Clean-Your-Fridge Recipes

My fridge is full. I do not mean it's full of Thanksgiving dinner leftovers - those were readily consumed at a "you snooze, you lose" speed. No...my fridge is full of Thanksgiving ingredient leftovers. That's right, somehow I ended up with the remainder of ingredients used for making the delicious Thanksgiving feast: a half-full half-gallon of milk (have I mentioned that I'm not a big milk-drinker? It hurts my stomach too much...), 10 eggs (I already had a dozen in my fridge), an unopened half-and-half carton, whipping cream, chestnuts, kale, parsley, a bag of fresh cranberries, apples, pears...the list goes on. Last night I felt like I was playing Jenga trying to fit all the leftover food into my fridge (side note: I share a fridge with three other people...think about that). I don't know about the rest of you, but having an overflowing refrigerator quickly gets on my nerves. I hate the hesitant feeling of opening the door and hoping that the balancing act of food doesn't topple out of the fridge. So, how do we get rid of this superfluous supply of food? It's time to introduce the clean-your-fridge recipes! 


The theory of clean-your-fridge recipes (which I also refer to as "dump-it" recipes, however, that didn't seem like a title-appropriate phrase) is quite simple: these recipes  are designed to use the perishable ingredients from your fridge (vegetables, fruits, dairy products with an approaching sell-by date), and therefore clean out some fridge space. Don't get me wrong, I like my fridge to be filled with staple items and whatnot. But I literally just opened my fridge and barely saved a jar of plum jelly (another weekend acquisition) from crashing onto the floor. I want well-stocked food in my fridge, not mini-replicas of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Hence my love of the clean-your-fridge recipes. 


Just so we're clear, these recipes are more like guidelines. The surplus food in your fridge is probably different than mine; thus these recipes have to be more flexible. You should not go out and buy x, y, and z in order to make any of these recipes...that defeats the purpose of the "clean your fridge" theory. As I said, these recipes are simple and easy - soup, stir-fry, pasta, and mac 'n cheese - not fancy, but definitely delicious. You'll feel satisfied from the food, as well as from purging your fridge!


1. Everything Soup: 
  --chop whatever vegetables you have to the size of your thumb nail
  --add 1 tablespoon oil to a saucepan
  --cook aromatics first (carrots, celery, onions, garlic), along with some ground pepper 
  --add water to saucepan (for every cup of vegetables, add two cups of water...for those of you who are bad at math, 1 cup veg = 2 cup water / 2 cup veg = 4 cup water...etc.)
  --add longer cooking vegetables to water (sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, zucchini, squash, green beans, broccoli) and add any spices you want to use (basil, oregano, thyme)
  --bring pot to boil then reduce to simmer; add quick cooking vegetables (tomatoes, leafy greens, peas), and any left-over cooked meat you have (right now, probably turkey)
  --simmer for 10-15 minutes (depending on how much soup you're making...more soup = longer cooking time)
  --add salt to taste and serve hot (tastes good with a grilled cheese sandwich!)


2. All Of It Stir-Fry
  --Dice vegetables to whatever size you want (just make sure they're all roughly the same size)
  --Heat canola oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat
  --When pan is hot add vegetables (you should hear a satisfying sizzle)
  **If using raw meat or tofu, add to pan before vegetables; cook for 5 minutes and then add veggies
  --Cook vegetables for 5-10 minutes, until color has brightened and vegetables are slightly  softened
  --Add a dash or two of soy sauce; serve hot over rice


3. Pasta with the Works
  --Cook pasta according to package
  --Chop vegetables (1-2 inches in size)
  --Heat olive oil in sauté pan over medium-low heat
  --When pan is hot, add garlic and onions; cook for 5 minutes
  --Add other vegetables; cook until tender (time is dependent on type of veggie)
  --Add pasta to pan and mix thoroughly; serve warm, topped with grated cheese


4. Macaroni 'N Cheese ('N Everything Else In Your Fridge)
  --Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
  --Cook pasta according to package (if you don't have macaroni, use shells, penne, or even bow-tie pasta instead!)
  --Heat 2-3 cups of milk in sauce pan; once heated, cover and set aside
  **Here are two different ways to thicken the milk, to create the sauce:
  a. Heat 3 tablespoons butter in saucepan; add 3 tablespoons flour once butter is hot; slowly whisk milk into butter-flour rue
  b. Heat 1/2 block of cream cheese in saucepan; add warm milk once cream cheese starts to melt
  --Once sauce is thickened, add 1- 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese to sauce and mix well until cheese is melted (use other kinds of cheese if you don't have cheddar or if you're trying to get rid of some cheese)
  --Combine pasta and any vegetables you have (diced into 1-inch pieces) in a large mixing bowl
  --Pour cheese sauce over pasta-vegetable mix; stir together and make sure everything is coated well
  --Coat a baking dish with canola oil; pour pasta mixture into dish; sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or mozzarella) on top, along with 1/2 cup of any bread crumbs you may have
  --Bake in oven for approximately 20 minutes, until top is golden brown and bubbling
  --Serve warm


I already made the soup for dinner tonight (and I have leftovers for lunch...yay!). However the dent in the stockpile of food is negligible, so I plan to make the stir-fry on Wednesday and the mac 'n cheese on Thursday. I also plan to bake a LOT of muffins and breads over the next week, to use up some of the 22 eggs I currently own. I'll let you know how it goes (hopefully I'll bring good news). In the meantime, what sort of foods do you have leftover, waiting to be used, in your fridge?