Food in the time of a pandemic

[MetsFan5]

@JoNorvelleWalker I’ve been reading if you place an order from Amazon Fresh between 3-4am you can actually get items and have them delivered. 

[MetsFan5]

Don’t make me yell at you! 😉

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 minutes ago, MetsFan5 said:

@JoNorvelleWalker I’ve been reading if you place an order from Amazon Fresh between 3-4am you can actually get items and have them delivered. 

 

Sadly Amazon Fresh is no longer available where I live.  I rely on Amazon Prime Now.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

When I could get Amazon Fresh the deliveries were made by the post office.  Through rain and snow and all of that.

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

I went to the local farmers market today.  It was busier than usual.  Normal but not normal.  Lots of signs warning everyone to maintain social distancing, no touching anything unless you buy it, no sampling or tasting.   Some prepared food vendors were still there, like the tamale people but no picnic tables to eat at.   All the egg vendors had lines at their booths.  Long lines of people standing far apart.  Lots of people seemed on edge.  Quite a few wearing masks, many of them incorrectly.  The market staff were walking around policing all the regulations.  They want to keep the markets open but are afraid that they'll be shut down if people aren't complying.  I hope they'll be able to continue.

 

I rarely purchase any prepared frozen foods, but I decided to order a few bake-at-home items from Porto's, a family owned bakery and restaurant in the LA area.  Supporting a local business and giving myself some options when I've been too preoccupied to cook. I ordered meat pie, cheese & spicy pepper potato balls and the seafood potato balls they make during Lent.  With a salad or a little soup, a couple of them can be a meal.  I love their dulce de leche kisses and if these are anywhere near as good as the ones from the bakery, they'll be a treat.   I like the guava pastries, too, but don't need to be having a dozen of them around. 

[MetsFan5]

The only thing we’ve been unable to find is bakers yeast. 
 

  We have an abundance of meat, particularly red meat and not a lot of canned soup, but a lot of stock as I consider it an easy pantry staple especially since I had oral surgery recently. 
 

 

[weinoo]

Our last meal from someone other than me was this...

 

 

pizza from Scarr's.  Their pizza has actually gotten better, in my opinion, as they've worked the crust to near perfection for this style of pie.

 

 

Paella.

 

 

 

 

My first cornbread - I'm so proud.  Served with sautéed greens, D'artagnan duck sausage, and onion/leek/potato soup.

 

Gotta have breakfasts too...

 

 

And that sourdough rye from Pain d'Avignon is just the ticket for avo toast.

 

Production...

 

 

 

 

That duck sausage worked nicely for the pasta with broccoli raab and sausage.

 

Some new reading material...

 

 

Delivery of weird stuff from (I think) Amazon Pantry...

 

 

Now who hasn't made clam sauce with those canned clams?  And much to my surprise, they are now cobranded Snow's and Bumble Bee!

 

Yesterday's...

 

 

Which has nothing to do with...

 

 

 

A Basque-ish potato tuna salad. Served as the centerpiece of a composed salad.

 

Rancho Gordo treat...

 

 

Hoppin' John, spinach on the side.

 

 

1/2 tomato anchovy focaccia 1/2 pecorino. Sautéed raab.

 

And finally, as it was Significant Eater's birthday yesterday...

 

 

 

Edited March 20, 2020 by weinoo (log)

[gfweb]

@weinoo Your first cornbread! Funny how a staple in one region is an oddity in another.

 

Crumbly or Cakey? 

[weinoo]

Just now, gfweb said:

@weinoo Your first cornbread! Funny how a staple in one region is an oddity in another.

 

Crumbly or Cakey? 

It was nice and moist, not too crumbly nor too cakey, if that makes any sense.

 

I used a mixture of cornmeal and stone ground grits, both from Carolina Plantation.

 

And now I can't remember the recipe I used, though it was a buttermilk cornbread recipe, in which I subbed kefir for the buttermilk.  I gotta write stuff down.

[lemniscate]

Along with "covid-19 policies" that every company that has my email has been filling my inbox, I noticed some subscription based websites are offering free access to normally behind paywall content.   America's Test Kitchen is offering access to 50 of their recipes for now, some of them look like winners to me.  I don't subscribe to ATS but somehow are on their mailing list.  Not sure if this link works outside US though.

 

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/collections/50-americas-test-kitchen-recipes-you-need-now?pac=yB3BlHwrQhn4hlmqK26JBJW8FLEAO3gcS9pSO4oIPsc=

 

[dtremit]

5 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

Along with "covid-19 policies" that every company that has my email has been filling my inbox, I noticed some subscription based websites are offering free access to normally behind paywall content.   America's Test Kitchen is offering access to 50 of their recipes for now, some of them look like winners to me.  I don't subscribe to ATS but somehow are on their mailing list.  Not sure if this link works outside US though.

 

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/collections/50-americas-test-kitchen-recipes-you-need-now?pac=yB3BlHwrQhn4hlmqK26JBJW8FLEAO3gcS9pSO4oIPsc=

 

 

All of Milk Street's online Cooking School is free through 4/30:

 

https://www.177milkstreet.com/school/classes/online-classes/

[weinoo]

@gfweb

 

I just looked at the packages of corn meal and grits, and realized I must've used the recipe attached to one of the packages!

 

 

 

[dtremit]

7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Sadly Amazon Fresh is no longer available where I live.  I rely on Amazon Prime Now.

 

 

Have they suspended service, or do they just have no delivery slots?

If the latter -- a friend was able to secure a time by filling up his cart and just monitoring the checkout page until something opened up. Might work for you.

[dtremit]

Late to this thread -- was a little baffled as to why no one was talking about this and never thought to check this forum! Oops.

 

We are fortunately pretty well stocked at this point. However, after a couple of supermarket trips in the past week, I am really, really trying to avoid making another anytime soon. The stores are half stocked at best, and no one in the store is paying any attention to social distancing. On my last trip to Wegmans, a couple was blocking passage the baking aisle having a fight over which frozen pizza to buy. 🙄Checkouts are just as bad, no good way to keep someone from crowding in behind you.

 

I'm trying to do what I can to support local businesses, particularly the ones I normally see at the farmers markets. Many are doing a much better job of being conscious of reducing contact points and keeping distance. I have an order placed with a local farm who is doing "contactless" meat delivery -- you leave a cooler outside, they drop in the food, you wave from the window. All their products were already vacuum sealed.

 

A small local grocery has arranged a "safe supply" event for this weekend -- multiple local farmers and producers will set up in an open air courtyard. Free timestamped tickets are required to get in, so as to limit the number of people present at any one time, and the staff will enforce distancing. Payment is contactless and they will hand you your food all together once you've paid. I will probably not do it this weekend as we have a full fridge, but next weekend I'd like to try it.

 

Plenty of other shops are doing online-order-and-pickup options, including curbside. One local produce shop has (generous) $50 and $100 boxes that you can order and pay for online; they will drop them into your trunk when you arrive.

 

Weirdly, Instagram seems to be the best way to keep up with all of these offers. Someone in my office has also started a shared doc to keep track of various options.

 

 

[Anna N]

One of our grocery chains is locking the floor in the checkout lines to encourage appropriate distancing. I think that’s a great idea. 

[Darienne]

1 hour ago, lemniscate said:

Along with "covid-19 policies" that every company that has my email has been filling my inbox, I noticed some subscription based websites are offering free access to normally behind paywall content.   America's Test Kitchen is offering access to 50 of their recipes for now, some of them look like winners to me.  I don't subscribe to ATS but somehow are on their mailing list.  Not sure if this link works outside US though.

 

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/collections/50-americas-test-kitchen-recipes-you-need-now?pac=yB3BlHwrQhn4hlmqK26JBJW8FLEAO3gcS9pSO4oIPsc=

 

It works in Canada.  Thanks. 

[Darienne]

10 minutes ago, Anna N said:

One of our grocery chains is locking the floor in the checkout lines to encourage appropriate distancing. I think that’s a great idea. 

It's still so uneven.  Ed went yesterday to a local health food store (Ontario).  Had to pick up supplements for our male Rottie who has an immune-mediated ailment.  There was no control in the store.  Cashiers did not wear masks nor have gloved hands.  Strange...(I thought) 

Edited March 20, 2020 by Darienne (log)

[lindag]

1 hour ago, lemniscate said:

Along with "covid-19 policies" that every company that has my email has been filling my inbox, I noticed some subscription based websites are offering free access to normally behind paywall content.   America's Test Kitchen is offering access to 50 of their recipes for now, some of them look like winners to me.  I don't subscribe to ATS but somehow are on their mailing list.  Not sure if this link works outside US though.

 

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/collections/50-americas-test-kitchen-recipes-you-need-now?pac=yB3BlHwrQhn4hlmqK26JBJW8FLEAO3gcS9pSO4oIPsc=

 

I've been meaning to make their recipe for Duchess Potato  Casserole for quite some time.

Just put Yukon Gold potatoes on my next grocery order.

[BeeZee]

as @dtremit notes above, many farms are offering options for fresh food...several in the Princeton area have been posting on social media, the variety ranges depending on what they normally offered (some are produce only, some have fresh breads and frozen prepared foods like pot pies). You have to do a little research, but if you are able to drive, you can probably find someone to get some fresh produce from with minimal contact. All of these people were ramping up for the Spring Farmers Markets so this will really help them, too.

[kayb]

Interesting thing in my grocery world today. Placed an order for Aldi delivery. Typically, when i order early in the morning, I can get delivery by noon or shortly after. This morning's order will be here tomorrow between 11 and 1. Not a problem, as there wasn't anything I urgently needed.

 

All restaurants have gone to curbside pickup or delivery only, and resturants that serve wine are allowed to sell full, sealed bottles with meals.

[chromedome]

1 hour ago, Darienne said:

 Cashiers did not wear masks nor have gloved hands.  Strange...(I thought) 

 

Can't answer for masks, but gloves (once they've left the box) are exactly as clean as one's hand. You have to wash hands or put on fresh gloves, with equal frequency. Sobey's is having everyone wash every 15 minutes, which is probably as good as or better than providing gloves (which, of course, the immunocompromised and healthcare workers have greater need of).

Presumably, they'll also open some Lubriderm in the staff room so everyone's hands won't crack and fall off.

[TdeV]

8 hours ago, MetsFan5 said:

The only thing we’ve been unable to find is bakers yeast

 

Try King Arthur Flour online. Buy 16 oz yeast and keep it in the freezer. Mine is over one year old and still raising bread. By the way, they offer a bundle which includes yeast, plastic storage container which will fit the entire contents, and a spoon (size of supermarket yeast packet).

[gfweb]

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

@gfweb

 

I just looked at the packages of corn meal and grits, and realized I must've used the recipe attached to one of the packages!

 

 

 

Nice.

Such variation in recipes for CB.  Lots more sugar in some and way more oil too.

 

I'd say this was more crumbly than cakey in my rating system, which is good.

Cakey CB is an abomination

[liamsaunt]

I just picked up my first curbside order from Wegman's.   Order online, and they bring it out and load into your trunk.  I was able to get everything I asked for with the exception of chicken.  Well, she did throw in one package of boneless chicken thigh cutlets (I did not even know those were a thing), but it is not enough to feed everyone that it staying at my house right now so I put them in the freezer for later, when more chicken is acquired.  My list was vegetable heavy and cleaning supply/tp free, which might be why I had such luck.  You cannot order wine for curbside but they will deliver it to your house so that is arriving tomorrow.  

 

It was exactly noon as my husband and I left, and Trillium brewery is on our route home, so we stopped there and stocked up on good beer.  Others were arriving at the same time, but everyone played nice and stood six feet apart.  No kids, no coughing people.  Husband wore a glove to work the card reader.  

 

My next order is coming from another local grocery that will deliver to the house and leave everything in your garage.  I'm going to compare the two and decide which I like best for the long haul ahead.

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

Nice.

Such variation in recipes for CB.  Lots more sugar in some and way more oil too.

 

I'd say this was more crumbly than cakey in my rating system, which is good.

Cakey CB is an abomination

Quick breads are pretty forgiving; once you find a formula for the bread you're making, stick with it.

 

I did 1/2 stone-ground grits and 1/2 corn meal which gave a nice texture to the bread. I'll bet soaking the grits in the buttermilk would really work nicely.