Cook like you're out of town

I like to rent and/or borrow homes while on vacation, and I've noticed that--on average--I eat better/prepare better meals while on the road than at home.

My house always has a well-stocked kitchen, but along with raw ingredients, that often means that there's a lot of snack food/junk food/prepared food. It makes it very easy to eat stuff that's convenient, but not thoughtfully prepared. (For example, breakfast is often a flavored yogurt. Lunch may be a Lean Cuisine or frozen chicken thrown in a bowl over rice and broccoli with a bottled sauce and nuked 'til hot.)

I'm spending this week at my family's place in N. Michigan. No one's been here for a couple weeks, so shortly after arriving, I did the rounds of grocery shopping. Now, part of the pleasure of being someplace where I don't spend a lot of time--I want to stock up on favorites I can't get regularly. So I bought bacon and Canadian bacon from my favorite meat shop (Plath's). I bought bread and "homemade" granola from Breadworks. Strawberries and cherries are in season, so I picked up some of those from the farmstand.

Breakfast most days: Yogurt over sliced strawberries with a handful of granola on top. Lunch today: A Canadian bacon sandwich on fresh sourdough. Dinner last night wasn't particularly local (Copper River salmon and Florida corn on the cob) but was delicious.

(As I was making breakfast today, I thought to myself, "I need to throw out everything in my fridge/pantry when I get home and start over on a more pared-down level." And as I was typing this post, I started to have a sense of deja vu. I guess I need to do a better job of practicing what I preach!)

Hi,

Not really sure where to put this tidbit, though maybe this thread might do.

I was reading Toby Sonneman's blog when I saw a blog titled road trip kitchen. It is a discussion of a few things brought from home to allow one to dine in a motel room. For years, I kept an airline bag with plates, utensils, cups and other stuff for impromptu picnics when traveling. I see a few ideas in this blog to borrow for the future.

***

chgoeditor,

Your old post about eating what you have already in your home has ticked in my mind many a time. If I am cooking something and there is an urge to go to the store for an ingredient, I remember your thread and make do. Sometimes it means I am making something I had not originally planned. Yet, I have eliminated another product from the shelf, fridge or freezer, I should have used long before. I have also used the 30+ minute round trip time better, and likely saved by not making purchases of other stuff, by just staying put.

You never know how these great thoughts posted here drill into other people's minds. Thank you!

Regards,

New York Times also just published an article about minimalist vacation cooking.