With food prices escalating, like most shoppers, I am spending cautiously. This belt-tightening has reminded me of some advice my mother gave me in my youth. She warned me, even if a “to die for” skirt was on sale, it wasn’t a bargain if we couldn’t find a matching shirt to complete the outfit. Without a top, its fate was to hang all alone in my closet, waiting for a mate.

Years later that sage spending philosophy could be applied to another closet in my home, my overflowing pantry. I realized that I am sitting on a veritable treasure trove not of funds but of food looking for its match to become a meal.

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LOUIE FAVORITE/lfavorite@ajc.com

Give your pantry a spring cleaning and use up some of those bargain items that have been taking up shelf space.

RECIPES:
• Crunchy Vegetable-stuffed Zucchini
• Moroccan Peanut Couscous With Peas
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake
• Spicy Chipotle Beef Tacos

Between products squirreled away from two-for-one promotions, coupon items too good to pass up and warehouse shopping deals, my cupboards are full of staples purchased without specifically intended uses. As new groceries arrive, these bargains get pushed back farther on the shelves, until they disappear into a black hole of unseen ingredients.

This year, I am starting my spring cleaning in the pantry, hoping to make use of the untold number of boxes, cans and jars I’ve ignored for far too long. With a little creativity and back-of-the-box recipes, these staples become found money. Think of it as a fund you’ve been paying into which is paying out tasty dividends.

Shopping tips

When you are seduced by deals too good to be true, go for it, but have a strategy.

Search the Web for recipes that use products already in your cupboard. Boxes of crackers or cereal can be used to coat chicken for a tasty dinner. But don’t stop there, start packing them in you or your kid’s lunchbox sandwiched with peanut butter or cream cheese. Most food manufacturers have Web sites with free recipes.

• If there’s a store special you can’t pass up, look for a match so you don’t have a lone ingredient waiting for a mate. If buying crackers, get a yummy cheese to go with it.

• Finish half boxes of pasta and rice by cooking extra. Use as a side dish one day and turn them into a main course the next day. Leftover cooked rice can be made into fried rice for dinner. Leftover macaroni becomes pasta salad for tomorrow’s lunch.

• Jams and other condiments are great heated to use as a glaze on pork tenderloin.

• Tape a piece of paper on the side of your cupboard to keep a running list of what is coming in so you remember to use it.

• If it’s something you are not going to use, take it to a food bank.