Fridges and Fish Cakes

This is my fridge. Does it look like yours? Is yours covered in artwork, schedules, chore charts, menus, and random magnets? Is it decorated not only on the front, but also on the side? Is it also piled high on top with boxes of crayons, a flashlight, the lighter, and breakfast food that someone in your household has claimed as theirs?

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I'll tell you what...we've sold three homes in three states, and the first thing any realtor says upon walking in my kitchen is: "Good Golly! And clean off that fridge!!"

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But when my fridge is clean and atheistically pleasing, I am a mess. Because, like most homes with kids...the fridge is the central gathering place for my family. I have message boards and white boards and calendars ALL OVER MY HOUSE...but the fridge is still where the core of information for my family is.

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And one of the most important things on my fridge is my menu.

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Every two weeks, I sit down with cookbooks (both on-line and off), and plan out a menu.

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There are some things...usually low-budget, no-frills necessities that make the list every two weeks...things like "Breakfast for Dinner", or "Macaroni N Cheese Casserole". Those get used on nights that are extra busy and I don't want to have to concentrate to cook.

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There are some things that I make to use up an ingredient or item I have that isn't normally a staple...or sometimes, because something is on sale and I buy it and then have to plan a meal around it.

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That probably happens more often than I want to admit.

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And I always throw in a couple things that I've never made before...because I need variety.

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Then I arrange my menu and organize my meals. There are many factors to my method of organization. The obvious ones are things like trying and avoid having 7 straight nights of ground beef in a row. Then there is arranging the easy items for the busiest evenings. And then there is the consideration I give to my husband to make his favorites on nights that he will actually be home for dinner.

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After all that, I print it up and post it on the fridge. It looks something like this:

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(You'll notice that there's A LOT of chicken on this menu. That's because I apparently forgot that I already had a couple bags of chicken breasts in my freezer and then I went and bought MORE. Hey - I may be organized, but I'm not perfect).

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Anyway - while I'm making my menu, I'm also simultaneously making my grocery list. That way I know exactly what to get. I buy almost everything...there are some things, like milk and eggs, that need constant replenishment over a two-week period. And there are others, like asparagus, that I'm not using until Easter Sunday...way at the END of my menu...so I will be waiting until later to maintain optimum freshness. But everything else, I buy.

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I'm only telling you this because it has helped IMMENSELY with the grocery budget to keep a menu and build a list off it. I find I am much less inclined to spur-of-the-moment shopping. I also have less food waste...because it keeps me closely in tune with what is in my fridge and pantry.

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Now I just need to master coupons...

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Tonight, we're making Fish Cakes for dinner. It is a simple dish than I can only make when Jason works because he HATES tuna (yeah - I have more picky-eater issues with the grown-ups than the kids in this house). It has something to do with his family always being really tight and his mom making Tuna Casserole WAY TOO OFTEN.

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Anyway - whether he likes it or not, tuna MUST be made...because it IS cheap, and easy, and for many families (not mine), it is the only fish kids will eat!!

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I like to try new tuna recipes, and I discovered this one about a year or so ago. My kids LOVE crab cakes, and this is just a version with tuna. I got the recipe off http://www.kraftfoods.com/, and they have variations that you can use for ALL KINDS of canned fish...from crab, to salmon, to shrimp. I recommend checking it out.

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To stick with the kid-friendly theme, I'm serving this with carrot sticks and ranch dressing, and a big bowl of strawberries that were INSANELY marked down for quick sale at CostCo. There is no need to double, as the recipe will make 12 cakes.

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FISH CAKES

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1 package Stove Top stuffing mix for chicken

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup mayo

2 cans (6 oz.) tuna, drained, flaked

2 TBS. sweet pickle relish

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded carrots

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1. Mix everything together in a big bowl.

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2. Shape into 12 patties. You can use a hamburger press to make evenly sized patties, but I'm just not that anal. Form your patties tightly into a ball in your hands, and then press flat (ter). Place on a plate and cover. Refrigerate for 1 hour. You can make these in advance and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Another random tip? I find that if I spray the patties on both sides with PAM, they hold their shape and brown more evenly.
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3. Heat a large nonstick skillet. Add a small amount of vegetable oil to heat and fry the patties. Add the patties to the skillet in batches. (This is where a deep-fryer would come in handy. I am wishing VERY hard for Mother's Day...)

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4. Cook 6 minutes or until golden brown on both sides, turning carefully after three minutes. And in case you're wondering why mine are more DARK brown than GOLDEN brown...I had to take care of a skinned knee and got distracted. They are still YUMMY!!!
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courtesy http://www.kraftfoods.com/