One of the frustrations of shopping with My Prince is that he sometimes gets these wild notions of what he thinks he will eat. We go through this all the time with apples. He wants apples, they sit around in the kitchen and shrivel up, and all the time he is saying that he's gonna eat 'em. And then I throw them away.
Recently we had one of those discussions when he wanted to buy a bale of cole slaw. The local warehouse store often has cole slaw in 5 lb. (I think) bags. This is way more than we would normally need if I were going to use cole slaw as a side dish. This is way more than My Prince would ever remember to dig out of the crisper and consume in some other bizarre way (cooking is so not his forte). I let him buy the bag of cole slaw, thinking, however, that we would just have another object lesson a la the apples.
Then I had a brain flash. I recalled those dismal days in Dar es Salaam when the only Chinese restaurant in town served those odd stir-fried dishes that were heavier on cabbage and carrots than anything else. Could the cole slaw be stir-fried, I wondered?
Yes.
I began adding it to stir-fried veggies not long after we got the bag home, and went through the whole thing fairly quickly. I'm trying to wean us away from rice and pasta as part of the stir-fry dishes that I have been concocting. The cole slaw serves as a cheap and low-carb filler on the dish. I can't tell that it affects the flavor much, since the shreds are so thin, but the dish is nicely bulked up so that there is no need for the carbs.
The best news for our home economy is that My Prince's aversion to cooked cabbage (it's a digestive thing apparently) seems not to be a factor here. He's digesting nicely, so we will surely continue to use this ingredient (unless I am just dying for some brown rice).
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Home again, home again
After two weeks with Mama, it was time to come home again. Seems like I barely get here before I have to reload and return to Houston, but it is always good to come back home.
That fact really hit me last night when I was cooking us a late supper. The kitchen counters were cluttered with things My Prince had not put away and more clutter that we had just dumped in the kitchen while unloading the van, so I had to do a little shuffling to make room to work. Suddenly the thought just popped into my head that I was glad to be back in my own kitchen.
The kitchen is small. Not enough cabinets. Not enough drawers. Not the best arrangement in the world. Don't even get me started on the tatty old carpet on the floor. (I would prefer bare concrete to that carpet!)
BUT . . .
I know where stuff is, and the stuff is arranged more for convenience in cooking than for how it looks. Porque it is my stuff, my space.
When My Prince and I finally got hungry enough to stop talking, it was easy enough to go in the kitchen and start grabbing utensils and vegetables and whack away for a little stir fry. I had been gone for two weeks, had been cooking in someone else's kitchen, and had to move some clutter out of the way--but the basic arrangement that I had created and was used to working in was right there, accessible, easy, and--yes--comforting.
That fact really hit me last night when I was cooking us a late supper. The kitchen counters were cluttered with things My Prince had not put away and more clutter that we had just dumped in the kitchen while unloading the van, so I had to do a little shuffling to make room to work. Suddenly the thought just popped into my head that I was glad to be back in my own kitchen.
The kitchen is small. Not enough cabinets. Not enough drawers. Not the best arrangement in the world. Don't even get me started on the tatty old carpet on the floor. (I would prefer bare concrete to that carpet!)
BUT . . .
I know where stuff is, and the stuff is arranged more for convenience in cooking than for how it looks. Porque it is my stuff, my space.
When My Prince and I finally got hungry enough to stop talking, it was easy enough to go in the kitchen and start grabbing utensils and vegetables and whack away for a little stir fry. I had been gone for two weeks, had been cooking in someone else's kitchen, and had to move some clutter out of the way--but the basic arrangement that I had created and was used to working in was right there, accessible, easy, and--yes--comforting.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Another use of jicama
Friday night is party night at Mama's house. It's been that way since I was a teenager and had my own crowd of friends (four or five teenagers is a plenty big crowd!) come over for pizza and talk-talk-talk. Nowadays, Big Kid Cousin and Little Sister make up the "usual crowd," but this past Friday added a young(ish) couple from Mama's church to the group.
While the menu didn't start out as pot luck, it sure ended up that way. The young(ish) bride brought chile con queso, with ground beef and mild flavoring. Little Sister brought big slices of jicama with a couple of dressings for dipping sauces. Neither of her dressings were the traditional lime and cayenne flavors, but they held up well for giving the jicama a little taste.
Toward the end of the evening, I was nibbling around and just dipped a slice of jicama in the queso. Wowee zowee! Nice flavor combination. I'll certainly try that again. A low-carb, high-fiber substitute for chips is a good discovery any time.
While the menu didn't start out as pot luck, it sure ended up that way. The young(ish) bride brought chile con queso, with ground beef and mild flavoring. Little Sister brought big slices of jicama with a couple of dressings for dipping sauces. Neither of her dressings were the traditional lime and cayenne flavors, but they held up well for giving the jicama a little taste.
Toward the end of the evening, I was nibbling around and just dipped a slice of jicama in the queso. Wowee zowee! Nice flavor combination. I'll certainly try that again. A low-carb, high-fiber substitute for chips is a good discovery any time.
Another shopping strategy
Back in Houston, no hurricanes in sight, and it's "if I don't actually want to scrub floors, I don't have to--today." So there's time to dink around on the interwebs and even do some blogging. I am somewhat stunned!
So here's what I found today: The Simple Dollar. The relevant post for me today talks about saving money on grocery shopping in 6 more or less easy steps, but the whole blog is quite interesting because of the various discussions of different ways to save money on all sorts of things besides food. I think it's worth spending some time meandering through The Simple Dollar. You're sure to pick up at least one idea that will help survive this tough economy that we have right now.
The six steps to saving money at the grocery store are:
I look at all of the sales, not just the fresh ingredients. I am tending to cook more and more with fresh ingredients these days, but, frankly, my dear, I am so not going to make my own tomato sauce, ergo, it's gonna come in a can. So are many of the other ingredients that I use--for some menus, if not others.
I have been known to do some recipe research, but I am admittedly bad at following recipes. I actually enjoy reading cookbooks, but I tend to think of this as inspirational reading, not specifically educational or practical. I read recipes (and sometimes even clip them) and then kinda sorta make something that has a few points in common with what I read but, of course, several points that are not. (Hey, it's how I roll!) If I were going to do some research prior to shopping (and I often do), it will more likely be for the nutritional value of a specific food or for a list of foods with a particular nutritional element (fiber anyone?) or getting a better idea of how an ingredient that interests me might be used. The latter might be considered recipe research, but half the time I get my use info from Wikipedia and go from there.
Now meal planning is something that we should all do, I'm sure, but, well, I don't. I mean, I do plan what I want to have for Christmas dinner and shop to make sure that I have everything that I will need. For non-holiday meals, I tend to think about entrees: chicken something, something with ham, broiled steak, and so on. But that level of planning usually happens on the morning (if I'm lucky and don't forget until the afternoon) of the day I'm cooking. The rest of the menu will follow based on what experience, tradition, or availability-in-my-pantry pretty much dictates. If I planned a whole week at a time, I doubt that I could stick to the plan for the whole week--but I have no doubt that I would lose the list well before the week was up. Still, here's the meal planning sheet that The Simple Dollar provides to help you out if you are a better planner than I am.
My shopping lists are often heavily based on the sale flyer that we are using. Since we shop at three stores in Austin, that's three lists (but only two flyers since not all stores publish flyers). The lists also include staple items that we have to buy regardless of what's on sale (although we look for bargains and buy them at the cheapest store). Our lists also include items that we can stock up on but might not use for several weeks (or longer if we are really building up our stock of that item). Our meals for the week might come out of that list, but more likely they will come out of what I have purchased on past shopping trips and combine with some fresh items from the current trip.
Sticking to the list is also a tough one, not because we are inordinately prone to impulse purchases (I am more so than My Prince, but still not a "problem shopper"), but because there are unadvertised specials to be found, forgotten items to add when we are reminded by seeing them, and--in my case--the need to be creative. This creativity may come with the menu planning that I sometimes do while in the store ("I want to cook that ham this week, and I think I want to serve it with hominy"--which is not one of the items that I would stock up on). The creativity may also come later on when I have made sure that I have an array of items to choose from in the pantry when I want to toss together a stir-fry dish ("Ah, I do have bean sprouts!"). Sticking to the list is important for efficiency and for economy, but it can't be a straightjacket.
So I'm thinking that there are probably several ways to be frugal in shopping. Perhaps first step is to realize that the grocery store is not a cheap place to hang out and that you have to be actively responsible for keeping your money in your pocket--where it belongs. And then make a list!
So here's what I found today: The Simple Dollar. The relevant post for me today talks about saving money on grocery shopping in 6 more or less easy steps, but the whole blog is quite interesting because of the various discussions of different ways to save money on all sorts of things besides food. I think it's worth spending some time meandering through The Simple Dollar. You're sure to pick up at least one idea that will help survive this tough economy that we have right now.
The six steps to saving money at the grocery store are:
- Get a flyer.
- Find sales on fresh ingredients.
- Do some recipe research.
- Create a week-long meal plan.
- Make a shopping list from the meal plan.
- Go grocery shopping--and stick to your list.
I look at all of the sales, not just the fresh ingredients. I am tending to cook more and more with fresh ingredients these days, but, frankly, my dear, I am so not going to make my own tomato sauce, ergo, it's gonna come in a can. So are many of the other ingredients that I use--for some menus, if not others.
I have been known to do some recipe research, but I am admittedly bad at following recipes. I actually enjoy reading cookbooks, but I tend to think of this as inspirational reading, not specifically educational or practical. I read recipes (and sometimes even clip them) and then kinda sorta make something that has a few points in common with what I read but, of course, several points that are not. (Hey, it's how I roll!) If I were going to do some research prior to shopping (and I often do), it will more likely be for the nutritional value of a specific food or for a list of foods with a particular nutritional element (fiber anyone?) or getting a better idea of how an ingredient that interests me might be used. The latter might be considered recipe research, but half the time I get my use info from Wikipedia and go from there.
Now meal planning is something that we should all do, I'm sure, but, well, I don't. I mean, I do plan what I want to have for Christmas dinner and shop to make sure that I have everything that I will need. For non-holiday meals, I tend to think about entrees: chicken something, something with ham, broiled steak, and so on. But that level of planning usually happens on the morning (if I'm lucky and don't forget until the afternoon) of the day I'm cooking. The rest of the menu will follow based on what experience, tradition, or availability-in-my-pantry pretty much dictates. If I planned a whole week at a time, I doubt that I could stick to the plan for the whole week--but I have no doubt that I would lose the list well before the week was up. Still, here's the meal planning sheet that The Simple Dollar provides to help you out if you are a better planner than I am.
My shopping lists are often heavily based on the sale flyer that we are using. Since we shop at three stores in Austin, that's three lists (but only two flyers since not all stores publish flyers). The lists also include staple items that we have to buy regardless of what's on sale (although we look for bargains and buy them at the cheapest store). Our lists also include items that we can stock up on but might not use for several weeks (or longer if we are really building up our stock of that item). Our meals for the week might come out of that list, but more likely they will come out of what I have purchased on past shopping trips and combine with some fresh items from the current trip.
Sticking to the list is also a tough one, not because we are inordinately prone to impulse purchases (I am more so than My Prince, but still not a "problem shopper"), but because there are unadvertised specials to be found, forgotten items to add when we are reminded by seeing them, and--in my case--the need to be creative. This creativity may come with the menu planning that I sometimes do while in the store ("I want to cook that ham this week, and I think I want to serve it with hominy"--which is not one of the items that I would stock up on). The creativity may also come later on when I have made sure that I have an array of items to choose from in the pantry when I want to toss together a stir-fry dish ("Ah, I do have bean sprouts!"). Sticking to the list is important for efficiency and for economy, but it can't be a straightjacket.
So I'm thinking that there are probably several ways to be frugal in shopping. Perhaps first step is to realize that the grocery store is not a cheap place to hang out and that you have to be actively responsible for keeping your money in your pocket--where it belongs. And then make a list!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Edamame (2)
Well, I repeated the stir-fry using edamame, celery (3 stalks, finely sliced), carrots (handful of miniatures, finely sliced), and packaged cole slaw (3-4 cups). A few spices to taste, and I had a healthy, low-carb, and, well, tasty side dish. Without the rice. Woot!
My stir-dry technique involves some steaming since I don't like to have to stand too long in the kitchen. While that helps move things along, there is still plenty of crunch when I am too impatient to let everything cook to a pulp.
My stir-dry technique involves some steaming since I don't like to have to stand too long in the kitchen. While that helps move things along, there is still plenty of crunch when I am too impatient to let everything cook to a pulp.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Cucumber snack
My Prince and I just returned from another adventure in Grocery Land. We were both well and truly tired out by the experience. As dutiful as we were in eating a bit (leftover cole slaw stir fry) before we went to the store (so as not to be piggish in our purchases), we were still ever so slightly ravenous when we got home.
My solution: fresh sliced cucumbers and cream cheese. I gave My Prince a small bowl of cucumber slices, a glob of cream cheese, a knife, and left him to it. Then I made my own bowl of goodness. Mmmm, real goodness. This is one of my favorite snacks. And low carb?
1 c. sliced cucumber with peel = 1.66 grams ECC
100 g, cream cheese = 2.66 grams
The problem is, of course, how much did we eat? Can't really say, but way less than that. Nice crunch, good chewing, excellent flavor, satisfying snack for less than 5 grams of carbs? I'm happy.
My solution: fresh sliced cucumbers and cream cheese. I gave My Prince a small bowl of cucumber slices, a glob of cream cheese, a knife, and left him to it. Then I made my own bowl of goodness. Mmmm, real goodness. This is one of my favorite snacks. And low carb?
1 c. sliced cucumber with peel = 1.66 grams ECC
100 g, cream cheese = 2.66 grams
The problem is, of course, how much did we eat? Can't really say, but way less than that. Nice crunch, good chewing, excellent flavor, satisfying snack for less than 5 grams of carbs? I'm happy.
Edamame
"Edamame" is the Japanese word for boiled soy beans. Yup, the same stuff that my Louisiana cousins (you thought I only had cousins in Houston? LOL!) grow for animal feed, it would seem. Only yesterday I bought it (Imperial Gourmet All Natural Edamame) in a big box with 8 little (frozen) packages for a little over $7. I am not thinking that that was such a good buy, but, since I've never actually had this food (other than a little taste at a salad bar), I thought it would be worth the investment to try it out.
I thawed out the first package (not enough room in the freezer for all 8). When it was getting time for dinner, I actually read the box. I didn't realize that the pods were not edible. That makes even more of the packaging a waste, since there was really no need for plastic bowls for these beans and, indeed, not too much justification for taking up all that space in shipping and storage.
Looking for more information on this product (there is no "Imperial Gourmet" website that I could find), I did find a web reference on the package to JYC International. J. Y. Chung and his company apparently import these packages directly from China for Sam's, Costco, and others. The website is not well developed, but there is some more information about the history and cultural context of edamame in the Orient and in the States.
I also spent some time trying to figure out the nutritional value of these beans. Not that I doubted that they were good for me. The problem was the packaging. The nutritional panel said that there were 12 servings in the box, but there were only 8 little bowls. In order to get 12 servings, I would have to divide 6 bowls in half and the remaining 2 bowls in sixths and then redistribute the beans from the two bowls to the half-bowls and . . . what a mess!
And then there were the inedible pods. I had to assume that the pods were not included in the nutritional information, but their size (one-, two-, and three-bean pods) and probable random distribution would affect what was left in each bowl after shelling. *snarl*
I ended up ignoring the nutritional information and winging it. The whole problem just aggravated me. Fortunately, after a couple of minutes in the microwave, a little (not nearly as much as the package provided) sea salt, and a dash of soy sauce produced a nice little bowl of beans to snack on. They were labeled as a snack, so I had to try them as a snack. I shelled them all at once instead of squushing them out into my mouth. I seasoned the bowl of beans after shelling. And it was good. A lot of work and worry for a small bowl of beans, but not so bad.
I ate a few beans and liked the crunch and the taste. Nothing overwhelming as far as flavor is concerned, so I figured the bean would play well with others. I dumped the remainder in a stir fry of celery, onion, cabbage from a package of fresh cole slaw, and leftover rice from the previous day. Very nice when served with salmon. The flavors, even with a little garlic and soy sauce did not overwhelm the salmon, so I had to admit that I was proud of my cooking last night.
I will also look for edamame now in other kinds of packaging with clearer nutritional information. It is very likely to become a frequent addition to my vegetable stir-frys.
I thawed out the first package (not enough room in the freezer for all 8). When it was getting time for dinner, I actually read the box. I didn't realize that the pods were not edible. That makes even more of the packaging a waste, since there was really no need for plastic bowls for these beans and, indeed, not too much justification for taking up all that space in shipping and storage.
Looking for more information on this product (there is no "Imperial Gourmet" website that I could find), I did find a web reference on the package to JYC International. J. Y. Chung and his company apparently import these packages directly from China for Sam's, Costco, and others. The website is not well developed, but there is some more information about the history and cultural context of edamame in the Orient and in the States.
I also spent some time trying to figure out the nutritional value of these beans. Not that I doubted that they were good for me. The problem was the packaging. The nutritional panel said that there were 12 servings in the box, but there were only 8 little bowls. In order to get 12 servings, I would have to divide 6 bowls in half and the remaining 2 bowls in sixths and then redistribute the beans from the two bowls to the half-bowls and . . . what a mess!
And then there were the inedible pods. I had to assume that the pods were not included in the nutritional information, but their size (one-, two-, and three-bean pods) and probable random distribution would affect what was left in each bowl after shelling. *snarl*
I ended up ignoring the nutritional information and winging it. The whole problem just aggravated me. Fortunately, after a couple of minutes in the microwave, a little (not nearly as much as the package provided) sea salt, and a dash of soy sauce produced a nice little bowl of beans to snack on. They were labeled as a snack, so I had to try them as a snack. I shelled them all at once instead of squushing them out into my mouth. I seasoned the bowl of beans after shelling. And it was good. A lot of work and worry for a small bowl of beans, but not so bad.
I ate a few beans and liked the crunch and the taste. Nothing overwhelming as far as flavor is concerned, so I figured the bean would play well with others. I dumped the remainder in a stir fry of celery, onion, cabbage from a package of fresh cole slaw, and leftover rice from the previous day. Very nice when served with salmon. The flavors, even with a little garlic and soy sauce did not overwhelm the salmon, so I had to admit that I was proud of my cooking last night.
I will also look for edamame now in other kinds of packaging with clearer nutritional information. It is very likely to become a frequent addition to my vegetable stir-frys.
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