purplewiz

Yes, I read the labels and yes, I generally put the item back if it doesn't meet my particular dietary requirements unless I'm buying it for something other than every day consumption. My biggest gasp lately has been these "yogurt" coated cereals: as far as I can tell that coating is pure sugar. I do agree with one point: You'd think this would be a no brainer: people do not give up things they like in favor of things they don't like. They give up things they like in favor of things they like MORE. Marcia.

Assuming you don't want chains, a couple of suggestions: Pueblo Viejo, on Academy. I'm in love with their chile colorado burrito, but we haven't had anything there we didn't like. The cooking isn't fancy, just good - but I will be up front and say I'm not the best judge of authenticity, I just know it's not like the chains and it's darned good. This is currently my favorite Mexican place. Salsa Brava is a local chain of two last I looked. They are located at Vindicator and Rockrimmon, and the newest one is on Briargate Parkway, where everything is expanding north. They're more Americanized, but the food is certainly fresh, and their salsas are outstanding. There is also a place at the I-25 and Garden of the Gods intersection, about a block east, that used to be a Taco John's but is now independent. It's changed names several times since then, but I understand the staff and the menu just keeps going on. My husband used to eat a lot of lunches there when he worked nearby, and liked it a lot. I can't remember if I've eaten there - if I did it was awhile ago. I know these are all in the north end of town, but that's where I live. I know there are several highly recommended places downtown and at the south end of town, but I have not yet gotten to any of them. Marcia.

You've already hit on many of my strategies, but no one's yet mentioned coupons. I do the majority of my shopping at grocery stores that double coupons, and I save a minimum of $5 a week. That alone pays for both newspaper subscriptions plus extra. (And since once newspaper subscription comes with a year's worth of Food And Wine magazine free if you pay for a year, it pays for that, too!) I am careful about which coupons I use - I tend to use the ones for stuff I was going to buy anyway, but once in awhile I'll use one for something I'd wanted to try. Hey, I won't know if I like it or not if I don't try it! Your shoo fly pie looks just wonderful - it's been way too many years since I've tasted one! Marcia.

Can I add one to my list? Fresh greens, still warm from my garden. Whatever's big enough to be harvested (or happens to be in the way), washed, spun dry, topped with anything and dressed with just about anything. Those greens have flavor and texture and assert themselves in a salad. I could eat nothing else but fresh picked lettuces for dinner and be very happy. Marcia. (of course, if there was a homegrown tomato to top them, it would be gilding the lily)

Unless your walnuts were rancid/bitter on their own, just using walnuts for pine nuts shouldn't have made your pesto bitter. I use walnuts all the time because my husband HATES pine nuts. No, they don't taste like pine nuts - that's the point . I agree with skipping the parsley - parsley can be bitter. I'm also wondering what kind of basil you used? The only time I've made a truly inedible pesto was when I absentmindedly included some Thai basil in with the Italian basil. The licorice notes of the Thai basil were NOT a good addition and tasted horrible. That batch went out with the garbage. Marcia.

Klary, what a lovely cheese crepe. I'm going to have to put those on the future dinner list - I'm getting all kinds of ideas on how to serve them! Marcia.

The recipe is a modification of one I found in my Trader Joe's Favorite Sunset Recipes cookbook: 3 eggs 1 cup ricotta cheese (part skim or whole) 1 tbsp oil 1/4 cup oat or whole wheat flour dash salt Beat the eggs until yellow and frothy. Add the ricotta and mix well. Add the oil, flour, and salt, mix well. Pour by scant quarter cupfuls on a lightly greased griddle or frying pan and cook over medium heat until golden brown; flip and cook on the other side until done. Makes about 9 pancakes. The original called for sieved cottage cheese, white flour, and more oil. I just really like the nuttiness of the oat/whole wheat flours. I've also added blueberries to the pancakes with excellent results. It's been a lot easier to develop and stick with healthier eating habits when the food is really, truly good. I've discovered recipes that fit in with the plan everywhere - you never know when you're going to stumble on a hidden gem. I'd had this cookbook for years and never did anything with it; I was paging through it one day on a whim and whammo, there was a great recipe to try. Marcia.

I feel a lot more human after going to the gym tonight for a swim. There's something to be said for this exercise stuff . As usual, I had a post-swim snack: a peanut butter foldover on 100% whole wheat and two pieces of limburger cheese (not pictured because they look remarkably like the pieces pictured earlier.) I picked up the term "foldover" from my parents, who used it for any half sandwich where the bread slice wasn't cut in half, just folded over. It's one of my favorite snacks and it's a good spot for me to wrap this up. I'll leave you with one last picture: This is what your sink looks like after a week of foodblogging . Yes, we have a dishwasher and I hope we're able to catch up soon! Marcia.

Marmish, that chocolate mille crepes is making my mouth water! I don't think anyone would have any issues polishing that off! Marcia.

It was close - it had the classic hot/sour/salty/sweet balance, but the overall volume of each flavor was turned down to a more subtle level than I've ever had it in a tom yam gai. It was also balanced less in favor of the sour and more in favor of the salty/chicken broth flavors. It's most likely just another delicious variation on the same theme . Marcia.

This really has been the day after the night before, so I took advantage of the good sleeping weather provided by the rain all afternoon and napped a lot. It's the cost of overindulging in good food yesterday! Lunch was a banana and a salami and muenster handwich. One of the many things I've learned through this lifestyle change is that when my body requires carbs, it usually tells me exactly what kind it wants. When I do give my body what it wants, it rewards me by making it taste better than it has any right to. Today, the carbs it wanted were in the form of banana - nothing else sounded even half as good. So I worked the rest of the meal around that. (Form of a banana....anyone remember the old SuperFriends cartoon and the Wonder Twins?) For dinner, I just wanted something simple. I made an Asian-inspired slaw based on Good Eats' Asian Slaw - hand-cut rustic cabbage shreds, cilantro, and green onions with a dressing of peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sriracha, garlic, and ginger. I don't measure the ingredients anymore, and I often vary them on a whim, making substitutions like chipotle Tabasco sauce or fresh jalapenos for the sriracha. (Rustic is another good food term to use when things look somewhat ugly. The cheese on the lasagna is a little burned and the pieces aren't square? Lasagna Rustica!) I rubbed some boneless pork chops with curry powder, drizzled them with olive oil, and grilled until just pinkish in the middle because I still like my pork on the done side. I first had meats prepared with the curry rub/grill method at the now out of business Royal Thai restaurant. I sliced the pork somewhat thin, placed it over the bed of slaw, and poured some reserved slaw dressing over the top. And just a little chocolate for dessert. Marcia.

When we rolled out of bed this morning, I cooked ricotta pancakes for breakfast: They're mostly eggs and ricotta cheese with just a little whole wheat or oat flour to give them structure and add a pleasant nuttiness. They cook up with a surprisingly cake-like texture. Served with sugar free syrup, strawberries, whipped cream, and side of bacon and the Sunday comics. And don't forget the coffee. I needed the caffeine jolt of the Thunderbolt coffee this morning. In quantity. snowangel, thanks for the pointer to the slaw recipe. I'm going to have to give that one a try sometime soon! Marcia.

We survived the house party . The house party actually starts on Friday and ends with a large dinner out on Sunday night; it's not just a party, but a really, really BIG party . We usually attend only the main festivities on Saturday because we just can't party quite as heartily as we did when we were twenty years younger. The brownies survived the road trip well: They were still warm but plenty firm enough to be cut. Their chocolate perfume made the drive a great deal more pleasant. The food appears and disappears on a rotating basis over the course of the day, less a meal than a constantly changing buffet. Salads, rhubarb pie (with a most excellent crust), mock potato salad with cauliflower. The brownies lasted about 45 minutes . Yes, they were very good - I might have baked them a little bit longer, but everyone else loved how gooey they were. If they're happy, I'm happy - it's chocolate, it's all good. First off the grill was the jerk seasoned chicken. Moist, tender, and delicious. Not shown are the big juicy burgers, hot dogs, and bratwurst which came later. One gentleman spends the day before the party smoking ribs. He's made them into an art form, falling off the bone. This year he also smoked a rubbed and injected pork tenderloin that just melted in your mouth. About 8 pm, when everyone was getting their second wind, another gentleman brought out the excellent lamb vindaloo he drove in from New Mexico. The pot on the back is spicy; the one in front was HOT. Later in the evening I unwound with half a shot of Pappy Van Winkle's 20 year old bourbon. Small batch and aged bourbons are my drink of choice; I enjoy sipping them as the layers of flavor unfold. The Pappy's 20 will probably always be my favorite, smooth and caramel flavored, and a perfect ending to the meal. The conversation during the course of the party naturally turned to food - repeatedly. It's one of the many reasons I enjoy this party so much every year; few of the nearby people I know are interested in food past the basics. The discussions on eGullet help fill the void most of the year, but it's always wonderful to exchange recipes and discuss flavors and recommend restaurants with fellow enthusiasts in person. Which is why I forgot about taking pictures after awhile . We arrived home LATE. Marcia.

This morning has been rushed because we're off to a house party for the rest of the day, and I always make brownies by request. The recipe is only a smidgen more difficult than boxed brownies, and infinitely tastier. Melt chocolate chips in butter in a big pot over low heat, stirring more or less continuously, until all melted together. Take the pot off heat (it's resting on a cool burner for photographic reasons). In the same pot, mix in the eggs and sugar. Mix in the flour, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Pour into a greased 9" x 13" pan. Yes, I have better baking pans, but this means I don't have to tote a dirty pan home . Spread evenly in pan. Bake at 350F for 27 - 30 minutes. Yes, you could melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler and do the mixing in another bowl, but that's just more to clean up. The flour, eggs, and sugar can all be mixed in in any order, or in no order at all - I've thrown them all in at the same time and while it makes it more difficult to mix, the brownies are fine. I don't know if you can overmix this batter, but I've never managed. The only thing that's more difficult about this recipe over a boxed mix is that you actually have to melt the chocolate. Once people get over that, the rest is just stirring. The after picture will have to wait because once the brownies are out of the oven, they will be transferred directly to the back seat of my car so they cool while we drive to the party (it's a couple hours away). I'm also bringing a slaw because potlucks are notorious for having a dearth of vegetables: Bagged slaw mix (cabbage, red cabbage, carrots) (it was on sale cheaper than I could make it myself) with added green onions and shredded radishes, dressed with a mayonnaise-based dressing that's a riff on a classic vinaigrette: white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, salt pepper. I was going to make a spicy chile-based dressing, but there are a wide variety of palates attending this party and I wanted to make something interesting but not off-putting. Coffee this morning: Because sometimes you can take it with you. As soon as I post this we're out of here, and I'm afraid I won't be around for the rest of the day. Hope you all have a great Saturday! Marcia.

It's good to see other chuck eye lovers.....and good to know you're all shopping at other stores !!! Another wonderful aspect of chuck eye is that if chuck-anything is on sale, chuck eye is also usually on sale and not advertised. They hide the steaks in the back of the case, but I know where to look! snowangel, I will definitely check out those teas - they look wonderful. After all that shopping I was too tired to cook - especially since I had to do some food prep for tomorrow's party. So we went out to a local Vietnamese/Chinese place, Lemongrass Bistro: Like most places around here, it's in a little strip mall. I'd wanted to try the Chicken Lemongrass soup since our last visit: Chicken, celery, mushrooms, chiffonade of Thai basil, and a broth reminiscent of Thai tom kha gai, but without the strong sour/lime component or the coconut milk. I wish the soup had been a wee bit spicier, but the chicken was meltingly tender. Grilled pork and shrimp paste on sugar canes. Not shown is the large bowl of hot water, the packet of dried rice papers, a dish of sauce, and a small dish of exquisitely hot chili paste. An ultimate assemble it yourself dish: dip the rice papers in the hot water, lay them out on your plate, add a baton of the grilled pork, some of the noodles/peanut/fried onions underneath, greenery and vegetables, a smear of chili paste, then roll it all up and make a glorious mess dipping it in the sauce and eating it. The eyes widened at the table next to us when this dish arrived; they stopped the server to ask what it was so they could order it next time. (They also wondered why we were photographing all our food. I smiled and said "food blog".) Chicken curry. We'd ordered this last time, and it was so good it was worth ordering again. The flavor was somewhere between an Indian and a Thai curry, and more of the incredibly tender chicken. All I wanted to do after dinner is go somewhere quiet and sit for awhile. So we headed over to our favorite coffee house: It has an incredible view of the mountains, but we missed the sunset by about 5 minutes. The coffee was good, though: A decaf sugar free vanilla latte for me, and a decaf sugar free caramel latte for Jim. I need to get to bed at a more reasonable hour tonight because I have some brownie baking to do in the morning for the house party that we'll be attending for the rest of the day. In the fine old tradition of the foodblogs before me, I leave you with two pictures of the interior of my refrigerator and freezer, full after the weekly shopping blitz. Good night, or good whatever time of day it is where you are! Marcia.

This week's marathon shopping trip, blogged in a marathon post: The first food stop was SuperTarget. SuperTarget is apparently Target's answer to WalMart: it's a regular Target store with a grocery department. I guess they don't have them everywhere because I'd mentioned our SuperTarget to friends of mine in CA some time ago, and they were just amazed that Target had groceries. Not all of our Targets are SuperTargets. Their prices are quite competitive on what they carry, but the grocery department is not as complete as WalMart or a grocery store. They have a reasonable produce department and routinely have the best prices on fresh cauliflower. They also have a well-stocked large tea selection. I picked up some yogurt and a couple of non-food items which were my reason for stopping in Target today. Next stop: Cost Plus World Market, which will always be just "Cost Plus" to me because that's what they called themselves when I first discovered them in California. I love their food section but this section is near and dear to my heart: The chocolate selection is extensive. I didn't even get pictures of some of it. Needless to say, I was there to buy chocolate: I bought two Lindt bars (one dark chocolate, one orange) and two Valor bars (one mint, one orange). That should hold us for awhile. They also have free coffee samples: Today's selection was chocolate truffle. A little on the acidic side, but quite drinkable. The final food stop was the store where I do the bulk of my grocery shopping: (The car was smudged in Photoshop because I thought it might be recognizable.) Ever since this Safeway was built I've been traveling out of my way to shop here. Before getting started on groceries I stopped at the outlet of the evil empire within the store: I'm addicted to their green iced tea. Walking around the store with something cool to drink makes the shopping experience just that much more pleasant. And Starbucks in the store has a deal going where if you buy 7 drinks, the 8th is free. I don't want to mention how many free drinks I've gotten . The store was remodeled a year or so ago. The inner aisles still look like and are lit like a traditional grocery store, but the departments in the perimeter of the store were redecorated and the lighting changed from overhead fluorescents to a softer overall light with focused spot lighting on the produce. The look is reminiscent of Whole Foods or Draeger's or other upscale chains. I'm sure it's a calculated move to make everything look more inviting so you'll buy more, but I like it anyway. Unfortunately, they do follow the rest of the stores in their selection of peppers. You can find almost any Mexican/southwestern pepper you want, but in the second picture you can see the entire Asian produce selection: ginger and some wildly overpriced dried out lemongrass. (Which isn't even carried in some of the Asian markets.) Forget trying to find the long purple eggplants or Thai eggplant - Whole Foods carried them for about six months, and I haven't seen them in any store since. (I even tried growing them. The deer ate them.) I like Safeway's meats: Beef.... ...and pork. The only package of chuck eye steaks is not in the first picture because it was in my cart. Safeway was also running a wonderful special on 7 bone pot roast - $0.99/lb - but I had to pass it up because I already have one in the deep freeze. The domination of the food scene by the chains has apparently given them some leeway to stock some interesting products: At SuperTarget I found Mexican Coke, with real sugar. Safeway stocks my favorite soy sauce, Pearl River Bridge. Last time I was at the Asian markets they didn't even have it (although they had some other good soy sauces). Safeway also stocks frozen New Mexico green chiles. The selection isn't as extensive as that of New Mexican grocery stores, but I am happy to have them available year 'round, not just fresh when they're in season. Since I was trying to hit a number of stores in a short amount of time, lunch was: As protein bars go, they're not too bad. They don't have the consistency and mouthfeel of spackle, the chocolatey coating might have met an actual cocoa bean at some point in its life, and most importantly, they sit like a lump in my stomach so I feel full. When I got home, I ate a hard boiled egg and split a package of onion-flavored macadamia nuts with my husband: I liked them way too much. Fortunately, the price will prevent me from buying them often. Marcia. edited for spelling errors that spontaneously appear AFTER you proofread it

It sure is! We drop by there any time we're passing by Fort Collins, and like you we always find we spend more than we'd anticipated! When I bought this mug they also had one just like it but with the red circle with a slash through it over the caffeine diagram for decaf . Marcia.

Friday is milk delivery day. Yes, an unexpected food gem was finding a dairy which delivered, and their products are very good. The Royal Crest Dairy had a very effective advertising campaign: every so often they went through the neighborhoods handing out free half gallons of milk, and asked people to perform their own taste tests. Jim said he could taste the difference right away, and we've been getting our milk (and some other products) from them ever since. Awaiting me this morning was the usual gallon of 1% milk, a quart of orange juice for Jim, and a pint of heavy cream. We have a standard order but there's also the order sheet hanging from the top where we can make any adjustments. The dairy reuses the plastic gallon jugs, picking them up at the same time they deliver. I varied breakfast a little bit this morning: Lower sugar instant oatmeal. It's about as good as any other instant oatmeal, and it's not quite so cloyingly sweet. Cottage cheese mixed with sugar free vanilla yogurt. The yogurt alone doesn't have quite enough protein for a meal, so I boost it with cottage cheese. I like how the two flavors and textures go together, even though it looks like white goo. And the ubiquitous morning elixir. Today is shopping day. I prefer to do the bulk of my grocery shopping at a store that's across town because they have a superior produce department and an exceptionally friendly staff. They're also located by a cluster of non-food stores which I often need to shop at, so I bundle it all into one marathon shopping day for efficiency. I also keep multiple lists for these stores so I don't rely on my memory for where I need to go and what I need to get. Marcia.

Yes, those are them! (They are those? Something like that.) Mine look an awful lot like Sempervivum tectorum (Common Houseleek). And you're right, they bloom - they put up the oddest stalks and pink blooms. I'm not sure how they'd grow on the roof, but it would protect them from the deer and rabbits! (I sound like a broken record, but the minute you think about outdoor plants, you have to take those pests into consideration!) Fortunately the lightning has missed us, and the rain has been wonderful for the lawn and garden. The extra water means I'm probably going to get another salad from the raised bed sooner rather than later. (Also dragging it back on topic.) Marcia.

Before I call it a night, I wanted to thank everyone for all their wonderfully kind compliments on our cats. They're both mutts; Abbey is probably part Maine Coon and Oreo is probably part ragdoll, but they're both adopted strays so we'll never know for sure. But we do know they're both sweet and funny and tractable and friendly, and we're very glad to have them as part of our household! Marcia.

The dinner post is late because we went swimming again tonight, and as usual I had a post-workout snack: My usual: half a whole wheat English muffin with butter and cheese. We also had the evening tea: Celestial Seasonings Decaf Original India Chai. The current deck project figures prominently in my future cooking endeavors because of the old grill. We bought the grill shortly after we bought this house. It's weathered nearly 10 years of hail, rain, snow, and 90 mph winds. The paint is gone. It's rusted. The wooden handle lost its finish years ago and the brackets that hold it on are crooked. The automatic igniter button broke off back when the plastic front started to disintegrate. The enameled cast iron grates are starting to rust again. A thick layer of crud is chemically bonded to the "flavorizer bars" to the point where oven cleaner won't touch it. It's an eyesore. And yet it cooks like a dream. I know where the hot and cold spots are, and exactly how to orient meat of an uneven thickness so it cooks more or less evenly. I know how hot all the way gets, and even thought the dial markings are long gone, I know where to move that dial to get just the heat level I want. All the crud in the grill gives an incredible depth of flavor. The grill is going to have to be unbolted from the deck when it is stained. That is going to be the end of the grill; all that's holding it together is sheer stubbornness. Moving the grill will cause its destruction. Yes, I have another grill sitting the garage, ready for assembly. I can't cook in the summer without one; I grill over 90% of our summer dinners. I know that the old grill is well past its end of life and should have been replaced long ago. It's time to let go and move on. But one thing I know for sure, I am going to miss my old grill. Marcia.

So, on to tonight's dinner.... I had a lot of fun shopping at Par Avion, but I'm afraid I was a little bit disappointed in their meat/fish counter. Everything they had was beautiful, but they didn't have as large as selection as I'd hoped. It was mostly the usual beef cuts, with some chicken breasts and one pork selection. The Colorado lamb loin chops looked outstanding, so I bought two. They also had fresh rosemary. (They also had frozen whole foie gras, but the budget can only stretch so far!) I was exceptionally pleased with their olive oil and vinegar selection, and doubly so because most of them were available for tasting. I fell in love with a syrupy 8 year old balsamic vinegar until I saw the price (expected, but see budget comment above). Jim fell in love with the Villa Manodori Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which did come home with us. We also ended up with a slice of a lovely duck truffle pate, a bottle of jalapeno ranch dressing, and a piece of limburger cheese. Jim had always wanted to try limburger cheese, and I'm always in favor of trying new stinky cheeses. (My general rule is that if I can't smell it through the plastic wrap, it's not stinky enough.) Assembled into dinner: Appetizers of pate on cucumber slices with pecans, with a couple of slices of limburger cheese. I wanted to serve the pate on endive, but cucumber worked well to balance the earthiness of the pate and the sweetness of the pecans. We both like the limburger cheese very much. I ran the rosemary sprigs through the fleshy part of the lamb, marinated it for a couple hours in everyday olive oil and garlic, grilled them until medium rare, and finished them with a drizzle of the Villa Manodori olive oil. Accompanied by sauteed yellow crookneck squash with lemon pepper and chives. A quick note: rosemary on the grill smells far better than thyme on the grill. Thyme on the grill smells uncomfortably close to other, more illegal herbal substances that might be burned. This might disturb one's neighbors even though you're only cooking dinner. A bite of the lamb. It was delicious. I decided that this dinner really called out for wine, so I went to our wine cellar (a fancy term for a wine rack in the basement) and selected a bottle. It was incredible - smooth straight out of the bottle, and like velvet after it breathed awhile. Just enough tannin to balance the richness of the meat and olive oil. I didn't photograph another of my unphotogenic tossed salads, which we ate with the jalapeno ranch dressing. I found the dressing too spicy hot; Jim loved it. I'm sure he'll enjoy finishing it! Chocolate for dessert, also procured at Par Avion. The mouthfeel of this chocolate is almost like a milk chocolate, something rarely found in a 70% chocolate. Marcia.

I'm glad to hear that the plan you're following is working for you! I'm convinced that the biggest part is finding a plan that you like and that gives you the kind of benefits you want to keep coming back for. The kitchen is original to the house, and we're not the original owners. While the basic layout isn't too bad, the countertops and cabinets could use some sprucing up, and the lighting is atrocious. Our neighbors, whose house's layout is a mirror image of ours, have done a lot of work on their kitchen, and it looks fantastic. We did redo the floor, since the old floor was coming up and becoming a trip hazard . Marcia.

The chocolate makes a lovely dessert, doesn't it? If someone could figure out why kitchen tables attract clutter, and then make a device to prevent it, they'd be filthy rich! Marcia.

I don't get up into the mountains often, but I've loved how beautiful it is the times I've been there! I also wish I knew why there isn't more of a food scene. One of my guesses for Colorado Springs is that we do have a lot of military, and since they move around many of them probably prefer the familiar chains. And, frankly, a lot of the local places I've tried are terrible. Mediocre at best, and downright awful at worst (like au jus that is tepid brown colored water with absolutely no flavor). But when they're good, they're very good indeed! Marcia.