I am beside myself. We had to toss 2 crates of sweet potatoes  into the compost because they rotted. I have never had this happen all the years I've been growing and storing sweet potatoes. (So--it must have been time).  Those babies were a very important part of my food storage...and I love them. I only grow Beauregards, in my opinion they are the best.  After they are dug up, we always set them out on tables to cure and we did that this year too. I don't know what happened.   Aarrggghhhhhhh...

   This is Day 5 of the Pantry Challenge.  This morning's breakfast was granola, lunch was PB&J sammiches, and for supper I cooked chicken thighs in the electric skillet with Italian dressing. We had leftover Quinoa and peas with it.  It was tasty, satisfying and healthy. I only have about 2/3 of a loaf of bread left. Some skinny bread and a package of everything bagels. When those are gone, I will go into bread baking mode. I like making bread. I like making bagels. It's just so easy to not do it. lol  I had some of my recipes (bagels and crackers and hummus) published last year in Grit magazine. I was pretty puffed up about it for a bit.  I taught a cracker making class as part of a cracker and flat breads workshop too. THAT was fun. I used to make all our bread because it really galls me to pay almost 4 dollars for a loaf of bread at the store, when mine tastes so much better. Then I started shopping at Aldi's and could get a decent loaf of 12 grain bread for under 2 dollars and ...well...But I am excited to get back into baking bread again. It is easy to be excited about it in winter. lol

  Less than a week in, and the pantry is holding it's own. I need to plan some vegetarian meals to sprinkle throughout the week. I would probably do better with a weekly meal plan, but it's hard for me to get that organized.   I gave away a dozen eggs and still have 3.5 dozen.  Sometimes I like to make omelettes for supper, paired with a salad.  Or quiche. Or Trouchia. The hens are doing a good job of producing eggs this winter. Some winters they stop almost entirely.  The weather has been all crazy here this year and that's probably the explanation.  We keep Rhode Island Reds. They are a hearty bird that handles our normally cold midwestern winters well.  They lay gorgeous big brown eggs. And they are pretty user friendly. Well--the hens are. Roosters, not so much. We don't keep a rooster anymore. I lost one too many fights with one and that was that. And the girls seem to be fine without one, so...
  

  It is late (almost 2 AM) and I am tired. Off to bed I go, and will be back tomorrow with updates and a new recipe.   Sweet dreams...