To be getting so much joy out of this?

[BasinHaircut]

I’m away for almost a month from Friday. As I’ll be returning in January ‘new year new start’ and all that shit, I’ve spent the last 2 weeks using up everything in the fridge, freezer, and cupboards.

I am almost as excited about how well I’ve done, as I am about my impending holiday of a lifetime.

Tonight I used up a frozen batch of pasta sauce, added some leftover pulled pork (also from freezer), chorizo (fridge) and a lump of feta I had left over from a hello fresh box a few weeks ago, over an assortment of bits of pasta from almost empty bags out of the cupboard. Served with garlic bread I made from a stale baguette leftover from the weekend.

By the time I leave on Friday my freezer will only have half a bag of hash browns, peas and 2 fruit pastille lollies, fridge will have butter, jam and ketchup, cupboards may have some dried goods but otherwise only stock cubes, spices etc.

Am I a legend or what!

O, wow! Wel done!

Oh my god I love this. Good on you, OP.

Conversely, my husband opened a jar of pasta sauce to dilute his too-spicy sauce tonight, disregarding the already open jar in our fridge. Now we have two open jars of the same sauce in our fridge, but they are too full to be consolidated.

I could weep.

I'm actually jealous as I've been wanting to achieve that for ages!

Impressive!

I am doing the same. It’s two things out one thing in rather than truly emptying but it’s still very satisfying. Also doing the store cupboard which has introduced me to buckwheat flour crumble which is very tasty actually. Have also made fresh pasta (with a rolling pin and no pasta machine - that’s a work out!) Still have massive bag of risotto rice and a lot of dried beans. And a million chutneys and mustard and spicy sauces in the fridge.

I may have to keep going in January...

Why would you leave half a bag of hash browns? They'd be on an oven tray and ready for a pre-bed snack before you could say "carbs and salt"! YABU ;)

@EntropyRising you could freeze the sauce in freezer bags.

Why aren’t you eating the fruit pastille lollies you maniac?

Two states of kitchen cupboard bliss:

1. When it's emptied and cleaned.

1. When it's absolutely refilled to bursting and everything is organised so well you won't let anyone in the cupboards.

Yassssss

@Spacebowlisback I cannot guarantee the lollies will remain but at the moment I really don’t fancy them.

@EntropyRising LTB

I used up a mystery pasta sauce last night (still not 100% sure what it was) and, based on your post, I've decided to keep on going. I froze a lot of stuff before I gave birth in the summer and it's just been lingering in there since...

YNBU well done! Just remember, it’s a lifesaver to have some ready meals in the freezer for when you come home and are possibly jetlagged.

@GoodDogBellaBoo I’ve already written a shopping list for my return too! I’ve got a day of batch cooking (and laundry) planned the following day to keep me occupied.

Yes I know I’m sad!

You're not sad. Just think how relaxing it will be to come back to have everything planned.

@BasinHaircut well if you are sad then so am
I. Hope you are going somewhere good, and I am envious.

I cleaned out the fridge in my kitchen today. It was satisfying, but slightly worrying to see how little was in there when all the rotten stuff & billion year old jars were gone....

We are currently doing the same to make space for Christmas left over. I fully emptied one drawer today. It was fab

We moved house to a different part of the UK about 6 months ago and we did this then. It was soooo satisfying.

We’re currently in a rental house and because I know it’s not a long term house (actually it’s already longer term than I ever wanted it to be) and because it’s much smaller than our previous house (and the house we plan to buy) we just haven’t properly settled into living in it and that includes filling the pantry cupboard, fridge and freezer. The thing I am most excited about when we finally get a house of our own is sorting out and filling the kitchen. I can’t wait to unpack all the boxes still sitting packed in the garage, but I am also just so excited to do a proper big shop and fill those cupboards

I cleaned out the fridge in my kitchen today. It was satisfying, but slightly worrying to see how little was in there when all the rotten stuff & billion year old jars were gone....
I swear there was a new civilisation growing at the back of my fridge. I've got so much space in there now (until next week...)

I had to defrost my freezer a couple of months ago because some water had leaked from our ice maker and turned my bottom drawer into a solid block of ice.

It was all greatly satisfying, and I discovered that yes, you can freeze your Christmas leftovers and eat them almost one year later - they were delicious!

I also found tons of old curries and bolognese, we ate like kings.

I thought I owed it to you all to update and say that you will be pleased to know that the hash browns and fruit pastille lollies did in fact get eaten.