Old Mother Hubbard

What began as a simple search for a small can of chicken broth to take a stab at a new soup recipe, ended up as a total purging of my kitchen cupboard.

I do skim through my cupboards occasionally. 

When the boy-scouts solicit door-to-door in their quest for can goods to benefit the local community pantry, I rummage through my cabinets to donate to this worthy cause. 

When the mailman, through the post-office, makes his yearly appeal for food items, I dig in again and fetch a few more items.

So see?  As I purchase new food, I do clear away the un-used…or so I thought.

But during my hunt for that elusive chicken broth, I came across cans, bottles and boxes of food that….well, let’s just say, were a tad significantly outdated.

Out came cans of veggies, bottles of dressings, cartons of bread crumbs, jars of sauces, and boxes of assorted jellos.  Some containers dated from years back.  Where did the time go?

Since my divorce almost 4 years ago, I don’t cook or bake nearly as much anymore.  Throughout my 36 married years, I had always made dinners…full course meals. Meat, potatoes, vegetable, bread, dessert.  And I always had plenty of food.  Growing up in such a large family, I witnessed food served in large quantities.  Good food, too.  Huge bowls of home-made spaghettis and stews.  Large pans of oven-baked chickens, and flavorful roasts.  And don’t forget the long sheets of pastys (U.P Style) by the dozens, coming from the oven.

Even now, when entertaining, I always have enough to feed an army…no matter what the occasion. 

You can take the girl out of the large family, but you can’t take the large family out of the girl.

So now I have outdated cans, cartons and bottles cleared from the cabinet sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor.  Out to the trash just in time for garbage day.

I’m confident I’ll be back to the grocery store soon to begin re-stocking.  This time, I hope to re-stock much more slowly.  Now where’s that chicken broth?

 

To Wipe or not to Wipe…that is the Question

Today I made my way through the grocery store.  My usual trip for food and other household necessities.    I try to limit my shopping to once a week.  I would prefer going even less often, and sometimes I manage that.  When I do, I feel proud that I s-t-r-e-c-h-e-d my dollar just a little bit further.

I have 5 grandchildren I watch, so I am always on the look-out for goodies for them.  At the moment, lunch has come full-circle.  It’s back to buying peanut-butter and jelly (strawberry jam at grandma’s) after a 30 year long hiatus when MY two were little ones.  Mostly though, the grandkids get turkey lunch meat with green beans, fruit, and…mustn’t forget the dessert.  They seem quite satisfied with that menu, right now, so all is good. 

It used to be that Macaroni and Cheese was the lunch of choice, but they tired of that.  Suddenly, what they proclaimed was their favorite, they now whine  they “don’t like it anymore.” 

Besides.  Grandma (a.k.a. Bob Evans) had the “traditional” macaroni noodle.  One wanted the “spiral” noodle like they get at home, another wants the skinnier, shorter noodle.  It’s hard to make everyone happy.  And who do we want happy?  Grandma…that’s who!  When Grandma’s happy…….everybody’s happy!

So, while I am in the grocery store picking out necessities, I am, again, in the toilet-paper aisle. Oh.  I guess it’s called toilet-TISSUE aisle.   Anyway, I say “again” because I swear I was just here recently spending almost $20 for the “BIG” size tissue.  And now here I am shelling out another $18.50 for more.  What is going on here?  These rolls that claim to be “double?”  No way!  I know that in a matter of a couple of days, that roll will be empty again!

Excuse me for the visual, but I pride myself on being clean in ALL my personal hygiene habits, but (no pun intended) changing a toilet paper roll every two days?  In my personal bath?  It’s not Grand Central Station, after all!

I have no scientific evidence, but my experience tells me that the rolls today are much smaller, nor are they wound as tight.  And the cost is exorbitant.  Will we have to return to the Sears-Roebuck Catalog in our hour minute of need?

And it’s not just toilet paper.  Have you seen the Ice Cream containers?  They are not all 2-quarts anymore.  The one is got today is 1.5 quarts.  My favorite Keebler Chocolate Chip Cookies that I have been munching on for years and years and years, suddenly look as small as silver dollars…and each almost as expensive! 

How about potato chips?  You are buying a bag of AIR!  And look at the price!  Unbelievable.

Companies are camouflaging their price increases by selling their products in smaller packages. 

But hey, look on the bright side…it’s less calories….except for that darn toilet tissue!