Conclusion: Ice box near completion.

My fridge is nearly empty.  While I can continue to prepare side dishes in my house, it is getting much more difficult to prepare a balanced meal with no fresh vegetables to cook with.  I am going to continue to cook my sides (rices, pasta and beans) from my present inventory, but I will go to the grocery store for fruits, veggies, eggs, milk, fish and chicken. 

I have ended my adventure into the food pantry experience as it pertains to this blog.  I have come to realize that I have always lived and cooked in this manner.  Never really knowing what will be for dinner, I have always relied on a single ingredient to create a wonderful dish.  This has always been my forte.  I will continue to explore new dishes based on seasonal fresh ingredients and pantry staples.  Keeping inventories low in the fridge helps me get excited about the hunting and gathering experiences at produce markets.  I love making frequent visits to these local markets.  I wish I had some nearby farmers in the area so that I can shop locally.  This might be another issue I need to explore in greater depth.  

 Until we cook again, signing out chef Michelle 

Day 8 Lunch: Hummus

What a wonderful classic vegetarian dish.  Hummus is so simple and satisfying.  I used 2 can of chickpeas with olive oil, tahini, cumin, lemon juice, and lots of garlic.  Puree all this in a food processor and enjoy.  I had 4 pieces of frozen pita and I brought all of this to the museum this evening for a nice lunch/dinner.  We purchased some cut up veggies to extend the meal.  It was great.

Day 8 Breakfast: Bacon Sandwich

This was a quick breakfast.  I was not in the mood to really cook, so I just made some bacon that I had in the freezer.  I made a sandwich with 2 slices of toast, mayo, and crumbled blue cheese.  This is a very satisfying breakfast.

Day 7 Dessert: Poached Pears in Red Wine with Chocolate Sauce and Cool Whip

This was a perfect way to use up my 2 bosc pears.  My husband and I enjoyed this very much,but my kids did not enjoy it at all.  I simply peeled the pears and added them to a sauce pot filled with water and sweet wine.  I added some vanilla bean, cardamon pods, cloves and sugar.  I poached these until pears were tender.  I served them with heated hot fudge sauce which was  leftover in my fridge. I then topped it off with some cool whip that was from my freezer.  I am really getting down low in my food inventory.

Day 7 Dinner: Mamaligga

The best way to describe this dish is like a layered polenta lasagna.  I boiled up water and the last of my milk.  Whisked in cornmeal and cooked on low until tender.  Then you stir in blue cheese until blended.  Place half in a casserole dish, and place thick slices of cheddar cheese on top.  Finish off with the remaining polenta and bake for 40 minutes.  Top with sliced american cheese and bake until golden.  Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream.  This is a classic winter dish in our family.   This recipe was handed down from my husbands fathers mother.

Day 6 Dinner: Pasta Puttanesca

This was one of our best dinners.  I sauteed up a lot of garlic and jarred anchovies in a skillet with olive oil.  Once the oil was aromatic, I added chopped up black and kalamata olives, capers, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.  I heated this up and topped off the pasta with crumbled goat cheese.  It was amazing!  We have enough for about 3 meals.

Day 5 Lunch: Tuna Salad

This was a no brainer.  I took 2 cans of tuna and added 2 hard boiled eggs which were already made.  I added some miracle whip mayo, sweet pickle relish, the remaining 1 tablespoon of diced onion and some seasonings.  Toasted some rye bread and made a sandwich for my kids lunch.  This classic tuna was only missing celery which we really did not miss!

Breakfast: We finished off the batter of pumpkin pancakes and went out for dinner.  We went out for dinner not because I couldn't find anything to eat but, because I had an extremely tiring day, too much on my plate, HA HA.