Last Spring there was a challenge on Kim O'Donnell's blog that she called "Eating Down the Fridge". Participants were encouraged to try to live for a week or so out of their fridge, cupboards and pantry and avoid shopping at the grocery store. It was really interesting to read what people were creating for their meals.
She's issued the challenge again, and this time I decided to try it. When I told my husband I had officially signed up for the challenge he laughed and asked if she had any idea how much we had in our freezer. It's true. Two people should probably not shop quite so much at Costco!
I'm quite good at stocking up. I'm also good at meal planning. Planning meals from what I have on hand already is where I often will fall short. This challenge will, I hope, help me work more from what I have around the house then from what's at the grocery store.
The official challenge runs from October 3 - October 10 and participants can go for the whole stretch or just a few days. I'm going for the whole thing. However, I do have one cheating advantage. I get a CSA delivery on Wednesday. I'm sure an influx of fresh produce will help a lot. Here we go.
Saturday, October 3
Breakfast:
Banana streusel muffins from the freezer
Scrambled eggs with diced ham, tomatoes and green onions
Lunch:
Quesadillas with homemade salsa, cheese, and leftover flank steak
Sliced honeycrisp apple
Dinner:
Ribs hot off the grill
Sweet potato fries - frozen from Trader Joe's
Steamed cauliflower
The ribs were the highlight of the day. We had pulled them out of the freezer Thursday and after they thawed were rubbed down with the rib rub Friday morning and sat around in the fridge absorbing all that delicious flavor.
My husband is grill man, and early Saturday afternoon he started soaking the wood chips and getting the grill arranged just so. We had the ribs on for just over 3 hours. The last half hour I brushed the top with bbq sauce (heresy, I know, but I like them that way) and when we ate them they were really juicy and tender.
For you, the rib rub recipe. Yes, there are quite a few different spices, but if you are as addicted to Penzey's as we are, I'm sure you have them all in your cupboard.
Rib Rub
This makes a big batch of rub. Store it in a jar so you have it on hand whenever you
get a rib craving. It's also good on pork shoulder for making pulled pork.
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C paprika
2 1/2 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
1 T chili powder
1 1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 T black pepper
3/4 t oregano
1/2 t cumin
1 T salt
Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.
For ribs, sprinkle both sides of the ribs generously with the rub. Pat so that the
rub adheres. Wrap the ribs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8
and up to 24 hours before cooking the ribs.
printable version: rib_rub.pdf
-- marcella
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