The Kitchen Declutter and New Orleans

The kitchen is a disaster zone.

I have managed to pare down a few kitchen items. I bid a painful adieu to the apple corer I never used and had a long, drawn out debate over whether I needed two soup ladles. I am proud to report that we are finally a proud single soup ladle household, but it wasn’t easy.

More alarming than kitchen gadgets one will never use are the items in the pantry and freezer.

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What does this have to do with New Orleans you may ask? Plenty. You see, I am determined to go to New Orleans for a weekend in July. I want to feel sweaty and languid and hear great music while sipping on bourbon sours. I think it would be a sultry, wonderful weekend getaway for The Sweetie and I. The thing is, we probably shouldn’t indulge in any sultry getaways. There are taxes to be paid, I want to sign up for a course, the dog needs a few sessions with a trainer. Basically the funds are earmarks for things other than eating po’boy sandwiches and looking at voodoo candles. I should behave like a responsible adult, but screw it, I’m going anyway.

What if I slashed the grocery bill down to almost nothing over the next three weeks and ate my way through the pantry and freezer? I could still buy fresh produce, but there is more than enough in the kitchen to see us through almost a month. Win win right? I could maybe actually see the back of the cupboard and the freezer by the end of the month. The frozen bananas hurling themselves at my toes almost every day would finally stop tormenting me. Your days are numbered evil frozen bananas. Soon you will be smoothies and I will be saving my toes and money at the same time. I could feel smug about my decluttering prowess and have a guilt free trip to New Orleans at the same time.

Hello brown rice and lentil recipes! Hello bourbon sours and beignets! I’m coming for you.