So far I’m feeling no remorse or ill effects from randomly deciding to stop going to the grocery store for 30 days. Before I made this bold statement, I had taken a jar of chicken stock out of the freezer with the intention of making some chicken noodle soup. One minor problem. There are no noodles in the house. Since the stock was thawed, I was committed. I perused the pantry and spotted the barley. It seemed like this could work. It ended up being delicious, but the soup is kind of a weird color and it’s really thick. I tell myself it’s a condensed soup and just needs a little water to be perfect.
Tonight I mixed up some bread dough. I typically don’t buy bread (I’m not a big sandwich fan), but I’ve been having a craving for a grilled cheese the last week or two. It’s a great recipe I found on the Mother Earth News website. What I love about it is that I can make a big loaf or a tiny loaf depending on how I’m feeling any given day. I usually make it 100% whole wheat, or whole wheat with a little barley flour thrown in. My favorite variation is sprinkling it with some kosher salt – it reminds me of a pretzel roll. I’m thinking of making some of it into a pizza crust. If that happens, I’ll be sure to give a full report.
While my fresh fruit and vegetable supplies have run pretty low, I’m pretty sure I will be able to come up with something the next two weeks. Right now I’m feeling more brilliant and less crazy for picking those 42 pounds of peaches last summer!