In which we finally go buy groceries...

We've bought very, very little since the middle of December.  It's been good to use up all of the odds and ends in the cupboards and the goodies from the root cellar, pantry and freezer.  We could have gone on for a while without buying anything, but impending storms have a way of making us all want to treat ourselves.  '

We stopped by the grocery store after school on Monday and splurged.  Everyone got to choose something special to throw in the cart.  The Woodsman bought grapes (from Chile, almost  $7.00 for the bag - and I didn't say a word), a bag of carrots, celery and bananas. The kids chose BBQ chips and Cheese Doodles.   I bought hazelnut coffee, tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded mozerella cheese, 2 potatoes, canned mushrooms and a generic block of Velveeta like cheese product. 

I've been missing cheese, and dreaming about using it in a few recipes before winter was over.

The mushrooms and mozerella went into a winter squash lasagna.  Basically, I alternated pureed winter squash, mozerella cheese, alfredo sauce and mushrooms and chickpeas sauteed with garlic, onions, tarragon and sage.  I made one for dinner last night and one for the freezer.

Half of the Velveeta, a bit of the cheddar and the potatoes went into a turnip casserole.  It was simple and fantastic.  It baked up into a melted puddle of cheesy comfort.  Perfect for a windy, cold night.

The other half of the Velveeta and some more of the cheddar will go into tonight's taco soup.  No real recipe here.  I'm going to dump cooked pinto beans, a jar or two of tomatoes, taco seasoning, bulgur burger taco "meat" and some Velveeta cubes into a pot and cook it until it's hot.  Then I'll top it with some shredded cheddar.  There will be some Velveeta left so I'll use it, and some salsa to make queso dip.  We'll eat both of these with tortilla chips downstairs while we have a family movie night - Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Considering that we have eight inches and it's still snowing, I'm assuming that school will be out again tomorrow.  If that's the case I'll use the last of the cheese to make omlets in the morning.  Then we'll ski and come home in the evening to French Lentil Soup simmering in the crock pot.

I'm afraid to jinx myself by making a snow day meal plan for Friday.  I'll plan that one if we get it. 

Hope you're enjoying this day as much as I am.  I'm planning lots of snowy play time, reading and knitting.