I Went Shopping at Aldi with My Mom — Here's What I Learned and What We Bought — Shopping

When I was growing up, my mom was the family chef. But she also had a full-time job, so my brother and I were raised on a Midwestern diet of meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs, and the popular Pittsburgh Sunday dinner, City Chicken and mashed potatoes.

However, after my parents became empty-nesters and retirees, they became total food obsessives. The DVR at my parents' house was literally filled with cooking programs starring Alton Brown, Mary Ann Esposito, Lidia Bastianich, barbecue pitmaster Aaron Franklin, or my dad's absolute favorite, episodes of America's Test Kitchen. It was not unusual for my folks to cruise the grocery store multiple times a week for a dinner recipe that took all day to prepare, even though there would be just the two of them at the dinner table.

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