Moving, need to use up ingredients fast

[HeatherFeather]

I am moving in the end of July and can't take most of this with me, as there won't be room in the car and/or it will spoil. I need ideas on how to use as much up as possible, especially anything perishable.

Staples: canned tomatoes, canned pears, canned chickpeas, a few canned milks (evap & coconut, might be a can of condensed sweetened in there too), salad dressing, rice, couscous, frozen waffles, jelly, various mustards, plus dry baking supplies (flours, spice cake mix, orange cake mix, etc), my pantry condiments (soy sauce, oils, vinegars etc), and spices (just about everything).

Meats & Fish: 1 cans Spam, 1 can of crabmeat, 1 pouch of smoked salmon, approx 6 servings of steak tips, 4 slices bacon.

Veg & Dairy: a couple of onions, milk, sour cream, plain yogurt, half n half, frozen veggies & fruit (corn, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cranberries, mango pulp, cauliflower, frozen whole green beans), plus I will keep buying more eggs & fresh veggies as needed right up until we move

I also have some alcohol I'd rather not lug unless it is too expensive to get rid of and the bottle is pretty full. We don't usually drink alcohol, so just drinking it won't happen - but I have no problem cooking with it. I have nearly full bottles of dark rum, kirschwasser, Irish cream, and sake. I have a nearly empty bottle of each of these: Bourbon, Grand Marnier, sherry, and some Blackberry Wine (3/4 full bottle).

The goal is to use up everything I can that has already been opened that is normally stored in the pantry, and eat up any heavy canned/bottled items so I do't have to lug them. Obviously all of the cold stuff has to get eaten or it will get tossed out/given away.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I am going nuts trying to come up with creative new ways to use up these same items.

[lovinretirement]

I don't understand why you can't take your canned goods with you. But if you can't, why not donate them to a local food bank.

[HeatherFeather]

I don't understand why you can't take your canned goods with you. But if you can't, why not donate them to a local food bank.

I could take some of them with me, but it costs more to pay the movers to ship them than it would be to replace them later, because they are bulky and heavy. I realize I could just give them away, but I was actually hoping for ideas/recipes on how to use up what I have. I will be moving far enough away from my present location to only be able to make one trip, and I have a small car. We won't have room for much, and so I am trying to use up as much as possible.

Giving away items is my last resort. I hate to waste food and I really can't afford to just give it all away without at least trying to use it up first.

[Kchurchill5]

HF, here are a few ideas.

But, I would send any canned goods with the movers. Let them take the heavy stuff. Buy a big disposable cooler and put the rest in that with ice. I have done that and driven all the way to the smoky mountains. It lasts fine.

Canned pears:
Grill them, I know you have a grill. Brush with a little honey; then chill. Serve in the am with fresh yogurt
If you want them for dessert. Soak in dark rum, OJ, for 30 minutes. Grill drizzle with honey and serve with yogurt, or ice cream.

Smoked salmon:
Quiche, I know BF doesn't like eggs, but it would be delicious. A simple smoked salmon spread to serve with crackers is a perfect way to use it. I also love it in just scrambled eggs too.
As a snack, spread a little cream cheese and chives on a piece and roll around asparagus. A nice little lunch.

Crab:
Crab salad sandwiches one night. Grill with a slice of cheese; makes a really nice sandwich. BF, doesn't like crab, but you could always make a couple of crab cakes for you when he is having something else.
Crab quesadillas are also fun and easy to make. NO mayo, just the crab, some onion, cheese, maybe avocado. Crab quiche again.

Chick peas:
I love this salad - chck peas, olives, Italian dressing, onion, and herbs. It stays 3-4 days in the fridge. A great summer salad. You can even add fresh tomatoes and cucumbers to it.

Beef tips:
Cooked in the slow cooker with both, mushrooms; then add peas and serve over rice, noodles or as is. You can also add canned tomatoes. I am making a dish tomorrow night just like that. It freezes great and that would be something for you to take easily in a cooler. Instant meal when you get there with no cooking.
Pot pies. Use your frozen veggies, your canned tomatoes, the beef, and make them in the small disposal aluminum pot pie pans. That is how I make mine. Bake and freeze. Or freeze unbaked. You have a nice pot pie for each person - take it with you and then just heat and serve. Dinner for you and the family in the new place. It would get rid of a few ingredients.

DO NOT make any salad dressings or buy fresh fruit or veggies:
Try to use up what you have; and try to eat salads, or use the dressing with canned tuna, or a marinade for the beef
Use your frozen veggies in a soup; pot pie, or roast them for a side dish. I don't mind some frozen veggies.
Fruit, frozen is OK, but make a compote to have over ice cream for dessert. Or over yogurt for breakfast.

Alcohol:
IN FL NO open bottles in the car, so don't take them. Pack them up and have the movers take them in a sealed box. If I remember, that is allowed. Even though you don't drink, that is still good stuff to cook with, and no reason to NOT take it.

Frozen whole green beans:
Thaw, then saute in a pan with a little butter ... season: and they are not bad at all.

Cranberries:
If fresh freeze, if frozen, thaw and add to salads. Puree and add to smoothies along with the mango. Or make a sauce for ice cream. Or over the pears.
Also great to make sweet quesadillas or a quick bread.

[racrgal]

Most professional movers won't move any food products, IF they know you have them. Keep in mind that you are paying by the pound and while it might sound expensive/wasteful to give away what you don't use, it might be cheaper than trying to move the leftovers. That said, I did pack dry goods and spices, (labeled "misc. kitchen") for my move a year ago. Liquids are a really, really bad idea to try to "sneak" onto a moving truck. Movers don't pay any attention to the "top" of the box. Boxes are stacked in the truck for maximum efficiency not to keep them right side up.

[Kchurchill5]

Is that a standard rac, or state rules. I remember when I moved, they said it was OK. But I had to mark the boxes top do not flip, etc. you know what I mean. I didn't do ope things. just canned goods and boxes. I did do alcohol too, but I marked it misc kitchen. They may have given me wrong info. But, if in a sealed box, they said that was fine.

NO, they would not transport, any cold food, or coolers.
Curious.

[HeatherFeather]

Thanks for the great ideas, kc - I love the pear idea! I will likely use some of your other suggestions as well, esp for the canned fish.

I got some of the tomatoes used up tonight, and the ground beef is gone. I made a nice sauce that I just winged, probably could never make exactly the same way again. Of course my BF loved it, so now I wish I had paid closer attention to everything I was adding.

Not sure about the dry food - I had planned to ship that with the movers. I have not had any problem in the past with movers shipping dry foods as long as they were sealed well in plastic. I'll have to ask about that. I won't have any room at all for a cooler in my car, it is very small and with the dog in there too, plus all of the other stuff we have to hand carry, there just won't be very much room.

Glad you mentioned the no open bottles law in Fl - that I didn't know and could have gotten into trouble if anything had happened. I will have to give away what I can't use up. I have quite a lot of the rum left - ugh. It was a pretty expensive bottle too, shame to not get to keep that. I had planned to use it over the holidays to bake rum cakes. My neighbors will be very happy when I drop off that and whatever else I have left over.

[Kchurchill5]

HF, honestly, I would put the bottles in with kitchen items in a box with the movers. Just wrap in plastic, so it is covered, seal the box and presto. That is what I did. I know that isn't exactly right, but I would do it. Ask the movers. Definitely not worth giving away, if you can do it. I thought with a moving company, they could do that. Ask. Nothing to loose.

I had a DUI, years ago, but guilty. One day, about a year after that, I was heading over to a friends to make my vodka penne pasta. He doesn't drink much, so I took my vodka, bottle was open. I got stopped and he caught me. Luckily, NO ticket, as I explained where I was going. He could also see the shrimp, pasta, tomatoes, etc, along with the vodka. He let me go. SO, I am always careful of that.

You would like the pears, I do that often with peaches too. Easy, and still healthy.

I would concentrate on the condiments, and freezer items. You can also do a small bag of condiments to take. Even 6-8 hours travel would be fine for most; and just a small bag of the good stuff would ok to take. The rest sacrifice.

We shipped all our spices too with the moving company. Make sure to check with them.

I forgot spinach and crab balls. Spinach, crab, bisquick, egg, some veggies and make the balls. Bake. Great appies, lunch, snacks. You can make them patty size too

And you can always add in the crab to a pot of clam chowder or even corn chowder. A great way to use up frozen corn, evaporated milk, crab, some spuds, veggies, etc.
Corn and Crab Chowder!

[Mary]

Morning, Heather. I don't have any recipe thoughts today, but I did want to mention that you should check out tax credits for food donations to an organized group. That might ease the anguish of giving food away. I'm sure it works like any donation -- ask for a receipt when you donate and estimate the value of the goods.

I would also make a list of things that we could do without for a few weeks and absolutely stop buying them until current supplies are gone -- like vegetables and eggs (you have other sources of protein in your list).

With the best of intentions and hard as it may be, I suggest you enlist the help of your daughter and boyfriend. They can help out by eating what you cook. It's their move too after all, and the menu changes are only for a short time. They might even find some new dishes that they like.

[HeatherFeather]

Morning, Heather. I don't have any recipe thoughts today, but I did want to mention that you should check out tax credits for food donations to an organized group. That might ease the anguish of giving food away. I'm sure it works like any donation -- ask for a receipt when you donate and estimate the value of the goods.

I would also make a list of things that we could do without for a few weeks and absolutely stop buying them until current supplies are gone -- like vegetables and eggs (you have other sources of protein in your list).

With the best of intentions and hard as it may be, I suggest you enlist the help of your daughter and boyfriend. They can help out by eating what you cook. It's their move too after all, and the menu changes are only for a short time. They might even find some new dishes that they like.

We are already at the point where I am no longer buying groceries - I am only buying bare essentials if we are already out of a truly basic item (like eggs). DD spends so much time with her friends because it is summer, so she's not eating much at home at all except for breakfast and late night snacks. My BF is eating up most of the food that I shouldn't be eating (he gets to eat most of the dessert items, snacks, and carbs). I think he's getting very sick of the same boring things, but we are trying very hard to eliminate as much of the food as possible.

Found out the current laws in FL will let me transport the open bottles of alcohol as long as they are packed in the trunk. Nothing in the passenger area. That is fine, as I planned to stash it in the trunk in the first place. I still want to reduce as much as possible, and still might give away some to the neighbors to make room.

Still hoping for some more suggestions on recipes to use up some of these ingredients.