Well, yes, yes, I do. I read Pride and Prejudice throughout the week and thoroughly enjoyed it, even thought it was probably the tenth or hundredth time reading that story. Dear Jane Austen still makes me laugh out loud sometimes.

We celebrated Mother’s Day and our anniversary in delicious culinary ways: a steak and baked potato dinner for Mother’s Day and a night at Rosina’s for our anniversary. Yummy on both counts.

Grocery shopping, however, has been haphazard. The refrigerator is too full to let me think straight. I’ve been too worried about missing those fleeting, seasonal items that I haven’t put the produce box on vacation often enough to let us catch up. I’m working on that this week.

Here’s how the food procurement activity went down this week:

Costco

Hubs did the Costco run for me, grabbing a few of the things that we regularly get there: cheese, maple syrup, honey, cream, tortillas, bread. The blue cheese was for my special occasions.

Total spent: $85

Trader Joe’s

He also went to Trader Joe’s where he bought all kinds of fun food.

Total spent: $57

Ralphs

I grabbed milk, steaks, chicken, and a few odds and ends at Ralphs.

Total spent: $47

Abundant Harvest Organics

The box was full of springy type fruits and vegetables: fava beans, English peas, artichokes, lettuce, summer squash, chard, green garlic, strawberries, donut peaches, potatoes, and apriums. I gave the fava beans to my neighbors. Enough already!

That big box of apriums was extra. Unfortunately, they came very badly bruised, and I had to toss a significant number of them because they were moldy. Bummer. The folks at AHOrganics are giving me a refund since these were supposed to be stellar apriums, not the cosmetically challenged ones from last year.

Total spent: $54 (refund pending)

Sprouts

I made a few runs to Sprouts this week, but honestly, I can’t even remember them. I guess I didn’t capture them on film for posterity.

Total spent: $21

Total spent for the week: $264

So far we’re doing pretty well for the month, despite my haphazard purchases. There’s plenty of food, but not a lot of convenient, ready-to-go items. This could prove to be troublesome since I’m leaving town for three days at the end of the week. Hubs and the kids will be flying solo. We’ll see how that goes.

Total spent month to date: $568

As a reminder: I feed eight people every meal, except for my husband’s lunches, which he currently eats away from home. We have a separate dining out budget, which we use about once a week. Our target grocery spending for 8 people is $800/month.

Grocery Geek: Where did the week go? is a post from: Good Cheap Eats. All rights reserved © Jessica Getskow Fisher

I confess. I have completely embraced the canning jar craze. My go-to drinking glass is a mason jar, preferably wide-mouth, but since I received a set of these blue Ball jars to review, I’m warming to the standard mouth variety.

Especially since they’re so stinking cool.

I loved them so much, I went ahead and ordered a dozen more on Amazon. These limited-edition Heritage Collection Pint Jars commemorate the 100^th Anniversary of the Ball brothers’ Perfect Mason Jar. When they’re gone, they’re gone. So, if you think you want some, get them now.

Lynn found them at Target. My Target doesn’t have them. Check yours.

Canning and me go way back.

To my credit, I’ve have a collection of canning jars for about fifteen years.  When we lived in the country out on two acres of weeds and fruit trees, I taught myself to can. Though my Gramma John and many aunts and cousins all put up food every year, my mom never did, so I never learned. Until I was 26 or 27 and I taught myself to make jam. I made olallieberry jam every year until we moved.

I thought for sure I’d have plentiful opportunities to can while living in Kansas City. But, no. We lived in the ‘burbs. And in five years I never found a good and cheap source of produce.

Once we moved back to California, I started canning again. I think this is funny, actually, since one would think that the midwest would be a bigger market than the west coast for such a thing. Anywho, I’ve made batches and batches of homemade jam since coming home.

One year it was strawberry, plum and nectarine jams. The next year it was Pomegranate Jelly. So, so good!

Last year I went whole hog. Whole hog, I tell you. I was a canning fiend last year. I made batches upon batches of aprium jam, cherry jam, plum jam, apple butter, and dill pickles.

On Mother’s Day, I cracked open the last jar of aprium jam. Love it. It’s like sunshine in a jar.

This week, we got ten pounds of apriums and I know what we’re going to do with them! In fact, you can guess what the better portion of my day is going to entail. The apriums (a cross between an apricot and a plum) arrived badly bruised so we need to use them up quickly before they spoil. It’s made me nervous since the day they arrived. My plan is to try them in juice, but also to make lots and lots of jam.

Ferb, I know what we’re going to do today.

Not only do I have my handy blue jars, but I also have two editions of the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, preservation guides that show you all the steps of canning. I love their step by step instructions and illustrations. It is a great refresher when I’m a little out of practice.

I bought one copy years ago; I learned to can from that book. The other copy I bought last year. Both work well. The newer version has some updated recipes and a different format for measuring pectin. The older has tried and true recipes that I love.

Along with the jars, Ball also sent me the Ball Home Canning Discovery Kit. I have two canners in different sizes as well as the racks that go with them. What I like about the discovery kit is that it transforms any pot into a canner. It looks perfect for making small batches of jam. It will also store a little more easily and compactly than my traditional canners.

Win a set of blue jars and a Ball Home Canning Discovery Kit.

I have really loved the pleasure of opening home canned foods. Not only is it simply satisfying from a self-sufficiency stand point, but it also is so tasty! I’m excited that I can share the love with you.

One Good Cheap Eats reader will receive a set of Heritage Collection Pint Jars as well as a Ball Home Canning Discovery Kit.

To Enter:

Simply complete the information on this form. Please know that the information is only being gathered for the purposes of mailing you your prize in the event that you are chosen as the winner. This information will not be sold, traded, or given away.

This promotion is open until Sunday, May 19, 2012 at 8 pm PST and is limited to US residents, 18 years or older. Friends and family of Jessica Fisher and Good Cheap Eats are ineligible for entry. The winners will be chosen randomly. This post will be updated with the beginning of the winner’s email address. The prize for this promotion is provided by and shipped by Jarden Home Brands and/or its representatives. Jessica Fisher and Good Cheap Eats will not be held responsible for unclaimed or undelivered prizes.

Disclosure: I have received sample product. All opinions are my own. This post does include Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase through those links, I am paid a small amount in way of advertising fees.

Discover Canning & Beautiful Blue Ball Jars (A Giveaway) is a post from: Good Cheap Eats. All rights reserved © Jessica Getskow Fisher

Now’s the perfect time to be thinking of fun and easy appetizers. With graduations, baby and bridal showers, BBQs, pool parties, and Father’s Day approaching, it’s in your best interests to have a repertoire of dishes that you can make ahead and serve on a buffet so folks can eat when they’re hungry.

This collection contains some of my favorite appetizers. They’re different than your standard chips and dips which makes them fun and intriguing, especially for folks who might be making the rounds this season.

Set  up a beverage bar and a table full of these healthy, homemade hors-d’oeuvres. You can mingle, visit with friends, and munch on a few good eats yourself without worrying about serving a full supper. If you want, offer a main dish, but honestly, I like to just fill up on munchies.

Here are some great apps for summertime get-togethers:

Cactus Salsa - This is a favorite salsa from my childhood. Yes, I lived a rather different childhood, enjoying cactus dip, alfalfa sprouts, and mushrooms, back when none of that was very cool.

Easy Jalapeno Poppers with Rice and Bacon - Poppers are typically pretty spicy which is good — unless you don’t like or can’t tolerate spicy. The rice and dairy in these poppers help cool the flame just a bit.

Roasted Garlic and Baked Goat Cheese Appetizer - One of my all-time favorite appetizers, this dish is super easy and elegant. Who says fancy can’t be frugal?

Mushrooms Stuffed with Mustard Greens and Bacon - I had no idea when I found a manager’s special on mustard greens that it was so delicious. The green gives a peppery bite to these very make-ahead stuffed mushrooms.

Healthier Spinach Dip - Chances are you know spinach dip. But, do you know it without the packaged soup mix? This version comes totally unprocessed. The yogurt adds an extra touch of good-for-you to go along with your spinach.

Really Homemade Seven Layer Dip - Speaking of unprocessed. The famous seven layer dip gets real in this recipe. No boxed mixes or ingredients you can’t pronounce here.

What’s YOUR favorite app for summertime?

Great Apps for Summertime Get-Togethers is a post from: Good Cheap Eats. All rights reserved © Jessica Getskow Fisher

Tonight’s our 19th wedding anniversary. Can you believe it? We’re celebrating tomorrow since tonight is hockey practice. But, my husband had planned ahead and bought something for our whole family to enjoy: an electric fondue pot (Head’s up! That’s my affiliate link.)

Other women might roll their eyes, but you know me! I am a sucker for small kitchen appliances.

A fondue pot brings back memories of our visits to France together and when we were newlyweds, making fondue at home. We haven’t  made cheese fondue with the kids before, so I’m looking forward to giving this baby a run for its money.

In the meantime, if you missed any of my reviews of small kitchen appliances, well, here they are:

• Bread Machine
• Food Processor
• Immersion Blender
• Waffle Maker
• Keurig Coffee Brewer
• Electric Griddle
• Juicer
• Toaster Oven
• Slow Cooker
• Magic Bullet
• Freezer
• Ice Cream Maker

Disclosure: if you make a purchase through that Amazon link up there, I do receive a small percentage of the sale.

Why I Love My Small Kitchen Appliances is a post from: Good Cheap Eats. All rights reserved © Jessica Getskow Fisher

We had three hockey practices. We’ll have three games tonight.

The girls put on all kinds of shows for us. The younger four built multiple blanket forts throughout the living room and beyond.

I went grocery shopping.

Actually, two of the stops were made by FishPapa himself. I have no pictures. I was too busy to go to the store, therefore, I was too busy to take pictures. 

But, here’s where we stand on the food front:

Ralphs

As promised some photos are going to be “on location”. It’s so much easier that way. When the hungry hoards mob me at the door, I don’t have to take a picture before feeding them or putting them to work.

Ralphs sent out new coupons, including free hot dogs and free eggs. Strawberries were $1.25/pound. I bought those over the Merida Brave gummies that the girls wanted for $4/box. I think I chose the better portion.

Hubs went back a few days later for milk and butter.

Total spent: $48

Walmart

I had hubs make a Walmart run. He got LOTS of tortillas, cheese, limes, milk, and ice cream. Ahem. The ice cream wasn’t on the list, but the kids were thrilled.

Total spent $42

Abundant Harvest Organics

The produce box from Abundant Harvest Organics was so fun this week! Apriums (a cross between plums and apricots), artichokes, summer squash, chard, rutabagas, lettuce, strawberries, potatoes, green beans and mint. How lovely!

I ordered ten pounds of apriums for next week. Can’t wait!

Total spent: $36

Total spent for the week: $126

Even with that unexpected ice cream purchase, we’re doing okay. We’re well under the average for the month so far. I really wanted to do double ad day at Sprouts, but decided against it. We’ve got plenty of food!

Total spent month to date: $304

As a reminder: I feed eight people every meal, except for my husband’s lunches, which he currently eats away from home. We have a separate dining out budget, which we use about once a week. Our target grocery spending for 8 people is $800/month.

Grocery Geek: Just a Normal Week is a post from: Good Cheap Eats. All rights reserved © Jessica Getskow Fisher

Except for a handful of “cheat” days for the FishMama Trifecta, I’m going sugar-free this month, trying to reclaim a little bit of that energy that I felt during my Whole 30. I don’t want to give up baked goods forever, but this is another experiment to see how food and me gel.

I really like food.

So far, I am finding that it’s easier to fall asleep and I’m sleeping more soundly than I have in weeks previous. Yay, sleep!

Since we are decidedly a “dessert family”, I’m exploring alternatives to traditonally sweetened items. Earlier this week I made maple ice cream as well as these Cocoa Apricot Cashew Bites. I’m trying to make a replacement for my favorite Lara Bars that cost a dollar a piece. I didn’t crunch the numbers on these, but I am guessing I cut the price significantly.

I’m probably the last one to get on the homemade energy bar band wagon. I purposely didn’t look at any recipes, though, so I could feel like I was making this discovery all on my own. I’m sure y’all will have great ideas on how to improve these. They were pretty darn good though.

And my kids loved them.

Recipe: Cocoa Apricot Cashew Bites

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried apricots
• 1 cup coconut chips
• 1/2 cup dry-roasted cashews
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

1. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add the apricots, coconut chips, cashews, almond meal, and cocoa powder. Pulse until a coarse mixture forms.
2. Add the coconut oil and honey and continue pulsing until the components are chopped fairly small and the mixture holds together well.
3. Scoop tablespoon amounts and form them into small cookie shapes.
4. Store bites in layers of waxed paper in an airtight container. Enjoy within the week.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 18-20

Cocoa Apricot Cashew Bites is a post from: Good Cheap Eats. All rights reserved © Jessica Getskow Fisher

Once upon a time the word cafe denoted a coffee house or coffee shop. It still does. But, in my experience it also suggests a restaurant that offers lighter fare.

There’s a national chain of cafes that once was my favorite. I’ve found that their prices have increased while their portions have shrunk. Hubs thinks its more “chick food” than he typically likes, but he actually goes there more often than I do.

Lighter fare, like soups, salads, and sandwiches are pretty easy to make at home. In fact, they make a perfect Mother’s Day luncheon. If you’re cooking for moms this weekend or are considering hosting a bridal or baby shower in the next few months, consider these recipes, some of my very favorites.

You can make the cafe experience at home quite easily. Prepare a few pots of soup, a couple salads, and a platter of assorted sandwiches. Offer pitchers of ice water, tea, coffee, and juice. Bon appetit!

The Cafe Experience at Home

The At-Home Panera Experience

Mimic her favorite cafe meal by making a variety of soups, salads, and sandwiches to choose from.

Cheese Soup with Vegetables

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Samwiches: Brie and Bacon Panini with Mushrooms and Onions

Turkey Avocado Baguette with Chipotle Mayonnaise

Poorman’s Chicken Caesar

Pear and Blue Cheese Salad with Maple Spiced Toppings

What’s your favorite soup, salad, or sandwich?

An At-Home Cafe Experience & Some Recipes for Mother’s Day is a post from: Good Cheap Eats. All rights reserved © Jessica Getskow Fisher

We’ve owned a few different ice cream makers over the years. Our first purchase was the one that you had to add salt and ice to. I think we used it twice. We had a couple cheapos afterwards that went the way of a donation truck because I didn’t use them all that often.

But, last year when I started hearing more about food additives and in particular what they add to ice cream, I decided to reconsider making ice cream myself.

What I found out was that through savvy shopping, I could make organic ice cream at home, cheaper than if I bought a carton of conventional at the store. Go here to see how I crunched the numbers.

After that I started experimenting making other ice creams and then sorbets, using pureed fruit. I’m looking forward to developing some honey or maple-sweetened concoctions throughout the summer.

Favorite recipes so far:

• Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
• Simplest Apple Sorbet
• I’ve also made Peach Sorbet, Mint Ice Cream, and Maple Vanilla Ice Cream but have yet to document them.

Care and storage

It’s pretty simple to store the ice cream maker. They’ve slimmed down tremendously in the last twenty years. I store the silver freezing canister in the freezer so it’s always ready to go. The other parts store easily in a cabinet over the refrigerator. I wash it all before storing just like I would wash dishes. I wipe down the main motor component, but don’t wash it in a tub of soapy water, of course.

Purchasing a machine

I didn’t shop around. I bought the only model Costco had last spring, the Cuisinart ICE-20. It was being discontinued at the time, but that was fine by me. It was less than 35 bucks!

The newer model comes in all kinds of fancy colors, though, which is fun for summer.

I’m looking forward to exploring more frozen desserts, especially the naturally sweetened ones, in the next few months. Let me know your favorite flavor so I can try it.

What’s your experience with an ice cream maker?

Love it or hate it? Do tell.

Disclosure: This post does include Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase through those links, I am paid a small amount in way of advertising fees.

(Check out past posts in which I wax eloquent about the bread machine, the food processor,the immersion blender, the waffle maker,  the Keurig, the electric griddle, the home juice extractor, the toaster oven, the slow cooker, the Magic Bullet, and the deep freezer.)

Why I Love My Ice Cream Maker is a post from: Good Cheap Eats. All rights reserved © Jessica Getskow Fisher

I’m currently going sugar-free this month. I decided to test out the theory that sugar makes me tired. So, except for the FishMama Trifecta and my son’s 9th birthday (my designated cheat days), I’m avoiding all processed sugars.

I  put one tablespoon of honey into a large batch of fruit bars the other day, but spread over 20 bars, I figure that was a scant amount and doesn’t count anyway, because it’s a sweetener God made.

Anyway, I digress.

This Banana Pecan Coffeecake is amazingly good. It’s also pretty sweet. I’m going to be working on the reduced sugar version, but until then, you might enjoy making this one.

Head over to Life as MOM for the recipe.

Satisfy the Sweet Tooth with Banana Pecan Coffeecake is a post from: Good Cheap Eats. All rights reserved © Jessica Getskow Fisher

Fruit salad is one of the easiest to make and one that serves as a family favorite. I rarely have to say, “Finish your fruit salad.” Kids like it; adults do, too.

I’ve had many of a fruit salad in my time. Over the years I’ve developed some decided preferences. For instance, no slimy bananas. If a fruit salad has bananas, I am likely to pass. Bananas just by themselves can get a little sticky. Add them to other fruits and you get a mess. Not to mention that they can turn brown.

One of the distinctives of Monkey Salad is that the other ingredients are dry, keeping the wet factor to a very minimum.

Another thing I’ve learned is that you don’t need a dozen different fruits to make it tasty. I usually shoot for three that have varying textures and flavors. Strawberries, kiwi, and oranges are fabulous together and pack a huge Vita C punch.

Blueberries, cherries, and strawberries go well together, too. Layer them for a pretty presentation as well as a way to reduce the juicy, wet factor. No soggy fruit, please.

Don’t stir until right before serving. And don’t add sugar or honey; that only draws out more juice, making for a very soggy salad. In season fruit should be plenty sweet.

This fruit salad, composed of strawberries, pineapple, and mango is a tasty and cheerful salad to serve for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It works well for BBQs and potlucks. Any leftovers? Blend them together in a smoothie!

Need help knowing how to handle berries or pineapple? I got you covered. Here’s how to store berries so they don’t turn into fuzz while your back is turned. Check out my tutorial for how to cut a pineapple here. Need the 411 on how to cut a mango? Simply Recipes has that for you.

Recipe: Easy Fruit Salad

Ingredients

• 1 large pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
• 2 large red mangoes, cut into small chunks
• 1/2 to 1 pound strawberries, halved

Instructions

1. Layer the fruits in the order listed in a large glass bowl or dish.
2. Chill, covered, until ready to serve.
3. Stir gently right before serving.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

Easy Fruit Salad is a post from: Good Cheap Eats. All rights reserved © Jessica Getskow Fisher