I’m not sure we have corner shops here like that. Tons of corporate shops of course. But lots of the US is built with driving in mind, so it’s really not possible to just walk to very much (or anything, in some cases) in various places. (And our infrastructure for buses and trains is… lacking in many places, like where I live.)
Having been in them, I can tell you we do have corner shops like that here. Shoot, I’ve been in Dollar Generals that had fresh produce.
I guess there’s a wide variety in what convenience stores offer, everywhere. I feel a little cheated that I can’t get produce at the Shoppers on my corner now!
In the UK a number of the large supermarkets have smaller neighbourhood branches which keep 'convenience store' hours (roughly 7am - 11pm), and sell a selection of branded and own-brand packaged foods, (but not the budget ranges!), plus chilled, frozen and fresh foods, baked goods, household necessities newspapers & stationary, alcohol and cigarettes.
Most things cost more than at their main supermarkets.
Sainsbury's, Tesco and the Co-Op all have a convenience store presence in this town, which has no supermarket. There are also smaller independent convenience stores dotted around in districts further out from the main shopping area.
Oh, and I made soup with my tired parsnips & carrots, plus an onion and red lentils. Spiced it up with turmeric, coriander, aleppo pepper, garlic & ginger.
I had no fresh root ginger, but did have some crystalized ginger so I washed the surplus sugar from a few chunks of that and cut it small, on the basis that carrots & parsnips are sweet anyway, so the sweetness of the ginger wouldn't stand out.
It made a big panful which we had for lunch, saved some for 2 smaller portions tomorrow and put 2pts in the freezer!
What I call the corner shop along from my flat is, as described by Roseofsharon, a very small branch of Morrison's. They stock a very limited selection of fresh veggies, and are open from early morning to (I think) about 7 in the evening.
Salmon and hot rice salad has worked well in the airfryer, last two nights. Quick and very tasty!
We don't have many corner stores left, but I am always grateful for late opening supermarkets and food delivery apps that will do a last minute shop and delivery late in the evening!
Leftovers feature regularly on our menu, not just after feast days.
Today's lunch was left over Savoy cabbage & leeks cooked in cider, with bacon. Accompanied by mashed potato. Made a warm and welcome change to the cold meat & salad Mr RS usually has.
I had my cabbage leeks & bacon stuffed in pitta bead, there being insufficient potato for two.
Yesterday, I spoke with a woman who said her mother always made potato salad with any leftover mashed potatoes. I remember my mother did the same. I remember liking it as a child, so the next time I make mashed potatoes I am going to throw two extra in the pot.
I have just done some excellent recycling of leftovers and entertained a bored child at the same time. I had shortcrust pastry, grated cheese and beaten egg in my fridge.
I give you
Cheesy stars
Roll out your pastry and sprinkle some of your cheese on top. Fold it in half, re-roll, sprinkle more cheese, repeat the operation a couple of times. Use your child's star-shaped cookie cutter to cut into star shapes. Brush with the beaten egg (milk would also work) and sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 180°C until golden.
I should start one of those Mummyblogs. I hear there's money in it.
Sounds delicious! In the absence of pastry and egg, I think I'll just make do with some grated CHEESE - perhaps on triangles of TOAST (stars would be a bit complicated for me to cut...).
A little chicken shawarma left in the freezer from Christmas eve. I was thinking through a meal to include it for tonight and did this: Nice salad (tabouleh minus the bulgar), hummous, olives, toum, plain Greek yogurt, and tahini on the table, to go with a "pizza" decked with more toum, chopped up shawarma, sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and topped with zaatar, and all of it sprinkled with feta.
I have just done some excellent recycling of leftovers and entertained a bored child at the same time. I had shortcrust pastry, grated cheese and beaten egg in my fridge.
I give you
Cheesy stars
Roll out your pastry and sprinkle some of your cheese on top. Fold it in half, re-roll, sprinkle more cheese, repeat the operation a couple of times. Use your child's star-shaped cookie cutter to cut into star shapes. Brush with the beaten egg (milk would also work) and sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 180°C until golden.
I should start one of those Mummyblogs. I hear there's money in it.
When we were in Newfoundland, my (unmashed) potato salad was regarded as something of a novelty (and always seemed to disappear).
Mind you, you were quite likely to be offered a luridly pink or yellow one (respectively coloured with beetroot juice or some sort of mustard - probably the rather sweet sort they use to make mustard pickles). Both would be made with mashed potatoes, and looked as if they ought to be puddings.
To me that's really interesting @Piglet because I'm only familiar with a potato made with cubed cold potatoes (skin off), with either a mayonnaise or mayonnaise blended with cream and perhaps with dill or other herbs added. I just can't visualise any other arrangement!
I love the sound of @la vie en rouge stars, I made something similar for a daughter's birthday party years ago, I just cut a puff pastry sheet into rectangles and applied the cheese, I think a couple of different cheeses mixed would be nice for adults. I copied the idea from my friend who did it so much more nicely than I did, she actually made twisty straws with hers, but I was a first timer and in a hurry making mine, so didn't want to mess around. Even being as plain as plain the kids absolutely loved them and I probably could have made 3 times the quantity and they would have all been eaten!
When we were in Newfoundland, my (unmashed) potato salad was regarded as something of a novelty (and always seemed to disappear).
Mind you, you were quite likely to be offered a luridly pink or yellow one (respectively coloured with beetroot juice or some sort of mustard - probably the rather sweet sort they use to make mustard pickles). Both would be made with mashed potatoes, and looked as if they ought to be puddings.
Our one IKEA store in Michigan has a lovely mashed potato salad. I wondered what it was, until, I tasted it. Perfect with the lox and greens that are also on the plate.
I'm with @Cheery Gardener in that I've only ever encountered potato salad as cubes or slices in various dressings. The idea of a technicolour mash just does not compute.
Soup from the (deliberately) leftover red-cooked pork, stock thinned and thinly chopped carrot, mange tout, enoki mushroom and spring onion added.
My wife made a very nice stew last night, using leftover roast venison from Christmas, leftover gravy from last weekend (bumped up with a bit of stock and tomato puree), and leftover gnocchi (frozen) from I-know-not-when. A carrot, an onion and a parsnip had to be bought; we decided not to use the leftover red cabbage (also frozen, also from Christmas). Oh yes: we also finished the wine leftover from the other night (a tasty Portuguese Esporão red, if you must know.
Yesterday's dunner used up quite a few leftovers.
There was a cauliflower, sweet potato, peanut butter, coconut milk and chickpea stew, from the freezer. Mr RS had his with leftover mashed potato and some leftover veg. Mine had an a different leftover veg from his, and no potatoes I am having to cut right down in carbs atm, and the stew probably had more than I ought to have eaten.
He had leftover apple pie for pudding, and there is the slice I didn't have left over for him today.
I'm loving the sound of everyone's meals and we had a rare one today. Cheery son (who is not a fan of leftovers), had a burrito today, the fillings were left over from Thursday night. This time I remembered to keep the tomato separately, which has made this option a much more attractive choice for him, not being a tomato fan at all. At least he has eaten some vegetables today!
Chicken breast portion has defrosted. It is huge so will do me two days. I’m tempted to pop over the road for fresh veg but I need to use up what’s in the fridge. All to be roasted in the air fryer.
Today, I am making refrigerator soup. I do this about once a week. That means going through the refrigerator and using up any bits or pieces of leftovers and any fresh vegetables that need to be eaten before going limp. I have a feeling that cabbage will be the star of the show as I have an extra large head of it.
I was going to make that for lunch but, being on a Chinese kick these days, I cut things into fairly small pieces and tipped them into a wok, finishing them with a glug of black bean sauce.
I discovered a) it's possible to stir fry potato and b) stir-fried celery is a lot nicer than any other kind of cooked celery.
I was going to make that for lunch but, being on a Chinese kick these days, I cut things into fairly small pieces and tipped them into a wok, finishing them with a glug of black bean sauce.
I discovered a) it's possible to stir fry potato and b) stir-fried celery is a lot nicer than any other kind of cooked celery.
That's a low bar. My only use for celery is finely dicing and using with carrot and onion to create a base.
I've been known to make celery soup, with a splat of blue cheese to give it some oomph, and on the rare occasions I have it in the fridge, I'd use it if I was making stock.
I've been known to make celery soup, with a splat of blue cheese to give it some oomph, and on the rare occasions I have it in the fridge, I'd use it if I was making stock.
Oh that sounds good I like celery. Thanks for the idea. I have a bit of blue cheese I believe.
Comments
This is good to know! ❤️
Most things cost more than at their main supermarkets.
Sainsbury's, Tesco and the Co-Op all have a convenience store presence in this town, which has no supermarket. There are also smaller independent convenience stores dotted around in districts further out from the main shopping area.
I had no fresh root ginger, but did have some crystalized ginger so I washed the surplus sugar from a few chunks of that and cut it small, on the basis that carrots & parsnips are sweet anyway, so the sweetness of the ginger wouldn't stand out.
It made a big panful which we had for lunch, saved some for 2 smaller portions tomorrow and put 2pts in the freezer!
We don't have many corner stores left, but I am always grateful for late opening supermarkets and food delivery apps that will do a last minute shop and delivery late in the evening!
Today's lunch was left over Savoy cabbage & leeks cooked in cider, with bacon. Accompanied by mashed potato. Made a warm and welcome change to the cold meat & salad Mr RS usually has.
I had my cabbage leeks & bacon stuffed in pitta bead, there being insufficient potato for two.
It's one of Tesco's finest (Sad Old Singletons for the consumption of), but quite tasty, so that's this evening's snack sorted.
Christmas Pudding is actually the sort of thing which is palatable all year round, as you say.
Like Hot Cross Buns and Creme Eggs...
I saw what I thought were leftover Lindt reindeer today. Wrong - they were Easter bunnies.
O well - there are always HCBs and Creme Eggs...
HCBs, on the other hand, I could eat to a band playing. 🙂
I'm rather fond of them in moderation, although I tend to horrify my family with my response to "how do you eat yours?".
One mouth, one creme egg, B goes inside A.
HCBs make an easy bread&butter pudding. Or do I mean that a bread & butter pudding is a useful way of disposing of half a dozen HCBs in one hit?
I am on a Chinese cooking binge at the moment, one of the delights of which is soup based on any leftover pork casserole.
Left over panettone also makes super bread and butter pudding! I have one that didn't get opened at all, I might save it for Easter.
Use the same recipe for regular potato salad, only sub mashed potatoes for regular cubed boiled potatoes.
I give you
Cheesy stars
Roll out your pastry and sprinkle some of your cheese on top. Fold it in half, re-roll, sprinkle more cheese, repeat the operation a couple of times. Use your child's star-shaped cookie cutter to cut into star shapes. Brush with the beaten egg (milk would also work) and sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 180°C until golden.
I should start one of those Mummyblogs. I hear there's money in it.
Mahlzeit!
How fun!
When we were in Newfoundland, my (unmashed) potato salad was regarded as something of a novelty (and always seemed to disappear).
Mind you, you were quite likely to be offered a luridly pink or yellow one (respectively coloured with beetroot juice or some sort of mustard - probably the rather sweet sort they use to make mustard pickles). Both would be made with mashed potatoes, and looked as if they ought to be puddings.
I love the sound of @la vie en rouge stars, I made something similar for a daughter's birthday party years ago, I just cut a puff pastry sheet into rectangles and applied the cheese, I think a couple of different cheeses mixed would be nice for adults. I copied the idea from my friend who did it so much more nicely than I did, she actually made twisty straws with hers, but I was a first timer and in a hurry making mine, so didn't want to mess around. Even being as plain as plain the kids absolutely loved them and I probably could have made 3 times the quantity and they would have all been eaten!
Our one IKEA store in Michigan has a lovely mashed potato salad. I wondered what it was, until, I tasted it. Perfect with the lox and greens that are also on the plate.
Soup from the (deliberately) leftover red-cooked pork, stock thinned and thinly chopped carrot, mange tout, enoki mushroom and spring onion added.
There was a cauliflower, sweet potato, peanut butter, coconut milk and chickpea stew, from the freezer. Mr RS had his with leftover mashed potato and some leftover veg. Mine had an a different leftover veg from his, and no potatoes I am having to cut right down in carbs atm, and the stew probably had more than I ought to have eaten.
He had leftover apple pie for pudding, and there is the slice I didn't have left over for him today.
The potato ducked, and avoided injury.
I'll see meself out.
I discovered a) it's possible to stir fry potato and b) stir-fried celery is a lot nicer than any other kind of cooked celery.
That's a low bar. My only use for celery is finely dicing and using with carrot and onion to create a base.
Oh that sounds good I like celery. Thanks for the idea. I have a bit of blue cheese I believe.