I've got to be honest - that really could read "less than $300/month on groceries". For my family of 5 - 2 adults, 2 pre-schoolers and a baby - that's what we spend. And while you might count that as 2 full appetites and 2 small ones, truth is, my 2 year old eats as much as I do at dinner time now.
But really, that's what I spend per month to feed our young family. Mind you, that's not really by choice; it's a necessity. We don't have much more at the end of bills and automatic withdrawls to pay for groceries. What does this mean for our family? Do we go without? Are we deprived of quality, healthy, good-tasting food?
Well, you read this blog - you decide.
Truth is, we eat well in our home. I quite enjoy cooking, and experimenting, and trying different flavors and techniques. I like to make my own recipes up, and I've grown to dislike most packaged and frozen foods. In part because, well, we can't afford them. Things like taquitos, pizza pops, chicken fingers and the like... those bad boys cost money. More than I'm willing to pay. And since I started limiting my exposure to them, I've grown an intolerance for their tastes. So really, we eat better because I'm too cheap to pay for the bad stuff.
Now, I know prices vary regionally. Some people may read this and not have access to bountiful, inexpensive produce the same way that I do. Living in Alberta, there will always be some type of fruit for less than $1.20/lb. Living so close to some of the best meat in the world, I can also get high-quality beef, pork and chicken for a reasonable price. But wherever you live, there are some general rules you can hold to, to help you save on groceries. This isn't a specific list of recipes using lower-costing ingredients, because those change, but rather a list of principals, that never change. Stick with these, and you may find you don't need to spend what you've spent in the past. I know it's worked for me.
How to Spend Less Than $400/month on Groceries
Rule #1: If it's not on sale, DON'T BUY IT!
Some households have certain foods that they always keep in their house - be it a favorite cereal, a specific type of snack, even a preferred fruit. Not so, in my house. We constantly have different foods in our house, because sale prices constantly change. It doesn't matter if I love peaches - I'm not buying fresh peaches in the middle of winter when they're imported, flavorless, and $3.50/lb. It won't happen. And if my boys love Lucky Charms, but Lucky Charms aren't on sale, they know we won't have them in the house for a while - and they're okay with that.
I remember when we were on vacation in the mountains and my husband was looking at some item in a gift shop. My oldest boy, who would've just been 3 at that time, walked up and said, "Sorry Daddy - you can't buy that. It's not on sale." My boys have been trained to look for the deal, and they don't feel like they're suffering because of it; they just understand that's how shopping works.
Now, there are a handful of items this rule does not apply to: milk, bread, eggs.... that's very nearly it. If we run out of peanut butter, but peanut butter isn't on sale that week - no peanut butter. If we run out of margarine but it's not on sale that week - dry toast for Mommy for a while.
Things like juice, snack foods, favorite cereals, frozen foods and canned items all fall to the mercy of the sales flyer. I will not pay full price for any of those things, unless someone has asked me to bring a specific item to a meal.
We eat seasonal veggies because that's what's on sale. I have recipes for squash, potatoes and apples in the fall, and asparagus and artichokes in the spring, and beans, tomatoes and peaches through the summer.
We have favorite dishes that are our go-tos, but if we don't have it stocked in the house, and it's not on sale, we won't be eating those for a while! This means I have to be willing to experiment with different foods, but it's worth the money we save. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts might be an ideal blank-slate for cooking with, but until the frozen 4 kg box goes on sale for $2.99/lb, we won't be eating those. Actually, that's my general guideline: no cut of meat over $3/lb, unless it's a special occasion. And usually I shoot for less than $2/lb.
Rule #2: When it is on a good sale, BUY LOTS OF IT!
If you see a good price - pounce! And stock up! To spend this little on groceries each month, it's basically necessary to have a good freezer. Ours isn't huge; we have a half-sized chest freezer, but it gives us enough room. Warehouse packs of meat often go on the cheapest sales, so if ground beef, chicken thighs or pork loin are on sale, I buy more than just what we'll need for that week. Buy it, portion it, and freeze it! I mentioned my $3/lb meat rule above. Well, when drumsticks hit $1/lb, I buy a couple warehouse packs!
In the summer, lots of produce goes down to $1/lb, or less, so it's not unusual for me to pick up a flat of blueberries, of which 90% of will go into my freezer!
Canned goods that get marked down to $1/can (beans, tomatoes, etc) I will stock up on as well, and I always load up on pasta when it's on a good sale; when everything else is expensive, pasta can be a cheap meal, but if you stock up when it's on sale, it's extra cheap!
Rule #3: Even if it's on sale, DON'T BUY IT UNLESS IT'S A GOOD PRICE!
A local flyer was touting their whole Wild Pink Salmon for $0.89/100 g as their sale price. Sounds good, except I happen to know that the same grocer had them down to $0.39/100 g a month before. When regular price off-season is $1.29/100 g, sure $0.89/100 g looks like a good price, but if you know how low the price can go, and stock up when it gets there, you'll get the goods, but for even less.
I laugh at 'sale prices' sometimes. Sometimes all you need to do is look at the 'Amount Saved' area on the sale tag to notice that the store was just trying to get you in the door; 3 cents saving off a can of tomatoes hardly counts as a sale, but I've seen places do that plenty.
Just because it has a sale tag doesn't mean it's the best deal you can get. Familiarize yourself with pricing cycles (ducks go on sale in the late winter/early spring, fresh fish are on sale in the early summer, beef is often cheapest during grilling season, while pork is often your best bet in the winter), and get to know the best prices for your region.
You see that beans are on sale 2/$5. You know that your grocer has a warehouse sale on in a few weeks where the beans usually go for 5/$5... hold off for the good price.
And don't be fooled by sales for "$1 a pork chop" - what size of chop? Is it a decent cut? It's much safer to shop by price-per-weight than per piece.
Rule #4: Meal plan using flyers
I never know what I'm making 2 weeks in advance. Why? Because I don't know what will be on sale! Sure, ground beef seems like a fairly cheap go-to meat, but what if pork side ribs are down to $1.30/lb that week? Of course we'll be having ribs!
Some people stick with their same rotation of 'low cost' meals, using ingredients that tend to be cheaper than others on a regular basis. The issue with doing this though is that sometimes you'll spend more for that 'cheaper' cut, than you will for a better cut on a good sale.
I have Duck Night on an annual basis. Honestly, who can afford to eat duck? I can - when the sale price goes down to cheaper than their chicken is! A big batch of pulled pork can be pricey when you pay full price, but when pork shoulders go on sale, that's a hefty amount of food for not a lot of money!
I'll never turn down a cut of meat for $1/lb. This week in our flyer, Fresh pork picnic roasts are $0.99/lb. I'm not crazy about ham typically, but I'm sure I can make it taste yummy when it's that cheap. And if you're super adventurous, keep your eye out for unbutchered cuts. One local grocer sells pork legs (literally, the whole leg - hoof and all) for $0.19/lb. If you're not opposed to handling the meat, you can feed a lot of people with that.
Don't miss out on the chance to save on good food, just because you're convinced some meals are 'cheaper'
Oh, and check multiple flyers. I check 4 different flyers each week to see where the best prices are, and while I have a 'regular' store I shop at, I'm not unwilling to drive down the road to another store to save $1/lb on produce.
And even if you're opposed to shopping around at multiple stores, you can watch for sales trends. Grocers get the 'okay' from manufacturers to put items on sale typically. So if Breyers ice cream is $2.50 at one store this week, but $5 at your preferred store - wait a week. Odds are, your grocer got the same deal, they're just waiting a bit to promote it.
Rule #5: Don't compromise on quality
I sent my husband to the store for me this past week. I needed maple syrup, and knowing my take on spending as little money as possible, he bought the store brand syrup for me. That was all well and good until I opened the syrup yesterday (while I was making a special meal for another family, mind you), and I was highly disappointed to find that their was almost no maple smell to my syrup. And syrup was a generous title, actually. It smelled, and tasted, like slightly burnt sugar water. It didn't matter that we saved $1 for the bottle of syrup; in reality, we wasted $8 on a crappy product. There are some things that you can get store brand on - overall I have been very impressed by Compliments brand products at Sobeys. But some things, like Fruit Loops, ketchup, canned beans in sauce, soy sauce, margarine, and boxed macaroni and cheese, need to be bought by brand name. This doesn't change my rule about only buying on sale - it just means I won't always buy the absolutely cheapest thing on the shelf. What's the point if I just feel like throwing it away once I taste it? I eat good food. And I do it cheaply. But I won't let me cheapness affect my culinary expectations.
Rule #6: Keep a couple splurges
Sometimes, you really just need prosciutto. Or goat cheese! Or Modena balsamic vinegar that comes corked in a bottle and you could drink straight if you felt so inclined... It's true, I buy those things. Granted, I also have a cheaper balsamic vinegar on hand, for when you need the taste but the quality doesn't matter as much, but that Modena holds a special place in my cupboard. I had to juggle some grocery purchases the month I got it, same with when I buy my high-end Black Olive Oil; it's not usual for me to spend $20 on a bottle of anything! But it happens from time to time, and I'm so glad I've made the decision to carry on with that. During the summer, it's good steaks. Around Christmas time it's Hickory Farms smoked cheese. I don't let it break my budget, but sometimes I do need to budget around it. But I never feel like I'm deprived when I know I've got the good stuff kicking around in my house. And those Chicken Breasts that finally went on sale in the frozen warehouse pack for $2.99/lb? They taste awesome with some of my Modena poured on top.
Rule #7: Go Vegetarian from time to time
Health professionals recommend it for keeping cholesterol in check. Vegans promote it for awareness of conditions animals are raised in. Chefs suggest you do it to expand your culinary offerings. I'm saying you should do it for your bank account. Quinoa may cost more than rice, but it still costs less to fill up on than steak does. And in a big stir fry with lots of veggies that were leftover in your fridge, no one's really going to miss the chicken strips. A good chili is possible without the beef. And black beans can be seasoned in chili powder to complete your Taco Salad. Give it a try, maybe once a week.
This is how I do it. It's nice not being tied down to habit or feeling stuck in a rut. Really, saving money on groceries is adventurous!
A couple of disclaimers: While I write this, I am not pregnant, which means I am not plagued by cravings or a highly limited list of foods I'm able to keep down. I do not currently have gallstones or another restrictive diet. I do not have a formula-fed baby. This list is NOT intended to make ANYONE feel bad about their current grocery budget! If you have other circumstances in your life that make it complicated, and sometimes even impossible, to spend this little - I get it. You are by no means a bad person for spending more than $400/month on groceries. Location, time of life, circumstances and busyness all affect this. As a stay-at-home mom, I'm blessed with ample time to think on the meals I'm going to make and to actually prepare them.
This list is meant to give help, and hope, to those who wonder how they can cut back. If you're already doing all these things, and you still spend more than I do, you're likely doing all you can. How much we do, or do not, spend on our groceries doesn't determine our degree of success in life. I'm not 'winning' because I spend so little. I spend so little because that's all I have! And if you are in a similar financial situation, and are looking for ways to save a few bucks, I hope you found some helpful tips on this post!
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Honey Roasted Pork Loin
Sometimes I post things on here so that I can find it again. This is one of those posts!
The other day I needed to have supper ready for my family so I could run out to do a tea party. I'd pulled a pork loin the day before and that was about as far as my plans went. I didn't want to roast it the way I normally do; hubby had been getting home late the last couple of nights and I didn't want to have it dry out (I think he was getting sick of dry food...). I needed it to have a sauce that it could soak up in case he were later than we anticipated.
Well, my boys have been loving honey lately, so the thought of a honey-glazed pork loin was appealing to all of us. Some honey, some citrus juice, some chicken stock to round out the flavor... yum yum yum! And at the end, straining the juices and then reducing them into this wonderfully sticky glaze that the pork would continue to soak up! It just goes to show that sometimes those overly-simplistic recipes you find on Food.com can really turn out yummy and balanced!
So, here goes!
Honey Roasted Pork Loin:
1/4 c. honey
2 tbsp. orange juice
1/2 c. chicken stock
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tbsp. olive oil
Combine and pour over pork loin in roasting dish. Bake at 375 for 45 - 60 minutes (depending on size of pork loin) - baste a few times.
Once meat is cooked through, remove it and let it rest. Meanwhile, strain juice into a saucepan and reduce until slightly thickened (as it cools it will continue to thicken.) Carve pork and top with glaze.
*Originally posted on Food.com
I had done up quite a lot of pork; I was expecting to have at least a third of it leftover, especially since my oldest boy hasn't been great at eating his suppers lately, and hubby's favorite meat isn't pork (unless it's smoked pork belly... aka BACON). I ate a few pieces hurriedly before I ran out the door and quite liked it... but I had to keep stopping to refill the boys' plates with more meat. Still, there was about half of the loin left when hubby got home and I left to my party.
And when I got home, there were two measly slices. TWO. (I sopped up the rest of glaze on the plate and ate them with my fingers while I put things away that evening)
And furthermore, when I asked hubby what he thought, instead of his cover-all answer of "it was good", he gave a real answer of, "I quite enjoyed it actually!" Even he was surprised!
A success.
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
The other day I needed to have supper ready for my family so I could run out to do a tea party. I'd pulled a pork loin the day before and that was about as far as my plans went. I didn't want to roast it the way I normally do; hubby had been getting home late the last couple of nights and I didn't want to have it dry out (I think he was getting sick of dry food...). I needed it to have a sauce that it could soak up in case he were later than we anticipated.
Well, my boys have been loving honey lately, so the thought of a honey-glazed pork loin was appealing to all of us. Some honey, some citrus juice, some chicken stock to round out the flavor... yum yum yum! And at the end, straining the juices and then reducing them into this wonderfully sticky glaze that the pork would continue to soak up! It just goes to show that sometimes those overly-simplistic recipes you find on Food.com can really turn out yummy and balanced!
So, here goes!
Honey Roasted Pork Loin:
1/4 c. honey
2 tbsp. orange juice
1/2 c. chicken stock
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tbsp. olive oil
Combine and pour over pork loin in roasting dish. Bake at 375 for 45 - 60 minutes (depending on size of pork loin) - baste a few times.
Once meat is cooked through, remove it and let it rest. Meanwhile, strain juice into a saucepan and reduce until slightly thickened (as it cools it will continue to thicken.) Carve pork and top with glaze.
*Originally posted on Food.com
I had done up quite a lot of pork; I was expecting to have at least a third of it leftover, especially since my oldest boy hasn't been great at eating his suppers lately, and hubby's favorite meat isn't pork (unless it's smoked pork belly... aka BACON). I ate a few pieces hurriedly before I ran out the door and quite liked it... but I had to keep stopping to refill the boys' plates with more meat. Still, there was about half of the loin left when hubby got home and I left to my party.
And when I got home, there were two measly slices. TWO. (I sopped up the rest of glaze on the plate and ate them with my fingers while I put things away that evening)
And furthermore, when I asked hubby what he thought, instead of his cover-all answer of "it was good", he gave a real answer of, "I quite enjoyed it actually!" Even he was surprised!
A success.
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Life with an iPhone
I'd like to say my absence from blogging for over a month now wasn't a side-effect of getting an iPhone, but I'd be lying. It's not that I've been so hunkered down tweeting, or playing games, or mindlessly surfing Facebook, that I've forgotten about blogging. On the contrary - I'd say that it's because I now spend less non-intentional time on my computer! I don't check Facebook unless I can see I have a message waiting. I don't keep hovering around my computer while I wait for an email - my phone will ding when it comes. And I can get things done, written out, and printed, as I think of them, instead of needing to hunker down on the laptop to catch up on things. As far as productivity goes, an iPhone has been great for me!
But, all the same, I've now missed blogging for over a month. In that time I've finished a few more crochet projects, had my birthday (I got my Dust Buster! Yay!), saw my family a lot and did a ton of fun, summery things. We went camping, we went to the beach, we had tailgating parties with our church... fun.
I also had a number of tea parties - and I have a few more coming in the next week. It's been lots of fun doing these, and I'm turning semi-pro at doctoring teas into amazing punches and fun party drinks. For example: Iced Mojito green tea, lime syrup, fresh mint leaves and white rum! Or Clementine Biscotti cold brewed, with blackcherry-cranberry juice and club soda for a holiday punch that tastes like sparkling mulled cider! And if you drink powdered hot chocolate, you should absolutely steep Hot Yoga or Dark Chocolate Chai tea in your water before adding your powder!
As far as crocheting goes, I'm getting better, and faster. I've completed a few Christmas presents, including an Underwater Themed blanket for my nephew, some chain necklaces, and a chunky wool infinity scarf. I also made a hooded cowl with ears to be part of an ewok costume for one of my boys this Halloween. I still need to find a supplier with really chunky yarn, preferably synthetic, so I can make this gorgeous fire-side blanket I dream about at night.
Speaking of suppliers, I also need to find a fabric store that carries Timber Creek fabric. I want to make a quilt for my eldest boy for Christmas, and have my eye on a couple designs by them, but can't find it in Canada - and hate the price on shipping from down in the States!
Anyway, I've got a tea party tomorrow, a garage sale on Friday, and far more things going on in the following week, so this is all I actually have time for. Such is life, when you're working on being productive :)
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
But, all the same, I've now missed blogging for over a month. In that time I've finished a few more crochet projects, had my birthday (I got my Dust Buster! Yay!), saw my family a lot and did a ton of fun, summery things. We went camping, we went to the beach, we had tailgating parties with our church... fun.
I also had a number of tea parties - and I have a few more coming in the next week. It's been lots of fun doing these, and I'm turning semi-pro at doctoring teas into amazing punches and fun party drinks. For example: Iced Mojito green tea, lime syrup, fresh mint leaves and white rum! Or Clementine Biscotti cold brewed, with blackcherry-cranberry juice and club soda for a holiday punch that tastes like sparkling mulled cider! And if you drink powdered hot chocolate, you should absolutely steep Hot Yoga or Dark Chocolate Chai tea in your water before adding your powder!
As far as crocheting goes, I'm getting better, and faster. I've completed a few Christmas presents, including an Underwater Themed blanket for my nephew, some chain necklaces, and a chunky wool infinity scarf. I also made a hooded cowl with ears to be part of an ewok costume for one of my boys this Halloween. I still need to find a supplier with really chunky yarn, preferably synthetic, so I can make this gorgeous fire-side blanket I dream about at night.
Speaking of suppliers, I also need to find a fabric store that carries Timber Creek fabric. I want to make a quilt for my eldest boy for Christmas, and have my eye on a couple designs by them, but can't find it in Canada - and hate the price on shipping from down in the States!
Anyway, I've got a tea party tomorrow, a garage sale on Friday, and far more things going on in the following week, so this is all I actually have time for. Such is life, when you're working on being productive :)
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
Friday, July 26, 2013
Double Post Day!
Okay you lucky people! (All 4 of you followers...) You get 2 posts tonight!
My last one was more of a rant than anything (we can call it musings if you prefer.), so I figured I'd best leave you all with a bit of inspiration.
First, of the culinary sort.
I had a Summer Tea Tasting Party this week and was eager to showcase as much tea as possible - in as many ways as possible. This included cocktails (Mojitos made with mojito tea + white rum, and Earl Grey Martinis), virgin cocktails (fruit tea + club soda + lime syrup), typical iced tea (Coconut tea + vanilla syrup), Two-Bite Brownies with Matcha Mousse and a classic fruit tart with tea-infused pastry cream. Yum!
I've got a couple more summer tea parties yet this season, so we'll see how many more treats I can put tea in! (Tea pots de crème?)
Tonight for supper I pulled out some pork dumplings I'd frozen a while back, and was going to make coconut rice but opted instead for saffron. The Indian inspiration soon beat out the Chinese inspiration when I opted to make a tamarind sauce and garam masala peas and carrots. And after a full week of struggling every night to get my pre-schooler to eat his supper (no spaghetti, no shepherd's pie - not even grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch!) he inhaled his whole supper. The peas and carrots were the surprise hit! I sautéed the carrots first with a bit of oil, then added the peas and the garam masala near the end. It was so simple, and the boys loved it, so I think that's going to be a staple in our home now! And saffron rice is always delicious, and the extra step of toasting your rice and adding sautéed onions really goes a long way.
Next: craftiness.
I have been successfully crocheting for about 2 weeks now. In that time I've mastered the brimmed toque, learned how to read the stitches far better than I ever could with knitting, can now make the daintiest butterflies you ever saw, and am determined to make a Twi'lek hat for myself, and Ewok hoods for my boys. I've also started making a stacking ring toy which was actually one of my initial attractors to crocheting; at a baby shower the mom-to-be was presented with the most adorable crocheted stacking toy and we were all amazed to hear that the girl who had gifted it had also been the one who made it. I want to give wicked awesome gifts like that, too. And so now I crochet.
Last: Gardening.
This is my first year of having a real vegetable garden, and thus far it is surviving. You may think I'm being over-dramatic with my word choice, but if you'd seen the hail storm we got last weekend, you'd be grateful for anything of yours that survived! Fortunately the trees in my yard shielded the garden from the hail. ...UNFORTUNATELY, the branches that blew off the trees landed on my peas. So we'll see what happens with those.
I've had to come to terms with the fact that everything in my yard takes at least a month longer than the exact same plants 5 blocks away, at my parents' house. And really, at everyone else's house in town. The west-facing yard really takes a toll on my growing times. My delphiniums have not bloomed yet, my tiger lily just opened, my peony hasn't even produced a bud yet and my rose bush is growing well, but not looking like it will flower at all this season. My strawberries refuse to fruit too. But really, this is the best my yard has ever looked in the 4 summers we've been here, so I can't complain too much I suppose.
As far as good news, my carrots and beets are coming along nicely, my beans are starting to produce, and I even might have a tiny pumpkin by the end of the weekend!
There.
Go be inspired now.
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
My last one was more of a rant than anything (we can call it musings if you prefer.), so I figured I'd best leave you all with a bit of inspiration.
First, of the culinary sort.
I had a Summer Tea Tasting Party this week and was eager to showcase as much tea as possible - in as many ways as possible. This included cocktails (Mojitos made with mojito tea + white rum, and Earl Grey Martinis), virgin cocktails (fruit tea + club soda + lime syrup), typical iced tea (Coconut tea + vanilla syrup), Two-Bite Brownies with Matcha Mousse and a classic fruit tart with tea-infused pastry cream. Yum!
I've got a couple more summer tea parties yet this season, so we'll see how many more treats I can put tea in! (Tea pots de crème?)
Tonight for supper I pulled out some pork dumplings I'd frozen a while back, and was going to make coconut rice but opted instead for saffron. The Indian inspiration soon beat out the Chinese inspiration when I opted to make a tamarind sauce and garam masala peas and carrots. And after a full week of struggling every night to get my pre-schooler to eat his supper (no spaghetti, no shepherd's pie - not even grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch!) he inhaled his whole supper. The peas and carrots were the surprise hit! I sautéed the carrots first with a bit of oil, then added the peas and the garam masala near the end. It was so simple, and the boys loved it, so I think that's going to be a staple in our home now! And saffron rice is always delicious, and the extra step of toasting your rice and adding sautéed onions really goes a long way.
Next: craftiness.
I have been successfully crocheting for about 2 weeks now. In that time I've mastered the brimmed toque, learned how to read the stitches far better than I ever could with knitting, can now make the daintiest butterflies you ever saw, and am determined to make a Twi'lek hat for myself, and Ewok hoods for my boys. I've also started making a stacking ring toy which was actually one of my initial attractors to crocheting; at a baby shower the mom-to-be was presented with the most adorable crocheted stacking toy and we were all amazed to hear that the girl who had gifted it had also been the one who made it. I want to give wicked awesome gifts like that, too. And so now I crochet.
Last: Gardening.
This is my first year of having a real vegetable garden, and thus far it is surviving. You may think I'm being over-dramatic with my word choice, but if you'd seen the hail storm we got last weekend, you'd be grateful for anything of yours that survived! Fortunately the trees in my yard shielded the garden from the hail. ...UNFORTUNATELY, the branches that blew off the trees landed on my peas. So we'll see what happens with those.
I've had to come to terms with the fact that everything in my yard takes at least a month longer than the exact same plants 5 blocks away, at my parents' house. And really, at everyone else's house in town. The west-facing yard really takes a toll on my growing times. My delphiniums have not bloomed yet, my tiger lily just opened, my peony hasn't even produced a bud yet and my rose bush is growing well, but not looking like it will flower at all this season. My strawberries refuse to fruit too. But really, this is the best my yard has ever looked in the 4 summers we've been here, so I can't complain too much I suppose.
As far as good news, my carrots and beets are coming along nicely, my beans are starting to produce, and I even might have a tiny pumpkin by the end of the weekend!
There.
Go be inspired now.
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
I want, I want, I want
Have you ever gone through those seasons of your life when you just feel like you have everything you need, and you can't think of much more that you even want?
I was going through one of those recently. My wish list was reduced to a new Dust Buster to help make cleaning my upholstery easier, and an early edition copy of Pride and Prejudice, which I know I'll never actually get. Sure, I also wanted things like a new tattoo, or a new piercing, and even to attend a show or two, but as far as material possessions went - I felt like I had it all.
Notice how that was past tense?
Seriously, no idea where it came from, but suddenly my wish list is a mile long! I suddenly feel like my kitchen is incomplete without a mortar and pestle, I feel like I'm seriously deprived because I don't have a great salt/pepper grinder set, Target has a sale on dresses this weekend that I'm excited to go check out, and between jewelry I want to get, makeup I need to restock on, and things to help me expand my cooking skills, it's going to be a long time before I acquire everything on my wish list, which, if I may remind you, was nearly empty last month.
Seriously - what's up with that???
Granted, I've been cooking more lately, and watching more cooking shows thanks to a 3-month free trial for cable (which we won't keep, but I do love me some Chef Michael's Kitchen). As I see new techniques, or even flavor combinations, I feel like I need more things in my kitchen to help me create some of these things.
Currently lacking from my kitchen are:
Jelly Roll pans - 3 of them, actually. I feel like it would be wise to have these in case I ever need to make petit fours for a large crowd (which isn't a totally outrageous thing to expect of me...)
A mortar and pestle - the ultimate of all I-got-this-because-it's-pretty kitchen tools, but something I feel like I'd actually use. I currently have my coriander seeds in a mini pepper grinder, I'm sick of crushing up candy canes with a rolling pin and having the shards poke through the plastic bag they're in, and tonight I had to crush saffron threads between two spoons. Sure, it worked, but it would have been a quicker and neater job if I had the right tool.
And while I'm on the topic of grinders (kinda), I've been wanting a really good salt/pepper grinder set for a while (I'm picky about my salt, preferring only freshly cracked sea salt in most dishes, and I might as well have a matching set) but I can't find anything I really like! Which means it will likely be more expensive when I do get something.
A fine mesh sieve - I have one... that has little bars running under the bottom. It's great for draining quinoa, and a pain for straining pastry cream or tamarind sauce. I need one that allows for an uninterrupted flow of liquid down into a bowl.
Molecular Gastronomy tools - I'm determined to make caviars, foams, emulsifications, powders and all of those other fantastic things I've been reading about lately (nutella powder dusted over affogato caviar anyone???) but I need some tools, and ingredients first. Luckily I've got some inside information that this will be my birthday present from my husband (...since I had to buy it online myself since he wasn't sure where to get it!)
This is just the list of thing I have plans to get within the next few months! This doesn't include my desire to expand my Sophie Conran for Portmeirion collection, or to try out her covered black casserole dish, or any of the far-fetched scheming things I'd love for my kitchen (commercial manual espresso machine with a direct water line, please!)
Gah - maybe I'm just being greedy, but I'm not convinced enough of that to refrain from spending my birthday money on the first pepper mill that strikes my fancy...
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
I was going through one of those recently. My wish list was reduced to a new Dust Buster to help make cleaning my upholstery easier, and an early edition copy of Pride and Prejudice, which I know I'll never actually get. Sure, I also wanted things like a new tattoo, or a new piercing, and even to attend a show or two, but as far as material possessions went - I felt like I had it all.
Notice how that was past tense?
Seriously, no idea where it came from, but suddenly my wish list is a mile long! I suddenly feel like my kitchen is incomplete without a mortar and pestle, I feel like I'm seriously deprived because I don't have a great salt/pepper grinder set, Target has a sale on dresses this weekend that I'm excited to go check out, and between jewelry I want to get, makeup I need to restock on, and things to help me expand my cooking skills, it's going to be a long time before I acquire everything on my wish list, which, if I may remind you, was nearly empty last month.
Seriously - what's up with that???
Granted, I've been cooking more lately, and watching more cooking shows thanks to a 3-month free trial for cable (which we won't keep, but I do love me some Chef Michael's Kitchen). As I see new techniques, or even flavor combinations, I feel like I need more things in my kitchen to help me create some of these things.
Currently lacking from my kitchen are:
Jelly Roll pans - 3 of them, actually. I feel like it would be wise to have these in case I ever need to make petit fours for a large crowd (which isn't a totally outrageous thing to expect of me...)
A mortar and pestle - the ultimate of all I-got-this-because-it's-pretty kitchen tools, but something I feel like I'd actually use. I currently have my coriander seeds in a mini pepper grinder, I'm sick of crushing up candy canes with a rolling pin and having the shards poke through the plastic bag they're in, and tonight I had to crush saffron threads between two spoons. Sure, it worked, but it would have been a quicker and neater job if I had the right tool.
And while I'm on the topic of grinders (kinda), I've been wanting a really good salt/pepper grinder set for a while (I'm picky about my salt, preferring only freshly cracked sea salt in most dishes, and I might as well have a matching set) but I can't find anything I really like! Which means it will likely be more expensive when I do get something.
A fine mesh sieve - I have one... that has little bars running under the bottom. It's great for draining quinoa, and a pain for straining pastry cream or tamarind sauce. I need one that allows for an uninterrupted flow of liquid down into a bowl.
Molecular Gastronomy tools - I'm determined to make caviars, foams, emulsifications, powders and all of those other fantastic things I've been reading about lately (nutella powder dusted over affogato caviar anyone???) but I need some tools, and ingredients first. Luckily I've got some inside information that this will be my birthday present from my husband (...since I had to buy it online myself since he wasn't sure where to get it!)
This is just the list of thing I have plans to get within the next few months! This doesn't include my desire to expand my Sophie Conran for Portmeirion collection, or to try out her covered black casserole dish, or any of the far-fetched scheming things I'd love for my kitchen (commercial manual espresso machine with a direct water line, please!)
Gah - maybe I'm just being greedy, but I'm not convinced enough of that to refrain from spending my birthday money on the first pepper mill that strikes my fancy...
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Crocheting
I finally have managed to tackle a real crocheting project!
I've been a knitter for years, and while I never bothered to try making garments or anything overly complex, I felt happy with my ability to knit, purl, work in the round, and cable. But what frustrated me was all the super cute things I'd see on Pinterest that had obviously been done by crocheting. I wanted to learn to crochet to open more doors for my crafting. But I was having troubles learning.
I had assumed that crocheting would be simpler if you started with a larger needle. But turns out, I was pretty wrong on that. I fund this fat thing from Value Village that had a totally rounded top on the hook, meaning that I had to use my fingers to get it into any stitch. So I definitely didn't learn any proper technique at the time. And my stitches were so loose that sometimes it was hard for me to spot the tell-tale "v" - so I wasn't learning to read stitches very well either. And when I finally felt sure enough to try working in the round, the first pattern went something like this: "Ch 2, 11 hdc into 2nd chain from hook." For those of you who don't crochet, that means to put 11 stitches into the exact same hole. Turns out, with such a big hook, after 5 stitches I couldn't even fit it through the hole anymore. It was ridiculous.
So I waited a couple of weeks, until I bought new hooks, to reattempt it. In the meantime, I filled my 'project time' with writing books, composing a song, gourmet cooking, reading a novel and planning to launch a webpage. (Hubby's been working a lot lately...)
Anyway, I now have the new hooks, and my next attempts were much more successful! The very first thing I did was set out making a hat for my little boy!
Okay, so maybe besides having the proper hook, learning to count is an important part of successfully crocheting... I accidentally added in a whole extra row of increasing on every stitch, which made what ought to have been a newborn hat, and hat that would fit an adult. No worries though - I've got a cute hat now!
And in two hours, I whipped up a proper sized hat for my boy! (I reversed the colors of the one I made for myself, so now we'll be all matchy-matchy!)
I must confess, I never had that degree of success with my first time knitting a hat. Crocheting is a lot simpler to read the stitches in my opinion, which has the big advantage of being more 'fixable'; if I can look at what I've done, and decode it, I can see if I've made a mistake and know how to fix it. Something I never learned with knitting.
So, now that I know that I can fire off a baby hat in two hours (and that time will likely go down as I get more comfortable), I'm on the hunt for other fun projects! And I must confess, I see Yarn Bombing in my future...
As a slight aside, I did a bit of inventory today of my craft supplies while I was reorganizing my craft storage. I have shoebox-sized containers of supplies for jewelry making, candle making, knitting, sewing, stamping and paper crafting, painting, Christmas crafting and misc. crafting (glitter, magnets, clothespins, etc). That doesn't include my stash of fabrics and yarns, or my kids' crafting supplies! Me-thinks I have a touch of ADD... Shiny things, anyone?
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
I've been a knitter for years, and while I never bothered to try making garments or anything overly complex, I felt happy with my ability to knit, purl, work in the round, and cable. But what frustrated me was all the super cute things I'd see on Pinterest that had obviously been done by crocheting. I wanted to learn to crochet to open more doors for my crafting. But I was having troubles learning.
I had assumed that crocheting would be simpler if you started with a larger needle. But turns out, I was pretty wrong on that. I fund this fat thing from Value Village that had a totally rounded top on the hook, meaning that I had to use my fingers to get it into any stitch. So I definitely didn't learn any proper technique at the time. And my stitches were so loose that sometimes it was hard for me to spot the tell-tale "v" - so I wasn't learning to read stitches very well either. And when I finally felt sure enough to try working in the round, the first pattern went something like this: "Ch 2, 11 hdc into 2nd chain from hook." For those of you who don't crochet, that means to put 11 stitches into the exact same hole. Turns out, with such a big hook, after 5 stitches I couldn't even fit it through the hole anymore. It was ridiculous.
So I waited a couple of weeks, until I bought new hooks, to reattempt it. In the meantime, I filled my 'project time' with writing books, composing a song, gourmet cooking, reading a novel and planning to launch a webpage. (Hubby's been working a lot lately...)
Anyway, I now have the new hooks, and my next attempts were much more successful! The very first thing I did was set out making a hat for my little boy!
Okay, so maybe besides having the proper hook, learning to count is an important part of successfully crocheting... I accidentally added in a whole extra row of increasing on every stitch, which made what ought to have been a newborn hat, and hat that would fit an adult. No worries though - I've got a cute hat now!
And in two hours, I whipped up a proper sized hat for my boy! (I reversed the colors of the one I made for myself, so now we'll be all matchy-matchy!)
I must confess, I never had that degree of success with my first time knitting a hat. Crocheting is a lot simpler to read the stitches in my opinion, which has the big advantage of being more 'fixable'; if I can look at what I've done, and decode it, I can see if I've made a mistake and know how to fix it. Something I never learned with knitting.
So, now that I know that I can fire off a baby hat in two hours (and that time will likely go down as I get more comfortable), I'm on the hunt for other fun projects! And I must confess, I see Yarn Bombing in my future...
As a slight aside, I did a bit of inventory today of my craft supplies while I was reorganizing my craft storage. I have shoebox-sized containers of supplies for jewelry making, candle making, knitting, sewing, stamping and paper crafting, painting, Christmas crafting and misc. crafting (glitter, magnets, clothespins, etc). That doesn't include my stash of fabrics and yarns, or my kids' crafting supplies! Me-thinks I have a touch of ADD... Shiny things, anyone?
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
Friday, July 12, 2013
Culinary Aspirations
Well, it looks like last week was the week of crafting, and this week has been the week of writing.
I had lots of writing projects at the beginning of the week, which left me mentally drained by the end of each day. As a result, I've been a lazy blogger.
The last couple days however I've taken a break from all of my writing projects (not because they're done or anything - just because I can only think that hard for a few days before I need a break!). For two days now I've been focusing more on cooking.
Cooking truly is a joy to me. When I was in high school, I fully anticipated entering the culinary field as my life-long career. For an honor roll student this was apparently odd, and when some teachers heard I wanted to go to cooking school they tried to dissuade me from it, arguing that chemistry or English would be a much more 'deserving' job; if I didn't have to have a job cooking, then why would I settle for one?
Clearly those teachers didn't cook, themselves.
I moved away in anticipation of enrolling in a culinary program... just in time for them to cancel all correspondence and evening courses for that term. The reality was, I couldn't afford to live away from home and attend school full-time (any scholarships I had been eligible for wouldn't cover culinary training), so I had planned on working a 9-5 and taking classes in the evening. I had the job lined up, but no school. Time passed and I opted to move back home after a year and do business school instead. That was 7 years ago that I made that decision, and now with 3 kids, I can't foresee a point in the next 10 years at least that I'll be able to attend a culinary institution.
But that doesn't mean I can't learn more about cooking.
The internet is filled with tutorials, videos and articles aimed at technical instruction. What's the proper way to hold a chef's knife? How do you bone a duck? What's the ideal process for preparing sushi rice? I've never been to cooking school, but I've learned a thing or two about those subjects thanks to living in the 'information age'. A desire to learn need not go unquenched thanks to all of the resources available to us in this day and age.
I first started making a conscious effort to expand my skills and knowledge in middle school; I made bagels and caramels in my downtime, just to see how it worked. In high school I found employment in a café where I was the morning baker, the weekend kitchen manager and eventually the recipe tester and perfecter. I made batches of bread, muffins, scones and cookies every day, created paninis and salads for the lunch menu and learned to make a bounty of soups from scratch. I didn't play too much with cooking in my spare time at this point in my life - goodness knows I spent enough time in the kitchen working split-shifts and going to high school.
Through college I had more of a break from cooking, except when I could work it into some form of a school project, but when I got married the year I graduated from the business program, it was full speed ahead when it came to my kitchen experimentation.
For that first year of marriage I relied almost entirely on the internet for my recipes and inspiration, but when our first son was born I discovered the joy that is The Food Network. Watching Chef Michael Smith explain the simple framework of a recipe, and leave the doors open for any changes you could imagine... I was truly inspired. I perfected a few of my staple recipes like roast pork or chicken, and duck served in every way I could think of. To this day, I still find Chef Michael's Kitchen to be one of my favorite, most helpful resources. I like to buy exotic ingredients and figure out how to prepare them best. I dare myself to try new things - basically anything I can get my hands on in Hick-town, Alberta. This summer I'm looking forward to trying mussels, lobster, and squid, and today I bought a coconut and made fresh coconut milk and toasted coconut chips!
I've also worked hard over the last few years on expanding my knowledge of other regional cuisines; I've dabbled in Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French and Vietnamese food to the point where I'm comfortable with the flavors and techniques involved. Pho is a regular menu item in our house, and it's not crazy for us to break out the escargot from time to time. Butter Chicken is a breeze now and sushi is easy enough for a weeknight meal.
But the next major step for me will be in the direction of molecular gastronomy. I recently came across the technique called 'spherification' by which you form tiny caviar-like beads by dripping liquid mixed with sodium alginate into a solution of water and calcium lactate (typically - you can use other agents, but the presence of calcium and acid are the essential components). So, you mean I can make Coconut Caviar? Oh my...
Another modern technique is foaming - which is all it sounds like: you turn things into foam. But it's the range of foods that people are turning into foam that's truly exciting: bacon foam, beetroot foam, fennel foam and lemongrass foam... I have lots of ideas for this. Picture a triple-layered 'cappuccino' dessert with a bottom layer of mocha pot de crème, a middle layer of almond milk custard and topped with a coffee and cream foam... preferably served in a sliced white chocolate "mug" so the layers are all visible. Oh my... I could have lots of fun with this.
In any event, my birthday wish list includes Sodium Alginate and Calcium Lactate, along with books on molecular gastronomy, and perhaps some textbooks from a culinary institution.
And who knows - maybe some day I'll finally get to cooking school, but I would hope by the time I get there, that I at least know the proper way to hold the knives.
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
I had lots of writing projects at the beginning of the week, which left me mentally drained by the end of each day. As a result, I've been a lazy blogger.
The last couple days however I've taken a break from all of my writing projects (not because they're done or anything - just because I can only think that hard for a few days before I need a break!). For two days now I've been focusing more on cooking.
Cooking truly is a joy to me. When I was in high school, I fully anticipated entering the culinary field as my life-long career. For an honor roll student this was apparently odd, and when some teachers heard I wanted to go to cooking school they tried to dissuade me from it, arguing that chemistry or English would be a much more 'deserving' job; if I didn't have to have a job cooking, then why would I settle for one?
Clearly those teachers didn't cook, themselves.
I moved away in anticipation of enrolling in a culinary program... just in time for them to cancel all correspondence and evening courses for that term. The reality was, I couldn't afford to live away from home and attend school full-time (any scholarships I had been eligible for wouldn't cover culinary training), so I had planned on working a 9-5 and taking classes in the evening. I had the job lined up, but no school. Time passed and I opted to move back home after a year and do business school instead. That was 7 years ago that I made that decision, and now with 3 kids, I can't foresee a point in the next 10 years at least that I'll be able to attend a culinary institution.
But that doesn't mean I can't learn more about cooking.
The internet is filled with tutorials, videos and articles aimed at technical instruction. What's the proper way to hold a chef's knife? How do you bone a duck? What's the ideal process for preparing sushi rice? I've never been to cooking school, but I've learned a thing or two about those subjects thanks to living in the 'information age'. A desire to learn need not go unquenched thanks to all of the resources available to us in this day and age.
I first started making a conscious effort to expand my skills and knowledge in middle school; I made bagels and caramels in my downtime, just to see how it worked. In high school I found employment in a café where I was the morning baker, the weekend kitchen manager and eventually the recipe tester and perfecter. I made batches of bread, muffins, scones and cookies every day, created paninis and salads for the lunch menu and learned to make a bounty of soups from scratch. I didn't play too much with cooking in my spare time at this point in my life - goodness knows I spent enough time in the kitchen working split-shifts and going to high school.
Through college I had more of a break from cooking, except when I could work it into some form of a school project, but when I got married the year I graduated from the business program, it was full speed ahead when it came to my kitchen experimentation.
For that first year of marriage I relied almost entirely on the internet for my recipes and inspiration, but when our first son was born I discovered the joy that is The Food Network. Watching Chef Michael Smith explain the simple framework of a recipe, and leave the doors open for any changes you could imagine... I was truly inspired. I perfected a few of my staple recipes like roast pork or chicken, and duck served in every way I could think of. To this day, I still find Chef Michael's Kitchen to be one of my favorite, most helpful resources. I like to buy exotic ingredients and figure out how to prepare them best. I dare myself to try new things - basically anything I can get my hands on in Hick-town, Alberta. This summer I'm looking forward to trying mussels, lobster, and squid, and today I bought a coconut and made fresh coconut milk and toasted coconut chips!
I've also worked hard over the last few years on expanding my knowledge of other regional cuisines; I've dabbled in Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French and Vietnamese food to the point where I'm comfortable with the flavors and techniques involved. Pho is a regular menu item in our house, and it's not crazy for us to break out the escargot from time to time. Butter Chicken is a breeze now and sushi is easy enough for a weeknight meal.
But the next major step for me will be in the direction of molecular gastronomy. I recently came across the technique called 'spherification' by which you form tiny caviar-like beads by dripping liquid mixed with sodium alginate into a solution of water and calcium lactate (typically - you can use other agents, but the presence of calcium and acid are the essential components). So, you mean I can make Coconut Caviar? Oh my...
Another modern technique is foaming - which is all it sounds like: you turn things into foam. But it's the range of foods that people are turning into foam that's truly exciting: bacon foam, beetroot foam, fennel foam and lemongrass foam... I have lots of ideas for this. Picture a triple-layered 'cappuccino' dessert with a bottom layer of mocha pot de crème, a middle layer of almond milk custard and topped with a coffee and cream foam... preferably served in a sliced white chocolate "mug" so the layers are all visible. Oh my... I could have lots of fun with this.
In any event, my birthday wish list includes Sodium Alginate and Calcium Lactate, along with books on molecular gastronomy, and perhaps some textbooks from a culinary institution.
And who knows - maybe some day I'll finally get to cooking school, but I would hope by the time I get there, that I at least know the proper way to hold the knives.
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
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