Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the first week of October

Friday
Most of the garden beet roots are a good size for salad, right now. And the greens are usable for a leafy green vegetable. I love that about beets.

• Leftover turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes
• Cucumbers marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano
• Beet salad
• Apple wedges
• Leftover pumpkin cake

Saturday
I was out running errands and winter squash was calling  my name. I was so extremely hungry for butternut squash that I was willing to spend 79 cents per pound, even though I know I could get it in another part of town for about 59 cents per pound.

• More leftover turkey and gravy
• Brown rice
• Butternut squash
• Apple wedges

Sunday
I was pulling apart the turkey, after it simmered all afternoon, while deciding on dinner. Turkey soup of some sort was a natural. I had some canned green beans and tomatoes, plus onions, garlic, pasta, cooked beans and herbs to add to the turkey and stock. In addition to the pot of soup for supper, I froze enough turkey and stock for several more meals. The garlic bread was half of a loaf of French bread, split and spread with some take-out garlic spread from this summer's freebie pizza. And the applesauce was made the night before, with some shriveling apples. Some of the earlier picked apples are now going soft, so I'll be making lots of applesauce over the next couple of weeks.

• Turkey minestrone
• Garlic bread
• Applesauce

Monday
I got another deal on ground beef last week, 10 lbs for $18.80. With some of it, I decided to make a huge pot of chili, to last for a few evenings.

• Big pot chili
• Apple wedges
• Fresh-baked whole wheat bread

Tuesday
I bought unfiltered apple cider at the store today. I was feeling very autumnal and wanting hot, spiced apple cider. I knew my family would love it, too. Here, in Washington state, we're awfully proud of our apples.

• More chili
• Corn tortillas with melted cheese
• Spiced apple cider

Wednesday
I am loving my new cooking style. I have so much more time for other things, and I can pace myself and my energy better for the afternoon. I think I'll make a batch of banana bread.

• More chili
• Banana bread
• Tomato and cucumber salad

Thursday
I have to actually make a full dinner, tonight. It's Thursday morning, and I'm brainstorming what might sound good, be easy, can be done ahead, and is re-heatable by those in the family who come home late. Preferably an egg-based entree. I think I'll do an oven-baked frittata. Those don't require as much watching, and reheat well enough. We're running over with ripe tomatoes this week. I eat them for lunch everyday, and then add a few to dinner some nights, too.

• Tomato and onion frittata
• Butternut squash
• Oven-roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic
• Applesauce

Thoughts about the week -- I made so much chili that I had to freeze 2 night's worth. I completely overestimated how much we could eat. But that's a good problem.

When I went shopping on Tuesday, I was pulled towards the autumnal foods, like butternut squash, apple cider, pumpkin, and nuts. It all sounded so comforting, the squash, especially. I bought 3 butternut squash on Tuesday, to use in the next couple of weeks. I'm eating the leftover squash in my lunches, daily. My appetite disappeared during the summer. but it seems to be back, and is letting itself be known! 

What was on your menu this past week? Anything particularly autumnal?

Have a wonderful weekend! Those of you in Canada -- Happy Thanksgiving!

Squirrel behavior -- storing my nuts for winter and beyond

10 lbs of whole almonds squirreled away for winter

I find the best deals on raw nuts for use in baking, in fall. Because prices are rock-bottom cheap for me, on our favorite baking nuts this time of year, I stock up and buy as close to a year-supply as I can afford.

Last fall, I bought about 3 pounds of pecans, whole and pieces. Some were intended for fall and winter baking, but some were saved for spring, summer, and now early-fall baking.

Nuts are high in oils, which makes them healthy, but also shortens their shelf life, due to potential rancidity.

Once nuts are exposed to air, the clock begins ticking down. This means that if you buy packages in the baking aisle, then when you open the package, their exposure to air begins. But also, keep in mind, that if you buy your nuts from bulk bins, that they have been exposed to air even sooner than your purchase. (If buying from bulk bins for stocking up purposes, choose a store who has rapid turnover in their stock.)

In general, the "expiration" date for nuts is really a "best-by" date. It's more about quality, and less about actual safety, within reason. Nuts that have been kept long past the best-by date could be rancid (taste bad) or contain potential carcinogenic or inflammatory compounds. But nuts that are one or two months past their sell-by date, if kept in a cool, dark spot, can be "safe" to eat. They may have lost some vitamin content, though.

Just a note -- with any fat-containing food, whether it be nuts or the oils, themselves, the fats can go rancid. Most western consumers are no longer accustomed to doing the sniff test for safety of their foods. We're used to packages having labels to tell us if they're "good" or not. Our dairy products are dated, our canned goods are dated, even soda pop has a date on it. And that's what we've been relying on to tell us if something is still "good". If when you sniff a package of nuts or a bottle of oil and you detect a faint paint-like smell, that's a sign of rancidity and you should throw it out. The nuts won't be pleasant to eat, and could have long-term health consequences, even if they don't give you a tummy ache.


You can prolong the good-to-eat life of your nuts with proper storage.

• keep only the nuts you intend to eat within the next month or two, at room temperature
• keep remaining nuts either in the fridge or in the freezer

Different nuts keep longer or shorter, depending on variety and how you keep them. (Information gathered from eatbydate.com) Starting from the longest shelf-life and working down to the shortest:

• almonds have the longest lifespan of common nuts, lasting to 9-12 months past sell-by date in the pantry, up to a year in the fridge and 2 years in the freezer
• cashews, macadamias and peanuts keep for 6 to 9 months past sell-by date in the pantry, up to a year in the fridge and up to 2 years in the freezer
• Brazil nuts, up to 9 months in the pantry, 1 year in the fridge, but only 1 year in the freezer
• pecans and walnuts, up to 6 months in the pantry past the sell-by date, 1 year in the fridge and 1 to 2 years in the freezer
• hazelnuts keep just 4 to 6 months in the pantry, and just 1 year in either the fridge or the freezer
• pine nuts have one of the shortest lifespans, at just 1 to 2 months in the pantry, and 3 to 4 months in the fridge and 5 to 6 months in the freezer

It's interesting, but some nuts don't seem to gain that much of a benefit by freezing as others. A curiosity.

I also stock up on seeds, for snacking and baking, so I've also added the 4 most common seeds used in cooking/baking.

• sunflower seeds will keep 2 to 4 months past the sell-by date in the pantry and 1 year in the fridge or freezer
• sesame seeds will keep 6 months to 1 year in the pantry and about 1 year in the fridge or freezer
• flax seeds, whole, 6 to 12 months in the pantry and 1 year in the fridge or freezer
• flax seed meal, 1 week after a package has been opened, and kept in the pantry, and 1 to 2 months after opening, in the fridge or freezer
• chia seeds, whole, 2 years in the pantry, 4 years in the fridge or freezer
• chia seed meal, 2 to 4 weeks in the pantry, 1 to 2 years in the fridge or freezer
• chia gel, 2 hours at room temp, 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge or freezer

For the most part, I only do a large stock-up on almonds, pecans and walnuts. I can find great prices on sunflower seeds, year round. And I buy peanuts in cans, when on sale near the fall/winter holidays.

So, I just need to mentally keep track of the information for the almonds, pecans and walnuts. Almonds seem to keep little longer than pecans and walnuts in the pantry (9 months vs 6 months), and all 3 keep for up to 2 years in the freezer. That's easy info to keep track of, for me.

Once a commercially-sealed package of nuts is opened, nuts can deteriorate more rapidly, potentially shortening their good-to-eat life by a couple of months in the pantry. If you have space in your freezer, once you open a package it's just simplest and best to store the remainders in the freezer.

I consider nuts bought from a bulk bin to be an "open package", and I start my countdown based on about 1 month past purchase, as my sell-by date.

To store in the freezer, I use zip lock bags. I double bag the nuts, seal shut and toss in my freezer. Easy peasy. To use, I get out just the amount needed at one time, then reseal and put back in the freezer.

Squirrel behavior in a nutshell (ha ha, couldn't resist).

This past Tuesday, I found whole, raw almonds on sale at Fred Meyer, using my 10% Senior Discount, for $5.39/lb. I bought about 10 lbs at that price. I immediately froze about 8 lbs for future use. I also bought a little over 2 pounds of raw walnut halves, at the same price, and most of those also went into the freezer. Next month, I hope to find pecans at their annual low price.