We’ve all heard the advice to avoid grocery shopping when hungry as it leads to all manner of highly caloric impulse purchases. I’d like to add that shopping whilst fighting Methotrexate-induced nausea and general illness leads to equally strange, albeit not necessarily fattening impulse buys. I came home with salsify, shallots and rhubarb. I would have added a bottle of kirsch to the mix, but was too exhausted to push the grocery carriage another 20 yards to the liquor department.
I decided to live dangerously and bought a wedge of Camembert. Unpasteruised soft cheese is always a bit of a gamble but with the immune-suppressing medications I’m taking it is outright stupid (“stooopid!”) and I’m going to eat it anyway. And I’m not sharing. I mean, how many people really get listeria anyway? I eat crème fraiche that I leave sitting out on my counter to ferment-do you really think French cheese frightens me? When I’m feeling particularly death-wish-ish, I soft boil an egg. Mmm, mouldy rinds. Just wait until my cheesemaking adventure starts bearing results-oh you go ahead and laugh, but in nine months when I’m through scraping cheese maggots off a wheel of perfectly aged cheese, we’ll see who’s knocking at my farmhouse door wanting a taste of the “scary cheese.” Until then, I have to buy cheeses at Hy-Vee. I was kidding about the cheese maggots…everyone knows you don’t scrape them off…
I had insisted before leaving the house that I was only going to purchase basics, and that I was not going to cook/bake/housekeep in general this week as I’m not feeling my moxie at the moment. Right. I’m still a bit conflicted over whether to use the rhubarb in ices or custards. I haven’t a clue what to do with salsify, but that’s where having a vast cookbook collection comes in handy. The root is supposed to taste like oysters, though having never eaten oysters I’m sort of in the dark. I’m imagining a briny taste, like one gets from dulse. I’m sure if I drown it in béchamel sauce it will hardly matter at all.
Did I mention that for the second time in three years my spouse has forgotten Mother’s Day? Funny, I remembered to send HIS mother a card-a handmade card, mind you. As I’m far too mature to sulk(not really), I’m going to insist he assist Danny in preparing me a cup of Folgers Instant Coffee (you know, the stuff with the oh-so-pretty “crystals”) with two perfectly rounded teaspoons of sugar and enough powdered coffee “creamer” to make it light, and bringing it to me in bed. And toast. I want toast with some of the new sour cherry preserves we bought at the Mediterranean import store. I can’t believe he blew-off Mother’s Day…again. After 18 years of trying to get pregnant, Mother’s Day is sort of a big deal to me. Not the gift-I hate the idea of requisite gifts, but gee whiz, he could have helped our son make me a card. I’m being silly, I know, disappointment stinks. If I could drag my behind back out, I’d go buy myself a corsage.
I did not cook dinner this evening, save for Danny’s meal. I think my husband ate a tomato and cheese sandwich and I had a bowl of dry cereal (store brand Cheerio’s rip-offs). Danny had mashed potatoes with chilli beans, green beans with olive oil, spices and a bit of cheese. Plain yoghurt and a glass of milk rounded out the meal that he positively wolfed down-unusual for him. Kicking a ball around the yard for an hour really works up an appetite.
Here’s a last thought this evening:
If you were organising a grocery store (a fairly new store, I might add) where would you stock bread crumbs? I’ll give you an insight to the organisation of this store-the saltines are not in the cracker aisle, but rather next to the soup. Had anyone asked me, I’d have suggested placing bread crumbs in the bread aisle-kind of obvious, but consistent with most stores. I would not, have thought to place it on the bottom shelf next to cooking oil. What’s more, having the store manager feign shock that I was unable to guess that breadcrumbs would be stocked alongside cooking oil, and subsequently ask for assistance locating said breadcrumbs was not a nice touch. Why are people such arrogant, condescending dickheads? I can imagine how he treats his employees.
Hopefully, I’ll have salsify recipes and photos tomorrow.
Hope everyone has a Happy Mother’s Day. Don’t be a schmuck-remember to buy/make a card.
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