He thinks those are boring too! But he loves mashed potatoes. Like I said, weirdo.
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This recipe looks good, and easy, but: Is there any reason to start with a can of whole tomatoes and then cook and stir until they become crushed tomatoes, instead of just starting with a can of crushed tomatoes? I feel like they just want to make things more difficult otherwise people won’t trust it’s real cooking.
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Not sure if there’s a good reason or not, I’ve cooked a similar recipe and found no difference in end product between using the canned whole vs canned crushed. My kitchen was messier with the canned whole.
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Crushed is probably OK, diced tomatoes are not. There is an additive in diced that helps them keep their shape, and so they won’t break down the same way.
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@Illathrael Thanks! Does not seem worth it, and I don’t want to get a blender dirty for no reason.
@Gdogg Good to know, thank you!
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Um it’s 4 AM and there are 169 entries in this spreadsheet tab, I don’t think I got enough exercise today…
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What am I looking at here? Is this how you track your pantry inventory?!
Also I like that “bready” is a category 
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It is now! Pantry, fridge, freezer. I haven’t decided on a long term monitoring strategy. How do you track?
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Oh I’m very unsophisticated, haha, kind of like with all of my stuff (net worth tracking, etc.) I do it in a kind of elementary-school way, lol. I don’t have a written inventory at all, I rotate items the way you would on a store shelf, and then a couple times a year I pull everything out to reorganize it and use that as an opportunity to flag stuff that I need to eat. I also date stuff that goes in my freezer, so same rules for that, I clean it out completely a few times a year and then I stock it back with newest in the back, oldest in the front.
I admire your tenacity though 
it’s quite an undertaking!
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I don’t do anything like this normally. Since I’m basically living with HTbF during the era of social distancing, there’s a lot of random stuff lying around. I wanted to know:
- what is on hand, so I can devise recipes/check new recipes for feasibility/order key items
- how much we have now, so I can gauge how quickly we go through ingredients/what isn’t get used at all and can get tossed/donated
- what is expired/close to expiring so we can toss or use up quickly
Plus I tend to go on weird midnight binges of dubious productivity when left unattended.
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Oh, I think it’s a great idea! Especially since you didn’t buy most of that stuff so don’t necessarily know what’s there.
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I got a free spaghetti squash. I am the only person who can eat it. Recipes that also freeze well, since I’ll have a lot of leftovers? I have never eaten spaghetti squash.
What should I do with canned mushrooms that won’t be totally disgusting? I feel like the texture is wrong to throw them in stir fry or fried rice but maybe not? I have literally never used these before, got them because there were no fresh.
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I just had some in fried rice today. I sauteed them on their own for a bit to make them less… Sodden? They also do fine in pasta sauce. You can food process them and integrate them into veggie meatballs.
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Saute them and put them on breakfast burritos?
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I generally prefer spaghetti squash roasted, so either cut longways and oiled and salted, or horizontally into rings about an inch thick (https://www.rachelcooks.com/2018/02/26/how-to-cook-spaghetti-squash/). Then you scrape it with a fork to make those spaghetti threads.
The internet claims that you can take those threads and put them into a ziploc bag to freeze. I’d suggest defrosting in the fridge, and then doing a quick fry to reduce the water content, and then put other stuff and sauce on top in some kind of bowl thing.
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I use spaghetti squash instead of pasta in casseroles. I’ll link the recipe my kids make most often.
I usually poke a couple holes in it with a fork then throw it in the instant pot with a cup of water for 10 minutes. Let it cool enough to touch, cut horizontally/ in half across the short middle, scoop out the flesh into a casserole dish, then add one egg and whatever other ingredients I want. I’ve done everything from pizza to chicken alfredo style.
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Also with spaghetti squash: We usually mix it in with the pasta recipe as it is not enough calories for a meal without it. We have done everything from pasta sauce and frozen meatballs to garlic butter sauce to cashew cream sauce and it always turns out great.
I know I am late to the party on cream cheese but one thing I used to do (when I could still eat cheese) was to mix cream cheese and Italian salad dressing in a pan on the stove top until it all blended together. Then I would add (cooked) shredded or chopped chicken, it was amazing served on its own or in a tortilla.
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Thanks!
I’ve added to my fancy new Airtable. Think it would be acceptable to swap in tuna for the ground chicken? I don’t have chicken, and won’t for at least 3 weeks. I also have tilapia, which would be a more neutral flavor.
Mmm garlic butter sauce…
I don’t have any tortillas. But that gives me an idea. I feel like they might be good in eggs? Like, they’re slimy but scrambled eggs are kind of slimy too so the textures might go together?
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