Hello Monday!
Is everyone feeling like stuffed little piggies after the long weekend? I know I am. š
The Girl was here earlier in the week and we ate yummy things like cheese and crackers and homemade cookies and mini quiches.
Then after she went home, I had soup for a few days {the HH’s chicken noodle, tomato and split pea… all from the freezer section at Casa De Butterfield}. The HH basically wandered into the kitchen every two hours looking for snacks and eating random things.
But he did make pasta one night.
And roasted vegetables the next day for lunch.
I tossed the leftovers in a pot of soup the next day and it was fantastic!
Christmas dinner was a snap because all I had to do was warm the ham in the oven and boil some peas.
The cranberry bacon stuffing and sweet potatoes were made for our Thanksgiving meal but because it was just the two of us, I just divided up the stuffing and sweet potatoes into smaller portions and popped them into the freezer for our Christmas dinner.
I feel like I’m starting to get the whole cooking for two thing down. Basically I make a recipe, and serve half and tuck the other half away into the freezer for a future meal. I don’t know why it took me that long to figure that out. Ha!
The Christmas dinner leftovers. We froze half of the ham {and the ham bone} for a future pot of split and ham soup and with the other half…
The HH made a delicious dinner last night of Christmas lima beans and ham {anyone want the recipe?}. Oh my it was good! Lucky for us there was enough leftover that we’ll get another meal out of it today for linner.
It’s been a good year in the food department here at our place.
While we overspent enormously, we also ate well and ended the year with a larder that is STILL bursting at the seams and I seriously think if we absolutely had to, we could get by without buying any groceries for a long, long time.
But next week is a new year… and that means after a 3 month hiatus from grocery shopping, I WILL be going to the store to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables on January 1st {oh how I miss apples and bananas and pears!} and of course some of my favorite Oakhurst 1 1/2% milk and some of their whipping cream too.
And maybe a bottle of Natalie’s orange juice. And some dried apricots. And a loaf of Dave’s killer bread.
Gaaaa! I better make a list so I don’t miss anything. š
Here’s to another wonderful and slow week.
~Mavis
P.S. Does anyone still have any leftovers from the big holiday feast? Do you have any plans for YOUR leftovers? Do tell.
*****
Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries and Bakery Treats We Brought Home $0
- Total Spent in December on Groceries and Bakery Treats $0
- Total Spent in November on Groceries and Bakery Treats $18.60 {My husband bought rice!}
- Total Spent in October on Groceries and Bakery Treats $0
- Total Spent in September on Groceries and Bakery Treats $1663.58
- Total Spent in August on Groceries and Bakery Treats $675.99
- Total Spent in July on Groceries and Bakery Treats $1037.79
- Total Spent in June on Groceries and Bakery Treats $297.1
- Total Spent in May on Groceries and Bakery Treats $323.38
- Total Spent in April on Groceries and Bakery Treats $352.64
- Total Spent in March on Groceries and Bakery Treats $712.01
- Total Spent in February on Groceries and Bakery Treats $230.98
- Total Spent in January on Groceries and Bakery Treats $128.60
- Total Spent on Groceries and Bakery Treats We Brought Home in 2021 $5500.29
Jane says
Mavis, what do you use to freeze in? Weāre just 2 here and after being a school cook I cook large portions. I do portion and freeze, but when thawed the food just doesnāt taste the same. Any tips?
Jane
Mel says
I’m not sure what Mavis’s experience is with this, but I’ve found that flavor is more a result of what you freeze than what you freeze it in. In particular, I’ve found two issues:
1) Some flavors are dulled by freezing. In particular, I’ve found the little bit of cayenne I add to one soup recipe disappears when frozen. So, I add a bit extra to the portions I freeze (or add it back when it thaws).
2) Some foods in more complex dishes (like pasta or rice in casseroles) will absorb flavors so the dish tastes less balanced after thawing. For example, pasta will absorb water and flavor from sauces, and that tends to make the whole thing taste more bland. To avoid this, I freeze just the sauce for pasta dishes and make fresh pasta to serve. I freeze lasagna layers separately (red sauce, ricotta mix, sliced cheese) and then layer with freshly boiled pasta after thawing to bake. I also freeze the components of meatloaf separately so the breadcrumbs can’t absorb liquid while thawing.
Laura L. says
Great info, Mel, as always!
Mel says
Thanks, Laura!
Jane says
Well that makes sense, I think Iāll start my experiments today, mad kitchen scientist anyone?!
Mel says
I hope it helps! Another benefit of the second option above (where you freeze parts of a dish separately) is that it tends to take up less space and thaws faster.
Kari says
My fridge is bursting at the seams. If it wasnāt for company coming next weekend, I would completely avoid the stores for another week. We will eat leftover ham, turkey, rolls, and carne asada all week, then a few new appetizers on NYE. My MIL sent me home with the ham bone (whoop whoop!) so that will get tossed into the freezer for ham and lentil soup in the near future. All is well in the food world over here. And,yes,Iām feeling like a fat little piggie today.
Also, we got a few inches of snow last night, so todayās agenda is to sit here under my new blanket, stare at the Christmas tree lights, and drink my coffee and tea out of my new coffee cup. Life is grand!
Susan H. says
Growing up in the country, we would wrap bushels of our pears and apples in newspaper and store them in a cool place (the cellar in our case) and have fresh fruit longer in the winter.
Nancy Settel says
I remember doing the newspaper wrapping with green tomatoes at the end of the season and storing in the basement and they would slowly ripen. Had not thought of that in years.
A NJ Mom says
How do you keep the mice out? I keep grains and nuts in metal trash cans, but I don’t think that would work for fruit.
Beth says
We have so many leftovers- ham and prime rib and side dishes also! Last night my husband made boboli pizza for us (using absolutely none of our leftovers) so tonight we are doing leftovers for sure. I also plan to make 2 ham quiches with one of them going into the freezer for a future meal. We also have lots of cut up fruit (watermelon, pineapple, and cantaloupe, and blueberries) so Iāve already warned my family we will be having āmandatory smoothiesā which I used to do all the time with leftover fruit.
I have many packages of Rancho Gordo beans and so many other non perishables in my pantry so Iām pretty sure I could get through many months with very little grocery shopping (except dairy and fruits and veggies) but my family would revolt at bean dishes daily.
Ashley Bananas says
I bought the smallest spiraled ham possible. It came out great. Any tips for freezing left over portions? Itās just my son and I. I think I want to work on less food waste this year. Weāre not bad about it. But could be better.
Gigi says
I cut up any frozen items to the size for future use. Otherwise, it takes to long to thaw to then be able to process. For example, Iāll dice old bread and then freeze for future croutons. Or shred/cube meat for dishes.
Elle says
LOL. The smallest spiral ham I could find was 11.5 pounds. How many people here for Chirstmas dinner? 2 I added mashed potatoes (1 leftover for hub) and fresh sauted garlic/green beans.
The ham will go into the freezer. Some in a simple Ziploc bag for use in the next month. At least 4 packages will be vacuum sealed so it stays good through May.
Ham and cheese omelettes
Ham and cheese quiche will get made later this morning.
Split Pea soup (saved the bone).
And hubster likes a simple slice of ham for brecky with his eggs.
I did go to the store last week for fresh veggies after a month without. I also bought a bag of mandarins. I’m not as strong as you are on months without! We are set for another 2 weeks. (I bought enough for 3 weeks!)
Happy New Year Mavis
Fifitr says
We have a virtually-omniverous dog which is lucky as we also have the world’s tiniest built-in freezer which is always nearly or completely full, so boxing up extra servings is not on the cards for me. Having had an order of fresh fish from a nearby port for Christmas eating it’s currently heaving (because they don’t sell in less than 2lb packs, and it seems a pity to pay a delivery fee for just one or two items when you could have kilos of fish for the same charge!). To cope with this I made a point of cooking individual sized servings of protein this Christmas rather than large joints, and vegetable leftovers swiftly get converted into hash or soup for lunch. I always have at least two pans of soup on the stove, year round, so that takes care of a lot of the excess for me – my husband likes soup so much he has it when we go out to eat as well as daily at home.
I once worked as a food stylist for a Christmas photoshoot (in the middle of summer, of course) and wound up with three huge turkeys and every kind of trimming you could imagine coming home with me having set up several different Christmas dinner tables, and my favourite leftover turkey prep for the breast is Thai curry. For the legs it’s pulled turkey tacos and sprout, turkey and root veg soup. And for the cranberry and orange sauce it’s as a cheesecake topping.
Happy New Year and enjoy those leftovers.
Vicki says
Oooooh, Christmas lima beans! I grew them one year when I lived in Indiana – planted them the very beginning of summer and was picking them “green” in August and September. They were gorgeous right out of the pod and turned a shade of gray when I cooked them, but they were absolutely delicious, and they remain my favorite thing that I’ve ever grown!
Rebecca in MD says
I will be freezing lots of leftover ham, and using the ham bone this week to make a big crock pot full of bean soup.
Even though there are just two of us I find that I have enough recipes in my repertoire to easily use up any leftovers.
Jennifer says
Last night I made ham sliders with Hawaiian sweet rolls and much of our leftover ham. I’ve never made it before but everyone loved it. I might make potato ham au graten or maybe we will do ham and cheese quesadillas. Maybe hashbrown casserole, my son has been asking for that. I portioned everything into meals on Christmas and I just have a big tub of ham that I will throw in the freezer in a couple of days if not eaten.
Vivian says
Ham and cheese quesadillas! I never though of that. Great idea! Thanks!
Debi says
We had company here for Christmas so most of our leftovers are gone. Soup is a “go to” for our leftovers. We love soup and it seems like no pot is ever the same!
Sue says
I freeze a lot in small portions, I make a lot of soups and freeze in
Small containers.
Right now I have spinach, lettuce, radishes, carrots and onion growing beautifully in my raised beds. We had home grown spinach and lettuce Christmas Day.
Iām in central Alabama and have had one night it got to 28 and had to cover the beds. So much fun to have fresh veggies right out side my door in Dec.
Linda Practical Parsimony says
I am in central Alabama, too.
Charlotte says
I would love to have your recipe for Rancho Gordo Christmas limas and ham soup!
GrannyB says
Mavis,
How about a new challenge?
Use up whatās in the freezer with only $25/week to spend on fresh fruit, veggies, milk, or whatever your heart desires. It would be a new One Hundred Dollars A Month Challenge!! See how long you can go without having to do a major restock the freezer trip.
Have a Happy New Year!!
Sheila Abbott says
I wanted to say thank you! After reading your no grocery shopping for the last three months, I have changed my game plan for 2022. Instead of no shopping until May, we are going to spend $25 a week for the 5 of us on diary and veggies. The rest will come from the freezer or pantry.
Margo says
Thanks everybody for the great ideas. One year I had four 20-something young men (3 were mine, one was a friend of my youngest) living at home. Cooking and stocking up took on a new meaning! Now a days itās just Hubble and me and Iām getting really good at creative leftovers. This morning I used up last nights mashed potatoes combined with a few slices of chopped leftover zucchini, a little chopped leftover ham, chives from the garden, an egg, and a tablespoon of pancake mix. Delicious leftover potato pancakes for breakfast. No waste!
Melonie K. says
So many great ideas! We had a turkey breast and mashed potatoes, nothing really big even needed this year as it was just the three of us (hubs, myself, and teen son). The guys made short work of the leftover turkey the next day so that was easy! LOL
GrannyB and Sheila Abbott have a great idea – I’m in! We move in five months and I was already planning on working through the freezers and pantry items; having a set budget for each week (or in our case pay period, we don’t go every week) will streamline things. The main items we are even going for now are oat milk and orange juice; I’ll check what those come to and use the rest for whatever produce is in season!
Taryn says
Yes please to the bean recipe – I’m growing Lima beans again š