Heading Down the Aisle

No, I am not getting married! I talking about heading down the aisles in the grocery stores.

For some people this can be a daunting experience, for others an adventure, for me it’s a pleasure. I love to shop because I love to cook. Finding new things available just expands my creativity and put new dishes on my table.

Years ago when I first moved here I had to first figure out what some items were that were labeled in Spanish. Spices were a little tough but they were also very very limited. Now, almost every spice imaginable is available. I no longer have to buy a ton of spices when I go to the States with exception of a few extracts and some odd off the wall things that are still impossible to find.

Some of my recent finds and favorites have recently appeared on some stores shelves and not just in the “Gringo Aisle” (GA) at Rizo’s and at crazy prices.

The “Ya Just Gotta Love It List”.............

Fit Fruit and Vegetable Wash:
WalMart has it in the produce section in the big jug, the powder formula and the spray bottle. They also carry the Great Value spray bottle of wash that is great. Fabulous for broccoli, strawberries and more delicate fruits and veggies that do not soak well.

Cirio tomato paste in the tube:
Oh man! This is good stuff! Tomato paste is hard to find, usually only found at Rizo’s in the GA section in the can. Now you can find it with the tomato sauces at WalMart. It comes in a tube so you can squeeze out any amount you need and then just keep it in the fridge. Only 20 Pesos and it is one of the best tomato pastes I have ever tried. It sells out quickly but they restock it.

Vigo bread crumbs with Itailian cheese
Look for the yellow can at Mega (with the bread or sometimes on the kiosk with the bottles of soda/beer) or at WalMart and sometimes at Rizo’s.
I use this for fish, chicken, thickening soups, on top of casseroles and broccoli and other veggie side dishes.
An easy handy dandy recipe: Buy some pollo milenesa. (thinly cut chicken breasts.) Coat with a little mayonnaise, cover with the Vigo bread crumbs, spray a oven proof dish with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees until the juices run clear.
Perfect for topping salads, put in a pita, combine with a pasta dish or serve up the chicken tenders with a snappy dipping sauce.

I like to make a salad of fresh spinach, sliced strawberries, a dash of Raspberry vinegarette (Walmart’s house label) strips of the chicken on top and some fresh Parmesan.*
(* Tip: If you do not have a grater or a rasp, a great way to slice Parmesan or other hard cheese is to bust out your veggie peeler and “peel” off some curls. Plus, it looks fabulous.)

Havarti cheese y mas:
Mega has really upgraded the cheese section. Everything from Provolone, Swiss, Edam, Havarti, Mozzarella, Cheddar, Marble Jack, Monterrey Jack, Pepper jack, Brie, a variety of Feta, Blue cheese and more.
I love Havarti and they even carry a light version.
Crackers for your cheese:
Soriana now has Multi-grain Club crackers, Town House and my favorite local crackers, Pan Cremosa. You can also find Table Water crackers and Breton crackers in a variety of flavors.

Chocolate Chips:
Hershey’s Chocolate chips in Semi-Sweet and Milk Chocolate are available at Soriana and at Gigante (top shelf by the chocolate drink mix.)
Soriana also has a bunch of new cookie and cake decorations and gel food coloring.

If you are into organic, WalMart does have an organic section which is, believe it or not, in the Candy aisle! While I am not into processed organic goods, I do like their cartons of vegetable, beef and chicken stock.

Bags of flavored tortilla strips and french fried onions:
These are fun additions to salads and soups plus the french fried onion put some zip into green beans, casseroles and tuna salad. If you like Chilaquilles, these are fantastic! Yum-o!
WalMart has these on the top shelf in their salad dressing aisle.
Also look for the flavored croûtons. Lots of great flavors and if you want to make some stuffing/mix a bag or two with day old bread to add some extra flavor.

Chocolate Lovers Unite!
Most of the stores, especially Mega and WalMart are now carrying a ton of new chocolates. You can now buy Lindt chocolates, in bars, big bars, truffles and at normal prices. Same with Cadbury. Try the Fruit and Nut or the dark chocolate with burnt almonds which is actually good for you!

Happy eating!