Groceries are Good

I love grocery shopping. It is definitely my favorite "chore" of all time, and possibly near the top of my favorite things to do. As a person who loves food, it seems only natural that I would enjoy going to a place where the walls are literally lined with food. I enjoy looking at all the brands, seeing what is available and planning future meals or snacks, reading ingredients, and shopping the weekly sales. I even enjoy comparing prices between brands. At Target and Cub Foods, they tell you how much you are paying per unit, and I love comparing these numbers. Don't assume I always buy the cheapest, though. No one should have to eat the no-name brand of Macaroni and Cheese! That doesn't mean I don't take the time to compare the prices, anyway.

It's ok. I know that I am a little bit on the crazier side. I choose to just go with it, though.

The pitfall of loving the grocery store is that even when I make sure to go when I am not hungry, and even when I make a list, I almost always end up with impulse buys. Trader Joe's is a dangerous fairytale land for me where I can impulse buy  delicious frozen dinners, fantastic cheeses, or inexpensive snack foods. While I love this store more than Hy-Vee, it is necessary that I attempt some show of self-restraint and only go every other time.

Today was a bad day for the grocery budget, but a wonderful day for my kitchen and stomach. Not only did I go to Trader Joe's, but I discovered a new little specialty store nearby called Zzest. In fact, Zzest not only sells "groceries" (I put it in quotes because it is, in my opinion, to fancy and expensive to be called "groceries" by us mere mortal folk), but it has a little cafe and wine bar with outdoor seating. Oh boy do I want to go back this spring or summer and sit under their little twinkling lights and have a glass of wine!

So, my first stop was Zzest, and I went in with the intent of just looking around. There were too many delicious things! With so many delicious and exotic options, it is a wonder I managed to walk out with only three items in my bag! I bought some new chai tea, hot chocolate with lavender, and some homemade jam.

Giddy with delight, I went over to Trader Joe's to get the perishables on my list. With the intent of purchasing milk, yogurt, one or two frozen dinners, and ONE treat, I chose to bring in my smallest re-usable bag. I admit I failed, though not as miserably as in the past. I ended up buying some new salad dressing (once I remembered that my other salad dressing was at work), some take-and-bake croissants, coffee, and spinach and artichoke dip.

Do I regret my purchases? Not at all. Not even a little, tiny bit.

The spinach and artichoke dip is already gone, and I plan on having coffee and croissants for breakfast!

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The Cat House

Today I made a cat house instead of reading about renaissance art and architecture.

I went to the grocery store hungry today and ended up buying approximately half the store. In a moment of decadence, I bought two kinds of cookies and three kinds of meat. As I pushed my cart towards the cash register, it became clear that I would have to have my smorgasbord delivered because there was no way I could carry it all home. Of course I never really intended to carry my groceries home, because I knew I would go a little overboard today. I think I should also note here that I spent enough that I got two free heads of broccoli.

The groceries were delivered while I was making some soda bread, so my hands were all sticky and I couldn't unpack them right away. When I eventually did get around to unpacking them, Mr. Claws and Pistache, my roommates cats, excitedly helped me, hoping to get a bit of salami, cheese, or whatever else they could grab while I had the fridge door open. Mr. Claws then decided to sit in the empty box. Sitting up straight with a look of superiority, it was clear the box was no longer mine. Just for kicks, I picked up Pistache and put him in as well. The two-cats-in-a-box plan lasted less than 2 minutes before Mr. Claws evacuated leaving Pistache alone with a look of smug self satisfaction. Sometimes the two tolerate each other, but mostly they argue and let their annoyance with each other be generally known.

This gave me an idea, and later that day I took out a giant knife from the kitchen and went into our little library. Here I stabbed and sawed at the big cardboard box. I managed to make a normal cat sized door and a Pistache-Legros-sized entrance that can be open and closed. Feeling creative, I cut out windows and holes at different heights and of different shapes and sizes. Since I am perhaps one of the clumsiest, unluckiest people still alive, it is truly a miracle that I did not cut off a finger, let alone fatally stab myself. To make the cat house homier, I put an old folded towel in the back, then hung some strings from the ceiling and placed some toys inside.

I managed to lure Mr. Claws in with a cat toy tied to a string, and he figured out the purpose of the cat house pretty quick, whereas Pistache was confused and only entered when clearly given the enticement of cat treats.

My roommates seem fairly pleased with my project, and we have plans to decorate both the inside and outside of the cat house and perhaps even add another level (for Mr. Claws only).