A few days ago, while waiting for the twins to be done with “Farm Camp”, my oldest and I killed a couple of hours by running errands. Now running errands doesn’t sound a bit fun, particularly not on a beautiful summer day. So to make it more fun, we didn’t just pick up what we needed and run as we usually do. We lingered. And we stopped in stores that we never have time to go in.
Our favorite find was a gourmet food store. We were thrilled to see some of the yummy chocolates and candy we ate in England. They were very expensive, but we bought one delicious hazelnut chocolate candy bar for everyone to share.
We also had fun sampling a lot of different cheeses. I am always amused that my picky children who hate to try new things will try just about anything if it’s at a store on the end of a toothpick. The shop even had samples of flavored vinegars, different varieties of olive oils, and at least a dozen different kinds of honey. We bought my husband some mango preserves for his Father’s Day breakfast.
Something about seeing all those special and unique foods inspired us. We tend to get in a rut with our dinners and shopping. Sure we can’t afford a lot of those foods, but we can be a lot more adventurous. And our budget can take a small treat or two on a regular basis. Besides, even with a special sauce for rice and beans – that’s still a cheap dinner.
Our last stop for the day was the library. We wandered through the cookbook section looking for some new recipes. Maybe we will cook up some new family favorites. And if the kids don’t want to try the new things – I’ll put them on a toothpick and call it a sample!
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