Tomorrow Grocery Day

[SizzlininIN]

Not sure what the heck I'm going to plan for the menus for the next 2 weeks. I've pulled out cookbooks but nothing is clicking for some reason.
Anyone else get in these funks? Anyone care to inspire me with something easy and flavorful?

 

[pdswife]

I've been craving some plain old boring pork chops with mushroom soup poured over them and rice under it all. Easy and tasty.

Or how about some chicken breasts or thighs stuffed with swiss cheese and bacon?

BLT sandwiches??

Clam chowder with extra clams and potatoes?

PIZZA!??

Breakfast for dinner? French toast, pancakes??

 

[SizzlininIN]

Oh I haven't had pork chops with mushroom gravy for awhile......that sounds good. I'll wait for the BLT's till tomato season is in full bloom......don't like hot house ones.........but oh does a BLT sound good. I fixed breakfast for supper about 4 nights ago........2 times in a week I think hubby would think I was off my rocker. Thanks for some inspiration!

 

[choclatechef]

SizzininIn, why don't you see what is in season, fresh, and on sale in the store?

That way you get the best produce and the best prices. Your menu issues will resolve themselves.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Only problem with that Choc is I end up spending way too much because I haven't thought out a menu and just buy this and that and in the end I have to make several more trips because I need something else. I guess I could just go and take a look and then come back and think over what all I could make. I could take a look at the meat section also. Thanks!

 

[kitchenelf]

Sizzlin - what about one night a nice pasta salad:

rotini
cukes
cherry tomatoes
carrots
yellow pepper
baby shrimp
poppyseed dressing

and cornbread

I'm definatley going to make this next week. I use the small shrimp and small scallops when I make this. And I make my Cheesy Spoon Bread to go with it:

Cheesy Spoon Bread

Part #1
1 4-oz. can green chilies, chopped
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Part #2 Ingredients:
1 can cream style corn
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup cooking oil

Part #3 Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Take out seeds and veins from green chilies if using whole ones and chop. Otherwise, just use chopped ones.

Mix together all ingredients in Part #2. - set aside.

Mix together all ingredients in Part #3. - set aside.

Butter a 9 x 9 baking pan. Mix #2 and #3 together. Pour 1/2 of the batter into pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of cheese and all of chilies on top of this layer. Pour rest of batter on top of this and then top with remaining cheese.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool a bit and serve.

For spicier cornbread add jalapeno peppers, Tobasco or cayenne for a bite.

 

[kadesma]

Not sure what the heck I'm going to plan for the menus for the next 2 weeks. I've pulled out cookbooks but nothing is clicking for some reason.
Anyone else get in these funks? Anyone care to inspire me with something easy and flavorful?

Sizzlininin,
one of our favorites, is really easy, I but about a pound of roast beef at the deli, have them almost shave it, then I get some nice French rolls, several pkgs. of Knorr's Au Jus sauce and fixings for a tossed green..Mix of the gravy for the Au Jus throw in the meat, cut and butter the rolls, pop under the broiler serve with the salad and I'm outta there... Hope this helps a little.
kadesma

 

[norgeskog]

I go through spurts of cooking one way or another and sometimes also get into a grand funk about what sounds good for dinner. Currently I am dining nightly with Julia Child (her cook book The Way To Cook). When that loses its appeal, I move on to another great cookbook of a favorite chef and concentrate on recipes in their book. Sometimes I feel very creative and put things together myself. I made a pork chop the other night with a creamy mushroom and shallot sauce over it, made with sour cream. It was wonderful. Tonight using her recipe of broiling a bonless skinless chicken breast that has marinated in olive oil and melted butter with fresh chopped sage, rosemary, thyme, and flat leaf parsley. Having big vegetable and lettuce salad with tomatoe basil dressing.

 

[Michael in FtW]

I've got 5 grocery stores (within 2-2.5 miles from home) that I get circulars from each week - usually 4 come in the mail on Tue (their prices run Wed-Tue) and the other on Wed (their prices are Thur - Wed). I've also got a Walgreen's and a Dollar Store that have some canned goods that are sometimes on sale at better prices than the grocery stores. Since all but 1 are on the same street (the other is on my way back home on the freeway) it's not a problem and I'm not burning much gas ... I just make a loop.

I'll check out what is on sale and then plan my menu from that, and make my shopping list. Then shop on Fri, Sat or Sun morning. I shop by my list ... not like I used to do by wandering up and down the isles and grabbing anything that looked good at the moment. I've easily cut my grocery bill 25-50 percent this way. Plus - it helps me figure out my menu for the week, by starting with the ingredients and then figuring out what to make from them.

 

[Spice1133]

Of course you could always go out to eat and order a lot of food, get doggie bags and then you've taken care of two meals. Too expensive to do often but once in a while it's a good change of pace.

 

[amber]

Ok Sizzlin, here's my menu for this week:


Pot roast and veggies
leftovers the next day
Sea scallops, veggies, maybe rice
chicken, mashed potatoes, veggie
veggie chili, biscuits
spaghetti and meatballs
pork chops, scalloped potatoes, veggie

Hope that inspires you a little

 

[Claire]

Do I ever get in these funks? I had a menopausal moment yesterday. I got up, got all my clothes together to go to the gym. I looked at the stack, realized it was an entire load of laundry. My Friday routine is grocery day, and usually, honest-to-God, I love it. I wake, go to the gym, clean up, go run errands, and grocery shop. Then in the afternoon I read to some freinds who are .. well, one is blind,the other has severe arthritis and cannot move. Then I socialize with freinds over "happy hour" and dinner. But I swear, I looked at the stack of clothes and just had it. Now, of course, I'll have to grocery shop today. I live in a tourist town, so when I get in a grocery funk I usually put on my walking shoes and hit my local gourmet shops. Because it is so small, I often say, "hey, I'm looking for inspiration" and sometimes get help from the owners. I also collect cookbooks, and will go upstairs to the cookbook "library" and bring down a half dozen books and mags (I have 25 years of Gourmets up there), and browse. This is a lot more personal info than you need! But I wanted to let you know that no matter how much you love to cook, you get these times when you're in a funk. To me the best solution is ... a pizza. Frozen or called in. After that, you're ready to cook again!!!

 

[SizzlininIN]

Oh wow.........thank you guys for such great suggestions. Well I decided to just go for it and bought a whole bunch of groceries........hee hee 75.00 over budget but thats because I didn't eat before I went and my littlest one went with me. Oh well it won't go to waste. I bought loads of veggies, pastas, cheeses, etc...... so I'll be able to whip up so many different things on a whim. I've been pouring over my vast collection of cookbooks. I made salmon and shrimp last night, I'm never fixed this at home before besides salmon patties so it was a great change. Unfort. I didn't care for the salmon all that much pan seared. I wanted it on the grill but it was too cold out there. Oh well..........I'll give it a try again maybe next month. I wanted to use one of the recipes I'd requested previously for salmon but I couldn't find my print out and hubby was trying to get my computer up and running so he was online.

Thanks again everyone! I knew I could count on you guys and its nice to know I'm not the only one who has these moments.

 

[Otter]

We have two grocery stores here and they both have sale circulars in the Sunday newspaper. If nothing there is inspiring I look in my freezer to see what has been there longest. It's going to be cold here for a few more weeks, so I'm having things like French Onion Soup and chili. Today it's going to be Chicken Cordon Bleu, asparagus and Fontina wrapped in bacon and then carrot cake for dessert. It must be contagious because I'm also in the mood for pork chops in mushroom soup.

 

[luvs]

i don't have any recipe ideas, but here's what i do:
(mind you, it's just me i'm cooking for)
i buy 1 tuna steak or 1 portion of salmon and a pc. of whitefish, a nice steak, have the butcher wrap me up 1 chicken breast half, buy crab legs, veal for scallopine, lamb rib chops (these 3 are usuallly packaged for 1 person in the local stores) and buy ground beef in a small quantity, etc. and freeze it all or almost all of it, anyhow.
then i comb the aisles for things i usually like, like fresh produce, cheeses, ethnic foods, a variety of pastas and breads/rolls (the birds eat the leftovers), and pesto or tomato sauce for marinara, deli items and smoked salmon, bagels and cream cheese, cereal, etc. i don't leave the store without heavy cream cause it is so versatile. i keep little cans of veggies on hand for soups.
with the basics on hand (the meats/pastas/breads) you have the basis for just about any meal on a whim.

 

[AllenOK]

I'm like luvs. I keep lots of basics either frozen, or canned, that I can work with. Luckily, I have a BIG pantry. I'm still working on stocking it.

I tend to think of "grab bag" contests that a lot of cooks I know have entered (think Iron Chef). You get a bag full of "mystery" ingredients, and have to cook from the hip. My usual methods are take a given piece of meat, and what can I do with it? Usually, "grill it" and "blacken it" are right up at the top, as they are fairly easy, and don't require a lot of effort or other ingredients. After that, pan-fry, and saute. I don't tend to saute much anymore, since with all the kids, I'd have to have several saute pans running at any given time, and I need burner space for sides.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Thanks guys........again great tips that I will def. use.

 

[Hungry]

I do the Mushroom Gravy, Rice and Pork or Chicken. I top it off with pineapple, celery and green onions. Gives it a little lift!
Charlie