Still too many darn potatoes

My 30 days of no grocery shopping ended Sunday, and much to my relief, PeaPod came to my door that morning with sacks and sacks of fresh, wonderful food. I immediately made a salad and spent the afternoon staring longingly at my green bananas, hoping they would ripen soon.

But I accomplished my goal, and I'm slightly proud of myself for not breaking down and going grocery shopping--although I did swing by Walgreens one afternoon to get more coffee (but that was allowed).

As odd as it was to not run out to the store, it was equally fun to dig through the pantry and get creative when it came to meals. I rediscovered the joy of baking (did you know that flour+water+yeast+salt=bread--LOL) and have a new appreciate for being able to actually find something in the fridge.

I'm not sure if I'll go through another 30 days without my friends at Costco or Harris-Teeter, but I have a feeling I'll be less inclined to grab the car keys whenever the first pass through the fridge doesn't satisfy me.

BTW, I still have too many potatoes, but at least I now have a few recipes for using them, and a new appreciation for how really simple yet filling they are.

A plethora of potatoes: Part 2-My bologna has a first name...

Nineteen days into my experiment of no-grocery shopping for a month, my fridge is down to a handful of random food items.

A clove of garlic.

The remains of a 100-count package of sliced cheddar cheese.

Pickles.

And bologna. Oh, yes, a full package of bologna.

I bought it for my parents' visit over Labor Day weekend. My nephew came with them, and he likes bologna. Actually, that's about all he will eat. But I bought the wrong brand and my nephew, a.k.a. Bologna Boy, refused to eat it.

So now I have an unopened package of Oscar Meyer bologna in the back of the fridge, hiding behind the potatoes.

I almost tossed it, but given that I have more than 10 more days of this experiment and the pantry contents are dwindling rapidly, I put it back.

Just in case the worse comes to pass, anyone have a recipe for potato, cheese and bologna casserole?

A plethora of potatoes

A few weeks ago I saw a newscast about a woman who decided not to go to the store for 30 days to cut back on her $800-a-month grocery bill. She figured there was more than enough food in the freezer and pantry to feed her family, so why pack in more?

Now my monthly food bills are nowhere near that high, but my pantry and freezer do look like I'm planning for the apocalypse. So, I decided to make this woman's experiment my own.

Almost two weeks ago I went cold turkey on Costco, Peapod, Jewel-Osco, Walgreen and c-stores. I didn't put rules to this experience as the woman on TV did. I can eat out when I want (within budgetary guidelines, of course) and meals don't have to be "balanced." Oh, and I can replenish the coffee supply as needed (I'm curious, not crazy).

Now it's still early in the experiment, so who's to say how it will end, but so far, it's been a fun challenge. I've even discovered hidden treasures in my freezer. In addition to the standards of chicken, beef, and frozen soup, I've found puff pastries, a loaf of Wonder Bread (I have no idea, people) and these really cool--and cold--cucumber patches to put on my eyes when I have a headache.

The regular fridge has yielded fewer surprises, but one major one: potatoes. Lots and lots of potatoes.

Despite my Scot-Irish heritage, I am not a potato eater. I go easy on the fries and never mash, bake or boil potatoes at home. Occasionally, I'll throw them in the stew pot (what is beef stew without potatoes, after all) or make a creamed soup with them if I'm feeling industrious on a Saturday afternoon, but those are both twice-a-winter occurrences.

So how did I get 20-plus pounds of potatoes in my fridge?

And how long have they been there?

I pondered those questions this morning, but I decided not to throw them out (unlike the package of shriveled figs I found behind them). Potatoes keep, and I'm only 11 days into this experiment. By Oct. 9, I may be surviving on potatoes and coffee like my ancestors.