Summer Shopping Challenge - My Costco Adventure

Hmmm, I had followed the news that Costco (Merida, Mexico) was building a new store in the north.

But, I failed to pickup on the actual location.

So, when I took the bus to go grocery shopping at Chedraui North is when I found out exactly where the new Costco store was. It had taken the Chedraui North grocery store location. So, now, no grocery shopping.

But, I decided to see if I could check out the Costco store. I thought they might have a day pass but they didn't. Then I decided to see how much a membership cost. It was $450 pesos for two people. So, I joined and put my friend on the account as the second person.

So, now I could browse the store.

Going to Costco is like going grocery shopping for a restaurant because the size and quantity of the items are enormous. I don't need six bottles of mayo.

But, after going up and down every aisle. I did find three things that I thought would suit my "budget", rather laughable since I already spent $450 pesos.

Anyway, I got a six-pack of canned chicken. To me, each can held about what I would have gleaned from a whole grilled chicken from a local take-out (after one meal). Take out chicken $80 pesos, one can of chicken $193.35/$32.00 each. I thought having another source of chicken would be useful.

Then, I got a six-pack of 210g (8oz) mushrooms, which I thought was a good deal because I use a lot of mushrooms. I saved a few pesos.

Then, I got a large bag of dried blueberries. Something I have never tried but I liked the idea, just like having frozen fruit, dried fruit seemed like a good pantry item. So far, I have used them as part of a yogurt topping. They are tasty. I need to try to rehydrate them, too.

I also got something else. A credenza with portable cloth file drawers.

I live in a one-bedroom apartment with little storage, so, the credenza is useful to store all my notebooks, writing, correspondence and jewelry-making supplies that were previously stored in cardboard boxes that sat on the sofa.

But, the credenza was a DIY affair. I had to put it together using over 30+ dowels and various nuts and bolts to secure 11 pieces of "heavy" particle board.

If I move, I will have to have it packed and crated so it doesn't fall apart.

On the bright side, I had recently gotten a price from one furniture maker for something similar for $6000 pesos. Too rich for me, so when I saw this for about $2,000.00 pesos, I thought it was a good idea.

While the credenza may not have been the best decision, it does make the living room look so much neater and I am more organized. Got to look on the bright side.

Status of Summer Shopping Challenge

You could say I failed my summer shopping challenge.

I lasted six weeks without going to a grocery store. I used some of my pantry supplies and made several vegetable purchases from nearby tiendas.

But, I like Ginger Ale, carbonated water, toilet paper and other bulky things. So, I made a trip in June to get the bulky items and probably got a few more things. Then in July, I made another trip. In total, I spent about the same as I usually would but I probably ate more fresh vegetables than usual.

Then, there was my Costco adventure (that's another post).

And, I have long lists of recipes ideas to try and, of course, there are ingredients I don't have, like: nutmeg, cardamon, raspberries, cabbage, and sour cream (but, I may use a substitute when I get to that recipe.)

During the six weeks I did not go to the grocery store, we had several "brown-outs" and I failed to recognize that the food in my refrigerator may have been affected. I had to throw out some leftovers. But, I had less in the refrigerator than usual, so the loss was minor. That's one positive.

I have not stopped looking for ways to reduce my grocery expenses. Another positive is, I can now shop at ISSEY, a Mexican grocery outlet, while their prices are often a little lower, their item selection is not as robust, for example, they don't have Ginger ale.

Experiments with Brussels Sprouts - Skillet Seared Brussels Sprouts and More

I go to my blog's recipes when I cook because I can't remember all the ingredients or processes.

In addition, I continue to look for healthy recipes using available vegetables that keep longer than lettuce and can be frozen. Brussels Sprouts is one of those vegetables.

Shortly after purchase, I blanched a batch of brussels sprouts and froze them. Blanching, to my understanding, means you boil water than add the prepared vegetable and cook for a short amount of time, so the vegetable is softened but not fully cooked.

Sources for "How to" Blanch Vegetables

TheKitchn
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-blanch-vegetables-home-108570

eHow
http://www.ehow.com/how_13887_blanch-vegetables.html

Note: I did not use a gallon of water. I filled a medium sized saucepan 3/4 full of water and added a dash of salt. Nor did I use an ice bath. I rinsed the vegetables in bottled water. Then, placed them in a container and froze them.


When I started this dish, I did not take notes because I thought it would be a failure. But, when it turned out pretty tasty, I decided to post it in general terms.

Skillet Seared Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
10 Blanched, defrosted brussels sprouts
olive oil for skillet
1 garlic clove, diced
balsamic vinegar

Process:
Cut each brussels sprouts head into pieces.
Add oil to skillet.
Add garlic.
Add brussels sprouts pieces.
Cook at medium-high.
The idea is to sear (slightly burn) the brussels sprouts pieces, some pieces will burn more than others as they cook.
Stir frequently.
Cook for a several minutes.

Transfer half of the cooked pieces to a bowl. Refrigerate the rest.
Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.

I have several other ideas for make a brussels sprouts recipes.

Look for updates.

Hot Dog Quesadillas

Don't get too grossed out over this recipe. Sometimes, I like a hot dog with mustard, relish and more.

You may have noticed I like sandwiches of all kinds.

Part of this stems from the fact sandwiches are easy to make and part of it stems from fond memories of visits to a restaurant, Roy's Place, in Maryland that has a multi-page menu of sandwiches made with a wide variety of fillings and breads.

For example, the sandwiches are numbered 1 - 216 and they have funny titles like:

121. THE CHESTER A. CHESTER™ (A real two-breasted sandwich) Special brisket roasted in ale and chili with sharp cheese & tomatoes on three decks, spread with our own chili mayonnaise and showered with onions........$10.19

If you follow the link to Roy's Place, you can see the menu.

Hot Dog Quesadillas

Ingredients:

Olive oil

2 large tortillas

2 hotdogs, cut into pieces

Bottled relish

Mustard

Beans, Black or any kind

Grated Cheese

Process:

Cook the hot dog pieces in the microwave 1 1/2 minutes on high.

Add a dab of oil to skillet.

Add tortilla.

Once one side is brown, turn it over.

Add hot dog pieces on top, on one side.

Top hot dog pieces with beans.

Add cheese.

Add relish and mustard.

Fold tortilla over.

Remove from skillet to plate.

Servings: 2

Jackson Pollock Wedge Salad

You won't see creatively decorated cupcakes on this blog. Nor, will you see artistic plating. I don't have a creative bone in my body but I do like art and trying to be creative even if it's just using a empty bean can to hold pens.

I like wedge salads because they are easy, fun, creative and hopefully healthy.

The foundation of a wedge salad is a wedge of iceberg lettuce, where a head of lettuce is cut into quarters or more.

Then you add whatever salad additions and dressing you want.

I am calling this wedge salad, my Jackson Pollock wedge salad, named after a famous abstract artist who painted by dripping paints onto a canvas. With this salad, I used several leftovers.


Jackson Pollock Wedge Salad

Ingredients:
1 wedge iceberg lettuce
1/8 Red onion, cut however you like
1/4 Green pepper, cut however you like
1/2 Tomato, cut however you like
2 tbspns black beans, drained
2 tbspns cottage cheese
grated carrot
ground black pepper
Dressing

Additions: Add whatever else you can find like: sliced olives, artichoke pieces, mushrooms, carrots or other items.

Process:
Place 1 wedge of lettuce in a bowl.
Sprinkle with onions, peppers, tomato pieces.
Add black beans.
Add cottage cheese.
Sprinkle with grated carrot.
Sprinkle with  black pepper.
Dribble dressing over salad.

I used my Yogurt/Mayo Sauce as a dressing. Here's the recipe.

Yogurt/Mayo Sauce with Paprika

Ingredients:
1/3 cup plain yogurt*
2 tablespoons mayo
A dollop of vinegar
A dash of salt
1/8 tspn sugar
A dash of paprika

Process:
Mix ingredients in a bowl or container with a lid.
Stir well to blend all ingredients.

*Note: Yogurt in Mexico is more liquid than solid, add a little milk, if needed, to thin the sauce.

Salmon Salad Stuffed Tomatoes with a Yogurt/Mayo Sauce

I was in the mood for a snack and also wanted to try and make a sauce.

Thought I'd use my leftover Salmon Salad Mixture.

With this recipe, you can make stuffed tomatoes for a snack or a meal depending on the size of the tomatoes.

While this recipe calls for 1-4 tomatoes, I just used one small one to test the recipe. It made a great snack.

What's great about both recipes is that if you have leftovers, they can be used in other ways.


Salmon Salad Mixture


Ingredients:
1/2 418g/14.75 oz can Salmon, drained
1/4 Green pepper, diced
1/4 Red onion, diced
1 - 1.5 Tablespoons mayo
Ground black pepper to taste
A dash of paprika

Process:
Mix ingredients thoroughly in a container with a lid.
Store in frig to cool.


Salmon Salad Stuffed Tomatoes
(Adapted from: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Recipes/Tomato-Stuffed-with-Dill-Salmon-Salad_UCM_468791_RecipeDetail.jsp)

Ingredients:
Salmon Salad Mixture
1-4 Tomatoes, small to medium
Yogurt/Mayo Sauce (See recipe below.)

Process:
After washing tomatoes, slice off the top of the tomatoes.
Using a knife and spoon, scoop out the inside of the tomatoes.
Fill tomatoes with the Salmon Salad Mixture.
With a spoon, pour a little Yogurt/Mayo Sauce over the tomatoes.

Will need a knife to cut tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.


Yogurt/Mayo Sauce with Paprika

Ingredients:
1/3 cup plain yogurt*
2 tablespoons mayo
A dollop of vinegar
A dash of salt
1/8 tspn sugar
A dash of paprika

Process:
Mix ingredients in a bowl or container with a lid.
Stir well to blend all ingredients.

*Note: Yogurt in Mexico is more liquid than solid, add a little milk to make thin the sauce.

Canned Salmon Vegetable Salad - In Two Stages

I love crunchy and ground black pepper, so when I make this salmon mixture for a salad, I double down on diced vegetables and black pepper.

Salmon Salad Mixture*:


Ingredients:
1/2 418g/14.75 oz can Salmon, drained
1/4 Green pepper, diced
1/4 Red onion, diced
1 - 1.5 Tablespoons mayo
Ground black pepper to taste
A dash of paprika

Process:
Mix ingredients thoroughly in a container with a lid.
Store in frig to cool.

Salmon Vegetable Salad


Ingredients:
1-2 Tblspns Salmon salad mixture (see above)
Several lettuce leafs
1/4 Green Pepper, diced
1/8 Red onion, diced
1-2 tablespoons, black beans, drained
1/8 cup Grated carrot
Ground black pepper

Lay a few lettuce leafs in a bowl.
Top lettuce, with 1-2 tablespoons of salmon salad mixture.
Sprinkle mixture with green peppers, onion, black beans, and grated carrot.
Sprinkle with black pepper, if desired.

*Leftover salmon mixture can be used in other recipes.