I find myself less and less often going to the big time grocery store
concern (Schnucks, formerly Albertson's; Kroger). I'm more often shopping
at what would be called a convenience store a mile down the road. I can ask
the manager there to stock things for me and he does. That's so cool! He
just ordered some Stouffer's spinach souffle for me.

For meats I do find myself going to a meat market. Unfortunately there
isn't a great fish market nearby so I have to rely on the grocery store for
that, but they have decent (for an inland state) fish selections. I rarely
eat chicken anymore; I prefer cornish game hens if I do eat poultry and yes,
I buy those at the grocery store.

This little store has a decent stock of fresh produce, too. (For the items
I can't find there I go to the vegetable market.) They do always have great
cabbage and fresh (in season) from Ripley, TN tomatoes.

Austrian Tomato Soup
from Austrian Cooking & Baking, circa 1951, by Gretel Baer
(book sent to me by Margaret Suran)

2 lbs. tomatoes
1 onion
2 carrots
small piece celaeric
3 oz. butter
a little lemon juice
sugar to taste
2 oz. cooked rice
grated lemon rind
bay leaf
salt & pepper

Wash tomatoes; cut into halves. Scrape carrots; slice. Cut onion finely.
Melt butter; fry onion until golden brown. Sprinkle with flour; fry
lightly. Add halved tomatoes, carrots, celaeric, bay leaf, lemon rind and
salt & pepper. Cover well with water and simmer until vegetables are
tender. Pass through a sieve [into another cooking pot]. Add sugar and
lemon juice. Do not be afraid of adding a generous amount of sugar - about
3 tablespoons - tomato soup should have a distinctly sweet flavour.

Place the cooked rice in the center of each soup bowl. Pour hot tomato soup
over it and serve.

Talk about great with grilled cheese sandwiches!!

Jill