We’re doing a road trip this week – driving from Nashville to Washington DC with stops in Asheville and Williamsburg. I’m very excited. We decided to drive so we could relax and take plenty of pictures along the way. We might even stop and eat at a few Diners Drive-Ins, and Dives spots. If you want to follow our trip, I’ll be posting pics via Instagram and Tumblr daily.

When my new CSA emailed and said they wanted to give us a share of their early strawberry crop, I was thrilled. I’ve had such bad luck picking strawberries at the grocery store, that I was really excited about getting what I hoped would be juicy, delicious, organically grown berries. I’ve been sucked in too many times by the big red glossy berries at Publix. When I get them home, they’re hard and tasteless and I feel stupid because I fell for it again. I wasn’t disappointed in the berries from Delvin Farms. They weren’t huge like the commercially grown ones but there were tasty and sweet. YAY! Finally.

I ran across this recipe in my new Southern Living cookbook but it was using blueberries. When I found out we were getting strawberries, I knew they would be perfect for this. I swapped some of the butter for applesauce and switched whole wheat pastry flour for half of the all purpose flour. This cake was moist and not too sweet. It’s good with or without the crumb topping.

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Most people that shop regularly have a favorite grocery store. Personally I’m a Publix fan so 70 percent of my heavy duty shopping is done there. I shopped at Publix for years before I started paying attention to all of the extras that they offered to help me save money. Where ever you choose to spend your grocery money, it’s important that you get to know your store. Here are 12 things you should find out about your favorite stores to get the most out of your shopping experience. Don’t worry, I’m going to go into more detail on each of these later in the series.

•  Does your grocery store have a customer loyalty program? If so how do you sign up?
• What is your store’s coupon policy?
• Does your store require you to buy the specified number of  items to get the sale price? Ie 10 for $10
• What special programs does your store have? Baby Club, Pet  club, Catch of the Day, Fine Wine Club etc
• Does your store issue store coupons?
• How do your stores sales cycles run? Sunday through Saturday?  Wednesday through Tuesday? Etc

• What do the special tags mean on certain items on the shelves?
• Does your store have a prescription transfer bonus deal?
• How do you sign up for your stores newletters, deals, and  promo emails?
• Does your grocery store sell produce, meat, or diary from  local providers?
• Does your store sell quality store brand products?
• Does your store sell items in bulk bins?

I got this recipe from one of my church members. It came from one of those little community cookbooks that’s probably older than I am. She’s been making this for 30 years and I can see why. It’s easy and comes together quickly. If lemon isn’t your thing, substitute a few tablespoons of almond extract for the lemon flavorings.

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This week hubby and I were getting back to normal after Holy season. Our pastor called a church-wide fast from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday and we were determined to make it all the way through this time. We chose to do the Daniel fast which is strictly vegan but on Sunday’s we could eat what we wanted. Fasting really isn’t my thing so I entered into it with apprehension and trepidation. The first 3 weeks were a test of will but the last 3 weeks were all about exploring different recipes for grains, beans, and vegetables. I have to say I really got into to it after a while. I doubt that we would ever adopt a vegan life style but there were some keepers in this experience.

Keepers

1. Almond milk – I’m not a fan of soy milk but I really like almond milk.

2. Meatless dinners and lunches – we found out that meals could be delicious and satisfying without meat

3. Meal planning – Because there was a lot more prep work to do, a little planning went a long way during this fast.

Not Keepers

1. Vegan cheese – We found a brand of vegan cheese that actually melted like real cheese but it wasn’t the same. I’ll stick with the real deal.

2. Soy meat substitutes – I didn’t really care for any of these except this killer veggie hot dog I had here. Chicago style no onions.

Recipe Salvage

This was one of the recipes I tried during the fast and I debated long and hard on whether to write a post on it.  I saw the original recipe in Food and Wine magazine and you can find it here. The picture was amazing and it looked so delicious that I had to try it.  I’m not going to say this recipe was bad but it definitely wasn’t seasoned enough for our tastes. Actually it was really bland. Being the frugual person I am, I couldn’t stand the thought of throwing it out so I started thinking of ways to reinvent/salvage it. This really applies to any savory dish that didn’t quite turn out the way you expected. Luckily I fixed this on a Saturday so the next day was a fast free day. I bought some spicy andouille sausage and served it as a side dish.

When I run across a recipe the doesn’t quite turn out as expected I have a few tricks to make it more palatable:

1. Add more fresh herbs, seasonings, or lemon zest - Herbs and seasonings are always my first choice to perk up a dish. Throw in a few tablespoons of your favorite finely diced herb or a few shakes of your favorite seasoning. If using premade seasoning mixes, be careful of the salt.

2. Add a strongly flavored cheese – Everything tastes better with cheese. Add a cup of gorgonzola, Parmesan, or a good smoked gouda or cheddar to give it some richness and flavor.

3. Serve it as a side to a highly seasoned main dish – This is what we did. It was a really good accompaniment to some spicy andouille sausage.

4. Add a little smoked sausage, bacon, or ham – a little diced smoked meat goes a long way to upping the flavor of a bland dish.

5. Add rice or other grains – Occasionally I  run across a dish that turns out much more salty than I expected. If it’s a soup or casserole, I add plain unsalted grains to offset some of the salt. This also works with potatoes.

6. Add some umami – Soy sauce, fish sauce, or good canned tomatoes can add a depth of flavor that will completely changes a dish.

7. Go hot - Sriracha, Louisiana hot sauce, thai chili paste, or any spicy sauce will work. I’m partial to Sriracha.

What do you do to salvage recipes?

People keep telling me that beets are an acquired taste. Apparently I acquired a taste for them early in life since I’ve always liked them – even the pickled ones in the jar. I don’t however like the mess beet juice makes. Be smarted than I was the day I fixed these. Do not wear a white shirt and use food safe gloves if you have them.

This is a quick marinade to give your beets a nice tang without the trouble of pickling. I like to peel, slice, and marinate them while still warm because I think it helps them slurp up the flavors. If you have a some really good hot peppers, slice one in half and add it to the jar. These are delicious in salads with a little Gorgonzola on top.

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I can’t believe a whole week slipped by me without doing a post. I kept procrastinating and before I knew it, the week was over. It’s been a hectic week and I’m happy for a day I can rest and relax. Maybe I’ll catch up on some reading. In the mean time, this is my first attempt at making banana bread and it was inspired by this recipe. I’ve never been a huge fan of banana bread but the chocolate chip streusel gives this loaf a whole different taste. Use very ripe bananas for this to get the full banana flavor. Pecans would work if you don’t have walnuts.

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Asparagus is one of our “go-to” vegetables. It’s great for nights when I’m short on time and it doesn’t take much to make it taste good. The real star of this meal is the Israeli couscous. A handful of fresh herbs with some lemon zest gives the couscous a delicious bright flavor. I estimated the amount of parsley in this because I literally torn off a handful and dropped it in the food processor. Feel free to use more or less according to your tastes. Unless you really like lemon, be mindful of the amount of zest you use. Lemon can brighten a dish but it can also take over if you aren’t careful. I used vegetable broth with salt but if you use low sodium or no sodium broth, add a little salt so it won’t be bland.

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