We woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow on the ground, which was nice… but I feel like it’s really not officially winter around here until there’s at least a good 6 inches or more on the ground.
Oh well, a girl can dream, right?
I didn’t buy anything from the grocery store last week, mostly because I have everything I need {we bought milk last week} but I did scan the Hannaford ad for this week and found a few gems.
- Avocados $0.89 each
- Oranges $0.89 a pound
- Asparagus $2.69 a pound {Shaw’s has it for less but you have to jump through hoops to get it at the lower price.} $2.69 a pound while not an amazing deal, it’s decent.
- Brussels Sprouts $1.99 a pound
- Hannaford plain yogurt $2.12 for 32 ounces
- Hannaford Orange Juice $2.29 for 52 ounces
- Pork butt $0.99 a pound
- Ham shank $0.79 a pound {I like Costco hams the best though}
- Hannaford Marshmallows $0.88 a bag
But do I really need any of it?
I don’t know. Ever since the HH blew my $100 a month budget for the year back in late October, and then after stocking up on some pretty awesome Thanksgiving deals a few weeks ago, I don’t feel so hard core about the whole 2022 grocery budgeting thing anymore.
An avocado would be nice {avocado toast!} and we love roasted Brussels sprouts, and if I bought the yogurt I could make a batch of the butternut soup I’ve been craving for the past week.
If I bought an orange I could make a batch of chocolate orange biscotti, and well, who doesn’t love a glass of fresh orange juice?
But is it really worth a trip to town for just an avocado, brussels sprouts, one orange and some orange juice?
No, probably not. 😉
Here’s a look at most of what we ate last week:
Copy cat Panera cream of chicken and wild rice soup. Have you made this yet!?
Ham and bean soup with kale. Remember the vegetable pucks I made this summer? I tossed a few of those in this soup.
Copy cat Panera tomato soup {my all time favorite soup}.
Beatloaf.
I also made some bread. {Doesn’t the center loaf look like a whale?
And there was flatbread!
Thanks to my in-laws who sent us a Christmas box of goodness from Omaha Steaks. I don’t know about you, but I think food gifts are THE BEST gifts.
And there was salami too!
All in all it was a good week here at Camp Butterfield. Lot’s of homemade goodness. And now that my freezer is loaded with soup, I think it’s time to start thinking about baking cookies.
Lots and lots of cookies.
How about YOU? What did you serve up this past week? Are you in soup and bread mode yet?
Have a good one,
~Mavis
Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries $0
- Total Spent in November on Groceries $157.45
- Total Spent in October on Groceries $140.91
- Total Spent in September on Groceries $57.08
- Total Spent in August of Groceries $24.29
- Total Spent in July on Groceries $335.47
- Total Spent in June for Groceries $124.45
- Total Spent in May for Groceries $172.47 {$47 of it was spent at Farmers Markets}
- Total Spent in April on Groceries $94.48
- Total Spent in March on Groceries $114.12
- Total Spent in February on Groceries $94.64
- Total Spent in January on Groceries $96.58
- Total Spent on Groceries in 2022 $1407.25
Jeanie says
I made a super easy kitchen staples kind of soup. I’ll explain the process but it is customizable.
I started with sautéing onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Added 2 qts. homemade chicken stock and quite a bit of ginger and about 3 Tb. soy sauce. Simmered that for a bit, while I made some meatballs out of ground chicken from the freezer which I spiced up with green onion, ginger, an egg, soy, hoisin and some cornstarch. Browned those in a skillet and added them to the soup along with some sliced baby bok choy.
Brought everything to a light boil and added two packages of ramen noodles (not the seasoning) and 1/2 bag of pot stickers.
It was super delicious! Plus used up a lot of odds and ends.
Jam says
that sounds fantastic
Brianna says
I love the whale loaf! I have learned a lot about baking bread over the years and slashing a baguette 4 or 5 times at a 45 degree angle across the top about 10 minutes before baking eliminates splitting elsewhere. Also if you want them extra crusty, put a pan on your bottom rack while you preheat your oven filled with 1” water and leave it there while you bake your bread. It is amazing how much you can alter the texture of a loaf of bread by using different methods and techniques for the same recipe.
I am making gingerbread dough today since I have to turn out a bunch of little gingerbread people for my son’s class Wednesday. I also brought a veggie board to a party last Thursday (which mostly went untouched) and I have a bunch of leftover veggies from prepping the tray, so it will be stir fry and soups for us this week.
Mel says
I think the beauty of a blown budget (assuming it wasn’t set by necessity) is that you can do whatever you’re in the mood for. I sometimes count things like baking as entertainment instead of food, even though it uses grocery ingredients and we eat the product.
Margo says
I’ve been in soup mode lately. It’s chilly here in So. Cal… well, for us anyway. It’s currently in the 40’s and will get up to 54 today. We’ve been eating split pea soup, and I made some potato cheese soup as well. Going to bake some chocolate crinkle cookies to put in the Christmas baskets I’ll give to family and friends. And maybe put up a loaf of gluten free bread later today. Love the cool, rainy weather we are having, love baking when it’s like this.
Bec says
After years of eyeing one, I finally purchased a Kitchen Aid mixer on sale a few weeks ago. I love it so much! It’s being used almost daily. I made pizza dough, brioche bread, banana bread, granola, and a few other treats. Things were very carb-y around here last week, but no complaints from anyone.
One thing we won’t be making for a bit is toast. We replaced a very old, cheap toaster with a new, nicer one (on sale) less than a month ago and it’s already broken. So I’m trying to see if they’ll send a replacement. Guess we should have stuck with old faithful!
Pat from Orchard Park, NY says
Bec, I have had my Kitchenaid for several years, and my mom had hers for decades. I did buy the grinder attachment and love it. I also have the slicer/grater attachment and use it often. A bit of an investment, but once you have a Kitchenaid mixer, you’re so happy with what it can do. Christmas cookies already started and more to come this week with my Kitchenaid! Merry Christmas!
Patti Vanderbloemen says
First off, the caramel tartlets from Omaha are AMAZING! Yes – food gifts are THE BEST!
I made your Copycat Panera Chicken and Rice Soup two weeks ago – and having it again tonight. The family declared “the best soup ever”, and I have to agree! So very much appreciate all the recipes you share!
Peg says
How do you fix flatbread? Yours looks like pizza…is that how? I have a package in the freezer I bought on clearance. Ignore it regularly because I’m kind of at a loss.
Mavis Butterfield says
450 degrees 9 minutes in the oven. 🙂
Cindy Brick says
Finally, with fear and trembling, I made a loaf of your Dutch Oven Bread — and it turned out great!! The dough looked a little too liquid-y at first. (I added extra flour because of the higher altitude — 6500 ft., roughly, here.) But the finished bread was lovely, and had a nice crumb.
(It’s so much fun to say that.)
I have plans for sugar cookies, Tasha Tudor’s Christmas cake and maybe some gingerbread. We’re supposed to get snow tomorrow with the Big Storm Coming — but only an inch or two. Pooh.
Mavis Butterfield says
Glad you finally tried it! And yes, sometimes it does look a little shaggy… but I’m glad you kept going. 🙂
Deb says
I am looking forward to your list for 2023!
Jae says
Thank you for sharing some wonderful ideas.
Looking forward to your next year’s shopping/cooking plans.
tc says
I was given some maine lobster ravioli today and some lobster bisque so tonight we had a starter of the bisque and then I added a little cooked salmon to a bit of lobster bisque, a little hot sauce and blended it up then poured it over the lobster ravioli and served with a salad. It was so delicious. A super easy and deliciously healthy meal.
Kimberly says
Life is short. Buy the avocado.
Tiffany F says
I saw the whale in the bread immediately and thought maybe you had done that.
I 100 % agree with food gifts, giving and receiving.
Definitely in soup and bread mode here. I finally gave in and bought an instant pot on cyber Monday. I needed to replace my large croc pot which died months ago. I was determined to wait til black Friday. So far I have really enjoyed it. I’ve only used it once as a pressure cooker, to cook black beans, of course. I’ve made soups in it probably 5+ times in the last couple weeks.