12 March 2010
There’s a special place in my heart for Friday evenings. This is the first one in as long as I can remember that I’ve had zero obligations, so I took the opportunity to do a little leisurely grocery shopping. The plan for the rest of the evening? A long bath, lots of reading, listening to one of my bday gifts (the new Sade album!), and then deciding if I want to trek out into the world.
But first, I grocery shopped, because that’s one of my all-time favorite activities. Since we’re expecting our next Door to Door Organics box on Tuesday, I went easy on the produce and stocked up on the organic meats and cheeses. Since I had planned on using another one of my birthday gifts (a gift card to Whole Foods), I treated myself to some pricier items.
What came home with me:
- two dozen organic omega-3 cage-free eggs
- Zingerman’s creamery fresh goat cheese
- raw goat’s cheddar
- Kerry Gold pastured Dubliner
- two avocados
- a pound of grass-fed lamb shoulder
- a pound of artic char fillet (I realized after I bought it that it wasn’t wild-caught… boo!)
- five bison snack sticks (made at Whole Foods)
- uncured, nitrite-free organic applewood-smoked bacon
- Voges Oaxaca dark chocolate bar
- heavy cream from a local dairy
- baby organic carrots
- big ol’ tub of baby spinach
- four containers of full-fat Fage Greek yogurt
Food, delicious food.
On an unrelated note, how beautiful is the Sade cover? I want a back like that!
Enjoy your Friday…
19 February 2010
My Day in Food: Enough with the Spinach!
My afternoon snack consisted of… not spinach: A tangerine from the aforementioned Door to Door box and a hard-boiled egg.
Just a few words about the egg: Hard-boiled eggs aren’t hard to make (put eggs in a pot; fill with water so eggs are covered by an inch; bring to a boil; remove from heat and let sit for 15-17 minutes; immerse eggs in cold water bath immediately after). But on my last trip to Trader Joe’s, just for kicks, I picked up a bag of pre-made hard-boiled eggs. You get 10 of them for about $3.50, so while it’s more expensive than buying raw eggs and cooking them, it’s not prohibitively more.
The point of all this being, though I can and do make my own hard-boiled eggs, the pre-made ones from TJ’s are SO MUCH BETTER. How do I describe the difference? I don’t know! They’re creamier, perfectly cooked, not rubbery, not smelly… everything that my homemade ones aren’t. So if you have a few extra bucks and are short on time, do yourself a favor and pick some up. Even though it doesn’t seem possible, this is just one more thing Mr. Joe does better than I do.
Oh, and Rachel, who recently asked if we’d met her boyfriend Joe (“he’s a trader”)? You’re going to have to fight me for him!
This past Tuesday, my sis and I got our first delivery from Door to Door Organics. Here’s what came in our “Bitty Box” (for $23):
3 ea. Murcott Tangerines
2 ea. Navel Oranges
1 ea. Meyer Lemons
1 ea. Spinach
2 ea. Gala Apples
1 lb Potatoes
2 ea. Fuji Apples
1 ea. Romaine Lettuce
2 ea. Cucumbers
1 ea. Broccoli
We also had the opportunity to buy additional items like cherry tomatoes, rainbow chard, and avocado (we didn’t buy any this time). Doing the math, we figured that we’d probably pay around $20-25 for the same amount of organic produce at a grocery store, so I think we’re getting a good deal. And the best part? It’s DELIVERED TO OUR DOOR. Lazy people, rejoice!
So far, I’ve tasted the spinach (ya think?), apples, cucumbers, broccoli, and tangerine. They’ve all been very good. That’s not to say we won’t occasionally get bruised apples or wilted lettuce, but I’d say the quality is slightly above what you can find in a traditional grocery store. The quantity also seems just perfect for two people. We’re only getting a box every other week, so we might have to supplement a little, but this is a good exercise in using all that we have — no more, no less.
You can customize what produce you get by indicating your likes and dislikes on the website. I think you can get fruit-only and veggie-only boxes as well. All in all, if you live in Colorado, Kansas City, Michigan, or on the East Coast, you should at least try it out! You can subscribe and cancel at any time, so there’s really nothing to lose. I promise they didn’t pay me to say anything of these things, I’m just all about this concept. Anyway, check out the website for more info.
8 February 2010
I just got this tip from Kallah Maguire via comments. She says:
For anyone in LA, I just visited an amazing spice store today in Silver Lake. It’s called the Spice Station (http://spicestationsilverlake.com) and they have an amazing selection and really reasonable prices. They hubby and I picked up some white peppercorns, long black peppercorns, sweet smoked paprika, and ghost pepper salt. We got to smell and taste everything before we bought, and they owner is really knowledgeable.
So if you’re in LA or passing though I highly recommend visiting the Spice Station. It’s also the cutest little store with a beautiful courtyard and fountain in front.
I really want some of that sweet smoked paprika… yum! I’ll try to post a recipe that incorporates it. Thanks for the tip, Kallah!
5 February 2010
I love Real Simple’s latest article about which staples to splure on. I totally agree with their calls:
Black Pepper
Pepper is one of the last things you add to a dish, so its flavor has a big impact. Always grind your own.
The upgrade: Tellicherry black peppercorns ($4 for a four-ounce bag, penzeys.com).
Butter
Use creamy European-style butter on the rare occasions you use butter for cooking. Buy unsalted to control the sodium.
The upgrade: Organic Valley, Horizon Organic, or Land O’ Lakes Ultra Creamy Butter ($3 to $3.50 for eight ounces, in supermarkets).
Canned Tomatoes
Organic tomatoes come in enamel-lined cans, so there’s no metallic taste―just a fresh, natural flavor.
The upgrade: Muir Glen Organic tomatoes ($1.50 for 14.5 ounces, in most supermarkets and health-food stores).
Chicken Broth
Broth from bouillon cubes is overly salty and suspiciously yellow. Low-fat, low-sodium broth is ideal.
The upgrade: Swanson Natural Goodness 100% Fat Free ($3 for 32 ounces, in supermarkets).
Eggs
Spring for organic eggs from free-range chickens. The yolks are bright yellow-orange, not a muted yellow, and the taste is full, rich, and downright eggy.
The upgrade: Greenbrier or Trader Joe’s ($2.50 to $3.50 a dozen, at health-food stores or Trader Joe’s, traderjoes.com for store locations).
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
There is a huge difference in quality between the big-brand varieties and oils made by small producers. A flavorful extra-virgin olive oil can transform a simple salad into something spectacular.
The upgrade: Lucini Italia ($19 for 500 milliliters, lucini.com) or Bertolli Gentile ($6 for 500 milliliters, in supermarkets).
Parmesan
Bypass the canned version. The best-tasting Parmesan is from a specific region in Italy and has the Parmigiano-Reggiano stamp on its rind.
The upgrade: Authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano ($9 to $18 a pound).
Peanut Butter
The kids’ stuff is loaded with sugar. The natural kind contains only peanuts and salt.
The upgrade: Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter ($3 for 16 ounces, in supermarkets).
Salt
Kosher and sea salt are clean-tasting and easy to control with your fingers.
The upgrade: Maldon Sea Salt ($7 for 8.5 ounces, thespicehouse.com) or Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt ($3 for three pounds, in supermarkets, or call 800-428-4244).
Tuna
Italian-style light-meat tuna packed in olive oil delivers a double dose of good fats. It has more calories than the all-white-meat, water-packed kind, but it doesn’t need a lot of mayo when made into tuna salad.
The upgrade: Genova ($2 for six ounces, in supermarkets).
Vanilla
Use pure (not imitation) vanilla extract and you’ll be wowed by its complex, heady perfume.
The upgrade: Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract ($20 for eight ounces, kingarthurflour.com) or McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract ($7 for four ounces, in supermarkets).
