Shopping at the Bucket

Yesterday my creative writing class took a "field trip" to one of the town's grocery stores. The two major stores are Shaws and Market Basket. Most locals shop at Market Basket, otherwise known as the Bucket, because of the drastic price difference from the overpriced goods at Shaws. The walk from the high school to the store was a little over 2 miles but it was worth it to get to leave the school for an hour or so. The main purpose of the trip was to look at marketing strategies as to how food industries grab your attention to their product. We also got extra credit if we found something with a spelling error. Once done with that, we decided to grab lunch at D'Angelo's. I didn't see anything too appetizing so I stuck with your average Caesar salad wrap. It wasn't great but definitely better than anything the school cafeteria would have offered. I would have preferred to get lunch at the quaint, natural, food market down the street but time wasn't on our side and unfortunately we had to get back to the school.


Considering the last day of school for seniors is May 20th, it was nice to be able to get outside instead of sitting in the classroom. "Senioritis" (a horrible illness that affects all seniors within the last 2-3 months of school) is setting in and since everyone is pretty much done anyway, I hope to see a few more outdoor field trips in the future. If not, I can always come to my writing class and find my sanity again by escaping from the everyday stresses of high school.

Vegetarian Chili

Even before I started this whole "I'm a vegetarian now" thing, my mom had been making vegetarian chili for years. The funny thing is that I didn’t even know it was veggie friendly until about six or so months ago. The trick? Boca Burgers. I know, I know, fake meat. The normal perception of Boca is fake, gross, or even mysterious but I can honestly say that I couldn’t tell the difference. After I found out that she used Boca, I decided to try in on a bun, you know, like a regular burger. Not a good idea. Boca tastes great in chili but not so much by itself. The veggie ground beef gives the chili more texture than if it were just to have the beans and vegetables. It’s much more filling as well. I dare you to taste the difference.

Ingredients:

·        2 (12 ounce) packets frozen Boca vegetarian ground beef (Make sure it says ground beef; they have different flavors. Do Not buy the Boca Chili!)

·        2 (14 ½ ounce) cans Mexican-style tomatoes

·        1 small onion, chopped

·        1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans

·        ½ teaspoon cumin

·        ½ teaspoon chili powder

·        Salt and pepper, to taste

·        A sprinkle of shredded cheese (any kind works)

Directions:

·        Spray frying pan with nonstick cooking spray.

·        Heat pan, saute onion, and add ground Boca when onions start to brown.

·        Saute Boca and onions.

·        Season to taste with cumin, onion powder, salt, pepper, chili powder.

·        Add stewed tomatoes and continue to cook over a medium flame for about 8 minutes.

·        Add the kidney beans for the last three minutes or until heated through.

·        Let it sit for about 10 minutes to soak up all the flavor

·        Pour yourself a bowl & then sprinkle some cheese on top!

Not Your Average Waldorf Salad

Yesterday my best friend took me out to dinner to celebrate us both getting into college. We decided to go into the downtown area to Not Your Average Joes; mostly for the bread. If you’ve never been there before, I highly recommend it. It is a chain restaurant but definitely one of the best I have ever been too. The weather was absolutely beautiful so we decided to sit outside by the waterfront. We had a waitress in training that was unbelievably stressed. She spilt our water glasses twice. But nonetheless we were still thrilled to be there.

After watching the movie Food Inc. I made the decision to become a vegetarian. Not until recently have I noticed that there are only a few select things on the menu that cater to vegetarian needs. I immediately was drawn to the salad section where I set eyes on the Waldorf. After reading the description, I knew this would be my choice. It did have chicken in it but I simply asked them to keep it out. Instead, I added some sun-dried tomatoes. Joes’s version was full of chunks of granny smith apples and layered with sun-dried cranberries. There were halves of perfectly ripened red grapes along with clusters of caramelized pecans. Although I didn’t add this, the shredded chicken was described as being grilled to perfection. The salad came with only the greenest romaine lettuce and was drizzled with creamy sherry vinaigrette. But what topped it off was the shredded, smoked, mozzarella. Oh my God. It was absolutely incredible.

Bacon Brownies...Umm?

Last Friday, school was just getting out and I was on my way to work. I work at a local primary care office right up the street from the high school. In the office we have this counter space where food is usually dropped off by Prescription Representatives or even friendly patients trying to show their appreciation for the doctors. There is usually never even an inch of counter space that isn't taken up with candy, cookies, cupcakes, or fruit. Edible Arrangements is always a big hit. (Especially if it's a chocolate covered one) But last Friday was different. There was nothing. Nothing except a clear Tupperware container which had obviously seen better days. Inside the container sat a bit sized brownie with what looked to be whipped cream on the top. I just ignored it, sat down at my desk, and started shuffling through what seemed to be thousands of papers. Our Nurse Practitioner walked over to the container and enthusiastically said "One left! One left! Who wants it?!" I just shrunk down in my chair hoping that he wouldn't pick me. He came scuttling over with the container demanding that I try it. I asked what it was and he exclaimed "A Bacon Brownie! They're so good and there's one left that we saved for you." Oh great. I was very adamant on not eating this abomination of a "desert" but I was eventually guilt tripped into it. I took the first bite and wanted to die. This was awful. Everyone was waiting to see my reaction because apparently they all thought it was out of this world. I can assure you, it was not. Apparently it was supposed to be a salty-sweet combo. Chocolate covered pretzels give the same effect and those are actually good. This dessert was definitely NOT simply scrumptious.