Grocery Store Observations

Now that I've started cooking again, I'm trying to eat at home a little more often. I had some leftovers in the fridge, but I needed a little something more to go with them, so off to the grocery store I went.

I enjoy grocery shopping. I know lots of people hate it, but I just love it. I can wander around, up and down every aisle (sometimes more than once), checking out what's new, what's on sale, that kind of thing. I also consider it exercise, given that most grocery stores around here are pretty big and I cover a lot of ground in a shopping trip.

I made some observations while I was shopping tonight and I thought I'd share them with you. And a recipe! Because I ended up making something completely different than what I set out to shop for, and it came out pretty darned well.

1. The price of frozen vegetables has gotten ridiculous. This won't come as a surprise to some of you, I'm sure, but it sure was a shock to me. I went looking for frozen chopped onions (because I really don't like chopping onions) and was stunned to see a low-end brand priced at $3.00 for one small bag...on sale! I looked at some of the other vegetables and they were all relatively expensive, even the in-house store brands.

2. A $3 bag of onions will make even someone who hates chopping onions go back to the produce section and buy a $.66 onion. Just sayin'.

3. The amount of processed foods in our stores is also ridiculous. I know we all value convenience but with all the attention being paid to childhood and adult obesity, it's not hard to see how we've gotten there. Don't get me wrong, I'm as guilty of it as the next person (if not more so over the years) but when you really start reading labels and looking at foods critically, it's an eye-opener.

4. Unless you buy a lot of it, fresh meat is really pricey when it's not on sale. This makes it challenging for a solo diner. I wanted to get a little bit of protein to go with my leftover stir-fry, as what was left had little meat in it. I couldn't bring myself to buy a $9 steak that was more than I could eat, or a pack of pork chops that was four times what I needed. (My freezer is maxed out, so freezing the extra isn't a good option.) So I started looking at everything, trying to find a deal. I ended up with a $2 package of pork for stew. Did you know they even had stew pork cubes? I can't say as I've ever seen it before. Beef for stew was over $6 for the smallest package...which wasn't all that small.

5. Having a smart phone with a data plan is a wonderful thing in a grocery store. I had the stew meat, so now I needed some stuff to, you know, make a stew. Having made few stews in my life, I wasn't entirely sure what I absolutely needed. I parked in an empty area of the produce section and whipped out my phone. Three minutes later, I knew what I needed to know and got to it.

6. Oblivious people with cell phones in a grocery store aren't such a wonderful thing. Not the most original observation, I realize, but it has to be said.

7. Some people are simply not cut out to use the self-checkout lane. They simply aren't. But, of course, they do. I won't bore you with the tale; suffice it to say that if the death stare worked, California would be minus one shopper tonight.

8. Remembering to bring your own bag in to the grocery store gets easier with time. I used to suck at it, to be frank. Stores that remind you to bring them before you get inside are hug-worthy.

9. Grocery store parking lots were designed by car insurance companies. They have to be. They're like white-lined death traps, preying on the unwary and the parking-impaired.

10. When you buy a bunch of ingredients and don't exactly know what you're going to make with them, the results can be fantastic.

That brings us to the recipe I promised. I found a few recipes when I checked on my phone, but none were exactly what I wanted. So I did what I often do: I combined parts from a few different recipes that sound good, to come up with something original. My friend, PsychMamma, coined the term "Frankenstew" on Twitter when I was talking about it, so that's what it's called!

If you try it, I hope you like it and encourage you to improvise and add or substitute ingredients you already have or like better; just know their cooking times and throw them in accordingly.

Frankenstew

1 1/2 lbs stew pork, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/2 T. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1 t. paprika
1 1/2 T. olive oil
8 oz. sliced baby portabella mushrooms
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 T. chopped shallots
1 T. chopped garlic
1 can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1 t. dried Italian seasoning
1 T. dried parsley
2 yellow potatoes, cubed
3 carrots, chopped
1/2 t. lemon zest or 2 T. fresh lemon juice
parsley (to garnish)

1. In a bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Toss the pork cubes in the flour mixture until completely coated.

2. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and brown the coated pork cubes in the olive oil.

3. Add the portabella mushrooms, sliced onion, shallots and garlic and sauté for 5 more minutes.

4. Stir in the chicken broth, wine and spices, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the potatoes and stir.

5. Cover the stew and cook over low heat for 45 minutes. Add carrots, re-cover and cook for 15 more minutes. Uncover, (add zest here if you’re using it) stir and cook for another 15 minutes or until the liquid thickens up a little.

6. Just before serving, stir in the fresh lemon juice (if you didn’t add the zest); garnish with fresh parsley (or cilantro, if you swing that way)

(Here is the original recipe that was the base for mine, from Food.com)

The Good, The Expensive, The Ridiculous

A while back, I stumbled across Uncrate while looking for info on something or another I wanted to buy. I'm not its target audience by any means (it calls itself "a web magazine for guys who love stuff"), but I enjoy popping over there and checking out the interesting array of stuff they feature.

My latest foray there immediately put the above title into my head, so I thought I'd share some of the highlights...and lowlights. Can't hurt to know what gifts might be on the List (real or imagined) for the guy in your life, right?

The Good



Natural Tree-Stump Side Table - I really like the look of this and could see it being a nice touch in a rustic decor.



Glasses made of recycled glass from discarded car windshields. Clever way to be a little greener...and not just because of the tint of the glass. These, along with a pitcher, can be found at Uncommon Goods, where I've purchased things in the past.

The Expensive



A tool chest for the 21st century. Featured on MTV's "Pimp My Tool." (Hmm, that didn't come out quite right.) Brought to you by Kobalt and available at your local Lowe's. I have to admit that I like the built-in fridge.



The new Aston Martin One-77. The pricetag: $1.9 million. Yeah, you read that right.

The Ridiculous



Yes, it's the GoateeSaver. Now coming to a town near you!



The Beer Belt. I find it interesting that they have this displayed on a chick, not a pot-bellied guy.

I have to tell you that there were a half-dozen things I could have put under each of the Expensive and the Ridiculous, and it was hard to pare it down to only two, whereas there really were not that many for the Good. Maybe it's that missing Y chromosome or something.

19 hours in LA

It was a mission of mercy. B²W³ (my brother -- I'm tired of writing out "Best Brother in the Whole Wide World") had driven to SoCal for work, days before, and was coming back Sunday. It's a long, boring drive and we'd tossed around the idea of my driving there with him then flying back, but it hadn't worked out. But the reverse would work and, really, I had nothing better to do.

Saturday I left cold, drizzly NorCal and flew to cold, sunny SoCal, landing at the Bob Hope Airport in next to no time. (I had waited in the San Jose airport for my departure time about twice as long as the duration of the flight. Of course, since I'd gotten there early, the security checkpoint was a breeze.) B²W³ picked me up and we were off to beautiful downtown Burbank, which was my only condition of going -- hey, I grew up on Laugh-In.

My evidence (click to enlarge):


We found a place to watch the big Patriots-Giants game over dinner and I got to immerse myself in LA culture. I know I was sitting next to someone in "the biz" at the bar, but I still have no idea what he did. Later, while driving around soaking up still more culture, I was astonished to see that they have CVS pharmacies down there -- I had no idea there were any on the west coast. Growing up in New York, CVS was just about my favorite place to shop (this was pre-Target, people) so I had to visit for old times' sake. We went to one later that night and luckily we didn't pick a 24-hour one, since B²W³ almost had to physically drag me out at closing as it was. Good times.

Speaking of shopping, where else can one truly observe and absorb the culture of a place more than in its malls and shopping centers? After the game ended, I had a nice time walking around the Valencia Town Center for a while, wishing more stores were open but glad that some were open that late. It definitely didn't feel like home, but I couldn't say whether it was better or worse, or exactly how it was different; it just was. The only observation I have to share is that some of the store personnel seem even more indifferent to their customers there than they do here.

The most notable thing on the mall directory was something that it hadn't occurred to me I'd be able to indulge in, though it probably should have: Pinkberry. This is yet another place I've heard a lot about but which I'd never been to since I hadn't been to LA in years. It was on my mind because I've seen the AmEx Plum Card commercial featuring them almost every day for the past two weeks or so. I have to admit, I like the phrase "swirly goodness." That shop was closed by then, but we decided we'd get there this morning. While looking up their hours, I came across a blog wherein the blogger makes it very clear how she feels about Pinkberry's product. I'm not one to just go on one person's opinion, though, so I was still determined to sample it.

I tried a smidgen of each of the two flavors to see which I preferred, and I went with the green tea. I don't agree with that blogger - it was definitely a very different, very tart, very yogurt-y taste, but it wasn't bitter. At $4.50 a pop with a topping, I probably won't be a regular customer when they finally get here...as I'm sure they will...but it was definitely a refreshing treat.

All my goals and shopping needs being met, we headed back north in the B²W³mobile, gratefully. There's really only so much new culture a person can take, and 19 hours was just about enough.

The simple things make me happy

I was out on the town kind of late last night and was too tired to post when I got home. A dear friend of mine is in town for the holiday and we indulged in some of our favorite activity -- shopping! We went out late enough for the wackiness of the day-after-Christmas bargain hunters to have died down, thankfully.

If you know me, you will not be at all surprised to hear that, while we were shopping after dinner, I needed to find a ladies' room. We ended up in Nordstrom's and, as it's someplace I don't shop often, I hadn't been in their loo recently. I'll be sure to stop back there next time I'm in the area and in need, though, because it held a delightful surprise!

Public bathrooms are always a crap shoot (pun only semi-intended), aren't they? I generally dread using them but have no choice, so it's always lovely to find a decent one, let alone one that actually brings a smile to my face. But that's what happened last night.

Before I tell you why, though, allow me to digress for a moment. All this talk of public restrooms reminds me that there's a site devoted to this very subject. According to their homepage, "MizPee finds the closest, cleanest toilets in your area," and it's accessible by your mobile phone for those desperate, "there's gotta be one around here somewhere" moments. I haven't had occasion to use it yet, but you can believe it's going to be marked as a favorite on my phone! I checked and can't find this Nordstrom's restroom (it's the Valley Fair one, if anyone local is wondering) on MizPee, but I'm going to submit it as soon as I'm more familiar with the site.

So, what was the surprising factor, already? The hand dryers have been replaced by what at first I thought were Dyson Airblade dryers (which excited me to no end, because I've seen the commercial for them and I'm already half in love with James Dyson because he's so freaking brilliant and has a great voice), but were actually Mitsubishi Jet Towel, high-speed hand dryers. Same concept, same wonderful result. These things are awesome! Exactly as Dyson says in his commercial, there's no giving up and wiping your still-wet hands on your pants; the air moves the water off your hands in a matter of seconds and takes it down into a collection area, not in a puddle on the floor underneath the dryer -- something that annoyed me about traditional, ineffectual "hot" air hand dryers almost as much as their inability to actually dry my hands -- and there wasn't a carelessly discarded paper towel in sight. It just seemed so sanitary and efficient and environmentally sound.

I left with clean, dry, un-chapped hands and I was a happy, happy girl.