Being budget conscience and well a lover of food presents an interesting challenge. I no longer have the advantage of traveling to the best supermarkets and hunting for the best prices or best of the best of anything....sort of.....
The great thing about NYC is anything you virtually need is available to you...you just have to find it and well make it work...
So off to the market we go!...but before we do I have decided to use my new great versa slow cooker and well some meat (cornish hens) that has been in the freezer for some time (while i don't recommend using old frozen meat it happens especially during a recession and when you are out of a job....but anyway). So i know the key to making possible old meat taste good is great seasons and well to slow cook the toughness out...and away we go to the market!
Did i mention that everyone has a shopping cart, even if you have a car! Its the best invention around because i can walk from fresh market to market collecting my goodies without feeling extra limited.
I pick up some fresh scallions, carrots, red potatoes, onions, thyme, and some cilantro based paste (i don't know what GOYA makes but its great!)
The joy of walking to the stores and picking the freshest ingredients at the best price not only gives us exercise but we get to know our new neighbors! Nikki spends this time speaking to the people in the street and walking from store to store exploring her surrounding, she asks to push the cart and help pick out fresh fruits and veggies. I use these moments to teach her new fruits and veggies and the value of money. I encourage her to pick up foods she has never seen before and explore its color, shape, texture and we talk about where they come from and how we can cook them. It truly is a great experience for the both of us! Nikki runs from block to block and we are now in the phase of development where we learn trust and boundaries. I call out to her and she responds appropriately and i give her more space and more freedom to explore.
The goal of this meal is to provide nutrition at the same time free myself from the hot ass kitchen that we all hate int he coming summer months. The blessings in slow cooking is simple...put it in and forget it!
I might start a new blog dedicated to my culinary discoveries and adventures (yet another tool in my road to recovery is returning to the things i love and enjoy and finding meaning in them again)...but for now...
Summer time meals is about providing my family with great food, while SPENDING the quality time with them.
I love being a mother...i enjoy discovering things with them and helping them discover new things!
So now that i have put all my lovely ingredients into my versacooker (sort of a blend of a slow cooker and saute' cooker) i set it and im off to color in our fairy book and discover the new land of make believe that the kids have created! Ciao Bellas!
