QFC Grocery Basket 4/15

Have you paid your taxes yet??  I just wrote out the check and put it in the mail.  Now that I'm retired I take care of my own taxes instead of having my employer do it and I hate it!!  I know that it is apples and oranges but I didn't feel it so bad when it was done for me.  How juvenile is that??  Anyway, I have a spot in my monthly budget for taxes or else I would have to use savings and I really don't like to touch my savings.  Something else to think about when you are planning your retirement.

I know you hear this from me every year about this time but try to hold off buying those oh so tender plants that are showing up at the market.  Like you, I'm raring to plant my pots on the deck but with nighttime temps at freezing or below, they would quickly be wiped out.  The best I could hope for would be that they would sulk and never really reach their full potential.  And that would be a big waste of time and money.

If you have to have a pot right now, and I do, try a big blast of purple pansies.  They don't mind a little cold.  In fact they don't even care if it snows on them.  I've actually seen this.  But - as far as petunias and geraniums are concerned, unless you are really sheltered, wait until May when night temps are well above freezing.

Okay - let's look at the ad for this week.  First QFC is running their Buy 4/Save $4 promo so if there are any packaged items that you need be sure and check it out.  Also fillet of sole is on sale so think about cooking Miss Jeannie's recipe from last week.  You can't go wrong with any of her recipes and that is from my experience.

Here are my suggestions for this week:

Franz Organic Bread - $2.99/loaf
Simple Truth Organic Beans - $1/can
Kroger Cottage Cheese - $2.50/24oz
QFC Milk - $1.25/1/2gal
Boneless Chuck Roast - $3.99/lb
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast - BOGO
Fresh NW Cooked Shrimp Meat - $5.99/lb
Fresh Wild Dover Fillet of Sole - $6.99/lb
Hormel Marinated Pork Tenderloins - BOGO
Laura's Lean Ground Beef - $5.99/lb
Anjou or Red Pears - $ .99/lb
Asparagus - $2.49/lb
Broccoli Crowns or Cauliflower - $ .99/lb
Driscoll's Strawberries - $2/lb
Eggplant - $1.50/ea
Organic Bunch Beets or Carrots - $2/bunch
Roma Tomatoes - $ .99/lb

If you have started up the grilling season at your house give the marinated pork tenderloins a try.  They also make good kabobs with peppers, onions, and pineapple chunks.  If I could eat shellfish I would be making myself a giant salad with that fresh shrimp meat.  I remember the days when I made Shrimp Louies complete with the dressing and hard cooked eggs.  To round out the meal I would cut French bread in half and slather with butter and Parmesan cheese and put it under the broiler.  Beat that for a tasty meal at a good price.

QFC Grocery Basket 4/8

How was your Easter??  Wasn't it a gorgeous day??  Rarely do we get to hunt our Easter eggs in such nice weather.  This is Miss AslynGrace and she is taking pretend pictures with her pink camera.  I have a feeling that she is gonna be a good little photographer by the time she gets a real one.

You may wonder why we are all sitting out in the parking lot.  My son, the plumber, and his Uncle Jeff, pictured below, were putting together Miss AslynGrace's new playhouse and it was good entertainment.  This is going to be quite the house when they finally finish it.  It has the cutest kitchen and Aslyn was in there doing her cooking while they were working and cussing.  Now these are two talented guys, so it was funny listening to them get beat up by a play house.

If you had ham for Easter and you have any left, now is the time to do something with the leftovers or get them in the freezer.  We had barbecue because we are not fans of ham but I do miss that old ham bone because it makes a pot of navy beans taste yummy.  Talk about stretching a buck...you can't do better than a big pot of tasty beans and if you add a pan of cornbread, we are talking heaven here.

And speaking of heaven - Miss Jeannie rose to the challenge and sent her recipe for fillet of sole.  She says that it is an old Julia Child recipe and is very easy and delicious.  I'm gonna try it the next time fillet of sole comes on sale which is quite often.  Here it is:

I tried to make it bigger but the next step up was so big that it didn't fit on the page.  Basically what you do is salt and flour your sole and saute it in butter.  Keep it warm in the oven and melt more butter in the pan.  Add capers, parsley and lemon juice.  Serve over the sole with lemon slices and lots of pepper.  This has to be good.

Okay - let's look at the ad for this week.  In my opinion this is a crappy ad.  I call them as I see them.  Luckily my pantry and fridge are well stocked so we won't starve at the MoneyPenny house but this is definitely a good week for that pot of beans or split pea soup.

Here are the highlights:

Draper Valley Whole Chicken - $ .99/lb
Flank Steak - $6.99/lb
Anjou or Red Pears - $ .99/lb
English Cucumbers - $1.25/ea
Minneola Tangelos - $ .99/lb
Organic Kale - $1.50/bunch
Colored Bell Peppers - $1.25/ea
Zucchini or Yellow Squash - $1.29/lb

When I got home Sunday evening after the festivities I discovered that the Easter Bunny had left me a basket on the front porch.  My good buddy, Mr Daniel, has parents that grow a huge organic garden up Port Angeles way and they are good enough to share some of their seed potatoes with me.  Good timing because I just received my new giant potato grow bag.  On Monday I went over to Chimacum Corner Farmstand and bought a big bag of Short's Miracle Dirt.  Let the planting begin.

A week ago I cleaned out the strawberry bed and gave it a good jolt of new compost.  Yesterday I noticed that the plants are covered in white flowers and you know what that means!!  Yep - lots of strawberries gonna be happening.  I can't wait!!

QFC Grocery Basket 4/1

I was able to get a snap of my wheel barrow daffodils before they faded.  Who knew that you could grow so much cool stuff in an old wheel barrow??  I put it out to pasture after it sent me to the ER.  The darned thing is actually too big for lady garden use.  My favorite ex husband bought this for me years ago and like everything else he bought it had to be heavy duty.  I'm actually still using one of the hoses that he bought in 1990.  It is so heavy that I can hardly carry it.

This is Lou in 2015.  Lou was my daughter-in-law's mother and she was a sweetheart of a lady.  After she passed Miss PeggyRae split up her giant shamrock and gave away pieces to people that cared about Lou.  I got this one and it is still in its original pot.  It goes crazy and blooms all spring and summer.  Come fall she gets leggy and sad looking so I give her a butch and let her winter in the guest room.  She always lets me know when she is ready for prime time.  I bring her out and give her a good jolt of food and away she goes.

I want to mention that Miss Jeannie sent me a text telling me that she has a killer recipe for fillet of sole after I posted the ad last week.  Okay, girl, let's see it.  I'll share when I hear from her.  Miss Jeannie and I were roomies for a year and I can vouch for her amazing cooking skills, so this should be good.

Are you getting ready for Easter??  Easter is one of my favorite holidays.  My mother always made a big deal out of Easter.  We would get a new outfit (handmade by her), go to church, have an Easter egg hunt, and she would cook a big ham dinner.  I carried on the tradition except for the outfit and church part.  Now the kids do it and they have a diabolical adult Easter egg hunt that really brings out the worst in us.  We don't drink before the hunt so you can see how serious we are.  None of us like ham so usually barbecue is on the menu.

If you are having ham be sure and get bone-in so that you can make navy bean or split pea soup afterwards.  Also be sure and get those eggs back in the fridge soon so they don't go bad on you before you can make deviled eggs.  I've never been sick from bad Easter eggs but I imagine that it can't be pleasant.

Okay, let's look at the ad for this week.  The first thing I notice is there aren't any big sales on eggs.  What is the deal with that??  Anyway - asparagus and strawberries are going for $1.88 per pound.  I like to make strawberry shortcake for Easter and I make actual shortcakes - none of those icky spongy things that taste like sweet mushy something.  You can make the shortcakes ahead so they aren't a hassle at the last minute.  My mom always buttered them first before adding the strawberries.  I know it sounds strange but it was delish.

Here are my suggestions:

Simple Truth Cage Free Eggs - $2.50/doz
Private Selection Spices - 33% off
Tillamook Cheese - $5.99/2lb
Hormel Cure 81 Spiral Slice Half Ham - $1.88/lb
Top Round Roast - $3.99/lb
Fresh Wild Alaska Cod Fillets - $7.99/lb
Asparagus - $1.88/lb
Celery - $ .99/lb
Driscoll's Strawberries - $1.88/lb
Green Beans - $1.99/lb
Green Onions or Radishes - $ .69/bunch
Large Navel Oranges - $ .99/lb
Organic Broccoli - $1.49/lb
Red Garnet or Jewel Yams - $ .99/lb
Whole Pineapple - $2.50/ea

My sister posted this on Facebook for growing viney things like squash and pumpkins since they take up a lot of space in raised beds.  I think that this is a great idea and I'm gonna try it.  When everything is done growing just shoot the whole thing into the compost.  Genius!!