7 Seventh-Heaven Groceries

Say no more.

When it comes to grocery shopping, I'm a lot like the Alice I was named after--my Irish grandmother, Alice Mahon.

She grew up poor, even in an orphanage for a while, and raised four kids [my mother, Anne, plus Jim, Jack & Malachy] in a small NYC apartment--but when I knew her, she was partial to brand names. After my mom and my grandfather died, Dad or I often grocery-shopped for Granny at the Grand Union in Dumont, across the street from her garden apartment. And we had strict marching orders: Nabisco Social Tea cookies, Entenmann's loaf cake, Ovaltine. More than once, she sent one of us back for getting the wrong thing. So I come by this brand loyalty honestly.

Seven keepers:

1. Snappy new pickles from Pickle Licious, sold at the Montclair Farmers' Market. Just read on pickle website that delivery is free with $50 order within 5-mile radius of Teaneck store.
2. Cascadian Farm Organic Dark Chocolate Almond Granola [indulgent with some walnuts on top, a few more dark chocolate chips, milk and a splash of half and half].
3. Blue Diamond Oven-Roasted Almonds with Sea Salt. Especially good on top of
4. Dannon All-Natural Coffee Yogurt.
5. Oatmeal bread [Whole Foods brand].
6. Peanut Butter & Co. Crunch Time or Smooth Operator. [A bit pricier than Skippy--they have a sandwich store on Sullivan Street in NYC and I can't believe I still haven't been there. I have to go! And on the website, I see Strawberry and Raspberry Marshmallow Fluff--until now, I've only spotted flavors like that on Cape Cod in the summer.]
7. Jarlsberg Lite slices from the supermarket deli.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Boot camp in the park.
2. Had some salad with grilled tofu, broccoli and carrots.
3. A little tiny bit of retail therapy--Talbots in Montclair's 40 percent off markdown sale. Got a great pair of red leather slingbacks.
4. Rereading "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, which I read in a women's studies class at Douglass. Never forgot it.