Making things work

with what you have...

I think one more thing I am going to make an effort at is to utilize what I have.

With food - we have a freezer full of meat and frozen vegetables, and other things. The cupboard is full of canned goods. We have lots and lots of rice and pasta. So one of the things I am going to make an effort at is preparing food from what is in the cupboard/fridge/freezer.

Last night I made a slab of pork spare ribs. I had gotten a couple of slabs of ribs when they were on sale at Cub Foods, and they have been in the freezer for a while. I put one package in the fridge on Sunday night to defrost. Made them last night for dinner - using a bit of "rub" that I had gotten as a freebe at a convention a couple of years ago. To go with the ribs, I made some Trader Joe's Harvest blend cous cous blend (that I had gotten when my grandmother and her husband were clearing out their cupboard), and some yellow summer squash that I had blanched and frozen.

And it was good. And I made it from stuff I had on hand.

Another thing I was thinking I would do is get a new dress for the Saint Paul Jaycees annual gala. But I'm not feeling the clothing love right now - plus I have all of these scabs on my arms from the bug bites... so I am going to wear a dress with a jacket that I already own. I tried it on last night, and it fits and looks decent, so there you are, no need to spend more money!

And not spending a lot of money right now is a good thing... with the credit card bill that has the car repairs (to the tune of about $1500) and just after Christmas... well you know how that goes.

I'm just in a moood to use things up, clear things out, and use what I have. And I will be content with that!

~a