I thought we'd just have a quick chat related to kitchen stuff. It's a sort of wandering thoughts post but every item is related to kitchen/pantry.
First, remember when every bacon became the food trend? This would have been around 2012 or so, just about the time we felt we should give up pork. Suddenly new recipes exploded on websites touting the new food trend. Bacon Chocolate Chip cookies, Bacon Brownies, bacon in casseroles and bacon wrapped meats. Though to be fair some of those recipes like bacon wrapped meat loaf or a slow cooked chicken breast already were old trends revived.
I was a bit non-plussed when we went to one chain restaurant and discovered that every item on the menu had bacon tossed in or on it. Another chain included a shake on their menu with bacon mixed in. I wasn't the least bit tempted to try it. But most recently, I'm seeing fewer and fewer recipes with a heavy handed and random use of bacon these days. I don't think price of bacon has a thing to do with it. I think the trendiness just ran down.
Most recently I'd said that I had seen dozens of 'Crack' Chicken recipes combining bacon, ranch dressing mix, cheddar cheese and chicken. It was dished up as a pasta casserole, a rice dish, a dip, as breasts for an entree, over spaghetti, etc.
That's still a fairly popular recipe combination at present. But I've noted a few more trends and one of those is the use of cream cheese in savory food dishes. as well as the incorporation of heavy cream to make rich pastas, soups and casseroles. This trend hit just about the time cream cheese went so very high and was hard to find on the grocery shelves. I found it really interesting that so many cooks had absolutely no issue with adding in a full 8-ounce block of cream cheese at nearly $4 for 8-ounces.
A third trend I've become aware of lately is that if a little cheese is a nice touch, then a couple of pounds of cheese is better per the recipe author. I'm quite serious. After noting that a recipe I was reading had no less than three types of cheese combined, I added up the number of ounces of cheese and it came up to over 2 pounds. And cheese wasn't even the main flavor profile of the dish!
And finally, there is a current trend to use heavy cream, which is making heavy cream harder and harder to find. Heavy cream is added to eggs, pasta dishes, casseroles, soups and sauces. In most instances it's only 1/4 cup in most recipes. The bonus of this usage is that it does add creaminess and thickens sauces naturally. I don't recall ever seeing so many recipes (or cooks) using heavy cream in the past though as I have in the last few months.
I wrote a post here where you can find substitutions you might make for heavy cream.
You can find a post here for substitutions you may make for cream cheese and an explanation of where each one works best.
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I've just read a post on Bh&g site that there are a few predictions for food trends: a renewed interest in canned fish, like sardines...
Skipping short cuts in homemade foods. If you're going to have crescent rolls you not only make them at home, you spend the full 2-3 days required to do the whole process correctly.
Dates. It's noted on the website that dates are now in many foods and widely available (true). They are an ancient source of food energy and a long-lasting food source.
Those are just the highlights I scanned in the article. You can read the whole article on the website.
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I've been meaning to share for quite a while now that we recently swapped out brown rice in our pantry for a long grain Basmati rice. I did a lot of research prior to doing this.
For one thing, I found that though we ate rice about once a week, we were consuming enough rice to warrant storing it. Brown rice keeps well for about six months. After that it becomes rancid rather quickly. I have had to toss brown rice in the past that we hadn't eaten before it reached that stage.
White rice may keep up to two years in storage before it becomes rancid.
Of course, I realize that these dates are not carved in stone. If stored properly rice of all sorts can go off quickly or be fresh for a longer period. But because I had rice actually go rancid, and I am trying hard to build a pantry, plus avoid all food waste, I wasn't happy.
In doing my research of various types of rice, Basmati had the next best glycemic index numbers. Brown rice comes in at 58. Basmati at 50. Given the nearness of the two numbers and that the Basmati will keep fresh for two years, I was swayed to try buy a bag and try how it affected me personally. I know too well from past experience that my body can be more sensitive to some foods than to others. I figured if the rice caused my blood sugar to rise uncomfortably high, we could go back to brown. I am pleased that thus far, I don't see a huge difference in eating Basmati vs. eating brown rice. And I'm a lot happier with the ability to reasonably store a larger amount of rice without fear it's going to go bad before we use it.
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On another forum Lana recently commented that she'd spoken with a lady in a local grocery who complained over the high prices. When Lana pointed out that an Aldi was nearby with better prices the woman gave her a list of excuses for why she wouldn't shop there, not the least of which was that she had to bag her own groceries.
When the pandemic came along and the first outages began occurring in markets, I was still doing a good bit of Mama's grocery shopping for her. Time and again she'd tell me "I ONLY want..." She too was locked into shopping at just one store and was adamant that if she couldn't have a certain brand, she wanted no substitutions. Often enough she complained long and loud over outages and costs. Frankly I got rather frustrated with her and told her so. "We're not living in the same sort of days you're accustomed to, and you'll have to make changes." She refused to change a thing, not the store, nor her idea of what she could accept when it came to brands or substitutes.
Now I confess that Mama was never a frugal cook or shopper, but she was a gardener and willing to buy bulk produce from farms. Unlike myself thought, she's never tried to keep to a budget where her foodstuffs are concerned. Frankly, I found the savings were necessary for our overall budget. We've eaten very well over the years on a low and moderately low budget.
Yes, it's a bit more work to follow sales or to note prices and compare from one store to another, but it is so worthwhile in my opinion. It's because of this I've been able to create a pantry over the years, though we don't garden, nor have I done a lot of canning. But my pantry has been built on a budget and it's because of my willingness to shop at a number of stores and do the legwork that goes with that.
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Two articles I read this week that were literally food for thought about coming up shortages and outages:
12 items to buy early as supply chain shortages loom | Las Vegas Review-Journal (reviewjournal.com)
7 comments:
I was never interested in all those bacon loaded foods either. I have been put off by the loaded up cheese recipes for years. A half pound of cheese over the top of a casserole is just a waste and adds nothing in my opinion. What ever happened to using up the last few crackers or some breadcrumbs or potato chip bits to top a casserole? They actually do add flavor and interest. My grandmother was a recluse and did not go to the grocery store for probably 20 years so my poor uncle who never left home was often to be seen wandering around the store trying to find something long discontinued that she had put on the grocery list. He knew there would be trouble if he went home without it! As far as food costs go-I think that people will have to adjust their ways or go deep into credit card debt in order to eat. But, like I said in that post, Publix is still mobbed every time we go so it is not hurting bad enough yet. We will go today for some great deals and freebies but not even look at the rest of the store.
Very interesting! Yesterday when I bought eggs- 1 dozen for what 6 dozen cost not too long ago- I wondered what the next outrageous price hike would be- we’ve seen all grocery items about double but meats, butter, sodas and now eggs are just through the roof.
Gavin’s parents raise beef and dairy cows. They have had a heck of a time finding hay and when they do, it’s crazy how much it costs. So I suspect beef will continue to rise.
We had to go to an extra store today to find everything we needed. Kind of felt like 2020 again.
I don't like bacon and am glad to see it leaving the trendy food stage!
Food has trends just like everything else...clothes, home décor, even a person's behavior. Prices in the grocery stores have gone up due to lots of factors but good, healthy meals can still be prepared with adjustments and a new mindset. We like our turkey bacon but don't put it on everything. Some with breakfast is just enough. Too much cheese makes a dish just gommy and almost inedible. Moderation is key.
Lana, the last recipe for Chicken Wild Rice casserole I read had nothing but a cheese topping, but I do recall the original recipe I was given had a bit of cheese and then was topped with sliced almonds, which once toasted added a nice bit of crunch to the casserole.
I agree that crackers, breadcrumbs and crushed chips add lots of interest to a casserole as well.
Rhonda, tonight at supper I served each of us a fried egg. Caleb normally doesn't eat eggs but he did tonight. However, I was amused when he started to put it back on his plate and Katie told him "You better eat that egg, it's $9 a dozen at the store!" I laughed and told her we'd not be having them with corned beef hash tonight if those had cost me that much. I'm still using the last of the 18ct. carton I bought for $2.79 at Kroger in December.
Funny about the hay. I kid you not we see farmers gathering hay here and then like as not it's left in the field to rot. It's a shame your family can't find them locally, but I suppose if they trucked it in it would be too dear to consider.
Mable, I am with you. I just never got into the whole bacon thing. Like Donna we eat turkey bacon and even though we've recently begun adding some pork into our diet, I'm not the least bit tempted to buy pork bacon.
Donna or a couple of slices for a BLT...Other than that I don't even consider it necessary for any meal other than breakfast.
Some of the food trends that come along are just as ridiculous as the fashion trends that come as well. Funny you mentioned Aldi. We have one very near our house but I had forgotten to even shop there for quite some time, for no good reason other than out of sight out of mind because I don't drive that direction often. Husband and I went on a date night last week and drove that way and he mentioned/asked how I rarely go to Aldi anymore. So, this past weekend, I made my simple/healthy menu plan and that's where I shopped. And I was so happy to be reminded of how much money I saved compared to my normal place since my entire menu was basics like veggies, meats and a few pantry items that are always easily found or substituted at Aldi. Only thing I had to go somewhere else for was some canning jars I needed and distilled water for our CPAP machines.
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