So last weekend we finally got a freezer!  And then Milo asked “OK, we now that we have a freezer…what do we put in it?” Good question, considering we have lived over two years without a freezer. We aren’t used to shopping for frozen things, unless we plan to eat them within a day. I have been plotting to get a freezer since last spring, because my big plan was to have a prolific basil garden, make lots of pesto in the summer, and freeze it to use in the winter. Unfortunately my basil plants did great for the first few weeks and then wimped out. My other big plan was to make freezer jam from the amazing strawberries that we were going to pick in June. That was foiled by the E.Coli outbreak which pretty much discouraged any fresh fruit or veg for several months last summer.

So now with a freezer in the kitchen, we decided to go shopping. We went to a wholesale Mediterranean grocer in Cologne with a nice selection of fish, meat, and cheese. We got some huge shrimps from the fish monger, and some awesome pecorino, chevre, and hard provolone (which we obviously did not freeze). I also just have to say, I had the best espresso macchiato I have ever tasted- served in a dixie cup and complementary because we were shopping (I suspect the fish mongers brother was the barrista). Milo froze half the olive ciabbatta, which turned out to be awesome, because one night we were just too tired to cook. We heated up some gigantes (beans) and toasted up the ciabatta for a quick little bite which made me so happy 1) because it was delicious and 2) because we used the freezer! woohoo for new appliances!

Fish sticks here we come! (just kidding…probably)

Note to self: Mare Atlantico Delikatessen, Marktstrasse 10, Cologne