Posted on by Julz

The spring cleanout challenge

From the chuck roast I made barbacoa beef tacos with quick pickle red onion and yellow rice.

Last year at this time, I was panicking when I went to the grocery store that I wouldn’t be able to find any food as everyone else did. Little did we know how much cooking we would be doing and how long this nightmare would last. It’s a blessing we didn’t know.

I always keep a full freezer and pantry over the winter, just in case. Well, last year was the epitome of the just-in-case scenario. This year I feel like it’s safe enough to start using up everything I’ve had in the freezer and pantry.

We had the leftover barbacoa beef a couple of days later, but this time I turned the leftover yellow rice into crispy southwestern rice with cheddar cheese.

I was pretty proud of myself that I didn’t find any mystery meat or containers. I was actually good about labeling things before I froze them. I’ve been known to just quickly wrap something in foil and think I’ll know what it is in 3 months. When I find a foil-wrapped whatever in the freezer, it’s like playing a guessing game as to what it could be and how old it is. I usually end up tossing it away, sadly.

I made pork marsala with the thin boneless pork chops and mushrooms, cauliflower puree & roasted asparagus.

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been putting meals together with proteins that I found in the freezer; I’ve also been going through my dry and canned goods. Once I figure out what items I need to use, I look up some recipes to spark an idea or inspiration.

I found a chuck roast, boneless thin pork chops, a ham hock, Italian sausage, a whole chicken, and pork tenderloin. One by one, I defrosted each protein and put together a dinner. It takes a little time and imagination, but I’ve cooked some delicious food.

Split pea soup with the dried peas and ham hock, I guess I was planning on making it anyway.

I try to rotate my pantry and fresh veggies weekly and monthly; try is the word I used because it’s hard to do when life gets busy. There are always just a few things that I bought that I have no fucking clue why I bought them in the first place. Those are the tricky ones to use up, but it feels like you hit a home run when you can pull a good meal out of your ass with one of them.

In the pantry, I found a bag of split peas, a partial bag of soft corn tortillas, three opened bags of different rice varieties with small amounts in each bag. Really Julz? Why I left small amounts in the bag is just beyond me.

Jersey boardwalk sausage, peppers and onions with golden potatoes.

In the fridge, I found a container of mushrooms that needed to be used stat, some asparagus that was thrilled to be used finally, a couple of peppers that have seen better days, and a big ass butternut squash.

Roasted chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy, peas and cranberry sauce.

I put together some nice meals, cleaned out the freezer, pantry, and refrigerator, which always makes me happy. In the spring and summer, I do less grocery shopping since we are out and about more. We are both at our farmer’s markets and have plenty of chances to get fresh produce. I tend to pick up proteins that I can throw on the grill from our fellow vendors at the farmer markets or things that speak to me at a butcher shop.

Tonight/s dinner was not very colorful, but it was delicious. Pork tenderloin with rice pilaf (using up all that random rice) and butternut squash purée. We always have to have applesauce with our pork like Peter Brady said, “Pork Chops and applesauce.”

I guess I am into my full spring cleaning mode even though it’s cold as hell again. I am already thinking about cleaning my closet and have started washing curtains. I try to get as organized as I possibly can be before our busy summer season begins.