I Can Sing A Rainbow

I have an idea for a new cookie recipe. For which I needed dried strawberries. Not freeze dried, just dried, like cranberries and cherries. I also needed durum semolina flour. I can buy it in a giant bag at one place, or a more reasonable amount at the same place that has strawberries. That place would be Bulk Barn (Thanks, J.D.!). I needed the semolina for this weekend, so I went yesterday. With a shopping list of two things: berries, flour. Easy, yes?

Well. I spent just over $70.00 (curse you J.D.!). I got the berries, and lots of semolina. I also got the yummy bones the dogs like (they claim they’re yummy, I don’t have any personal experience), really really dark brown sugar, white chocolate couverture, pecan meal, pecans, natural sliced almonds, Turkish Delight for The Boy, yeast, pepitas, parchment paper which, I should tell you, they sell for more than $2.00 less per roll than anywhere else I’ve purchased it, and instant sugar.

Most of this is stuff I need for various baking orders. I only went off track a little, really. Ok, maybe I didn’t need the bright pink decorative sugar crystals. Or the black ones (which are in reality a very dark green) but seriously…pink sugar! And black decorative sugar, how awesome is that? I think I showed a great deal of restraint in not buying decorative sugar in orange, sky blue, deep purple and lemon yellow. They had other colours, too, I think. Red, maybe? I don’t remember I was overwhelmed as it was with hot pink and greeny-black.

So over all I am glad that J.D. told me about Bulk Barn. Not just because they have good prices but because they have a lot of unusual dried fruits/flours/sugars/pulses. It’s up in the north end of the city, but worth checking out if you bake. Or snack – their selection of gummi things and salty things and sugary things was extensive. They’re just verboten, so I don’t look too closely at what they have.

I’ll let you know if the cookie idea was a good one or a terrible one. I may even be looking for tasters!