Food

I made my way to the new Whole Foods last night after work. It was a mad house. The parking lot was packed which I have never seen before. The store is different than my other WFs. First it's smaller I think. It must be since I was underwhelmed by the produce section - still best in town but compared with the other stores its half the size. Considering produce is over half the stuff I buy at WFs I'm hoping they've edited it down to my specific palette.

I meandered around the store, getting a lay of the land. This store has a lot more of the yuppie specialty stuff. There was a whole aisle of alternative herbal medical stuff. There was a bank of bulk stuff that turned out to be just for making protein shakes or something like that I think.

The butcher counter is strange since all the meat is pre packaged but the fish section was custom order. I think there was only two aisles of food staples but I couldn't find anything missing. Thankfully the cheese counter was half size - that's always my Achilles heel - good cheese. And next to the cheese is a cured meat/fresh pasta counter. I had never seen this before. It's separate from the deli counter. There's still a robust section of prepared foods and salad bar and even a burrito counter. Usually the stuff I skip.

It was a little eerie walking the aisles. Although there has been a major face lift the store is still similar to Johnnies that was there before. Except different lighting and very crowded. I started missing the old quiet place where I didn't have to jostle to get a jar of tomato sauce. I'm hoping it will quiet down and be a good addition to the neighborhood. Overall happy although half the store I could do without. The non-grocery store part.

And on to the beginning of a tradition I hope. Making better meals during the week and posting the details so I can keep track of keepers.

I picked up some Gruyere cheese and made this chicken dish that I found on Pinterest. It's a take on French onion soup (which I love) and seemed to fit in with the new fall weather.

http://www.thekitchn.com/dinner-recipe-french-onion-chi-144744

Can't seem to do a hyperlink so this will have to do.

I liked the dish but the chicken stock I used must have been salty which diminished the dish. It took a long time, about two hours, so won't be in the regular rotation. I had fresh thyme but not the rosemary so left it out and don't think it mattered. The cheese seemed to get lost in the dish so if budget conscious just leave it off.

I had it with a baked yam, cooked in olive oil and fresh thyme. As well as a side salad with avocado and feta. Followed with a bowl of raspberries for dessert. A very colorful dinner!

I think I'll get about three meals out of the dish since I halved the recipe. Next time use less mustard, maybe half of what is called for so the caramelized onions can shine through more.

And that was my night.