Food Plan and Grocery List, 123012

The past couple of weeks I've been gradually making room for the new year. By that I mean I've begun a doing a little bit of cleaning up in various sections of my apartment. Most relevant to this blog though is the kitchen.

The kitchen walls and cabinet exteriors were washed using a Dawn:distilled white vinegar mix (not a 1:1, more like a 1:10 which was still much too sudsy)! While the kitchen is still like a dungeon the clean walls and cabinetry brighten things up quite a bit. Spices, oils, vinegars, and condiments were examined for expiration dates; the old ones were emptied from their containers and the containers recycled. The joint looks empty.

I plan to empty everything from the cabinets, clean the cabinet interiors, and sort through the items as I return them to the cabinets. Same with the fridge and freezer. Going forward I'll replace the old items as necessary, buying reasonably-sized packages of each instead of thinking bigger = better. Remember that flour? I still haven't used any. This will help keep the foods I make as fresh as possible, eliminating the possibility that any less-than-stellar results are from sub-par ingredients.

The meal to begin the next (it's going to take two days to prep) is from one of the only Bon Appetite mags I have:

• Shrimp and Sweet Potato Cakes with Chayote Slaw and Chipotle Tartar Sauce
• Slow-Roasted Pork with Lime Mojo
• Spiced Butternut Squash
• Corn and Cheese Arepas
• Coconut Creme Brulee

I hope to set the tone for the upcoming year by beginning with a well-rounded meal, complete with a starter, main, sideS and dessert.

Grower's Direct:

• limes: $1.28/1.44 lb (6)
• red bell pepper: $1.59/0.64 lb
• yellow bell pepper: $1.10/0.44 lb
• garlic: $0.62/0.31 lb (2)
• jalapeno peppers: $0.27/0.23 lb (2)
• pasilla peppers: $0.77/0.60 lb (2)
• butternut squash: $3.18/4.03 lb (2)
• chayote squash: $0.99/3
• sweet potatoes: $2.25/3.81 lbs
• TOTAL: $12.05

Ralph's:

• Newman's pizza: $5.99
• frozen corn: $1
• marshmallow creme: $1.99
• coconut milk: $2.99
• mayo: $2.99
• chipotle peppers in adobo: $1.49
• vegetable oil: $2.99
• coriander seeds: $2.99
• cumin seeds: $2.49
• heavy whipping cream: $2.50
• heavy whipping cream: $2.50
• cilantro: $0.49
• pork loin: $10.86
• shrimp: $3.91
• TOTAL: $45.18

1/1/13
Stater Bros.

• sherry vinegar: $7.99

1/3/13
Stater Bros.

• eggs: $3.99/dozen
• Bailey's creamer: $1.99
• Knox gelatin: $1.99
• TOTAL: $7.97

Grand Total: $73.19

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