I would need a manhattan after all that food shopping!

....ooh. I kinda want to open a bottle of wine. But then I have the whole "but I'm drinking ALONE!" problem. Plus the "can't drink a whole bottle alone (and still get up in the morning)". Maybe I'll go get some beer.

I drink alone all the damned time. It's one or the beauties of being an adult. Go right ahead and open it, meara.

I think you should open it. However, you should also invest in one of those vacuum pumpy things when you get a chance. They're awesome for making you feel like you don't have to drink the whole bottle.

Alternatively, you should consider picking up some Black Box boxed wines if you can find a liquor store that stocks them. I know, I know, boxed wine. But trust me, this is really quite good stuff! It's part of a new trend toward not-incredibly-shitty boxed wines. It's not the $40+ bottles of wines I came home with from Napa, but it's way better than most sub-$15 bottles. I especially like the Merlot, but everything I've had from them has been quite nice, for the price equivalent of about $5 a bottle. And you can easily drink just one or two glasses without worrying about the rest going bad! There's a similar brand called Bota Box that's also good, though I always go back to the Black Box.

When Meg isn't pregnant, we keep one or two of the boxes around all the time. When I'm drinking alone I tend to drink beer and whiskey more, so we're on a break, but the fact that my local liquor store has the entire line of Black Box has me excited for the future.

Huh--I've seen those, Gris, but always thought "I can't drink ONE bottle, much less FOUR!" I didn't realize it stayed good for quite so long.

I think I'm going to eventually get myself off the couch, clean out the fridge (I should've done that BEFORE vacation, oops) and then walk over to Trader Joe's or the co-op and get some beer (...I think TJ's doesn't have any cold beer).

Have a glass or two, cork it. You can drink the rest this weekend, or use it in red sauce or pot roast in the next couple of months.

I had a package of Butter Chicken paste hiding in the back of the pantry, basmati rise (DAMN, a cup makes a lot!) some frozen chicken breast under the aquavit we never drink in the freezer. SCORE, good poverty dinner!

I think I'll get a bag of cheap stir-fry veg tomorrow and make that with the leftover rice, and maybe I can get a 1/2 pound of cheap beef strips. I have sesame-ginger marinade in the fridge.

I didn't realize it stayed good for quite so long.

They'll stay good for at least a month, with very little noticeable change in quality. In theory, no air every gets inside the baggy, though clearly theory and reality are slightly different. And the nice thing is they very rarely last that long, because just having them there means you can convince yourself to have "just one glass" pretty much whenever. I drink a lot while cooking...

I think TJ's doesn't have any cold beer

Mine certainly doesn't. I love a few of their beers, though. The dark one, especially. Something Dog?

Poverty/Pantry dinners are the best, Erin. We try to do them at least once every 2 weeks.

Well, I did go to TJ's (yay I love it being a block away) and now, since there was no cold beer, beer is chilling in my fridge and I'm drinking watermelon juice. Um. Sorta similar? OK, not.

Hi Gris! I kind of love being able to picture every store you mentioned above. Yay local Buffistas!

Yay!