Well, to be totally honest, you’re probably not going to get a cooking post from me this week.  Jesse and I have been whipping up simple little meals here and there — a tofu broccoli stir fry before going out in our neighborhood last Friday, a pasta dinner to eat while we packed for Christmas last Saturday…but we just got back last night from four days out in the Ashland woods with 6 of our friends, and while we ate like kings and queens the whole time, not a single picture was taken, aside from this table, eagerly awaiting breakfast on Christmas morning.

Which was, in case you’re curious, chive-cheddar-cracked-pepper biscuits with homemade veggie gravy, sauteed sausage and mushrooms on the side, and a giant bowl of scrambled eggs; mimosas, and endless rounds of coffee.

What else did we eat?  Oh man.

Christmas Eve Dinner:

• Wine and cheese appetizers while Kate and Zack gracefully prepared an amazing meal
• Veggie lasagna
• Pineapple glazed ham
• Roasted yams
• Homemade bread
• Gingerbread pumpkin cheesecake
• Regular cheesecake with raspberries

Christmas Dinner (which a bunch of us collaborated on)

• Channa masala
• Lemon couscous with roasted veggies
• Greek salad
• Curried chicken
• Warm pita bread
• Homemaide raita
• Bars of dark chocolate and a 33-year-old bottle of port for dessert

Other than that, it was a whole lot of hanging out, playing board games, trekking around Zack’s property with snowshoes, making fancy cocktails, opening presents, hanging out by the big wood-burning stove in the middle of the house, and knitting.  It was also a weekend of a lot of firsts for me: first time sledding, first time watching Christmas movies, and I even shot a rifle!  As Zack put it, “Well, we wouldn’t send you out for food, but that wasn’t half bad.”

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This Week’s Groceries

Safeway 12/16

• Orange juice: $3.00
• 3 cheese blend: $2.99
• Crimini mushrooms: $2.18
• Brussels sprouts: $2.49

TOTAL: $10.66

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $196.83

 

Fred Meyer 12/22 — Mixers for Christmas cocktails, and fixings for Jesse’s yummy sausage pasta!

• Worcestershire Sauce
• Bacon
• Canned chili
• Diced tomatoes
• Italian sausage
• Crimini mushrooms
• Yellow onion
• Jalapeno pepper
• Navel orange
• Pear juice
• Grapefruit juice
• V8 Splash
• Hazelnut creamer
• Apple blueberry juice
• Shell pasta
• Marinara sauce
• Half and half

TOTAL: $54.38

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $142.45

 

New Seasons 12/21 

• 2 dark chocolate bars: $7.58
• Zante currants: $1.74
• Tofu: $2.59
• Lemons: $2.17
• Olive: $3.80

TOTAL: 17.88

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $124.57

 

Grocery Outlet 12/18

• Whole milk: $1.99
• Cottage cheese: $2.39
• Butter: $2.59

TOTAL: $6.97

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $117.60

 

Portland Fruit Company 12/18

• Yellow onions
• Zucchini
• Collard greens
• Turnip
• Rutabaga
• Parsnip
• Red peppers
• Oranges
• Roma tomatoes
• Butternut squash
• Green cabbage

TOTAL: $17.04

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $100.56