I've been bouncing around the idea of trying to host a recipe roundup, once or twice a month. (You know the drill — write a recipe post, send me the link, I'll put it all together into a post.) But I've been searching for a theme that hasn't been done to death.
Today I think I might have hit upon it. What do you think about an "empty cupboard" roundup? I'm not sure how often — once a month or biweekly — and it doesn't lend itself to an alliterative name, maybe you all could help me with that — but here's what I'm thinking:
The idea is to write a post about what you managed to throw together the night before you go grocery shopping. What can you make from your pantry staples? It's easy to eat fresh, local, seasonal, interesting, and impressively right after you come back from the farmer's market (or the co-op — or even the SuperValu). What can you do at the end of the week, from your leftovers, odds and ends, and emergency rations? What have you got to choose from? What did you decide to make and why?
Here's an example from today. I'm pretty good about meal planning, but I often leave the last couple of days blank because I know I'll have things to use up; on the other hand, sometimes we eat up all the leftovers and I have to get suddenly creative. I'm about to leave to go grocery shopping right after I finish this post.
Before dinner, the only fresh veg I had in the fridge was a bunch of broccoli (and it was starting to look a little sorry, so raw was out). No fresh fruit left except some wrinkly apples, an orange, and a lemon. We had some leftover enchiladas and arroz con pollo, but we were kind of tired of both and needed a break (it'll still be good for lunch tomorrow).
So I made this:
- Grilled Meatloaf (double onion, since I had no green pepper — there's always ground beef in my freezer)
- Steamed broccoli with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil
- Plain Fordhook lima beans cooked from frozen — just a little salt and pepper
- A can of cut beets, drained and briefly marinated in a dressing of orange juice, balsamic vinegar, and fennel seeds
- Homemade bread and butter.
- Oh yeah, and rum and coke for the grownups. (Hence the need for me to churn out a couple of blog posts before I go shopping)
I think it turned out pretty great, and not bad for a day when I didn't know what I was going to make until about three-thirty.
Anyway, what would you say to having a roundup on a semi-regular basis? I think it would be a nice way to explore our creativity, celebrate frugality, and get over some of our hangups about appearing as if we only occasionally rely on convenience foods. Also share some ideas. And even if your answer is something like, "frozen pizza — again," well, why not fess up? If you had an ice-cold beer on the side, you could at least tell us about that. In fact, I'll make one of the rules be you have to tell the whole meal, not just one interesting recipe.
What say you? How often? Which day of the week (or month)? And furthermore, what should I call it?
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