Taming the Grocery Shopping Beast: Here’s to Dinner on my Doorstep

Grocery shopping in my house is not  a game.  We can spend between $800 and $1,000 monthly on groceries for our family of five.  Plus, the constant menu planning and shopping trips are draining and there is never a convenient time to go to the store with three kids in tow.  {T-minus 1 week until school starts! yay!}

Last month, we went to a neighborhood festival that had food, entertainment for the kids and local vendors with booths showcasing their wares.  One of them caught my eye – it was a home food delivery service that promised all-natural foods and to reduce our grocery bill. I filled out their form and promptly forgot about it.  A couple of weeks later, we received a call asking when they could come out for a visit to tell us all about their service.  We thought: “why not?” and met with Brad, who – in a non-salesy way – sold us on Passanante’s Home Food Services.

Here’s the gist: they deliver 6-months of all-natural, frozen foods straight to your doorstep (in fact, they even pack it into your freezer for you), and to top it all off, they promise to save you hundreds off of your monthly grocery bills.  There’s no contract and they guarantee their products (i.e., they will replace anything at no cost if for some reason you’re not satisfied, even if you’ve opened the package). And since we’re, ahem, old pros at this meat deliver thing…we decided to give it a shot!  Brad left us a mini-cooler of sample foods – hamburger patty, pork chop, breakfast sausage, mixed veggies – it was all fresh-tasting and delicious.  A week later, we sat down with Brad and went through their entire food list and chose our menu.  He calculated everything and we would be saving about $200 – $300 per month. Nice!

Our first delivery showed up a week later, everything was nicely packaged, labeled and vacuum-sealed. And our freezer? Is stocked.

We have everything from roasting chickens to fresh pasta to premium cuts of beef to every vegetable under the sun.  It’s been about a month since we received our food and I’ve only been to the grocery once. Which has me doing cartwheels.  I should add that they also deliver dry goods like dishwasher detergent and ketchup and paper towels, which is an added bonus.  (I will say that the dry goods are less of a value for our family of 5 because the sizes are small).

Since we still get our milk, eggs and butter delivered to us from the farm, all we need to hit the store for these days is fresh produce, bread, snacks/cereal and a few household items.  So far, so good.

Here’s to dinner on my doorstep and finding even more strategies to simplify and streamline living.

This Sunday for Dinner: Trinidadian Pelau ~ A Taste of Home

Ask Giggles, my 6-year old, what her favorite food is and she’ll say – without blinking an eyelash – TACOS!

Where did I go wrong?

Not that there’s anything wrong with tacos. Who doesn’t love tacos? It’s just that, as someone who identifies so strongly with her Caribbean heritage her choice of foods rings false; traitorous, even.  Pose exactly the same question to my sister and I and the answer will invariably be:

Roti
Poutine
Canadian Chinese Food
And, ok, maybe, Lobster with Freshly Drawn Butter

(am I right, Lisa?)

Admittedly, not all Caribbean foods – but mostly ones that are clearly reminiscent of our heritage and upbringing, being raised in a Trinidadian-Bajan-Guyanese family in Montreal, Quebec.  I mean, at least our taste buds have some sense of identity!  My kids’ tastebuds, however, are lost and confused.

They are men without a country. <cue the violins>

Because I have led them astray.

I never really tried to replicate the dishes that scream “home” to me on any regular basis when cooking for my family.  Sure, I make curry chicken or shrimp from time to time, but who doesn’t? What I want for my kids is for them to be eating pelau or fricassee chicken or saltfish as often as they do spaghetti or BBQ chicken or TACOS.  To crave the sounds of Soca or Reggae as opposed to Taylor Swift or Bieber.  I had the opportunity to live in Trinidad as a baby; to visit my grandparents there and to grown up eating my (Bajan) Granny’s Guyanese Garlic Pork (that she made for my Guyanese Grandpa) on Christmas.

Pelau ~ Image Credit: Trini Gourmet

Now that my children are 3rd generation Caribbean, it’s my job to carry the torch and to keep them grounded in their roots even though we live thousands of miles away from grandparents, coconut trees or sugarcane.  That Hubby’s family is Bahamian is exciting because his extended family proudly celebrates their Bahamian roots and make the music, cuisine and customs a regular part of their lives.  Our kids went to The Bahamas last year and to a Junkanoo celebration last Christmas in Miami and know their Bahamian flag colors and have fallen in love with Johnny Cake Bread.  It’s a start.

So this Sunday for dinner, we are having Trinidadian Pelau with sweet plantains…

It helps that Grandma will be in town to supervise the kitchen olympics.

See a pictorial step-by-step guide to the recipe, courtesy of Tastes Like Home, HERE.

Sunday Dinner Diaries: Chicken & Dumplings Mashup

When I first heard of the term “semi-homemade” from Sandra Lee on The Food Network, I thought it was brilliant.

And an accurate description of how I roll.

As much as I adore trying new recipes from scratch, the opportunities for hours to play around in the kitchen are rare (i.e. non-existent).  And so, over the years I have become a master at creating tasty dishes that involve shortcuts – a la Sandra Lee.

I was searching for a doable Chicken and Dumplings recipe for this weekend and came across this one by Southern Plate – homemade chicken + ready-made biscuits = score!  I also love to combine different recipes and pull the best of each to create my own version.  I’m thinking that I’ll pull in some of the steps and ingredients from this Southern Living recipe since I’m really liking the seasonings listed.

I’ll serve it with a crisp cucumber salad to cut the richness of the main dish.

Have a lovely weekend.

Image Credit: SouthernLiving.com

Chicken and Dumplings
by Christy Jordan’s Southern Plate

Ingredients

  • 3 or 4 chicken breasts
  • 32 oz Chicken Broth (feel free to use water with bouillon cubes added)
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1-10 count can Pilsbury layers biscuits
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • flour

Instructions

  1. Cook chicken breasts in approx. 4 c. of water until fork tender, about 45 minutes. Place broth in medium to large sized pot. Stir cream of chicken soup into gently boiling broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pull biscuits apart into three layers. Dip each layer into flour and then tear each layer into three pieces and drop into gently boiling broth mixture. Do not stir biscuits a lot, or they will cook up, only gently push dumplings down into broth as they float to the top. Cook about ten minutes after last dumplings are added. Add shredded chicken and turn on low until ready to serve. added, Tear up chicken, add to broth mixture.Turn to low until ready to serve.

**************

Classic Chicken and Dumplings
by Southern Living

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 3/4-lb.) whole chicken
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
  • 3 cups self-rising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1/3 cup shortening
  • 2 teaspoons bacon drippings*
  • 1 cup milk
  • Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Bring chicken, water to cover, garlic powder, thyme, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 1 hour. Remove chicken; reserve broth.

2. Cool chicken 30 minutes; skin, bone, and shred chicken. Skim fat from broth. Add chicken, bouillon, and remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper to broth. Return to a simmer.

3. Combine flour and poultry seasoning in a bowl. Cut in shortening and bacon drippings with a pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in milk. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1-inch pieces.

4. Drop dumplings, a few at a time, into simmering broth, stirring gently. Cover and simmer, stirring often, 25 minutes. Garnish, if desired.

*2 tsp. butter plus 1/4 tsp. salt may be substituted.

Home Is Where Sunday Dinner Is

Each time we go home to Miami to visit, it becomes increasingly harder to come back to Maryland. All three sets of our kids grandparents live there and it’s where Hubby grew up.  Since his paternal grandparents had…wait for it…TWELVE children, my Hubby and his sisters have no less than 34 first cousins.

Getting ready for the Easter egg hunt with Grandma D

With a family of that size, there’s never a shortage of crazy stories, funny anecdotes and entertaining antics; it also means, there’s a palpable feeling of love, tight-knittedness and a strong sense of family.

Shrimp Pasta, Eggplant and Fresh-Picked Cherry Tomato Dinner at my dad's

I’ve been going to gatherings at his grandparent’s house ever since we first started dating 14 years ago and it was such a treat for me.  I literally felt like I was living in the movie “Soul Food.”   I did grow up with a mini-version of the Sunday gatherings at my own granny’s house in Montreal with my cousins and I choreographing dance routines and building army bases out of the pillows on my grandparent’s “Chesterfield” but nothing of the magnitude that my husband’s family is used to by sheer virtue of their family’s size.

My mom plating her Shrimp-Avocado appetizers on Easter

Naturally, they have the usual Southern Soul Food items – greens, mac and cheese, baked and fried chicken and every single kind of cake or pie you can imagine – but, because of their Bahamian heritage AND proximity to the ocean, there’s a definite Caribbean twist to their menu.

In awe at the abundance of fresh saltwater fish in the markets down South #NoFair

Every Friday evening, for example, one of his aunts sells Conch Fritters and Fried Fish directly from their grandparent’s house where the family congregates Friday through Sunday.  Neighbors hip to the game come from far and wide to get their fill.  What’s makes it even more special is that the Conch Fritter recipe is a secret one passed down from his grandmother who passed away several years ago.  Only a select few in the family know the recipe and they are NOT going to share it (trust me, I tried). Also, they are a family of fisherman and so almost all of the fish that they eat is fish that they have caught themselves off of the Florida Keys or in the Bahamas…

@TheRealJoeFerg and his uncle spearfishing

We spent a week in Miami for Spring Break this month and his family had a Seafood Fest on Good Friday.  There was so much food – everything from fried Grouper to Garlic Crabs to Shrimp Kebabs and Lobster Tails on the grill all accompanied by ridiculously good sides, including homemade Johnny Cake.

My first boat ride!

It’s impossible to watch what you eat down there.

Now that we’re back in the DC Metro area, everyone’s going through a little bit of a withdrawal – Chatterbox misses her cousins terribly; Giggles misses the endless supply of kisses and spoiling from her Grandmas; L’il Buddy misses playing sports with his boy cousins; Hubby misses the regular saltwater fishing outings with his uncles; and me?

I miss the Sunday dinners.

A very tropical Chatterbox

This Sunday for Dinner: Chocolate Cola Cake

I have a confession to make.

I have absolutely no idea what we are having for dinner this Sunday other than the fact that we are going to have this very fabulous dessert that I found on Pinterest:

Chocolate Cola Cake

Image Credit: MayFlaum.com

After hearing May’s description of the cake, I could really care less if we eat tuna fish sandwiches for dinner because clearly, it’s going to be ALL ABOUT THE DESSERT.

Chocolate Cola Cake
Recipe via MayFlaum.com

preheat oven to 350, and grease up (I like Crisco) a 9×13 (or so) pan.

mix:
2cups flour
2cups sugar
1/2tsp salt
1tsp baking soda**
1/2tsp cinnamon

** note: I have made this with baking powder or soda – Either way works. “powder” is what was listed in the recipe I got it from, but soda is slightly better results.

in a saucepan over medium high heat stir this up good until it boils:
1 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup coca-cola (from bottle is my preference!)
1/2 cup buttermilk

now take off heat and add that to the flour mix & whisk until combined.

Then add:
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract

mix, put in pan, bake it for about 30minutes. Yes, it’s a quick bake. Don’t over-bake it!

when cake is nearly done make the glaze by mixing in saucepan:
1/2cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup coca cola

once that boils, remove and slowly stir in 4cups of confectioners’ sugar until nice and smooth. Then add in about a cup of chopped pecans, and give it a stir.

once cake is done and out of oven (toothpick should come out clean), pour this warm glaze right over the top of the hot cake!

wait.

let it set… let it cool for a few minutes at least…

enjoy warm or cold. (next day/etc. feel free to microwave for a few seconds to warm it up… so good)

Enjoy the weekend!

This Sunday’s Dinner: Pseudo-Southern Chicken and Waffles

This weekend I’m bringing it back home. Last week I tried to be all super-exotic and gourmet-y with the crab bread pudding. And while the dish was a beauty to behold:

It definitely looked better than it tasted. To me, anyway! Chatterbox gobbled hers up and asked for seconds. She’s a crab-fiend.

For this Sunday’s dinner, I have a hankering for some solid Southern food (keeping in mind that I am Canadian and the most Southern thing about me is…my husband, ahem). Here’s what it’s gonna be:

Rosemary Fried Chicken

Buttermilk Waffles

Collard Greens

Red Velvet Cupcakes


Rosemary Fried Chicken
recipe courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients

    • 8 chicken legs and 8 chicken thighs (about 3 1/2 pounds total)
    • 2 cups low-fat buttermilk
    • Coarse salt and ground pepper
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus 4 sprigs
    • 2 cups vegetable oil, such as safflower

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line one large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; place a wire rack over a second rimmed baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine chicken, buttermilk, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside (or refrigerate up to 2 days).
  2. In another large bowl, whisk together flour, paprika, chopped rosemary, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Lift chicken from buttermilk, a few pieces at a time (allowing excess to drip off), and dredge in flour mixture (shaking off excess); transfer to foil-lined sheet. Dredge chicken in flour mixture a second time; return to sheet.
  3. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet (or a 5-quart Dutch oven), heat oil and rosemary sprigs over medium-high. When rosemary sizzles rapidly, remove and discard. In three batches, fry chicken until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side; transfer to prepared rack. (If chicken browns too quickly, reduce heat.)
  4. Remove foil; set a rack on that baking sheet. Transfer half the chicken to this empty rack. Bake chicken on both racks until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh registers 165, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Cook’s Note

You don’t need a thermometer for the oil — once the rosemary sprigs are hissing, it’s time to add the chicken. Frying time is cut in half by finishing the chicken in the oven.

Enjoy the weekend!!

This Sunday: Buttery Crab Bread Pudding

Why yes you did read that right.  I had the same reaction when I was flipping through my Food and Wine magazine yesterday: Butter? Crab? Bread? And the kicker – Pudding?

Have mercy.

All of a sudden there was no question what was going to be on our menu for dinner this Sunday.

Before the past couple of weekends when we’ve been at Brownie camp and away for Giggles’ birthday, we’d been on a roll with my Life List goal of having Sunday family dinners.  I’ve done everything from make my very first roast chicken to Superbowl Nachos and I’ve been having fun in the process.

I’m thinking that this Sunday we’ll do:

Buttery Crab Bread Pudding

Green Salad

Irish Cream Coffee Chocolate Truffles
(a nod to St. Patrick’s Day!)


Buttery Crab Bread Pudding
from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s “River Cottage Fish Book”(with Nick Fisher (Bloomsbury 2007)

yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
10 oz / 280 gr lump crabmeat

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1 tablespoon minced chives

2 teaspoons lemon juice

pinch cayenne pepper

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1 stick butter softened, plus more for greasing dish

one day old baguette, cut into 1 inch slices

4 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup half and half

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF / 180ºC and butter a medium ceramic baking dish. In a medium bowl toss the crabmeat, parsley, chives, lemon, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper.

2. Butter each baguette slice with butter and stand them in the prepared baking dish. Tuck the crab mixture in between the bread. In a separate bowl mix the eggs with the milk, half and half, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Pour the custard of the bread and let stand 10 minutes.

3. Bake the bread pudding for 30 – 40 minutes, until custard is set. Wait 10 minutes before serving.

Irish Cream + Coffee Chocolate Truffles
Recipe via Urban Baker

yield: 48 balls of fabulousness

Ingredients:
10 ounces cups organic, heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split, seeds removed

16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder

1/8 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt

4 ounces Baileys Irish Cream

9 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:
• place the chopped bittersweet chocolate in a large glass bowl. place a mesh strainer over the chocolate.

• in a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream, vanilla seeds, and the pod. bring to a boil. remove the saucepan from the stove and pour the warm cream through the strainer and over the chocolate.

• let stand for 1 minute. add espresso powder and salt. using a heat proof spatula, mix until all the chocolate has melted. let cool to room temperature (about 1 1/2 hours).

• add Baileys and mix to combine.

• place a piece of plastic wrap over mixture (press the plastic wrap directly onto the chocolate) and refrigerate for 1 hour.

• using a 1 tablespoon ice cream scooper, form balls, roll in the palm of your hands, and place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat. when all have been rolled, place in the fridge for at least an hour.

• temper your white chocolate (you can find great instructions here). I have this tempering machine, which my kids think is a toy (lucky me).

• when the chocolate is ready, dip your cold truffles into the white chocolate, let the extra chocolate drip away and place on the silpat mat. decorate or not!

• store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

I’m getting hungry just posting these recipes.  But before I can indulge, I’ve got to make it through another Brownie sleepover, community service project, a Daisy meeting and Girl Scout cookie booth sales.

I’d say at that point I’ll be deserving of several calories, don’t you?

Have a great weekend!