The Freezer Food Inventory

I took inventory of what's in the freezer and started my menu planning for the month. Instead of relying on running to the store to pick up what's called for in a recipe, I improvised. I tried to see how I can combine the ingredients and create new taste.

So what did we end up with?


For dinner last night, I took the easy way out and made hotpot. Taking all the little packets of lamb, chicken, tempera, corn cobs and adding them to a soup base of napa cabbage, tomatoes and tofu. Nothing fancy but it was perfect for a chilly night. Best of all, I cleaned out the little bags of frozen food here and there. Yes, when in doubt, make hotpot. Just make sure you have plenty of veggies and a good dipping sauce.

For tonight, I defrosted the beef short ribs made red wine-braised short ribs. New recipe. Made with simple ingredients of celery, carrots, shallots. And Oh My God, it smelled sooooo good!! I think I'm going to call this recipe one of my favorites. Thank you Williams-Sonoma!

As for the frozen chicken meat, hmmm... how about chicken with black-bean sauce? I stir-fried it with green and red peppers. Hey, it came out pretty good. Great with rice.

So, I think I did pretty good the first two nights. Let's give me a big round of applause!!