Photo by Josh Picayo
Why this recipe? At first glance it's probably not something I would have chosen, but it turned out fabulous and I will be making it again.
I have a process when choosing our meals. It's been evolving over time, but here's what I tend to do when the cupboards are looking bare but it's not time to go to the grocery store (one of the ways we save money is sticking to our weekly grocery trips and trying to avoid spontaneous trips and purchases.)
First, I almost always know what's in our cupboards at any time. If you don't know what you have then you have too much stuff. It's time to starting Eating Out The Pantry/Freeze until you have a more manageable stock.
Next, I chose one or two ingredients to start with. Maybe I have ground beef and leeks or barley and mushrooms; in this situation I knew I had a near full container of ricotta cheese that I had no idea what to do with.
Then I hit up one of my favorite websites and use the Search box. Here's a list of my favorite online "cookbooks" (thanks to Jessica for suppling many of them.)
Finally, I browse through the generated recipes that contain ricotta cheese until I find something that looks a) appealing and b) doable with my limited ingredients. Often this calls for a little experimentation - swapping out an ingredient or two but you always end up with something much more satisfying than pasta with jarred sauce. Sorry jarred sauce but you just aren't good enough for us.
Last night I got lucky and had all the necessary ingredients on-hand. If we like the finished product I scribble notes all over the printed recipe (use more sweet potatoes) and store it in plastic sleeve in a binder.
What do you do when the cupboards looking slim?
Sweet potato is a staple in the Grimbleby household, so I will have to be trying this recipe! As for me, I make a weekly dinner list and buy my groceries off the list. Then, I put the list on the refrigerator along with a list of snacks we have available that week. I am way anal about food wastage and I am with you on not keeping too much food around.
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