Day 19: A New Game, "Freezer Surprise!" (Tako with Lemon and Salt)

I like to think I am an organized person. Almost everything in my house is assigned its own shelf space and/or its own container. I love my labelmaker but in the kitchen, where food containers are frequently washed, I cut up little pieces of paper to create my own tags and then affix them to the container with a generous amount of scotch tape. I like to know exactly what I have and where it resides. So you can imagine my dismay when I found several packets of foil in my freezer that were not labeled in any way. I had no way of knowing what was inside or how long it had been there (other than to open it, which usually tears the foil and then it has to be re-wrapped with new foil).

This is particularly troubling to me because I own a Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer, which for a warehouse shopper like me, is a godsend and one of my all-time favorite infomercial buys. (I will save describing its features in glorious detail for another day.) Back when I used to buy whatever I wanted in whatever quantities commensurate with the deal at hand (19 or so days ago), coming home and laying out everything and then breaking out the Foodsaver was like Christmas morning, especially for an organization nut like me. So for the life of me, I cannot think of why I would have wrapped food in foil. Perhaps I was short on time? Or maybe I thought it was something I'd eat fairly quickly and therefore did not require labeling?

Whatever the reason, this gives me the opportunity to introduce a new game: "Freezer Surprise!". Today I am going to reach into the freezer and grab a foil-wrapped package and make whatever comes out of it.

Drumroll please....

Ooohhh...Boiled octopus. I may have mentioned once or twice that I like sushi (or kim bop if I'm making it at home). I didn't always like octopus. I remember once, when I was about 6, climbing up onto the kitchen counter and poking around the cabinet, looking for something to eat. I saw a jar with an interesting pink color and nearly fell off the counter when I pulled it out and saw tentacles. It was some kind of raw, marinated octopus. We ate meat and fish but I don't remember ever having had anything with tentacles as a child.

That all changed last year when The Geek convinced me to try tako (octopus sushi) with a slice of lemon and a little salt at the sushi bar and now it is one of my favorite things. The little Asian market behind my house sells all kinds of seafood and I was thrilled to find that they had whole, boiled octopus at the seafood counter. I buy one every few months, cut it up and stick it in my freezer. Since this is a quick, easy lunch, I am sure I put it in there with every intention of eating it within a few days.The picture is from last fall but I'm sure this stash was from a more recent purchase.

Since the kids don't eat octopus and I had the kim bop supplies out anyway, I pulled out the imitation crab with mayo leftover from the other day and made California handrolls for them.

I believe in full disclosure so I have to say, the tako was TERRIBLE! Freezer burn had done its damage and I ended up opening up all the little packets and throwing most of them away. There was some beef that I salvaged but everything else went into the trash. Thus ends the Pantry Shopper's short-lived Freezer Surprise! adventures.

Busy Mom Modifications and Tips

I eat (white) rice everyday and am the only one in the house who does so. My parents make a much healthier brown rice (with beans, YUCK!) and the kids don't eat much Asian food at home in general. I am also a carboholic -  once I start eating rice, pasta, bread, etc. it's very hard to stop until it is all gone. I found the perfect solution in the form of one-cup sized, freezer and microwave-safe plastic containers. When I am running low on rice, I'll make a full pot and then, while it is still steaming hot, portion it into the single serving-sized plasticware and stick it in the freezer. It's important that you freeze it while it is steaming hot. Microwave for two minutes and it will still have that freshly-cooked scent and flavor.

I don't recommend using previously-frozen, microwaved rice if you're making sushi or kim bop for guests. A key step in that preparation is to stir in the vinegar-sugar while the rice is steaming hot and the microwave heats too unevenly. But on days like today, when I need something quick to feed people who are not too finicky about their California rolls, it works. 

My Shopping List

Nothing - I made do with what I had on hand.

The Tally

• The day's tally: $0
• Total this week so far: $25
• Total this month, to date: $ 25