Shopping for One: Tips & Tricks

I got a little bit ahead of myself with today's earlier post...

Cooking for me is therapeutic - a chance to exercise my obsessive nature (if I choose) to make perfect cuts, plan out to the last detail, and be in complete control of what I get to enjoy for a meal.

It seriously hurts in my gut to hear friends and family talk about their dining routines. My brother is notorious for running up a $300 food bill and throwing $40-$50 out from food going bad. Friends talk about not enjoying dinner because there's nothing exciting about what they cook, they don't know how to cook or don't know how to shop. And there's a boyfriend that will actually skip meals - I'm talking like eating once in two days - because going grocery shopping and prepping a meal is too overwhelming. GAH!

I'm a 40-hour/week + 7-hour part-time student so give me a little slack, but what I'd like to do is give a little help to all you single folks from a few things I've learned in the last few years...

NUMBER 1: The absolute most important rule of this whole thing: PLANNING. Fortunately, if you're reading this, I'm hoping to make that easier. But seriously, figuring out what you want to eat and knowing what you have to get for that and then shopping with a list will make your life infinitely easier.

NUMBER 2: Think bulk. I'm not really saying Costco or Sam's Club here, but try exploring new recipes with novel ingredients without breaking the budget by using the bulk aisle. We have HEB and Sprouts stores (not to mention Whole Foods or Central Market) with everything from spices to grains to nuts and dried fruit that is an incredible help to someone shopping for one. Half a teaspoon of ground cloves? No problem, it will run you a grand total of $.02 and you'll not have to toss a mostly-full container away in 3 years when you clean out the pantry.

NUMBER 3: We've got our favorites but shop seasonal. Shopping frequently (think once/week or more often) lets you take advantage of foods on sale and in season. It keeps you from tossing out half your grocery bill too, because, mostly anything you buy will stay fresh for a week in the fridge. So don't toss the cluster of papers when they come in on Wednesday, sit down and see what's a good deal and start thinking about how you can use that. If you've got the budget, farmers markets are a great option as well. As you start cooking healthier, flavorful seasonal food you'll probably experience some new ingredients that you didn't know could be so delicious which will get you more excited about keeping up this lifestyle choice.

Good luck!

http://gotexan.org/Portals/1/doc/pdf/publications/produce_avail_050310.pdf

Weekly Shopping List: Summer Produce and Grilling

In grocery stores this week we've got great deals on peppers, peaches, onions ($.50/lb!), broccoli, and mahi mahi fillets so I'm maximizing on those deals and doing most of my cooking NOT in the oven or stovetop since we've got temps in the hundreds this week.

SUMMER PRODUCE & GRILLING

Produce:

lemons (1)

fresh bay leaves (2 leaves)

fresh rosemary (2 sprigs)

parsley (1 bunch)

garlic cloves (1 head)

broccoli (1 head)

cherry or grape tomatoes (1 pint)

red onion (2)

peach or nectarine (1)

choice of red/yellow/orange/green bell pepper (1)

Bulk:

¼ tsp paprika

½ c quinoa

¼ c kalamata or green olives

Canned Goods:

1 can chickpeas

red wine vinegar (1 T/small bottle)

balsamic vinegar (2 T/small bottle)

Meat:

whole rotisserie chicken (or self-roasted, if preferred & needed)

1 link sausage (flavor as desired)

12-16 oz mahi mahi fillet

We're doing Rotisserie Chicken with Grilled Sausage, Peaches & Peppers, Charred Broccoli & Red Onion Salad with Toasted Quinoa and Mahi Fillet with Chickpea Puree and Parsley Sauce.. 

For those (like me) that aren't too keen on a lot of meat during the summer, you could omit the chicken. For the menfolk that need a little more bulk to their meals or anyone else that needs the filling to their plate, rotisserie chicken is easy and cheap option (shout out to Costco!) to use throughout the week.

You can also self-roast a whole fryer with herbs if preferred.

My "I"s (Iron Cactus & In-n-Out)

It was too much to narrow down my list so I settled for 2 "I"s on the restaurant list.



While I'd heard good things about Iron Cactus happy hour and since was on work travel in Dallas when I went (can you say reimbursement!) I figured it would be a great time to check this off my list. In my defense there are Iron Cactus restaurants in Austin so I didn't think I was cheating too badly being out of town technically for this one...

Ugh, what to say? The best only good part about this was the $2 house margaritas on Sundays.

The queso topping the veggie enchiladas, whose description was cleverly crafted to sound delicious, was incredibly thick and fatty with stale-tasting tortillas and not saute'd, but rather completely soggy veggies inside. The canned charro beans were better...

Austin has seen a recent invasion (no PC strikethrough) of Californians in the last few years. They've demanded their Trader Joe's and In-N-Out Burger restaurants, so of course I had to find out what the hype is all about :)

  

The double cheeseburger was good: small patties but no gristle and the veggies were crisp and fresh. I was a little confused with the thousand island-esque spread, though... Fries were cold within a few minutes (I saved calories not finishing them) but wow wow wow on the strawberry shake. They may be fooling me, but this actually tasted like real strawberries not just flavoring. Very yummy. 

McDonalds < In-n-Out < Dan's Hamburgers

Austin has local hamburger joints for all budgets to need another chain that was just so-so. 

Sorry Californians. Well, not really.

Torchy's Thursday

Tacos for me are like stranded-on-a-desert-island-last-kind-of-food-you'll-ever-eat good.

On our menu:
(LUQ) "The Vagabond"
The taco of the month was a grilled beef fajita on a bed of oh-so-sexy bacon topped with grilled onions, chimichurri sauce, feta cheese, and pico.

(LLQ) "Baja Shrimp"
Hand-battered fried shrimp with cooked cabbage slaw, beautifully done pickled jalapenos & onions and queso fresco with chipotle sauce.

(RLQ) "The Trailer Park"
Of course, when I was asked if I wanted to "Make it Trashy" I absolutely agreed.
Fried chicken with green chilis and pico de gallo topped with their famous queso (the "trashy" part)...and more cheese on top for good measure :)

(RUQ) "The Brushfire"
Grilled Jamaican jerk chicken with grilled jalapenos, mango, sour cream & cilantro. With the spicy diablo sauce because I wasn't the scaredy-cat with these tacos.

Let's not forget Lonestar Tallboys too :) A perfect compliment

Wordless Wednesday: First Solo Trip

First time ever for a solo trip: Denver did not disappoint!!

      

 

 

 

            

RAK Week 4

A week of blessings: both planned and unplanned options for Random Acts of Kindness.

My neighbor knocked on my door late one afternoon asking for $20 to get her through.

I'm typically a skeptic, especially when asking directly for cash, but her stopping by allowed me the chance to talk with her (we're usually passing each other on our way to other things) and it gave me the chance to learn and know her story.

The Blood Center offered me an orchid plant, since they'd had some recently donated to them, at the end of my platelet donation. It was pretty neat to have a blessing in return this time.

I've missed chances to donate to friends' causes because I felt I needed to do more than I really could. A terrible excuse. I didn't have much, but this week, I did help a friend get a little closer to her goal.

https://www.austinovertheedge.com/Linda/aboutme.cfm

My "H" (Habesha)

It was important to have some creative or unique cuisine on my list and I truly lucked out with a Groupon option for Ethiopian food a short drive from work!

Habesha, Ethiopian cuisine around the corner from one of my old neighborhoods, was both pleasantly delicious and fun to eat -- no silverware!! A few things to expect:

(1) Wash your hands; because...
(2) when dining family style, everyone is served dishes over injera: a spongey "pancake" perfect for soaking up meal juice as well as served for each person on the side to takes the place of utensils. A staple to the meal.
(3) Give yourself enough time to do a coffee ceremony - not really an option for a normal lunchtime.

Myself and two coworkers ordered 2 vegetarian (Gomen Watt [collards on left] and Shiro Wot/Tegabino Shiro [on right]) and a lamb dish Yebeg Fitfit [foreground]. The small salad we each had had a unique addition: jalapeno! 

My only complaint was the lamb was served in chunks with bone which made it hard to eat with hands/pick over it with teeth. The Tegabino Shiro, we all agreed, was the standout favorite by far. http://www.habesha-austin.com/

My "G" (Garbo's)

My boss kept talking about this food truck and I am so glad it went on my list...

A simple menu -- you come here to get serious with some lobster roll and/or chowder. They also have a daily homemade side. Garbo's does two different styles of their lobster roll:
Maine - your traditional roll, served cold over tender bibb lettuce after being tossed in a mayo-celery-scallion-spiced-lemoney deliciousness OR
Connecticut - straight chunks of lobster with a brushing of lemon-tarragon butter

You can probably tell from the description that I opted for the Maine roll. I tacked on the side of the day  as well which was a ginger coleslaw.

WOW!

In some cases, the trailers can be a bit pricier than I think they should be. You will most certainly get your money's worth with this truck. I honestly have -zero- complaints, the huge chunks of lobster meat were perfectly cooked and dressed with what is probably a super-secret mayo bound to make them a huge favorite in Austin (high five on the perfect hint of lemon - no need IMHO to use the included wedge).

The bun even (a friend of mine made the same comment) was light, soft, and buttery and thank goodness not a dense rock that would have ruined this roll completely! The slaw as well was solid but unique with a great touch of ginger.

I'm crossing my fingers their brick-&-mortar will be opening soon up in my area. Until then, you can track their weekly location at http://garboslobsteratx.com/

RAK Week 3

My mailman is such a sweet person I thought I'd leave a small treat one day for him.

I love getting mail. It's like a surprise (even if it is junk mail mostly) so to return the surprises he leaves and his sweet spirit every time I see him I baked up some bite-sized peanut butter chocolate chip cookies :)

The fun thing about RAK is sometimes it touches more than 1 person and sometimes you get to see the result (they were both kind enough to write a quick Thank You)

My "F" (Fonda San Miguel)

I will keep this brief.

I was so incredibly excited to try Fonda; unfortunately, the service on my visit was poor enough to severely cloud any positivity toward the food or any other part of the visit.

Yep, I do indeed write less-than-gloating posts. Sorry. Overrated.

My "E" (East Side Pies)

Nothing says food-gasm like the "Mojo": handmade meatballs seasoned and formed to perfection with bacon, sun dried tomatoes, jalapeno, and cilantro on thin-crusted pesto slices of deliciousness.

High five East Side Pies. High. Freakin. Five.

Particularly special because I got the chance to spend time with my Sweetheart. Once again the slices were halfway down our throats before the camera snapped a shot :)

Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week 2

I'm a bit behind in general posting, but regardless of whether it is shared or not I've still immensely enjoyed my RAK project. Week 2 was an easy decision for me - it was something I had planned for a while but I was waiting on timing and a paycheck to hit.

I scheduled a visit to see my Grandmother this summer over July 4th holiday. I tried being creative and origami-ing the itinerary to tuck into a card, but the attempts were lumps of folded mess so I opted for a straight-forward handwritten card.

My mother's mother passed away when I was very young, and maybe that contributes to some of the closeness I feel toward my paternal Grandmother. Far more than attachment of being the surviving family matriarch, though, I fully credit her with the genetic basis for my intelligence, wit, carefree but responsible attitude, and most other positive characteristics passed via my father and manifested in yet another generation: Me.

I was beyond blessed to spend time with her last year over a weekend and told myself I would again make a trip, regardless of money or time needed to squeeze every beautiful second I reasonably can with her. She is fighting for her life right now. Nothing dulls the news of serious illness in a family member, particularly someone so close to your heart.

She has always believed in me, always assured me that I can do and reach whatever I want, and never issued even a whisper of discouragement. The beautiful memories of childhood visits to her house on the Maryland beach survive carefully tucked away in my mind and I made it my mission to not let anything - money, excuses, "no time" - come between developing even more fond moments. Not for anyone dear to me, and especially her.

It's hard to call it an act of kindness but maybe we'll just tag it as a deeply-deserved moment of love. She is and will always be my hero. Cannot wait for July to roll around.

My "C" (Contigo)

My first visit to Contigo was for my birthday on their "un-Valentine's" party. It was a unique buffet-style setup that was good-food-but-better-company-type night. Either way, I knew I wanted to return.

I was blessed to go with my friend curiousnotions. I'm embarrassed to say, but I dug into half the plates before even getting a quick pic (a combination of hunger and the food-porn spread going on in front of me). At her recommendation, and my partial unease, we started with Ox Tongue Sliders and Fried Green Beans.

You might be thinking right now "Ox Tongue? Seriously?!" Even if you're not sure - DO IT.

Chicken Thighs and Cauliflower Gratin were equally as yummy. I used to have a thing about cooked cauliflower: smell, texture, something like that is just wasn't appetizing at all. Contigo and Barley Swine have both really impressed me with their dishes, though, aaaaalmost enough to try getting some cauliflower creativity in my own kitchen started.

Or maybe another day.

Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week 1

Among the many food challenges and other resolutions I have mid-year challenged myself to look outside my own world, and sometimes my own circles of friends and influences and make someone else's life a little happier. I'm going to try and find at least 1 thing/week to share.

It would be great to pass the contagion on to others - to think about and offer out random acts of kindness - for your friends/for strangers but in any case it's my own personal journey and I can't wait!

Some of these offerings will be free, some will cost a few dollars, and others will be a personal sacrifice for me. For every act, though, I hope to enrich my life by finding a focus outside of myself. Very excited for this --- we'll see how it goes!

Week 1 (I'm a little behind): Green cookies on St. Paddy's Day to the local fire department who I KNOW is acutely-familiar with my apartment complex :)
The recipe was from the back of the Costco chocolate chip bag (like 8 pounds!) I had the wild idea to buy? A little lotta green food coloring and voila! They were still warm when I dropped them off...

My "D" (Dan's Hamburgers)

At some point I had to add a burger joint to the list.

While it may be a topic for another time I decided to not go down the road of which divorcee serves the best food - Dan's/Fran's , Tino's/Zorba's , etc. - and opted for the North Lamar Dan's Hamburgers.

The epic people-watching that occurred during this visit was almost as good as the food itself. Everyone from (what I think were) college students in a state that induced the munchies to gentler souls that probably ate at Dan's back in 1973 to first-timers like me, the range of clientele at least made this a promising find. I took some jalapeno cheeseburgers to-go and opted for the curly fries (a no-brainer).

I can't be sure, but the flavor and slight crunch of the jalapenos led me to believe they were fresh until the point they wound up on the skillet when my order came in. Fifteen minutes later I was wishing I'd sat right then and there and not taken to-go...

Not disappointed. Will be coming back - and maybe even checking out their breakfast - another day.

Birthdays

If there's one thing I do well it's revenge...

For my birthday last month, I came home to glow in the dark birthday balloons and a Duck Dynasty sheet cake. Disclaimer: I've never in my life even seen Duck Dynasty.

Lucky for me, my brother's birthday comes a cool 1 month after mine. Plenty of time to plan.

I recruited the help of the girls over at Cupprimo to carry out my plan #siblingrivalry

Favorite: Red Velvet w/cream cheese frosting. Good things were happening in my body when I ate this one. The strawberry had the best natural strawberry flavor in cupcake and frosting I've ever had. I lost out on trying the blue velvet... [Boooooo!] Double chocolate and Primo vanilla? Who does the "standards" well?!

Respect ladies. Mad respect.

Before and After.

Hive Five Cupprimo.

My "B" (Barley Swine)

Barley Swine: mad respect for your ridiculous skills.

And props for giving out mini spatulas...which is much more graceful than licking the plate.

Since a picture's worth a thousand words------

 

From barleyswine.com/food (menu changes frequently)

Nantucket Bay scallop, ponzu, finger lime

Cured lamb loin, cottage cheese, sour rye

Caulifower, pecan, orange

Hedgehog mushroom, pine caramel, trout roe

Golden Tile fish, romanesco, dashi, turnip

Biscuit, apple butter, bacon

Escolar, sweet potato, radicchio

Beet, tangerine, kefir

Duck, broccoli, sesame

Rabbit leg, pinto beans, cornbread, hay

Pupusa, shrimp, escabeche

Hoe cakes, fermented peas, bacon, hot sauce

Whey panna cotta, citrus, beet, coffee

Barley cake, sweet potato, whipped caramel, brown butter

Go. You'll air high-five yourself.