You would think after 15 years of being the main grocery shopper/meal provider for the family, I would be somewhat proficient at this job by now. And you would be so very wrong. I can cook well, yes, but shop well? No. Unequivocably no.
It looks easy, when I see other people do it, it looks like something I should be able to accomplish - just write a menu and shop to it, yes? - but I always fail at getting it right. Always. It's the myriad of food possibilities available, I think. They overwhelm me. I get side tracked by the organic dried cherries and forget the toilet paper.
Still, I valiantly made my way to the organic store this morning, clue-less and list-less, but willing to give it a go. The store is not large, and was quite low on fresh produce (perhaps Monday is not the wisest time for a shopping trip) but I managed to get meat for the week, some baking supplies, a bit of fruit, some cheese and milk and butter. So far the total is $224.18 + plus another $26.75 at an on-line specialty store for gelatine leaves and canneloni (yes, yes, over the top expensive for pasta, but have you ever tasted the genuine Italian article? If I knew of a way to write ecstatic food loving noises without sounding like I'm on drugs, now is the time I would do it. )
$99 left in the piggy bank, and a bit of fruit and veg and milk left to buy. Probably also half a dozen other important items that I will forget about until after the last cent is gone. But still, we're looking okay thus far. Now all I need to do is figure out what one actually does with dried cherries...
My splurge is dried cherries every month. :) I use them in fresh green salads with grilled chicken and balsamic dressing. Crumbled goat cheese is a really great addition too. I make cherry scones or muffins. They are my raw snack with almonds and semi sweet chocolate chips too. Oh, and lets not forget cherry dark chocolate chip cookies! Amazing!
And it took me a few months to get used to a cash budget and spend wisely. So don't give up too easily!
Posted by: LeeAnn | June 29, 2009 at 01:31 PM
oh,you did it...and with a bit to spare...now those dried cherries...the good kind,mind you...tart..are divine...if you don't know what to do with them,just grab a handful and eat!!
Posted by: theresa/t does wool | June 29, 2009 at 04:40 PM
I agree that a handful of dried cherries is the nicest snack for too-busy-Mom. They give the exact amount of energy needed for marathon-sewing. :-) I also agree that a MENU is the "death" of food creativity -- it's so much more FUN to be led down aisle after aisle by what's there on the shelves. But $$$. I've had my own agony over the weekly menu/strict list; I tried to tell myself that if restaurants plan, then there must be a way to make it fun and interesting. Still looking.....ha ha!
I'm pretty impressed you got all the nice ingredients with $99 left over! Hey -- by the way, I love the lentil/rice/onion dish you wrote about yesterday. :-) Yum, Yum, Yum!
Posted by: Tanya B. | June 29, 2009 at 06:22 PM
You're doing well... hope craft supplies are separated kosherlike from household expenses - can you even imagine?
Posted by: Kate Bruning | June 29, 2009 at 06:34 PM
Coffee cake{ with cinnamon sugar and dried cherries mixed together seperately} and half of the cake batter put in the pan then sprinkle with the mixture put the other half of the cake mix on top and bake as usual it is delicious. sometimes I even add i cup of chocolate chips to the cherry mixture! wonderful
Posted by: stacey | June 30, 2009 at 04:01 AM
dried cherries are wonderful in a risotto with sausage and wild (or simply excellent) mushrooms... use a nice rich muchroom or beef stock as the liquid. maybe finish with a little asiago/parm. cheese.
Posted by: heather | June 30, 2009 at 05:16 AM
I was going to sympathise with the shopping dilemma but when I got here, to the comments, I was carried away by all the creative ways that your readers use dried cherries... now I really do feel humbled.
Having just dragged another supermarket shop into the kitchen, I wonder why I buy so much for two, how come I can never think of anything interesting to cook despite having cupboards full of food and am determined to do better next time (my weekly pledge!!) Now did I buy some dried cherries...?
Posted by: christine ashby | July 03, 2009 at 11:29 PM
Have you had Green and Black's dark chocolate with dried cherries in it? Ohhh. I found it at an organic shop just the other day, and here I thought you couldn't get it here.
I'm loving the experiment, and cheering you on, even though I'm sort of catching up from the point of view of the finish line...
Posted by: Bev | July 06, 2009 at 11:03 PM