Frozen Food Friday

There must be something nagging at the far corner of my brain, as my need to organize and restore order around here is defying my otherwise lazy lack of interest. Maybe it's just the cabin fever, and if I am going to be holed up in this air conditioned cabin, I'd prefer it be more visually appealing. I grew bored with the usual maintenance of seeking out the kitchen counters, so I set my sights on some uncharted territory. When I opened the freezer door to get some ice, I knew I had met my afternoon playdate.

A smart girl who has lost all patience with the heat knows to sit on the floor in front of the freezer in the name of purging. A smarter chick would realize that is a silly move when the forecast is over 90 for the next 3 days. Yes, I could've done what I have in the past which is to throw my bag of stuff to get rid of in the downstairs freezer until garbage day. However, that just seemed risky in terms of actually remembering to go get it, and was not going to give me the same satisfaction as actually throwing things out. Garbage day is Tuesday, and I hope there is nothing random to report from that department.

How many of you can honestly open your freezer doors to reveal shelves stocked with good ideas? I used to have those moments when labeled packages of meat, in varieties we actually ate, gleamed with possibility. Lately though the deep freeze has turned more into the unwanted guilt storage. What year did I screw up that batch of peaches I was canning, only to put them in freezer bags as not to waste them? How many summers ago did I make strawberry freezer jam? Why do I put food in Zip-loc containers that nobody wanted to eat when it was fresh, in hopes that ice crystals magically transform it into a gourmet delight? How about the Trader Joe's spinach artichoke dip that I am basically just hoarding because I know I can't just run out and buy more?

I knew I would not feel like cooking dinner, let alone going through the mental anguish of trying to decide what to have, so I figured I could try to make my frosty expedition pay off. Yes, it was slightly fuzzy logic to be lured in my the cold temperatures of what I was handling, and carry that over to the actual meal. I would blame the allergy meds...if I had taken any. I kept the guilt items, once the removal of our dinner fixings enabled me to see the light again (the one right up near the ice cubes), and we headed to the mall.

So this is what I found...

Two varieties of Italian bread and sandwich thin things, sauce, pesto and three sausage patties

...for the assembly line...

...and this is what we made...

The full bag of shredded cheese was such a welcome sight in the refrigerator

I am not claiming that this was my best effort, but just knowing that set my expectations pretty low. As a result, I cannot say that I was disappointed. There were no complaints, in part because everybody assembled their own, and I think we all left the table full. The salad, cut up fresh veggies and hummus on the table helped foster the illusion that this was a well thought out meal. There have been plenty of nights that I have tried much harder, with worse results.

 I wonder if I can pass that jam off as sundae topping? I saw raspberry and orange sherbet.