Happy Hump Day

I've been frequenting the grocery stores a lot lately. For some reason, I'm fearing a horrible dreary winter that will leave me stranded in my apartment with no food. Ridiculous I know since I don't even need to leave my couch to get access to food (hello, Seamlessweb.) But I've been stocking up on canned beans, dried pasta and rice, frozen snacks and my freezer is crammed full of meat and fish. What exactly am I preparing for? A hurricane? Tornado? Another Nor'Easterner? Who knows. I'm a hoarder and fully believe it's practical to have a kitchen full of food at all times. Plus, I love that the Trader Joe lines have been significantly shorter since the new store opened in Chelsea. I go in just to buy an onion, but of course end up with frozen dumplings, baked lentil chips and a new wonderful discovery, TJ's Candy Cane Joe Joe's!

A friend of mine actually told me about these little treasures but I had forgotten to look for them until I randomly saw them. I can't wait to dunk them in a huge glass of milk (after my Lactaid, of course.)

I made it home with two bags from TJ's. Also made a stop at the wine store after seeing a short line there as well. I was starving after the gym and had an appetizer consisting of a few Bagel Bites. I felt a bit guilty not eating anything of substance so made myself some lamb loin with braised kale and onions. I experimented and created a sauce with some dates. Ideally I would have liked figs but didn't have any lying around. Turns out, it was a bad substitute. Dates have a mushy texture that just didn't go well with the lamb. Oh well. This is why I experiment when cooking for myself. It still tasted delicious overall.