.

 

[RedSpruce]

Thank-you @Spirit Deer ! Mine are in dried slices, but I can grind them to a powder in a spice grinder.

 

[Spirit Deer]

Be careful not to inhale the powder. Don't ask how I know. 🙄🙄🙄

 

[RedSpruce]

Thank-you for the heads up!

 

[Contrary Housewife]

@RedSpruce, last year I let my jalapenos get red before harvesting, then dried and ground them. I put it into an old spice jar with a shaker top.

 

[MaggieTru]

RS: totally depends on how hot the peppers are and how much heat you like! start small. i like super spicy things so i throw in a crushed handful, seeds and all. some people think the seeds are the main 'heat source' and leave those out.
i. am doing some soup today with 5 peppers and will probably add more if it is bland. i have dried mushrooms in there too and they seem to take the heat down a bit.

to make the soup i used up garlic powder, dried soup mix from the food coop, and another jar of home brewed chicken stock. if i get around to making spaetzles to go with it, i will use up the last of my flour.

 

[hikr00]

Finished up a lb of ground beef, bag of shredded cheddar, pound of chicken breasts, finished up a box of Bisquick Heart Smart and some potatoes.

 

[RedSpruce]

We ended up heating up some salmon chowder from the freezer.

 

[Spirit Deer]

I made minestrone again and used up 4 small zucchinis, an outdated can of chick peas, and some old tri-color spiral pasta. We had it for supper and will take some for lunch tomorrow. I may freeze some if it looks like we won't need it later in the week.

I also made buns today, an easy way to save some dough.

 

[Zhoen]

I also made buns today, an easy way to save some dough.

SD- the kids these days call that a "dad joke." I am glad you mentioned the minestrone the other day, because I was making spaghetti that night and remembered to set aside the extra sauce... that, plus the leftover veggies from the roast I made today will be minestrone for lunch/after-school snack.

My pantry challenge today is to get all of my recently-acquired "hoard" arranged neatly in the overflow space above my deep freezer (preferable with the leftover older stuff in the front.) It is progress that it is all now in the vicinity of the freezer and out of my car! It only took several weeks of procrastination and me having a string of days off in a row for that to happen!

I also need to process the pork shoulder I bought into breakfast sausage patties (haven't done that before) and bratwurst filling that I will use to make/freeze sausage rolls.

According to the (never, EVER wrong internet,) today is chicken noodle soup day... so I will be making that for dinner using up dregs from last week out of the fridge. Haute cuisine right here, folks! 😜

 

[Spirit Deer]

Yeah, I knew the pun was a groaner. It's true though. You're more ambitious than me, Zhoen.

 

[RedSpruce]

😉 SD. You’re just trying to see if we’re reading your posts! 😂

Today I’m debating what to use from my freezer to make chocolate cupcakes for Hubby’s birthday. I have both frozen black beans and frozen bananas. I think I’ll pull out the frozen bananas and make a chocolate cupcake based on them. Also have to pull out ribs for supper, and set up the rice cooker.

ETA: used three frozen bananas to make double chocolate muffins, with a bit of extra oil. Made my own whole wheat pastry flour. Used almond milk instead of Greek yogurt. The extra oil was to make up for the fat component in the 2% Greek yogurt the recipe called for. I don’t know how these will turn out. I’m thinking I should have added a bit of vinegar to “sour” the almond milk. Oh well, by the time I cover them with chocolate buttercream icing, and Hubby covers them with ice cream, no one will be able to tell if they’re dry or flat or whatever! Ice cream and icing cover a multitude of baking problems! 😂

 

[dlrcpa]

I think I found a method that will help me w/ food shopping. I keep a shopping cart going on Target as I run out of things. Their prices are very competitive for shelf-stable stuff. I was going to Safeway mainly for dairy, produce and meat sales but went through the Target list to see if Safeway had any items close to the Target prices, and if so added to my Safeway list instead. In the end I found several good clearances (ground beef, bagels) as well as clearing some of my "need to buy" list.

 

[RedSpruce]

Sounds good @dlrcpa !

I made and iced the cupcakes. Found some leftover rice in the fridge, so I won’t have to make that. All that’s left is the ribs and the vegetables. Taking a break before starting in on them.

Company was here and we hooked and talked. One lady had personal experience with the gallery I’m thinking of putting my work into. She said “Don’t!” She said she attended some crafting groups there and the woman who owns the place is a terrible gossip. She was bad mouthing the people who volunteered for her! Hmmm…. Now I’m really wondering about the owner of this gallery. She may be too much for me to handle. 😔. I go back and forth.

 

[Contrary Housewife]

In the past week or so used up a can of coconut milk, a packet of flavored rice, bag of frozen vegs, bag of corn tortilla chips, can of beans, jar of chicken bullion paste, some packets of cocoa mix left from christmas, and probably a few other pantry/freezer items I forgot about.

 

[hikr00]

Finished up and open container of beef broth I had in the fridge along with a lb of ground beef, finished up the last of two bags of cheddar Jack cheese (why did I have two open packages vs using one until it was empty before I opened a new one?). Also used some spices but didn’t empty them out.

 

[marthamfi]

Well Red that is the second person who has said something so maybe something to it. on the bad side..half a container of exp sour cream..I know but smelt off. 1.49 pack of wraps moldy and loaf of bread so to the birds. got to stop buying avocados cus ds not eating them so 3 bad same w bananas. so out for compost. of course coffee, milk etc the reg stuff.

freezer used up bag of wedges fries, pack of stirfry pork, , pack of peppered bacon, big bag of peas, green giant steamer peas, rest of big bag of perogies. have marinated chicken breasts defrosting too.

used up rest of sweet peppers, jar of tangine sauce, ice cream treats..shocking I know leeks, can of marrowfat peas, lettuce, reg peppers. lunchmeat etc

 

[MaggieTru]

Working through my lentils. Added cracked wheat (originally bought when I couldn't get chicken feed....it is from the grocery store) but now I have feed and they don't need it. Put in what MIGHT be the last jar of home canned chicken stock, dried mushrooms, and some hot peppers and onion powder. Used up a jar of home harvested thyme, and some of my lovage (celery relative) leaves that I dried from my garden. The whole mess got a bit thick so I renamed it from soup to "casserole". Not bad. Looks horrible because the stock is so dark it all turned uniform brown...so basically looks like a bowl of poo....oops!

 

[hikr00]

@MaggieTru your experience with the color of the the soup turned casserole reminded me of the time I made a pork stew and puréed a cup of baby spinach and added it to the broth. Oh boy, it looked like neon green radioactive waste. Lolol. I wound up adding packets of pork gravy and a browning sauce to get the color back to normal. I could not stop laughing as it was such a visual mess.

I defrosted a top sirloin steak for the Mongolian beef I’ve got in the crock pot for dh supper. It was a large steak (marked 50% off!) so I cut it in half and the second half I’ll cook in the cast iron pan on the stove and I’ve got some garlic butter to top it with. That’ll use up the steak (although between the two meals we will have leftovers for tomorrow) and also finish out a bag of frozen fries and a cup of rice.

 

[Spirit Deer]

Used up the last of the pork roast in salads for supper.

Last night used up strawberries, potatoes, most of the pork roast, and pickled jalapeňos.

Still taking our lunches for when we work on the house. Sometimes it's leftovers, sometimes HM freezer meals. So grateful for our salvaged microwave I fixed with a $2 part. Our workers like having a way to warm up their lunches, too.