Day 5: Use-It-Up Leftover Style

Let me just say that I am so incredibly thankful for the wonderful weekend we had together as a family.  We were all home together for more than 48 hours, which in this household is about one weekend in what seems like a million. 

To top it all off, we were blessed to have my uncle's family home visiting from Guam. It was great to have everyone together around good food. On my dad's side of the family, any big get together centers around plate after plate of smoked Alaskan salmon. The men will sit around for hours eating the savory pink fish on Zesta crackers with butter, almost as in in competition to see who can eat the most. Over the years more sides and alternative main dishes have been added to the menu as soon granddaughters outnumbered the original four boys. Yesterday we had a feast of roast beef, the most amazing ham (my husband was still talking about it when we got home), mashed potatoes, Great Grandma Pearl's famous rolls, and a bounty of wonderful sides. 

I regret not taking a picture of the buffet, but here is the Layered Mediterranean Dip I talked about in Days 3 and 4.  It was a big hit, but even better was the cookie dough dip (Day 4).  I served the cookie dough dip with sliced apples and graham crackers and the kids devoured it.  Both will be added to my repertoire to bring to get togethers.

We finished our quiet weekend with a quiet Super Bowl Sunday at home, watching commercials and the game in between ironing, laundry, and general getting ready for Monday.  Sundays at our house are usually Use-It-Up leftover style where we finish off anything we haven't completely eaten from the week.  Last night we were happy that included lasagna and roast beef.  Now I know there are some out there who despise leftovers, but I will never understand that philosophy.  There are so many ways that they can be reinvented for round two that are often even better than their original form.

Quiet honestly I think even if the Queen Mum were staying with us for a week, eventually I would serve her leftovers. "Madame, can I offer you fish tacos from the fish and chips we had earlier in the week?"  That's how strongly I feel about the greatness of round two or three.

It is very easy to get into a rut.  I am looking for innovative ways to reinvent the rest of the roast beef in the refrigerator, besides sandwiches.  If you have any amazing idea of something you have tried, please send me a message!

Day 4: 13 Inches of Powdered Sugar

Would anyone like to borrow a cup of sugar?  Any kind, I have white, brown (light and dark) and four pounds of confectioners sugar, minus 1/2 cup.  You see today I discovered that I'm not the only one in the house that is adding to our grocery shopping challenge. 

But first I must admit that I cheated again.  Now I'm not much of a gambler, not out of moral judgement but lack of luck. Case in point I would have put a new crisp $100 bill on having powdered sugar.  I swear I saw it the other day in the roundabout, but today I got all the way through the first steps of Cookie Dough Dip, melting the butter, whisking in the brown sugar and the vanilla, locating the new jumbo sized bag of chocolate chips hidden in the back of the cupboard, only to realize that I did not have powdered sugar, a very critical element that I assume takes this super simple delicious looking recipe from butter goo and cream cheese to a replica of everyone's favorite indulgence.

For a moment, just a one brief second I thought about making my own powdered sugar, and literally laughed out loud and then cringed at the not so distant memory of my mom's very sweet attempt in an effort to skip going to the grocery store one more time.  My sister Lillie was home from college and we all agreed that puppy chow was exactly what we were craving.  Mom had everything, except powdered sugar (thinking back I think she would have taken a bet on that too!)  She said, no problem I'll just make it.  Huh?  Lillie and I didn't believe her, but she swore that Grandma had made it a time or two when she was growing up, and that all you had to do was put refined white sugar in the blender.  Let me just tell you that Christmas Elves could have kept a buzz on that puppy chow for weeks.  It was a huge sticky mess, and something we frequently laugh about. 

Thankfully for me, Kevin wanted to brave the snow for light bulbs and offered to pick some up.  After a ten minute conversation about the type of sugar, packaging to expect, and no please, please do not bring home brown sugar, he arrived 20 minutes later with the goods.  But not just the small bag I was hopping for, two 2 lb bags of powdered sugar.  When asked why, he said they were on sale 2 for $5.  I agreed that it was a good deal, but reinforced the point of Use-It-Up February.  His comment, "But if it's on sale, you buy it.  I'm sure you'll figure out something to do with it."  Puppy chow anyone...

That aside, it was an incredibly successful Use-It-Up day.  We enjoyed a rare opportunity to enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner as a family at home, and I had the added bonus of extra time to cook a few things.  I was lazy for lunch and we used-up a couple of cans of Campbell's and part of a left over bag of frozen cheese sticks from Christmas Eve.  I used the extra afternoon time to put together the two dips I talked about yesterday (reviews to come tomorrow), and put a roast in the crock pot for supper.

So what did I use up today...
Beef roast
Frozen carrots
Leftover mashed potatoes from Day 2
Grans biscuits
The last of the EVOO
Remainder of the shredded parmesan cheese
Block of cream cheese

If you have any ideas for my vast assortment of sugars, please let me know!  Or if you are in the neighborhood, feel free to stop by and borrow a cup.

Day 3: My First Shopping Trip

The storm is on its way.  I've heard predictions between 2-13 inches.  My Grandma called last night to remind me that I should go to the grocery store and make sure I have staples on hand, just in case.  Oh Gram, you don't know what a temptation that is right before Super Bowl Sunday! Not only were the aisles at Hy-Vee packed with every kind of calorie-guilt laden snack food on the planet but less than eight hours before the storm is supposed to hit, they were packed with people too.  One little shopper said it best, when she told her mom, "This place is Bu-zz-y!"

Earlier in the day I found two really fantastic looking recipes on the Tasty Kitchen blog; Cookie Dough Dip, and Mediterranean Dip. I had been looking for something to take to a family get-together on Sunday, and I can't wait to try these out.  The only problem...I had to break the rules. (But does it count if you are breaking the rules to take something to a family event?  I mean really, I wasn't breaking the rules just for me...)  This little pile of "necessities" cost me as much as Jett's first semester at college.  Who knew you needed a loan to purchase pine nuts!

Except for these five items I was able to stick to the plan, and my bill was a whopping total $64.61, at least half of my normal grocery bill. 

After my first post, I have heard a number of friends ask, "So what should an average family spend on groceries every month?" Now I'm sure that this is open to vast interpretation, but a little research revealed the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion chart that shows Monthly Food Costs at four different levels. The data was jaw dropping, for a family of two in our demographic plus a one-year old child, the moderate-cost plan for one month is $707.60.  The low-cost plan, $580/month!  Holy Guacamole! 

If you are looking for some data more frightening than this, click on the Costs of Raising a Child Calculator...no wait, don't - it will only give you heartburn.

 

Day 2: Too Stuffed to be Sunny!

Yesterday was Groundhog's Day, and for me one of the most awaited days of the year.  I really do like this furry February tradition that for one day, proclaims the weather forecasters wrong (one day...ha!) and relies on a fuzzy, friendly rodent to tell us what to expect the next 6 weeks.  My reasons for loving this holiday stems back to my Mom and Grandma's gift at making long winter days special in their own way, and growing up Groundhog's Day was another great excuse to break up the gray of winter.  My clearest memories come from a day when I was probably four or five years old, and I awoke to the smell of an amazing pancake and bacon breakfast at my Grandma's.  She had the local news on and held me up to the counter to watch the kitchen TV as the little dude proclaimed his prediction.  We spent the rest of the morning making special Groundhog's Day napkins and making pictures and cards for my mom, aunts and uncle to enjoy when they came home for the day.

In the morning as I cuddled my little buddy, and listened to him say "Ooh!" when good ole Phil appeared, I couldn't help get excited for the chance to celebrate many Groundhog's Days with him.

So, what does one serve for Groundhog's Day?  6 more weeks of winter = comfort food.  Chicken cordon blue*, mashed potatoes, and green beans.  What I love about the "use-it-up" concept is that inspires great adaptations based on what's available.  For my mashed potatoes this meant traditional russet potatoes and one of my favorite foods, sweet potatoes, together.  We were recently at a local restaurant that had this as a side, and I was intrigued.  I didn't have a chance to try it that night but have been thinking about it ever since.  Let me tell you, it was amazing! The creamy, savory, wholesomeness of the russets married with the sweet, natural buttery flavor of the sweet potatoes. I cooked the russets and sweet potatoes separately by traditional boiling the spuds.  I added 1 Tab of margarine, 1/4 cup sour cream, and 1/4 milk to the russets and just 1 Tab margarine to the sweet potatoes, salt and pepper to taste. By cooking separately Kevin (who is not a sweet potato fan) could still enjoy, and Jett and I could relish in the combo, which was delicious, nutritious and beautiful!

*The chicken cordon blue is one of an amazing selection of stuffed meats available from our local Hy-Vee butcher.  These go on sale frequently and when they do, I stock the freezer.  Thaw, brown on both sides, and finish in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.

I tried to come up with a creative title for the menu and decided on "Too Stuffed to be Sunny" (stuffed - chicken - stuffed with ham, ha!)

What I used-up:
1 pkg stuffed chicken cordon blue (two chicken breasts)
4 russet potatoes
3 sweet potatoes
1/4 carton of sour cream
2 Tabs margarine (butter would work great, but I was out)
1/4 cup milk
Green bean leftovers from Day 1

If you had a Groundhog's Day celebration I would love to hear about it!  Our 6 more weeks of winter is on its way.

Day 1: Loads of Lasagna

You saw my messy fridge, now here is a peak at the cupboards.

Now take a close look at the bottom right shelf in the roundabout, three jars of canned tomato sauce...but that's not all, a quick spin to reveal a fourth hiding in the back.  Top right of the cupboard, three boxes of unopened lasagna noodles...good intentions, bad execution. And the root problem to my grocery shopping conundrum.

I told my hubby about this little project last night and he said, "Good luck, but if you can do it, that will probably save a lot of money this month." Then I told him that he was in luck, lasagna was on the menu for Day 1. And then I asked a question that I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to.  "Kev, do you remember the last time I made lasagna?  I can't remember making it in this house."  His response affirmed my memory.  I haven't made lasagna in over three years! What's sad is that I love lasagna, Kevin loves lasagna, but I somehow have it in my mind that it's difficult to make and/or that my kitchen will look like a massacre by the time I'm finished. And it pretty much did.

But the results were not one, but three mini pans and one large pan of lasagna.  Not to mention an incredibly delicious supper!

Now this would be the part where in the future I will be posting the recipe to what I've made, but tonight I have a confession...I'm sure I did not make it "right".  Instead of going by the Betty Crocker recipe, counting noodles, and measuring out the correct sauce to meat to ricotta mixture ratio, I just guessed.  And then layered, and guessed again.  Added a little extra mozzarella cheese on top and hoped for the best.

Here is what I used up:

2 lbs of hamburger

1 box of lasagna noodles

3 jars of pasta sauce

2 pkg of mozzerella cheese

1 pkg of parmesan cheese

1 countainer of ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 pkg frozen green beans (not shown)

1 pkg Great Grandma Pearl's homemade dinner rolls (not shown)

I'll call that a successful Day 1.

"Use-It-Up" February

The idea for "Use-It-Up" February stems from a new year's resolution that I made to budget and track our family's spending habits.  What I discovered (among other things) was that our grocery bills, attributed to my own bad habits (and to be fair - LOVE for grocery shopping itself) were a mounting culprit to our challenge of staying within our monthly budget.  Let me put it this way, I put myself on a shopping freeze for January (which I accomplished during one of the best months to shop discounted sweaters, boots, jeans, etc.) but I was not able to stay within our monthly grocery shopping budget. 

After reflecting on the "why" of this predicament I took a look inside our fridge, freezer, and cupboards to discover a couple of things.  1) I have a tendency to buy the same things that I have not used at home, because I really do not know what is left; 2) my organization of baking supplies, spices, dry and canned goods is truly awful, and I never know what I already have - so I just buy it again; 3) I love to cook and try new recipes, but I never go to the grocery store with a correct list of ingredients so I guess to realize that I didn't need evaporated milk - I needed sweetened condensed milk; and 4) I love food, I love grocery stores, and I just can't help myself when I see something new that I'd like to try. 

So, I'm doing something radical.  I've declared the month "Use-It-Up" February. Which means that except for dairy products, eggs, and fresh produce I will not be giving in to the pull of the aisles.  I will simply be using it up at home. 

I'll be chronicling my journey here, in hopes for support and inspiration, and perhaps some creative suggestions on how to use up what's bound to be some unusual findings.