Bulk buying requires plenty of meal planning
When it comes to food shopping, I generally limit the shopping
at Costco to things that are used up quickly or can be frozen. Milk
is a good deal there because two cartons cost almost the same as
one carton in the grocery store. The hamburger can be bought in
bulk, and broken up into smaller portions, then frozen in ziplock
bags. Frozen raviolis can be used for multiple meals. But when it
comes to fresh or highly perishable items, we generally stay away
from them unless we are planning to entertain a big group.
Bulk buying requires plenty of meal planning
When it comes to food shopping, I generally limit the shopping at Costco to things that are used up quickly or can be frozen. Milk is a good deal there because two cartons cost almost the same as one carton in the grocery store. The hamburger can be bought in bulk, and broken up into smaller portions, then frozen in ziplock bags. Frozen raviolis can be used for multiple meals. But when it comes to fresh or highly perishable items, we generally stay away from them unless we are planning to entertain a big group.
But every once in a while we forget how hard it can be to use up a 10-lb. bag of potatoes, a 5-lb. bag of onions or a 2-lb. bag of shredded Colby Jack cheese. We found ourselves in this predicament a few weeks ago.
I generally do the meal planning in the house, with input from my mom. After all I clip the coupons, and most weeks I pay for the groceries. We are the ones who do all the cooking so sometimes the meals are based on how late we think we might work that week. But every once in a while, I will ask my dad and sister if there is anything they’d like to have. The answer from my sister is inevitably breakfast burritos and the answer from my dad is always enchiladas and/or quesadillas.
Since we knew we would be making a few meals that required tortillas and cheese, we decided a trip to Costco was in order. Costco sells tortillas in bulk that can be cooked on the stove top. The flour tortillas taste almost homemade and they come in two packs of 24 so they can be frozen for future use for anyone who can’t make use of 48 tortillas in one sitting. While there, we also bought a bag of shredded Colby Jack cheese since the already shredded kind at the grocery store tends to be expensive, but shredding a block of cheese for three meals is time consuming.
So with that bag of cheese we made the enchiladas (see the recipe online at www.pinnaclenews.com), we made the quesadillas and the next week we made the breakfast burritos. The bag of cheese was still more than half full. We made taco salad (recipe also online at www.pinnaclenews.com) and we made chili cheese dogs. We made a frittata topped with the cheese. Eventually two-and-half weeks in, we finished off the bag on scrambled eggs.
It just goes to show that buying in bulk requires a little bit of planning ahead, but an ingredient like Colby Jack cheese can work in many dishes.
Here is a recipe where the cheese is the main ingredient.
Colby jack quesadillas
6 large flour tortillas
1 ½ c. shredded Colby Jack cheese
Shredded chicken or thinly sliced steak (optional)
Guacamole (recipe below)
Sour cream
These quesadillas can be made on the stove top or in a sandwich press. On the stove top, heat a wide skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Place one tortilla in the bottom on the pan. Spread cheese evenly across the quesadilla and put in some of the meat. Fold over with a spatula and cook on one side until the quesadilla starts to brown, about three minutes. Turn over and cook until the cheese is completely melted, about three minutes. Remove from the pan and cut into three triangles. Serve with guacamole and sour cream. Repeat with the other tortillas.
This quesadilla recipe keeps it simple, but there are plenty of ways to mix it up by adding in thinly sliced vegetables or other meats. The cheeses can even be swapped out to create something more gourmet. The Food Network Web site has more than 90 recipes for this simple dish.
Guacamole
Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown
3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.
