The Pig and I

Well, as you know I didn't do the Saturday spending, because pretty much the only food I've been buying has been for the wedding. But I did save the receipts so y'all could see what was purchased. Normally I separate everything out by store, but I'm feeling lazy and have a lot of other stuff to do to get ready for Thanksgiving, so I'm just combining them into one long list. $8.69 - chickpeas $18.00 - pita (108 loaves that I didn't have time to make) $13.08 - 17 pounds onions $8.99 - 10 pounds basamati rice $5.29 - 8 ounces shelled pistachios $4.99 - 1 pound raw almonds $6.59 - 1 pound shelled walnuts $6.89 - 10-can arabic pickles $8.49 - 4 pounds nabulsi olives $4.58 - 2 28-ounce cans tomato puree $27.16 - 8 kilos dolma (yeah, I was too busy to make these) $17.99 - 2 kilos kalamata olives $3.99 - ras el hanout $4.78 - fillo dough (2 pounds) $6.87 - 1 1/2 pounds peeled whole garlic $17.98 - 2 kilos tzatziki (this was more efficient than me makin...

So I've mentioned to y'all that I'm doing the catering for my wedding, but I haven't actually said anything else about it. I thought I might do that, since I don't have time right now to type up new recipes. Mainly because as I'm making them up, I scrawl little notes to myself, most of which are barely legible (on a good day I usually need help reading my writing; perhaps I ought to have become a doctor), and have so little detail that I have to extrapolate from pretty limited data what I actually did. Anyway, I thought y'all might like to know what I'm up to for the wedding food. As well as the shortcuts I'm taking to make this manageable while I'm in the middle of crunch time in my semester. So here it is: The Menu: Braised lamb shanks and vegetables (onions, carrots and celery) (meat) Dill rice (vegan) Tabouleh (vegan) Dolma (vegan) Hummus (vegan) Pita (vegan) Pickles, olives and feta (vegan/vegetarian) Mast-o-khiar (vegetatian) ...

This week we only spent $3.29, for bread flour. Otherwise, pretty quiet week in terms of groceries. However, I did spend some on the wedding food. I'm still trying to figure out where I put the receipt for what I've gotten so far, but you guys know how I am with finding things I've lost. (sorry for this one being late too)

This week was good. We wasted nothing!! (sorry about the lateness of this)

I keep thinking I'd already posted this, but it turns out I hadn't. So, while I ought to have taken pictures (now that I found my camera!), I didn't because I thought y'all knew this one. This is one of the easiest desserts on the planet to make, and it's beautiful to look at and tastes wonderful. Hope you enjoy! 1 sheet puff pastry 2 fairly ripe pears, 1 apple, 2 peaches, etc; cored and sliced thinly 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (optional) 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (optional) 1 beaten egg (optional) Put puff pastry sheet on a baking sheet. Score with a one inch border, then dock the inside of the border (that means poke a bunch of holes with a fork). Arrange the fruit slices in concentric squares, not letting the fruit leave the scored border. Sprinkle with sugar and lemon, if using. Chill in fridge while your oven heats to 400F. Apply egg wash to the border, if desired. Bake 15 minutes. Cool on a rack, then transfer to a plate. Serves 8.

So, more of the same these last two weeks. Piles of pasta, rice and beans. And loads of canned tomatoes. I'd also run out of tuna, but of course I bought more. I haven't made a bit of a dent in the mushrooms or in the kelp or in the bonito. I think I keep forgetting about them, but I'll get them started eventually, huh?

Alright, so you're getting two weeks worth of shopping today, instead of just one. Though I've still spent far too much on food the last two weeks as well. After Thanksgiving is done (I'm doing my own catering for the wedding and also have some stuff to cook for the holiday, so my food costs will be up until after that's all said and done), I believe I'll be setting a $100/month grocery budget. If I need to scale it up a touch (or down), then I will, but for now I'd like to go w/ $100/month and see how we do. So that's settled now. Fiesta: $0.66 - tomatoes $1.09 - acorn squash $0.96 - snow peas $1.69 - mushrooms subtotal: $4.40 Walmart: $2.41 - onions (3.25 lbs) $2.48 - eggs $5.16 - 2 pounds butter (this is for the wedding baklava, as there'll be two trays of it) $3.26 - ham $1.48 - salad mix (yes, I know) $2.18 - spinach $2.32 - shredded cheese $3.97 - potatoes $0.92 - tortillas (yes, I know) $2.92 - chili powder $2.08 - cocktail ...

Oops. I missed last week entirely, haven't I? Sorry about that. I've been crazy the last few days (couple weeks), with the semester and also with working stuff out for my wedding which is on the 19th (are y'all surprised?). I'm doing the food, so that's kind of been something I've been paying more attention to (and my homework, of course. Y'all know how I'm always doing that). Anyway, for this week and last week, I'm pleased to say I had absolutely no food waste (see? Even when I don't remember to post, I do remember to keep track of what's happening). Tomorrow, I'll put in my receipts for the last two weeks. Also, I found my camera. In my gym bag. Did I tell you that already? So pictures of the food should be forthcoming once I get that in the works again (the cooking of things you haven't seen yet, I mean).