Last Friday I was invited +Margot over for dinner before we went to see +Eric be Miriam. Ridgely and Kevin came too. I wasn't sure what to make, but the Food Bazaar weekly circular told me shrimp were on sale, so I made shrimp tacos.
The shrimp were 2 lbs for $10, or if you got less than 2 lbs, $6/lb. They didn't have a scale, so my first guess was low by a quarter of a pound and I had to go get more. I over guessed and wended up with 2.5 lbs of shrimp. (I also got 2 lbs of mussels for $2 and they were great.)
For the tacos, I peeled the shrimp and kept the shells to make stock with later. Then I steamed them and seasoned them. But I got sick of peeling shrimp and we had enough for our tacos. So I had all these leftover shrimp. I decided to just steam them with the shells on. I figured we could peel them later.
Peeling the cooked shrimp was so annoying and hard. And I had been drinking, so I just ate the shell too. What a revelation! You can eat the shell. And that's where all the shrimp flavor is. If you buy shrimp flavored snacks in Chinatown, they never taste like what you expect shrimp to taste like. That's because they taste like the shell!
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Sunday, December 02, 2012
New Credit Card (Again): American Express Blue Cash Everyday
I didn't even last a month using my BankAmericard credit card. I bought a whole lot of things on it (boy 0% interest is nice) so they got a lot of my spending. But I got $100 for free. But I'm off to a new card, which is kinda my old card.
When I was looking up credit card reward programs, I found out that American Express quit offering Blue Cash's old way (0.5%, then once you spend $6500, 1.5% or something) and now has Blue Cash Everyday. This gives, well I'll copy and paste:
Get 3% cash back at U.S. stand-alone supermarkets*, 2% cash back on gasoline at U.S. stand-alone gas stations, 2% cash back at select major department stores; and 1% cash back on other purchases.
In under a month, I went from getting 1% on groceries to 3%! I should go shopping. I'm hungry. Maybe I'll return to writing about groceries instead of how you should pay for them.
When I was looking up credit card reward programs, I found out that American Express quit offering Blue Cash's old way (0.5%, then once you spend $6500, 1.5% or something) and now has Blue Cash Everyday. This gives, well I'll copy and paste:
Get 3% cash back at U.S. stand-alone supermarkets*, 2% cash back on gasoline at U.S. stand-alone gas stations, 2% cash back at select major department stores; and 1% cash back on other purchases.
In under a month, I went from getting 1% on groceries to 3%! I should go shopping. I'm hungry. Maybe I'll return to writing about groceries instead of how you should pay for them.
Cookie Butter
My sister is a big fan of Trader Joe's Cookie Butter.
Maybe I'll try it someday. I like cookies, and I don't like chewing.
Maybe I'll try it someday. I like cookies, and I don't like chewing.
Sunday, November 04, 2012
I'm switching to BankAmericard Cash Rewards
It also is offering $100 when you sign up and you spend $500. Just yesterday I was thinking about buying a $100 food processor. Perfect!
(I have so many credit cards. Chase Freedom, Chase Slate, PNC, 1st Financial, American Express Blue Cash, Discover. I don't have any store cards though.)
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Cheese Louise
I need to stop. Or stores need to quit putting cheeses on sale.
Key Food had this on sale 2/$5, must buy 2. So I did. I've been meaning to make pumpkin ricotta gnocchi anyway.
Tilt your head to see my savings. I forgot to rotate it.
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Pumpkin Pasta using Trader Joe's Ingredients
I just invented a new pasta dish. I'm not even done eating it yet. As I was making it, I realized almost all my ingredients were from Trader Joe's. It's pretty good. Here's the recipe.
1 lb (1 bag) whole wheat penne $1.39
1/2 can pumpkin (1 can is $1.99)
1/2 stick of butter
a bunch of diced onion
a bunch of capers (a jar is $3.69 at Trader Joe's)
oregano ($1.99 for a jar at trader joe's)
grated parmesan (parmesan is $6.49/lb)
15 oz (1 can) cannelini beans (optional. $0.89)
Melt the butter and cook the onions until you can smells them. You can add salt and pepper and oregano at this point. Then add the pumpkin and capers. Beans if you want them. I like adding beans to pasta because the same things that make pasta taste good make beans taste good and beans are healthy. Add some of the pasta water to thin the sauce out a little. (Dip a coffee mug in that pot, pour it in the sauce pan.) Once you mix it all together, grate some cheese into it and stir it, then grate some more on top of your plate when you serve it.
I like whole wheat for this because it's nuttier than regular. I don't ever really want to eat whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce, but it's great for this pumpkin sauce. Likewise, I like parmesan over pecorino romano for this because it's nuttier. Romano is my go to cheese, but parmesan's better here.
Ok, time for another bowl.
1 lb (1 bag) whole wheat penne $1.39
1/2 can pumpkin (1 can is $1.99)
1/2 stick of butter
a bunch of diced onion
a bunch of capers (a jar is $3.69 at Trader Joe's)
oregano ($1.99 for a jar at trader joe's)
grated parmesan (parmesan is $6.49/lb)
15 oz (1 can) cannelini beans (optional. $0.89)
Melt the butter and cook the onions until you can smells them. You can add salt and pepper and oregano at this point. Then add the pumpkin and capers. Beans if you want them. I like adding beans to pasta because the same things that make pasta taste good make beans taste good and beans are healthy. Add some of the pasta water to thin the sauce out a little. (Dip a coffee mug in that pot, pour it in the sauce pan.) Once you mix it all together, grate some cheese into it and stir it, then grate some more on top of your plate when you serve it.
I like whole wheat for this because it's nuttier than regular. I don't ever really want to eat whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce, but it's great for this pumpkin sauce. Likewise, I like parmesan over pecorino romano for this because it's nuttier. Romano is my go to cheese, but parmesan's better here.
Ok, time for another bowl.
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Food Stamps
One of the better grocery shoppers I know recently qualified for food stamps. I suggested he make ceviche because he could afford limes now. He said he refuses to encourage Giant Eagle's lime prices, no matter what.
I also encouraged him to buy local products to help the economy. I wonder if those local brands think about how the government gives people money to buy the food they sell, and if that stops them from pretending Romney's "I built this" lie is true.
Studies show that food stamps are one of the most effective forms of economic stimulus the government can undertake. But I wonder if some benefits should be reduced to increase regular welfare. If you still need food, you could buy it with your money.
I also encouraged him to buy local products to help the economy. I wonder if those local brands think about how the government gives people money to buy the food they sell, and if that stops them from pretending Romney's "I built this" lie is true.
Studies show that food stamps are one of the most effective forms of economic stimulus the government can undertake. But I wonder if some benefits should be reduced to increase regular welfare. If you still need food, you could buy it with your money.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Tomatoes
It's tomato time. They are $0.99/lb at any store that wants you to buy tomatoes. They are more than that at farmers' markets where they are better and more than that at grocery stores that don't care if you buy tomatoes. (Just like how Associated, Food Bazaar, and Western Beef never care if you buy pasta from them. Some stores just aren't interested. You have to get pasta from C-Town or Key Food. Whole wheat pasta from Trader Joe's.)
Since Friday, I learned how to make panzanella. I had heard of it, but before I looked on wikipedia before making it Friday, I thought it might be soup. It is a salad. It's a salad of stale bread, tomatoes, cumbers, red onions, basil, olive oil, and whatever. I made it Friday and I thought "this is going to be the kind of thing people ask me to make more." And then Agnes loved it so I was right
On Sunday, I had some more stale bread but not much more inclination to cook besides missing my panzanella, so I went to get more ingredients. C-Town's circular said it had plum tomatoes for $0.99/lb and diet Mug Root Beer for some good price I don't remember (but it was probably 3/$4).
When I went there, I found slicing tomatoes for the same discounted price. I like plum tomatoes for sandwiches, but for a food that you want a bunch of extra juice to soak your stale bread, these were better. (The cashier rang them up as plum tomatoes. Maybe their inventory will be off, though the price was the same.) Basil was $2.59 or so, which is absurd ($1 at Jesus, $2 at Food Bazaar) so I improvised my recipe using herbes de provence. It was good.
Tonight I had a leftover tomato and still half a cucumber ($0.50 at C-Town. Off and on I see them cheaper, but it's not worth shopping around. I was happy with that price.) so I diced them and put them with a can of chick peas (probably $0.80 at Western Beef) with some olive oil that I am now out of. And capers ($3.49 for a big jar at Trader Joe's. No one can touch that price.) That was a good dinner.
It's the height of tomato season now, so I should find a famers' market to buy some. I thought I was living ok with tomatoes until 2 years ago when I ate a tomato my cousin grew. Tomatoes are supposed to taste great! I would pay $3/lb for a great tomato (I would only buy 1) but I would be jealous that my cousin gets them for free. And so does my brother by visiting him. He also grows basil. And dill. I never want to move, but sometimes I wish I could have tomatoes and basil and dill. And mint.
Since Friday, I learned how to make panzanella. I had heard of it, but before I looked on wikipedia before making it Friday, I thought it might be soup. It is a salad. It's a salad of stale bread, tomatoes, cumbers, red onions, basil, olive oil, and whatever. I made it Friday and I thought "this is going to be the kind of thing people ask me to make more." And then Agnes loved it so I was right
On Sunday, I had some more stale bread but not much more inclination to cook besides missing my panzanella, so I went to get more ingredients. C-Town's circular said it had plum tomatoes for $0.99/lb and diet Mug Root Beer for some good price I don't remember (but it was probably 3/$4).
When I went there, I found slicing tomatoes for the same discounted price. I like plum tomatoes for sandwiches, but for a food that you want a bunch of extra juice to soak your stale bread, these were better. (The cashier rang them up as plum tomatoes. Maybe their inventory will be off, though the price was the same.) Basil was $2.59 or so, which is absurd ($1 at Jesus, $2 at Food Bazaar) so I improvised my recipe using herbes de provence. It was good.
Tonight I had a leftover tomato and still half a cucumber ($0.50 at C-Town. Off and on I see them cheaper, but it's not worth shopping around. I was happy with that price.) so I diced them and put them with a can of chick peas (probably $0.80 at Western Beef) with some olive oil that I am now out of. And capers ($3.49 for a big jar at Trader Joe's. No one can touch that price.) That was a good dinner.
It's the height of tomato season now, so I should find a famers' market to buy some. I thought I was living ok with tomatoes until 2 years ago when I ate a tomato my cousin grew. Tomatoes are supposed to taste great! I would pay $3/lb for a great tomato (I would only buy 1) but I would be jealous that my cousin gets them for free. And so does my brother by visiting him. He also grows basil. And dill. I never want to move, but sometimes I wish I could have tomatoes and basil and dill. And mint.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Let Me Tell You About Associated
I meant to tell you about C-Town, but I'm telling you about Associated first because that's where the story starts. I've been shopping there more lately. I mostly liked it, except when I walk out without buying something and they question me about that. Sometimes I just don't want to buy something! Sometimes I'm just perusing prices before I make my big purchases. Sometimes your tomatoes are ugly.
Today I went in to get some stuff and saw their ATM was still broken. When I went to check out, they told me the credit card system was on and off. The cashier tried. It was off. I left. If you want me to buy groceries, give me a way to pay. I just left all my groceries there for them to put back because they should pay me to work there if they want me to do that. But I don't know how they'd get money to pay me if they won't even take my money.
So maybe I have to go shop at C-Town more, even if it is gentrifying faster than I am, if only because it will take my money. (Except I didn't shop at C-Town after this. I went to Bravo. But Bravo has a $10 credit card minimum and I can only commit to about $7 so it will never be my regular store.)
P.S. I am 30 years old and I am bad at cooking rice, so my new rice store is the Chinese restaurant next door. It was $2.95 for a "large" of brown, but it is already cooked and I cook rice so infrequently and so poorly that this makes sense for me. I'm stuffing some peppers.
Today I went in to get some stuff and saw their ATM was still broken. When I went to check out, they told me the credit card system was on and off. The cashier tried. It was off. I left. If you want me to buy groceries, give me a way to pay. I just left all my groceries there for them to put back because they should pay me to work there if they want me to do that. But I don't know how they'd get money to pay me if they won't even take my money.
So maybe I have to go shop at C-Town more, even if it is gentrifying faster than I am, if only because it will take my money. (Except I didn't shop at C-Town after this. I went to Bravo. But Bravo has a $10 credit card minimum and I can only commit to about $7 so it will never be my regular store.)
P.S. I am 30 years old and I am bad at cooking rice, so my new rice store is the Chinese restaurant next door. It was $2.95 for a "large" of brown, but it is already cooked and I cook rice so infrequently and so poorly that this makes sense for me. I'm stuffing some peppers.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Ceviche Times
One of my goals this summer was to make ceviche (also spelled "seviche," especially by me). On Monday I finally did. Food Bazaar has oysters and mussels for me in the winter and now it has my seviche creatures. Medium white shrimp are $5.99/lb, as are bay scallops. Bay scallops might be too small for ceviche, but sea scallops are $11.99/lb and I'm not made of money. Tilapia is $4.99/lb. That's what I put in the first time I made it, but I'm about to make another batch to which I'm adding squid at $4.99/lb.
Limes got cheaper since Monday. They were 13/$2 but now they are 15. I bought 30 of them because I want to feed people micheladas when I feed them ceviche. I also put the juice of a small grapefruit ($0.67), some tomatillos ($1.29/lb), very fine slivers of red onion ($1.29/lb) and maybe some jalapeño pepper ($1.29/lb) and cilantro. Food Bazaar wanted $1.50 for that, but the going rate is $1 so I didn't get that yet.
I like foods based on festering.
Limes got cheaper since Monday. They were 13/$2 but now they are 15. I bought 30 of them because I want to feed people micheladas when I feed them ceviche. I also put the juice of a small grapefruit ($0.67), some tomatillos ($1.29/lb), very fine slivers of red onion ($1.29/lb) and maybe some jalapeño pepper ($1.29/lb) and cilantro. Food Bazaar wanted $1.50 for that, but the going rate is $1 so I didn't get that yet.
I like foods based on festering.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
A Bazaar Attack
From the Brooklyn Paper:
Very weird. I went there Monday to buy fishes. I might write about that.
An unknown assailant who claimed to be a security guard at a Manhattan Avenue supermarket accused a man of stealing and slashed him on Aug. 8.
The victim told police he was at Food Bazaar between Varet and Moore streets at 5:30 pm when the knife-wielding lunatic came up to him and declared, “You came here yesterday and stole,” slashed him, and ran away.
Very weird. I went there Monday to buy fishes. I might write about that.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Western Beef had a lot of empty shelves
But I lived. I also had my bag fly out of my bike basket on the way there. Some girl picked it up for me so I got it back. And I realized I forgot to wear my helmet when I got to the store and went to take it off and it wasn't there.
I spent about $14. I got a tomato ($0.99/lb), three beets ($0.99/lb), a gallon jug of red wine vinegar ($2.99) because they didn't have Colavita on the shelves, Gulden's mustard in the squeeze bottle ($1.50), light wheat bread ($1.89) because they didn't have my normal wheat bread, 6 English muffins ($0.88), Dr. Brown's diet root beer ($1.19), a bag of Great Lakes shredded mozzarella ($1.99 for 8 oz) and 2 cans of chick peas ($0.67 each).
I ate English muffins for dinner. First I made pizzas like Agnes did Saturday (hers were better) using Colavita crushed tomatoes I had on hand, frozen Trader Joe's peppers, and the cheese. Agnes's were better. I think she let them get toastier. Or maybe her sauce was better. Then I ate another English muffin with my dilly egg salad.
I hope I like the red wine vinegar. I own a lot of it.
I spent about $14. I got a tomato ($0.99/lb), three beets ($0.99/lb), a gallon jug of red wine vinegar ($2.99) because they didn't have Colavita on the shelves, Gulden's mustard in the squeeze bottle ($1.50), light wheat bread ($1.89) because they didn't have my normal wheat bread, 6 English muffins ($0.88), Dr. Brown's diet root beer ($1.19), a bag of Great Lakes shredded mozzarella ($1.99 for 8 oz) and 2 cans of chick peas ($0.67 each).
I ate English muffins for dinner. First I made pizzas like Agnes did Saturday (hers were better) using Colavita crushed tomatoes I had on hand, frozen Trader Joe's peppers, and the cheese. Agnes's were better. I think she let them get toastier. Or maybe her sauce was better. Then I ate another English muffin with my dilly egg salad.
I hope I like the red wine vinegar. I own a lot of it.
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