BeeZee

Cool and rainy day...made some chicken chili with leftovers from the freezer. Chicken that had been used for soup making; grilled zucchini/red pepper (de-skinned)/red onion all chopped up. Can of kidney beans and tomato sauce. The usual spices. Served with some avocado. Now I have leftover chili for the freezer. So much for clearing out the freezer clutter.

Whole Foods prepared cold foods bar...salmon salad (capers, red onion, dill); tofu "Waldorf Salad"; grilled veg; quinoa salad.

A brownie straight from the freezer. They were a little soft on the initial bake, so quite nice while still frozen.

Pumpkin Spice Life cereal...had a coupon and it was on sale. I'm not a fan of Pumpkin Spice in general, but I like Cinnamon Life so I gave it a try. It does have a different warm spice flavor and the "pumpkin" notes are not really noticeable, so I'll give it 3 stars. Won't rush to buy it again (still prefer Cinnamon flavor), but it's eminently snackable and not overly sweet.

As far as Prime Membership goes for me...I split it with my parents. So I definitely make up the cost. I buy more at Whole Foods now simply because of the sale deals. They became competitive on the items that I often buy. I never considered it my primary grocer, I continue to use it for selected items. And since I eat lunch there at times, the $2 off the salad and hot bar from 11-2 during the week is a nice bonus deal.

I agree. People walk in and go straight to the meat and fish counters and get the vapors. I will always scope out the basket they keep in the cheese area with the small pieces they sell (often less than 1/4 lb) since it is a great way to try some different cheeses with minimal cash risk. I go to WF pretty much every week since it is on the way to my office, I will pick up odds and ends for office breakfast or lunch, and I do specifically buy things on sale with Prime and it can be a significant savings. I have the luxury of being able to go to different markets depending on what I need. I'm often buying things that I have bought in the Supermarket, so I know what "good" prices are, and I use shopping/coupon apps for all of the stores I visit.

Leftover chocolate babka, freezer treasure. Defrosted nicely, it had only been frozen for about 10 days. Starting the pre-Thanksgiving clean out.

My coworker just returned from 10 days in Italy, he said some of the best food he ever had was in Naples...and he's pretty critical!

I think that sounds good, and makes me think about roasted butternut squash, too.

In case anyone was deluded into thinking that “nobody would know” these were made from cauliflower😜

Agree, the lighter colored purple skin variety is better for those who don’t care for the bitterness. The flesh is sweeter and there are no nasty big seeds. When braised, it becomes quite soft and I like to cut it in to chunks and simmer in thai curries. The skin is thin and becomes quite soft.

Pan seared tuna, crusted one side with everything bagel seasoning. Salad. TJ’s cauliflower gnocchi, these had been hanging out in the freezer for a while. I cooked them from frozen on a lightly oiled sheet pan, turning as they browned. Tossed in a bowl with some butter, pepper, parsley, and roasted garlic powder. The texture was chewy like regular gnocchi, they did crisp nicely in the oven, but there is a cauliflower aftertaste. DH liked them and I will make them again, but with a more strongly flavored sauce.

thanks for the suggestion, will look for one of Paula's books in my local library. Recipegullet has a chicken tagine recipe and two using lamb, which I don't eat. I need to find some non-traditional uses since it is a fairly large packet and I want to use it before it gets stale.

Mom brought me a gift from Morocco, some ras el hanout. It looks like it has a fair amount of turmeric, the color is dark gold. I know I could use it to marinate/season chicken, but what have you used it for (I saw Liuzhou’s posts in the dinner thread)? Also got some really nice saffron, for that I have future plans for paella (she shopped with a local guide to ensure she didn’t buy garbage).

Someone in my office brought in a pack of the carrot cake flavor Oreos today. The cookie part was softer than the usual chocolate wafer cookie (not sure if these were stale, or this is normal). They do taste like very sweet carrot cake. Not horrible, just very sweet and I couldn't eat more than one.

"Flavor Promise" grapes purchased from WF - sweet and the skin is thinner than red grapes usually have, crunchy/firm texture. Bagel with provolone.

“elaborate”

I wound up hosting unexpectedly, Mom found out she had a fractured foot on Friday. She directed Dad on making brisket on Saturday, chicken on Sunday, and brought them to my house...brisket sliced in her crock pot for transport and reheat. I made a simple salad heavy on the radiccio, garnished with some orange sections. Tahini-maple dressing. Challah. Steamed green beans with butter and everything bagel seasoning. Noodle kugel made with dried apricots and ricotta (everyone agreed it was better than cottage cheese). Uncle brought chocolate babka and rainbow cookies (Jewish/Italian bakery!).

I have this very tile, my parents brought it back for me several years ago!

First thing that comes to mind for me, regarding "ultraprocessed" vs high calorie/high salt. Consider McD's chicken nuggets. Compare to the same weight or volume of homemade fried boneless chicken. I'd venture a guess that the nuggets, being "ultraprocessed" were more calorie dense (and higher in sodium) than the unprocessed chicken with breading. Processing, to me, is where you take a bunch of food products and chemicals and combine them to simulate a natural product.

Interview in today’s Inquirer with the family who makes Sweetzels...they also make Ivans for Acme!

Moon drop grapes

Getting to the end of grilling season for us, made Eggplant salad...I make some version of this a lot...it is nice served warm or room temp, a crumble of feta on top goes well also. Eggplant (thickly sliced, grilled, then chopped), red bell pepper (blackened skin removed, then chopped), diced roma tomatoes, minced shallot. Oregano, balsamic, red wine vinegar, s&p, olive oil, a squirt of honey because one of the eggplants was bitter. Leftovers for lunch, it is good with hummous and pita.

Found this amusing.

Spotted at my local ShopRite today.