Cleaning out the pantry

That's what we're doing this week. We took a short family trip over the holiday weekend and spent more dinero eating out than we normally do, of course. (Watch for blog post and photos on my other blog.) Between those expenditures and a quick trip to the store for necessities (i.e., my husband's coffee, yoghurt, and English muffins, and my diet drinks, salad greens, and one green apple, plus stuff to grill kabobs that night), we maxed out our weekly grocery money. Not to mention nobody felt like making a list, and this family never grocery shops without a list or it throws Todd into spasms.

So, I told him yesterday I was doing a Clean Out the Pantry Week. This novel idea came up some time ago when I made fun of Todd for going to the grocery story every single Sunday even when the food supplies looked good to me. He is just a creature of habit, and while I dearly love this about him because it keeps the house running, I also take some amusement in it. That day, I bet him I could create meals for at least a week, if not two, with only what we had on hand. And I did. Well, Of course. (Hey, I don't make bets I can't keep; I'm a sore loser!)

A couple of great things about Clean Out the Pantry Week:

First, it's amazing to see how much you really do have on hand and how long you could probably survive without a trip to the store. Second, it's fun to come up with more creative meals than you might otherwise. Normally, Todd and I (heavy on the Todd) make menu plans for the week, he buys the ingredients, and more often than not since I'm at home full-time, I cook, or at least get dinner started and we finish together. BUT (big but), I personally enjoy throwing random things together to make a meal. Okay, not always, but during COTP week, I do, I do! It's so ... freeing. Living on the edge.

Yesterday, I discovered a can of Manwich in the back of the pantry and knew we had frozen hamburger in the garage, so I figured we were all set. We didn't have buns, but who really needs buns? If all else failed, we had a loaf of bread. But ... we also had a leftover loaf of cheesy crusty artisan bread from Monday night. The wheels started turning, and it turns out Sloppy Joes on toasted leftover fufu bread are really tasty. Side of mac 'n cheese, can of green beans, and VOILA: dinner. Not many points for healthy, but I did use lots of colors, and my home ec teacher always liked that.

Tonight, I suspected we would have chicken nuggets, and my intuition was correct. But do you know how delightful chicken nuggets taste on a bed of salad greens garnished with sliced hardboiled eggs, bleu cheese, and crispy wonton strips? (Again, who needs healthy when it's COTP week?) And fruit salad a la our house--fruit cottontail, as Ryan called it when he was little, mandarin oranges, sliced bananas, and mini marshmallows.

Tomorrow is likely to be something with frozen chicken breast as supposedly, there are some of those in the garage. The marinade remains a mystery until the moment of submersion, and side dishes? Pshaw, there are so many waiting to be discovered, I will sleep soundly tonight.

Then it's Friday, and we never cook on Friday, so la-ti-da, I win again!

You see? COTP week 1 is no great sacrifice, and in fact, I think it's kinda fun. I am easily amused. Week 2 could be a bigger challenge if we don't get motivated to make that list.

And ... I'm going somewhere with this, for those of you who are wondering what this has to do with writing. Well, as I'm fond of saying, "In writing, as in life ..."

In writing, as in life, sometimes it's a good idea to do Clean Out the Pantry Week. I've had such an opportunity this week. I came across a flash fiction contest that looked interesting and offers money prizes! Woot! (I've always wanted to use that word. It felt good.) And the deadline is fast approaching. Like, Saturday.

Now, flash fiction isn't as time consuming as, say, a NOVEL, but it isn't just throwing a story of the top off your head either. Flash fiction generally indicates a story with the minimum number of words to get the point across while still making use of imagery, sensory detail, and other writerly devices. Length may vary, but this particular contest calls for 250-500 words. Uh huh, I know what you're saying:

Dearest Julie, you have written more than 500 words in this blog post alone.

Why yes, dear reader, brevity is not my strong suit, I admit freely. I can be brief. It is true, however, that it's more time consuming for me to be brief than to run long.

So, I decided to clean out the pantry.

I keep a file folder with all the writing I've done since I started getting "serious" about this writing thing. Even if it's no more than a blank document with a title, or a page with song lyrics pasted in that I think might inspire a story (which doesn't really qualify as "writing done," but you get the point). I have sub folders, and sub-sub folders, and it's really quite organized. Much more so than my personal areas of the house. Anyway, I have a sub-sub folder for flash fiction. I've written several of these tiny stories over the last few years, and periodically I pull them out and brush them off and tweak their noses, never knowing when I might submit one.

So guess what was in my pantry? A never-before-submitted story I believe is a great fit for this contest. I fiddled with it last night for a while, sent it to a critique friend, fiddled with it a little more today, sent it to another critiquer, and am waiting for more feedback. Before Saturday, it should be ready to go.

And the moral of this story is:

You don't always have to write something brand new when you see a contest or a call for submissions. Sometimes the perfect piece is right there, hiding in the back of your pantry.