Inherited Food

Three of my neighbors have moved away or left town on extended trips. They have brought over the food left in their refrigerators. Among other things, I have "inherited":

• apples
• frozen fish
• 2 lbs. frozen baby shrimp
• a jar of green olives
• iceberg lettuce
• a bag of rolls

It's hard to keep up with everything in your refrigerator, and often we are left having "overbought". I have a very full pantry and my fridge is just getting under control again, having eaten MANY leftovers recently. Then again, there is a fine line, especially if you have kids. You need to have food ready to make a quick meal when the savages get hungry or when there's an unexpected guest (or six). Summer in Texas means that you NEED popsicles. I think that this is not optional -- I am trying to prevent heat stroke. It's 100 degrees outside (literally). This may explain why I have inherited 3 containers of ice cream and a box of popsicles. :)

I like inheriting food. It's nice to get some extra, unexpected things. I don't complain that they're not organic -- after all, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth. It's much better than throwing the food in the trash, and it has injected a little variety into our diet. The other day, we made milanesa for the first time (it's a breaded meat cutlet -- these were frozen, and you are supposed to fry them in a little oil).

So, don't be shy. If you can't drink up all your milk before you leave town, give it to your neighbor. He/she will probably be happy to take it, and might have been on the way to the store to get milk anyway.