More than meets the blog

Our blog is one of the few among our associates that's truly shared between two authors. By some unspoken rule, I blog about the kids and Kyle blogs about everything else. Of course I think the kids are interesting, but I do have non-kid-related experiences and interests, you know. For instance, bell peppers.

Yesterday was supposed to be our weekly date night, but the ayi cancelled on us so we went exploring on a bike ride and visited a big dirt market we'd never been to before. We had less than $10 on us, and I was apt to blow it on a cute, maternity-looking shirt (not that I'm entering that realm again, but as an apple shape, I am truly pleased that loose, flowy tops are now in-style). Instead, we stocked up on all sorts of produce that we've been buying for the past nine months for much steeper prices at our local market. Of course, we do live in the ritziest neighborhood in town, but had we known we were paying double for our strawberries, we'd either be buying half as much, or coming to this market a long time ago! I was pleased, and yet at the same time felt deceived and betrayed by my home market, rather like I did when I abruptly discovered a few weeks ago that the "beef" we've been using for nine months to make hamburgers, spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, and tacos has really and truly been ground pork. The whole time. No, I'd never noticed the cute little animated pigs gracing the chopping station.

Anyway, so what's my natural reaction? Stock up on bell peppers, of course, which I only buy when they're down to $1/lb at my local market. Here the huge, shiny red and yellow peppers (which happen to be my faves) were nonchalantly being sold for about 40 cents/lb. Mmmmhmmm, I stocked up indeed. Virtually every inquiry about prices we made revealed the inevitable truth that we've been getting ripped off in a serious way. I honestly had wondered how restaurants can afford to charge so little and now I know-- they weren't shopping at my produce market!

I even purchased a big bunch of artichokes which have been so far from economical in my experience that I've never even tasted them in my life-- I've always viewed them as a luxury vegetable, but no longer! Throw in a few carrots and we walked away like bunny bandits, $2 poorer but loaded with colorful, vitamin-packed veggies.

The only problem now: what can I possibly do to make them appetizing in the absence of butter and cheese???