Pre Holiday Grocery Trip

[eleny]

I picked up my turkey yesterday and went shopping for the rest today. I even got out of the house before noon to beat the after work rush crowd. King Sooper was still a mad house.

It was nice to help the lady driving a scooter cart to get her cola off a high shelf and to point out the horseradish sauce for the lady who has glaucoma. Then there were the men that were the comic relief.

I was picking out some apple sauce and noticed a guy pacing back and forth in front of the canned fruits. He was shaking his head, then turned to me and said that I would know where something was. "Where is the damned canned pumpkin?!" I directed him over to the baking aisle but he was pissed that it wasn't with the canned fruit. So I just explained that people don't eat canned pumpkin like apple sauce since it tastes unusual out of the can. He thanked me and took off.

But the funniest guy was the one racing his cart across the front of the store. He came to a sudden stop and yelled out "Where is the sour cream?!!!" A clerk told him it was in the dairy aisle and I figured he needed micro managing and sent him to the vicinity of the eggs. He was grateful and told me "I'm the man and my wife needs it now!" Kids aren't the only ones who say the darndest things.

And then there was the poignant elderly couple shopping together. I'm pretty sure they're octogenarians. They were placing two frozen turkey dinners in their cart. I've seen a lot of cute folks at the grocery but the tableau of these two was very special.

[mike_c]

1. hah! I finished my shopping yesterday...

The only things I need today are two loaves of sourdough from the last batch my favorite bakery delivers (hmmm, probably right about now) and a replacement for the box of ginger snaps I bought for cheesecake crust. I should have known better and bought two boxes yesterday!

I'm the guy who knows his way around the local markets as well as any female-- I offered one woman advice on the difference between creme fraiche yesterday and another my recipe for brining poultry (she wanted to know what I was going to do with juniper berries).

Now I'm soaking the bird and getting ready to bake buttermilk cornbread for the stuffing.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. The guys you encountered are an abberration

All men know their way around the grocery store.

Its true. My father told me. My father .... the guy who couldn't pick his own clothes and who's wife (my mother) would put them out on the chair the night before.

One time, when Mom was in the hospital after bypass surgery, I had to go all the way to their house (7 hour drive) to make 'TV dinners" for him that we could freeze and he could take out and nuke each day for his supper.

This was after Mom's second (of three) bypass surgery. Prior to her first, **she** made the poor guy the TV dinners. But there was tons of things he could do and she could only hope to learn how. Hammers and drywall and carburetors and lawn mowers and swimming pool filters and furniture and storm windows and roof leaks.

Your turkey TV dinner folks put me in mind of what my own parents might have been up to were they still here.

Thanks for sharing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[eyesroll]

3. I think I've finally found out how much a brazillion is...

It's the number of people in the Pick 'n Save at 4 pm the day before Thanksgiving.


Holy crap.


Half of Milwaukee was in that store, I swear -- and half of THEM were on their cell phones: "Honey, did you need pumpkin puree or pumpkin pie filling? What's the difference?" "Dakota just puked from huffing some purple dish soap; should I take her to the E.R. or finish up here first?"

[grasswire]

4. people are always asking me questions in the supermarket..

..and I actually love to help them out. One young woman was in a quandary because her recipe called for "salad oil" and she could find no bottles labeled "salad oil." Once there were two employees pacing the baking aisle trying to help a man find angel food cake mix. They hadn't a clue, and told the guy there was no such thing. I helpfully pulled a box of it off the shelf for them.

[NMDemDist2]

5. awwwww sweet story! esp the old folks.....

since I'm not doing any major cooking, shopping was a breeze

Costco was a madhouse of course even at noon but I wanted to try their carmel-apple pie (WOW)

and Safeway for some special items (Mr.Ketchup loves Hawaiian Rolls for turkey sandwiches)

so the menu ended up being:

Sliced Roasted Turkey
Hickory Ham
Cheese-Swiss, Cheddar, Havarti, Jack and a Cheese Log for DH (ick!)
Veggie Platter-carrots, red bells, stuffed celery, green onions, Broccoli and Fuji Apples
Relish Tray- Cranberry Jelly, 3 types pickles, three type olives (we don't like peppers)
Deviled Eggs
3 types Rolls, Chips, Chex Mix, Cashews and Assorted crackers
Brownies and Carmel Apple Pie

we're gonna graze til we explode LOL

[eleny]

6. Carmel-apple pie!

Oh, that sounds so good! I wonder if I took some caramel ice cream syrup and just gave a slice a drizzle. Now, if we only had some apple pie around here!

Your graze sounds fabulous. Enjoy your day!

[NMDemDist2]

7. it's a Costco thing, I've heard everyone who tries it rave about it

so what the heck! :shrug:

it's pretty darn good too, esp with whipped cream.....