Taking stock

I just did what I should have done months ago when I moved in and barely had room for all my stuff-- I threw out a bunch of expired cans of soup and boxes of tea. I checked dates on the things in my fridge. I organized my fruits and veggies. I actually looked at what I have in my kitchen. I listened to 90's music. (I do that last one a lot.)

It turns out I have a lot of tomato and cream of mushroom soup, and some unopened Saltines. I have a ton of spices. I have a lot of chocolate and I'm not even all that obsessed with chocolate. My refrigerator looks like a scaled-down produce stand. I've got one piece of frozen salmon and no other meat. I have a couple baggies of frozen berries in the freezer, and some frozen veggies. I don't have much to snack on except some baby carrots. My breakfast options consist of two flavors of yogurt, or oatmeal that I keep forgetting I have.

My mind went somewhere familiar after my inventory, to a couple old favorites that remind me of home and either re-heat well or make a single meal. And I either don't have to buy much to make them happen, or only need some cheap, long-lasting ingredients. Neither are super-healthy, but I want to use what I have so I can start anew next time I re-stock. Also, I'm fairly sure they're better than Taco Bell, which I had last night after a really long day at work*. Healthy is relative**.

First idea- tuna casserole. I've got cream of mushroom soup, peas, and saltines. I need egg noodles and tuna. I have an unreasonable love for tuna casserole. When my mom would make it for our family of four, leftovers were rare. My dad taught me to slap a bunch on a slice of buttered bread (we still dream of opening a restaurant that serves tuna casserole sandwiches, or their cousin, spaghetti sandwiches). My tuna casserole is even better (sorry, Mom) because I make it with peas and I get all the leftovers.
Second idea- grilled cheese and tomato soup. I need bread. Ok, this takes no stretch of the imagination, but my Grandma Sargent made this for me all the time when I was little. She wasn't that kind of grandma whose recipes you want to pass on to your kids, because her recipes essentially involved opening a can or a bag and turning on the stove. I blame Grandma Sargent for my life-long affinity for ramen noodles. Another Grandma Sargent classic is Cream of Chicken Soup on Bread. Seriously, grilled cheese and red soup (my brother's name for it) was one of the more complicated things that Grandma fed us.

I'm also going to get some buttermilk. I've got mayonnaise and the aforementioned spices, so I'm going to make some ranch dressing to dip my baby carrots in. I'll probably also get some fruit for breakfast or snacks. And now I shop.


*Cooking is also my job, so sometimes I really, really don't want to cook when I get home, especially after a long day of cooking for hundreds of other people. Fast food and frozen pizza totally have a place in my diet. DON'T JUDGE ME.

**Anecdote- At work, we were getting a new menu item that involved zucchini. Restaurant people tend to take ingredients found in the restaurant kitchen and make them into non-menu items, which is why my manager cut up, battered, and fried a bunch of zucchini to dip in marinara sauce. Most of us were very, very excited to get fried zucchini, but one guy, when offered some, turned it down, saying, "No thanks, I don't really like health food."