You know those days when you come home, look in the fridge, and there's nothing there. Maybe you forgot to stop at the grocery store, maybe your kids/so/spouse/partner finished the last of the roast beef or cleaned out the old moldy chinese in the back. Whatever, there's nothing.

Do you:

1. Skip a meal
2. Go out or order something delivered
3. Make a peanut butter sandwich
4. Get out the staples and make something from scratch
5. Go over to Jerry's apartment

For me, it's 10 miles to the closest restaurant and 5 miles to a store. I look in all the drawers and pantry. Maybe rice and beans. A fast salad if there's lettuce and anything to add. Tuna from the can. Crackers. Dry cereal.

A sandwich. Preferably a mayonnaise sandwich. Two slices of bread, a spoonful of mayo/Miracle Whip.

Not even cheese. Sometimes the simple life is best.

Nothing? Having been on a sailboat with nearly nothing - I can vouch that I've eaten condiments. A couple of shakes of parmesan cheese in the mouth. A squirt of mustard. You name it. Flavor can trick the mind beautifully.

A sandwich. Preferably a mayonnaise sandwich. Two slices of bread, a spoonful of mayo/Miracle Whip.

Not even cheese. Sometimes the simple life is best.
wow.



to answer the question:
i will generally go to someone's house OR order out.

If there is nothing in the fridge and I am truly desperate, I call Chin Chin for extremely mediocre Chinese food which is delivered quickly.

baby food?
:D:D:D

nah, I actually love teddy Peanut butter and it can hold ya over on two slices of 7 or 12 grain toasted bread.

OR, you could take out some tomato paste, grab some cheese--any kind, and toast any breads or buns, and make mini pizzas. You gotta toast the bread though or it gets soggy. Add some oregano and it's a great snack! Costs nothing.

:)MM

Cold cereal.

I usually have two kinds in the kitchen. I can eat cereal any time of the day or night.

Or a Nutella and jam sandwich.

i live in manhattan so this isn't really a problem for me but I'd say that if you have bread in your kitchen you're actually in pretty good shape :)

I almost always have a protein bar laying around, so if the fridge is empty I chow down on a protein bar or two (if really hungry) and end it at that.

Instant noodles; either from the styrofoam bowl, or the packet ones that ya boil in a pot of water.

Chicken broth and noodles for semi-homemade soup. A sprinkle of red pepper and basil for taste.

I'm in London, so this isn't really ever an issue. But there're always various grains,pulses, and spices in the house, so rice/quinoa/couscous/etc and beans/lentils/etc of some sort

i live in manhattan so this isn't really a problem for me but I'd say that if you have bread in your kitchen you're actually in pretty good shape :)

'Tis funny how that very same sentiment was true back in Jesus's time, eh? :D

Of course, according to my very botched version of a psuedo King James Bible, it might be worded more like this:

Yea verily, doth I maketh my home in the city of New York, from which cometh the Mets and the Yankees, 'tis not any great labour of mine to provide for my family the needs of my house because I have bread on my table and I can thusly thank the lord in prayer. As i embibe from the challis and feast heartily of the boar, I have great comfort in knowing that HE will save me and my woman will bear many a child for me to take to... those early June Red Sox games and watch them kick butt on those damn Yankees NEXT TIME at Fenway pahk!
:D

San Dimas High School Football RULES!
:D
Um that last part was from a classic movie.
Leftover Fenway franks are NOT food btw.
:)MM

Toast. Actually, I'll usually eat toast even if there IS other stuff in - just because I'm lazy and its quick.

A couple of years ago I would have eaten out, but slowly but surely all the good takeaways have been either taken over or closed down. There's only one left, and it's too long a walk for those urgent snack attacks.

Cereal, pasta with butter and parmesan cheese (parsely helps), peanut butter sandwich, chopped egg sandwich will all do in a pinch.

All I realize very carby, but good.

Spare freezer in the basement is always stocked with lean cuisine paninis or pizza's. Also can eat peanut butter on toast or cold cereal any time.

Cheerios, and if I don't even have milk then I make oatmeal w water.YummmY!

Since I got married, there is never nothing to eat. It might look like a science experiment, but Mr Canuck doesn't believe in throwing anything out - he just waits for it to get up, open the fridge door from the inside, walk to the window and defenestrate itself.

Chewing gum does the trick for me. That keeps my mind occupied.:)

Ramen noodles. I always have at least one bottle of Trader Joes brand Thai curry sauce in the fridge or on the shelf, and use that instead of the nauseating flavor powder that comes with the noodles. (Had too much of that stuff in college and really don't want to eat any more of it.)

I live in a boring area of Manhattan, so when I'm hungry late at night there often isn't any food place within walking distance still open.

One time I was down to a stale bagel as the last food. It was too hard to eat, so I figured it would soften up a little after a minute in the microwave. Wrong. It burst into flames after a few seconds. The smoke smell lasted for months. :eek:

Since then, I've tried to not run out of food. It's too dangerous. :eek:

I'm in London, so this isn't really ever an issue. But there're always various grains,pulses, and spices in the house, so rice/quinoa/couscous/etc and beans/lentils/etc of some sort

Same here. If I've got canned tomatoes, I have a meal.

I'm more likely to run out of bread (or cheese) than almost any other thing, or find that it's gone mouldy.

I always have tins of canned tomatoes (they cost 13p a tin - about 25cents) and I always have pasta and/or rice. It's very rare that I don't have garlic either or a couple of jars of anchovies.

Emergency dinners (15 minutes prep time)
1: put pasta on the boil with salted water. Meanwhile heat olive oil with chopped garlic (a shallot if you have one) add drained can of plum tomatoes, stir, add a couple of drops of worcestershire sauce, sauce should be ready in 10 minutes just as pasta reaches ready point. Mix sauce with pasta - meantime get bag of 'panko'* from freezer add some oil to the sauce pan and add to oil, cook on high heat until breadcrumbs are browned.
If no pasta, just add sauce to rice (add crushed tin of kidney beans to tomato sauce for more substantial meal to go with rice)

2. Make pasta. Melt a few anchovies with chopped garlic in pan on low heat. Add some crushed chilli and juice of half a lemon and toss through pasta. Use the pan with anchovy to brown panko (add some garlic slices and thyme or rosemary) and sprinkle breadcrumbs on the pasta.



*panko - Japanese breadcrumbs from oriental stores. Once you start using this you'll never look back, crisp and delicate texture, absorbs flavours beautifully. Use it instead of cheese for fish pastas, makes a great alternative to parmesan for other dishes. Once I open a pack I keep it in the freezer - good for fishcakes too.

Also, we tend to stock up with Ramen noodles from Vietnamese stores. UK varieties are accurately described as disgusting.

Cold cereal.


^

When all else fails, it's a bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch or Honey Bunches o' Oats.

(PS - Didn't I start a Cereal Thread?) EDIT - Ah, yes I did: http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=656661&highlight=cereal+thread

If there is nothing in the fridge and I am truly desperate, I call Chin Chin for extremely mediocre Chinese food which is delivered quickly.

YOu should start calling another place! :) No offense, I just hate Chin Chin. Try Mao's Kitchen! or Manderette.

If I am not that hungry, I would just drink some wine and go to bed.

It's all about the bread.:D Or cereal, which is just another form of bread.;)

cook up some eggs and toast (if we have bread)

tortilla with refired beans and cheese

Nachos

It depends on my mood. If I've had a REALLY hard day, I order Chinese. (which sounds particularly yummy tonight....)

On the subject of food-- If you're ever broke and need to survive on very little $$$ until payday, the best resource I've ever found for affordable meals for a family is www.hillbillyhousewife.com. With 3 boys and one always having hospital bills, it has saved us a few times.

P.S. try the fudge and the hot chocolate mix. YUMMMM Oh, and the homemade slurpees too (at under 25 cents a pitcher you cant go wrong!)

Cinnamon Toast.

On the subject of food-- If you're ever broke and need to survive on very little $$$ until payday, the best resource I've ever found for affordable meals for a family is www.hillbillyhousewife.com. With 3 boys and one always having hospital bills, it has saved us a few times.

P.S. try the fudge and the hot chocolate mix. YUMMMM Oh, and the homemade slurpees too (at under 25 cents a pitcher you cant go wrong!)

Thanks for that link, joyfulheart. It really is possible to save a lot if you make everything from scratch. With the recipes I read there, you'd need a high degree of tolerance for big-time flatulence too. :D

Once in college days, I spent all my cash on stupid things and forgot about things like food. I had a bunch of mcdonalds ketchup so I put it into a bowl and added hot water. Added crackers and made "tomato soup". It was pretty bad but it hit the spot.

It was too lazy to go to the bank and there was truly nothing in the our cool "pad".

Never have had that problem since marriage. I love being married.:p

I always have a large sack of rice on hand, so I always have a backup in case everything else has been consumed.

I've also been known to dine on a meal of peanut butter straight from the jar when there were few other choices....it's good actually :)

5. Go over to Jerry's apartment


Who's Jerry? :D

I'd look at all possibilities.. anything available..
I do not think I would skip a meal.

Here's what I normally work with:

-I generally have some form of soup on hand: Ramen, Progresso, or Wolfgang Puck

-I lways have rice, eggs, soy and chili sauce, so a quick fried rice is relatively easy

-I keep a bag of tortillas in the freezer and always have a bag of Kraft shredded mexican cheese, lasts for quite a while in the fridge; instant quesadillas.

-Going off on tortillas, I almost always have a loaf of sliced bread in the freezer as well. Defrost that and add some american cheese (which also lasts for a long time) and a frying man; instant grilled cheese

Worst comes to worst, Jack in the Crack is a block away! yumm...artery clogging disgusting goodness

Who's Jerry? :D

I'd look at all possibilities.. anything available..
I do not think I would skip a meal.

It was a Seinfeld reference, but I have had neighbors on whom I could rely to keep more food in the house than I. Like Taiwaned, I have fewer empty larder issues as a married man. But, as a college student, sometimes there needed to be another choice besides eat around the moldy parts or starve, and good neighbors provided that alternative some days.

One time I was down to a stale bagel as the last food. It was too hard to eat, so I figured it would soften up a little after a minute in the microwave. Wrong. It burst into flames after a few seconds. The smoke smell lasted for months. :eek:

Since then, I've tried to not run out of food. It's too dangerous. :eek:

LOL Bobster, I had a visual and thought I smelled burnt toast while reading that.

I don't use microwaves. Eating out is not an option. I'll boil up a batch of lentils with a few shakes of cumin and a spoon of rice to make soup. It's usually on my weekly menu at some point. Takes days to eat the batch. :(

For me, when there's nothing left in the house it's usually ramen soup or grilled cheese. Hits the spot every time.

There was a time in my life when I was very,very poor.I would have like $5-10 to spend on food for a week.
I made my own pasta,a touch of butter and some herbs from a community garden ,some pepper and a little cheese if it was in the fridge.
Breakfast would be homemade bread-usually dry ,and some oranges that I pilfered off a tree in a yard.
I also would make a large pot of soup,mostly water some gound meat(whatever was cheapest) legumes/potatoes/pasta or rice and whatever I could gather at the community garden in exchange for work.
MFK Fisher wrote a very good story on managing to survive while poor-it was kind of a bible to me during that time.
My life is very different today,for which I give thanks every night.

Cowboy Cake -

slice of bread - add some butter - add some sugar - eat.

it's really good.

It would be almost unheard of for there to be "nothing to eat" at my house because we are all about having "stuff to eat," but if I'm home alone and very lazy, sometimes I will heat up a dish of Ranch Style beans. Yummy!

I live in NY so there is always something open. Worst case I always have pasta, canned tomatoes, rice, garlic, olive oil, tuna, in the cabinet
Either buttered noodles, or pasta with a tomato sauce

Saute sliced onions in olive oil with a clove of crushed garlic Add whatever else is available in your pantry as desired.

bowl of cereal

San Dimas High School Football RULES!

What a most triumphant movie quote, my excellent, excellent friend! :D

on-topic, I go for cereal every time, dry if i really have nothing else in the house. if only i could find the kind of uht milk you get in europe to keep in a cupboard until ready to open. then i would eat nothing but cereal and milk for the rest of my life!

I just had a dry grilled cheese between two bread heels. That was breakfast and lunch. :(

Ramen with an egg and whatever else is in the fridge...

fduvall

There's always Swiss chard in the garden. When I lived in Oz I'd go and catch some yabbies.

What the *bleep* are yabbies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yabby)?! (Thank goodness for Wiki.) :p

Iron Rations for travelers!

As a one time resident of a Navy wardroom, I learned that peanut butter is the irreplaceable food., sticky on the satff of life.

Chain motels with "free" breakfast often have small plastic sealed tubs of PB, and the little packets of jelly/jam. Several time I've had to open for laughing customs agents my zipped survival pack...several small packages of crackers, jam packets, and little tubs of PB (along with a looted plastic knife). I'm ready, whether it be on frozen tundra, barren steppes, steaming tropics or desert, to survive.

For me its usually a quick trip to the nearest grocery store for a pack of ready to eat salad.

What the *bleep* are yabbies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yabby)?! (Thank goodness for Wiki.) :p

And thank goodness for Google.

http://www.thecookinginn.com/pasta.html (recipe to use them when you catch them)

"small freshwater crayfish" per description from another Google site, the link for which wasn't working when I tried it

. . . Oz evidently being somewhere in Australia.

And some of us might have assumed it was in a movie. . . . :p

http://www.thecookinginn.com/pasta.html

6 yabbies = one portion

One yabby tail and some leek mixture will fit into a won ton wrapper?! By the time you clean and shell them, you'll have forgotten about bein' hungry.

flyingsaucer, what was your 'recipe'?