Some context. Here is my place. And over here on the left is my local Trader Joes. And over here on the right, about the same distance away, is my Whole Foods. And around the corner is my local run of the mill grocery store. Pretty nice set up but they each have their pros and cons and none of them can stand on their own. Love Whole Foods, but the prices. Still the best place for local produce, and if I buy meat (which I rarely do) and any other specialty food/indulgence. Trader Joes is a staple being a cheese lover. And then the local places sells my baking goods (flour, sugar) and other particular brands I prefer such as Grape-Nuts, Hood Cottage Cheese – best taste hands down, Cabot’s Wicked Sharp Cheddar – I’m not kidding, that’s what’s it’s called and for me, the sharper the better.
Well I noticed the other day that they had opened up a new Trader Joes… right across the street from my Whole Foods. Sweet! So at the end of Sunday, I make it over there to get my grocery shopping done. I figure I’d go to Whole Foods first and buy the remaining items I need at Trader Joes. Great plan except for three things – I’m tired, hungry, and by the time I get done with Whole Food’s I realize, that to get to the Trader Joes (yes, the one across the street), I have to drive a quarter mile, over the railroad tracks over to the next light to turn around and reverse directions. There’s a light between the two stores – but only for turning, not for going straight (there’s a barricade too that prevents folks like me from attempting it). So I didn’t make it to the new Trader Joes yet. I wonder if this one sells wine and beer (there’s something about MA puritan roots and limited alcohol licenses).
But the good news, I got some good meals for this week.
Sunday night: Cheese fondue (from previous TJs visit) and fresh french baguette. When I say fresh, I mean I was in the bakery at WFs and followed the baker dude with his armful of loafs he was putting out. They were still steaming! And because I wanted to I had some of the Salami I had bought and half a fresh avocado lightly salted. Mmmm good and easy.
Monday night: I tried my hand at mussels Provincial. They’re my favorite and I always order them when I’m out. At WFs they had a new shipment fresh from Maine. I used the remaining baguette from the previous night to sop up the creamy goodness. I used some simple white serving dishes and it was beautifully presented with the mussels and bread and steamed asparagus. I realized I didn’t know what to do with leftover mussels, so being on my own ate them all. I didn’t know how to de-beard them and most of them didn’t need it. I was confused at first when I was prepping them if they were alive or “harvested” (aka dead). They were still alive. So I ended up periodically jostling the bowl they were resting in so they would close up and stop staring at me before I killed them. I was happy to learn they don’t scream like other crustaceans.
Tonight: WFs had a sale on fresh pasta so I bought the fixings to make a cream based gorgonzola sauce with mint and toasted pecans. And pears! I forgot the pears. Hopefully I can pick some up on my way home tonight. I love this dish. I discovered it at a restaurant in San Francisco and would order it every time we went. I kind of made it up and was able to pull it off at home. I might do a kale salad – doesn’t really go but it’s the greens I have.
The other thing I picked up at WFs was my “chapstick”. I discovered this un-petroleum lip balm that I love. My mom set me up with some a few years ago.
And just last month they all decided to be used up at the same time. There’s nothing worse than having chapped lips and rubbing an empty tube over your lips trying to get the last bits out. I was worried the brand would have disappeared – nope just new packaging. I like this brand because I don’t feel like it strips my lips from producing the balm naturally so you’re not as addicted to it (hence why it’s lasted so long – 5 years I think).
Conclusion: my stomach is happy and my lips are happy – a great winter combo!
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