College students can't buy groceries

Really, it's a wonder we don't all die of malnourishment on Ramen noodles and/or run out of money instantly after discovering a cool new overpriced store.

See, my shopping strategy is "only buy stuff that's cheap or on sale UNLESS it looks cool or I might need it for a recipe at some point or I'm really hungry or there's shiny stuff in a vending machine."

As a result, my backpack and pockets are full of Twix wrappers and my pantry currently contains:

1 bag glutinous rice

3 cans assorted tomato product (always have tomato product and chicken stock, you can make a base for anything)

3 packages Maruchan Ramen (this, frozen chicken stock, canned tomatoes and mixed veggies are the only things I always have, in case I need to make a meal fast - the stock and veggies mean I don't have to use the seasoning packets)

2 jars peanut butter (sale)

1/2 packet dried porcini mushrooms

1 small jar instant coffee (I do not drink coffee)

1 bag dark chocolate-peanut M&Ms (sale)

1 container dried apricots (I'd forgotten about this until today; there are maybe six withered apricots left in the bottom)

1 box rolled oats (for the morio worms)

1 box quick oats (for me, if I decide at some point to like oatmeal)

1 box pumpkin Pocky with 3 sticks remaining (it was the last box in the display, had to buy it)

1 bag evil-tasting puffed-wheat cereal (sale)

1 bag marshmallows

1 bag black walnuts

1 can chili-lime flavored almonds (sale; these taste like heavily-salted evil)

baking soda

baking powder

salt

honey

imitation vanilla (I have had this forever and do not use it; I think it's mostly just evaporating)

giant tub of ground cinnamon (I sort of inherited this, I will never have to buy cinnamon)

flour

sugar

cocoa powder

cornmeal

bread crumbs (I don't think I've ever used these)

The high proportion of "I don't use this" items explains why there is so much stuff in my cupboards even though I can never find any ingredients to make food with and I have no money. It may also explain why I have no money....

Clever Title Including the Word "Goat"

So, I was looking for goat meat sold locally.
I found exactly one place, the downtown farmer's market. They didn't have any at the time, but it was a start.
Miraculously, they have a website and keep it updated, so when I finally remembered to check back I learned that they not only had goat back in stock, but they were also having a bit of a craft event where you could make paper flowers, and an old friend would be in charge of it.
So that settled it, off to get my goat.

A bit pricey, more than beef but less than lamb.
I made a forum post asking what to do with it, since about all I ever make with lamb is stew or meatballs.
Most of the suggestions were goat curry, which I'll have to do next time, but I finally decided I didn't have the cash to get all the ingredients I was missing.

I decided I'd try goat tagine, since the meat would need to be cooked a while to soften up. All the recipes had prunes or dates. I do not care for prunes or dates. I wondered if I could substitute dried apricots, which I had on hand.
I searched "lamb tagine" instead of "goat tagine," and to my surprise, there was a recipe using apricots, right near the top of the page. I had all but two ingredients, so I ran off to get them and started cooking.

Browning the meat:

Adding the cilantro (I love cilantro so):

Dried apricots and golden raisins:
The recipe, from foodnetwork.com, had way too little liquid for my taste - a few extra cups of chicken broth fixed that

The finished product, with a hastily-made jumble of couscous and roasted red bell pepper.
So good. I love food.