Hi there.
You know I love a tidy space. Do you love a tidy space? I get a rush when I open the fridge and everything is neat, orderly, and there is plenty of white space. Now that I think about it, the only thing that gets me more inside-out happier is when my pantry is KonMari’ed. I’m not exaggerating. Remember that time I picked my pantry as my favorite personal space for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette?
Lately my pantry is getting out of hand and out of control. In other words, it is overflowing. When this happens, I shop it down. Do you shop yours down?
Today I thought I would start a new series called Shop Your Pantry. At times it may be called Shop Your Freezer or Shop Your Fridge. For instance, there is an overabundance of canned green beans and canned tomatoes in my pantry. Why is this? Okay, green beans are in easy one because without a doubt that has to do with Thanksgiving. But canned whole tomatoes? Who knows? All I know is that they’re there. Staring at me.
The inspiration for this dish came from my friend Ginger. We were talking about gardening, food, our pantries, and life in general. I mentioned to her that my canned green beans and canned tomatoes were taking over and making my eyes twitch. Her eyes lit up and she passionately told me, “Lyndi, green beans and tomatoes are awesome sautéed in a skillet!”
Well, now! I hadn’t thought of that!
The second part of this Shop Your Pantry post is about spices. One entire wall of my pantry is devoted to these goodies. I am commmmmmpletely a-o-k with that. But why aren’t I branching out and experimenting more? Do you experiment with your spices? Or, do you keep to the trusted few?
The Thai Red Curry Spice Blend was a gift from my friend, Bill. He owns The Spice & Tea Exchange in Bentonville, but we go way back. The last time I was in his store he tossed a packet to me (okay, toss is an exaggeration) and said, “Try this with green beans. It’s delicious.”
Seems like my pantry had this planned all along.
So, what is the moral of this story? Okay, yes, I am sharing this creation with you, but it really isn’t about the recipe. It’s about thinking outside the box, exploring, sharing ideas with each other, and using what we have.
Do you have any pantry overabundance items? Share and let’s figure it out together.
Happy pantry shopping.
Eat well, my friends. Eat well.
Lyndi
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Are you reading my mind or something? I had this very conversation with myself just the other day. Love that you’re making it a blog series. So many times things pile up in the pantry. I like to go in there and pick a particular ingredient (whether it be in abundance or an oddball ingredient) and base the dish on that. So fun! And I LOVE the Spice and Tea Exchange! Which reminds me, I’ve gotta order more siracha salt- it’s my fave finishing salt. Thanks, Lyndi!
Jodi, I love that you also do this! (And yes, I am reading your mind!) Seriously, when we invest in ingredients, there is nothing worse than letting it rot (I am guilty of this) or just letting it take up space without use. Of course, there are always spices and condiments like nutmeg or fish sauce that are allowed to quietly sit until picked to play. And siracha salt? Must check that out! Thanks for the tip! Have a great day!
I try every few weeks to look through the pantry and cabinets to use up any thing that is about to expire, but also pull one meal together without needing to buy anything. We often waste food, because hubby won’t eat it if it is expired. I try hard to use everything up in creative ways. Thank you for sharing your creative touch today! Visiting from ARWB link up.
Yeah, it definitely is a skill to stay on top of things before they expire or rot. So many times my husband and I will scratch our heads when we have a simple “pulled-together” meal and say, “why don’t we eat like this more often.”
So glad you stopped by from the Arkansas Women Bloggers (ARWB) site! Everybody else, go check it out! –> http://arkansaswomenbloggers.com
I always have canned tomatoes, but rarely do I have canned green beans. I need to come shop your pantry.
I always have a ton leftover after Thanksgiving!