Cookaholics Bulletin Board

We drink (or otherwise use) about 3/4 to 1 gallon per week. It's organic, vat pasteurized, and non-homogenized. Oh, and grass-fed. I try to use as much organic or, at least, naturally sourced food as possible. I am more conscientious about it the higher up the food chain I go. So, meats, dairy, eggs are a priority. Avocados, not so much.

Where do you find such dairy? I haven't seen any non-homogenized milk since my grandparents quit milking cows in the 70s.

Whole Foods, actually. The brand is Farmer's Creamery. The Calder Dairy (a local dairy) offers cream-top milk, too, but it's not organic (which wouldn't fuss me all that much if it were at least grass-fed). It does take me back, shaking those bottles. I think my grandparents gave up keeping a cow for good in about 1983. I'd buy raw milk, if I could, but here in Michigan it's easier to score meth than raw moo-juice. I can't seem to find pastured eggs, either. I've actually considered keeping my own chickens. The problem, I think, is that it is very difficult to find locally-sourced food in the Detroit area. All the places that used to grow Detroit's food are now home to Detroit's suburban exodus. Where I live was all farmland 70 years ago. Now, it's illegal to keep swine or goats here. I'll admit, I haven't had a chance to try the local farmer's market, yet, so maybe it will exceed my expectations. Eastern Market is great, but we just don't have the gas money to go there.

Darcie,

In the Bay Area, we have two brands of organic non-homogenized milk available, and one is non-pastuerized as well. I use it for cheese, makes great cheese.

http://www.strausfamilycreamery.com/

http://www.organicpastures.com/

$$$Expensive, though.

I can sign up to get raw milk delivered to my area every week, but it's 16 dollars a gallon. I can make good paneer with the good organic stuff from WFs or TJ's, for 1/4 of that price. If I lived closer to a cow, I could milk my own. One cow it's possible to do by hand, twice a day every day. More is too many for me.
BeckyH

Both great dairies, though. The Cornucopia Institute gave Organic Pastures a 5-cow rating and Straus got 4 cows. The only milks I could find here with high ratings were Farmer's All Natural, 365, and Organic Valley -- all are 4-cow dairies. Farmer's was the only one with non-homogenized milk and they pasteurize at the lowest temperature.

So, dinner this week!

Sun. - Mini Meat Loaves and Pan-Roasted Asparagus - $3.61/serving. -- Thanks Fuzzy, I wasn't hankering for asparagus until you had to mention it

Mon. - Spanish-Style Braised Lentils with Sausage and Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar - $2.96/serving -- This is one of Geekboy' favorites, mine too. I try to do legumes once per week.

Tue. - Broiled Tilapia and Ten-Minute Root Veggies - $2.13/serving - I also try to do fish once per week but I think it needs to be more like 2-3 times, really.

Wed. - Make-Ahead Pizza and Caesar Salad - $2.20/serving - This got cheaper when I realized that it makes 3 servings per pizza rather than CC's suggested 2.

Thu. - Liver and Mushroom Pirozhki and Roasted Sweet Potatoes - $2.12/serving - See, I knew there'd be more pirozhki in my future. Actually, I knew that one batch makes more than 2 people can sensibly eat in one sitting so I froze half. I had never made these before. I suppose they are more of an appy than a main course, but whatever, they are delicious.

Fri. - Italian Wedding Soup - $2.24/serving - Almost makes me sad that soup weather ends soon.

Sat. - Arroz con Pollo with Red Peppers and Avocados - $2.71/serving - I don't get why my butcher charges $1.69 per pound for Bell and Evans leg quarters but well over $2 per pound for legs and thighs that have been rent asunder. It's particularly odd since they will actually sever the quarters for you at no extra charge. Anyway, if a recipe calls for thighs, it gets the legs, too.

Another great week of menus. You are much more creative than I am. You give me a lot of great ideas. I think it really helps keep our costs down that we have a freezer. Sorry, Tim. I rarely buy any protein that is not a loss leader at the store. We also have a lamb & 1/2 of a pig in our freezer.

Soup is year round here. I do love making it.
Kathy

Thanks, I never thought of this whole excercise as all that creative. I guess I picture everyone here as dining on that fabulous dish they whipped up with that yummy thing they happened to stumble across at the farmer's market today. Or just inventing a wonderful new recipe to use up that single salmon fillet they found at the bottom of the freezer, something that uses the last of the rosemary they bought for bruscetta last Thursday.

I just remember hordes of stuff and put it together in (I hope) reasonably pleasing arrangements. Which is kinda creative now that I think about it, but I'm in awe of anyone who can actually invent a recipe, because I can't.

Gotta love the freezer. There's just no way I can get to where the decent meat is more than twice-a-month.

Your menu's are inspiring. I need to be more adventurous in some area's.

Kathy, I make soup year round too, love the stuff.

Laurie

I've fallen off the bandwagon. Tonight we had Swedish meatballs, glazed carrots w/lingonberries, steamed broccoli, buttered noodles, and appy of "poor man's pate" - $4.75/person (we only had the appy because we had people over). There's enough leftover for one meal for the two of us, and we fed five people tonight, so I guess it could be worse.

Before anyone asks, the "poor man's pate" is braunschweiger, cream cheese and shallots whizzed up in the fp. I used to love it and hadn't made it in years. It's not as good as I remembered it to be...

We also had Girl Scout cookies for dessert - I didn't factor that into the cost