Spring Cleaning

I have been heartily embarking on a mission to clean out my cupboards and freezer of all of the stuff I have been hoarding. An additional plan has been put into action to drain the condiment reserves from my refrigerator before the door falls off. So I haven't done too much exciting cooking lately besides thawing frozen soups, boiling dried beans, emptying cans of vegetables, and putting hot sauce on everything. I did manage to make some pretty tasty "cupboard soup" as I like to call it, made by dumping a bunch of random things into a stockpot and boiling with some herbs and fresh garlic. This batch turned out pretty tasty. And red.

To make this I used:

• One large can of Hy-Vee brand tomato juice
• One can of Sam's Club brand diced tomatoes with juice
• One can of Hy-Vee brand french-cut green beans with liquid
• One can of Hy-Vee brand diced beets with liquid
• One can of Aldi brand sweet peas
• One small can of Aldi brand sliced mushrooms

The reason I am naming names here is because ONE OF THESE CANS WAS FULL OF SAND!! I know that I am a cheapo, and I can I only expect as much from time to time, but seriously. I know that vegetables grow outside, in the dirt, exposed to any potential filth that may be tracked in by animals or whatever. I know that some vegetables are hard to clean due to their delicate nature. I still kind of wish I hadn't haphazardly dumped everything into the pot at once so I knew who peed in the pool, so to speak. Not that I would necessarily complain. I work as a quality control coordinator for a food company, so I know how much it sucks to get a customer complaint. But I expect bottom-shelf canned vegetables to be mushy and rubbery, darn it! Not peppered with crunchy sand! This soup cost under $5 to make and so far I have enjoyed it for 4 meals. And I still have half of it left.