When it comes to the kitchen, I have always been more of a baker and dessert maker. Don't get me wrong, I can cook but baking is more of my passion. As I went through college, I didn't spend a lot of time in the kitchen baking and making desserts like I had before. At times, it irritated me that I had to spend my time reading pages of text instead of making homemade bread and desserts. It seemed like all of my time was strictly work and school and that gets old after a few years. One night, my partner and I were scrolling through chocolate mousse recipes and mousse can be a finicky dessert to make. The more ingredients, the trickier it is to get everything just right. Coming from a family of sweet tooths and chocolate lovers, mousse seemed to be an appropriate dessert dish to make. Finally, we found one of the easiest, full-proof recipes for chocolate mousse. With limited time in a day, you become creative in stretching out every minute before your head hits the pillow for a few hours. Armed with a handful of ingredients, my partner and I decided to give the chocolate mousse recipe a try and it was surprisingly...delicious. If you even have the family's thumbs-up approval, you know it was a definite hit!
Chocolate Mousse Made Easy
1 c chocolate chips
1 c heavy cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 c chocolate chip shavings
whipped cream
couple fresh strawberries (optional)
Place chocolate chips, egg, and flavoring in blender and chop
Heat cream until small bubbles appear at edge - do not boil
With blender running, pour in hot cream
Blend until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth
Pour into dessert dishes, cover with plastic, and chill
Shave chocolate chips
Serve with whipped cream and chocolate chip shaving
To jazz it up, add a strawberry
*Disclaimer: Since this recipe was found a few years ago, I am unable to link and credit the recipe to the original website.
Driving home from an afternoon of bumming around Nappanee, my partner noticed a sign off of State Road 19 pointing to The Dented Can. Knowing a good bargain could only be a few miles down the road, we decided to take a little side trip. Zipping down the country road, storm clouds began rolling in and a light rain began to cover the windshield. With the wind picking up, we continued down the road until we arrived at an old converted barn. Stepping out of the car, we walked in and to our surprise, The Dented Can was a modern discount grocery store. Honestly, when we pulled up, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Unlike other local discount stores in the area, I immediately noticed that there were coolers, freezers, and even a small area dedicated to produce. While the wind continued to blow the fall leaves across the endless fields, we found small jars of Wilton food coloring. Now, any baker knows Wilton is one of the better brands in the industry and with a top brand comes the pinch of the price tag. Surprisingly, the assorted colors of the Wilton food were only $0.50 / jar. After picking through the two baskets, we threw 8 jars in the cart and continued to browse through the store.
As I walked down the dressing aisle, I noticed that there were packages of Hidden Valley Ranch mix. I'm honestly not a dressing fan, as I generally prefer my salads to be garnished with hot sauce but I couldn't pass up this deal. I called my partner over and we were both shocked the packets were only $0.50 when they run $2.50 - $3.00 in the store and they were in date for several months! We grabbed a small handful and strolled over to the next aisle. Even though we didn't purchase a lot from our first visit, we were quite impressed with our little haul of Wilton food dye and Hidden Valley Ranch mix. Instead of paying the full, ridiculous price for only one jar of Wilton food dye, we purchased all of our items with room to spare.
The Dented Can
25743 State Road 119
Goshen, IN 46526
(574) 862-2212
http://dentedcan.net/The_Dented_Can/The_Dented_Can.html
Business Hours
Monday 8:30a-5:30p
Tuesday 8:30a-5:30p
Wednesday 8:30a-5:30p
Thursday 8:30a-5:30p
Friday 8:30a-5:30p
Saturday 8:30a-3:00p
Sunday Closed
Check them out on Facebook: The Dented Can
Mushrooms are definitely one of my favorite vegetables to eat. Before I ever even tried a mushroom, I wrinkled my nose at, claiming that I simply didn't like it but I had never tried one. When I was out one night with my grandfather, my step-grandmother told me to go ahead and try one. Apprehensive, grandpa assured me that if I didn't like it, I could spit it out. With nothing to lose, I decided to give the crazy fungus a try and I...liked it, a lot. It wasn't until I was with my mother-in-law that my love for mushrooms grew to a new level, stuffed. Trying to figure out what to eat around the holidays is already difficult enough but having the supplies, well that's even trickier. As we dashed to the grocery store down the road, we picked up some essential supplies and began making our New Years Eve snacks.
As we prepared the stuffed mushrooms caps, the lovely aroma of spices and vegetables simmering in the pan made my mouth water. It seemed like hours until I could sink my teeth into what would become my new obsession. Setting the oven and stuffing the caps, I waited patiently for the oven to beep once it hit optimal temperature. Placing the stuffed mushroom caps inside, I was becoming more impatient as the seconds slowly dipped. It seemed that I was almost in a stupor until the oven timer expired and echoed through the house. Inside was pure perfection and mouth-watering goodness. Once they cooled, I literally could not stop from shoving them into my face, well at least until my stomach filled to capacity. The best part about stuffed mushrooms is you can store leftovers in the fridge and if you want a little midnight snack you can pull some out and throw them in the microwave - good as new!
Betty Crocker's Mushrooms Royale
1 lb medium mushrooms
3 tb butter
1/4 c finely chopped green pepper (I use red pepper for a sweeter flavor)
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1 1/2 c soft bread crumbs (I use fresh chopped bread)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp black pepper
Preheat oven to 350
Wash, trim, and thoroughly dry mushrooms
Remove stems
Finely chop stems to measure 1/3 c
Melt 3 tb butter
Cook and stir mushroom stems, peppers, and onion until soft (about 5 min)
Remove from heat
Stir in remaining ingredients (except for butter)
Stuff mushrooms with mixture
Place mushrooms on a cookie sheet with parchment paper
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes
*For more stuffing, double the recipe (but not the butter)
Original Source: Good Old Betty
Coming from a family that owned a grocery stores for several decades, finding a mom and pop grocery is not commonplace. Not only did my family own grocery stores, most of the men were butchers by trade. I remember watching my father cut and wrap meat like it was yesterday. It seemed that in a matter of seconds, a tender piece of meat was beautifully wrapped and packaged. One of my favorite days to be at the store were Wednesdays since we would set up the makeshift wheel rack to slide the groceries down out of the delivery truck. It wasn't long until the carts were loaded and you heard the old-fashioned price guns being adjusted for pricing and the click-click as it spit out an orange sticky tag. Watching my grandma price gun a loaded cart in a matter of minutes was always fun. Another favorite place to visit was the produce room where my dear great-great-great aunt worked. Since she specialized in produce, nothing but the best was packaged and placed on the shelves. When you walked in, you better watch your step since there was a chance of flying veggies as she said, "these god damn tomatoes are rotten" followed by a thud in the trash can. Watching heads of lettuce were far more comical since my aunt was such a tiny gal.
Although our family grocery is long gone, one place that constantly reminds me of it is Shelton's Farm Market located in Niles, Michigan. Unassuming from the outside, Shelton's is one of my favorite local places to shop for local meat. Often times, my partner and I will see the owner, Jim, arranging a display of assorted varieties of fresh apples. He always has a smile and says, "hello, hello." Once we try a few samples of apples, (and usually buy a few), we make our way back to the meat case and take a number. Sometimes, I feel like I'm four again in my family's grocery watching my dad cut and wrap meat. One of the tastiest things in the meat case is the fresh butcher bacon. Who can possibly go wrong with bacon? Shelton's butcher bacon blows the competition out of the water not only by the price per pound but the flavor is simply unmatched. My partner and I usually pay about $2.50 - $3.00 / lb and we get at least five pounds each time.
Another favorite that we purchase is the in-house, homemade stuffed sausage which comes in a myriad of flavors and only costs $3.00 - $3.50 / lb. They are sure to make a perfect grilled treat especially when they are garnished with caramelized onions. As the overall prices for meat continues to soar, one thing that I love about Shelton's is that there meat is local, fresh, flavorful, and the price per pound does not break the bank. We also love the ground chuck which costs $2.29 - $2.89 / lb depending on the week and it makes some of the tastiest burgers I've ever had. One of the best things about Shelton's is that it allows us to have wonderful cook-outs for family, friends, and colleagues with great food that everyone can enjoy!
While prices are already cheap, Shelton's has an internet coupon that you can print off from their website. All you need to do is spend $10.00 and you can use the internet coupon on the item listed. In addition, Shelton's has Wild Wednesday! which are specials that are only on Wednesday of each week and can really stretch your dollar. It is literally a sale on top of a sale. Two of our favorite items on a Wild Wednesday! are the 50 lb bag of onions and 50 lb bag of potatoes which are usually about $8.00 - $10.00 / bag. At $0.16 - $0.20 / lb, we share with the family and don't break the bank by spending $5.00 for 5 lbs of onions and potatoes at the supermarket.
During our canning saga last summer, we purchased an incredible amount of local, fresh blueberries and cherries to can whole and try our hand at jam making. Even if Shelton's didn't have them out on the shelves, we simply asked and they brought it out cold from their back cooler. It was amazing and it made some of the best jam! In fact, we already have requests for this year, so we definitely did something right! We also love to landscape our yard with the gorgeous flats of flowers from Shelton's greenhouse. If you're a green thumb or love to garden, be sure to walk down to the greenhouse and take a look at their veggies and flowers.
Shelton's Farm Market
1832 S 11th Street
Niles, MI 49120
(269) 684-3230
http://sheltonfarms.com/
Business Hours
Monday 8:30a-7:00p
Tuesday 8:30a-7:00p
Wednesday 8:30a-7:00p
Thursday 8:30a-7:00p
Friday 8:30a-8:00p
Saturday 8:30a-7:00p
Sunday 9:00a-6:00p
Check them out on Facebook: Shelton's Farm Market
Growing up in Northern Indiana there are two certain things aside from death and taxes: harsh winters and unbearable summers. Throughout the summers, several local county fairs dot the landscape but watching a horse pull followed by a tractor pull was the icing on the cake. Seeing a Clydesdale up close and realizing how small you are compared to a massive animal always made it that much sweeter. The sheer strength of a team working with one another to take home a winning title, was always the highlight of the fair. Indulging in funnel cakes, tenderloin sandwiches, extra large turkey legs, and kettle corn is sure to put a damper on your wallet. In the winter, you may as well make sure you have a 4x4, decent pair of snow boots, and Carhart overalls to get you from point A to B. When I was younger I remember going with my mom and dad to a large warehouse-like store in the middle of nowhere known to the locals as Bailey's. Over the years that 100,000 square-foot store has been rebuilt to nearly twice the size and houses more merchandise than ever before. From furniture, kitchen cabinets to groceries, pet supplies, and odds and ends, Bailey's is literally a mega-store with low prices.
Although located in the middle of nowhere, you won't miss this mega-store on the side of the road. A few months ago, my wife and I decided to take a road trip down to Bailey's to meander around. Since we were in a cookie decorating mood, we stocked up decorations inexpensively, between $0.33 - $1.00/bottle. We were so excited that I think we brought home at least a half dozen bottles and still have some left over for the next round of baking goodness! We also bought a few other miscellaneous items for only pennies on the dollar compared to the supermarket giants. Most of the time, you will notice popular brand names such as Green Giant, Lindt chocolate, DelMonte, Betty Crocker, NesCafe, and Folgers at rock bottom prices. Of course, there will be an oddball brand or two that you may have never heard of, but flip the package around and compare the ingredients to some of your favorite brands. You may notice that they are more similar than you previously thought. Similar to Pine Hill Discount, if you see something you use and use it often, buy it all since it may not be on the shelves at a rock bottom price. Since I love Spanish paprika, I found an 18oz container on the shelf in date until 2016 and it only cost $2.99! I snatched it up and threw it in the cart before someone else came by.
If you get thirsty or munchy throughout your shopping escapade, there is a Dairy Queen / Orange Julius conveniently located in the store. On those warm summer days, kick back with a DQ Blizzard or Orange Julius smoothie or get one for the ride home!
Bailey's Discount Center
5900 S. Range Road
North Judson, IN 46366
(574) 896-3889
http://www.baileysdiscountcenter.com/index.php
Business Hours (Central Time)
Monday 8:00a-8:00p
Tuesday 8:00a-8:00p
Wednesday 8:00a-8:00p
Thursday 8:00a-8:00p
Friday 8:00a-8:00p
Saturday 8:00a-6:00p
Sunday Closed
One night when I was talking to my father, he began telling me about his haul from a little discount grocery that he nicknamed the "dent" store outside of downtown Bremen, Indiana. We love to swap stories of our great deal adventures and couponing escapades. One of the first questions we ask one another, "have you found any good deals lately?" Of course, we may not make out like bandits every single time but we've had our fair share of mini-fortunes. Being financially savvy and mathematically adept, saving money on groceries is similar to winning money off a scratch off lottery ticket. The money you save, is still money in your pocket that you can put into a savings account. I honestly think some people think we're crazy but it has literally saved thousands in just a few short years; which has made balancing the cost of living and school a lot more manageable. Not to mention, it helps to keep the plastic under control on a monthly basis.
The first time I walked into Pine Hill Discount Store, I was a bit surprised at the selection that they had throughout the store. It was similar to a regular grocery store (without the fresh produce, meat counter, freezers, and coolers) but the prices were cheap. Of course, you have to pay attention to the dates to ensure that everything you purchase is still edible. Over the past year, I have noticed a complete transformation of this little store tucked away into the countryside. Instead of having almost everything past expiration, most food-stuffs are well within date but there may be the occasional items slightly out. My partner and I visited Pine Hill within the last week and we literally had a banana box full of goodies for only $40.00. One of the most difficult items to find are the all peanut butter Lindor truffles. As a family favorite, we gawk at the price of $4.75 - $6.00 / bag and can rarely find just peanut butter. My partner stopped to look at the chocolate and said, "they have peanut butter Lindor truffles!" Not only did Pine Hill have Lindor truffles but they were only $2.29/bag and my partner placed a few in the cart.
I started laughing as my dad's mentality came forth, "my dad always said at this place if you find something you like, clean the shelf and buy it all!" We quickly cleared the shelf of the treasured truffles and threw all ten bags into the cart. We also picked up a box of Whiteman's chocolate for $1.99, two boxes of Hershey's boxed chocolates for $1.99/box, four boxes of Pocky sticks for $0.30/box, and a few other assorted things. Since Pine Hill was celebrating their 8th year in business, they were having a cookout with free drinks and food and even offered deeper discounts. There was a group of young boys, and one of them asked, "would you like to throw a dart for a discount?" I replied, "sure, why not?" I stepped up to the tape line and launched a metal tipped dart at the plastic board between the restrooms. The dart went flying and the boys yelled," 3%!" On top of all the fun, we even got a 3% discount which might not be a lot but it's definitely money saved.
Another way to save money at Pine Hill is to look in the Marshall County Shopper which can be found at establishments throughout the Marshall County area. For those outside of Marshall County, go to: http://www.thepilotnews.com/ and scroll over to "Shopper/Reviewer" and drop down to the most current date Shopper. Once you click on the Shopper, a PDF will open in your Internet browser and scroll until you find the discount coupon. (Look carefully as the coupon is rather small). Once you find it, print, clip, and save!
Pine Hill Discount Store Coupon
$3.00 off $15.00
$5.00 off $30.00
$10.00 off $60.00
Another way to save even more at Pine Hill Discount Store is by checking Super Saving Social weekly: http://supersavingsocial.com/ Throughout the year, you can purchase a $30.00 off coupon for only $15.00 so you already automatically save 50% before you hit the doors at Pine Hill.
Pine Hill Discount Store
1800 5th Road
Bremen, IN 46506
(574) 546-2117
Business Hours (New Hours)
Monday 9:00a-5:00p
Tuesday 9:00a-5:00p
Wednesday Closed
Thursday 9:00a-5:00p
Friday 9:00a-5:00p
Saturday 9:00a-3:00p
Sunday Closed
Check them out on Facebook: Pine Hill Discount Store
When I was younger, one of the most memorable moments that I shared with my grandmother was waking up early on a Saturday morning to visit the South Bend Farmers Market. Surprisingly, my grandmother seemed more fearless back then to even consider driving into South Bend. Nowadays, she rides shotgun with minor difficulties fastening her seat belt and trying to make herself look like someone actually occupies the passenger seat. One of these days, we will have to make another visit and purchase some fresh, homemade kieflies (Polish crescent cookies with walnut filling) and a box of paczki (Polish jelly-filled doughnuts). I remember sneaking more than I was told I could have - they were simply delicious!
Recently, my partner and I visited the South Bend Farmers Market in an attempt to purchase fresh leaf lettuce. Luckily, there were several assorted vendors and we ended up buying a large head of romaine and a large head of red leaf lettuce. While both heads were a bit limp due to the stifling humidity, we couldn't have asked for better produce. (Once we came back home, we shaved the core down a bit and placed them into a container of cold water and placed them in the fridge. Crisp as new!) We also purchased two firm cucumbers to accompany the head lettuce since our garden is not producing this early in the season. (They were some of the best cucumbers that I have ever eaten!) Although there were several other vendors at the market specializing in herbs, flowers, grass fed beef, homemade goods, and crafts, we did not leave disappointed. Once more produce comes into season, we will be sure to visit particularly for head lettuce and assorted fruits and vegetables.
South Bend Farmers Market
1105 Northside Blvd
South Bend, IN 46615
(574) 282-1259
http://www.southbendfarmersmarket.com/
Business Hours
Tuesday 7:00a-2:00p
Thursday 7:00a-2:00p
Friday 7:00a-2:00p
Saturday 7:00a-3:00p
