My Pantry

Yesterday I took the kids to get groceries and I stopped at my favorite Amish store. This place sells dry goods that are sometimes past the expiration date, or else the package has been damaged, but sometimes it's neither. This stuff is so damn cheap that I'm like a kid on Christmas morning when I go in. I mean, cans of chickpeas for 25 cents? Come on! I am all over that shit!

The great thing about this place is that I find things there that I cannot find anywhere else. There are a lot of organic items, and also many items that are so expensive elsewhere that I can't justify buying them. I have also tried some new things. Yesterday I found tapioca flour for 75 cents, and a large jar of PURE maple syrup for $3.50 (a steal - this stuff is expensive).

The bad thing about this place is that I buy too much! I get home and I don't know where to put it all. My cupboards are crammed full. I now have six cans and four bags of organic coffee shoved away. I cleaned out my pantry cupboard thingy and realized my biggest problem is not even realizing what I have at home already. I found four cans of crushed pineapple stuffed in there!

But I can't pass up a good deal. If I see something I love there (like the occasional Vegenaise) I take whatever they have because they might never have it there again. I'll find room for it somewhere.

We also saw something horrible there...cans of pork brains. I kid you not. I showed them to Garrett and he was mad at me for grossing him out. On the front of the can they had a little illustration of a plate of pig's brains on top of some potatoes or something. Jesus...the cholesterol level was 1050 percent of the recommended daily allowance. *Shudders*

Now that I know what I have in my pantry and have it all neatly organized, I feel like cooking. I am going to read my cookbooks and go online and find something great to make with all my new ingredients. And I think I better make something with pineapple in it.

Ooh- good news...there is a lady who has a food column in my paper and she let me know that she is quitting. Hopefully I will get another chance at my own food column!