As The Food Turns

I'm still here! My husband had the nerve to use the computer for an InstantWatch from Netflix yesterday evening; so when I waltzed in at 9:30 from my yoga class, expecting people to be snug abed so that I could blog in peace, I was greeted by the sight of all the boys in the family gathered 'round the screen watching Apollo 13. I went to bed in a huff.

Because I am mature like that...

And now, it's fridge day! You know what bothers me? I mean, besides temps in the 80's in October? It bothers me that if I didn't have this half-a**ed obligation to empty out my fridge on Wednesdays, all the items you are about to see would probably have remained in there until the night before my sister-in-law's impending visit. At which point there would have been an extremely frantic fridge-cleansing episode.

In other words, I will show perfect strangers my expired(?) sauerkraut, but not Auntie Kate. That doesn't seem right to me.

So here are this week's contestants in the Fridge Follies. I would like to start on the left [edited to add: the "left," meaning the right - I am spatially challenged], with the stack of glass storage containers. These are not Pyrex, but Martha Stewart Living brand from KMart. Do not buy these! The lids develop tears in them. They are, in a word, cheap. Go for the Pyrex; you won't regret it.

Whew! Got that off my chest! On the bottom is leftover pot roast. I know it is time to discard this because we are having a newer pot roast tonight. I have no idea when it was made. Atop the potroast are some green beans. Again, provenance unknown. The little container on top has scrambled eggs from Monday.

Wait - it's only Wednesday. I'm putting those eggs back in the fridge. But I'll bet all my comments that you will see them here next week.

Yet more dregs of hummus have center stage this week. They are accompanied by some forgotten-and-left-to-rot baby carrots and a very yucky-looking jalapeno pepper (from our salsa-making days). Actually, you can't see the pepper in this photo. You'll just have to trust me - it's there.

Behind the hummus are all-but-empty bottles that do not have to be cleaned or otherwise taken care of if they are left in the refrigerator. The Newman's Own has been kicking around in there for about a year; my tossing it now is a ceremonial nod in memory of its maker, who has just recently gone to meet his Maker. RIP, Mr. Newman. I have no idea where the apple juice came from. There must be a little trap door in the bottom of the refrigerator that things pop up through.


Moving on...on the far left is a jar of sauerkraut. I am guessing we opened this back in April on Brian's birthday. I dug it out this afternoon and sniffed it to see if it had gone bad. But, it's sauerkraut. Sauerkraut always smells as though it has gone bad, doesn't it? So how do I know if this stuff is safe or not? Any advice out there?

Next to the sauerkraut of dubious quality is a container of leftover cinnamon-raisin oatmeal that I forgot to foist upon my starving children; and, on top of that, an old friend: dried-out dill weed that first made its appearance in this feature several weeks ago. I crumbled a bit of it into a potato salad a while back; but now it is, quite frankly, leaving me uninspired. Good-bye, my friend, and godspeed!


There is a huge canning kettle pictured behind the leftovers, because I finally (after 2 days) managed to can my applesauce. Tell me, when you look at this picture to the right - do you see healthy home-canned goodness stored up for winter? Or do you, like me, see cases of botulism waiting to happen? Just wondering...