The Great Fall 2012 Pantry Challenge!!!!! Join the FUN

Share your tips and ideas on making the most of meals!
HeatherFeather
Posts: 2558
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:07 am

The Great Fall 2012 Pantry Challenge!!!!! Join the FUN

Post by HeatherFeather » Fri Nov 09, 2012 9:36 am

We haven't had any pantry challenges in a while, so hopefully a bunch of you are just itching to get int your pantries and find out what items you really want to use up AND have the incentive to do so.

The fall holiday season is well under way and we all need to make room in our kitchens for holiday activities. Do you have room in your fridge/freezer for a huge holiday turkey or other large meat? Are there old foods hanging out that are taking up space that really need to move out before holiday leftovers need to find a home in there too?

HOW THE CHALLENGE WORKS:
1) Go through your house anywhere you store food/beverages. Make note of at least 10-15 FOOD or BEVERAGE items that you want to either use, donate, turn into gifts, or just toss sometime this month.
2) Share your list of 10-15 items here as a reply to this thread and post updates letting us know that you used the item. You may also offer suggestions to others about the items on their lists and how they might use them. If you turn something into a recipe, let us know what you did.
3) This challenge starts TODAY and goes until the end of November. You can join in at any time.

The point is to use each thing on your list at least once (you don't have to use it up entirely). The only requirement is that it must be edible - anything goes. Donating to a friend or charity, feeding it to birds or pets, or making something edible into a cleaning item/bath item/ or craft ALL COUNT as using it. Deciding to toss something out that you will never, ever use or hate the taste of ALSO COUNTS as using it.

HeatherFeather
Posts: 2558
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:07 am

Re: The Great Fall 2012 Pantry Challenge!!!!! Join the FUN

Post by HeatherFeather » Fri Nov 09, 2012 9:44 am

Here is my list (still in progress, I'll update again later):
1) Red Velvet Pancake Mix
2) BBQ Sauce - I have a few bottles I bought to test out if we liked them, then didn't use any of them
3) Tuna - have a bunch of cans I'd like to get used up
4) a ham steak that has been in my freezer all summer and I still haven't bothered to use it
5) wild rice
6) jams - I bought a couple of different brands, testing for one we'd all like, now I have too much open jam
7) Buffalo Seasoned Steak tips - never remember to thaw them and make
8) sourdough starter - I have been neglecting it, need to get this thing fed and used again before I lose it
9) Bottled marinade - I had three bottles left, tossed 1, used 1, still have 1 more to use
10) loose tea - I have way too much
11) Grand Marnier
12) flan mix
13) whole wheat flour (I have some that is getting too old and all must be used or tossed)
14) cornmeal - same problem
15) canned beans - way too many of these

(will update after I go through the kitchen again - those were the things off the top of my head)
Last edited by HeatherFeather on Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Dissie
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Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:15 pm

Re: The Great Fall 2012 Pantry Challenge!!!!! Join the FUN

Post by Dissie » Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:03 am

K I will bite. I have so much frozen things I need to use up.

1. Zucchini (frozen)
2. Tomotoes (frozen)
3. 15 bean soup mix (dried beans)
4. 4 cans of refried beans
5.


still thinking on this one....

HeatherFeather
Posts: 2558
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:07 am

Re: The Great Fall 2012 Pantry Challenge!!!!! Join the FUN

Post by HeatherFeather » Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:25 pm

Glad you will be joining in Dissie!

I updated my list and so far have used up 1 bottle of marinade (although I wish now that i hadn't used it - wow was it salty. Tossed the other bottle of marinade I had from the same brand. I have 1 more unopened bottle in my pantry from Target that I do plan to use though. The ones I didn't like were by Lawry's - love their seasoned salt, but their marinade was just like eating liquid salt to me. We actually threw out our dinner - what a waste.

Dissie
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Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:15 pm

Re: The Great Fall 2012 Pantry Challenge!!!!! Join the FUN

Post by Dissie » Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:28 am

Sorry about having to throw out the supper. Wow, I have used lawrys before and it was never like that. :?

I did use up some tomatoes yesterday in my chili. But it didn't even make a dent. :lol:

crazyndncook
Posts: 132
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 12:11 am

Re: The Great Fall 2012 Pantry Challenge!!!!! Join the FUN

Post by crazyndncook » Wed Nov 14, 2012 12:23 am

I just stocked up, now you want me to use it??? LOL

I spent my weekend stocking up my freezer with meals, stuff I can come home, throw something into the oven and go to take a nap/ or just veg in front of the tv.

Saturday, Lasagnas 8 meals, Chili 10 meals
Sunday, 12 loaves white bread, 20 Personal-sized Beef Pot Pies
Monday, 3 meals Swiss Chard & Italian Sausage Lasagna, 10 Buttertarts, 4 loaves Banana Bread, 6 lbs Hamburger (cooked & portioned)

I do have some spices that I need to use or lose. Most are from when I was into making my own curry, too tired now days to pull 9 jars of spices out and remember how much I need of each.

Campbell's Tomato Soup, was bought for Chard Rolls but the chard didn't grow big enough, and the family is kind of tired of eating them so I didn't even bother buying any chard to make them. Plus it costs about $2 for 8 leaves, kinda makes for a pricey cheap meal.

Dissie
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Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:15 pm

Re: The Great Fall 2012 Pantry Challenge!!!!! Join the FUN

Post by Dissie » Thu Nov 15, 2012 2:39 am

Crazy, I have a great recipe for using up tomato soup. It is a cabbage cassserole and my family loves it. Let me know if you want to see it.

I used up tomatoes today without even trying... :lol: Thought I had jarred spaghetti sauce, tried to make a quick casserole and didn't have the sauce, so had to make my own quickly. It was great. I should have wrote down what I added to the tomatoes, and of course measured the amount of tomatoes I added! :lol: I just grabbed some out the freezer, defrosted and mushed up and added spices till it tasted riight. Grrrrrr, I need to keep track of that kind of thing! Hard though, my noodles wer already boiling, so I had to think on the fly! :lol:

HeatherFeather
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Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:07 am

Re: The Great Fall 2012 Pantry Challenge!!!!! Join the FUN

Post by HeatherFeather » Fri Nov 16, 2012 4:14 pm

Used up a jar of opened fig jam last night. Of course that meant buying more, since that is one we do use up a lot. (I serve it with cheese plates, which is a big time low carb snack in my house - just apples, a few cheese types, including creamy goat cheese with a small bit of fig jam, nuts, and some cut up pears or apples). Both my dd and I eat this a lot and it keeps me away from worse things like cookies and chips.

I have quite a bit more opened jam in the fridge to use up still - I want anything that has been opened for a while to get used up before the end of the year. I realized I have 3 opened jars of orange marmalade! ><

crazyndncook
Posts: 132
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 12:11 am

Re: The Great Fall 2012 Pantry Challenge!!!!! Join the FUN

Post by crazyndncook » Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:03 pm

Yes, Please Dissie. I really haven't looked into any recipes yet. I have taken this week off from any major cooking. I have been told by co-workers and people on food.com, that I had better take some "Me" time because of the stress I am feeling.

Dissie
Posts: 9065
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:15 pm

Re: The Great Fall 2012 Pantry Challenge!!!!! Join the FUN

Post by Dissie » Fri Dec 07, 2012 2:05 am

Sorry Crazy, didnt see this till now! :oops:

http://www.recipezazz.com/recipe/cabbage-casserole

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