Store Envy

I am in Canada until tomorrow. I've been here since Sunday night. As usual, I made the rounds on my favorite things to eat:

Cracker Barrel Macaroni and Cheese - Jen and Miko picked it up as take-out before they picked me up at the airport because I got in too late to make it there before closing. We don't have this restaurant in Canada, but there is one near the Buffalo Airport. Now that I have Jen hooked on the mac and cheese, she nevers balks about picking me up at the airport. We got one order of meatloaf (that nobody wanted but we needed something for the entree), with three sides - of course, all three sides were macaroni and cheese! We each had a generous feast when we got home from the airport. If anyone knows how to make that macaroni and cheese, please tell me - there are no copy-cat recipes on the internet that even come close. I know this because I made one recipe that swore it was close. It wasn't.

Swiss Chalet Chicken Dinner - white breast of chicken, nice crunchy skin on the wing so I ate it. Great french fries that I doused in vinegar, and a nice soft dinner roll. With butter. Miguel's favorite meal when he's here.

Miko's steak and baked potato dinner - oh, how I love a soft baked potato loaded with melted butter and sour cream. And the steak - so tender. Delicious!

Mimi's Pasta - see yesterday's blog.

Kim's prime rib - my sister decided to cook for me when I visited on the way home from Toronto. I rarely eat prime rib, but she did it in her Baby George roticeri, and it was delicious. Add garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli and it was a great meal.

McDonald's Crispy Ranch Chicken Wrap - sorry, I happen to really like them and we don't have them in Mexico. A side of fries and a root beer too, of course.

Joe Feta's Chicken Pita - I love Greek food, and this is the best we have here, in my opinion. I love pita bread, and the side greek salad, and greek potatoes, are wonderful. Garlic bread too!

Coffee Crisp chocolate bar and Smarties - yum!

I missed the Capri restaurant for my Italian food fix, but Mimi more than made up for it, and since it doesn't look like the Capri is coming back, I guess I have to get over it. But man, what a loss - it really was the best we had in Niagara Falls, for a lot of things - ravioli, fettucini, lasagna, beef or chicken cacciatore, etc. I will keep checking though - I am hoping they open up in a new location one of these days.

And then I shopped at the usual favorites:

Dollarama - I love some of the stuff they have in this store. I can't go in and not buy something. This time it was colorful bowls along with some kitchen utensils and a set of silverware. And a box of Smarties (yes, they are better than M&M's). Bunch of other stuff too...

Canadian Tire - not just tires. An all-round great store with good prices. This time I needed some bedside lamps, and I found a couple with collapsed shades so they'll pack up nicely in my suitcase. I passed a lot of other stuff I would have loved to buy - patio furniture, and a wicker dresser that would have looked great in the new studio. I am so envious of the patio furniture, there just isn't anything that compares to selection and price that I've found in Cancun.

Walmart - to tie up the loose ends of those little things I need that I couldn't find anywhere else. A body pillow case - they just had one, out of the package - but marked at $2, and the color will work for Capi's Apartment. A couple small pictures to put on the wall over the bed in Luna's Studio - possibly a little lively but better than a blank wall, I think.

The other day we went through the new Walmart on the other side of town. It now sells groceries too, and I just drool at the selection of fresh produce, bakery goods, deli items, and meat. And all the aisles loaded with tons of other stuff. I like selection!!

The stores here are clean, they are not packed with people, and they have lots of stuff I like to buy. I have my car, I can drive wherever I want. This is the one thing I miss in Mexico. It's not enough to make me want to live here again. But I am envious.