When Food Goes Bad

by Kami Cornwall

Do you know how when you get home from your holiday travels and open your refrigerator you scream and slam the door before you are held hostage by the "leftovers gone bad?" In our house we do what we call "food police" in order to rid the refrigerator crime-world of those truly heinous disasters. The worst offender this year was heavy cream. I had to shake it out of the container. It looked more like yogurt than cream. The egg nog was almost as bad. He was ready to join the gang.

All of the vegetables had sat around on their rocking chairs talking about the weather until they were wrinkled and grey. I had to put them out of their misery. And the ranch dip? It filed for a separation and ended up going down the drain. The Salisbury Steak was suspect and definitely had to go.

Now we're equipped with fresh salad, fruits, whole grains, and lean meats. I'm excited to get back into the swing of things (though the occasional need for a cinnamon roll may be called for.) The worst part? I hate to throw away the goodie plates people gave us...but there's too much!

How is your kitchen counter looking? Did you keep all of the cards and photos? What do you do with them?