21 December 2009 Photo: Turkey Bling

Bill went to the grocery store yesterday to pick up a few things - one of which was turkey deli meat. While I was making a sandwich today, I looked at the package and was confused. Why was this turkey $37!?!?! I opened the package looking for some BLING! Certainly there must be something gold or shiny in there for $75/lb. NOPE...ONLY turkey in there! I asked Bill if this was a mistake that was corrected when he checked out...NOPE! According to the receipt, he was, in fact, charged 37 bucks for 1/2 lb of turkey.

Off he went back to P&C to get the extra $33 back. Now, if you live in Central NY, you know that P&C is on the brink of bankruptcy and has been in the news for the last week about whether or not they will be bought by another company or closed for good. Maybe this is a new tactic...charge 10x the amount on deli meat to make some extra cash! This is why I shop at Wegmans!

3 March 2009 Photo: Grocery Store Wars

One of the things I like about my job is the variety of places I get to see on a daily basis.  I now have my routine depending on where I go...restaurants, free wifi locations,  and yes...even grocery stores.  We don't have Trader Joe's in Central NY so whenever I am near one I have to go and pick up some of the favorites.  While it still does not hold a candle to Wegman's, TJ's has some interesting items and really cool pictures painted on their windows like the one above!

4 January 2009 Photo: Only 354 Days Left

So today I went to Wegman's (fondly referred to as Weggie World in our house) and I thought I may find a good subject to photograph there since it is almost as big as Disney Land. Well stupid me forgot the camera in the car which I had to park far far away because apparently EVERYONE in Syracuse shops at 12 noon on a Sunday...I knew there was a reason I usually went early in the morning! To make matters worse, the shopping cart driving in Weggie World was abysmal.

So choice two was to capture the last moment of our Christmas decorations. We are finally done procrastinating and are taking them down. So today's picture is a photo of our tree before it became naked once more. There are only 354 days until Christmas 2009...will YOU be on the naughty or nice side of the list?

2 January 2009 Photo: Oh my darlin' Clementine

Clementines!!! I am not really sure when I first discovered the juicy sweetness of a little clementine but I know I look forward to the season every winter.

What is a clementine, you ask? Well even if you didn't...too bad. Thanks to Produce Pete for this excellent description.

"Clementine's are the tiniest of the mandarins. Imported from Spain, Morocco, and other parts of North Africa, clementines are a cross between a sweet orange and a Chinese mandarin. They are small, very sweet, and usually seedless. Most people think of clementines as small tangerines, but they're a different variety entirely, with a distinctive taste. Clementines have been available in Europe for many years, but the market for them in the United States was made only a few years ago, when a devastating freeze in Florida made domestic oranges scarce and expensive.

The origin of clementines is shrouded in mystery. Some attribute their discovery to father Clement, a monk in Algeria, who tending his mandarin garden in the orphanage of Misserghim, found a natural mutation. He nurtured the fruit tree and subsequently called it "clementino". Others, like Japanese botanist Tanaka, believe that clementines must have originated in Asia and found their way through human migration to the Mediterranean. Whatever their origin, the fact is that clementines found their natural climate and soil in Spain, where they developed their particular aroma, sweetness and taste. "

I was l lucky enough to be in Spain during clementine season a few years ago and happily ate several of these delectable bursts of citrus that I bought from the market in Barcelona . This year I had to depend on Wegmans for my clementine fix. In fact I think I will go have one right now!