Pandemic hoarding

[TomTX]

I have inadvertently hoarded 30 pounds of chicken skins at $2 per pound all in, brought to my door.  They are really tasty fried in their own schmaltz and my freezer is very full.     

Good for you!

[jrhampt]

I'm just here to say that Costco steaks are delicious.  We never go out for steak anymore because why bother when we have Costco and a grill.

[Roadrunner53]

I'm just here to say that Costco steaks are delicious.  We never go out for steak anymore because why bother when we have Costco and a grill.

What are your favorite steaks?

[jrhampt]

I'm just here to say that Costco steaks are delicious.  We never go out for steak anymore because why bother when we have Costco and a grill.

What are your favorite steaks?

I like the top sirloin cap.  It's not very expensive relative to some other cuts and it's nice and tender.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

I'm just here to say that Costco steaks are delicious.  We never go out for steak anymore because why bother when we have Costco and a grill.

Yep, I don't think we've ever had a bad Costco steak.  The grocery store is far more hit-or-miss, even with "choice" beef.  I think because more than half of all beef is graded "choice" there's a wide variability in the quality.  Grass-fed and grass finished beef typically isn't graded, but if you look at examples and the BB steaks you can see that they would probably be graded select or choice based on marbling.  Of course, marbling isn't the only factor in how beef tastes

My Costco never has the sirloin cap -- maybe I need to go at opening?  We've had the ButcherBox sirloin cap and it's quite good.  I cook it sous vide and then sear it in cast iron.  Actually, that's pretty much how I cook any thick steaks now -- I use the grill for thinner steaks.

I'm trying to simplify our groceries without spending too much money.  I'm not at a place in life anymore where I want to shop at 3-5 different stores.  We may go back to shopping at Costco 1-2x per month and then fill in with loss leader produce as needed.

[jrhampt]

^^  Yes, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Costco steaks.  We shop at Costco a couple times a month as well and supplement with stop and shop for smaller produce quantities when needed, fresh herbs and other miscellaneous stuff.  Costco also has excellent wine and cheese at great prices.

[Roadrunner53]

Here is a pretty good resource on companies selling meat online.


https://www.smokedbbqsource.com/best-mail-order-steaks/


Tri tails beef   https://tritailsbeef.com/

[K_in_the_kitchen]

^^  Yes, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Costco steaks.  We shop at Costco a couple times a month as well and supplement with stop and shop for smaller produce quantities when needed, fresh herbs and other miscellaneous stuff.  Costco also has excellent wine and cheese at great prices.

My ButcherBox order arrived today.  The filets are slightly undersized, which is probably why they threw in an extra.  That works well for us, as 9 is perfectly visible by 3.  But considering the quality issues and doing the math, I don't we will keep ordering BB.  If I include the 2# of ground beef, our box contained 7 meals for 3 people, with the filet meals being a bit stingy for the young adult.  That comes out to almost $23 per meal, but is majorly skewed by the ground beef, since no one is going to pay $23 for a pound of ground beef.  Leaving out the ground beef freebie, but keeping the NY steak freebie, the meals are just under $32 each.  Without the NY steak freebie (which isn't available now and I think it was a glitch that let me have both freebies when I reactivated my account), we received 4.33 meals, which comes in at almost $37 per meal.  For meat that is at times quite good and at times quite bad.  Also, I'm not adjusting for weight.  When we eat the NY steaks we eat 3 of the 10 oz. steaks, and for the filet we'll eat 3 of the not-quite 6 oz. steaks.  Last night 3 of us shared a 20 oz. sirloin cap steak.  I just figure out how much we need to feed all three of us.

We definitely think Costco has great cheese at good prices!  Surprisingly, so does Aldi, although the selection is more hit-or-miss.  We could probably get by with Costco 1-2x a month and Aldi the rest of the time, as the young adult will eat Aldi gluten free bread.  But Sprouts is the store I can walk to, so there's that.

Edited to add:  Once again, my Costco didn't have the sirloin cap steak.  But they did have lamb chops, which I haven't seen in several months.

[Roadrunner53]

I am sure you all have heard the price of meat is going up a lot! Chicken is going up, I read, 70%! That is insane! They say the reason is the feed that they give the animals. Not sure if it is because of the feed price going up or a shortage.

This is even more strange! My friend in Michigan went to Meijer grocery store today and happened to be in the aisle that has condiments. The pickle area was totally wiped out! PICKLES???

I also wanted to buy canned meat thru Keystone meats and when I went to their website yesterday the only meat that had was chicken in 28 ounce cans. They normally have turkey, beef chunks, ground beef and chicken. I ended up buying a case of chicken. Shipping is expensive!

I also heard that Costco is limiting one bag of dog food per day. I think cat food too. I don't think you can buy it, bring it to your car, then go back and buy another one. I don't buy my dog food there so no concern to me.

[Cranky]

The price of chicken (and eggs) will continue to go up because of the avian flu that is causing flocks to be culled.

[Missy B]

I am sure you all have heard the price of meat is going up a lot! Chicken is going up, I read, 70%! That is insane! They say the reason is the feed that they give the animals. Not sure if it is because of the feed price going up or a shortage.

This is even more strange! My friend in Michigan went to Meijer grocery store today and happened to be in the aisle that has condiments. The pickle area was totally wiped out! PICKLES???

I also wanted to buy canned meat thru Keystone meats and when I went to their website yesterday the only meat that had was chicken in 28 ounce cans. They normally have turkey, beef chunks, ground beef and chicken. I ended up buying a case of chicken. Shipping is expensive!

I also heard that Costco is limiting one bag of dog food per day. I think cat food too. I don't think you can buy it, bring it to your car, then go back and buy another one. I don't buy my dog food there so no concern to me.

Well, now. Back in the deep lockdown when I was shopping in the condiments aisle, I took note that near everything was gone. But pickles. Every kind of pickle was in stock. Big, small, dill, extra garlic, no garlic sweet sandwich... all were there. But nothing else.

And I thought,  You fools. Loading up on extra-chunky Djon mustard and green-tea mayonnaise and pickled fava beans and passing by the Bickles.
I knew they would realize to their sorrow how much they want the comfort of a nice, crunchy, savory pickle when there are no jars left.
The pickles have come home to roost now.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

I am sure you all have heard the price of meat is going up a lot! Chicken is going up, I read, 70%! That is insane! They say the reason is the feed that they give the animals. Not sure if it is because of the feed price going up or a shortage.

This is even more strange! My friend in Michigan went to Meijer grocery store today and happened to be in the aisle that has condiments. The pickle area was totally wiped out! PICKLES???

I also wanted to buy canned meat thru Keystone meats and when I went to their website yesterday the only meat that had was chicken in 28 ounce cans. They normally have turkey, beef chunks, ground beef and chicken. I ended up buying a case of chicken. Shipping is expensive!

I also heard that Costco is limiting one bag of dog food per day. I think cat food too. I don't think you can buy it, bring it to your car, then go back and buy another one. I don't buy my dog food there so no concern to me.

I read that chicken and ground beef prices are going up, but steaks prices are leveling off and could even drop in price as consumers choose less expensive meats in order to afford basic groceries.  Plus as @Cranky mentioned, there's an avian flu thing affecting chicken and egg prices as well.

We have some boneless/skinless chicken breast in the freezer.  Instead of buying more, I'm happy to stick with Costco's loss leader rotisserie chicken if we want chicken -- the end up cheaper per pound cooked than b/s breasts or even whole chicken.  I have two on order and will make stock with the carcasses.

I cooked one of the extra thick ButcherBox NY steaks, and it had so much gristle!  I'm putting the BB order on pause for now.  I don't really care if we eat a lot of meat or not, and can stretch what we have in the freezer to last through the end of 2022, easily.  I ordered more of the grass-fed Polish sausages from Costco -- I realized that on sale they are $6 per pound even with the same day markup and a 10% tip. But since we only eat 4 at a time, the are $4.49 per meal.  Not bad for grass-fed and finished beef.  So we have plenty of those in the freezer too.

I really hope we don't end up with dog food shortages.  We've decided the GSD is just way too picky to buy more than one bag at a time.  It's not worth it to fight to get him to eat.  We have one bag unopened in the house that we bought in late February, and we aren't buying more until that bag is nearly gone.  As it is, we should already be through the bag that's open, but he isn't eating as much as he should and the chihuahua barely makes a dent in it.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Well, now. Back in the deep lockdown when I was shopping in the condiments aisle, I took note that near everything was gone. But pickles. Every kind of pickle was in stock. Big, small, dill, extra garlic, no garlic sweet sandwich... all were there. But nothing else.

And I thought,  You fools. Loading up on extra-chunky Djon mustard and green-tea mayonnaise and pickled fava beans and passing by the Bickles.
I knew they would realize to their sorrow how much they want the comfort of a nice, crunchy, savory pickle when there are no jars left.
The pickles have come home to roost now.

LOL!
I wonder if the pickle shortage is related to a cucumber or vinegar shortage?  Ah -- did a little sleuthing and it's a cucumber shortage.  We have six nice jars of Bubbies dill pickles in the fridge, and now I'm glad I told my husband to go easy on them.  He usually acts like a jar of pickles has a one week life once opened, and I'm like, they're pickles.

[Cranky]

Our cats’ preferred canned food, a specific Royal Canin variety, has never reappeared. It’s been over 6 months, I think.

I’m just hoping that the phenomenally expensive prescription dry food the Very Old Cat is eating now doesn’t disappear.

[couponvan]

If there is a great pickle shortage my husband will freak. That man goes though a huge quantity of pickles every week. So far the shortage of pickles and chicken is not in Virginia.

[Cranky]

Our cats’ preferred canned food, a specific Royal Canin variety, has never reappeared. It’s been over 6 months, I think.

I’m just hoping that the phenomenally expensive prescription dry food the Very Old Cat is eating now doesn’t disappear.

I went to buy a months worth of cat food this morning and there are even MORE out of stocks. I checked Amazon and they are out too.

[Roadrunner53]

Cranky, if you post what kind of food your cat eats, I will help you search for it.

My dog who is 18+ years old is on prescription dog food that I get from Chewy. He has minor kidney issues and is on Hills K/D canned dog food. They also make dry food for his condition, but he doesn't like it. When he first started on this food, the Vet tried him out on the lamb version. But Hills has not produced that variety in about two years. Or at least I can't find it. He seems to like the chicken varieties.

I also want to mention I went to Schwan's online. I sometimes buy a few frozen dinner items and like the frozen vegetables. So many things are out of stock there too. I decided not to order anything there today.

[GreenSheep]

I've had to get creative to find my dogs' food, too. Usually if you go to the website of the maker of the food, they'll have a "where to buy" section, both for online and in-person stores. I started using k9cuisine.com and have been happy with it, FWIW. Chewy stopped carrying one dog's food, and both Chewy and Amazon are out of stock of the other dog's food. (I know this sounds crazy, but when you have a 6 pound dog and a 64 pound dog, they have different nutrition needs! :-) )

I did try to get the food locally from a family-owned, independent farm and ranch supply store, but when I went back to get it on the day they said it would be in... they had piles of food from the brand we use, but not the particular type of food I'd asked for, without any explanation or apology. So if you try this, make sure you have a backup and/or don't wait till the last minute! As much as I'd like to support a local family, I won't be shopping there again.

[PoutineLover]

My cat's prescription diet food has been out of stock in the size that I usually buy, but I was able to get a bigger bag. I hope this doesn't become a recurring issue, already the new bag will last twice as long and I don't really want to buy so much that it goes bad.

[Cranky]

The Very Old Cat has just started on the Hills K/D dry food, which we’ve gotten from the vet. It would be more convenient to get it from Chewy, but this practice (which is the actual vet school) is hard to navigate and I feel like connecting them with Chewy is going to take more patience than I can muster. My hopeful theory is that they are more likely to get whatever limited supply of prescription food is available, ahead of any retail outlet.

The other cats eat Hills Sensitive Skin and Stomach dry food, which so far has not been in short supply, but they also get canned food. The big problem is that they will not touch paté no matter what I do to moisten it up, and while they would gobble up Fancy Feast, it produces very unpleasant results from at least two of them.

The canned foods that they *will* eat have just disappeared. The store says that they aren’t even available to order now. I’ve tried an assortment of other “grain free” kinda stuff, and it seems like every time I find one that works, “poof” it’s gone. I went to two different stores and there really isn’t much cat food out there.

They won’t starve as long as the kibble holds out, but I am not letting that run low!

[couponvan]

I had to switch my dog's food during this.  I'd been on the Blue Buffalo the whole time.  Surprise surprise, the dog actually likes and didn't react to the cheaper dog food.  Win. 

[Roadrunner53]

Cranky, Iti s easy to buy the prescription food from Chewy. You just select it and they ask the name of the Vet and practice. They have two options to get the prescription. You either select you will get the prescription or select you would prefer that Chewy contact the Vet office. I think they just send over an email with your name, pet's name, prescription name and the Vet's office will send the prescription over to them. It is a very smooth transaction. I always choose to have them contact the Vet office. Never had a glitch.

Just wanted to say. Back in the beginning of the pandemic, my Vets office was out of all prescription foods!  I was buying it from them. I was forced to find another supplier which was Chewy and never had issues since that time.

Also, I have found that Ebay has these prescription foods for sale. I don't get it how sellers can sell it when I need a prescription for the food thru Chewy. I complained to Ebay but last time I looked they were still selling it.

[Cranky]

If I had a regular vets office, I think it would be pretty easy. However, we’re using the small animal practice at the university vet school, and it’s very, very complicated because different things are in different buildings and don’t seem to talk to each other all that well. LOL The specialized care is outstanding, though.

[kenner]

If I had a regular vets office, I think it would be pretty easy. However, we’re using the small animal practice at the university vet school, and it’s very, very complicated because different things are in different buildings and don’t seem to talk to each other all that well. LOL The specialized care is outstanding, though.

I'm pretty sure the first time I ordered from Chewy the 'prescription' I uploaded was an email from my vet that said my cat should go on a kidney diet, so I don't think they're really all that picky.  If you can get one of your vets to write something like that, at least you'd have it available.

[MudPuppy]

Frozen turkeys were 25 cents a pound for some unknown reason, so my spouse bought three. I guess we’ll be good on meat and stick for a few months.

[Roadrunner53]

MudPuppy, That is a fantastic price! What part of the country do you live in?

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Frozen turkeys were 25 cents a pound for some unknown reason, so my spouse bought three. I guess we’ll be good on meat and stick for a few months.

That is a great price!  Was this an advertised special?  I've seen some Easter specials on spiral hams and standing rib roasts, but not on turkey.

We're working on reducing food waste again -- it's always harder when we have young adults at home.  Today I turned three very ripe bananas into muffins to have for breakfast with eggs.  Usually I'll bake muffins as a snack, so it was a change of mindset to make them part of breakfast.

I did a little produce inventory to see if we need anything.  Much to child #2's dismay, we are out of white potatoes and I decided not to buy more until we eat the 9 pounds of sweet potatoes we have, since I expect the hot weather to reduce their longevity. Child #2 doesn't like sweet potatoes, but we have rice. I also heard complaints about the last bag of apples we purchased, but ignored them.  DH is working through the large box of tomatoes we bought by making tomato and cucumber salads, tomato and cheese sandwiches, etc.  I'll be cooking bell peppers tonight, along with zucchini -- cooking is the best way to make sure they don't go bad before we get to them.

This afternoon I had the young adult eat a cooked chicken breast we defrosted for last weekend but didn't get to because DH had leftover fried fish he ate instead.  And I pointed out that we still have half a loaf of gluten free bread, which DH and I don't eat.

I've been trying to stretch shopping out to two weeks, and while I don't care if the young adult complains, I do try to keep it unnoticed by DH.  Going shopping less often definitely helps us reduce food waste.

[GreenSheep]

We're working on reducing food waste again -- it's always harder when we have young adults at home.  Today I turned three very ripe bananas into muffins to have for breakfast with eggs.  Usually I'll bake muffins as a snack, so it was a change of mindset to make them part of breakfast.

Just in case you run into the "too many ripe bananas" issue again, if you have room in your freezer, you can peel them and toss them in there. Then you can defrost them to use in muffins, etc., or if you break or cut them into chunks (while still frozen) and throw them into your food processor, they turn into an ice-cream-like substance that's good on its own if you really like bananas, or even better if you add cocoa powder and/or peanut butter and/or frozen berries. And of course, they're good for smoothies, too.

[Roadrunner53]

This is kind of new to me, but I am pretty excited about it!

I have recently purchased canned whole potatoes. In the million years I have been alive, I have never purchased them! So, the other day, I had a dozen eggs that were getting close to expiration and as I have mentioned before, Mr. Roadrunner freaks whenever anything approaches the dreaded date. So, I boiled a dozen eggs and ate some as egg salad sammies. Then I took three cans of whole canned potatoes and rinsed them several times. I cut them up in wedges and made a potato salad with them, celery, onion, chopped up boiled eggs, mayo. It was darn good! I think freshly boiled potatoes would have been a few notches better, but it was really decent! So, canned taters will be on my shelf from now on. I know there are more recipes I could use them in but so far, the tater salad is my first experiment!

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Just in case you run into the "too many ripe bananas" issue again, if you have room in your freezer, you can peel them and toss them in there. Then you can defrost them to use in muffins, etc., or if you break or cut them into chunks (while still frozen) and throw them into your food processor, they turn into an ice-cream-like substance that's good on its own if you really like bananas, or even better if you add cocoa powder and/or peanut butter and/or frozen berries. And of course, they're good for smoothies, too.

We're definitely fans of freezing bananas and making non-dairy ice cream or smoothies with them.  I first did this in 1989 as a new bride, and having found it so successful I did it intentionally to make banana ice cream for my family when they visited our apartment. Only, I froze bananas that weren't overripe, and my family hated it.  Lesson learned!

I have a kid who adores making peanut butter chocolate frozen banana shakes.  I used to buy 5 bunches of bananas at a time (Costco) so I could let them get ripe and freeze them.  But the kid living at home hates bananas, so I leave them out of our smoothies (when we make them, which isn't that often).

[K_in_the_kitchen]

This is kind of new to me, but I am pretty excited about it!

I have recently purchased canned whole potatoes. In the million years I have been alive, I have never purchased them! So, the other day, I had a dozen eggs that were getting close to expiration and as I have mentioned before, Mr. Roadrunner freaks whenever anything approaches the dreaded date. So, I boiled a dozen eggs and ate some as egg salad sammies. Then I took three cans of whole canned potatoes and rinsed them several times. I cut them up in wedges and made a potato salad with them, celery, onion, chopped up boiled eggs, mayo. It was darn good! I think freshly boiled potatoes would have been a few notches better, but it was really decent! So, canned taters will be on my shelf from now on. I know there are more recipes I could use them in but so far, the tater salad is my first experiment!

@Roadrunner53 Which brand of canned potatoes did you buy?  I tried this with canned potatoes from Aldi and we were less than impressed.  It doesn't help that there were so many dark spots all through the potatoes.  I learned about canned potatoes from a friend and thought they would be good for camping, but struck out with Aldi.

[MudPuppy]

Frozen turkeys were 25 cents a pound for some unknown reason, so my spouse bought three. I guess we’ll be good on meat and stick for a few months.

That is a great price!  Was this an advertised special?  I've seen some Easter specials on spiral hams and standing rib roasts, but not on turkey.

No. And honestly? I don’t know what the department manager is thinking doing this so close to Easter. Their department  is going to take a big loss on these.

MudPuppy, That is a fantastic price! What part of the country do you live in?

Southeastern US

[Cranky]

Frozen turkeys were 25 cents a pound for some unknown reason, so my spouse bought three. I guess we’ll be good on meat and stick for a few months.

That is a great price!  Was this an advertised special?  I've seen some Easter specials on spiral hams and standing rib roasts, but not on turkey.

No. And honestly? I don’t know what the department manager is thinking doing this so close to Easter. Their department  is going to take a big loss on these.

MudPuppy, That is a fantastic price! What part of the country do you live in?

Southeastern US

Maybe a previously delayed order suddenly turned up?

I’ve noticed seasonal specials at Aldi suddenly appear weeks late and almost immediately get marked down.

On that note, Aldi had a gazillion fancy jar candles marked down to under $1 this week. I stocked up, but I’d certainly like a bargain turkey, too!

[Roadrunner53]

This is kind of new to me, but I am pretty excited about it!

I have recently purchased canned whole potatoes. In the million years I have been alive, I have never purchased them! So, the other day, I had a dozen eggs that were getting close to expiration and as I have mentioned before, Mr. Roadrunner freaks whenever anything approaches the dreaded date. So, I boiled a dozen eggs and ate some as egg salad sammies. Then I took three cans of whole canned potatoes and rinsed them several times. I cut them up in wedges and made a potato salad with them, celery, onion, chopped up boiled eggs, mayo. It was darn good! I think freshly boiled potatoes would have been a few notches better, but it was really decent! So, canned taters will be on my shelf from now on. I know there are more recipes I could use them in but so far, the tater salad is my first experiment!

@Roadrunner53 Which brand of canned potatoes did you buy?  I tried this with canned potatoes from Aldi and we were less than impressed.  It doesn't help that there were so many dark spots all through the potatoes.  I learned about canned potatoes from a friend and thought they would be good for camping, but struck out with Aldi.

I bought Delmonte canned whole potatoes and did buy some sliced also. Have not used the sliced yet. Plus, I just bought some Libbey's brand whole canned potatoes I have not tried yet. None of the potatoes had imperfections. Out of 3 cans I used, I may have cut off one tiny spot. They were firm and not mushy. Like I said before, I made sure to rinse, rinse, rinse the potatoes till the water ran clear. I probably would have bought a cheaper brand canned potato if they were available. Walmart brand sells the cans for something like $0.78 a can but for online ordering, were not available. However, it isn't a bargain if the potatoes are full of spots. I can see how the canned potatoes will be a nice fill in when I run out of fresh potatoes. I may roast some with other veggies to try that soon.

Not that long ago I bought these baby carrots from Costco. Their baby carrots are much larger than what you get in the grocery store. I think it was a two pack and each pack was about 2 lbs! I was like wow, this is a lot of carrots for two people! I managed to use them up for various meals and my last use for them was to roast them with mini peppers and mushrooms! The carrots were so sweet cooked that way! I also had a half a head of cabbage from St. Patrick's day that I cut into 'steaks' and roasted the too. Good way to use up a bunch of veggies that are getting a bit old. Right now I still have the last of the baby carrots to use up and this is going to be a first too. I have some romaine lettuce I am going to roast with the carrots, peppers, mushrooms. Never roasted romaine lettuce but have read it is a 'thing'.

[GreenSheep]

Not that long ago I bought these baby carrots from Costco. Their baby carrots are much larger than what you get in the grocery store. I think it was a two pack and each pack was about 2 lbs! I was like wow, this is a lot of carrots for two people! I managed to use them up for various meals and my last use for them was to roast them with mini peppers and mushrooms! The carrots were so sweet cooked that way! I also had a half a head of cabbage from St. Patrick's day that I cut into 'steaks' and roasted the too. Good way to use up a bunch of veggies that are getting a bit old. Right now I still have the last of the baby carrots to use up and this is going to be a first too. I have some romaine lettuce I am going to roast with the carrots, peppers, mushrooms. Never roasted romaine lettuce but have read it is a 'thing'.

Totally agree! Roasting makes veggies SO good! I like them with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I've never tried roasting romaine, but now I'll have to keep that in mind!

[Roadrunner53]

Not that long ago I bought these baby carrots from Costco. Their baby carrots are much larger than what you get in the grocery store. I think it was a two pack and each pack was about 2 lbs! I was like wow, this is a lot of carrots for two people! I managed to use them up for various meals and my last use for them was to roast them with mini peppers and mushrooms! The carrots were so sweet cooked that way! I also had a half a head of cabbage from St. Patrick's day that I cut into 'steaks' and roasted the too. Good way to use up a bunch of veggies that are getting a bit old. Right now I still have the last of the baby carrots to use up and this is going to be a first too. I have some romaine lettuce I am going to roast with the carrots, peppers, mushrooms. Never roasted romaine lettuce but have read it is a 'thing'.

Totally agree! Roasting makes veggies SO good! I like them with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I've never tried roasting romaine, but now I'll have to keep that in mind!

Mmmm... balsamic vinegar! I will have to keep that in mind! Love balsamic vinegar!

[DaMa]

My parents fry canned sliced potatoes for breakfast.  Drain them, and blot dry.  Fried in bacon grease is best (of course).  The taste is different from fresh potato, but we love them.

[Roadrunner53]

Making some canned sliced taters in the crockpot with cheese, cream of mushroom soup, a dollop of sour cream, onion powder and garlic powder, black pepper. It is very tasty!

Put an order into Peapod which is division of Stop & Shop for home delivery of groceries. Eggs are really going up in price along with everything else. I am all stocked up but needed to get some stuff to replenish some of the stock. They had a good sale on their brands so I ordered some pasta at like $1.00 for 16 oz packages. I spent a lot because I only order from them every 6 weeks or so.

[jrhampt]

I'll have to try canned potatoes now!  I love potato salad but it's a bit of work, so I'm excited to try doing it with canned potatoes, and also try the roasted potatoes.  I wonder how they would be as mashed potatoes...

[Roadrunner53]

Forgot to mention that I added onion too. I think next time I might put the cheese, soup, onion and sour cream in the crockpot first and let the onions soften. Then when the sauce is very hot, add the canned taters. They were a little soft but still tasted very good! Make sure to rinse, rinse, rinse the taters before using them and drain well.

Today I got a grocery delivery and purchased some more canned taters. I also bought a few cans of the store brand canned taters. the price difference was significant. Del Monte was $1.59 for a 14.5 oz can and the store brand was $0.89 for a 15 oz can. I want to see the quality difference and if the quality is as good as Del Monte, store brand may become my go to canned taters.

I have not made mashed taters from the canned ones yet but one day I might try. I think they would be fine!

[K_in_the_kitchen]

I went to delay my ButcherBox order and they immediately offered me the $1 bacon "for life" offer, which I haven't been offered before.  Currently my offers are 2# ground beef for life, $1 bacon for life, and 20 oz. NY Steak in each box of 2021. With the steak offer, when ordering NY steak (which is mostly what I do), it comes to $19.31 per pound for the steak (slightly cheaper than Sprouts), with the ground beef and the bacon an $21 bonus based on local prices (ground @ $7 per pound and bacon at $8 per 10 oz., minus the $1 I'll pay for the bacon). While I strongly considered eating down the freezer to make room for a bulk beef order, we decided to just stick with BB for now, as the NY steaks are perfectly fine for grass-fed and I shouldn't really compare them to prime cornfed CAFO beef.

We've started giving the small dog canned no-salt green beans with each meal, so I need to find a place to stock up on those cheaply.  So far I think Walmart has the best prices at 54¢ per can. He eats two cans per week so it's an inexpensive add-on.  We're adding the green beans so he'll feel full -- he needs to be under 15# or I get scolded at the vet, and he was up to 15.7#.  But just cutting his food makes him hangry and he starts tearing up paper and other items, so he gets the green beans.  His weight is already coming down nicely.

[Roadrunner53]

K_in_the _Kitchen, canned pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) is supposed to be good for dogs too. Lots of fiber and you only need to use a tablespoon or two in the dog food. Previously, when we had our beloved Pomeranian who loved to eat, he got a bit chubby. The vet recommended a prescription dog food that did help him lose weight. But it was pretty expensive. Maybe you could switch between green beans and pumpkin. I see Target has pure pumpkin, their brand, for $0.99 a 15 oz can. You might be able to use frozen carrots too! You don't want a 'hangry' dog! LOL!

I am going to have to pause my Butcher Box for a few months...I think! We are running out of room in the freezer and we need to eat some of it down. We do pretty good eating it down and then another delivery fills it up again! I have a huge order coming in May and after that, I will have to see. I am loading up on steaks and some chuck roasts.

We lost power 2 days ago for a few hours. A critter got up on the lines and knocked the power out. Later on, Mr. Roadrunner noticed the freezer was back on and okay. Next day, the temp had dropped down a bit in the freezer. He reset it but was freaking out that the freezer might be shot. It is about 5 years old. The freezer is full and would be a nightmare if it broke down. UGH! So far so good!

[K_in_the_kitchen]

K_in_the _Kitchen, canned pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) is supposed to be good for dogs too. Lots of fiber and you only need to use a tablespoon or two in the dog food. Previously, when we had our beloved Pomeranian who loved to eat, he got a bit chubby. The vet recommended a prescription dog food that did help him lose weight. But it was pretty expensive. Maybe you could switch between green beans and pumpkin. I see Target has pure pumpkin, their brand, for $0.99 a 15 oz can. You might be able to use frozen carrots too! You don't want a 'hangry' dog! LOL!

I am going to have to pause my Butcher Box for a few months...I think! We are running out of room in the freezer and we need to eat some of it down. We do pretty good eating it down and then another delivery fills it up again! I have a huge order coming in May and after that, I will have to see. I am loading up on steaks and some chuck roasts.

We lost power 2 days ago for a few hours. A critter got up on the lines and knocked the power out. Later on, Mr. Roadrunner noticed the freezer was back on and okay. Next day, the temp had dropped down a bit in the freezer. He reset it but was freaking out that the freezer might be shot. It is about 5 years old. The freezer is full and would be a nightmare if it broke down. UGH! So far so good!

@Roadrunner53 I keep pumpkin on hand at all times for the dogs, just in case we run into stomach upset.  I also make sure we travel with it if we have the dogs with us. But pumpkin is actually too high calorie to add to the chihuahua's diet without shorting him of the nutrients in his kibble.  With the green beans he gets 1/4 cup at each meal, which adds plenty of bulk (to feel full) but only 8-10 calories. In addition to his kibble we also have to calculate in the calories from the digestive supplements he takes (No Scoot chews and Perfect Poop powder, lol) and the 3 calorie cookies he gets as training rewards several times a day.

Losing power to the freezer is always a fear!  I'm thankful that we only lost the refrigerator/freezer last September (not due to power failure), and that when we found out the chest freezer was also dead it was at least empty and off.  With a new freezer I hope we have quite some years before we have to worry about it.

My oldest is home for 11 days and we'll make a nice dent in the freezer meat during that time, I think.

We need bread and I don't feel like going to the store on the Friday before Easter, so I think I'll make a loaf.  And it will be white bread, as I'm working my way through 50# of white flour I bought almost two years ago.  It's still good but white flour doesn't last forever, so I've been using it more often.  That's the flip side of pandemic hoarding -- using what we've stored.

[Roadrunner53]

I have not been going to the grocery store because I get home delivery most of the time, so I can't say this is true, but I have been reading that people are reporting that there are empty shelves again in the stores. Meat is at a minimum on the shelves and egg prices have gone up a lot. I just got a home delivery on Thursday and no items were missing from the order. Many times, my receipt will say items I ordered are out of stock. However, one thing I buy which is gallon jugs of water, has gone up a LOT! Just a couple of months ago, the store brand was $0.99 a gallon. The last two times I ordered it the price was $1.49 a gallon! I wouldn't buy it, but we have extremely hard water and this water I order is for the coffeemaker. If I don't use this water, my coffeemaker will die an early death. Had too many coffeemakers kick the bucket for years and never knew why. Using the bottled water makes all the difference.

So, on my potato experiment. Earlier I reported that I ordered Del Monte canned taters and I was going to order some store brand canned potatoes that were about half price to see if they were equivalent to Del Monte. I can report that they are excellent! Last night I had a pot roast and added a can towards the end of the cooking to just warm up the taters and they were really nice looking and as a matter of fact, they were even whiter than the Del Monte that have a slight tan hue. So, in the future, I will buy the store brand and save about $0.70 a can! That makes me very happy!

Oh, and last night we had some Pillsbury biscuits that were expired...heaven forbid. Mr. Roadrunner was very aware that the sell by date had gone by. Maybe 5 days! So, I cooked them in the air fryer and they rose perfectly. I asked Mr. Roadrunner if he wanted to eat a rotten biscuit. LOL! He did and didn't keel over from it! I have to laugh at his anxiety of eating something that is 1 hour past use by date! He really would have fainted if he used the stale bread I used to make a grilled cheese sandwich! The rest of the bread I will make croutons. Hahaha, rotten croutons!

[Dicey]

Yesterday, I sliced and grilled some polenta that's been in the fridge for a couple of years. I didn't look, but I'm sure it's at least a year past expiration. It was the kind that's in a plastic sleeve, with crimped ends, like sausage. It was delicious and we're fine today.

[sonofsven]

Yesterday, I sliced and grilled some polenta that's been in the fridge for a couple of years. I didn't look, but I'm sure it's at least a year past expiration. It was the kind that's in a plastic sleeve, with crimped ends, like sausage. It was delicious and we're fine today.

This sounds like a great new thread: "Brag on your post dated food consumption", with dead and not dead sub categories.
I spent years buying can food and snacks at a place that only sold past the due date food, the trick was to stay within a year. All the cans were dented. Chips were generally a no-go as they were smashed into little bits.

[TomTX]

Yesterday, I sliced and grilled some polenta that's been in the fridge for a couple of years. I didn't look, but I'm sure it's at least a year past expiration. It was the kind that's in a plastic sleeve, with crimped ends, like sausage. It was delicious and we're fine today.

This sounds like a great new thread: "Brag on your post dated food consumption", with dead and not dead sub categories.
I spent years buying can food and snacks at a place that only sold past the due date food, the trick was to stay within a year. All the cans were dented. Chips were generally a no-go as they were smashed into little bits.

Here's a starter: The guy on YouTube who eats old-to-ancient MREs. This one is ~120 years old: https://youtu.be/jZoHuMwZwTk

[Dicey]

Yesterday, I sliced and grilled some polenta that's been in the fridge for a couple of years. I didn't look, but I'm sure it's at least a year past expiration. It was the kind that's in a plastic sleeve, with crimped ends, like sausage. It was delicious and we're fine today.

This sounds like a great new thread: "Brag on your post dated food consumption", with dead and not dead sub categories.
I spent years buying can food and snacks at a place that only sold past the due date food, the trick was to stay within a year. All the cans were dented. Chips were generally a no-go as they were smashed into little bits.

Here's a starter: The guy on YouTube who eats old-to-ancient MREs. This one is ~120 years old: https://youtu.be/jZoHuMwZwTk

OMG, I'm not trying to derail this thread!

[K_in_the_kitchen]

I went to Costco yesterday. I decided to get 50# of calrose rice, and 25# of Mayacoba (Peruano) beans. We're sitting on about 40 - 50# of rice already, but I'm starting to think about shortages and such as the grain situation gets worse. When all of us are home we go through as much as 5# of rice per week.  The beans weren't as cheap as pinto beans from Walmart, but these are the first dried beans Costco has had in over two years -- I distinctly recall them not having dried beans in November 2019, and haven't seen them since.  The Costco beans are triple washed, which is always nice.  I don't stress out over paying $1 per pound for dried beans because they're still a great value, and it's nice to have some variety now and then.

I suspended ButcherBox for 6 weeks.  I was so disappointed with the NY steaks I cooked for Easter!  And we just don't need any more meat right now.

[eyesonthehorizon]

Yesterday, I sliced and grilled some polenta that's been in the fridge for a couple of years. I didn't look, but I'm sure it's at least a year past expiration. It was the kind that's in a plastic sleeve, with crimped ends, like sausage. It was delicious and we're fine today.

This sounds like a great new thread: "Brag on your post dated food consumption", with dead and not dead sub categories.
I spent years buying can food and snacks at a place that only sold past the due date food, the trick was to stay within a year. All the cans were dented. Chips were generally a no-go as they were smashed into little bits.

There's a reason the apocalyptic flicks always feature stashes of pre-collapse canned goods. If the can itself is intact, & doesn't rust through (which can create pinholes in the metal), the main risk is that it may just not taste very nice. Things don't rot without bacteria to break them down & they're generally protected from rancidity (oxidation) because there's little air present. Eat fearlessly (but maybe test ahead of adding it to a recipe with lots of other ingredients.)

However I'm usually happier keeping bulk goods dry - less expense, less water transport. Cans are good for fruits that don't dry well, like tomato paste. We parboil & freeze potatoes in big batches just because it's easy & saves on cooking heat in the hot months.

MOST foods are basically imperishable in the freezer. The back of my fridges always freeze so I have been able to keep cultured stuff like yogurt - even open - for half a year. Preserving in alcohol or vinegar also works indefinitely at the back of the fridge. The bonus with anything that stays in the fridge or freezer is it displaces air that would otherwise rush out, forcing the cooling unit to turn on every time you open the door.

As long as you have the luxuries of working eyes & nose you can usually tell if something's off, though.

We finally ran through all our flour, rice, & beans from early in the pandemic, so replaced them with another couple dozen pounds of each. Accessing greens has been the most frustrating thing throughout, as frozen never taste right & I've been unlucky in gardening.