The bulk food aisle is a magical place. I admit that I used to look at this corner of the grocery store with fear and apprehension. It reminds me of the first time I went to a plant nursery. I went with a friend and avid gardener and was intimidated but curious. I didn't know how to buy bulbs, and I was very nervous about looking stupid or buying the wrong thing. Instead of carefully reading the plant labels, I watched other people pick up brown paper bags that were provided by the store, select a few bulbs, and then write the type, quantity, and bin number on each bag.
I decided to try a relatively safe variety (Paperwhites, if you must know) that, according to the instructions, you could grow inside during the winter. I figured if the bulbs died in the warmth of my house in January, I would have quietly and privately failed the test and wouldn't have to bother with gardening in the future. Thankfully, the bulbs bloomed brilliantly, and it started a life long love of all things in the garden.
Anyway, back to the bulk food aisle. I thought the whole concept of opening bins to buy unpackaged food was, well, unhygienic and lowbrow. Then, a cashier at my beloved Greenwood Market asked me why I was buying a $5 package of garlic powder when I could buy it in the bulk food section for much less. That wonderful woman changed my life.
I now buy all of our spices from the bulk food section as well as nuts, oatmeal, flour, sugar, chocolate chips, lentils, beans, rice, and pasta. It truly is a fantastic place to discover new things like Christmas lima beans or fleur de sel. So far, nobody has gotten food poisoning or any strange diseases. In fact, the selections in the bulk food aisle can make or break my opinion of the grocery store in much the same way as a bulb selection at a nursery.
Don't be scared of the bulk food aisle! Explore it!
Oooohhh. Pretty.
Yesterday was Ryan's birthday, and I had lots of plans to take him out to dinner or whisk him away to the Methow Valley. Unfortunately, we've all been sick for the last few weeks, and Ryan came down with the dreaded cold just in time to celebrate his 30-something years. We all just wanted a quiet night at home, but that didn't mean that the birthday celebration couldn't be special.
How do you cheer up a guy with a bad sore throat and serious congestion? You make his favorite food, of course! Ryan loves Indian food, and I've always wanted to cook an Indian feast, but, like the bulbs at the nursery, I've been intimidated to try it.
Thank you Google and the bulk food aisle. Without you, Ryan would have been sad and miserable all weekend long.
Just a few of the spices I picked up at the store.
The colors and smells were vibrant and wonderful!
The start of a delicious Indian basmati rice.
Simmering Aloo Gobi.
A heaping plate of flavorful and satisfying Indian food.
The rice is in the center of the plate, the aloo gobi is in the foreground, a wonderful lentil daal is on the left, and a decent saag paneer (spinach and cheese dish) is on the right.
And now for dessert. Ryan doesn't like cake (say what?!), so I decided to do something reminiscent of a birthday cake but made out of Ryan's favorite dessert, cookies.
I made an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie cake. Seriously, this thing was the shiz-nit. I put it in a 9-inch round cake pan, and it took about 40-45 minutes to cook in my convection oven. We added a scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream, and let me just say that the final product was DI-VINE.
My artsy photo of the cookie-cake with Ryan's birthday tulips. Soma wanted to watch in the background just in case the cookie-cake should spill or need tidying up.
9 birthday candles (we decided to have each candle represent 4 years of his life).
I don't know whether Arlo is terrified or mesmerized or both of the burning candles.
O. M. G.
Happy Birthday, Ryan! I love you very much!
