Saving Chipotle Chilies in Adobo Sauce

We like a lot of Tex-Mex/Mexican food around here.  In fact I'd say we probably have at least one thing a week that would be considered Tex-Mex, whether it's tacos, Southwest Pasta Skillet, Spicy Bean Burritos, taquitos, or Roasted Tomatillo Salsa with Avocado.  Sometimes I come across a recipe that calls for chipotle chilies in adobo sauce.

Grocery Items Worth the Spluge

We've talked a lot about Making the Best of Things, how to save money at the grocery store, and money saving tips in the kitchen.  But what we haven't talked about are items are worth the splurge.  These will be different things to different people, but I can show you what we splurge on in our house.

Money Saving Tips at the Grocery Store

I hate grocery day.  The very idea of spending that much money for a week's worth of food makes me depressed.  But I have learned some ways to save money at the grocery store.  I'm not an extreme couponer by any stretch of the imagination, but I have learned ways to make my budget go further.

Why I Shred My Own Cheese

I'll let you in on a little secret.  I hate shredding cheese.  I have back problems and the constant up/down motion, especially for softer cheeses like cheddar, really starts making the tender spots hurt after a while.  Shredding my own cheese was, however, one of those things I picked up very early on in the cooking journey and did it for years.  After the dishwasher melted the handle on my very favorite grater (a rotary type grater with a coarse drum - proving difficult to replace), I quit shredding my own cheese in lieu of pre-shredded cheese.  But a few months ago I stumbled across a good deal on "block" cheese and decided I'd try to shred my own cheese again.

To Market, To Market

There is a community market in the village near our neighborhood each Saturday morning.  One of our family goals this spring/summer is to buy local produce rather than purchase it at the grocery store.  We looked at getting a CSA box, but my husband and I decided it would be too difficult to meal plan without knowing what we're going to get until the day I need to go to the grocery store.  Also, while we want to try some new veggies, we don't want to get stuck with a box of something we discover we don't like. A good example of this is the Swiss chard someone gave us last summer. I thought it was very good, but my husband didn't care for it at all.