Day 8 - Wine and Cheese


After spending the entire day at the pool and piano lessons, I had to spend the evening getting ready for our big day tomorrow - Cooking with Rita!  Rita is my real Italian friend from New York and I had invited her over to our house to teach me and the girls how to cook her authentic, Italian spaghetti sauce.  If we were going to be eating at home for 30 days, why not make it great?

Tonight we had to shop for ingredients.  On his way to a meeting, I sent my husband to Trader Joe's for a Two Buck Chuck - the affectionate name for the now $2.79 bottle of cookable, drinkable, enjoyable wine from Charles Shaw.  I told him to buy two bottles.  He came home with three.

Next we needed cheese.  Rita originally recommended Parmigiano Reggiano, but later decided that Costco's Pecorino Romano would be a good, lower cost alternative.  Because I literally had not been home the entire day, I bought the kids a cheap, tasty (although unhealthy) dinner at Costco.  They were thrilled.

The cheese at Costco happens to be at the furthest corner of the store away from the front door.  As I pushed the cart with four kids hanging and trailing, I realized a simple fact.  They had way more energy than I did!  When the five of us finally reached the checkout, the cashier looked at me incredulously.  He said, "You came HERE, with all THAT HELP (the kids), for THIS?"  Yes.  Despite my better judgement, I had dragged four kids to Costco for one block of cheese.

We finished up our shopping at Kroger and two hours after venturing out, finally made it home with 8 ingredients!

Today's Spending:


Dinner for 5 at Costco:  $8.55
Pecorino Romano: $8.81
Returned UnDelicious Apples to Costo:  (+8.55)
Kroger:  $22.31
Two Buck Chucks:  $8.96


    

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Butter Bean Soup

Image
Happy New Year!  We are off to a cold start! It's so cold that the Governor cancelled school for the entire state! That never happens. Up here in Minnesota, when it gets cold, we just pull up our snow pants and pull down our hats.  In the South, they say it's not the heat, it's the humidity.  Up North, we say it's not the cold, it's the wind.  Windchill temperatures (what it actually feels like), are said to be -40 to -50 degrees Fahrenheit. That's the coldest it's been since 1996 - just shortly before we moved to Atlanta.  Hmmmm…… it's all coming back to me now.  Nevertheless, my 16-year old says it's a great way to start second semester! When it's cold outside, there is nothing I love more than making soup. Soup is the perfect excuse to stand over a hot stove on a cold day. You can hold soup in a coffee mug and let it warm your hands. You can sip soup in the same mug and let it warm you from the inside out. There's a reason for
Read more

Dr. Seuss Snacks!

Image
One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.  I admit it.  I love Dr. Seuss!  A collection of these sing-song-y rhymes was the first thing I put on the bookshelves of our very first baby nursery.  Four kids later, I now have talents that include being able to recite The Cat In The Hat from memory! In honor of the late great Dr. Seuss (He would have been 107 on March 2nd) we are making these cute snacks!  Absolutely no skill or talent required! Simply start with a box of blue Jell-O..... and divide into four clear plastic cups. (The fish have to have a place to swim!) After the Jell-O has set, have the kids add their own fish!  (Swedish Fish, that is!) Ella's kindergarten class gets a Dr. Seuss party after they have collectively read 107 books! Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
Read more

Candy Cornucopia

Image
I wasn't sure if I should call these "Candy Corn"ucopia or "Waffle Cone"ucopia.   Either way, I thought they would make a cute Thanksgiving take home treat for the kids in 1st grade.   OK, forget the kids!  What grown-up wouldn't love a cone of treats sitting at their table? To make, simply buy some waffle cones and dip the edges in melted chocolate.  I added "Gold Sugar" to the edges to make them prettier!  Fill with Caramelized Crispy Snack Mix . Add candy corn and candy pumpkins. If you use them as a take home item, simply insert the waffle cones into cone-shaped cellophane bags. Tie with raffia. Don't forget to Give Thanks this Thanksgiving! THIS POST MAY BE LINKED TO:  MONDAYS :  MOUTHWATERING MONDAYS ,  MADE BY YOU MONDAY , MINGLE MONDAY  ,  HOME SAVVY A TO Z ,  TUESDAYS :  TALENT SHOW TUESDAYS ,  MUSHKI LOVES MY STUFF   TUESDAYS AND THE TABLE,   TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY , TWO MAIDS A BAKING ,  
Read more