Food Storage Remake

Tonight was my first attempt at making something creative with my food storage. Don't get overly excited. I am working with canned goods and a personal challenge to see how long I can go without going to the grocery store. I am down to carrots, celery, a couple varieties of cheese, some sliced turkey, and bottled dressings and sauces. My fridge is as empty as I've seen it since we've moved in. It's weird.

To be perfectly honest, I was only in the kitchen about 5 minutes tonight. My husband did most of the leg work for me. (Remember how you are supposed to be extra sweet to the Kraken? He always remembers and always has it turned up to 11. Tonight was no exception when he exited his comfort zone and took over in the kitchen.) He did such a good job. He doesn't enjoy cooking the way I do. He always pitches in when I don't feel well though, so I am super grateful for that. (He originally wanted to grill, but I didn't have anything defrosted or marinated, so that's tomorrow.)

Anyway, I have several cases of canned beef stew. My parents are super generous and have helped all of my siblings to build their food storage. These cases came from them. I don't love beef stew, but we joke that when it comes to our food storage, if you are hungry enough, you will eat anything. Well, I am trying to find ways to use the beef stew as something other than beef stew to keep it interesting and delicious. I have been searching for ideas for a couple of days now.

First up is to make it a soup. I know that doesn't sound very different, but imagine that the gravy it originally comes in is thinned and you add fresh vegetables to enhance the flavor and texture. That is what we did tonight. Sauté any veggies you have (onion, celery, and carrot in this case), add some garlic and beef broth and simmer until the veggies are as tender as you want them to be. Then just add the beef stew and heat it through. Done. It was easy. It tasted good. It was better than the original beef stew.

Unfortunately, I wasn't planning on blogging tonight so I didn't take photos. You will have to use your imagination and try to forgive me. I promise I will take pictures of my next idea. It should be good.

For now, I am going to curl up in a blanket (with the air conditioning and fans on), work on some crossword puzzles, and finish up the night with some FHE. Tonight, we are studying Elder Stanley G. Ellis' talk from General Conference. He is from Southern Idaho (like me), and I LOVED his message. Quick synopsis? The Lord's way is that we hearken to our leaders' teachings, understand correct principles, and govern ourselves. Read it here, and be prepared to be inspired and motivated to do a better job.