October 29, 2009
I had to switch from an interesting stuffed bell pepper recipe found on Oil and Garlic that called for a tuna base to a boring old ground beef version because I couldn’t find capers today. This isn’t unusual; any recipe that calls for capers always gives me pause because I don’t want to buy a whole jar of capers only to use a single teaspoon. It made sense until I started tallying the recipes I’ve passed on simply because it wouldn’t taste right without capers.
I should buy capers so I can make these stuffed bell peppers/ripieni [Oil and Garlic].
This Halibut with Lemon, Butter, Caper and Dill Sauce [Closet Cooking].
This Tilapia Piccata [Closet Cooking].
What else should I make with capers? And why are they listed as “non-pareil” type capers? I know the definition of non-pareil for laymen, but not why or how it applies to capers/foodstuffs.
October 28, 2009
I don’t really sleep at night anymore. Trying to sleep is like cricket hunting. As soon as you think you’re close, the very awareness of your being so drives it away. You know it’s there, but sleep doesn’t have a substance you can grab onto and hold tight until it surrenders. You give up first…… Hours later, you might accidentally, caught unawares by your prey, drift off.
Some nights, that doesn’t happen until an inexplicable egg craving is satisfied. The poached egg with melted string cheese on a whole wheat English muffin is one way to go. It’s just missing a few slices of tomato to make it a full breakfast rather than just a post-post-midnight snack. Or perhaps the very lateness of the concoction makes it breakfast. I don’t really know. I just want muffins to come in two halves and a quarter so I can sop up all the runny egg yolk goodness.
October 25, 2009
It was with great regret I forwent sushi last night. I will eventually, I don’t have FB + her BF’s fantastic sushi skills, but I didn’t feel right dining out just to satisfy a craving. (Ok, I shouldn’t have linked that, the sushi cravings are back!!
Anyway, in lieu of spending $20 on sushi or some such, I went grocery shopping instead:
Vons (aka Safeway)
7 pounds of chicken drumsticks on 50% clearance
6.5 pounds of center cut boneless pork loin
1 (8-ct) pkg turkey hot dogs on clearance
1 loaf whole wheat (Orowheat, my favorite!)
1 (6-ct) pkg English muffins
4 ripe bananas
Total: $25.61
Walgreens [The assistant manager was a little perturbed because I pointed out that I’d stupidly printed over my coupon – it was mostly legible but I was prepared for rejection – but he took it anyway. Nice guy.]
1 (24-tab) Zantac [w/$5 coupon]
Total: $4.68 + $9 Register Rewards printed up.
That’s going to be enough protein to last well over a month and enough carbs for a week. Now, at last! I can try some of those delectable pork chop recipes I’ve been reading. The freshly baked French bread loaves were tantalizing, but tearing myself away was worth the effort – I might never have made it to the meat aisle if it was in my cart. Come to think of it, this is probably the 5th time potato chips were promised and forgotten. Ah well. Next time.
September 30, 2009
Breakfast for lunch. I like it.
September 7, 2009
My original intent was to make this decadent recipe of French Garlic Prawns from Almost Bourdain.
The shrimp was on sale for $5/lb, and 3/4 lb was sure to provide enough to cholesterol and artery cloggage for any two people I know. Cooking plans kept getting thwarted though, by one social obligation after another, all involving eating out and never anything so good as to warrant posting. That may be the real tragedy here.
Eventually, though, the shrimp HAD to be cooked lest it become another hapless casualty of Food Forgotten in the Fridge. That many Fs cannot be good for anyone: wallet or hygiene.
To replace the lavishly buttery baked shrimp recipe, a quick search of the fridge yielded a host of other ingredients that simply begged to be used worthily. Almost a whole bag of salad greens went onto the plates, followed by fresh tomato wedges just in their prime.
The shrimp – oh heavenly pre-deveined shrimp! – were peeled and lightly dunked in boiling water for the exactly right 45 seconds. As soon as they turned pink, lost all their raw grayishness, they were swished once, and rescued from the water. A cold water bath later, the perfectly cooked shrimp were crisp and yielded a satisfyingly textured crunch when bitten into.
Tossed onto their salad bed. A swirl of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and quick grate of pepper.
Perfection.
All for under $10.
September 2, 2009
Today we put together one of our almost-frugally creative meals: bought a large bag of chips and juice boxes from Trader Joe’s for double the volume, if not half the price, and used a BOGO coupon at the sandwich place for $7. The sandwiches are something like a cross between Subway and Quiznos, but much better overall.
It got me thinking about the advertising and coupon model. I know most businesses (should) have a line item or budget for advertising expenses, but for simplicity’s sake, let’s assume that at the end of the day, the income generated needs to cover all outflow.
A bit of research into Val-Pak revealed that I can’t get pricing for the actual cooperative mail campaign, which is basically those blue envelopes you see in the mail chock full of coupon goodness, but they do estimate that your reach is 400k potential customers in a given time period.
Many restaurants are advertising during this economic slump, and two for one deals seem most common. Sit down eateries tend to offer one free entree with the purchase of one full priced entree plus two beverages, or some variation on that theme. Much like gas stations, the sandwich shop expects to recoup revenue in the form of extras: drinks, chips, and salads on the side. I think we all know by now that drinks carry huge profit margins for the restaurant, and a commonly touted cost-reduction strategy is to drink water instead of the highly overpriced soda.
But how many people really do spend the extra money on chips, drinks, and side salads? How many need to, of those that use the coupons, for the business to recoup the coupon discount? And how many MORE are needed to make up for those of us who only use the coupon as intended without buying extras? And in addition to all that, how much did they spend on advertising in those Valu-Paks in the first place?
August 15, 2009
Intervention: A gathering of longtime friends and their spouses turned into a dogpile of “you need to go to the doctor!” Our “target” was a lovely new mother who seemed to think that seeing objects plus an extra aura-like outline was negligible, and her increasingly painful joints just part of new, busy, motherhood. I didn’t hesitate for a second to whip out the guilt trip: “my mother refused to take care of herself for months, years, decades even. And look at the results of that decision! Think of your daughter!” She agreed to start scheduling appointments this week.
Promos: I’ve earned both my Electric Orange promotion, having finally reached the $250 spending requirement on the Citibank offer. I’m still waiting on my referral money from opening my TradeKing account.
Electric Orange and checks: While I still have a box of checks, I thought I’d try out the Electric Orange Mail a Check service. They foot the bill for the postage, but it looks like you have to transfer the money to ING at least seven days before the check is due. Remember to account for non-business days! A check cannot be dated for a non-business mailing date.
If it needs to be there on the 15th, the money transfer needs to be iniated on the 6th, the money will be available on either the 7th or 10th, and then it takes 5 business days to arrive via first class mail.
Food: Clementines are back on sale for $5/3 pound box. Not the best deal ever, but affordable, so huzzah! Y’all know how I feel about my Vit C. Also scored great deals on fresh whole chicken (it’s cheaper to butcher on your own, and by on “your own” I mean have my dad do it), yummy pears, pasta, and bell peppers. They sort of make a meal, together, too.
Kitchen: Tinkering with recipes is fun, but I’m a bit of a kitchen hog. If you’re not there to play sous chef/food taster, I don’t want you in the kitchen “helping” me. It’s annoying. Go cook somewhere else, this was my idea!
A few links: Madame X’s long-awaited summer vacation (post) sounds a-ma-zing!
Frugal Trenches has a great series on Getting Rid of Your Sense of Entitlement.
MoneyDummy made me smile as she discovers that laying in a large supply of an addict’s habit = higher consumption.
