I stocked up pretty well with two big grocery shopping trips — one at the beginning of March and another one this past Thursday. I don’t think I over-bought, just tried to gauge what we might need for 3-4 weeks (just in case the 2-week self-quarantine period proved to be optimistic for all of us.) I tried to be strategic, getting more fresh veggies that could keep for a longer time, like cauliflower, carrots, and cabbage. (Not that I’m a huge cabbage fan, but there’s always coleslaw!) I got some canned goods — a variety of beans and some peas and corn, even though we usually eat frozen veggies if we can’t get fresh.
Anyway, I’m sure I will be talking about food here for the next few weeks because this hunkering down is making me hungry! While I have always loved to eat, I have not always been the most steadfast of cooks. In my younger years, and when I had kids at home and all their friends coming over, I much preferred to bake from scratch for them (and for me.) See my old standby here: Best. Chocolate. Cake. Ever.
But the kiddos are grown and scattered far and wide, and, for health reasons, I can’t eat cake and cookies like I used to. With my relatively newfound love of vegetable gardening, though, I have become more interested and invested in making really good, tasty, wholesome food.
Yesterday, I treated us to a jazzed-up version of lime seltzer. I made it with a simple syrup, mint leaves, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. I kind of did my own thing, but the gist of it is here: Sparkling Limeade with Mint + Simple Syrup. Trying to conjure up being on beach somewhere, I guess…
Is it summer yet?