What's in My Grocery Bag 12/9/12

I got a comment on Facebook from one of my readers, Michele, who asked if I could bring back the "What's in my Grocery Bag" feature where I share my shopping list and my plans for the ingredients for your voyeuristic pleasure and/or inspiration.

I'm not really sure that I can actually call it a feature since I really only did it twice before I forgot about it (classic Alejandra move). Eugene saw the comment and seconded the request because it's also one of his favorite "features."

I think it's because he likes to know what I'll be feeding him in the coming weeks.

Or maybe he just wants to know what exactly it is that I do with the grocery money...

Either way, I just did groceries a couple days ago, and this is what I bought.  Please note that it had been nearly a month since I did groceries because of travel and events, so this was a much larger order than usual:

Dairy & Eggs
1/4lb Bulgarian Feta (To crumble over cucumber salads and to use in some merguez sausage tacos I've been toying with in my head. I typically prefer Greek feta, but Bulgarian is also good and about 3/4 the price. Thrifty!)
1/4lb Gorgonzola Dolce (For a little holiday appetizer idea I'm planning: crostini with spiced walnuts and poached pears. Will post that recipe soon!)
1lb Lioni Latticini Fresh Mozzarella (For general snacking throughout the week. I slice it, let it hit room temperature, then sprinkle it with salt and olive oil.)
3 Containers Fage 0% Greek Yogurt with Cherry Pomegranate (Eugene likes this flavor so I got him a few for breakfast. Personally, I prefer the full fat plain kind although the mango guanabana is also pretty good--I just add the jammy stuff to my full fat yogurt. I think 0% yogurt is pointless.)
1 quart Farmland Heavy Cream (for homemade whipped cream and to make chocolate ganache)
2 - 1lb Unsalted Sweet Butter Blocks (for holiday baking: fruit cakes, rum cakes, and cookies. I love buying butter in blocks--it feels kind of old fashioned)
2 Dozen Pastured Large Brown Eggs (They're more expensive, but I only ever buy pastured eggs. They're always a little bit wonky-sized, the yolks are bright orange, and they sometimes have bits of chicken poop stuck to the eggshell...that's how you know they're good! I use them for baking, breakfast, and pasta carbornara. (Obviously, I wash the poop off first.))
1/2 gallon Ronnybrook All Natural Creamline Milk (Non-homogenized so the fat rises to the top, just the way God intended. Super creamy NY milk. I don't drink milk straight--I use it mostly for baking and hot chocolate, and the rare cafe con leche when I need an extra dose of focus. Eugene uses it in his post-gym protein shakes.)
1/2 gallon Silk Coconut Milk (I admit I don't 100% love all the funky additives in this, but I love the taste of it and it's a great non-dairy option for breakfast smoothies, drinking straight, and hot chocolate. Also it's about 90 calories a cup, compared to 350 calories in the canned kind--not even exaggerating here.)

Deli
Citterio Cubetti Pancetta (I like to cook these until crisp and add to salads in place of lardon. Also great with roasted Brussels sprouts.)
D'Artagnan Chorizo Sausage (My favorite! Made from heritage pork. I already used half of this in a chorizo, kale, and chickpea soup. The other half became shrimp and chorizo tacos.)
1/2 lb Provolone Cheese, Sliced (sandwiches, maybe in some kind of baked pasta dish if Eugene doesn't snack his way through the whole package)
3/4lb Schaller & Weber Bauernschinken (cured thin, super salty farmer's ham. Amazing in sandwiches, but Eugene and I usually just eat slices of this plain as a snack. I also occasionally fry a slice on a dry skillet to have with my morning scrambled eggs.)
1/2lb Schaller & Weber Smoked Bacon, Extra-Thick (I dice this and use in soups, salads, and with roasted veggies. On the weekends, Eugene will make himself a slice or two along with his eggs.)

Fruit
2 Bosc Pears (Poached as part of the aforementioned crostini with Gorgonzola dolce--if Eugene doesn't eat them first! He's a fruit fiend.)
4 Hass Avocados (We already ate all of these! We had guacamole for dinner on Friday and I ate the other one smashed on sprouted grain toast with a sprinkle of salt.)
4 Honeycrisp Apples (My favorite! Super crisp and the perfect blend of tart and sweet. Love these just on their own or with slices of cheese and ham--a mini ploughman's lunch, if you will.)
4 Organic Pink Lady Apples (2nd favorite--also very crisp, tart, bright pink skin.)
8 Lemons (Zest goes into baked goods, pasta, yogurt sauces. Juice goes into my daily water. I drink lemon water all day long every single day. My body is about 60% lemon water.  I also use it in marinades and Eugene has thin slices of it with his tea at night.)
2- 12oz bags Ocean Spray Cranberries (Not totally sure yet. Some baking, probably. I might make this Cranberry Ropa Vieja again, too. They were on sale so I snagged them. They may end up in the freezer.)
5 Red Grapefruits (Eugene's favorite snack. He eats one a day and the entire apartment smells like citrus for an hour. His hands always smell like grapefruits, which I suppose is better than my hands, which always smell like smoked paprika, garlic, and vanilla.)
1 Banana Bunch (smoothies, Eugene's protein shakes, on-the-go breakfasts, occasionally frozen and dipped in melted dark chocolate)

Meat
1 6lb Beef Brisket (Braised in a coffee and ancho chili rub until fork tender. Then I pulled it and we had it for dinner tonight as tacos. Amazing. Recipe coming soon.)
4lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (I cut these down into tenders, marinated in chimichurri, and divided into 1lb portions that I put in the freezer for future quick meals.)

Seafood
2 Verlasso Salmon Fillets (I brushed these with olive oil, smoked paprika, oregano, salt and pepper, then broiled until crispy on top for dinner on Thursday. Eugene had the leftovers for lunch on Friday along with a cucumber and red pepper salad.)

Vegetables & Herbs
Celery (for snacks, salads, and as a base in soups)
1 Bunch Cilantro (on tacos and in marinades)
6 Heads Garlic (in everything!)
1lb Green Beans (trimmed, tossed with olive oil and salt, then roasted)
3 Large Green Cucumbers (Sliced thinly with my mandoline, then dressed with olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Crumbled feta on top. Easiest side ever! I eat this almost daily for lunch.)
2 Large Bunches Green Kale (For soup, sauteed with olive oil, garlic & red chile flakes, and in salads)
1 Bunch Italian Parsley (For chimichurri marinade that I use on chicken, shrimp, and steak. I took pictures when I made it, so I'll post the recipe for you soon.)
2 Red Bell Peppers (For salad and sofrito.)
3 Red Onions (Sliced thinly and pickled to serve on tacos with the pulled brisket, also roasted in the oven along with root veggies, and diced into guacamole.)
1/2lb Satur Farms Brussels Sprouts (A local NY farm that grows amazing produce. Roasted in the oven with pancetta or bacon.)
1 lb Satur Farms Wild Arugula (For quick salads with olive oil and lemon, topped with pancetta or avocado, served alongside salmon or grilled chimichurri chicken)
4lbs Yellow Onions (For use in marinades, soups, sofrito, caramelizing…pretty much everything!)

Grocery
Dole Pineapple Juice (For cocktail recipes I'm working on for an article. Also for marinades and deglazing the pan after grilling the aforementioned chimichurri chicken. Eugene will probably just drink most of this unless I stop him.)
1 Quart Coconut Water (For drinking. Most amazing stuff ever.)
3 Cans Carnation Evaporated Milk (For making homemade Coquito--the Puerto Rican version of Egg Nog, and Christmas fudge to gift.)
2 cans Goya Coconut Milk (For coquito, coconut rice, and curry)
2 packages La Tortilla Factory Hand Made Style Corn Tortillas (My FAVORITE brand of tortillas! They're half corn and half flour, which makes them 100% delicious. For all the aforementioned tacos)
Rosa Mexicano Kitchen Corn Tortilla Chips (For guacamole.)
Spice Supreme Oregano (I was out of it. I use oregano in pretty much everything that I cook.)
2 Bags Stacy's Pita Chips--Simply Naked (These were on a 2 for 1 sale so I got a couple to keep in the pantry for snacks and last-minute company. Love these with hummus!)