I save 'em up, I put 'em in my pocket

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Dinner tonight is something that is starting to be a classic of mine: refrigerator soup. It's basically where you take various ingredients in the refrigerator/pantry/kitchen that need to get used up and toss 'em together in a pot, along with whatever else comes to mind. I end up planning a lot of meals around using up things in the fridge, as I don't like wasting food. This one comes in handy when I have a bunch of stuff that needs to be gone, and is particularly good in the cold weather.

Over the years, with lots of practice, I've figured out an approximate balance of what Stuff I like to use. If I have time I like to use my giant crockpot, but a large pot on the stove also works. Here's how it works for us:

• Broth - Usually chicken, because chicken is a frequent meal around here (in part because we are a somewhat meat-heavy household and that is fairly cheap per pound, and also because it's a fairly quick/easy thing to prep. Roast chicken is currently being forced into the boys' dinner prep repertoires). Less frequently, we have ham (although when we have it, we have a lot). The end pieces of any meat generally get turned into broth (and usually frozen into 1/2 cup cubes). Two weeks ago was a poultry mix from T-Day week's leftovers. Tonight's prompting was a large amount of ham broth from a giant ham that I cooked up for a party last week.
  
  
• Meat - This is theoretically totally optional, but in this household of carnivore-leaning omnivores, it just goes over better this way. Leftover chicken or ham is usual, but if we're missing those I particularly like the sharper flavors of sausage or kielbasa, sauteed slightly to caramelize the outside and bring out the flavor. A couple weeks ago I just chopped up a cornish hen that was on sale at the store. Tonight is ham, to go with the broth (and since we have Way Too Much Ham, thanks to recent sales).
  
  
• Tomato - Depending on the type of soup I'm making, I'll frequently toss in some variety of tomato base. This can be uneaten tomatoes from the garden, a can of random diced tomatoes, a can of V-8 (minus salt elsewhere), leftover pasta sauce, or some combination. Pasta is also a common meal around here (another thing we're forcing onto the boys is the ability to take a can of tomato paste, a can of sauce, some herbs/spices, and optionally some meat and turn it into pasta sauce). Homemade sauce doesn't last very long in the fridge before acquiring mold, so it needs to get used up frequently. Can even toss in the leftover pasta, if there is any. There's none in the soup tonight, but it goes in frequently so I figured I should include it in the list.
  
  
• Veggies - For a meat-leaning household, it can occasionally be a challenge to make sure diets are getting what I think are sufficient variety in terms of vegetables. We end up having a lot of salads and have learned to make really tasty ones (along with homemade dressings), so we frequently have things like carrot, celery and onion lying around. Anything leftover from the garden or the farm share that needs to get eaten up can usually go in, like various leaves, roots, and cabbage. If there isn't enough of the above, or if I just think it will go well, I'm also likely to toss in some amount of frozen corn, peas, or beans. Tonight's soup used up the last of the celery and an older bag of potatoes, along with some carrot and plenty of onion (because one can rarely go wrong with plenty of onion)
  
  
• Other - Sometimes the amount of Stuff I've put into the soup is sufficient at this point, but other times I'm aiming for a slightly different flavor or filling or texture. At various times I will include beans, pasta, barley, hominy, or quinoa for interestingness. Tonight, to go with the ham, obviously called for a 15-bean variety bag. Spices go in based on feel, which includes how lazy I'm feeling, as well as what was already included in the above stuff. I like garlic, and homemade broth usually needs some additional salt and pepper (but not much), but sometimes I'll stop there, and other times I'll add in things like celery seed, cumin, paprika, bay leaves, or oregano.

A large (not huge) batch of soup in this house means about 6-8 quarts, which is generally enough for a dinner for all of us, a few lunches for two of us, some snacking for the boys and maybe some small amount frozen for later. Most of the time it turns out totally edible, and if not, well, in another few weeks it'll be time for a different batch!

Totally related: Anybody local who would like to come over for dinner tonight is welcome. :)