After several weeks of digging deep into the freezer and pantry to plan meals, it’s time to admit that we are nearly out of staples. (Except for flour. Plenty of that.) It’s been good to empty the freezer and pantry and know that we’re not wasting food or storing things that are past their prime. So February is going to be the Month of Restocking the Pantry. I am weirdly excited by the idea of making a list of staples, stocking up, and then organizing and inventorying the goods. Doesn’t that sound fun?

This week I’m working with the last few items in the freezer…a couple of Christmas duck carcasses, tofu, edamame, and the little post-Christmas sale turkey that the Hub roasted yesterday. A few pantry items: spaghetti, rice, barley. But after that, we’re kind of out of everything, unless we plan to survive on condiments and liquor. Probably not the breakfast of champions.

It feels good to start fresh.

Monday: Turkey dinner leftovers (yum!)

Tuesday: Duck and Barley Soup (this going to be an experiment), tomato salad

Wednesday: Turkey Tetrazzini, carrots

Thursday: Tofu Stir-Fry with Pork, rice, edamame

Friday: Penne with Vodka Sauce, green salad

If you had a completely empty pantry, what would you buy first?