bacon-wrapped chicken!

whatever lamp

my kitchen is poorly lighted. this one helps out. i'm sure there's a name for these...hard plastic with holes filled by those whatever-they're-called...

pizza shells from le quartier

they come in bags of 3 for 4.50 and i recommend them highly. remember, though: go lighter with toppings than you want to! er, opposite of nachos (as described in previous post). they're sold at a few locations in town--see link on the right--but if you go to their main location, you get to sample all their breads.

nacho specialty? not mine...yet

admission: never made nachos before! lesson learned: as soon as you think you have added too much cheese, add fifty per cent more cheese. at least. what i did right the first time: layer of chips first, then layer of cheese before any other toppings--so the toppings stick to the chips; seed the tomatoes; add avocado chunks to the top after removing from oven; and my standard practice of caramelizing an onion most of the way and then browning ground beef in and around it (although this time, with a bunch of chili powder and a dash of cumin in the pan as well). this was one chip i pulled out of the stack that i was so excited to eat, i had to take a picture of it first.

stalking broccoli

you'll find broccoli sold both 'by the each' and 'by the pound.' when it's by the pound, i go for less stalk, just to end up with less waste. the broccoli on sale this weekend at hy-vee, though, was by the each, so i picked the longest stalks i could. i forgot how tasty trimmed and sliced broccoli stalks are, either to munch on while cooking or when thrown in the broccoli dish.

guess why? chicken thigh!

there are some dinners you keep in your back pocket. for the night after a big (awful) game, when some other (hopefully less awful) awards show is on. so, a week ago i got a marinade off the sale rack at cetak's (nothing awful about cetak's!); and yesterday i got a passel o' chicken thighs from hy-vee for 99/lb. this was the afternoon to put those together. note to all: cetak's has good sales. this is a plate of chicken staying warm in the oven while the sides get themselves together up top.

non-ad sale of the day

at the 70th & pioneers hy-vee, 12 oz oscar meyer bacon for 1.99. it's fancy package (as in re-useable for a few times) and center cut, dated 9/27--which is why it's on sale. that's about one third of regular price.

my favorite hot pad

hot pad! HOT PAD!

union college cafeteria

Now that the school year has started, the union college cafeteria has gone back to its regular schedule so there's another option for lunchtime shopping. The cafeteria is in the ortner center and is open to the public. Since it's a seventh day adventist school, it's a meatless affair. That doesn't change the fact that it's one of the best salad bars in town (today I was happy to see shelled edamame) and really affordable. The hot food choices always include brown rice and steamed vegetables. The hot food choices also usually include something with fake meat, which is not my bag at all...fake meat is too processed for me, and you can't tell me it's good for you. The bakery has some good bread--I picked up a loaf of their flaxseed bread. Seven ingredients. Since I just got a loaf of the rotella sandwich bread, though, I predict some sandwich-maker posts in the very near future.

ham shank you very much

Yeah, easy joke. I didn't think to take a picture of the soup until too late, but here's one shanklet and the chili peppers that I pulled out before serving.

getting out of ideal for 3.36

Smoked ham shanks are only 99/lb at ideal this week. I got one, intending to go back later this week to pick up more if I liked how it worked out in a soup, or flavoring up some greens. Considering the methods of preparation, they would freeze well.
I had them cut the shank in thirds, and it was only a dollar sixty--and enough for two soups at least. 89 cents for a loaf of rotella sandwich bread on sale; and the rest went towards two onions, two big fat sweet onions that were 39/lb.
I have never made it out of that grocery for so little.