Our fridge was looking a little bleak last month. Continual snowstorms made getting to the grocery store a challenge, and mealtimes got a bit, well, creative, as I tried to scrap together the items on hand to create some semblance of a meal.

It took quite some time to get the car out of its spot to pick up groceries.

Milk, cheese, and yogurt are always in our fridge, which, fortunately, are very forgiving ingredients and form the basis for a delicious meal. Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind when you only have a couple of things on hand:

• Breakfast foods are great anytime. Cereal and milk or this easy pancake recipe makes a great light meal.
• Mix milk, yogurt, and any kind of fruit together as a smoothie. Out of fresh fruit? Applesauce, frozen fruit, or canned fruit work too.
• Add a little milk along with any kind of cheese you have on hand before scrambling eggs. Milk makes the eggs fluffier, and cheese adds delicious flavor and texture.
• Consider substituting ingredients that are similar in texture. For example, I substituted cottage cheese for the ricotta cheese in a makeshift lasagna-style concoction and got great results.
• There’s nothing like a hot chocolate made with milk to boost your spirits!

Now that our snow cave days are (hopefully) over, I am excited to try lots of great new recipes from the Cabot Creamery Co-op Cookbook! Enter today to win a free copy and a one year supply of cheddar. It’s easy to enter, just click on this link: cabotcheese.coop/cookbook. Good luck!