food spoils in empty nest

I had a yen for Mexican food. I knew I had the ingredients I needed. I opened the refrigerator door, grabbed salsa and cheese and slapped them on the counter. I reached for the unopened a package of tortillas and immediately dropped them down in disgust. Behind the logo, imprinted on it plastic sack was a stack of blue mold. I tossed the whole package, unopened into the trash.
That reminded me of my friend’s explanation years ago when she declined to take home any food from a party, “I have to throw away too much food as it is, now that the children are gone.”
At the time I was appalled. I could not believe she had to throw away food. After 20 years of keeping a kitchen, I knew anyone could rotate the food to keep it fresh until it was used. All it takes is a bit of consideration, anticipation and planning ahead, then I thought when she said that, I knew so much then.
But now? Now the milk sours in the jug as it sits in the refrigerator of our empty next. I would never have thought it would happen, but it has and it does.
That is the reality of life after the children are gone. Instead of stirring up a gloriously huge enamel pan of three or four batches of cookie dough at once, I make single or half batches of cookies, bake a few or store the rest of the dough or the baked cookies in the freezer for later consumption.
There is no sense baking up all the cookies in one mass baking session. Unless I eat more than my middle-aged body s should even have to consider, they will go stale waiting to be eaten.
I have learned a few techniques for reducing waste. Several months ago I came home with a few packages of hamburger. We prepackaged them into quarter pound packages for our household of two, both battling the bulge of middle-age.
We still have a few of those packages in the deep freeze. They would have been gone by now if we didn’t have days when one of us comes home from work and says, “I ate a big lunch today. I don’t need supper.”
I’m still not quite used to not fixing food. I am used to whipping up huge meals a couple times a day. I actually enjoy the creativity of cooing and preparing new dishes in the monster-sized casserole dishes, pots and pans overflowing my cupboards. Now, except when I’m cooking to share at work or at church or to stick in the freezer, I fix food in the smallest bowls of a casserole set.
I used to buy lots of groceries for a household of six. Now I buy a couple things and resign myself to wilting vegetables, meat with severe freezer burn and an overflow of dry good in the pantry. Like the five jars of honey and two boxes of granola I found the other day. Fortunately, I found a recipe for honey-oatmeal cookie, baked a couple batches and stuck them in freezer for the next family visit.
The family never got to eat any of them. My husband thawed the cookies out two at a time and at them religiously until they were gone. It was just fine with me. I prefer to see food eaten before it develops freezer buns, wilts or turns into a package of mold.
I used to buy lots of groceries for a household of six. Now I buy a couple things and resign myself to wilting vegetables, meat with severe freezer burn and an overflow of dry goods in the pantry. Like the five jars of honey and two boxes of granola I found the other day. Fortunately, I found a recipe for honey-oatmeal cookies, baked a couple batches and stuck them in the freezer for the next family visit.
The family never got to eat any of them. My husband thawed the cookies out two at a time and ate them religiously until they were gone.
It was just fine with me. I prefer to see food eaten before it develops freezer burn, wilts or turns into a package of mold.


Posted

in

by

Tags: