Common Cuisine |

8 oz sweet hot pepper jelly or jalapeno jelly
8 oz cream cheese
1 box crackers

Place the cream cheese on a plate. Pour pepper jelly over top. Serve with crackers.

Apparently, last week’s volcano eruption in Chile blew enough greenhouse gases into the global atmosphere to undo 5 years of our best efforts to reduce emissions. It kinda serves to defeat the purpose of what we are doing, if the goal is to leave a zero carbon footprint.

Yet, conservation is never wasted. There is still truth in that the less we consume, the less we pay for utilities, fuel, and commodities. Saving money is always good, and putting less in landfills allows us to enjoy the parts of our country that have not been converted. While I don’t know who to believe as far as how critical of a difference this belching volcano makes in the global equation, I still feel justified in doing my part to steward my personal resources.

This week I conserved gasoline by making all my shopping trips (4 stores) in one circuit, and picking up my daughter from school at the end of it. I calculate that the total driving distance was 20 miles, with 12 of them being part of my daily school run anyway. Since I live 9 miles from the nearest grocery store, you can see that I really put those additional 8 miles to work for me. Gasoline cost to drive my car 8 miles: about $2. I am pleased.

Brie is a soft cheese with a mild buttery flavor. A brie appetizer will give your gathering a touch of class.

A full wheel of brie is about the size of your hand, and comes encased in a white rind. This rind is perfectly edible, although no one will shame you if you discreetly slide yours off into the trash.

1 wheel brie
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely diced*
2-3 Tbsp sliced almonds
Hearty crackers

At any point during the day of your party, melt butter and olive oil together in a skillet. Add chopped garlic, and saute for about 2 minutes, so that garlic is aromatic and slightly softened, but not burned crispy brown. Store covered in a bowl on the countertop until ready to proceed with baking.

Preheat oven to 350. Place brie wheel in a pie plate, and pour garlic mixture over the wheel. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 20 minutes, checking frequently to make sure the rind has not ruptured and allowed the melting cheese to run all over the plate. If this does happen, the only damage is cosmetic. And those who enjoy brie will not care.

Pull out the plate, spread the perimeter of the plate with crackers, and set the plate on a trivet or hot pad in the appetizer serving area. Add a 2″ dip knife and serve hot.

*To easily peel a clove of garlic, lay the flat blade of a chef’s knife across the clove. With the heel of your hand, give the blade a quick blow. This will crush the garlic, leading to three results: the papery cover will be much easier to remove; the clove will be flatter and easier to chop; and the bruising action will release the oils in the garlic for greater smell and taste enjoyment.

For the third week in a row, I went shopping yesterday with a plan and a goal. The plan was a list almost entirely made up of sale items, involving four stores. The goal was to spend less than $100. I really need to look at some old bank statements since I don’t have a clear idea how much I was spending on food each week before that. But I know that every single week I go over my goal, and I have a sense that it’s by $30 to $50 if not more.

THE PLAN
At Sam’s Club I got 3 lbs of bananas and 4 packages of english muffins (we go through about a package a week), for a total of $9.40. I also try to gas up my car there, but had just made an emergency stop the day before, so did not this time.

At HEB I bought some deli roast beef to get free deli cheese and spicy mustard. I got strawberries, green beans, asparagus and honeydew all on sale. I brought the green beans home, washed and cut off the ends, and will use them for snacks for the kids this week. I also picked up olive oil with a $1 coupon attached, and local coffee beans for less than the national brand. This is also where I picked up organic apples. Total: $37.92 except the receipt didn’t show the right discount for the cheese and mustard, so I went to the customer service desk and got $1.07 returned to me. I decided to call that my “Eagle Eyes” money and put it in a jar for a special occasion. Revised total: $36.85.

At Albertson’s I collected yogurt (their store brand is Justin’s favorite), crackers, Zatarain’s, bratwurst and deli turkey on sale, as well as sale cookies plus coupon giving me 2 packages of Fudge Stripes for $1.17 each. Next time, I’ll skip the turkey sale, as it was not in line with my standards. My standard in deli meat is to stick with the kind without fillers, such as Boar’s Head and Kretschmar. It doesn’t go on sale more than 50 cents a pound, but that is one of those areas I have decided not to compromise. Total at Albertson’s was $19.39.

I finished up at Kroger, where I typically save 10% with my Kroger card without trying too hard. This time the receipt showed a bottom line savings of 33%. I chose all items that were on sale, such as kiwi, limes, cherry tomatoes, butter gold potatoes, and cheese. I also chose this week to stock up on SunChips and granola bars on sale. I used a coupon to get a $2.99 toothbrush for $1.19. At Kroger, I spent $34.34.

THE GOAL
After adding it all up, I see I spent a grand total of $101.05 but taking into account my Eagle Eyes correction of $1.07, I squeaked in under my goal at $99.98! It was very encouraging to see that despite visiting four locations, I was still able to spend less overall.

Time spent shopping was about 2 ½ hours, including driving time (of at least 30 minutes). My toddler escort did pretty well, although he was laying down in the cart trying to fall asleep by the last stop. Time planning was not well organized as I was simultaneously clipping coupons, going through the sales flyers, meal planning and making my shopping lists. I estimate it took me about two hours to do all of that, but I think as I do it more frequently, I will develop a system. Once summer comes in a few more weeks, a friend and I are going to spend Monday mornings doing this project together, while our kids play together.

CONCLUSION
By carefully choosing sale items, I was able to save a lot of money while only using two coupons for a total of $1.75. As you can see, that was still an important factor as it kept me under my goal. But I definitely think I am on the way to developing a system with hitting the different stores, and planning meals from the sales instead of independently.

This shopping trip is only part of the equation. Now I need to stay out of the store for the rest of the week by managing the amount of food I have in stock. Then I need to do it again for the next two weeks in order to stay on budget for the month. It takes work to plan this much, but I feel like a valiant warrior when I save money for my family.

I headed over to our local farmers’ market a couple weeks ago to scope out the scene. Around here the market runs year round, although there are far more vendors in the summer months than in the winter.

I went looking for lettuce, and was pleased with what I found. There were romaine and spinach to choose, plus tomatoes and green and white onions. I bought two gigantic heads of romaine, which have lasted our family over a week so far. The second head is still hanging out waiting for us to need it, but it looks like it will last still a few more days. Maybe next time I will just buy one.

I got a few bonuses, too. From the romaine vendor, I received some sprigs of dill and a sprig of Thai basil for drying. And from the spinach vendor, I picked up two bunches of red scallions for a few cents. They have a woody flavor I could (almost) eat raw. Our baby-shower chicken salad the next day was bumped up from terrific to unbelievable by the addition of these sweet onions.

I saw a vendor of local honey, as well as one selling natural soaps and lotions. I used to wash my hair with a natural soap bar that left my hair so clean it became curly. I look forward to testing these soaps sometime in the future, to see if they have the same effect.

My daughter and I spent time at the table of someone selling potted cactus and other plants. She had an emergent butterfly drying out on her shoulder, that she had found in a bunch of parsley someone was purchasing earlier in the morning. Looking at this dark beauty was a very neat experience for my daughter and I. After taking several pictures of this wonderful example of God’s creation, I purchased a small cactus plant and we continued with our round of errands for the morning.

Total investment at the market: $7 for two heads of romaine, a bunch of spinach, two bunches of red scallions, a handful of herb sprigs, three onions and a cactus plant.

Now that I have a better idea what to expect, I think I can be better prepared to visit at least every two weeks (it is a 30 minute drive). I plan to regularly purchase tomatoes, lettuce, and honey. And after enjoying my bonuses so much, I think I will go prepared to spend a few dollars each time on something surprising. !Viva la aventura!

From the previous list and what I already have in stock, I have come up with food not just for next week but through the end of the month! I am excited to think that next week I only need to purchase about five fresh items, plus the usual milk and bananas.

I don’t plan more than four meals in a week because there are nights we just want nachos, or have a potluck dinner, or feel obligated to clear out the fridge to make room for more.

Week One:
Greek Salad
Romaine Lettuce
Cucumber
Red Onion
Feta Cheese
Olives
Chicken on the Grill

Taco Ring
(I’m going to have to make a special post about this one. I will do that when I make it this week. Let me know if you are ready for the recipe before I post it!)
Crescent Rolls (I bought these last week)
Taco Meat (Pulling some out of the freezer)
Lettuce
Tomatoes
serve with Corn Cake

Pork Chops
(we already had these in the freezer from a sale 2 weeks ago)
Marinate overnight in Italian Dressing, then grill.
Oven roasted potatoes (cut 6 potatoes into 1″ cubes, put in gallon bag. Pour 2 Tbsp olive oil in bag, then 1/2 packet dry onion soup mix. Roast at 375 for 35-45 minutes)
Steamed broccoli

Artichokes
steam for 45-50 minutes
serve with rice and pineapple

Week Two
Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry
Dice the leftover pork chops and allow to soak in teriyaki marinade 30 minutes to overnight.

Add in fresh sugar snap peas, red pepper strips, and whatever other vegetables you desire.
Use Make Your Own Stir-Fry for guidance, substituting more of the teriyaki marinade instead of the sauce listed.

Spaghetti
Ragu Sauce, add in cooked crumbled italian sausage and mushrooms.
Serve with Salad and a loaf of French Bread

Smoked Sausage & Beans
Use your imagination, half of the dinner was free!

Chicken Pot Pie
Serve with salad.

Weekly sales fliers came out yesterday. I went ahead and made my list, in case anyone wants to take advantage of my time already spent.

I am going to publish my shopping list and meal plans for this/next week. If you find this useful, please drop me a line to let me know, as that will motivate me to continue it!

Monday is shopping day, but these sales are valid through next Tuesday. Items with * are on sale. Items marked with (S) are ones I will not be needing in the next two weeks, but are a good price for stocking up. Hope it’s helpful!

Sam’s Club
Bananas
Romaine lettuce hearts (unless I get to the FM this weekend)

HEB
*cucumbers
*mango
*greenhouse tomatoes
*athenos feta cheese
*(S)ground chuck
smoked sausage (w/ coupons for:)
*tortillas (free!)
*ranch beans (free!)
Kraft string cheese (w/ coupon for:)
*lunchable (free!)
HEB yogurt 4/4oz packs)

Albertsons
*seedless watermelon
*(S)Ragu sauce
*DiGiornio Pizzas (3 for $10)
*(S)ground turkey

Kroger
*pineapple
*broccoli crowns
*(S)rice-a-roni
*tortillas
*fritos
*Kroger yogurt
*artichokes!!!!!
*organic strawberries
*celery hearts
pie crust
olives
spaghetti noodles
canned mushrooms