Freezer Finds and Frozen Fossils

I went looking in our "big" freezer for a place to put a small casserole of baked spaghetti leftover from dinner.  On the lid I put the name and date. Much to my surprise there were eight million pints of ice cream in the way!

We live in a downstairs condo, all on one level. Our giant upright freezer is right there in the dining area. The outside is covered with family photos, kids’ artwork, souvenir magnets, and little magnetic words. Open the door and there’s a whole other family history. Apparently, in 2018, somebody thought we’d be having calamari.

The waffles are only four years old. I owe them an apology for calling them ancient. Then there are the “all fruit” popsicles. I’m sure the words all fruit made buying them feel like a sensible decision. How many times did we make that sensible decision? Judging by the freezer door, quite a few.

I think my problem is that putting something in the freezer feels like taking care of it. Leftover ham? Saved! An extra loaf of bread? Two rotisserie chicken carcasses? How thrifty of me! Then I shut the door, forget what I saved, and go to the store to buy something for dinner.

So while the family is away for a few days before Thanksgiving, I’m going in. I’ve taken the before pictures, which is the easiest part of any project and gives me a surprising sense of accomplishment. The plan is to make one bin marked EAT ME FIRST and put it where I can see it. I know myself well enough to put it at eye level. Anything below my knees is already halfway to 2035.

I’ve already found one thing I’m glad I saved. The Honey Baked ham bits are going in Tuesday’s potato soup. Everyone can add their own ham, cheddar, bacon, or broccoli. There’s something satisfying about getting an actual dinner out of a freezer cleanup, especially when I haven’t technically started the cleanup.

As for the pizza and calamari, I think they’ve spent enough Thanksgivings with us.
My hope is to clean up the outside of the door so I can post a list of what’s actually in there. Kate is great about inputting one or two ingredients on hand in her phone and make a recipe appear. I can stand in front of an entire freezer and think we have nothing for dinner. Maybe if I hand her a list, she can tell me what we’re having on Thursday. 

I’m leaving the 2018 pizza off the list. She’s good, but there’s no need to test her.

It's good to have a project ...