You know how there are cookbooks (and, by implication, cookery authors) who claim that you can cook a multitude of dishes just using ingredients from your cupboards? Well, I'd like to see one of these clever people rustle up 600 calories of nutritious breakfast at my home this morning, because I certainly couldn't come up with anything sensible.
Here's what I had to play with:
In the cupboard: flour, rice, egg noodles, kidney beans, baked beans, Weetabix, chickpeas, peanut butter, coconut milk, a jar of pasta sauce and another jar of fajita sauce.
In the fridge: salad sauce, butter, mayo, ketchup, 2 eggs, celery, spring onions, 4 cans of lager, three apples, a foil bag with five prunes (dried), a few cherry tomatoes, mushrooms that had seen better days, carrots and two lemons.
In the freezer: ice cubes, oven chips, fish fingers, peas and half a tub of vanilla ice cream.
In the bread bin: a small bag of milk chocolate buttons. If that wasn't a sign, I don't know what was.
I thought of making pancakes or muffins, but had no milk. Weetabix was also out of the question, as I didn't have anything to put on it. Baked beans needed toast, as did eggs (although I guess I could have had an omelette on its own). There was no hope of a continental-style breakfast, as there were no croissants, bread, biscuits, pastries or cake, no milk for coffee and no orange juice.
I briefly considered finishing off the ice cream, but saw sense.
Round about 12:30 PM I decided to scrap breakfast and have brunch instead, but there was no chicken or suitable veg for fajitas, no pasta, ham, bacon or sausages, no pizza in the freezer, no pot noodles in the cupboard, and not even a tin of soup anywhere in the house.
In the end I had egg noodles with "sundried tomato, garlic and basil" pasta sauce, an apple, five prunes and, in desperation, a handful of chocolate buttons. Hubby had a black coffee and the rest of the buttons, before rushing off to the supermarket with a long shopping list.
For some reason, he didn't fancy the noodles and pasta sauce combo, but really, it wasn't as bad as it sounds.
16 comments:
Actually, this post make my mouth watering :-)
Btw: Did not know you've been at Bygdøy in Oslo - a new post from the island is up.
Haha! None of it looked mouthwatering when I stared at it.
Very funny! I've always been amazed at how quickly refrigerators and freezers can be depleted of edible items!
Glad to know we're not the only ones affected!
Wow, I totally feel for you. My pantry is in similar shape when closer to the weekly shop. Just the other day, I was stuck with half a box of Special K with chocolate bits and no milk to eat them with. Horror!
@ Jacob & Marg: What can I say, I'm glad it's not just me :-)
@ Marg: Special K are good because you can have them without milk, like crisps (try it, they're moreish) but all I had was Weetabix biscuits, which are barely edible when soaked in milk and covered with fruit and honey, so no chance of munching them dry. Might as well have cardboard.
I've read this twice now, and one single thought keeps running through my head.
You send your husband to the store for groceries?
I think you're a brave, brave woman. Unless I want licorice, beer, tortilla chips and salsa, I just wouldn't do it. For every item on my list, I can expect one phone call. EVEN if I add brand and packaging and ounces to the list. As much as I hate shopping, it's more work to send him.
Actually, he often does the weekly shop on his own. He's quite good at it, studies the list in advance and asks questions so he knows *exactly* what to get, as there's not mobile phone reception inside our supermarket.
Granted, the list needs to be very detailed and colour coded (Tesco cream crackers - yellow packet, Kellog's Fruit 'n Fibre - purple box etc.) but it's a small price to pay for not having to leave the house on a rainy day :-)
sounds like you did good using what you had! I have to really get my mind in the creative stage to come up with stuff sometimes too!:)
when all else fails
go for the chocolate;)
sometimes i also ransacked my fridge to see what's remaining there and from there, i couped up with a simple meal.. lazy me!
I'm very impressed.
You should make him a cup of coffee.
:-)
@ Palmtreefanatic: You're right about chocolate being the last (or maybe the first) resort. Hehe.
@ Reanaclaire: Sometimes it's good to be lazy!
@ Karen: I'm off to boil the kettle :-)
I often eat dry choc Special K as a snack through the day when I'm having a chocolate craving, but breakfast is Serious Business (TM) ;)
I'd head for the nearest McD to get me some pancakes and I would bring the carrot for company...
@ Marg: You've got the right idea. I'm less discerning. If I had Special K in the house, I'd pour some in a bowl and munch away.
@ Per: You know, I didn't even think of that! There isn't a McD within a reasonable distance from the house, but there's a greasy spoon cafe practically across the street, which we could have visited.
Probably the reason I didn't think of it was because I'm on a health drive. Ho hum.
Amazing. When I'm on a health drive I instinctively start thinking about exactly the things I'm not supposed to...
I know what you mean. But I've been on it for so long now, I'm starting to be put off by junk food. Scary but true!!
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