etsy shop coupon code & something bookish

This month, in addition to cosy new items being added to my Etsy shop
(like that chunky cowl up there^), I'm offering Free Global Shipping
on orders of $75 or more until 09.24.2013
HERE .

Also, I'm totally late to the J.K, Rowling circle but I can't even get
over how much I'm enjoying her not-so-undercover-anymore book 'The
Cuckoo's Calling". If you're thinking about reading it, do. I've
already put the second book in the series on my TBR list. I saw on
Goodreads that it's due in 2014 & is already written. I truly don't
need one more series to try to keep up with but I'm thrilled to be in
on this one.

In kitchen challenge news, it's going very well. We've had various
dishes (that I've not photographed) since my last update, including,
chicken soup, Swedish meatballs, lamb chops & over roasted potatoes,
veggie curry (I had fresh mushrooms that I needed to use) & a very
successful pizza night. The cupboards are still fairly stocked & I
really don't anticipate having a problem putting off major grocery
shopping until October 25 or so. I'm making a pot of black bean soup
tomorrow because I discovered a bag of them in my cabinet. Dry lentils
move along fairly regularly in this house but I'd overlooked the black
& kidney beans.

xoxo

kitchen challenge: day 2

Day 2 brought a quick scan of the cabinets & I decided to make dal &
rice. I always have a few bags of lentils on hand & the hubs likes
them, so I knew it would be a welcome end of day meal. I was also
going to make a vegetable curry but decided to push that back later in
the week (I'm sure the fresh veggies will hold out until then).

Anyway, the dal is so easy to make (bag of lentils, can of broth,
water to continue to slowly cook, butter, onions, curry powder,
ginger, pepper, garlic, cumin, salt & pepper, can of crushed tomatoes
& one can of evaporated milk to finish) but you do need time to attend
to it & stir, so it's not exactly one of those "put it on & leave it"
dishes. I made jasmine rice to go with. Basically, it smelled & looked
so tantalizing that I could not wait for my husband to arrive home to
have dinner with him. Bad wife, that I am, I devoured this bowl with
glee. I am happy to report that he enjoyed two bowls.

I don't exactly know what I'll make today, but salad seems a likely
candidate. I'll let you know tomorrow.

Bon Appetite! xoxo

day 1 kitchen/cupboard challenge

Yesterday I posted about a "no grocery shopping for two months"
kitchen/cupboard challenge I've come up with & here's the result of
the first day. We had coffee & blueberry muffins for breakfast & I've
not photographed those because mostly, the stuff I blog about will be
dinner related.

For dinner on Day 1, I made a crispy oven baked fish (talapia fillets
in egg wash then dredged in cornstarch, breadcrumbs & seasonings), a
simple succotash & a green salad. Accompanied with wine (which is also
not part of the "no grocery shopping for 2 months challenge"). I was
quick, tasty & I think we're off to a good start.

Bon Appetite! xoxo

my "no grocery shopping for two months" kitchen challenge.

My kitchen cupboard is full. Those pictures are of one of my cabinets, my refrigerator & my freezer. I went grocery shopping this weekend for the first time in about a month & stocked up on everything from paper & bath/personal care products to canned & other dry goods. I picked up produce this morning.
I'm fairly shopped out after spending a grand total of $263.00 (make that last Safeway & Aldi. Farmer's Market, you'll see me in a week for more produce). After putting everything away, it occurred to me that, we have quite a lot of food. It also occurred to me that I'd like to challenge myself to make it last for two months. I want to see if I can get creative & dwindle this all down to bareness before shopping again. That's around October 25th. So, I'm going to blog this out (hopefully daily) & see if I can do it. I've already told my husband that we won't be ordering take away or making fast food runs for lunch & he's on board. Oh, and the challenge doesn't include weekly things we need, like water, dairy & produce. Those are just perishables that don't linger anyway & need to be replenished regularly. Full disclosure, we may need tissues & toilet tissue to be restocked before the end of October as well. ;)
So, here's to two months of eats & not having to stand in line at the grocery store.