So. Yesterday we discussed in great detail that I am a collector of pretty much anything you can eat or drink. It also seems I collect beer and wine. We also discussed the bottled water in the beer fridge is clearly not mine. That pretty much sums it up for yesterday. Oh! And there was a great recipe for Stuffed Shells. 🙂 That’s a complete recap.

That brings us to today. After writing yesterday’s post, my head was reeling with all of the food I have stockpiled. I made a conscious decision that for the next two weeks, I am NOT going to buy any sort of food, groceries or wine. Well, the wine part may be stretching it. But seriously, no grocery shopping. I am going to use what I have on hand and try to get this hot mess in my cabinets and fridge under control.

I began by doing a complete inventory. Have mercy. It was shocking! There was even more than I had imagined. Can you even fathom I have both pink and blue NOODLES??! What kind of a nut has pink and blue PASTA? Life is stranger than fiction.

When entering my cabinets I looked at our Great Dane and told her I was going in. If I wasn’t back in ten minutes, send out a search and rescue. She returned a look of complete understanding. She had my back. Well sorta of. Truthfully, she returned a completely blank stare seeming only to wonder if any of those foreign words meant “treat” as I had my hands completely full of food packages. That’s my girl. All about the food.

I only made it half way through the cabinets and pantry and realized I had enough meal plans for the entire two weeks, plus some spares. I stopped before becoming completely mortified. I guarantee you had I kept going I surely would have found Jimmy Hoffa. I am pretty sure he’s back there. In the rear of my pantry. Hanging out with the extra 14 bottles of salad dressing, the pink pasta and a can of Venezuelan Escargot. Mystery solved.

Step 1: Clean Out the Fridge Soup

This soup was made with bits and pieces of leftovers I had on hand. Feel free to substitute any vegetables or meat in this soup. Beer and wine can be replaced with chicken broth, because who REALLY has “leftover” wine?

Ingredients:

• 1 roasted hen, bones and skin removed – save the bones and skin for homemade chicken stock! *Any leftover meat can be used*
• 6 cups chicken, beef or veggie stock
• 1 cup leftover beer or wine, I used both – you can also just add extra stock or water
• 1/2 package leftover pasta or rice of any kind, or 1/2 package pasta, cooked
• 1/2 cup fresh herbs, I had Basil and Cilantro
• 1/4 cup sliced jalapeno peppers, optional
• 1 can Fire Roasted tomatoes, any flavor
• 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, optional
• 1 cup diced leftover veggies, I used scallions, mushrooms, tomatoes and peppers
• Salt & pepper to taste
• GOOD Olive Oil

   

Directions:

Saute veggies in stock pot with olive oil until crisp tender. Add any alcohol and allow to reduce between 3-5 minutes. Add stock and remaining ingredients. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. As long as you have any type of stock, protein and vegetables, you can make this soup. It really is a great way to clean out your fridge. Freeze any leftovers for later use. This type of garbage can soup pairs great with a mushroom and cheese quesadilla 🙂

Life is too short to eat ugly food. Bon Appetit y’all!