Kelie and are spent yesterday trying to come up with a list of what to make for her daughter Samantha, who is away at college and has a daily diet of pasta and sauce. I mean, we came up with a list of what Samantha could make–all by herself.

We started with what Samantha likes; now is not the time to ask her to try new foods–maybe later. She likes carrots, peas, sausage, salad as long as it has a lot of stuff in it, pasta, eggs and cheese. She doesn’t like soup, broccoli, potatoes, rice or spinach. Kelie was worried that if we asked her to cook something that started with having to cook a raw piece of meat, we might lose her.

The hardest part at the grocery store: I LOVE SOUP. I make soup all the time–it was like trying to keep Frik from Frak or a chicken from the corn not to go for the soup ingredients. I had to stay focused on the fact that just because I like something, doesn’t mean somebody else is going to like it. (I have to tell you anyways though–we bought a great big bag of carrots and of course as soon as filming was over, I made soup with them. And it was delicious. And one day, I am going to make the soup for Samantha, just to see if maybe she might possibly like it because I just know she will if she tastes it. People change, their tastes change and carrots are so good for you and soup is so soothing, and just a little bit can make you feel so much better. (2 shallots diced, 1 small yukon gold potato, 4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced thickly, 1 leek if you have it, 1 sprig of rosemary, 1 sprig of parsley and 1 big clove of garlic. Saute potato, shallot and leek with a whole pepperoncino or a few red pepper flakes, the herbs and garlic (herbs and garlic uncut.) Saute until lightly caramelized with a pinch of kosher salt and a grind of pepper. Add liquid that you have saved from another day of cooking potatoes or carrots–or just plain water, just to come to the top. Cover and simmer til all is tender. Remove rosemary and parsley. Blend with an immersion blender and taste for salt and pepper. Serve with a butttery crouton and if you have the hankering, a spill of heavy cream or a dallop of mascarpone.)

But, we didn’t make that.

We bought: fully cooked turkey sausages with red and green peppers (inside the sausage), baby romaine lettuce, an avocado, sharp cheddar cheese, tortillas, shallots, garlic, an apple, and the bag of carrots. We spent $25 and it was a good, but pricey grocery store. I had on hand at home: frozen peas, olive oil, and a little parmesan. At a regular grocery store we could have gotten all of that and stayed under the $25 mark.

What we came up with:

STAY TUNED!!! In a few days you can see for yourself on Dinner Confidential