This week, we had a dumpling night on Saturday. Reggie and Wook came over, and the four of us folded dumplings. These pot stickers may be my favorite meal of the month.
The rest of the week has been less enjoyable. I bought four drumsticks and four thighs of chicken for $3.07 (no free range here, sadly), and that's our entire protein for the week. I threw the thighs into a curry on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, we had vegetarian stuffed peppers. We also kept it classy this week drinking $5 bottles of Andre champagne that have been in our fridge since New Years 2009 and 2008.
Today, left with no fresh groceries, I mashed some beans together with spinach and cheese and chicken stock and served it over some instant polenta we had in the cupboard. I regrettably threw in some pork that's been sitting in our freezer. It made the dish taste like freezer burn. It was kind of gross, but we were both so hungry after a bike ride in the park that we didn't care. Up next are honey-soy drumsticks and cole slaw, and fried rice. Again.
Tonight, Pete was hit with an intense dessert craving. I usually like cake mix to make cakes, but I made these cupcakes from scratch. I used up all the confectioners sugar the last time, so I made a brown sugar icing, which I've never made before. It's basically caramel. Too sweet for my taste, but it killed the craving.
Speaking of cravings...
Top 5 Cravings This Month (in no particular order) 1. Japanese food 2. Piping hot buffalo wings with blue cheese 3. Cheeseburger and fries 4. Brunch (the meal, not necessarily the food, this is a lazy Sunday date that Pete and I make time for since we're both usually busy during the week) 5. A nice, cold brown ale from the tap
There were no grocery stores in West Virginia, so we had to pack everything that we were going to cook and eat. Reggie and I split the cooking duties (he has a much more detailed post for Days 16-18 here). The previous visitors to Lost River left quite a bit of food in the fridge, so we lucked out with free cheese and Bisquick. No shame!
On the way home, we were starving by the time we hit Allentown. Eating a chicken sandwich and a baked potato off of the Wendy's value menu was definitely the low point of the month.
For dinner last night, I made fish, which I've been craving all month. With it, I sauteed some zucchini and finally cooked this forbidden black rice I bought in Vermont close to a year ago. This, with a few other groceries and a splurge at Ozzie's cafe while waiting for an oil change for my car (it was too cold to walk around for 2 hours!), is the death of my budget.
Split pea soup (six servings): ~$2.83 Hot sandwich with sausage and peppers (four servings): ~$6.28 Cheese fries: ~$0.50 (free Velveeta) Hash browns: ~$0.50 (my favorite breakfast, before we left for WV) Cheesy tuna orzo: ~$2.50 (for dinner/lunch on Thursday and Friday) Flounder with zucchini: ~$3.65 (had the edamame and rice already) Ozzie's: $4.50 (cookie and chai and two hours indoors)
Money leftover: $1.42 Oops, forgot about a bag of chips I bought. Couldn't resist. This was during a break on Saturday afternoon, in between two three-hour NY State certification tests. I deserved those chips.
Earlier this week, I tagged along on a Barrel trip to Hardy County, West Virginia--what will most likely be my once and only trip to the state. A few months ago, Pete and Sei-Wook became interested in prefabricated homes after reading about them in Dwell, an architecture and design magazine. Briefly speaking, a prefab home is a home completely or partially assembled off site, and then transported via flatbed truck to its foundation. This is a relatively low cost method for building homes, and according to the Dwell article, the technology for prefabs has improved notably in the past decade, coinciding with green design.
It was interesting to see the house, which was no wider than ~15 feet in its entire length. The couple who owns the house, called the Lost River Modern, invested about $300,000. Apparently, one-tenth of the cost was spent on the driveway to the property, which was carved out of the mountain. The house has beautiful amenities and a spacious deck facing the Appalachian mountains.
The drive from New York City took about six hours, and the house is located in an extremely secluded town. We saw two or so restaurants and one general store, more cows than houses, and more churches than seem possible for the population. On Tuesday, we visited Seneca Rocks, a unique geological formation, for a short three mile hike up the mountain (Chocolate came too). The West Virginian countryside is beautiful--the earth is painted in deep yellows and and the mountains in deep blues. Unfortunately, the actual towns and homes are less charming. The town we were near seemed abandoned, and most of the barns, trailers, or houses were in various states of decay.
For Valentine's Day, Pete and I stayed in--not too much choice there. I did splurge on a few items, but several sales helped out with the overall cost. I wanted to make lamb ragu (a favorite for Pete and me), but ground veal was on sale. I went back and forth between the lamb and the veal and decided on the veal. I kind of missed the flavor of the lamb, but oh well, I saved $2. I've been craving a rich dessert, so I made panna cotta and really went all out there ($2.50 for strawberries!). It was worth it though.
Approximate cost: Veal ragu (carrot, celery, onion, and ground veal; we had the parmesan, the pasta, and the crushed tomatoes, about six servings): ~$3.99 Panna cotta with macerated strawberries (heavy cream, gelatin, half a pint of strawberries, navel orange, three servings): ~$3.74 Money leftover: $38.87
For dinner today (and for every day that I'm feeling lazy or there's nothing else in the fridge), this is my standby.
I make a grilled cheese sandwich on my grill pan (no butter needed), and while that's sizzling, I pop in the microwave a bowl of soup for 2 minutes. This meal hits all of the major food groups. I can't say many good things for Pacific's other soups, but their roasted pepper and tomato soup is delicious and pretty complex, considering it's coming out of a box.
- His tumor was benign, just a sebaceous gland gone awry. - Since his sutures were removed and he had a bath, he no longer smells like cottage cheese. - Pete didn't believe me when I told him Chocolate would come to the bedroom when I called for him. We tried it as an experiment, and Chocolate just stared at Pete from his doggy bed, not moving. Then, Pete grabbed his keys and pretended to leave. I called Chocolate again, and he came to me! I think Chocolate is scared of Pete; Pete just thinks he's sneaky. - Lately, Chocolate has been great with other dogs, big and small, on the street--no growling or snapping. - Chocolate gets jealous of my laptop if he wants to cuddle.
I now have a cold, thanks to Pete. Lentil soup hit the spot the last two days, and I'll be finishing it off tomorrow. Lucky for me, there was a leftover pizza pie for lunch today in the staff lounge. I probably would have been hungry by the time I finished class tonight on just the lentil soup. Tomorrow will be my sixth serving of lentil soup. If variety is the spice of life, this month has been very bland.
Craving comfort food, I threw together some fried rice with egg, bok choy, scallions, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and ketchup. This will be dinner for me tomorrow. I think you can always tell how Asian-Americans grew up based on how they cook fried rice. Everyone has his or her own recipe. I think congee is the same way too. Some people like these dishes to be milder or dryer or wetter or with more flavor; it all depends on what they grew up with. Approximate cost of the fried rice: less than $1
Pete and I bought a pressure cooker last month, and yesterday was my first time using it. I made lentil soup. It only took twenty minutes once the pressure cooker got going. The pot took a while to reach the correct pressure and to cool down, but the gas energy saved while it's actually cooking is worth the purchase. It would have needed 1.5 hours of cook time otherwise. The soup is yummy (I'll post a pic later.)
The little knob at the top rocks back and forth when the pot is at the correct pressure. I won't lie--it felt a little dangerous having so much potential energy on the stove.
Approximate cost: ~$3.34 (maybe 6 servings?) Money leftover:$51.18 (had to buy a carrot for $0.50)
On other notes, Chocolate is incredibly stinky. We haven't been able to give him a bath because of his sutures. He kind of smells like cottage cheese that's been sitting out; it's pushing 2+ weeks since he's had a bath. I think he knows he stinks--he's a little more antisocial than usual. We can't wait until tomorrow when we can give him a good scrub down after taking him back to the vet.
Peter's sick, and today I woke him up earlier than I should have, but the weather was just too beautiful to sleep in. After a little internet research, we decided to take our new-old car for a day trip to Sands Point Preserve, which is less than 40 minutes away in Port Washington, Long Island. The preserve surrounds two historic mansions once owned by the Guggenheims. There are six marked trails, but we chose to walk along the beach since we saw other dogs there and wanted to bring Chocolate (even though it was a little too windy for him).
We are so lucky to have a car. It's great to get out of the city every once in a while. We can't wait for spring!
For me, having late nights on Wednesday and Thursday, the two days I have class at City College, is definitely the toughest part of this challenge. This Thursday, I got home too late to go grocery shopping or cook, so I had only a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to take with me on Friday. By the time it was lunchtime, I was starving. Hence...
a Starbucks mushroom, spinach, and ricotta piadini: $3.52 (more than our average daily allowance)
and admittedly, I bought a pack of fruit snacks on Thursday night: $0.85 (from the vending machine)
For Friday night dinner, I made veggie burgers and french fries. I was craving a beef burger, but I figured it would be cheaper and healthier to make veggie burgers. Plus, the low cost of the veggie burger left room for a 22 oz. bottle of Yuengling.
Four veggie burger patties and french fries: approximately $2.10 Yuengling, 22 oz.: $1.59
Last week was Regents week, when the students take high stakes NY state graduation exams. Classes are suspended during exams, and for students who only take one or two Regents, or none at all, the week is more or less an extra vacation.
For a variety of reasons, being home for a week always seems to stress out the majority of our kids, and the first week back from school after a long break is usually tough and drama-filled. Yesterday, a few teachers and I decided to go out for a mid-week drink. My friend bought me a beer (which I realize is questionable, but our ground rules are no deals, no IOUs, and the person has to offer without any prompting). It felt good to de-stress with colleagues and to have a cold beer from the tap.
Today, I finally finished the pork, which provided me with five meals overall, the last of which I had to eat cold (which was kind of gross--I was off-site grading 7th grade English exams and the building I was in didn't have a microwave for us to use). Pete and I agree that it already feels way longer than Day 5.
By the way, this is my new favorite thing. The only ingredients are peanuts and salt. Once you get over the layer of oil and the gloppy heaviness, it kind of reminds me of the inside of a Reese's. Plus, it's perpetually on sale at C-town for $1.99.
At the end of the school day, I was really craving my old standby of a grilled American cheese sandwich with a bowl of tomato soup. The bread was looking a little low though, so I decided to satisfy the cheese craving with a side dish my mom used to let me make as a kid. She would saute broccoli, and then I would put some on a small plate and pop it in the microwave with a slice of cheese.
Day 3: Breakfast: PB&J from the day before (ingredients we had) Lunch: rice, beans, beef, and cheese from two nights before Dinner: more braised pork and broccoli and cheese (ingredients we had)
Approximate day's total: $0 Money left over: $170.48 (no new groceries)
This morning, I packed a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and a tupperware container full of leftovers from last night's dinner.
And then I left it on the counter.
After walking three blocks, I realized my mistake and frantically searched through my bag hoping I was just being silly. I did, however, remember my thermos of coffee (the lid is terrible and coffee always spills onto my hands). This made the walk back and the two flights of stairs up to our apartment even better. I made it to school 2 minutes before the start of day.
Normally, I would have just said "screw it" and spent five bucks on breakfast and lunch at the Chinese bakery or pizza shop near my school. Not this month.But I did luck out today! The high school faculty had professional development all day, so administration ordered sandwiches for lunch and had H&H bagels and coffee in the morning for everyone. I stowed my PB&J and rice and beans in the school fridge for tomorrow. Score! (There may even be sandwiches leftover in the fridge tomorrow...)
Day 2: Breakfast: bagel and orange juice (free!) Lunch: tuna and turkey sandwiches, salad (free!) Dinner: braised pork Taiwanese style and kimchi
Approximate day's total (for just me): $1.75 Money left over: $170.48 (no new groceries)
The Challenge Today, Pete, Wook, Reggie, and I are beginning our long-anticipated pact to spend no more than $100 a person on food and drink for the month of February. Averaging out to about $3.57 a day for Reg and Wook each and $7.14 for Pete and me, this is no small feat when living in the most expensive city in the United States. Most of my friends scoffed at the idea. Dinner here can easily set you back $50 with an appetizer, glass of wine or beer, and tax and tip.
The Rationale Typically, Pete and I spend several hundreds of dollars on groceries, going out to eat, and drinking. I'm hoping to save enough to cover my trip to Peru in April and our new-used car's initial expenses. Also, Pete and I want to see if we can actually do it! (Like the many families living in New York City who have to budget and not out of choice like us.)
The Strategy Today, Pete and I went to Hong Kong Supermarket on 60th and 8th Ave. in Brooklyn, something we wouldn't have been able to do without Viv and Newman's car. Produce and meat are incredibly cheap there, although the quality of the meat is a tad questionable. We also went to C-Town and found some good sales (e.g. wheat bread for $2.50). For a more detailed accounting of our challenge, check out our shared posterous.
Day 1: Breakfast: oatmeal for Pete, cereal for me (both already in our cupboard) Lunch: egg and cheese sandwiches, Annie's mac 'n' cheese (also in our cupboard) Dinner: poblano peppers stuffed with rice, beans, cheese, and ground beef; Coors Light (peppers and rice we had, beans and cheese from C-Town, beef from HK Supermarket, Coors Light leftover from a get together we had months ago, probably would have stayed untouched too if not for this challenge) Snack: bananas, honey, and peanut butter on grilled bread.
Approximate day's total: $5.25 (with enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow) Money left over: $170.48
Yesterday, Chocolate had a wart-like tumor removed from his right hind leg. It was about the size of a pea. One day, it just appeared, and Pete and I noticed Chocolate vigorously licking it (almost licking it raw too). The vet sent it out for a biopsy, so we'll see what it is. He was concerned by how quickly it grew.
Right now, when we're not around, we have to put a plastic collar on Chocolate to keep him from licking or biting at the sutures. He doesn't like to walk around with the collar, probably because he has no peripheral vision. He also can't eat or drink water with the collar on. Poor, little guy.
I started this blog in July 2005 to document my year abroad in Ilan County, Taiwan. After returning to New York City and spending a brief year in Astoria, Queens, I am now living (and staying put) in South Slope, Brooklyn.
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