I just made the best supper and it was pretty made from stuff that in another life, I might well have thrown out.
You know how there always seems to be a bit too much pasta? I never need an entire box. Lasagna noodles are a particular problem. I use to cook them, then let the extras sit in the back of the fridge until they went bad. Now I try to cook only what I realy need and save the rest in a plastic bag. This goes for the broken pieces too. We eat a lot of past and it adds up quick. Today, I was trying to come up with something for dinner and I hit on the idea of garbage lasagna. I cooked a bunch of broken noodles and set them aside. Then I sauteed a half an onion and some garlic, both of which were just getting ready to sprout in some olive oil. I added a cup of peppers I found in the freezer. They were a year old and a bit freezer burned but not bad. In went the last of my spinach and some kale. The kale was the base of a vegetable platter from the lunch we served for school spruce up day. Somebody was going to throw the leftovers out but I grabbed them first. I made a fabulous stock out of the vegetables and saved the kale. I also had a handful of dried out shitakes. I also found some I forgotten summer squash in the crisper. All of this simmered while I heated up one of my last two jars of spaghetti sauce with the first of the summer basil and some oregano. I layered the whole thing with three kinds of cheese. It tasted great!
There were some other great things about this dinner. I not only used up some food that was still good but would soon not have been but I had my girls help with cooking. I think they take away some good lessons, not just in how to make lasagna but how to get creative in the kitchen. If we have to cook with our stored food, creativity will spell the difference between good and, well, I guess we have have to eat something.
I put up the last of the asparagus today and 2 more meals of sugar snaps. It is hard to get enough to freeze as the kids love them and munch them like candy.
I am heading to the pool. Bruce was working with the bees and didn’t wear his whole bee suit. He is one hurting puppy with probably twenty stings. Cold water and some benedryl will help but he will have a rough night.
June 29, 2009 at 9:40 am
“It is hard to get enough to freeze as the kids love them and munch them like candy.”
I know the urge to sock stuff away in the freezer, but really, this is a problem a lot of parents would like to have. It can’t really be considered a loss if it all gets eaten, right?
June 29, 2009 at 9:59 am
The problem is only not having enough for the winter too. What I need is more garden space, not kids eating less good stuff. It is a bit crazy. I blanched a bunch of asparagus yesterday and then felt bad for a moment becasue I ate most of it. It is really good blanched and chilled. The same is true for the shelling peas. I grow tons and it is never enough. We are planning to double our garden space next year. We lay down something like old carpets and leave them for the the summer. We will then either till and plant green manure over the winter or let it sit for the winter and plant in the spring. The ground is soft, beautiful and weed free.
June 29, 2009 at 10:38 am
No-waste cooking is the best!
June 29, 2009 at 11:05 am
I was just over at Greenpa and saw a post from you. It feels like we are all in this fabulous neighborhood and meeting for a chat over the fence. I love that.