It was a hot and muggy week here in the Pacific Northwest but I managed to only have the A/C on for about 7 hours total last week so I was happy about that. I stayed close to home and pretty much made meals with what we had on hand.
The Girl has been on a baking binge since we discovered The Great British Baking Show, and is keeping us in desserts and bread. She did her own twist on Mary Berry’s Victoria Sponge cake and although we didn’t have any powdered sugar for her to sprinkle on top, the sponge was rather tasty. Almost like a pound cake. We couldn’t finish it all so I scraped off the extra whipping cream and cut the cake up in to chunks and popped them in the freezer. I’ll serve it alongside chocolate ice cream the next time we have it for dessert.
She was also pretty proud of the soda bread she made and is now on a mission to find a gluten/nut free bread recipe to make for her class.
The lettuce was gone by mid week but I did manage to make a few salads.
After the Comcast fiasco I stopped by the bakery outlet since it was only about a half mile away.
I ended up going home with 4 loaves of bread for just $2.20.
Guacamole on toast is pretty much the best breakfast ever.
Milk was on sale at Albertson’s for $1.79 a gallon so I had Monkey Boy pick some up on his way home from work.
Our dinners were pretty basic this week, pizza and salad one night, bean soup, chicken lasagna and green beans {and then leftovers the next day}.
I also made a tater tot casserole {my first time ever!} because the HH requested it. Monkey Boy and the HH devoured it while The Girl and I turned up our noses and had beans and rice for dinner. I don’t know, it kind seems like stinky boy food if you ask me and ranks right up there with Spam. But what do I know, I didn’t even taste it.
We also harvested 4 heads of cabbage from the garden this past week and one of the recipes I made was this bacon and cabbage saute {another recipe the HH found off the internet}. The HH loved it.
On Saturday The Girl and I visited my parents. Mom sent us home with a bag of goodies which included 7 granny smith apples, a bunch of recycled plastic containers, my favorite Steven Smith Tea Maker tea bags {Lord Bergamot for me, Fez for The Girl and a dog biscuit for Lucy. My parents don’t have any pets so I’m not sure where she got the dog biscuit. Pretty much at this point, I just say thanks and don’t ask where the stuff came from. 😉
The last time my parents were in Hawaii the spotted a watercolor painting in an art gallery of an Octopus and fell in love with it. The price tag? $1,000. And that was the sale price. 😉 So they asked The Girl if she could paint a similar one. She did, and now all they have to do is get it matted and framed before they can hang it on the wall. My guess is they will have saved about $900 by the time the picture is hung on the wall.
And then there’s the Christmas stick. Mom had us go down to the storage room and dig it out for her because you know, it’s August and that means it’s time to start decorating for Christmas.
And last but not least… Wild Ginger Restaurant. Have you been there? My parents treated us to lunch and it was delicious. I think I could eat their seven flavor beef every single day of the week. Delish!
It was a good week. I didn’t spend much, and yet, we still ate well.
~Mavis
Total Spent This Week $5.78
- Total Spent in January on Groceries $202.99
- Total Spent in February on Groceries $143.94
- Total Spent in March on Groceries $183.35
- Total Spent in April on Groceries $205.67
- Total Spent on Groceries in May $248.60
- Total Spent on Groceries in June $147.47
- Total Spent on Groceries in July $293.63
- Total Spent on Groceries in August $5.78
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- Total Spent in January on Take Out, Date Nights, and Bakery Treats $42.19
- Total Spent in February on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $118.45
- Total Spent in March on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $25.29
- Total Spent in April on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $62.50
- Total Spent in May of Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $54.52
- Total Spent in June of Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $119.15
- Total Spent in July of Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $12.45
- Total Spent in July of Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $0
Linda says
I love tater tot casserole. Such comfort food.
Susan says
Same here, though I’ve always made it with the tots on the bottom, and cheesy amazingness on top.
Julie says
Could you give me a recipe my husband would definitely love it by the sounds of things
Brenda says
Tatar Tot casserole is pretty good. Think of it as a shepherd’s pie with tots instead of mashed potatoes. I may be wrong, but am I counting only 7 tentacles on that octopus? (I don’t claim to be an artist though! haha)
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes. Just like the painting from the art gallery. 🙂 We thought it was odd too.
Jamie says
I wonder if the artist only had seven because many things in nature are odd numbered. I was taught to always paint an odd number of flower petals, branches on a tree, etc. It’s supposed to look more natural and balanced.
Also love Wild Ginger in downtown Seattle!
I’m just glad the wind changed and all the horrible smoke is gone!
AlysonRR says
Perhaps it’s because one rarely sees all 8 legs from a single perspective?
Beth says
Love ❤️ that show, daughter and I have watched all 3 seasons on Netflix, just starting the master baker series. Hope your cake didn’t have a “soggy bottom” lol. We definitely have gained weight because we have to bake after watching that show!
Sherry says
I always have to resist the urge to bake after watching The Great British Baking Show. The bread your daughter made looks SO good!!
Julie says
Next time you make a Victoria sandwich cake, use butter cream it keeps for days so you can have a piece for several days running! It looked amazing, you can’t beat Mary Berry for baking! And icing sugar on the top is excessive but it just adds something. We don’t have tater tots in the uk I don’t think, what are they? Beans and rice would do for me and my son too but my husband likes smelly boy food!
Shelle says
I had to laugh at your tater tot casserole comment. In our house it’s made for those evenings when I’m going out with my friends for a girls’ night and my kids and hubs dine want a never-when-mom-is-here kind of meal. It’s a win-win!
Also, some friends and I bake the technical challenges from the Great British Baking Show and share of photos and flops in a Facebook group. It’s really fun to have the support and commiseration from fellow bakers. I recently made the Bakewell Tart from the season airing on PBS right now. It was delicious and you and The Girl will need to give it a go!
Debra Basquez says
no powdered sugar? make your own. Whiz up granulated sugar in the blender. per 1 cup of granulated sugar, you can add tsp of cornstarch to keep it from clumping.
Julie says
Great tip, I live out of town and nearly always have granulated sugar, thanks
Idaho Girl says
Wild Ginger’s “Seven Flavor Beef” recipe is online. Just google it! 🙂
Julie says
Yes, the seven flavor beef from WG is one of the best things I have ever eaten!
Valerie says
The great British baking show is our go to to relax…..I’ve never had tatertot casserole but I want to it sounds warm and comfy.
Your budgeting skills rock! I can never stick to a grocery budget…other things yes but not the food…..
Sara says
That Artesano bread makes really good french toast.