Mama said there'd be days like this.

There are two main ways for the frugal cook to save a buck. These are the stockpile and meal planning methods. Of course, there is a third option of starvation - but this is a FOOD blog so let's not go there, okay?

The stockpile method involves buying hefty amounts of on sale ingredients all at once, so as to have a sort of "grocery store" right in your own home. Meal planning involves making a menu for a specified amount of time, and then shop only according to those needs. I happen to do a mixture of both these - and I will walk y'all through the entire process later this week.

However, even with my meal planning extraordinaire skills, it will happen that I run out of meals for the week. In the present case, it's because I (a) failed to plan that the tomatoes purchased Thursday might not make it to Tuesday (I will only eat very fresh tomatoes) and (b) forgot to get cabbage for the Moroccan Stew. SO, that left me with a hungry husband and no dinner.

Oh dear.

This is when having a firm grasp in the culinary saves the day.

I had some cilantro lime rice, green peppers, and corn on the cob that needed consuming before they went bad. I had some onions, pita pockets, mayo, and cheese that didn't need consumption - but were available for my use. So, I whipped up some quick fajita veggies with some lime juice, cumin, onions, peppers, and salt. I boiled up the corn, and nuked some cheese inside the pitas. Then I stuffed each pita with a teaspoon of mayo, rice, and topped with vegetables. Corn was on the side.

It was wonderful!

The mathematician in me takes great pleasure in creating something out of nothing. It's like a giant puzzle that only I can find the answer to.

What puzzle lives in YOUR pantry?