Today was a HUGE haul for me! My mother in law came to town to take us shopping. (She lives 45 miles away from us, so it’s a big deal) So when she comes over, we always go to Costco.
At Costco I spent a total of $207.87 , I couldn’t show you the receipt because she paid for everything and then I just gave her cash. It’s easier than having to split the groceries up, it tends to confuse the cashiers and causes it to take longer. Here is what I got:
cat food $19.89
Brussels sprouts $4.49 X 2
1/3rd pork loin $6.84
1/2 bag kale salad kit $2.54
butter $6.99
1 avocado 91¢
tomato $1
romaine $2.24
molasses $4.89
tomato paste $6.69
black beans $6.59
kidney beans $6.59
3 dozen eggs $3.59 X 2
oatmeal $7.99 X 2
big can of green beans $3.29
frozen broccoli $5.99
1/2 container of bread $2
2lbs ground beef $7.38
1/3rd beef roast $11.91
As for none food I am VERY happy to say I was able to purchase a special pressure cooker set for $79.99 . Normally when you got to the store, or look online, you can get an 8qt pressure cooker for $99, well I was able to get a set that has a 4qt AND an 8qt pressure cooker PLUS a steamer basket and a glass lid all for only $80. I was really needing one of these so I am so happy. I used it to cook beans yesterday and love it!
Next place was Whole Foods. Unfortunately my husband was rushing and left the bag in my mother’s car so I didn’t receive it until today actually. (THANKFULLY she had to come back to Omaha today for something else) She was able to freeze/refrigerate what needed to be kept cold so the food is still good. The croissants might go bad before we eat them all, but nothing I can do about it.
Bob’s red mill cream of wheat $3.69
Bob’s red mill masa harina $3.69
Luna chocolate coconut bar 99¢ x 3
bulk bin ginger snaps $1.90 ($9.99/lb)
Luna smores bar 99¢
Luna caramel nut bar 99¢
bulk bin organic oregano 48¢ ($23.99/lb or $1.49/oz)
bulk bin organic garlic powder $1.28 ($15.99/lb or $1/oz)
bulk bin organic chives $2.46 ($40.99/lb or $2.56/oz)
credit of 10¢ for bag refund
Total @ Whole foods was : $44.35
Finally we went to Trader Joe’s. (I told you it was a huge grocery haul day!) I had to refund some items, because I didn’t like them. That’s the great thing about TJ is there “if you don’t like it, bring it back” policy. No one else is better. In total I got $11.97 back from returns, so that’s already taken off the total.
Organic free range chicken broth $1.99 X 4
TJ Soy sauce $2.99 X 2
Baking cocoa $2.49
TJ Sriracha roasted garlic BBQ sauce $2.99 X 2
can of TJ coconut cream $1.49
TJ traditional marinara sauce $1.49
TJ organic ketchup $1.99
can of black refried beans 99¢
TJ beets in vinaigrette – $1.69
TJ unscented deodorant $3.49
organic red palm oil $5.99
Luna nutz over chocolate bar 99¢
Luna smores bar 99¢
cliff peanut butter bar 99¢
TJ corn and chile salsa $2.49
linguine pasta 99¢
bananas 19¢ X 9
organic carrots 99¢ X 4
carrots of many colors $2.49
Zipline beer $1.34
TJ madras lentils $1.99
TJ sliced almonds $3.99
TJ frozen raspberries $2.69
Golden potatoes $2.49 X 3
Red wax Gouda cheese $3.18
Turkey jerky $5.99
Natural whole roaster chicken $9.05
Total @Trader Joe’s was $81.76 (if you take off the credit it would be $93.73)
All in all, don’t think I’ll be grocery shopping til next month. My freezer is completely full. I’ll probably buy like milk here and there, but that isn’t video worthy. Yikes… did the math and I spent a total of $333.98 O_O oh my…
A probably not very traditional pork and shrimp shumai recipe that is easy to make and very customize-able. Feel free to replace all or most of the shrimp with pork or another meat. Try chicken or lamb, skys the limit! They are lighter in flavor so feel free to double the seasoning if you prefer stronger flavor.
Author: FaylinaMeir
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian
Serves: 42
Ingredients
Shumai
½ to ¾ lb ground pork
1 lb shrimp, raw shrimp is preferred but if you cannot find choose cooked shrimp that you have thawed for at least 24 hours
¼ cup onion or 6-8 green onion
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons ginger, about a 2 inch piece
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
pepper to taste
1 tablespoon potato or corn starch
30-60 circle style dumpling wrappers or cut square wrappers with a 4 inch circle cutter
Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
some chopped onion
some chopped chili peppers or pinch of ground chili, optional for heat
½ teaspoon sesame oil
pinch sugar
Instructions
Shumai
Pulse shrimp, garlic, ginger, and onion in a food processor until small pieces. Try not to blend it into a paste, you want some texture. If you prefer you can turn half of it into a paste, but no more than that.
Mix in a bowl with the pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, and starch powder very well. Use your hand and get in there and squeeze it together. Let this mixture sit at least 15 minutes. Several hours is better up to 8 hours in the fridge.
After at least 15 minutes, get a pot of water boiling with your steam basket. At least an inch, maybe two. I suggest you wrap your lid like shown in the video to prevent water from dropping into your shumai.
For filling, wet the wrapper with water quickly and take 1 tablespoon of meat mixture and place into the middle of the wrapper. Make a circle with your hand and use that to push the filling into the wrapper. Pinch the top a bit and pleat the insides if necessary. Squeeze in the middle a little and push against the counter to flatten the bottom. Repeat this for the entire bowl. You should get 30-60 depending on how much you add into the wrappers. I got 42.
Once you're done making all the shumai, add them to your steamer, you want to fill the steamer but don't let them touch. Steam them for 10-20 minutes depending on the size you made. I checked mine after 15 minutes and they were done. You'll want to cook it until the internal temp reaches 145. (If you don't own a thermometer and you should!) cook until the inside is no longer pink.
Let cool for a few minutes before eating. Serve with soy sauce or a vinegar soy dipping sauce.
Dipping Sauce
Mix together and serve. The onions taste amazing if you let this sit in the fridge overnight however.
