Leon, I think I love you.

I am an easy to please burger girl sometimes. I got my fix last night. Remember my Lara Bar post? I have been dreaming of a dripping with catsup (ketchup) ever since. I made it a while! Last night at Leon's, we were starved from the moment we walked in. There was a group of six of us: Thandrew, Teej, Magpie, Jordache, and myself. We were seated in this very private booth so we could hoop and holler to our hearts content. And hoop and holler we did!

Girls alway taking pictures. In between my self and 1/2 of Thandrew is Magpie. 

Jordache and I had burger dreams that were about to come true... hence the smiles.

But before the food, Absinthe (really?!). 1/2 of Thandrew, Magpie and I all shared one (and never finished it...phew.) 

Because who DOESN'T drink Absinthe before dinner? Yeah, we are Europeans. 

It was a lot milkier than I thought it would be.

While, yes, I got to eat a burger, I am a sucker for cured meats and cheeses. I should change my name to "Charcuterie." Its that bad. So I ordered the rogue smokey blue and a gouda cheese with the pine st. coppa. Mmmm....

Then, Jordache and I split the white oak pastures grass-fed burger, tillamook cheddar, catsup & mustard, bread and butter pickles. Here is my half, gleaming at me. 

They have awesome homemade sauces too. I got the homemade ketchup and bacon and tarragon mayo (I don't even like mayo, but by the end of the meal, I was dipping my fries in it.)

The table was well-hidden in the restaurant, but if you needed to get out, it was a little tricky. Teej had to hold up a napkin so that the ladies could wiggle out under the table without exposing too much. 

After a trip to Rhode Island this summer, I feel in love with the Dark 'n Stormy. I couldn't believe they had them here, so I promptly ordered on. Not nearly as good as the ones in Newport, but it did the trick. 

Recipe for Dark 'n Stormy:

dark rum (Gosling's is what makes the drink)

ginger beer

ice

and enjoy... apparently it is also Bermuda's signature drink

Interesting seating arrangements in the car had us all in stitches. The six of us were jammed in the car singing "Let's Give 'Em Something to Talk about" at the top of our lungs. Hilariously fun. 

Thanks to Leon's for a delicious dinner and the setting for a hilarious night!

What's your favorite song to sing at the top of your lungs?

Goal setting time

"You are an extravagant eater" says my friend.
"No I am not!" I say.
"How much money do you spend a week on food?" says my friend.
"Um... well lets see... I, uh, go to the grocery store everyday and...um... OH MY GOD" I say.

Literally, that's what I looked like (Maybe it was a little bit of a Mac Attack!)

That was a conversation I had with said friend, and I realized... I spend a TON of money on food.
FOOD. Something that you eat! You don't keep it (unless you/I count your/my waistline). Dang it.

So I made a goal for this week. I will go ONCE, once I said. So on Monday, I set my goal and set off to the grocery store after work determined to be like most adults and shop for food once for the week and spend... ooo... (the hardest part) 50, fifty, cinquante, cincuenta dollars.

So I looked online and came up with meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner (for two!) that I could buy for 50 bones. My plan was to create food for Monday-Thursday.

PLAN:

Monday: Spicy Enchiladas

Tuesday: Bar-B-Q chicken fingers and lima beans

Wednesday: Veggie Stir-fry

Thursday: Chicken Chili

So, I set off to the store to buy all the ingredients + breakfast. B'fast is usually a nanner (aka banana), apple, yogurt or something else easy peasy... and luckily cheap.

So after my trip to PUBLIX, my total was $53.46. Not perfectly 50, but still in the fifty range.

Monday: I made my Spicy Enchiladas. That also took care of Tuesday's lunch (albeit, I had an enormous stomach ache by Tuesday afternoon... lesson learned!)

Tuesday: Sorry to say I still had a stomach ache, so I ate just white rice. BUT I did cook the meal that I had planned. I grilled my chicken fingers and made my lima beans. I was also feeling too ill to take pictures.

Wednesday: I ate my dinner for lunch (still following my new rules) and then came home from a looooong day at work and (feelin' better) made a delicious Veggie stir-fry. I ended up adding some chicken to my stir-fry from the night before, so it became Chicken Veggie Stir-fry.

Thursday: The test. I began thinking... can I make it? I DO NOT WANT CHILI! But I did it. I made my Chicken Chili! And I am glad I did. It was a little more fall/wintery than I wanted, but it was perfect for Friday lunch and I made a ton for snack and lunch over the weekend. "More money in my wallet the better!" I say.

This is my problem. On a normal day, I may go to the grocery store once before work to get my breakfast. Then after work I will either return home and plan my din din or I will go straight from work and get what I have in mind for dinner. I mean, do I like the grocery store or what?! Its my place. They know me. I feel special in PUBLIX.

If I wanted steak, I would get steak. If I wanted pasta, I would get pasta. Number one dinner craving is sushi. I can drop some major dough on sushi. But I am also totally a popcorn for dinner eater if I do not want to go to the store (torture). So I was either eating like a king or eating like a pauper.

A sushi plate to make my heart melt

Loving my flying fish sushi

Mmmm... New England oysters

Octopus tiradito. One of my favorites!

This "experiment" ended up being a more healthy experiment because I was not giving into my whims about what I wanted.

I realized, it was not uncommon for me to spend almost 50 bucks a day at the grocery store almost everyday Monday-Thursday. So 50 + 50+ 50+ 50 = $200! What?! Who am I? The queen (Well, of course. But you know what I mean)?

So, I saved about $150 bucks this week! Yes.... I smell another trip to Scott's Antique Market.

Actually I am headed out for a night on the town with friends tonight. We are going to Leon's Full Service in Decatur.

Help me and tell me, how often do you shop at the grocery store?