Fabulously Frugal Dolly

I joke about being raised white trash, but it’s true, I honestly prefer Boones farms to real wine.  Today, I purchased a pure hillbilly delight for my feasting tomorrow, a turkey roll.  For under five bucks, you too can have this classic loaf-shaped turkey-ish substance complete with gravy.  It’s not that we couldn’t finance a real turkey, or at least a breast because we’re not feeding fifteen here, but that’s one of the foods from childhood that I just loved.  Yes, they let me have real food and I was well-fed as a kid, but this stuff is great.  I went for the Jennie O brand, because that’s all that the store had.  Being the second grocery shop I tried I didn’t want to get greedy and try for the all-white meat version, I settled for the two-toned light and dark.  It’s being served alongside some very nice steak (which I don’t care for) and assorted sides, with a real, homemade apple pie from my mom’s recipe- he’s making it, but shh- I want to pretend I did more than looked cute while dinner was being toiled over.

Citrus, the lovely, juicy fruits rich in vitamin C are popular treats in the winter months.  Traditionally, some families put an orange in the toes of a stuffed stocking as these radiant sunshine jewels were special treats.  What could be worse than a dried out, mealy and yuck tasting orange though?  It’s not a problem if you learn the tricks to picking out a good citrus fruit though.

Generally, the peel should be smooth, within reason- the pore-like dimples of the skin should be relatively regular in pattern and depth.  Color, while a good indicator of ripeness, is not the primary clue of a good fruit though, it’s the weight.

Feel the ‘heft’ of several oranges, a heavier orange is more full of juicy tastiness.  A lighter weight orange is one of the nasty, stringy ones that you don’t really even end up eating, thereby wasting money.  Citrus in general should be heavy for it’s size.  Once you’ve found a heavier orange, give it a gentle squeeze, the flesh of the fruit should be firm and resistant to your pressing.  If it mushes a bit, it’s still not a good one, try again.  It’s not difficult to do, but not many people know it.

So please stop looking at me in produce section, I know I’m cute and nice to look at, but I’m not crazy, I’m just selecting the best of what the supermarkets have to offer.