Everything on the kitchen sink.

Spring cleaning. The fridge hadn't been touched in so long. But look at it now. Sigh! I'm so proud.

I was on the phone twice while doing this and I can't remember who I was talking to who said that she is secretly hoping her freezer breaks so it will force her to clean it out and just start over. I could sympathize. There were things in there that had expired in August 2005. It takes an unnatural disaster or some serious motivation for me to make a fridge clean-out happen, apparently — why on earth would one do it unless forced??? This stuff didn't all get thrown out, don't worry! But it all had to come out before we could see what it was. We'd just kept pushing things backwards into the unit's chilly depths until nothing else fit. Doing a full-on clean-out is like embarking on an archaeological dig. As you go back, the layers of evidence get older and older, like a fossil record of our good culinary intentions, unrealized.

Spring-cleaning fever, I guess. It really wasn't that bad, actually. And we got some nice chicken soup out of it, once we discovered we actually had carrots, etc.

Comments

[diana alexander]

Yum the soup pot looks so yummy. Makes me want to go make Leek soup. Have a great weekend Alicia.
Diana

[pam]

Makes me want to buy a new fridge and same myself some time!

[Colleen]

I LOVE cleaning out my fridge! Am I strange? Don't answer that. And I hate cleaning most everything else. Anyhoo. Looks awesome. Good on ya. x.

[Teresa Sheeley]

Everything looks clean!! I need to do my frig too. Thanks for giving me some inspiration to do so :)

Teresa

[kathie]

My goodness, your story could be mine! I have the best baby sitter who instead of shaming me for my poor housewifery skills she acts as though perfectly normal to have no fewer than three refrigerator based science experiements going at one time. I suppose my attempts to persuade her I'm really an undercover genius scientist have worked...love your site. Came here from Jaye's blahg.

[ellen kelley]

I,m with you on this one. We have two "friges" and the one in the laundry room is probably ready to walk out on its own. I think it's an odious job, but somebody's got to do it. Now if I can just find that person.

[Darlene]

I to have a thing about the frig, however i feel so good when it is clean, like i ought to be getting some kind of national medal. You've inspired me to do it today. While I'm talking to you, have you ever thought about launching a plot to reduce the use of plastic bags to do marketing by showing us some great bags we could make out of cloth, that would look good and be used to go to the store with. thank you

[Darlene]

I to have a thing about the frig, however i feel so good when it is clean, like i ought to be getting some kind of national medal. You've inspired me to do it today. While I'm talking to you, have you ever thought about launching a plot to reduce the use of plastic bags to do marketing by showing us some great bags we could make out of cloth, that would look good and be used to go to the store with. thank you

[neihgbor em]

i think i have the same refridgerator as you! you did such a thourough job- i noticed that you even wiped down the bottles in the door. i love the feeling after cleaning something that it's new again- you know what i mean? i often satisfy my need for something new by cleaning something i already have, it also gives me a certain pride of ownership. thanks for the motivation

[Mim Stella]

I love cleaning the fridge also, and the pantry. Makes me feel like I have at least completed something.
Your posts have inspired me to take out my crochet work and complete a blanket that I started way back in the 80's! I don't know if I have the pattern, but am going to wing it - and will block which I never did before. Wish me luck.

[tricia Welch]

A couple of years ago we were hit by hurricanes and lost power for three weeks. It was so freeing to throw away everything in the refrigerater and freezer and start anew. Sometimes, but only briefly, I wish I could do that with everything in my house.
Happy Spring!

[Julie]

Ya, it's a nasty chore! What I do when I've completed the task is to open the fridge several times to admire it over the following days! I do the same after organizing kitchen cupboards. The end result is so worth the effort!

I think I see a Little Red Riding Hood cookie jar in the background that looks so adorable!

[Happy Zombie]

A true Oregon fridge... Tillamook butter, Beaver horseradish... Looks like mine, but yours is clean!

Congrats! I wish I had your motivation.

[ellen kelley]

I'm back...I hadn't noticed the cookie jar but just posted a picture of mine the other day on my blog. I love her! They look exactly the same. Go Little Red!

[abbey]

Adding my name to the list of those who love a clean fridge. It makes me feel as though if died the next day I would be remembered well. "Oh, she kept a clean home. Did you see her fridge?"

[KT]

You have both kinds of Rooster Sauce! Yay! I eat them on everything! Espcially good on toast with peanut butter. Sounds awful and it is delish!

[Posey]

On top of the cabinet in the first photo is a little jar with a face...too cute! I love faces on things.

[Vanessa]

Oh, isn't it funny. The fridge has a beige tinge a bit of dinge.. then you clean it and it gets happy, smiling bright white and sparkly??? I adore a clean fridge..Nothin like chicken soup on a saturday! Okay, your pics are way outta control. They are commercial quality....What camera are you using? Besides the takers good shots (hee) they are so crisp!!! WOW!

[Kristy]

I must live in a house of gannets because seriously nothing stays in there long enough to be out of date!Cleaning fridges is one of those 'why did I leave it so long as it looks so good' jobs isn't it?!

[Kati]

Congrats on achieving so much!!!!! LOL I have a hard time even getting my SINK cleaned out, much less my fridge. DH and I were just discussing the other day how our freezer is past due for a thaw-out again.

Hope the soup tasted as good as it looks!

[quenna]

I only clean my frig if something spills in there :)

Yummy soup!

[Dana]

Oh, I hate to clean the fridge! It is my least favorite job of all. Unfortunately, once it starts getting bad it begins to gnaw away at the back of my mind, and no matter what I do in the rest of the house, it doesn't seem clean until I clean the fridge as well. Its like an evil spirit in a box, haunting my days and nights. Maybe its the build-up of all the expired food. Anyway, you are an inspiration. Good job and good soup!

[kylie d]

When I was pregnant with my boy (5 yo) My main nesting activity (read obsession..) was cleaning out the fridge. I mean I HAD to do it at least every week or so.Pull out everything and scrub it clean. It was soooo weird.I knew it didnt need to be done, But the urge was so strong. But it went away gradually and never returned. Now I HATE cleaning out the fridge. Such an effort! So well done!!

[tiffany]

AAAAaaaaaaaaah! Fresh and clean! Remember when you cleaned out the little pantry room and painted it that pretty blue. I loved that post! It turned out so pretty!

[suzanne b.]

That is one of the best feelings, a clean fridge. :)

We had a several-day power outage last summer, and lost everything in both fridge and freezer. It was cathartic, I tell ya, to start over. Truly liberating. I made sure all my new condiments were pretty.