Wearing the Inside Out: What we’re eating…

I’m going to run out of titles soon. How many ways can you say “here’s the food we’re consuming”? “Here’s the Grub ”? Umm…no. “Fancy Fixins’”? Ewww. “Food: the Sequel”?

Let’s see. Last night we had what I thought was a very tasty and satisfying meal. And, no meat was involved! I’ve found that buying good quality meats and poultry is what drives up my grocery bill. So any time I can do a meatless meal that is still hearty and delicious, that’s a great thing.

I cooked Cheesy Vegetable Chowder and Ultimate Cheddar Bay Biscuits (click the names to see the recipes). The chowder was soooo creamy and good. It may be my new favorite soup. I diced the potatoes (Yukon golds, 5 lb. at Organic Harvest on sale, $2.99), the celery, onion and carrots the night before, and stored them in water in the refrigerator overnight. Once the vegetables were simmering, I made the cheese sauce. Using whole milk to make the roux really added so much creaminess to the soup.

Roux thickening on the left, veggies simmering on the right

After the potatoes were tender, but not mushy, the cheese sauce was mixed in.

At first I thought the chowder was a bit thin, but after settling for just a few minutes, it was velvety and just the perfect consistency.

Finished product:

The Cheddar Bay Biscuits were also a hit. Next time I’ll use salted butter (I always keep unsalted on hand because I mostly use it for baking) and I’ll watch to make sure the edges don’t overcook. This time they went just a minute or two too long. These are like the biscuits that Red Lobster serves, and I’ve traditionally used this mix to make them:

Oh, they tasted good, these little Betty Crocker biscuits. Kerry would get all excited when I’d say we were having them.

And just look at all we were getting for the low, low price of $1.49:

Enriched Flour Bleached (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean And/Or Cottonseed Oil, Vegetable Oil (Palm, Palm Kernel), Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Corn Syrup Solids, Salt, Dextrose, Garlic, Buttermilk Powder, Modified Corn Starch, Whey, Dried Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Colored With (Artificial Color, Yellows 5&6), Whey Protein Concentrate, Maltodextrin, Reduced Lactose Whey, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Disodium Phosphate, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate. Contains Wheat, Milk And Soy Ingredients.

Gulp.

Now, I’d love to show you my beautiful pan of made-from-scratch Cheddar Bay Biscuits, made with organic wheat flour, and natural ingredients.

Except I forgot to take a picture of them.

They DID look like these, and they were savory and moist and full of flavor.

I had one small biscuit and a couple ladles full of soup, and enjoyed both tremendously, one smooth and delicious bite at a time. The biscuits are very filling and buttery and kind of heavy (as they should be in this case) so it’s not likely we’ll have these often, but when we do, we shall enjoy the heck out of ‘em.

Which is the whole point!

Otherwise, what else is going on? Well, I visited Whole Foods yesterday. Again. Second time this week. I just love being there, surrounded by all the beautiful food. I went to get just an item or two…and you know how that goes. I found a nice pinot noir on sale, so since that’s part of the Mediterranean way that was really a necessity. I got some beautiful, soft, non-grainy garlic powder that smelled SO GOOD…enough to fill my spice jar at home, $1.29. I also bought a basil plant and a rosemary plant ($2.99 each) and put them in a container on my deck. I’m planning to do a little container gardening – maybe a tomato plant, some lettuces…who knows? I also got a fresh organic demi-baguette, flavored with rosemary, $1.39, and some heirloom tomato salsa, which was my splurge item…a very small container was $3.50, but the guy who rang up my groceries was raving about it, so I think that’ll be a nice treat, to savor….perhaps I’ll slice up that baguette, toast it, add some salsa, and drizzle with olive oil. Now my mouth is watering!

So…even though our most dreaded time of the year is here (summer…which should be growled through clenched teeth) I am doing my best to stay positive and enjoy the life that’s opening in front of me. Mine!

I hope you’re enjoying the ideas and recipes I’m collecting. I hope, as I learn, that maybe you’ll find something new to try – and also, since I’m trying to include prices when I can remember them, you’ll see that you CAN eat better, even with a budget. When I found those Yukon potatoes on sale, I snapped them up – THEN found a recipe to use them with…sometimes you have to think on your feet.

A quick “programming” note: I’m considering changing the name of my blog to more accurately reflect what’s happening here. To borrow a phrase from the same Floyd song I’m using now…what do you think of “Coming Back to Life”? Let me know in comments. Thanks for reading and, happy eating!