I don't drive all that much, so rising gas prices - while a shocker - aren't outright killing me. However, I do eat all that much, and YOWZA am I getting socked at the grocery checkout! I'll admit, morel mushrooms and fresh fish are never bargains, but man, just the usual fruits, veggies, bread, and dairy are really adding up. Ouch! I obv didn't live through WWII, and we're hardly experiencing WWII levels of deprivation, but if you're looking for a little scrimping inspiration - not to mention one of the best food books/writers ever - check out MFK Fisher's How to Cook a Wolf. What a book, in fact, just thinking about it makes me want to reread it immediately. She makes even a tin of bouillon sound utterly sublime. Read all of her books - I started with the The Gastronomical Me and it changed me forever (seriously - Consider the Oyster, Serve it Forth - it's all fabulous, whether you love food or not, what a writer). And talk about sensual... Rarrr, rarrr, roar...!

Luckily, I completely enjoy some of the less expensive (yet more flavorful) cuts of meat - tonight, for instance, I braised beef short ribs, which John and I ate alongside my version of thin pasta with spring vegetables (artichokes, fava beans, morels), with pan juices from the short ribs spooned over the lot. With a nice Pinot Noir to sip alongside, it was quite lovely and suddenly, look at that, it's bedtime. Good night!

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly. - MFK Fisher