Simple Things Make Me Happy...

[landk]

A new store opened in my area not long ago. I decided to go there and I was like a kid in a candy shop. It's not a big shop but oh boy did they have some great stuff. It's an Italian Shop with fresh meats, cheeses, homemade pasta, bread, etc. I brought a cooler with me and I got some great stuff. He let me sample almost everything in his counter and it was all delicious. I came home with the best prosciutto, salame, fontina cheese, pepperoni, roasted red and yellow peppers, etc.

I made the best lasagna dish with that fontina cheese! They provided all the ice for me for my cooler and gave such great customer service which I love. You don't get that at the local grocery store.

I will be going back. I also stopped by the farmers market that was close by their store and picked up a huge cantaloupe (among many other things) and it was the best. It tasted so good along with the prosciutto.

[dcollier]

How lucky you are! My husband and I left Dallas seven years ago to live in the woods in the mountains of northwest Arkansas. We LOVE it here, but the major drawback is and always has been shopping -- specifically grocery shopping. We "mail order" almost everything else. When we go to the "big city" every two or three months, I ALWAYS go to a large gourmet-type grocery store. Reading everything you bought made my mouth water!

Denise

[dreamer]

Yes, it sounded SO FUN! (And your results, delicious.)
It must've been hard to avoid buying more than you could actually use-sounded like so much looked terrific. Guess you're in a good area, to have a shop like that!

[DeeK]

I saw a sign over a new business in Oviedo --- COMING SOON gourmet meats, cheeses, wines, beer.......

There is HOPE!!!! (Can you tell we are good grocery impaired around here???) LOL

[CathyT]

What you bought sounds heavenly, and what you made, delicious! I live in the Los Angeles area and I know there are stores like that somewhere in the city, but I've yet to find one convenient to where I live (and with a 4-month-old, I'm not up to driving very far). Mario Batali is supposed to be opening a salumi-type restaurant with Nancy Silverman (formerly of Campanile) but I haven't heard anything about it recently.

If there's a Trader Joe's near where you live, they have an interesting beef prosciutto that comes vacuum packed. It's thinly sliced and cured beef, and it's quite low in calories and fat (90 calories for 2 ounces; I can't remember how much fat). I wouldn't call it "gourmet," but it's yummy on sandwiches, in salad, or by itself.

Mmmm. I think I'm going to have some salami and cheese now. Nothing near as good as what you described, but it'll have to do.

Cathy
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