Salads and such

I've been wanting to do "food" posts for some time, and think I'll get started.  But maybe I should back up and talk about grocery shopping.  Some love it.  Some tolerate it.  Some despise it.  I think I'm somewhere in the middle.  Since I  don't work am a homemaker, I have the time to go during the week when the aisles are less full of people gawking at a shelf.  I'm thankful for that privilege and don't take it for granted.

Where do I shop?  Well I'm a big warehouse club fan.  We recently had a Costco open just five minutes from our home.  And so I go there on a weekly basis.  Besides the fact their milk cartons are somewhat non-compliant with MYP pouring out of them, they have good deals.  You do have to watch the prices though.  And if you get a box of 96 of something and the MYP decide they really don't like it for their lunches, you have 93 of something and then it becomes a wa$te of money.  I like Aldi a LOT.  Some think Aldi is for the trailer trash crowd.  I disagree.  They are owned by the same family that owns Trader Joe's and I've seen some overlap in the aisles.  We have a new one that opened last fall that is also five minutes away.  The selection very limited, but the prices are much better.  I bought at pound of butter today for $1.82.  At the regular store it is close to $3.  Their grapefruit are among the best.  The peppers come in multi-colored packs.  The low-fat turkey for lunches is tasty.  I personally wouldn't buy much meat from them as it is gassed to make it bright pink.  That seems wrong.

Anyway, I usually have a large stockpile here at the Chairman's Chalet.  I like full freezers and stocked pantries. That way when a whim hits me, I'm ready to roll.

Menu planning is the pits.  I notice that some do weekly menus and roll with that.  Seems nice, but I like to solicit input and run with it.  Sometimes I have the other four people in the family give me two choices to put on a list.  I try to vary up the selection - fish, chicken, pork, beef (has anyone seen the prices lately?  Wowsers), and even salad as a main dish.  The Chairman is not a meat/potatoes man.  He likes salads and black beans and healthy fare.  We even like breakfast on a cold evening.

I'm more of a 'Betty' than a 'Julia' cook.  Maybe it has to do with my mom.  (tee hee).  But if you want basic instructions on how to make something, Betty Crocker cookbooks are great.  Allrecipes.com and some other sites are wonderful.  I rarely use convenience foods.  (But don't look in my pantry as I do have a weakness for a box of brownies at times.)  I save money that way.  I know what we are eating.  And again, I have the time to make things from scratch.

Well when is she going to talk about salads?  I will.  I was raised with good homemade food.  Salads were usually included in most meals.  But they were topped with Dorothy Lynch or thousand island.  When I married into the family I did, they make 'salad' topped with an oil/vinegar mixture.  We eat it at least three times/week.  Here goes:

Green or red leaf, romaine lettuce, or even spinach if you have some

Cucumber (about 1/4 or so), red pepper sliced thin (enough to taste), onion (red, green, or sweet to taste), maybe some shredded carrot, and avocado.   Put everything in but avocado.  Right before serving, put small chunks of avocado in.  Sprinkle some dill weed (maybe 1/2 teaspoon) and salt (to taste).  Add olive oil and vinegar mixture to it.  I like extra-light olive oil and I use Mrs. Braggs which is usually found in the healthy section of the store.  How much?  Enough to coat the amount of salad you made.  I kinda go buy the rule of thumb 2/3 of it being oil and 1/3 vinegar.  But do what you like!  Here's a picture of the vinegar bottle for you shopping-challenged friends.  I never mix this up before pouring on the salad.  You can just do the vinegar and then oil right into the salad bowl!

Another simple salad I like to make often is a spinach/fruit salad.  It is baby spinach leaves, a little bit of cucumber or celery for variety, onion to taste, sweet-roasted walnuts, pecans, or almonds, (I do a bunch on the stove and keep in the freezer waiting for the next time), a little feta, and fruit of some sort (fresh strawberries or clementines) or if you are in a pinch, canned mandarins.

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 T sugar
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas dried basil
a couple shakes of hot sauce.  
Mix up in a jar and pour over salad.

Well there's a couple recipes for you if you're interested.  And remember this recipe thing goes both ways!  I'm all ears for new ideas!