I make a good egg salad using two hard boiled eggs. I smush them and add some Dukes Mayo and some grass fed butter. S&P. Ground cayenne pepper, some cumin (ground &/or whole seed), celery seeds, fenugreek.

Today I added a couple of other ingredients and they seemed to work well with the egg salad. Nutritional yeast which may offer a cheesy flavor, and hemp seeds. *I changed my mind later and decided that my basic egg salad was just about right with no further additions.

I’ve also boiled a couple of eggs and carried them with me to Harris Teeter to add to my lunch salad. Once less thing to pay for in weight and I have my egg slicer, since HT is slack about doing the slicing. I told them they would probably waste fewer eggs if they were already chopped up on the bar.

---

I made some Chia Seed Pudding with some milk, chia seeds, sweetener, and some cinnamon. I had too much milk so it remained too watery. I plan to make these in the new 4 oz. Ball jars, if the 1/2 C of milk fits. *I just made two of the 4 oz. jars with 1/2 C of milk and 2 TBS chia seeds, and some cinnamon and a little Stevia. It only filled the jar about 2/3rds so enough room to add fruit and then shake up. **No need to shake it up the next day. If you use 1/2 C of milk and add 2 TBS of chia seeds they make a complete gelled desert. Just add some sweetener (stevia) and some pureed fruit (raspberries, blackberries or whole blueberries).

I have tried this with ripe Kiwi fruit & raspberry puree, and I also added some hulled hemp seeds and plain Greek yogurt. The Kiwi is citrusy. The Chia Seeds Pudding is a good little desert.

The purpose of this page is at least two fold. First I am recording the recipe for one of my favorite soups. Curried Apple Soup. And a second purpose is to show how an AI can help you convert a recipe, from either an old cookbook or even a handwritten recipe card into a digitized text version of that recipe, easily and quickly, without you having to manually retype the whole thing.

---

Based on the images provided, here is the “Curried Apple Soup” recipe generated by the AI:

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp canola oil*
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup diced carrots
• 2 tart apples – peeled, cored, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 tsp sugar*
• 1/2 tsp mace*
• S&P*
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup canned tomatoes, cut into pieces
• 1 tsp minced parsley*

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a pan over high heat.
2. Add onion, celery, carrots, and apples. Sauté for 5 minutes.
3. Mix the flour and curry powder. Sprinkle this mixture over the sautéed vegetables.
4. Add broth and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, parsley, cloves, and sugar.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. The recipe note says to discard the cloves before serving.

The final part of the process which was left out on the recipe card was to puree the soup in the pot with a stick blender. *And finding and buying a stick blender started a whole ‘nother process. See at bottom.

Originally, I had a version of this soup at “Trillium, A Bistro” in Asheville, North Carolina. There was a young chef, Leisa Payne, who was plying her cooking talents at Trillium. The version I had had chicken in it, but I have made it as almost vegetarian at home. Almost? No chicken, but chicken broth.

I haven’t fixed polenta in a while, but I do love the flavor and that it is an excellent vehicle for gravy. I’m not sure if “Trillium a Bistro” in Asheville, North Carolina was the first time I tried polenta, but I do recall that Chef Leisa Payne fixed some delicious alligator sausage, gravy and put this on top of polenta cakes. 

I went online looking for a stick blender, and soon found that some stick blenders were sold as part of a set of interchangeable kitchen tools. Braun sold a MultiQuick Tool that included a stick blender, a whisk, and a food chopper. I bought a small version of the Braun MultiQuick Tool and used it for several years. Actually, I limped along using the chopper in this tool, because the chopper bowl was too small for some tasks, and the motor was too weak for some tasks. *The one task that comes to mind is using the tool to make hummus at home. The bowl was a little too small to blend a whole can (about 15 oz.) of garbanzo beans, and the motor was a little too weak to blend a whole bowl of chickpeas at a time.

After years of using this small, less powerful MultiQuick, I finally bought the bigger, more powerful brother, and what a difference. The chopper bowl was bigger and the motor more powerful. I could put a whole can of chickpeas in the bowl and add tahani, and then blend and the motor did the job easily.

I bought the MultiQuick tool for the stick blender, but the chopper bowl became more important because I was able to make hummus, and I was able to blend salsa. *If I were sending a child, especially a young man off to college, I would send this chopper along with him. Why? He could become a “hub of activity” by working out a deal with his other suite/dorm mates. I’ll provide the hummus (a few cans of garbanzo beans) and you provide all the veggies we eat. Someone brings carrots, and celery. Someone brings some chopped onion and tomatoes. You get the idea. Everyone to the “feeding trough” and fed boys are happy boys (for the most part).

You could do the same thing with making salsa. I provide the diced tomatoes, with green chilis. Someone provides the onion & sweet bell peppers, and cilantro. Oh, and others bring the chips! Chow down on the salsa and chips. *And if you can cook on the hall, the chopper makes it easy to blend some black or pinto beans and add that to the “un-smushed” beans for a rustic refried beans.

NOTE (08/03/25): I was looking at some YouTube videos again this morning about eating the right foods for controlling blood sugar, and I came across this video by accident, but… I have this style can opener and have used it for years, but every so often, this opener fails to open a can. But the reason is either the metal of the can is too soft and it doesn’t allow the opener to penetrate the can top… or the can top is recessed too deeply and the opener can’t penetrate the lid. This is why I pull out my John Wayne and finish the job. But having seen the alternate means of using this can opener, I may never use my John Wayne again, unless I don’t have my usual opener.

I tried opening a can of garbanzo beans using the opener in the alternate way and it worked perfectly. The one problem I see with using it this way is that if there is liquid in the can, it may slosh over the edge of the can. So, I may have to use a plate beneath the can before opening.

The video was playing in YouTube and I just did a hand swipe on my phone to capture the above image of the can and opener.

Aldi’s was supposed to have Lentils for $1.55 for 16 oz. but when I got there, they were only charging $1.39

---

Spicy Pork, Lentil & Quinoa Soup

This recipe aims for a comforting, slightly spicy, and aromatic soup.

Yields: 2-3 servings (approximately) Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Hot Pork Sausage
• 1 medium Carrot, diced
• 0.25 cup Onion, diced
• 1 Sweet Pepper, diced
• 3 tbsp Cooked Lentils
• 2 tsp Cooked Quinoa
• 2 cups GV – Chicken Broth
• 1 tsp Grass Fed Butter
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (from Garlic Powder, see note)
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/4 tsp Fenugreek Powder
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (adjust to your spice preference)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Fresh Cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

---

This soup is likely to be a good source of protein, fiber, and various vitamins and minerals.

Here’s a look at the key contributions from each main ingredient:

Hot Pork Sausage:

• Calories: Can be significant, ranging from 100-200+ calories per sausage.
• Protein: Good source of protein (e.g., around 10g per sausage).
• Fat: Contains a notable amount of fat, including saturated fat.
• Sodium: Often high in sodium due to processing and seasoning.

Lentils (cooked, 3 tbsp):

• Calories: Relatively low for the volume, but contribute to overall energy.
• Fiber: Excellent source of dietary fiber, crucial for digestive health and feeling full.
• Protein: Good plant-based protein source.
• Vitamins & Minerals: Rich in folate, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

Quinoa (cooked, 2 tsp):

• Calories: Similar to lentils, it contributes to energy without being excessively high.
• Carbohydrates: Primarily complex carbohydrates, providing sustained energy.
• Protein: A “complete protein,” meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids, which is notable for a plant-based food.
• Fiber: Contributes to dietary fiber intake.
• Vitamins & Minerals: Good source of manganese, phosphorus, copper, folate, iron, magnesium, and zinc.

Carrots (1 medium):

• Calories: Low in calories (around 25-50 calories per medium carrot).
• Carbohydrates: Primarily complex carbs and natural sugars.
• Fiber: Good source of dietary fiber.
• Vitamins: Excellent source of Vitamin A (from beta-carotene), important for vision and immune function. Also contains some Vitamin C and K.

Onion (0.25 cup):

• Calories: Very low in calories.
• Vitamins & Minerals: Contains some Vitamin C, B vitamins, and potassium.
• Antioxidants: Rich in antioxidants.

Sweet Peppers (1 pepper):

• Calories: Low in calories.
• Vitamins: Excellent source of Vitamin C (often more than an orange!), and also provides Vitamin A and some B vitamins.
• Antioxidants: Rich in various antioxidants.

Cilantro:

• Calories: Negligible.
• Vitamins: Small amounts of Vitamin K and Vitamin A.
• Antioxidants: Contains beneficial plant compounds.

Grass-Fed Butter (1 tsp):

• Calories: Concentrated source of calories from fat.
• Fat: Primarily saturated fat, but grass-fed butter also contains beneficial fats like Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and short-chain fatty acids.
• Vitamins: Contains some fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, E, and K2.

GV – Chicken Broth (2 cup):

• Calories: Generally low in calories (e.g., around 5-10 calories per cup for low-fat versions).
• Protein: Minimal protein, but contributes to the liquid base.
• Sodium: Can be high in sodium, depending on the brand. Opting for low-sodium broth can help manage this.
• Hydration: Primarily provides hydration.

Spices (Turmeric, Garlic Powder, Fenugreek Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, Salt & Pepper):

• Calories: Negligible from the small amounts used.
• Nutrient Boost:
  • Turmeric: Known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties due to curcumin.
  • Garlic Powder: Contains some vitamins and minerals, and compounds known for health benefits.
  • Fenugreek Powder: Contains fiber, iron, and has been studied for its potential effects on blood sugar and cholesterol.
  • Red Pepper Flakes: Contains capsaicin, which can have metabolism-boosting and pain-relieving effects.
  • Salt: Provides sodium (essential for bodily functions, but needs to be consumed in moderation).
  • Pepper: Contains trace amounts of minerals and antioxidants.

Overall Nutritional Profile of the Soup:

• Good source of Protein: From the pork sausage, lentils, and quinoa.
• High in Fiber: Thanks to the lentils, quinoa, carrots, onions, and sweet peppers.
• Rich in Vitamins: Especially Vitamin A (from carrots and butter), Vitamin C (from sweet peppers and onions), and Folate (from lentils and quinoa).
• Provides various Minerals: Including iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc.
• Hydrating: Due to the chicken broth.
• Healthy Fats: From the butter and some from the sausage.
• Antioxidants and Anti-inflammatory Compounds: From the vegetables and spices like turmeric, garlic, and sweet peppers.

Lowest Gas Prices in Fayetteville, North Carolina

---

The Ideal (and Elusive) Center:

The goal for many people is to find food items that strike a good balance in the middle of this triangle – reasonably priced, adequately nutritious, and enjoyable to eat. This often involves:

• Cooking at home: This gives you control over ingredients and preparation, allowing you to prioritize nutrition and often save money compared to eating out.
• Buying in season: Produce is generally cheaper and fresher when it’s in season.
• Utilizing sales and discounts: Stocking up on staples when they’re on sale.
• Considering frozen or canned options: Frozen fruits and vegetables, and canned beans or fish, can be just as nutritious as fresh (sometimes more so, as they’re picked at peak ripeness) and often more affordable and convenient.
• Meal planning: Reduces waste and helps you stick to a budget while ensuring nutritional needs are met.

While you might not always get perfection in all three areas, understanding this “triangle” can help you make more conscious choices about your food purchases based on your priorities and budget.

---

You’re describing a classic type of trade-off model, often visualized as a triangle or trilemma, where three desirable attributes cannot all be fully achieved at once. In the case of food purchasing, the triangle with Cost, Quality, and Nutrition at each point is both intuitive and widely recognized, even if not formally codified under that exact name.

Your proposed triangle:

• Cost (cheap/affordable)
• Quality (taste, texture, freshness, brand reliability)
• Nutrition (healthfulness, macronutrient balance, minimal additives)

And the common idea is you can often have two, but rarely all three.

---

It’s entirely possible to “hack” the triangle with:

• Bulk buying
• Home cooking
• Seasonal/local produce
• Canned/frozen items
• Simple ingredients

These can sometimes get you all three, just with more effort or creativity.

It’s been a while since I ate the Harris Teeter Lunch Bar. I did recently eat the breakfast bar.

I had already shopped at the Walmart across town, and then came back to Pate’s Farm Market and bought some raw peanuts, zucchini, garlic, and a couple of peaches. *I just ate one of the peaches and it was delicious.

I was planning to go to the Harris Teeter for their Salad Bar, but temporarily forgot and made a wrong turn heading over to get my hair cut. I forgot and made a wrong turn, but the guy beside me decided to run a very red, Red Light. I then turned back to get to Harris Teeter and went to their salad bar. I’ve been spoiled by the IGA Salad Bar in Erwin for the last week. I think I’ve eaten there either 4 or 5 times already. The experience the first day was so good that I had to keep coming back. And that experience wasn’t just based upon having a delicious salad, but also a perfectly ripe avocado, and 3 different tasty BBQ chicken wings. All three of those things came together so that I repeatedly said, as I ate in my car, “Now that’s delicious!”

Let me name again those items I enjoyed on the IGA salad bar: sliced hard boiled egg, raisins, broccoli & cauliflower florets (both were small in size), bacon bits, small Spanish olives stuffed with pimentos, sliced cucumber, green bell pepper strips, red onion, freesia & Romaine lettuces and I bought a ripe avocado and sliced that up.

The Harris Teeter Salad Bar didn’t have cauliflower and the broccoli florets were very large, as were the Spanish olives. They did have two whole peeled hard boiled eggs left and I took a whole one and sliced it up later. They had sliced red & yellow sweet bell pepper. *I didn’t buy an avocado at HT, but that is probably because they charge a lot for their avocados.

I liked the IGA salad dressings, Ken’s Honey Mustard and Ken’s Ranch dressing. But to my surprise, I tried a different, and new to me, salad dressing at Harris Teeter today. It was so good that I called Harris Teeter and asked to speak with someone that oversaw their salad bar. The young man was nice enough and went to check for the name of the dressing that I described as “dark green with flecks of green” and “I think it had “Basil” in it’s name. He was gone a short time and came back on the phone. The name of the dressing was “Sweet Basil Vinagrette” by Cindy’s Kitchen. *After I thought about it a while, I recalled the flavor of a Basil Pesto that I had made (Emeril Lagasse) several years ago, and this dressing had a similar flavor. That recipe included garlic, olive oil, and pine nuts, and that pesto went well with steak.

*The images above are from a second visit (and another), the next day. Funny how the labeling on the dressing bottles is plainly obvious, but in my mind, the previous day, would have almost been blank, except for the actual name of each dressing. I know that’s highly unlikely. **Note the whole hard boiled egg, and just beneath it, a very large Spanish olive, and the very large broccoli floret. I’m not sure if I equate these three components to laziness or lack of forethought. But, having experienced the sliced hard boiled egg, and realizing how that makes it easy to spread the egg across the salad as it is being made. Also, seems like making someone take a whole egg (I guess they could cut it, if they had something to cut it with at the salad bar.) instead of scooping several bits would save you some eggs in total. *I’ve included a picture of an egg slicer, not exactly like mine, but like the one I now have in my car to slice the whole hard boiled egg. Such a simple process, that they should perform.

And that damned, gigantic broccoli floret is just too big, not to have to cut into smaller pieces. Yes, the customer can and has to do that, but it makes the overall aesthetic of the salad when it is being prepared, less.

I added a couple of images of a HT Salad Bar lunch that I carried several items from home in a sandwich bag. I boiled my own egg, and took some broccoli sprouts, raisins and olives. The salad bar only cost a little over $4. Never sure if I could get the items cheaper by buying all on the salad bar. Does it save me any money to boil my own egg and bring olives?

I’m thinking I should carry some of the ingredients that HT doesn’t offer, like raisins, sliced cucumber, and cauliflower florets. And, I don’t know where to buy an avocado on the same day I plan to eat it, but if I can find one, then I shall.

The salad I bought at Harris Teeter today only cost $6.60 (that’s without an avocado or chicken wings). I did include a little chicken salad, some seafood salad (the fake, but delicious crab in mayo) and a few chicken and/or ham cubes. Yesterday I had included some of the meats (cubed chicken & ham) on the salad bar in my salad. I think the prices for the whole meal at IGA had been somewhere between $7.50 and $9.50. The higher amount was also due to larger BBQ chicken wings, and me buying an extra avocado for home. Still while prices for eating a breakfast out have creeped up to about $14 with coffee, a filling lunch for $7.50 is a good deal.

I have now started boiling my egg or eggs at home to take with me for my salad bar lunch. But, I realized that peeling the egg after it was done wasn’t working very well. Sometimes the shell comes off easily but other times chunks of the egg white come off with the shell. I finally googled for help on boiling and peeling an egg successfully, and I think I’ve found the right process.

For years I’ve put my uncooked eggs in the cold water and then put the pan on the stove to heat up. I had seen online that eggs should be cooked completely if you boil them for 9 minutes, and this did appear to work for me. I would start the 9 minutes count once the water started to boil. But recently I read that you should put the eggs in boiling water, and not cold, so I tried that. And peeling them did seem to go much easier, but about the second time I tried this, the center of the yolk wasn’t quite cooked. It wasn’t runny, but was a little soft. I wondered why because I had boiled them for 9 minutes. Then while I was rehearsing what might have gone wrong I realized that if I put the eggs in when the water is cold that as the water warms, and before it actually starts boiling, the eggs are being cooked at least partially. So, if I am going to wait to put the eggs in boiling water, then I’m going to have to cook them longer than 9 minutes. I tried 10 minutes and that seemed to solve that problem.

So, after they are boiled you immediately put them in an ice water bath and let them cool completely. You then tap both ends of the egg, to break them slightly, then roll the egg around in your palms to cause more fractures all around the shell and then start peeling from the fat end of the egg (there is a slightly wider end). It worked! It worked! The shell starts to peel of and peels off pretty quickly. So now I have a smooth hard boiled, peeled egg and I put it in my slicer and it’s quick work.

---

I’m going to put the following item here although it might go elsewhere sometime.

I’ve probably mentioned elsewhere that I like to make my own sweet horseradish mustard (using French’s Yellow Mustard, Inglehoffer Creamy Horseradish, some Agave Nectar and Equal. I use an Inglehoffer squeeze bottle adding all the above contents and shaking it up.

But, I’ve just recalled that I like to slice off a thin slice of sweet potato and eat it. I now see that combining these two items is a very pleasant snack. Who would have thought that raw sweet potato and sweet horseradish mustard would be a great combo? They are!

---

Prepared Food from Harris Teeter and their Buffet

I was shopping in Aldi’s yesterday and took a closer look at their spice rack. The apartments where I live are having a three weeks Food Drive (July 14th – August 8th). I’ve got a lot of canned goods that I plan to donate (my knee jerk reaction to the Donald Trump Tariffs) so I was thinking about this in Aldi’s.

It then struck me that I might want to donate some cheap spices, to go with all these beans. I use powdered garlic often, and powdered cumin, both good additions to my homemade salsa, and refried beans. I’ve also been using more ground cinnamon. Aldi’s also had Italian seasoning, paprika, and chili powder.

• Garlic (ground)
• Cumin (ground) LIDL
• Cinnamon (ground)
• Italian Seasoning
• Turmeric (ground)
• Ginger (ground)
• Salt (iodized)
• Black Pepper
• Cayenne Red Pepper (ground) LIDL
• Crushed Red Pepper (LIDL)
• Ranch Dressing Powder (.50) Food Lion

---

Dry Beans for Donation

Aldi’s has Dakota’s Pride Green Lentils – 16 oz. for $1.39 (07/21/25)

According to an AI, dry lentils are about 3 to 5 times cheaper per serving than canned lentils.

---

A Cheap Mexican Themed Meal

Brown your ground beef, add some chopped onion, diced tomatoes with green chilis, and maybe some more flavorful peppers and you’ve got a good salsa to go with refried beans and guacamole. I showed the can of refried beans and black beans because if you need to control the amount of your sodium (salt) intake, then use pinto or black beans to make your own refried beans easily at home.

… an alternative to refried beans.

Quinoa & Black Beans

This “Quinoa & Black Bean” recipe goes great with ground beef seasoned with diced tomatoes and green chilis and a little homemade guacamole. It only takes about 25 minutes to prepare and quinoa is highly nutritional.

Oh, I forgot. I’m pushing blue corn tacos and tortilla chips. Apparently they are more diabetic friendly than white or yellow corn.

And, I’ve just recently found that crumbling some of the blue corn tortilla chips with my egg salad for breakfast is a delicious combination.

---

Canned Beans

I’m not sure if I had ever been to a DG Market before yesterday. I was having fun riding around, like I often do, and was in Selma, North Carolina. I intentionally took a straight street that went through a long neighborhood and then started to “head out of town.” I was a DG Market on the next road over, to my left, but surprisingly to me, there was no road or street that let me go to my left. I even passed a large church on my right, and I thought it strange that for such a large church it was odd to not have easy access from multiple streets.

Eventually, the road I was on came to a Y intersection and I was able to turn back toward Selma. I finally made it to DG Market and turned in. I wanted to explore the food offerings that they had, and maybe even buy some “low sodium” cheap beans if they had any. “Cheap” is a relative term, but for me currently a cheap can of beans should cost less than $1. I’ve bought a few slightly more expensive cans, but that’s just because I wanted another store’s brand of beans or low sodium beans in my collection. *I don’t really have a collection. Maybe a loose collection, that I might reference to compare quantities of sodium, carbs and/or sugars, but nothing formal. There are some low sodium canned goods at Target that are a little more expensive, but that may be because they label them “Organic.”

I was disappointed.

As I walked about the grocery section, which was rather large, I quickly noted that “there are food deserts, and there are food deserts.” And this DG Market was a food desert lacking healthy foods. Want “bad for you” cereal choices, yep, they got lots of that. Large selection of candies, and soft drinks. I don’t think I saw any “low sodium” options in their canned goods. If there was an IGA or Food Lion a couple of miles from here, I would pass this store every time and go for the gold.

They did have a large refrigerated section. I’m spoiled by LIDL’s cheap milk prices. Even Food Lion and Walmart have good prices on milk. *The one thing that they all “get you on” is the price of Half-n-Half or like “coffee creamer” prices. You pay more for a quart of creamer than you do for a half gallon of milk, and that is in FL, HT, Walmart, IGA. I think LIDL’s price on a half gallon of 2% Milk is currently $1.77. That reminds me, I think I still have a photo of two items I bought at a LIDL in Havelock, North Carolina several years ago. I took the picture because the milk was cheaper than the jar of pickles I purchased. Now that I look at it, it’s obvious that LIDL was getting people into the store with cheap milk prices – $1.10 for a gallon of regular milk, wow! **That LIDL closed eventually and is a nice empty building when I pass through periodically.

If I were a poor person, I might be able to eat pretty well on $5 at day by shopping at LIDL and Aldi’s each day. Say I was lacking refrigeration, it could still be affordable to buy a cheap half gallon of milk, drink a good portion either for breakfast or lunch and then feed my pet the rest, or throw it out each day.

---

Let’s explore this concept in a little more detail.

I came across an even more stringent problem online. Someone asked to eat for a week on $5 total. I have done my best below, but don’t think that is possible. I was thinking that you wouldn’t be able to cook, or refrigerate your meals, and might not have access to water or a pot or pan, or plate or bowl. But I still offered one alternative to make a cheap soup, and buy some bread. This still exceeded the $5 limit.

Yes, we need a little money, but not an irrational amount. *I just came back from a website that was discussing on eating for $5 a week. I think that would be stretching it, but $5 a day would be very dooable, and even nutritionally viable.

One big problem is transportation. How do we get from the median near a traffic light where we’ve been panhandling, to the nearest LIDL or Aldi’s? And then are we going to eat in the grocery store parking lot, or find some shade nearby?

Condiments that don’t need to be refrigerated:

• Yellow mustard
• Ketchup
• Hot sauce
• Honey

I wouldn’t have thought of that one, honey has an almost indefinite shelf life. Oh, and Inglehoffer’s Creamy Horseradish sauce has a “shelf stable” life. I like to mix it with yellow mustard and add a little sweetener (honey if I could).

Spices

• S&P
• Cinnamon
• Garlic powder ? Target
• Cumin powder ? Target

Although peanut butter isn’t a condiment, it doesn’t need refrigeration. **Okay, so you can’t heat up your bread in the microwave before you slather on a little peanut butter, and maybe a little honey. Live with it.

Buy a loaf of freshly baked grained bread at LIDL and slice it. *I haven’t learned how to use their slicing machine yet. You don’t need a lot of bread each day, but maybe a sandwich for lunch and/or dinner. Yellow mustard doesn’t need refrigeration, so that’s a one time purchase that might last a month or more.

Am I going to buy a $.79 container of plain Greek yogurt to go with my fresh berries? Oh, oh, the berries should last at least two days, shouldn’t they? I have seen some strawberries start to go bad later that day, without refrigeration.

Buy an avocado.

---

Let me see if I can explain the parameters for this project. I have a homeless person who was given $5 for food for a week. That may be their self limitation. They said they wanted to get enough food to eat for a week. They don’t have a kitchen in which to prepare or cook, or refrigerate their food. *Can you make a no cook soup, that has good flavor?

That is why I’ve chosen several “already cooked’ items: canned chicken, black beans (or cannellini), whole kernel corn, diced tomatoes with green chilis.

The Fajita Seasoning is an attempt to flavor the soup, without having to buy small jars of individual spices, and possibly some homemade salsa. **I am currently missing a sweet onion, which I think almost is a necessity. ***I have not listed a raw sweet potato, but recently I sliced one, and realized how pleasing the mild sweetness of each uncooked slice was.

If I use the Black Beans, I can add a half can to the soup and half of the can can become refried beans (without the frying). Part of the Fajita Seasoning can go into the salsa, and maybe the refried beans. *Okay, if you make the refried beans out of the Black Beans, then the soup is going to look entirely different. The yellow corn and the diced red tomatoes would probably make the Black Beans pop.

*Oh, and I’ve been spoiled the last two days by eating lunch from the IGA buffet in Erwin, North Carolina. I’ve bought a perfectly ripe avocado there both days, for 99 cents each. **The avocados have been perfect for 3 or 4 meals. They are perfect in color & texture, not hard at all. These spoil me for all those other avocados that are either not ripe at all or way too ripe and that’s why I bought an extra avocado yesterday to take for home the next day. ***Just do a search for “avocado cemetery” to see my comments on the recurring problem of getting a ripe avocado, just when you need it.

The salad bar was perfect also, but the Ken’s Honey Mustard and Ranch dressings probably made the salad even more delicious. I added: romaine & freesia lettuce, sliced cucumber, raisins, cauliflower and broccoli florets, bacon bits, Spanish olives with pimentos, green bell pepper and some red onion. After I fixed my salad, I went over to the wings bar and I chose three different BBQ chicken wings from the other counter. I could not believe how delicious it all was together. The first day off the charts, and the second day a close second.

Both days, the total cost was less than $8. *Yesterday the total was about $10 but I also bought an extra 99 cents avocado for home. I think the extra cost was because the chicken wings were actually larger, with more meat on them. I think if I forego the chicken wings, and just get the chicken included on the salad bar, with the avocado, I might be able to eat for about $6 – minus drink… and I brought Bill’s Drink Mix one day, and one of those $1 drinks from Wegman’s another.

Salad Ingredients: Frisée & Romaine lettuce, sliced cucumber, green bell pepper, red onion, raisins, bacon bits, broccoli & cauliflower florets, spanish olives w/ pimentos, boiled egg.

I drove a short distance from the IGA down to a small park that has a covered picnic area with tables, and there is an outdoor basketball court behind the shelter.

But recall, one parameter is to see if a totally uncooked soup can be delicious, cold. *It wasn’t a bad soup cold, but most soups are meant to be heated first, even if they are eaten cold. I am heating it after adding various (non-street person ) items: garlic powder, turmeric, more cumin, and fenugreek and some GV chicken broth.

---

“Never Fried, Refried Beans”

So I drained the can of Black Beans and used a little over half to make my “Never Fried, Refried Beans.” These were low-sodium so they did need salt, but I also added some of the Fajita Seasoning and ground black pepper to these. The salt & seasoning make these very palatable. *I’m thinking about adding some chopped cilantro.

“Homemade Salsa” (the pared down version)

I’m going to use half of the can of “Hot Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies” to make this salsa. Some lime juice & chopped cilantro. This is where I definitely think some chopped sweet onion would be essential. I like hot, but was surprised at how hot these diced tomatoes were. Still, no need to add hot sauce to these and the black beans and avocado help cool it.

---

*Creative thievery is required. Find some packets of sugar or sweetener to add to both the soup and the salsa. Salt and pepper packets, Equal & sugar.

Oh, I was surprised to find large loaves (some sliced) of freshly baked bread, both French baguette & Italian. I now have a reason to buy a small jar of peanut butter. Protein & carbs. If I were to slip in one or two containers of plain Greek yogurt, for a breakfast item or dessert, maybe with fruit cocktail fruits, could a little of that yogurt be satisfying as a substitute for sour cream? Half the lime juice into the soup, and half into the salsa. The cilantro also into the soup and into the salsa.

---

I forgot about the food section at Dollar Tree. For $1.25 you can get a large can of pineapple. *Hmmn, crushed pineapple added to a 79 cents container of plain Greek yogurt from LIDL? They do have canned mangoes sometimes too.

---

When I was a young boy, and only once, my mom, a single mom, ran out of money before the end of the month, and her next pay check. And, we were out of food. She had me get in the back of our car, a 1960s 2 door beige Chevy looking for any change that I could find. Not sure why there was change on the floor, in the back seat, but I did find some. We lived on one corner of a major highway and there was a small store across the street from us. This was before there were convenience stores, but this little store had a gas pump, maybe two in front, and it had assorted foods. There were two things my mom bought (or may have had me buy). I bought a box of Saltine Crackers and a glass bottle of French’s Yellow Mustard. We ate mustard on crackers, and I have loved the combination ever since.

I said this only happened once. I don’t ever recall us running short of funds, or food, the rest of my life. Eventually she would buy a Singer Zig Zag sewing machine and learn how to sew her own outfits for work. She was a Clerk Typist for over 40 years, mostly aboard Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base. She would buy a brand new 1964.5 Ford Mustang, Prairie Bronze 2+2. And then for my Senior year in high school she bought me a brand new 1971 Pontiac LeMans blue with a white top. I drove that car my whole Senior year, and apparently she provided the money for all the gas too… and my clothes, and any other items I might want, or need. When I started my Freshman year at Carolina (Chapel Hill) she took the LeMans and drove it to her work because they did not allow Freshmen to have a car on campus.

So that’s how I came up with the four food necessities that might feed you for a week for $5 or less. A slice of bread, with mustard and a slice of bologna. A slice of bread with peanut butter spread on it. A slice of bread with yellow mustard. If I weren’t a Type 2 diabetic, I would try to get a couple of packets of sugar to add to the mustard (my version of honey mustard) or something to sweeten the peanut butter. Maybe even snag a small container or two of jelly or jam. It doesn’t take much jam to make a one slice PB&J sandwich.

If you absolutely can’t keep the bologna cool, then buy two cans of Pork & Beans. That would have to be one meal for each can, with no refrigeration. You could also change half of the beans’ flavor by mixing in some yellow mustard.

You’ll need a “John Wayne” to open your cans of beans, tomatoes, or corn. The small collanders are to wash the liquid off of beans. Plastic eating utensils.

---

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Snack

This will become my entry into various articles regarding the tomato, and tomatoes. I drove up to Raleigh and eventually the State Farmers’ Market. I only visited two stands, “Ronnie Moore’s” and “Lee’s.” Moore’s had several peppers, and a bunch of tomatoes, and I saw a tomato that I hadn’t seen before, “Phil’s One” and I bought several nodules.

---

AI described “Phil’s One” as a “… whimsical tomato evoking the wild tomatoes of Central America was developed by French tomato breeder Philippe Rommens. The irregular yellow fruits vary in size but generally measure 3 ½ to 4 inches across. The plants are short and bushy yet require support due to the abundance of fruit.” *I tried a nodule later, with a little salt and wasn’t impressed by the flavor.

---

• Spicy Black Bean and Tomato Soup
• Mayocoba Beans, Tomatoes & Seasoning Meat
• Jalapeno Pork, Tomato Chutney & Guacamole.
• The Best Stewed Tomatoes…
• Tomatoes from Ken Chappell’s
• Tomatopalooza 2012
• Grilled Flank Steak With Tomatoes, Red Onion and Balsamic
• Sweet Tomatoes – Cary, NC
• Pork Chop Sandwich

---

---

Jacquelin Sharpe had gone into labor with Jackson Cooper Sharpe the day I was heading up to Tomatopalozza 2012. Ray called me as I was in Raleigh, near the Crabtree Valley Mall. She gave birth the next day. Jackson Cooper just had his 13th birthday.

The “Sweet Bites” were a popular grape tomato sold for several years at various groceries including Walmart, Food Lion and Harris Teeter. They were a green house tomato from Canada. They had a great tomato flavor, and were my favorites, just ahead of Campari tomatoes. I contacted the Canadian company, which never replied as to why they had discontinued selling these delicious tomatoes. The little yellow tomatoes that I bought in Asheville had great tomato flavor, and an almost florescent flesh.

The Hunts Fire Roasted Tomatoes in a can are my “go to” tomatoes that I use in my homemade salsa, soups and other dishes that need flavored diced tomatoes.

My Zucchini, Shrimp & Kielbasa dish needs just a few small red tomatoes to give it just the right flavor. Not enough to make it a tomato dish, but enough to make a pinkish broth.

The Cossack Pineapple were a small, paper covered (like a tomatillo or China berry) fruit that actually tasted like a pineapple. I tried these at Tomatopalooza 2012. It was a loosely thrown together event of people that liked growing various types of tomatoes. As I recall, they weren’t well organized and didn’t have a plan for chopping up the various tomatoes so that people could sample the ones they wanted. *I began to think of ways to make the event more fluid, such as getting salt, pepper, plastic utensils & mayo packets from a source like Burger King or Hardees. The “Tomato Man” whom I had seen at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh at least once, was at this event, but I think the number of people attending overwhelmed some of the leadership, who didn’t continue the event the next year.

I just asked the AI if there was still a “Tomatopalooza” Event in North Carolina or when was the last one and it’s reply: “… it appears the large-scale annual event known as Tomatopalooza™ in the Raleigh-Durham area is no longer running. The organizers decided to take a break due to challenges with planning and resources. The last one was likely in 2012. ” I just recalled that I bought an event shirt that year. Nothing special looking, but still.

---

Wegmans has some good flavored grape tomatoes, both red & yellow. One of them is called “Flavor Bombs” but you can’t always rely on them being available.