I don’t think it is overkill. Better to err on the safe side.
In my house, spouse has been doing the shopping because I have health issues that put me at greater risk. He wears gloves, covers nose and mouth. Upon return home, he removes and washes clothes and then showers.
How do you stock up on vegetables? We do not eat meat. Lettuce for example does not last for more than a week (for me). Root vegetables last me a long time.
@Ranipetgirl, I cut and froze zucchini and summer squash the other day. I have frozen veggies like spinach, peas, carrots and corn. In our area, we have farms online ordering and contactless pick up. We love our salads, too, but must be flexible.
We’ve been trying to keep grocery store to once a week, with me doing shopping. However, I just went yesterday to Fresh Market where they had a sale on ground beef, chicken breasts and thighs. It’s a bit of a niche store, so never busy even before this started. I called ahead to make sure they still had meat/chicken and went in mid afternoon. Only about five customers.
Today I’m going to brave Trader Joe’s - from what I hear they are managing the social distancing well, but I do worry about the narrow aisles. Even with a limited number of people in the store, I’m sure it will be hard to maintain 6’ without having to spend a lot of time waiting. I’m going late afternoon so anticipate some things being out of stock. However, once I finish there, we should have more than enough food to make due for at least two weeks, except for fresh produce but we will just have to forego some of that. If all goes as predicted, we will near our peak soon, so planning to stay away from stores after today.
As far as vegetable, I bought fresh today, which should last a bit, as I’m using those more as cut up for casseroles. I have frozen vegetables and canned. Will just have to get by.
My lettuce lasts more than a week if I buy the head, rinse well and store it in a baggie. The ones in baggies only last a week at the most. Spinach lettuce lasts 2 weeks for me.
I was a little paranoid going in because I have an asthma related cough in the spring. I use an inhaler and Zyrtec which helps a lot. but I still cough occasionally. I was trying to swallow when I felt one coming on as to not freak out the other customers.
@ conmama I will try rinsing the lettuce head and storing it in a bag lined with paper towels.
I have been going to trader Joe’s once in 8 days. If I can extend it 2 weeks, that will be be less stressful
I’ve been going to the grocery store about every 10 days. I’m trying to save my pantry staples and frozen items just in case things get worse. For produce- last week I went to a produce market and I’ll do that again. They are getting supplies from local farms and I found that they were doing a better job of social distancing. For lettuce try looking for live butter lettuce. In my area all the grocery stores and Costco sell it. I find it lasts at least a few weeks.
A couple of weeks ago I ordered flour from Amazon. It came yesterday 10 lb bag of King Arthur all purpose flour. I’ve never made cinnamon rolls but I’m thinking that might be my next attempt at baking. Any favorite easy recipes?
We haven’t been to the grocery store in 17 days. We’ve had good luck ordering food from Whole Foods and a small, local (MA) grocery chain. My D has been doing the ordering and says that the best way to get a slot is to go online at midnight or later. Our recent Whole Foods order was a day late–I’m thinking it’s because of the impending strike??? I usually clean lettuce right after I shop and then I dry and store it in towel-like storage bag that I got from Sur la Tab. It keeps the lettuce fresh for a fairly long time. I think you could just use a hand towel too.
Tonight we had some massive bone in pork chops from Trader Joe’s. Tossed a little Carolina Brewery rib rub on them and grilled 'em up. Awesome and could not have been any less fuss!
Then I read some article about quarantine cooking. Most of the recipes weren’t really our thing, but at the end was gooey deep dish cookies for two. Stupid easy!!
Preheat oven to 325.
Two ramekins (8 oz) sprayed w/ baking spray.
Melt 3 TBS butter
Combine butter with 1/3 cup brown sugar.
Whisk in one egg yolk, and 1/2 tsp vanilla.
Stir in 1/4 cup plus 2 TBS flour, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp baking soda
Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
Press dough into ramekins. Bake 18 min for underbaked, 20 min semi baked, 22 min for just about baked. Let sit a few minutes to firm up, then top w/ vanilla ice cream.
My kids inhaled them!!
Steakhouse style dinner tonight - sirloin on the grill, sauteed mushrooms & onions, creamed spinach with the last of the fresh spinach, baked potatoes.
@mom60 I’ve had good luck with this cinnamon roll recipe. I don’t use a bread machine. In the top review, there are instructions on how to convert to a regular kneading and resting method without the machine.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/20156/clone-of-a-cinnabon/
Decided to use some of this free time my kids have to teach them how to cook dinner. Normally they are at sports practice when I’m prepping dinner. I told them they needed to pick a couple of meals each and we would teach them how to make it.
Tonight my 17 y/o made spaghetti carbonara, from a family favorite recipe that’s at least 40 years old from the Washington Post. So easy and quick. He did a great job.
We have had a real surge in numbers in our area, so we are not going out to stores. I placed an online pickup order with Krogers. The earliest time slot they had was Sunday afternoon, but I opted for the very first one Monday morning thinking the store will have been cleaned the night before and stocked, so hopefully my order will be filled the way I placed it. I have never done this before, so I’ll have to see how it turns out in order to have a real opinion. But, my stress level went down knowing I placed it and I don’t have to go inside.
I made the Shepherds Pie Last night that @gosmom suggested, with chicken instead of beef and I had instant mashed potatoes. Used corn, peas, onion, cheese. H and S really loved it.
@conmama, that’s so great!
@doschicos , if only you could have put a fresh, ripe sliced summer tomato sprinkled with sea salt and pepper alongside that steak dinner it would have been picture perfect!!!
Upthread I expressed amazement at the cooking going on with so many of you. Since then, I managed to make a meatloaf and one chicken stir fry. I cooked for 5 people for 25 years and stopped in 2014, almost entirely, because I sold my house and live in small spaces and seem to be slightly allergic to cooking fumes.
Yesterday I ordered my first curbside pickup, from a local natural foods store. The big chains don’t have openings for delivery or curbside for weeks. I paid a lot just this one time.
I ordered their homemade soup in two large containers. Going back to not cooking except for reheating and my little rice cooker, which is a godsend. Eating simply and mostly uncooked foods!! My daughter is doing the same.
Cooking is stress relief for lots of people. My H is one of those. D and I have been the beneficiaries, because he’s a great cook. Today, I’m giving him a break and I’m cooing. I’m making a soup that my Dad (an immigrant from Eastern Europe) used to make all the time. It’s real comfort food and it reminds me of him.
Zagorski Čušpajz (Cabbage Soup)
Ingredients: 4 oz of slab bacon, 1 large onion (diced), 2 stalks of celery (diced),
3 medium potatoes (peeled and cubed), 2 gloves of garlice (minced), 1T tomato paste,
2 cups. of canned, crushed whole tomatoes, 8 cups chicken stock (homemade is great, but commercial stock is just fine), salt and pepper to taste.
Directions: In a heavy-bottomed pan, cook bacon until crisp. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Follow by adding tomato paste, carrots, and celery. (Add a few tablespoons of stock to keep from sticking.) Combine and cook for 5 minutes. Then add: potatoes, cabbage, crushed tomatoes, and stock. Salt and pepper to taste and cook until the vegetables are tender. The longer you cook it, the better it gets. Serve it with crusty bread and a teaspoon of vinegar in each bowl.
@Bromfield2 - how much cabbage? A whole head? I have a huge purple cabbage, would that be okay to use? The soup sounds delicious.
Made an inventory of what I have and made a Shepard’s pie for dinner. Had to made a few substitutes, no tomato paste so I used ketchup. Used up the last of my potatoes and I found a pound of ground beef in the freezer.
Hope it tastes ok. I’m a little nervous about the mashed potatoes, I never seem to get those right.
@Bromfield2 that sounds SOOO good. I love cabbage in soup.
My attempt for a healthy lunch failed miserably. Cauliflower rice tastes like a…s
Whoever invented cauliflower rice should be shot lol.