Store wars: Here’s the hot scoop!

I don’t often ask my husband Jerry to shop for me. When I go shopping, I buy items that we actually need. Jerry, on the other hand, buys whatever is on sale, whether we need it or not.

At, first, since he just moved from Teaneck to Woodmere, I figured maybe they didn’t have sales as often in New Jersey, so he was used to stocking up. When he would come home with eight jars of pasta sauce, five containers of orange juice and six boxes of cereal, I would explain that within a week it would be on sale again in one of the three big supermarkets in the Five Towns. Either i didn’t make myself clear or he just loved shopping and storing up for a famine.

Then each time we would visit his mom, a”h, I noticed her pantry was packed with enough food for a family of 10, although she lived alone. She explained that when coffee was on sale, she would buy as many jars as she could carry. (I inherited the Nescafe Classic, all 15 jars; if I appear a little hyper at times, you’ll know why.) The same for cereal, orange juice, etc. When I came across an item I knew she didn’t eat, she would say, “It was such a great price, how could I leave it there?” Inevitably, that particular item would end up in our car when we left. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, and talking about apples there were never less than 20 pounds of apples in her refrigerator. And tomatoes — don’t get me started on tomatoes.

Normally, it’s the women who like to browse and shop, and the men who are on a mission. They walk into a store, find their targeted item and they’re out. I once read somewhere, that when it comes to shopping, women are from Nordstrom’s and men are from Sears, but Jerry doesn’t fit the mold. His inner primordial instincts are activated whenever he enters a store or online shopping site. He transforms into a Neanderthal man, hunting for game on the Serengeti. Anything edible or wearable at a good price catches his eye. Needless to say, it isn’t often that I ask him to pick anything up for me. Last time was the 6th day of Pesach. I was sure I had enough matzoh for the last two days, but just in case I asked him to pick up an extra pound for me. He came back with five pounds. But of course he did — it was on sale. Why? Because no one wanted it, except for Jerry.

If anyone even hints that they like something, it’s a sure bet Jerry brings home a year’s supply. Jordana mentioned that she liked mango orange juice; two months later we were drowning in it. Next up were mini chocolate bars. He would buy multiple family size bags at a time. He could easily go through one at a sitting. The next time he brought home half a dozen such bags I hid three under the sink thinking I was clever.

One day, when my daughter and I were in the kitchen, and I was looking for the chocolates, she told me to check under the sink. I said “Nah, there are no more left. I checked the other day; I probably put the last bag in the snack drawer for Jerry.” She replied, “I was in the kitchen when he came home yesterday; Jerry put them under the sink because he knew they would end up there anyway.” Hmmm, I taught him well, he outsmarted me!

You might want to try breaking up those chocolate crunch bars into your ice cream. Jerry is addicted to it!

Ice cream? Can’t decide which flavor? No worries, there are always at least four flavors in our freezer. And if it’s on sale there might be six flavors.

Actually right now we have eight containers so this week, I will be sharing an ice cream recipe. Hope you enjoy!

Fried Ice Cream Balls

Ingredients:

1 1/2 quarts vanilla ice cream (I think vanilla works best, but you can choose another flavor if you prefer)

4 1/2 cups of crushed sugar coated Corn Flakes

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 eggs beaten

1 cup all purpose flour

8 cups canola oil for frying (Most will not be absorbed, but don’t weigh yourselves for a few days in either case.)

Directions:

Scoop the ice cream into balls, approximately 4 ounces each, and make them as evenly rounded as you can.

Place them on a pan and freeze at least 2 hours so they are frozen solid.

Add the cinnamon to the crushed corn flake crumbs. Roll the frozen ice cream balls in the flour (this will give the balls more body). Roll the balls in the egg mixture and then in the corn flake crumbs till evenly coated.

Again, place the ice cream balls on the pan and freeze for 3-4 hours.

Pour the oil into a deep fryer or saucepan. Make sure temperature reaches 365 degrees.

Place one ball at a time into a basket (I use the ones that are expandable, same as for steaming veggies) Fry each ball for 12-16 seconds, until lightly golden. Drain immediately on paper towels and serve.

This is a dessert that is best served right after it’s made.

judy.soiree@gmail.com