Killing my grocery budget
The new Harris Teeter opened in my neighborhood. Well, the next neighborhood over, really, Locust Point. But it's within walking distance and closer than Whole Paycheck. It'll probably replace WP as my grocery budget buster. (Although WP's prepared food section seems better at first glance, HT's produce section is better by far.)
Yesterday I bought stew meat at the butcher stall at Cross Street, but forgot to stop at the vegetable stall, so I walked to HT and bought the veg for stew and then puttered around while it bubbled away on the stove. Will I ever remember that mixing flour and water for thickener works better than sprinkling flour in directly? Probably not. Instead I ended up stirring like crazy to get rid of the lumps. It was pretty good for a dish I haven't cooked in nearly 20 years.
The cracker candy and peanut butter bars that I planned on making...did not get made. It'll have to be tomorrow evening, I guess. All the ingredients are on the shelf, I just felt like I'd used all my interest in domesticity by cleaning out a cabinet and making the beef stew.
This afternoon I flipped between Star Wars IV: A New Hope and Kissing Jessica Stein and football. (FWIW, The Empire Strikes Back is on SpikeTV right now.) I love both movies for very different reasons. And I was looking for updates on the Packers-Chiefs game. While I'm sorry the Pack lost, at least all the hype will go away now, leaving them to concentrate on the next couple of games and the post-season. They play the Bears at Lambeau next week, and I'm expecting lots of trash talk from The Boy Uncle, a die-hard Bears fan.
I've invited Mom, T, bro, and SIL to my house for dinner on the 23rd if that suits. They are welcome on the 24th, when I originally planned to invite them, but there's a game at 12pm that day, so parking will be horrendous in my neighborhood. Haven't figured out the menu yet. Maybe more beef stew with salad, rolls, and some type of dessert? Must consider. I'd like to do a turkey breast maybe, but am not sure I can get one from the butcher -- he was going to check and let me know but I haven't heard back yet. Whatever I cook, mashed potatoes and gravy must be on the menu, otherwise it is not really dinner for T.
Must motivate myself to wrap gifts -- everything that wasn't shipped directly is sitting on a bench in my living room, waiting to be wrapped or bagged appropriately.
I feel like I'm forgetting something, something major, but can't figure out what. I'll probably remember when it's way too late.
Yesterday I bought stew meat at the butcher stall at Cross Street, but forgot to stop at the vegetable stall, so I walked to HT and bought the veg for stew and then puttered around while it bubbled away on the stove. Will I ever remember that mixing flour and water for thickener works better than sprinkling flour in directly? Probably not. Instead I ended up stirring like crazy to get rid of the lumps. It was pretty good for a dish I haven't cooked in nearly 20 years.
The cracker candy and peanut butter bars that I planned on making...did not get made. It'll have to be tomorrow evening, I guess. All the ingredients are on the shelf, I just felt like I'd used all my interest in domesticity by cleaning out a cabinet and making the beef stew.
This afternoon I flipped between Star Wars IV: A New Hope and Kissing Jessica Stein and football. (FWIW, The Empire Strikes Back is on SpikeTV right now.) I love both movies for very different reasons. And I was looking for updates on the Packers-Chiefs game. While I'm sorry the Pack lost, at least all the hype will go away now, leaving them to concentrate on the next couple of games and the post-season. They play the Bears at Lambeau next week, and I'm expecting lots of trash talk from The Boy Uncle, a die-hard Bears fan.
I've invited Mom, T, bro, and SIL to my house for dinner on the 23rd if that suits. They are welcome on the 24th, when I originally planned to invite them, but there's a game at 12pm that day, so parking will be horrendous in my neighborhood. Haven't figured out the menu yet. Maybe more beef stew with salad, rolls, and some type of dessert? Must consider. I'd like to do a turkey breast maybe, but am not sure I can get one from the butcher -- he was going to check and let me know but I haven't heard back yet. Whatever I cook, mashed potatoes and gravy must be on the menu, otherwise it is not really dinner for T.
Must motivate myself to wrap gifts -- everything that wasn't shipped directly is sitting on a bench in my living room, waiting to be wrapped or bagged appropriately.
I feel like I'm forgetting something, something major, but can't figure out what. I'll probably remember when it's way too late.