Do You Shop the Weekly Specials?

With newspaper flyer or online flyer, do you shop your favorite supermarket's specials and plan meals around them?  Do you shop several local (gas is still pricey) stores?  If not, you may want to reconsider. 

We're in the enviable position of having new Trader Joe's and Walmart within easy driving distance. The Walmart has an expanded food section, and I'm quite pleased with it.  The salad offerings are fresh;  the Polish ham is cheap; bananas are cheap, too.  Bread at $1.68 a loaf!  When was the last time you saw that price?  Dairy is also good, and I'm crazy about the Triscuit, the Shredded Wheat and Bran and the granola bar prices.  

Walmart doesn't have everything.  Cheese selection is poor.  Not a lot of organics (salad excepted).  You probably won't find radicchio and fennel.  We like Trader Joe's for cheese and dairy, wine, and the odd delicacy or frozen item.  When I asked whether the peppercorns could be removed from the peppermill they came in, the clerk demonstrated  by opening it up that they could.  

What is it with peppercorns?  I have two pepper grinders that I LOVE, and do not, repeat, do not want to buy pepper in a grinder, but that seems to be the latest thing.  I had to return a jar that didn't indicate except in small print that it was only a grinder.  One could not open it.  Phooey!  

Yesterday, we shopped the specials, spent $79.00 and saved $ 29.00.  These savings add up fast.  We don't buy a lot of heavily processed food, so I'm pleased to find avocados, strawberries, pears, pork chops, pasta, orange juice and cheese marked down.  Pizza dough!  Never see that on sale.  Good prices is the dairy aisle always welcome.  Savings on laundry detergent and seltzer.  BTW, I don't like seltzer but other family members do. 

We had a dynamite vegetarian stuffed shells this week.  The shells were stuffed with fennel, radicchio, red onion and ricotta bound with egg.  Somehow, this turned into a meaty concoction that was extremely satisfying and I am not always "satisfied" by vegetarian food.  I bought the pasta, and eggs and the cheese at Walmart, the veggies at Whole Foods, sort of the Yin and the Yang of grocery shopping.  The veggies had to cook forever,  but was the dish ever good and it made enough for 4 meals, which makes it economical even with the trip to Whole Foods.  The recipe came from Food and Wine.  

What are you making for the SuperBowl?  Meatloaf is out traditional  offering with bean dip and chips to nibble during the game.  Maybe Brussels sprouts and baked potatoes as sides.  It has to be something easy to eat in front of the TV, although we can usually time dinner for half time.  Everyone in Boston is bummed that the Pats lost to the Ravens, but whatchagonna do? 

It got so cold this week that I had to haul my ancient sheepskin coat out of the cedar closet.   It must weigh 10 pounds and is as warm as toast.   Patriots fans can be  glad the playoff was last weekend in mild weather rather than this weekend in the freezer compartment.  

Latkes with sour cream and apple sauce make a delicious cheap vegetarian meal

What do you eat on Superbowl Sunday?  Significant Other doesn't like chicken wings, or I would make them.   We have to journey to Stop and Shop because it's impossible to find Bean Dip anywhere else.  Some things just don't make any sense.  

Shop well and you'll save a bundle.  Now that's sensible!  


The Cheeseparer  

Meatless Monday

If you're like me, you view vegetarian recipes askance.  I was pleased to find one for our vegetarian guest at Thanksgiving, and lo, the good 'ol Boston Globe published another one recently.  This was a real winner.  Curried cauliflower and chick peas


It's your starch,  your protein and your veggie all in one spicy package.  I have a very hot Madras curry powder from Penzey's, so I only use 2 teapoons and it's plenty hot.  I had used my fresh ginger up earlier, so I substituted ground ginger and this was also fine.  Nothing tastes better with curry than (get ready) fried bananas.  And nothing is faster.  Allow one banana per person.  Slice in half longitudinally, and in half again if the banana wants to break.  Saute in a skillet in a little butter.  Turn once.  They cook REALLY quickly, and brown up nicely, too.  I also had a small salad, but you may not need to, depending on family preferences. 

We've had a hot appetizer recently that we've enjoyed several times.  Our supermarket sometimes has a BOGO on pork tenderloins.  This uses just one out of the package.  It could also be a main course.  Good for low-carb diets, too.  Not real spicy, but the spice combo is good.   Spanish Pork Skewers  Good for a company meal.  I have a tiny cast iron skillet that I brown the spices in.  I also have (purchased cheaply) a coffee grinder than I reserve for grinding spices.  A mortar and pestle is good for creating the garlic paste.  


Try something new today, either meatless or meaty.  Wake up your taste buds.  Don't forget to enjoy!

Whither the Poblanos?

I bopped into Shaw's Supermarket to pick up the on sale butternut squash, and decided to strafe by the International Foods.  There I found the Verde Sauce, and plucked a can from the shelf.  As expected, no poblanos.  Whither the poblanos, New England?

The curried butternut squash soup was totally 100% delicious, a vegetarian delight for meatless Monday dinner.  Yesterday I assembled my chicken enchilada ingredients.  Opened the Verde sauce and tipped the spoon into it.  Disappointment!  Sort of a metallic taste but not much true flavor.  Awfully thin, too.

Cheeseparer to the rescue.  I broiled my peppers: Anaheim, jalapeno and mystery, and peeled and seeded them.  Tasted the "mystery" pepper which the supermarket guy didn't recognize (New England, again) and didn't not know how hot it was.  It was hot, hot, hot, so I only used half.

Into my trusty Cuisinart went the so-so verde sauce, a big handful of fresh cilanro, the peppers, some  fresh from the garden dried oregano, and a pinch of cummin.  A judicious amount of salt and pepper.  Whirl away.

Tasted my concoction.  Spicy but flavorful, with some resonance, which the canned sauce alone lacked.  The enchiladas had the standard preparation.  Sauce in the bottom of the baking pan.  Stuffed with chicken, Mexican cheeses and a tablspoon of sauce. Rolled and placed in pan, and topped with remaining cheese and sauce.  Ran a little short of cheese and used a bit of Parmesan.  Cooking is an inexact art, except for baking.

Baked the enchiladas covered in foil for 35 minutes.  They were delish.  Served with refried beans from the can, just heated in a skillet, and a salad of tomatoes, lettuce and avocado.  A nice Mexican meal.

 The $4.50 chicken provided 6 main course servings plus a snack(leg) and a lunch (thigh).  I already had everything in the pantry except the green sauce.  Next time, I'll hope Whole Foods has tomatillos, or try MexGrocer.com for canned tomatillos.  Still don't know what that spicy yellow pepper was. Ideas?
Tonight is the rest of the meal, a duplicate of last night's.  Looking forward to it.

Keep a well-stocked pantry of provisions purchased when they are on sale.  Like the  99 cent refried beans and the grated Mexican cheese.  It can be used on other casseroles, too.  You can eat well and frugally.  Avocados and tomatoes were also on sale, as well the lettuce.  Hot peppers are cheap.

Cheeseparing to the max, even without poblanos.