More pantry musings

So...when last we talked, plans had been made for dinner last night - no pizza. We found a few dribs and drabs of things in the fridge, and a nice light dinner ensued. I cut up the leftover pasta, about a cupful, and added it to the last of our gorgeous organic free-range eggs from Meadowbright Farm friend Sheryl. Ken discovered a little leftover salad, the last pitiful tomato from the garden, and about 1/2 cup of leftover refried beans. With the last slices of Irish soda bread on the side, this really was a delicious meal.


On a PBS special last night I heard about a farmer living above the Arctic Circle, who talked about his REALLY short growing season - from end of May to beginning of August. His garden was spectacular! He grows lots of greens, onions, beets, cabbage, and the like. During the winter, he says, "I dream about greens." Well, I'm beginning to long for salads too. Given that we now have no "salad makings" in the fridge, I may have to capitulate and buy a little lettuce or peppers or cukes or something. That wasn't in the plan, but as you know - I always have a Plan B. So we'll see. I think the 'heavy on the carbs' makeup of our pantry shelves will work better, and last longer, and we'll be healthier, if I plan on buying some greens throughout our journey.


Have you read any of Dean Ornish's books? He's the NO FAT guy. I have one of his cookbooks from which I've made several dishes in the past. My notations in the margins all say "this is great!" or "fabulous!" Since his ingredients are few, and we seem to have many of them on our shelves, I think I'll give Dean a try while we're "eating down."


Again, this is forcing us to be creative, and that's a good thing. Plans for the weekend include pizza (if Ken buys yeast today) and that curried lentil and sweet potato dish I mentioned. Close inspection of the pantry last night revealed bamboo shoots and water chestnuts - that says stir-fry to me!


I'll report back on Monday, after a nice dinner out tonight with family, and some fun cooking over the weekend. I'd love to hear from you too on this adventure of ours.