A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD

December 4, 2025

Jason Bonnicksen

A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD

365 DAYS OF THANKSLIVING — DAY 4

Country friend steak, mashed taters, country-gravy—it’s a heart attack waiting to happen. But oh man, it’s oh-so-good! It’s also been on the brain, I can’t lie.

Thaw the cubed steaks, create the dredge, and prep the wet mixture of eggs and milk. Cast iron is a must; nothing beats it. Heat the pan to medium-high heat — almost to a smoke — then add the lard.

YUP, you heard right. LARD. Nothing else will do. If you’re gonna rock the comfort food, you might as well crank it to eleven. (You’ll thank me later, LOL).

Dredge. Dunk. Dredge again. Fry. Flip. Fry and dry. Repeat and keep warm in a 175° oven. Meanwhile, those russets you peeled, bring em to a boil in saltwater, then turn off the heat and let thermodynamics take its toll.

Twenty minutes later, drain your taters, and generously combine with butter (the real deal), cream, a bit of parmesan — and yes sir, you’ve got heaven on a plate. But wait. Your meal isn’t complete; You CANNOT forget the gravy.

Those leftover num-nums in the bottom of the pan? With those, make yourself a roux, brown and slowly add milk. Taste before you serve – a few generous cranks on the peppermill will take it to a new level. Let the blonde bubbly goodness simmer for a bit then POUR over your taters and steak. And, if you want to make yourself feel better, throw a scoop of green beans on your platter. It’ll make the lie you tell yourself sound better; it’s okay to believe you’re eating healthily. Enter the scene a choir of angels singing over your table, as you observe your dog’s jowls turn into fountains of drool.

Pause….       

Aww…. if only I had taken out the steaks. Why did I forget to thaw the steaks? Sadly, I left them in the deep-freeze (along with the rest of the zombie-apocalypse reserves). In all seriousness, while this meal has been on my brain, I’ve been blessed with a feast of leftovers that needed to be cleared from the fridge.

As the temps sank below zero, I figured it’d be easiest to feast on the leftovers taking up valuable space. Yesterday’s included wild rice soup with chicken, and the remainder of the Italian meatballs from the evening before. No fuss. Just reheat and eat. Bing. Bang. Done.

I am thankful to have a fridge full of food. It’s a blessing in so many ways; and a gift for which I’m grateful.

Five years ago, my family and I went through a rough patch. Many of us did. The Plandemic did a number on us all. But not many of us started a business just months before.

In January 2020, I forged Reframe Creative, a digital design agency. But then, C19 hit and my pipeline went dry. I couldn’t file for the government’s COVID relief, which left only my wife’s income to pay the bills.

$500 a week didn’t go far, especially with teenagers, a mortgage, car payment and the like. For about a month, the groceries thinned, until one week, all that was left was a box of quinoa, a cup of rice, and a few scraps in the fridge. We made do with what we had and never complained.

Through it all, we thanked God for the roof over our heads, the food on our table, my wife’s income, and the promises God had kept. About that, St. Paul wrote:

“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content”

1 Timothy 6:6–8, ESV

Contentment is a byproduct of gratitude — an attitude of thanksliving.

To this day, I remain thankful for a fridge full of food, including the leftovers. Yesterday, I thought it was best to eat them up before indulging in that dreamy country fried steak. And while that heavenly redneck meal is still on the brain, it’s gonna have to wait another day till our colds subside. Why indulge if you can’t taste in all its heavenly goodness, after all?

“Heavenly Father, thank you for our daily bread: the food in our fridges and the reserves in the deep-freeze. Bless those who are struggling, miraculously providing as you provided for us. Amen.”

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