Grocery Shopping

[mike carey]

… with a bit of zucchini

Cancelled!

[Rudynate]

More about what you do after you've done the shopping than the shopping itself, but that's close enough! Heard this guy on a serious radio program this morning. He's a comedian who has a tour of the country planned from March, and when that fell through he started doing cooking videos. This one is for Australia's 'national dish', spaghetti bolognese. Everyone in the country makes it and there are about as many different recipes as there are cooks in the country. I'm sure some of you will take issue with his recipe (and it's pretty much what I use), but it's about the presentation! Oh, and *Language Warning*.

 

 

 

Aka spaghetti w/ meat sauce

[RealAvalon]

Aka spaghetti w/ meat sauce

National dish of Somalia (former Italian colony), spaghetti and meat sauce

[rvwnsd]

Aka spaghetti w/ meat sauce

I've seen Australian recipes that use balsamic vinegar and barbecue sauce. Just a little different than what is typically associated with spaghetti and meat sauce.

[Despardo]

I have no qualms of popping into the local Safeway for beer, milk or the off item. I wear a mask, sanitize hands and cart, say away from others, and don't stay long. Most of my groceries I order through Instacart, and my store of choice is Sprouts. Not everything on line is always available. Some substitutions are reasonable, some are loopy. I ordered head cheese and they substituted provalone.

[+ BlueSky]

Hand sanitizer seems to be making its way back into stores locally. It's available in most 711s I've visited and many supermarkets. Much cheaper at the supermarket. It's never a brand you've heard of though, no Purell.

[Rudynate]

I've seen Australian recipes that use balsamic vinegar and barbecue sauce. Just a little different than what is typically associated with spaghetti and meat sauce.

 

 

Makes me think of Cincinnati Chili. Italian Bolgonese sauce is kind of a high-end meat sauce. It uses uses beef that has been poached in milk and then finely minced and added to a tomato sauce with red wine and seasoned with something like a mirepoix.

[Rudynate]

Makes me think of Cincinnati Chili. Italian Bolgonese sauce is kind of a high-end meat sauce. It uses uses beef that has been poached in milk and then finely minced and added to a tomato sauce with red wine and seasoned with something like a mirepoix.

 

 

Actually, I made spaghetti with meat sauce a couple weeks ago for the first time in probably twenty years. I used Marcella Hazan's famous recipe for tomato sauce, adding an onion. Cooked the meat separately and added to the sauce for the last few minutes. Definitely not your mother's spaghetti with meat sauce.

 

I also got nostalgic for 70's style pasta primavera. I found a recipe that didn't use the usual Alfredo-type sauce that it was usually made with. It was really superb. I told my husband we just needed to listen to Pachelbel's Canon and have pink champagne with it and we could image we were having brunch in a fern bar.

[+ Charlie]

I can remember when the only "Italian" dish available on a menu in a British restaurant was "spaghetti Bolognese."

[rvwnsd]

Makes me think of Cincinnati Chili. ...

Exactly what I thought!

[+ sam.fitzpatrick]

When I went to Meijer today, I felt that fewer customers were wearing masks today. I also noticed that the X's on the floor were replaced with lines to show were to separate at the cashier's lines, along with more signage about keeping distance.

 

Another change, although the deli has been open the whole time to slice meat and cheese, the side dishes like potato salad and cole slaw had been pre-packaged the last two months. It was not today and the deli was fully service. The butcher counter is still closed with more packaged meats in the coolers. Perhaps a sign of things beginning the slow return to normalcy.

[Daverwr]

Another change, although the deli has been open the whole time to slice meat and cheese, the side dishes like potato salad and cole slaw had been pre-packaged the last two months. It was not today and the deli was fully service. The butcher counter is still closed with more packaged meats in the coolers. Perhaps a sign of things beginning the slow return to normalcy.

 

My upscale market’s meat counter has always been open. But then, they have no prewrapped meats so they pretty much have to be open. Same with their deli and salads. The only change I’ve noticed is they closed their salad bar.

[+ Charlie]

Salad bars and buffets are currently banned in CA.

[Guest]

I don't know why, but I couldn't find dill relish in the supermarket. I went to Target, and they didn't have any relish. Are people hoarding that for some reason?

[+ SundayZip]

OMG. I went to my usual grocery store yesterday and they finally had a few packages of toilet paper on the shelf! Although I knew I wasn't at risk of depleting my current stock of TP for another 4 weeks or so (**), I bought a package (4 rolls in pack). Have I turned into a hoarder?

 

(** My toilet has a bidet attachment so I don't go through TP very quickly).

[+ Charlie]

I don't know why, but I couldn't find dill relish in the supermarket. I went to Target, and they didn't have any relish. Are people hoarding that for some reason?

Could be. I have not been able to find the sweet pickle relish that I usually get for my spouse in most local stores, and where I have found it, it is only in enormous jars that I would expect to usually be bought only by restaurants.

[+ Charlie]

OMG. I went to my usual grocery store yesterday and they finally had a few packages of toilet paper on the shelf! Although I knew I wasn't at risk of depleting my current stock of TP for another 4 weeks or so (**), I bought a package (4 rolls in pack). Have I turned into a hoarder?

 

(** My toilet has a bidet attachment so I don't go through TP very quickly).

I was amazed to go into my local Von's (Safeway) yesterday morning and find the paper products aisle completely stocked!

[+ oldNbusted]

Costco had TP back again, but still no cinnamon sticks! Oh, the humanity, how long will this go on?

[Epigonos]

Just returned from my trusty Smart & Final. The price of all beef products are skyrocketing. Just last week products that were costing $3.00, $4.00, and $5.00 a pound are now priced at $6.00, $8.00 and $10.00 a pound. Steaks are running as high as $14.00 to $16.00 a pound. Smart & Final has had a policy that when the expiration date nears on meat products the price is marked down 30%. That section is now triple the size it was just a week ago and people are still not buying. I assume these products will be thrown out and the market will cut way back on its buying. That will then become a chain reaction.

Am also reading of farmers turning under their ripe produce because that can't find people willing to do the harvesting at any price. I expect we will soon see much higher prices for produce.

If this becomes a trend and it continues for any period of time things are going to get real dicey.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Epigonos

[rvwnsd]

Just returned from my trusty Smart & Final. The price of all beef products are skyrocketing. Just last week products that were costing $3.00, $4.00, and $5.00 a pound are now priced at $6.00, $8.00 and $10.00 a pound. Steaks are running as high as $14.00 to $16.00 a pound. Smart & Final has had a policy that when the expiration date nears on meat products the price is marked down 30%. That section is now triple the size it was just a week ago and people are still not buying. I assume these products will be thrown out and the market will cut way back on its buying. That will then become a chain reaction.

Am also reading of farmers turning under their ripe produce because that can't find people willing to do the harvesting at any price. I expect we will soon see much higher prices for produce.

If this becomes a trend and it continues for any period of time things are going to get real dicey.

Seems like it's time to change supermarkets. VONS/Albertsons is selling ribeyes for $5.77/lb in Orange and San Diego counties. Ralphs, as always, is twenty two cents per pound more at $5.99/lb. I always liked Albertsons/VONS meat better than Ralphs.

 

Here in Phoenix, bone-in ribeye steaks are $4.97/lb in the big pack and $5.97/lb when bought individually at Safeway.

[+ oldNbusted]

‘Something isn’t right’: U.S. probes soaring beef prices

 

Supermarket customers are paying more for beef than they have in decades during the coronavirus pandemic. But at the same time, the companies that process the meat for sale are paying farmers and ranchers staggeringly low prices for cattle.

Now, the Agriculture Department and prosecutors are investigating whether the meatpacking industry is fixing or manipulating prices.

Advertisement

The Department of Justice is looking at the four largest U.S. meatpackers — Tyson Foods, JBS, National Beef and Cargill — which collectively control about 85 percent of the U.S. market for the slaughter and packaging of beef, according to a person with knowledge of the probe. The USDA is also investigating the beef price fluctuations, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has confirmed.

 

I expect prices will go down before any findings

[RealAvalon]

‘Something isn’t right’: U.S. probes soaring beef prices

 

Supermarket customers are paying more for beef than they have in decades during the coronavirus pandemic. But at the same time, the companies that process the meat for sale are paying farmers and ranchers staggeringly low prices for cattle.

Now, the Agriculture Department and prosecutors are investigating whether the meatpacking industry is fixing or manipulating prices.

Advertisement

The Department of Justice is looking at the four largest U.S. meatpackers — Tyson Foods, JBS, National Beef and Cargill — which collectively control about 85 percent of the U.S. market for the slaughter and packaging of beef, according to a person with knowledge of the probe. The USDA is also investigating the beef price fluctuations, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has confirmed.

 

I expect prices will go down before any findings

Or a consumer boycott in support of farmers (even though it's mostly mega agro-business now).

[RealAvalon]

From the vegetables past their prime shelf I managed to buy two heads of cauliflower, a large leak, eight carrots and three zucchini for $9.20 which I thought was a pretty good price.

 

Food prices are expected to rise by 4% in Canada over the next year, with general inflation hovering at about 1/2% maybe.

[+ FrankR]

From the vegetables past their prime shelf I managed to buy two heads of cauliflower, a large leak, eight carrots and three zucchini for $9.20 which I thought was a pretty good price.

 

Food prices are expected to rise by 4% in Canada over the next year, with general inflation hovering at about 1/2% maybe.

Even vegan food prices??

 

[RealAvalon]

Even vegan food prices??

 

WHERE? You know how many vegans I know …