Bread...And Stuff

I go grocery shopping every week - sometimes twice a week so fruits and vegetables are fresh. But, I have to admit to you that I have a sweet tooth - I love good cookies. You know the ones - baked on-site and put in those clear plastic boxes. The oatmeal raisin with a hint of cinnamon are so good! But, $4.00 or $5.00 for two dozen cookies is way out of my price range. Or, so I thought until I found the day old rack.

The day old rack has all kinds of bread, cookies, pastries and other baked goods that are about ready to go beyond the freshness date. And, the deals you can find there are wonderful - somewhere between 40% and 66% off - and even more. Those oatmeal cookies I like so much cost $1.26 instead of almost $5.00. Bread is marked down 66%, sometimes. I have learned to look at the day old rack.

I have also learned that some days of the week are better than others for baked goods on the day old rack. Mondays are good because what didn't sell over the weekend is on the rack. Thursdays are pretty good, too, at least where I shop. I try to get all of my baked goods off of the rack and always feel a bit of triumph when I do.

The amazing thing is that I can find them at all. With unemployment so high people should be looking for deals, and I have the rack to myself most days. So, let's just keep this between us, shall we?

Storage: put the day old stuff in the refrigerator. The cold temperature keeps it from going bad before you can use it - like up to two weeks, and longer. At least I have never had a problem if I put them there. And, you can freeze the bread.

Note: If you buy donuts, keep them at room temperature. Yes, they will go stale, so you have to eat them in two or three days. Then, again, a stale donut is better than no donut at all, right?

Again, don't tell everyone about the day old rack or I might never be able to find those good cookies again.