Frugal Kitchens 101 - Nix Take-out Containers for Restaurant Doggie Bags

Restaurant portion sizes are often too large resulting in not being able to finish the full meal.  Most restaurants will package the left over food in styrofoam clamshell take-out  containers.  Compounding the problem is some restaurants put these containers into plastic bags for easy carry-out.  We try to eliminate these types of containers as much as possible in our quest to make our frugal kitchen eco-friendly.  Our recyclers won't take the containers so they end up being sent to the landfill.  The second problem with these clamshell containers is they don't seal tightly allowing foods to deteriorate quickly if not used the following day resulting in food spoilage.  Not bringing home the unfinished meal is wasteful of both food and money.  Today's Frugal Kitchens 101 discusses how I solved the restaurant doggie bag problem.

What I have noticed is many restaurants have resorted to bringing out the container for you to put your leftover in rather than take the plate to fill the container themselves.  That sparked an idea that works quite nicely.  I carry the following with me in the car so they are handy if we decide to stop to eat where we know there will be leftovers:

• three  plastic Rubermaid® Lock-its (1 - 5 c container, 2 - 3 c containers) - The 5 c size is perfect for holding the two halves of the huge burger we enjoy from our favourite pub.  The 3 c size is perfect for the majority of any other leftovers like spaghetti.  I carry the appropriate container into the restaurant in my purse.   Plastic is best for this purpose as well as a secured lid.  So far I have not had a problem doing this.  I think what helps is when the waitress asks if we would like a take-out container I tell them we avoiding disposable containers so brought our own container.

I don't bring containers in if eating at a buffet style restaurant or all you can eat dinner.  Generally doggie bags are not offered at either however, portion control is considerably easier as you can take only what you will eat. 

How It's Made - Lettuce in January

The grocery stores are filled with an abundance of fresh produce year round.  A good portion of that produce is not locally grown but rather shipped in from other locations like Yuma, Arizona.  The reason being that in northern areas with short growing seasons and cold winters it is virtually impossible to grow certain fruits and vegetables.  Large commercial greenhouse operations have been quite popular in Southern Ontario with their numbers growing each year but even those are not enough to meet the demands of consumers.  The average food travels 1,500 miles from farmer to your table spanning five or more days in transit.  Here is a good video showing how lettuce gets to the grocery store during those cold winter months.

Bon Appétit!

Garden Gnome

Frozen Concoction Maker

My apologies for not posting earlier today.  I suffered an injury a week ago that has kept me off my feet which is rather annoying when it comes to cooking.  I have to tell you this is when a well stocked pantry comes in handy!  So with lack of cooking blog fodder I was browsing through my photos looking for a foodie picture to blog about for today.  Here it is :)

A couple of years ago we went to Key West much to the delight of my husband who is a huge Jimmy Buffet fan.  We've seen him in concert and eaten at his restaurant, Margaritaville.  My husband has been talking ever since of getting the Margaritaville blender.  There are a couple of models available.  Our kids very generously gifted us with the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker (Model DM0500 Series) for Christmas.  It came with one shot glass.  They also gifted us with the lemon/lime serving tray complete with cutting board and shot glass. 

This is one extremely heavy duty machine.  It is too tall when assembled to sit on the counter as it will not fit under the cabinets and it is too heavy to move around.  We have not tried the blender yet but you can bet the first drink out will be a margarita.  I can't wait for fresh local strawberries and other fruits to put this blender through the paces.  Sitting on the dock watching boats go by sipping on a lovely frozen drink...life doesn't get much better!

A&W

Come with me down a trip of memory lane.  Eons ago much to my Mom's dismay I got a job one town over for the summer.  Now Mom saw things as being my responsibility was to get straight A's and I did but I begged for this jog.  I'm not kidding, I seriously begged to work at A & W.  My first night there I met the most amazing guy with the most gorgeous smile I had ever seen,  It was love at first sight.  Neither of us were 18 (age of consent) but we were so in love!   I still love that guy I first saw with the big toothy smile that lights up his face after all these years!  Oh my gosh, what a ride it has been in over 30 years of marital bliss :)

The A &W we met at wasn't quite as modern as this one but this is the one we go to about twice a year when going to the movies.  Back in our day we had the autowaiter so folks pulled up and gave their oder then us waitresses would take the order out to their car.  My Mom hated the whole idea but I loved it. 

At that time my two best friends for ever were guys.  It's funny but I have always been able to relate better to guys than gals.  Anyway onto the scene came the guy I really became smitten with.  Much to the dismay of his parents and my Mom we wed less than a year after meeting.

We are not fast food people but A&W holds a special place in our hearts.  Our best friends worked at A&W with us.  He was a manager and oh my gosh the trouble we put him through!  I can still remember the look on his face when my now husband had 28 patties on the grill with not a car in the lot.  True to form too my husband ate all 28 patties.  It is still a well talked about time of our lives.  Our best friends are still our best friends and you know what, sometimes somethings just don't change!

Gone are the days of ordering in your car via the autowaiter and food delivered to your car on a tray that clipped onto the window.  That's a pity because it is another sign of our childhood gone.  And let me tell you it was a fun time! 

If you are going to A&W the very first thing you need is their root beer served in frosty mugs.  Back in the day nicking a mug was the norm but we've grown up since then.  You can buy the glass mugs just by asking.  The current attraction A&W is offering is the oldies cruise usually on Friday nights.  This really is the place to go if you waant to see the older cars mainly from the 50's and 60's while enjoying good food.

My husband's burger of choice has tamed a bit from his 28 pattie we don't know what to call it burger.  He always orders a Grandpa burger and a mocha milkshake.  Eighteen patties is is not but you know what that isn't such a bad thing given our ages.  It is still a nice looking burger with 3 patties, cheese and bacon.  Toppings include a choice of mayo, ketchup, mustard and relish. 

We really miss the old A&W with the autowaiters.  Perhaps that was part of the charm that just can't be captured sitting in the restaurant.  The food is still good with pretty much the same menu from yesteryear.  Speaking of which it has been years since I've had their fried chicken.  It was always tastier than KFC.  I'll have to remember to get the chicken the next time we visit.