I have many things that I love to do during the week. Going on Facebook, reading, watching Food Network and HGTV, talking on the phone, playing with the dog and hanging out with Hubby and driving in Lucy (my Ford Escape) but there is one thing I love to do that has become a bit of an addiction. I call it an addiction because it isn’t always a good thing. We live in Northern Virginia, in a wonderful community and neighborhood. We chose to build our house here because of those two things and are very pleased with it all for the most part. One of the things that is in our community is Wegmans Grocery Store. That has become my addiction!
After living in Okinawa from May 2005 till May 2009 and having to rely on the base commissary or the alien yet cool Japanese grocery stores out in town for food and supplies, Wegmans is just heaven and it’s only two miles from home. I get tempted to go almost daily and buy (that’s the problem, you have to buy things to get them out of the store!) fresh bread, soups, pasta sauces, anything from the Market Place (prepared meals), fruit, olives from the extensive olive bar and many other beautifully displayed items for our new kitchen. I can’t even get into the HUGE wine section that takes up a quarter of the store!
Friends of mine in Okinawa would cry about missing stores like Target and Walmart. Bookstores and shoe stores. I found that shopping online from these types of stores really eased the need for shopping in person while living in Oki but I always missed nice grocery stores. In 2006 I visited my relatives in Kirkland/Redmond Washington and one of my aunts took me to the flagship store for Whole Foods. Well we walked in the double sliding doors and I just about cried. Actually, my eyes did well up! The store was gorgeous and the selection was so extensive that I got depressed thinking about the small amount of pasta sauce choices (I know I can always make my own) that was waiting for me back at the commissary in Okinawa. The produce section seemed to glow and the prepared foods and deli departments were calling to me. Aunt Jamie asked me to select some dishes for dinner that evening and I remember having the largest, most delicious couscous that day.
I think Wegmans is the average checkbook holders Whole Foods really. Their store name products are awesome and fill my pantry. I am eating their arrabiata sauce on angel hair pasta for lunch right now and enjoying every spicy bite. Dinner tonight will be a beef stew from Martha Stewart’s website and, oh darn, I have to (yes, MUST) go to Wegmans when I’m done eating lunch and typing this post to get some fresh chibatta bread to dredge through the stew tonight.
What are you making for dinner tonight?
Planet Books 
Their chocolate dome is TO DIE FOR!!!!!!! Their fruit tart is divine and their pretzel roll (bagel that looks like a pretzel) pretty much rocks my socks. I too love Wegmans and the accessibility to all types of products for all types of dietary restrictions make it my go-to one-stop-shop when I entertain for a large crowd. I consider it the ‘art gallery’ of food because everything looks so gorgeous. Their champagne cheddar rocks as well. yum Yum YUM!!
Okay, now I’m ready to go back TOMORROW! Pretzel Roll!?! OMG!
I would KILL for a Wegmans or Whole Foods in my neighborhood – the closest Whole Foods is almost a half hour away. And since my cable company dropped Food Network & HGTV over a $ dispute, I would kill to have those back on my tv too!! I miss House Hunters!
Stephanie, I can and can’t imagine not having those two channels. On AFN (American Forces Network) in Oki we had some shows from both networks throughout the week and since being home, both FN & HGTV dominate my t.v. watching time. Does HULU.com show any of the shows?
Er, I meant a pretzel that looks like a roll. Well whatever it is, it’s AMAZING w/ some roast beef and a nice spicy horseradish mustard. slurrrrrrrrrp!
Ah, you are now discivering the joys I have known since my undergrad days in Rochester where Wegman’s is based!! We’re still waiting for the one up in Frederick…still about 6 months or more (I’m guessing!) away from opening but the site is there and it’s under construction…YAY!!! Keep blogging!!
yay you’re back! also i will drive to the one 45 minutes from our house in DC to wegman’s when i really get the itch. i heard they sell over 300 pizza’s each weekend and everything else ready-made in their Market Place goes so quickly too since it’s so good an no one needs to cook!
Hey Girlie!! How’re the hubby, doggie and the house? Yeah, I’m back. I wasn’t feeling the blogging thing for a while there but with the new year, new age and feeling the itch again, I’m back at it. It feels good! I hope you are well. Let me know when you head out to the Wegmans you go to (I think I know which one) and we can get a slice o’ pizza pie. 🙂