Tabs

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Chopped!

I am addicted to the Food Network. I don't even have cable and I still manage to get in about 10 hours of Food Network greatness a week (thanks BF who pays for my habit!). I like to think of my time wasted spent as research to help inspire my time in the kitchen.

This month I have decided that I am clearing out my pantry and deep freeze before I go grocery shopping. I am very thankful that I have been watching marathons of the show Chopped where contestants must use secret ingredients that are not normally paired to create a dinner course in 30 minutes. The absolutely delectable dishes that are created have sparked my own creativity.

For example, as I type this I have combined a can of sliced pears and some frozen bass to create a main component of my meal.I am not 100% this will work out But I did find a recipe for salmon baked with peaches on Google, which is pretty close . < UPDATE > I just finished dinner: the pear juice added a sweetness to the fish, the cumin added a little spice to the pear, all in all, definitely going to try this again < /UPDATE >. ... The other night, Jason and I coated fish in jerk seasoning I brought back from Jamaica, fried it in garlic butter and served it with some spinach. Fantastic! Last week, I baked fish in garlic and pepper, covered in a medley of frozen vegetables. Fantastic! And who knows what else I will come up with to use up this frozen fish I have stoked in my freezer.

There are a few side benefits to all of this as well. Namely, I have been having such a blast creating meals, I haven't been eating at the cafeteria and I haven't had the need to hit up the grocery store. So not only am I saving some money (much needed after a very expensive final quarter of 2011), but I am also eating better through out the day.

What is the craziest combo of cupboard cuisine you have created? Would you make it again or was it fit for the trash?

1 comment:

Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter said...

I have done numerous soups with left over fridge and cupboard item. They sometimes can be pretty interesting. We always eat them up though so not be wasteful even if they were a flop.

Great job on the experimenting.