Sunday, September 25, 2011

Less is More

The school year has finally begun, accompanied by cooling temperatures and early-evening darkness. I for one am excited about these changes. I am more than happy to make like my grandma and put on my warm slippers, make a cup of tea, curl up with a good Agatha Christie and enjoy the relative gloominess outside (when it's especially dreary I like to pretend I'm in England).

In terms of cooking for fall, I am most excited about soups. Simple hearty vegetable-and-bean soups. Boring? I prefer reliable. Delicious and warming? Mmmhmm. But before I get to those, I have set my heart on a little transitional changing-of-the-seasons pantry clean-out.
I am hoping to not go grocery shopping, other than for milk, for the next week or two, in an attempt to use up as much of the ingredients that I have accumulated (stockpiled might be a better word). It is difficult to stock a pantry, especially nowadays, with everyday cooking spanning the globe. My cabinets are overflowing with indian spices, vinegars (asian, wines, cider), oils, flours (all purpose, corn, buckwheat), grains, canned goods, and small quantities of an endless variety of goodies. It's stressing me out. (ie. OH MY GOD I FORGOT ALL ABOUT THE BUCKWHEAT GROATS I BOUGHT A YEAR AGO TO MAKE CREPES.) It's now or never little buddies. And I haaaate wasting ingredients so it will be now. Hopefully I can use up as much of the extraneous items I have hidden in the nooks and crannies of my tiny kitchen cabinets.

My goal is to end up with a little more of a streamlined collection of ingredients. A little simpler, a little more focused. Out with the old. In with less (and better quality) new? At the very least I will get rid of some of the clutter.

No comments:

Post a Comment