Grocery-store frivolity is to be encouraged, I always think. For one thing, it's probably good food for you physically, for another it's creative, and for a third just think of the food porn you can write for your sweetie.

I still remember being an impoverished, new-to-cooking student in February and opening a letter from my mum with a store coupon for $2 in fresh produce. I walked all the way to the store, picked out a big cauliflower and the ingredients of a cabbage salad (carrots, celery, green beans, red onion, an apple), made a cheese sauce for the cauliflower, and served it to my housemates with some ham we had in the fridge. That made me so happy.