Why Fresh Direct Why???????

If you are not a New Yorker, you may not know of the amazingness that is Fresh Direct. It is an online grocery store that carries everything that your heart could want with a great variety of organic and local selections. It delivers when you want it to and even offers recipes that allows you to place all the ingredients in your cart. It has saved my life. 

In New York, if you want to go grocery shopping, you basically have to go to three different stores and you still may not find everything you need which can be insanely frustrating when you have a recipe you want to follow. Even worse, if you live borough and you want to eat organic, you end up being overcharged in the most ridiculous way. These little organic bottegas, are more expensive than Whole Foods at least in Bushwick. Sometimes you have to get real serious and do a Manhattan grocery shopping run which leads to lugging bags through crowded subways and you are really limited to what you can carry. One year I was buying the fixings for Thanksgiving and ended up with ten grocery bags. Luckily, I had Mark but he was not happy shlepping all those grocery bags for blocks and blocks. Sometimes you just have to chip in for the extra expense of a taxi which is another $25 on top of your bill. 

A good amount of people roll with the granny cart. It is rocked by many young and old throughout NYC.  I'll bet you won't find one of these in an episode of Sex and the City.

 When I lived in Queens, we purchased a granny cart, but excepting strenuous occasions it rarely made an appearance. I guess I'm still too much of a Chicago girl to roll like that. Only old ladies do that in Chicago. I may have been getting grays, but I wasn't old yet. Instead, I suffered and tried not to complain because Mark could not understand my vanity over the granny cart. Call me suburban, but there is nothing like driving to the grocery store, placing your goods in your trunk, and unloading from your trunk into your house with a parking spot right in front. If this is your situation, enjoy it. You are blessed!

When we moved to Brooklyn, I kicked that granny cart to the curb. We were finally living in an area that Fresh Direct delivered to which was strange, because we had only lived one neighborhood over from its distribution center in Queens. But I wasn't about to look that gift horse in the mouth, I just enjoyed the ease of ordering doubles of orange juice, milk, quarts of chicken broth, and other heavy things that previously made grocery shopping a day's mission.

So, anyway, every time I turn around I've been getting an email from Fresh Direct to buy my Thanksgiving Meal from them (they cater as well) and although I say to them in my head "thank you very much, but no", they have given seed to an idea. For the last five years, I have been making Thanksgiving dinner and every year, at this time of year, I have found madness at the grocery store. Women fighting over pumpkin pie mix, stuffing boxes on the ground, and no cranberries to be found. This year I want no part of that. I thought I could order all of my fixings in advance and beat the crowd. No going to multiple shops for me this year--no way. I spend a good hour filling my cart with everything I need. Staying price conscious as I go, since Mark's Mom and mine are here for the whole weekend and we plan on taking them out. Keeping it economical. At the end though, I find that an economical thanksgiving is still $200 and I can't even arrange for it to be delivered in advance! I am so disappointed although a little voice inside of me is saying "that's what you get for thinking you were so clever!"

I suppose I could get everything delivered this week, but I have a ton of fresh foods that could soil. I have no choice but to fight it out like a maniac. Last year so many things were sold out even on Fresh Direct. So my only plan of action is to leave my items in the online cart and stalk Fresh Direct everyday until I can make a 11/23 or 11/24 delivery. This is how crazy I am. However, any cook would understand that Thanksgiving is my time to throw down. This is my superbowl. I even have a game plan.

Appetizer:
Feta Marina Dip with French Bread

Drinks:
Pomegranate Sangria
Apple Cider with Brandy


Entree:
A Farm Roasted Rosemary Turkey with homemade Gravy
Homemade Herb Stuffing (no box for me!)
Honey Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole 
Apple Cranberry Sauce (no can here either)
Warm Rolls with Maple butter

Dessert:
Homemade Pumpkin Pie 

My Mom is also going to add a little Filipino flavor and make her famous Lumpia (Filipino eggrolls).  I can't wait to eat. Cross your fingers that I'll get everything. Drat that Fresh Direct for thwarting my plans! Eight days until Thanksgiving. xoxohappy nibbling!