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Thursday, January 31, 2019

Back to Blogging: Putting the Alphabet in Soup


Thank you, all, for your kind words this past week, both here and privately to my husband or me in email. My father-in-law passed away last Thursday afternoon. It was teary -- hard to be unselfish when loved ones pass into the afterlife and leave the rest of us behind. Anyway, thank you all so much for your kindness.


I wanted to share something that I bought a couple of weeks ago, as I thought it was a terrific grocery bargain and a way to make homemade soup fun for children of all ages. So, you know that I scour the Hispanic aisles at the grocery store. I find fantastic bargains there (remember the tea cookies for 37 cents a package?). This time, I bought alphabet pasta for a whopping 38 cents a 7 oz. package at WinCo. That's just under 87 cents per pound, which while not the lowest price that I've ever paid for pasta, it was a pretty good deal considering that it kicks homemade soups up a notch when it comes to kids. When my son was small, I bought a US brand of alphabet pasta, but I recall that it was much more expensive than the Hispanic brand.


One night, during this very hectic period, I needed a quick dinner that used scratch ingredients. I made a chicken and vegetable alphabet soup, using a chicken breast, carrots, celery, some of the alphabet pasta, chicken soup base, and dried rosemary. It was delicious. Combined with tangerines and grilled cheese sandwiches, we had a complete meal 20-25 minutes after walking in the door. Due to the small size of the pasta, it cooks up very quickly -- about 6 or 7 minutes of boiling along with the chicken, vegetables, water, and seasonings. Check the Hispanic aisle in your grocery store or an ethnic market in your area. The brand is El Guapo. 


9 comments:

  1. You're right. Alphabet soup is fun for people of all ages. I love it. I'll have to pay closer attention to the Hispanic aisles in the regular grocery stores. When I look, I don't see any bargains. Most of the things there are more expensive like the rest of the international foods. I think I will have to seek out a specialty store to get the discounts. And that all seems strange because we have a large Hispanic population here.

    I'm sorry to hear that your father-in-law has passed. I looked him up and he was quite an accomplished man and touched many lives during his lifetime. He sounds like he was a special man.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind words, live and learn. They're very appreciated.

      My thinking is there must be an ethnic market nearby, or a grocery store that caters more to the Hispanic population in your area. Our local WinCo seems to carry a lot of Hispanic items, more so than other chain stores in my area. And that is the store where I have found the greatest selection as well as best prices on items made in Mexico.

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  2. Praying for comfort for you and yours during this time.

    The pasta looks fun! I'll have to check that out in our Hispanic store section. I don't recall seeing pasta there, but then again, I've never looked! It's definitely been soup weather in my neck of the woods--today is the 6th day my kids have been home from school due to bad weather (snow, polar vortex .... )!

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    1. Thank you, Kris.

      The weather in your area sounds unbelievable. I hope you all are staying warm and enjoying some cozy times. Have you needed to go out much (work)? Take care when on slick roads.

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    2. Actually, it was kind of a treat to stay home for the week--mail service was suspended for a few days and many businesses closed. (I've never known that to happen out here). At this time of year, I wait till the day prior to offer to work, and this past week, I didn't offer at all due to the weather and the length of my commute. Good thing, too, since the highway between my house and my employer was completely closed both directions one day due to accidents. I'd rather be at home not earning money than sitting in my car (or worse, in the ditch) not earning money!

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  3. Lili,
    Sending my sympathy to you and your family. You're in my prayers.
    Jo Ann

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