New friends! I love meeting new people 
***
I did a little online grocery shopping today! Since we missed the farmer’s market yesterday, I thought it would be a good time to try out Relay Foods. It’s an e-store that allows you to buy goods from lots of farms plus Whole Foods and a few of the local health food stores from one place – and the groceries are delivered to pick-up points around the city on certain days much like a CSA. There is no cost to do it (farms/stores pay to join the network) and the prices are competitive. And the pick-up is free too!
It certainly saves time, especially if you just use it to pick up stock items like chicken broth or local foods if you miss the market. There are tons of ways to search – by aisle, tag (like "organic") and you can save favorites.
Here’s part of my list at checkout:
Unfortunately I had a bit shopping cart mix-up that has yet to be corrected (I bought two of everything!) but I’m HOPING this can be resolved tomorrow AM before the order is processed. I’m sure it will, but I’m still nervous about getting twice the food that we need!
After virtual shopping, I went for a walk with my new friend Bella!!
And her owner, Holly 
We actually live REALLY close by! We walked up to Arch’s so she could try out gooey brownie (sadly I passed to give my stomach a rest from wedding cake overload!). We walked for over and hour and it was fun to make a new friend.
More friends were made as we biked over to Faith + Tate’s house! Faith invited me to dinner in the blog comments this morning and I had to accept! She only lives 1.5 miles away! After double checking that the invite was a real one, we made plans to bike to their house for a 6:30PM Pumpkin Chili.
Boy were we in for a treat! Such a fun spread, drinks, conversation.
Faith made a delicious pumpkin chili out of an heirloom white pumpkin! LOVED it!
Including a toppings bar of fancy salts, avocado + yogurt and cilantro
Plus an awesome green salad with artichokes and a homemade dressing
Vino flowed
My eats – plus a couple of glasses of wine!
Fun times
Matt baked up some Apple Turnovers from the dough and apples we had on hand to bring. These were 1000 times better than the pie – thanks to a deliciously cooked filling and "eat out of hand" bites
Flash <– I had to go there. Had a couple of these amazing slices!
Speaking of dem apples, snack this afternoon was made up of cores and some leftover dough!
Tonight was such a blast of a way to end the weekend. Gotta get a little serious for the work week, but another weekend is just around the corner.
{ 73 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t imagine online grocery shopping – I enjoy going too much!
Yay for new friends with cute dogs and who have amazing dinner parties!! That Relay site looks really awesome! I wish Boston had something like that!
i’ve online shopped a few times. it can be such a time suckage!!!
That dessert looks to die for!!!!!
And I LOVE that online shopping!
That puppy looks just like mine!
Thanks for the tip off about Relay, I may have to try it out!
That website is a great idea…I’ll have to try that out:)
That apple turnover is kind of making my mouth water.
Neat idea! I’ve never heard of that website before but it’s definitely intriguing. We start our CSA pick-up this week and are so psyched to see what shows up.
Bella’s a cutie!!
Glad you had a great time with friends!
Does online shopping save any money or is it just more convenient? I’ve never tried it but I know Amazon has a grocery section. If it saves money I’m all for it!
I think it’s mostly convenience, but sometimes there are deals to be found
What a lovely way to end a weekend
Have a great night!
That dinner sounds deeeelicious!!! What an awesome website. I can’t believe it’s not marked up and you don’t have to pay to use the service. SCORE!
Awww, I used to sing that at girl scout camp!
“make new friends, but keep the old…”
OOoh those turnover bites look tasty!!
Jenn
Mmmmmmm! Apple turnover! Looks so good! So does the whole spread!
That Relay site looks cool. Definitely going to check that out.
I am quite impressed by how cheap your online shopping is…and online shopping is just plain fun, so it’s a win win.
Oh wow, that online grocery option would be so dangerous for me! I don’t go overboard on things like ebay, but show me fancy granolas and ice creams and I lose all sense of rationality…
Ahhh! I really hope you don’t get 2 of everything! That would be bananas!
What a fun dinner and a great hostess, very well prepared.
really excited to check out this website
Pumpkin chili sounds so delicious. What a wonderful spread — their salad bowl is so adorable with the little bowl with the artichoke hearts.
I’ve never bought groceries from an online checkout — I really like going to the store, picking stuff out and bagging groceries. Its fun for me
Remember when we were at Mad Hatter’s in Durham and I told you about a company but never sent you the link for it? It was RELAY! I was thinking about sending it to you just the other day.
Pumpkin Chili sounds delicious, please post the recipe! Thanks!
I agree! Pumpkin Chili sounds amazing! can’t wait to see the recipe and make it!
All that food looks so good!
Online grocery shopping?! Unheard of! ..wow.. where have i been?
I’ll have to check that site out soon. Thanks for sharing it!
Haha! That is SO awesome that you can just get invited to dinner in the comments section of your website!
What a great website! Though I love pretty much any website with food photos.
Oh man! Everything looks so delicious!!
Online grocery shopping is a great idea. Looks like I may never have to walk away from my computer
Good friends + food is the best!
Kath-You were right-sardines are so yummy! Thanks for the healthy and delicious tip.
Mmmm I love pumpkin chili! Well, really, I love pumpkin anything
Fall is such a great time for new flavor combos and new friends!
Adorable dog and those apple turnovers look to. die. for.
Online grocery shopping would be so great. I always end up going to about 4 different stores. How convenient to just pick it all up in one place.
I got a little bit excited when I thought I spotted a cancy corn in the salad…but it was a carrot!
Oh how I wish we had an online grocery shop like that, I would shop there all the time
online shopping is pretty cool, I hope you get all the stuff you bought, in a good shape
)
mhm…pumpkin chilli. such a good food for rainy fall weather
wow! relay sounds pretty neat. that dinner looks amazing! wow!
“…but another weekend is just around the corner” — gotta make that my mantra. Sunday nights depress me too much!
Wow – I really love those serving dishes!!!
I love the sound of that grocery site – they should bring that idea over here, for sure…
That’s an awesome dinner spread! It looks like she put in a ton of effort
The pumpkin chili looks divine! Can you please post a recipe?!
Great website!!
That dinner looked divine… those serving dishes are awesome!
making new friends is always fun, looked like a good time!
What an awesome dinner party!
Dinner looks delicious! Glad you are enjoying your new town and new friends!
The foods looks so good again! Pumpkin chili, never tried! But it looks great!
I never knew such a website exsisted!! Thanks for the tip!
I’ve never tried online grocery shopping, but that sounds really neat! It’s even better that you can get stuff from WF and local farms!
Hi there Kath!
I have a non-post related question…I don’t get it anymore. For some months now, coconut butter seems to be all the hype on blogs because it’s so healthy. However, I did some research (well, googled) and saw that lots of sources say that coconut fat is really unhealthy because it’s really saturated. Saturated is still better than trans fat, I know, but I still have trouble knowing if it’s more in the “enjoy without too much moderation” like EVOO or more in the “tastes good, but your heart doesn’t like it” category. Can you help? Thanks a lot!!
Sarah
All saturated fats aren’t created equal, and coconut has a high percentage of medium chain triglycerides, which can be used for energy and absorbed directly into the bloodstream. I’m not up to speed on all the specifics of their metabolism, but populations who eat lots of coconut do not have high rates of heart disease like Western nations do.
However, I wouldn’t eat coconut at every meal or in large quantities – but a tablespoon here and there or used sparingly for cooking is probably totally fine.
Love those apple turnovers!!
And I love the idea of being able to do pickup ordering with whole foods and farmers markets. I have one that’s a pretty far drive from my house, and I’m wondering if there’s a way that I could pick up the goodies at a closer location for those times when I can’t make it out. Hmmm…
thanks for the information about the online store that is so neat.
Looks like you guys had a great night. Last time my mom made pumpkin soup it was a disaster.
I’ve never seen that online shopping company – good to know!
What a neat way to do your groceries! It’d be so convenient, but I still enjoy the experience of going to a market or grocery store and buying food by hand. Still…neat concept!
Dinner looks yummy! I’ve never tried online grocery shopping before, mostly because I feel like produce is one of those things that needs to be touched before I decide to buy it. That site makes it look really easy though – let us know how it turns out when it arrives!
How does sponsorship work? I was surprised to see an ad on your blog for Duncan Hines Amazing Glazes this morning. Not a real or healthy food at all. And how do you decide what products to push? Did you get anything for the plug for the online grocery service you used, or do you just decide on your own?
I don’t choose the ads that go on my site – they are coordinated by my sponsor, Foodbuzz.
If the grocery service had given me incentives or payment, I would be required to disclose that, so no, they didn’t.
Kath! Looks like ya’ll are doing great up in C’ville. I have a random question. Bella looks EXACTLY like our dog Hurley. We rescued him and were told his is a mix of beagle/shepard but I don’t know.. Just wondering if your friend knows the exact breeds of Bella???
Hey Maran! I don’t know what breed she is but I’ll see if I can ask next time.
I love dinner parties and making new friends! Those apple things look delicious.
I love meeting new people and friends as well! Great fun for you guys
I love her bowls too! Please pass that along for me 
That looks like a pretty cool site! I hope I can find something for my little podunk part of the world…
Mmmmm, can we have the recipe for the apple turnovers? They remind me of Fall!
It’s based on Great Harvest, so we can’t share
If you check this post: http://www.katheats.com/a-la-mood/ you’ll find an approximation of the pie crust and filling I used.
However, we were out of cinnamon, so I made some variations to the filling. I took the apples (2-3 apples for two turnovers) and diced them up pretty small, then cooked in a little water, butter, and salt until they softened up nicely. Then I dumped in maybe 1/4C whole cane sugar, a tbsp of maple syrup, and a tbsp of honey. I continued to cook until it was all incorporated, and then I added about 2tbsp of whole wheat flour, just to hold all the liquid together.
I then allowed this mixture to cool, rolled out the turnovers, folded, crimped, slashed, and baked! An eggwash on the crust will give it a nice browning, but just bake until it seems right – maybe 30-45 mins at 350*?
I think it’s very brave to accept an invitation from a near stranger. I get so anxious over those situations. I hate it when everyone knows each other but me. Good for you guys!!!!
I don’t have the recipe because I didn’t make it! Sorry!
Faith published the chili recipe!
http://gracefulfitness.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/dinner-guests/
Friends within biking (or walking) distance are extra special
I recently tried out Relay Foods as well and really liked the experience. If I ever start disliking grocery shopping it will be my go-to method. Although, our Whole Foods here in Richmond isn’t part of it. :/
I’m so sad that Relay isn’t in MN yet.
Yah, it’s too bad that I got really excited about Relay, only to realize that they haven’t made their way out to Portland yet. Alas, I’ll just have to exist in grocery store- convenience envy.
And I must say- that your evening meal shared with new friends looks delightful! Toppings, salts, herbs, dressings…. WINE! Cheers.
That Relay Foods is awesome! I wish we had something like that in LA.