Tip or dare: Autumn cooking edition

Okay, so this one is really more of a tip than a dare, although I do highly recommend it.

I am a waster of produce. It is something I am working on, but need to be better. I love making soups and such in the fall, when the weather is turning crisp. Many of the soups I make have celery in them. I have a tendency to buy celery for a recipe, and then I forget about what is left of it and find it later, wilting in the fridge. Last year, I came up with a solution.

Whenever I buy celery, I make sure I get carrots and have onions on hand as well. In my big soup pot, I melt a stick of butter, then add some chopped onions (one or two large onions, depending on your tastes), a few medium to large sized carrots (also chopped up small) and celery. I pretty much use a whole set of celery, cutting the bottoms and tips off. You can also use the leaves if you want, for extra flavor.

I have a small hand cranked food processor, and I use it to chop up the veggies. I got mine when I used to sell Tupperware, but I have seen similar choppers sold as Salsa makers. It works great, and is really quick, it even chops my carrots up into small pieces.

As I said, I use butter for this, but you can also try this with olive oil. I have used olive oil in place of butter for recipes when making them for someone who is vegan, but I have not tried freezing it before, so let me know if you attempt it. I also like to add some basil and parsley to this while it is cooking. Cook and stir over medium heat until the celery and onion start to become translucent. After this, I spoon the mixture into muffin tins, cover them with waxed paper and place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen I pop them out of the tins (sometimes it helps to place the muffin tins in a shallow pan of warm water for a minute to help loosen them) and place them in plastic baggies back in the freezer. When I am ready to make soup or stew, I take two or three out, and put them directly into my pot over medium heat until they are melted. It cuts back on my prep time for making soups and stew, and I also use it as a base for making Chicken Pot Pie. I have four different recipes that I use this as a base for. This has been a great way for me to not be so wasteful, and dinner is ready a lot sooner than if I were to be chopping everything at the start of cooking each meal. What are some ways you cut down on wasting food and cooking time? I dare you to share!