I consider myself to be a collector of fine things. My hubby says I'm a potential candidate for next season's Hoarders show.
I just think that if one thing is so much fun to have, then lots of them (whatever it is) is just so much better! This is probably why I have nearly 600 cookbooks. Many of them have yet to be read, but that doesn't mean they won't be, eventually.
In previous posts, I've confessed about my watches. And my plants. The purses. The hankies. ( I'd better call Hoarders when I get done writing this post.)
I know I caught this from my mother, with her 26 antique clocks............(Yeah. Let's blame Mom!) (See blog entry from 10/2/10 if you missed the clock saga.) It seems to have something to do with "security," and knowing that I will always have enough...........of whatever.
I am piling up lipsticks right now..................There are at least ten new ones in the hall closet. All identical. The reasoning is that I won't have to run out and buy one if my current tube goes dry. It sounds like good planning, to me! (And I know that I feel glad to see the spares in there.........I am lipstick-secure!) One less thing to worry about.....
Unfortunately, I may have gone a tad overboard in the food department, I find. Mind you, I have never missed a meal or been on the verge of starvation................On the contrary, I've been a Weight Watcher or strict dieter for most of my life. I've not stood on a street corner holding a Will Work For Food sign........yet. I am secure!
My home is blessed with a large pantry with many shelves. I also have a giant-sized freezer. I stock up.
I have resolved, for my New Year's Resolution this year, to USE UP THE FOOD IN THE PANTRY AND THE FREEZER before I buy any more. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?
This was prompted by the discovery (and now disclosure) of a quarter of a head of cabbage in my freezer the other day. Who knew it was out there for well over a year, supporting my "security turkey," several DiGiorno pizzas (mushroom, spinach, and garlic), five pounds of mozzarella cheese (measured into half-pound units), several sacks of tilapia and boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Did I mention the Lean Cuisine Collection?
I've been working, mentally, on the freezer since the cabbage discovery.
Then there's that pantry............................
All the cans and jars are still usable. I checked the expiration dates the last time I opened the doors and played with my stuff...................anything that had died of old age has been tossed out.
For a woman who is on a perpetual diet, I find it totally inconceivable that I could have purchased 15 cans of Hunts spaghetti sauce (in various flavors), 4 jars of Trader Joe's blueberry jam, 22 cans of Veg-All, 4 bottles of catsup, 2 mustards, 3 Hellman's Light Mayonaises, 34 cans of black beans, 4 cans of peas, and 3 jars of lemon curd. LEMON CURD? I have exactly one recipe that uses lemon curd, and I haven't made that in over a year!
There are multiple cans of various and sundry vegetables and sauces, beaucoup de jars of pickles and olives, 12 bottles of salad dressing (8 of them Italian)....... a few boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix and some brownie ingredients. An entire shelf holds cans of soup. "Cooking Soup," and "Eating Soup," lined up like soldiers, waiting to be sent to dinner. Another shelf holds my pasta: diffferent shapes, sizes and colors................a plethora of delicious meals in the dehydrated state!
The plan is not to eat it all within a certain length of time. The plan is just to use it up before buying any more. I am hoping to be able to do this while using the frozen chicken, fish, and beef in the freezer.
This year I have foregone the resolutions about health and dieting. I just made this one about reducing my food supply.
Will I be able to do it?
What if there is a sale on Veg-All or Campbell's Soups? What if there's a Two-Fer, or Ten-For-Ten on Knorr Rice Mixes?
This might be harder than I thought.................
When my mother died, she left a freezer full of food. There were huge bags of pecans from her daddy's pecan trees, which my sister turned into pies. We unwrapped an ugly fish, a gift from a long-dead fisherman. We found a foot and a half long icicle from the blizzard of '59. There had been a kelp plant, fished from the Pacific Ocean that same year, wrapped in newspaper, but it had disintegrated, leaving only some kelp dust behind. Mom's freezer was a treasure trove of memories and edibles.
At least my freezer contains only food! Lots of it!
That recipe that uses the lemon curd?................I wonder where I filed that.......or if I will have to eat it with a spoon......................
Copyright: KP Gillenwater
