Monday 11 January 2010

Back of the fridge




I've been so virtuous recently, using up all sorts of edible things left over from the big festive season's mega-spend, and there is now space in the fridge that hasn't been seen for weeks. The last spoonful of brandy butter went some time ago - do you know how delicious that stuff is when spread on a bit of bread? - and for once I don't have any sprouts lurking anywhere, neglected and resentful. That's because they are still on the allotment..... too much snow and effort to trudge down on Christmas Eve to cut a stalk of them. (Oh, the shame of it, all those dinners without everyone's favourite pureed-with-cream sprouts! Oh, the compensation of all the extra, gloriously crunchy, golden roasted parsnips!)

I rarely fuss about sell-by/use-by dates, having once had a Greek lodger whose disdain for such detail was truly terrifying, but who never came to a smidgin of harm through it; smell, look, and the likelihood of loss of quality is usually enough to guide me. Risky things like chicken and meat tend to get eaten quickly anyway, and vegetables are always good for Fridge Soup. Nothing much goes to waste here, thanks to compost heap and foxes, although unwaxed lemons have a tendency to punish the careless by turning overnight into unwaxed brownish rocks, and that last piece of cucumber - well, you know about that, don't you, as you gingerly remove it from the salad drawer and it drips into your sleeve.

But I do have a pack of cranberries that need to be used up urgently, and no intelligent ideas as to what I might make with them. Cranberry sauce - too much for one person, especially one with so many relishes and chutneys still waiting in line. Freezer? Er, no - I think I still have some from the previous year (am I really going to admit that?). The birds? Do birds eat cranberries? Gritting pavements? Any ideas?

These two have.






14 comments:

Linda said...

Lovely daffs in the header - bought or grown by you?
We can see ours peeping out through the snow, but they will be weeks yet.

rachel said...

Bought. Too early for mine, but it feels ok to buy some after Christmas! They smell like Spring....

Anonymous said...

Cranberries ... you could disguise their bitterness by mixing with apples and cinnamon for a crumble .... you could juice them (probably make about a thimble's worth, but probably quite enough) ... you could dry them and hide them away to make something arty next Christmas. No, or course you won't find them again, so you may as well compost them!

I'm about to make Stilton, date and walnut muffins from a recipe I found recently (probably on a blog). Zero calories if eaten when it's snowing (which it is, half-heartedly).

Beautiful daffs. Can smell them from here.

Jill

love those cupcakes said...

Ah yes, the joy that is cranberry football. The cat here prefers playing with sprouts. Or smallish spuds.

Shelagh said...

I have a recipe somewhere for Cranberry Bread which isn't bread at all but more like a loaf. I love it. It doesn't even need to be buttered. Just slice and enjoy. Or make and freeze if you're really feeling virtuous.

rachel said...

Send me that recipe, Shelagh, and I'll share it here. As Jill says, zero calories if eaten when it's snowing. Thawing here, so hurry!

love those cupcakes said...

Meant to leave a link to this recipe:

http://teaandcookies.blogspot.com/2006/01/joy-of-baking.html

BumbleVee said...

I use them all year round in all sorts of recipes... in place of raisins, blueberries etc...
There are several on my Tea and Scones blog...

Tea and Scones

BumbleVee said...

forgot to mention...just double bag 'em and stick them in the freezer til you want to use some...

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Cucumber ! I love the way if a cut one moulders long enough in the vegetable drawer/mortuary , it starts hollowing out .
It's thawing ?? It's still snowing a bit here . I'm emigrating to Tropical Northumberland !!

Friko said...

the birds will eat them
If you're feeling mean, cook them up with sugar and have them with a bit of ice cream. Fast and tasty.

Von said...

Ah, the back of the fridge,that place of mystery.Must get into mine and give it a good clear-out and a defrost while it's still hot.Alwys a good job on a hot day.
Cranberries..delicious,how about Cumberland Sauce?Or in chicken stuffing?

Fran Hill said...

Ah, the back of the fridge. Always a dangerous place, with things lurking in dark corners. I'm sure Freud would have had something to say about it.

Pam said...

Love the film of MacHamish. The cuteness!!

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