Friday Night Date

Friday night is our "Date Night" - My sisters know it is pointless to call because we won't be home - my girlfriends know that I'm not available on Friday's for a "girls night out" -

We go out to dinner - Panda Palace for Chinese (although we've been trying out a new place in Ferndale that is almost as good but has MUCH EASIER parking) - El Nopal for Mexican, Billy McHales for burgers and steaks - and here's a picture of one of our favorite spots - The Hilltop - used to be an itty bitty breakfast & lunch place by the side of the road, but the road got wider and the restaurant had to go - so they built back off the road - a really nice new place - homestyle food - they are open for dinner now - and they do a bit of catering - The Shepherd can order liver there (blecht) and I don't have to cook it - they make a mean Ruben sandwich and do a great job on burgers, steaks and taco salads -

We have dinner and go over plans for the weekend and plan our menu for the next week - putting together the rest of the grocery list that we started at home.

Then we go to Haggen's and get groceries for the week. For fourteen years we shopped at another local grocery chain (that shall remain nameless) - but I just got fed up with the c**p that they had for produce and when they changed their house brands to some cheap off brand stuff, I decided to do a little cost comparison - (They also started to carry the type of bread that The Shcpherd likes) I had just assumed that they were more expensive than this other chain because their quality is so much higher - but you know what - as long as I keep to my list - which almost always has the same things on it - and keep out of their marvelous deli and specialty items - our grocery bill has been running the same or maybe even a little less. And their produce is just the BEST. They have 30 some stores in Washington and Oregon under the Haggen & Top Foods names.

The other nice thing is that we can go into the Top Foods in Olympia or Yakima on the way to my sister's or stop at the one in Wenatchee when we go over to the Ranch - and know that we're going to find the same brands and quality that we get at our home store. It takes so little to keep me happy...Ain't life grand.