Ike Food: part 1

In the face of widespread power outages predicted for tonight, I woke up, called my family to let them know our plans, and put my energy towards creatively using up all the perishable food in our refrigerator and freezer. It has actually been pretty fun - who knew the french fries hiding behind our ice cube maker could be put to such good use? This is my first segment of what I'll call Ike Food, also known as living off our reserves.

We started with brunch. I took stock and found bacon, 4 eggs, frozen french fries (excellent to satiate midnight cravings), 1 red bell pepper, 1 onion, frozen berries, and limes.

The solution: French fry hash with chopped bell pepper and onion, seasoned with smoked hot paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper, and served with a fried egg and lots of homemade hot sauce. We usually do hash with regular potatoes or sweet potatoes, but the frozen french fries (baked, then chopped, then crisped in a skillet on the stove) worked pretty well. The potatoes were smoky and spicy and the peppers lent a touch of sweetness. You know the best part about a hash, right? Breaking the yolk and letting it mix with everything else. Diner food at its best.


Also, since school and work were canceled and we were potentially facing 80mph winds, peripheral tornadoes, falling pine trees, and the possibility of not having coffee tomorrow morning... making frozen margaritas seemed to be as good an idea as any! I make margaritas with equal parts lime juice, good tequila, and triple sec and, this time, I topped off the blender with ice and all of our frozen blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Excessive? Yes. But so delicious.

As long as we have internet access, I'll be posting our food adventures. We still have butternut squash, corn, green beans, sour cream, bacon, tomatoes, cheese, and other items to use up... can we do it??