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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

No time to cook.

                                      (Saturday, Feb.4, 2012, Grants Pass, Or. Oregon Old Time Fiddlers)


Plan on having non-cooking days, Yes, not just days when you have no time or energy to cook, but days when cooking is the last thing on your mind.  Sure, you can go and pick up food, or heat up leftovers.  If you make your pantry work for you, you never have to go hungry,

This is what I stock in my refrigerator:
~eggs
~hard cheeses
~soft cheeses
~ricotta
~cottage cheese
~sour cream
~milk
~whipping cream
~fruit, citrus fruit
~yogurt
~carrots,celery,jicama
~ green onions, red onions, ginger, garlic
~salad greens and cabbage, kale, broccoli, spinach
~philo dough
~refrigerated biscuits\
~a jar of sundried tomatoes
~a jar of pickles
~a jar of pickled vegetables. My favorite, pickled eggplant. The recipe is on the sidebar*


In my freezer:

~individual fish fillets
~individual chops, cutlets of lamb, pork, chicken, beef, turkey
~fruit and berries
~sausages
~ground patties of above meats
~vegetables

In my pantry:

Cereals, and oatmeal in both forms.
Spices and dried herbs.
Oils and variety of vinegar.
Flour, plain and whole wheat, garbanzo flour, almond flour.
Sugar, honey, maple syrup
Ketchup, mayo, mustard.
Soy sauce, other Asian -inspired sauces.
Cans of tomatoes, and tomato paste.
Cans of beans, many varieties
Cous-cous.
Tabbouleh.
Pasta.
Rice, arborio, jasmine, basmati.
Bouillon cubes
Tins of sardines, kipper snacks, salmon, anchovies.




In a couple of minutes, I can whip up an omelette, a salad, a cheese plate, a yogurt and fruit bowl, a dip for crudites,  a tart, without turning on the stove, just opening my refrigerator for a minute.

To be good at anything, you need to plan ahead. To survive, you have to be inventive.

If you get inspired to cook something new, first check your stock to see if you already have some of the ingredients.

You'll be surprised!



4 comments:

  1. Thanks for this. Sometimes I feel like a new bride learning to cook again. I need to get my pantry stocked properly.

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  2. this is smart, thank you! I stock a lot of that already, but there are some things I could definitely add, and no cook days are a good thing in my world:-)

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  3. I have only just discovered you write more than one blog! We keep very similar supplies to you, my husband is the chef in our house and I always enjoy what he produces for us.

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  4. Yesterday I went shopping at a foodie place, you know the place, lots of fresh vegetables, meat displays, jars from all over the world.

    Go on, indulge your senses.

    Tonight, Israeli cous-cous with local cranberries and lamb kabobs with spring onions and cherry tomatoes.

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