Grocery shopping tips during Coronavirus quarantine #3

[JrzyGirl70]

@BetteDavisEyes does your DH have a single brother that lives in NJ?? My loving (sarcastic) BF forgot my birthday this year.. I know I should just get over it, but a week later was annoyed with me that I wasn't the first person to wish him a Happy Birthday on his day.

 

[PayrollNerd]

We enjoyed one of the 1971 bottles on the 4th. The color was a bit strange, but the aged wine was actually quite good. We will save the second bottle and open it for Christmas - our 1/2 anniversary Besides the 1971 wines, DH surprised me with our marriage license exquisitely custom-framed. He was choked up when he presented it to me, saying that our 50 years together was something to be celebrated and not kept in a lock box with other documents

What a sweet gift!!! Such a thoughtful man. You are blessed my dear, truly, genuinely blessed.

 

[anneg]

We enjoyed one of the 1971 bottles on the 4th. The color was a bit strange, but the aged wine was actually quite good. We will save the second bottle and open it for Christmas - our 1/2 anniversary Besides the 1971 wines, DH surprised me with our marriage license exquisitely custom-framed. He was choked up when he presented it to me, saying that our 50 years together was something to be celebrated and not kept in a lock box with other documents

Love it! He's definitely a keeper!

 

[anneg]

I got a great deal on a bag of beautiful Washington State sweet red cherries this week--$1.99/pound. Delicious!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

DH has done most of the grocery shopping during the pandemic, and now that he's retired, he doesn't seem to mind. If I make a list, he gets exactly what's on the list and doesn't dawdle like I do We went to Nino's together last week, and I noticed many changes in the store that DH hadn't mentioned. Masks are no longer required by patrons or employees, and I saw only one shopper wearing a mask. The social-distancing floor markers are gone, as are the vinyl curtains that separated cashiers from customers in the checkout lanes. Customers can now bring their own bags that will be used by cashiers and/or baggers. Sanitizing wipes have always been available in the vestibule to wipe down carts, but there are no more hand sanitizer stations or sanitizing wipes elsewhere in the store. I haven't been to Meijer or Kroger in recent months, but DH reports that no one wears masks in either store, nor are there restrictions imposed on patrons like social-distancing markers or dividers in checkout lanes. I hope that the loosening of mask mandates and other restrictions doesn't result in a surge of Covid cases - especially the Delta variant.

ETA: Just want to add this about my recent visit to Nino's. DH told me several weeks ago that "Greg" the fishmonger was back in town and working at the fish counter on weekends. He moved to SC a few years ago to open his own seafood shop. Due to the pandemic, things didn't work out, and he returned to Michigan in need of a job. When DH and I were in the store last week, I shopped in the produce department while DH hit the seafood and meat counters. DH had already finished getting what we needed, but I stopped by the seafood counter to welcome Greg back to Nino's. When DH was in Nino's yesterday to get fish for tonight, Greg told him that it had been very nice for me to have welcomed him back to the store. We are long-time, loyal customers and haven't met many fish we didn't like

 

[PayrollNerd]

Emptied my 2 freezers and fridge. They were long overdue. Too much old stuff that I was too leery to eat. Figured it was best to start fresh. My little 5 cf chest freezer is plugged back in now. I picked up some baskets at the dollar store. Hoping to be a bit more organized going forward so I don't forget about items.

I went to the produce pick up. So much of it was beyond spoiled, I had to toss it. Then the trash guys decided, that was what they weren't going to take today. Ugh!!! I put it in a thick contractor bag, tied it and sprayed bug spray on the outside. Good golly it's going to be nasty by next Monday.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Emptied my 2 freezers and fridge. They were long overdue. Too much old stuff that I was too leery to eat. Figured it was best to start fresh. My little 5 cf chest freezer is plugged back in now. I picked up some baskets at the dollar store. Hoping to be a bit more organized going forward so I don't forget about items...

You might not recall this widespread blackout in August, 2003 because it didn't impact Florida: August 2003 Blackout | Department of Energy At the time, we had a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer and had a lot of food in both compartments. With typical Michigan heat and humidity in mid-August, it didn't take long for anything in the freezer to begin thawing, and foods in refrigerator were likely going to have to be tossed within hours. DH went to Meijer and bought two plastic tubs and several bags of ice. We filled the tubs with ice and tried to salvage as much food as possible by keeping it cool. DH fired up the grill and cooked as much of the chicken/meat as he could and took some to family members for quick consumption.

The blackout lasted almost three days: No A/C, no appliances, no TV. etc. Plumbing wasn't working, so we couldn't even flush toilets unless we collected rain water in buckets (neighbors who back up to the retention basin got water there). It was a difficult couple of days, but we survived and learned an important lesson about not overstocking the fridge/freezer. Winter power outages are a nuisance, but we can put frozen/refrigerated items in the garage or out on the deck and keep them from spoiling or thawing. One thing that I'll always remember fondly about the 2003 blackout was dancing in the rain on the driveway

 

[PayrollNerd]

Today's produce pick up was much better. Blueberries, strawberries, zucchini and red potatoes. A small bag of mixed veggies and tiny watermelon. Only the strawberries were in rough shape but I salvaged some.

 

[LadyL]

Today's produce pick up was much better. Blueberries, strawberries, zucchini and red potatoes. A small bag of mixed veggies and tiny watermelon. Only the strawberries were in rough shape but I salvaged some.

is that a whole whack of zucchini? whatcha gonna make with it?

 

[PayrollNerd]

is that a whole whack of zucchini? whatcha gonna make with it?

I made quiche - it was soooo good. I made 2 with gluten free crust (for kiddo) and one regular for me. The rest I sliced up and split between me and my youngest. I'm not sure what she made with her pile. I was planning on doing "fried" zucchini today - baked in the oven. I even bought bread crumbs. I literally just went in there and found the slices had an odd smell. I should have made them a few days ago. Shoot.

 

[PayrollNerd]

You might not recall this widespread blackout in August, 2003 because it didn't impact Florida: August 2003 Blackout | Department of Energy At the time, we had a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer and had a lot of food in both compartments. With typical Michigan heat and humidity in mid-August, it didn't take long for anything in the freezer to begin thawing, and foods in refrigerator were likely going to have to be tossed within hours. DH went to Meijer and bought two plastic tubs and several bags of ice. We filled the tubs with ice and tried to salvage as much food as possible by keeping it cool. DH fired up the grill and cooked as much of the chicken/meat as he could and took some to family members for quick consumption.

The blackout lasted almost three days: No A/C, no appliances, no TV. etc. Plumbing wasn't working, so we couldn't even flush toilets unless we collected rain water in buckets (neighbors who back up to the retention basin got water there). It was a difficult couple of days, but we survived and learned an important lesson about not overstocking the fridge/freezer. Winter power outages are a nuisance, but we can put frozen/refrigerated items in the garage or out on the deck and keep them from spoiling or thawing. One thing that I'll always remember fondly about the 2003 blackout was dancing in the rain on the driveway

What a nightmare. I was in east TN at the time (relo'd back to FL in 2008) and I don't remember hearing about it. When we were in PA for 8 years, I can remember putting things in snowbanks to save them.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I made quiche - it was soooo good. I made 2 with gluten free crust (for kiddo) and one regular for me. The rest I sliced up and split between me and my youngest. I'm not sure what she made with her pile. I was planning on doing "fried" zucchini today - baked in the oven. I even bought bread crumbs. I literally just went in there and found the slices had an odd smell. I should have made them a few days ago. Shoot.

Sorry about the stinky zucchini. Have you ever made zucchini bread? When there's an abundance of Michigan zucchini, I always make a couple of loaves. This recipe works well with shredded carrots, as well, or a combination of zucchini and carrots. Zucchini Bread Recipe | Food Network Kitchen | Food Network

 

[PayrollNerd]

Sorry about the stinky zucchini. Have you ever made zucchini bread? When there's an abundance of Michigan zucchini, I always make a couple of loaves. This recipe works well with shredded carrots, as well, or a combination of zucchini and carrots. Zucchini Bread Recipe | Food Network Kitchen | Food Network

Oh yes, I shred zucchini and freeze in 2 cup portions because that is what my recipe calls for. When my kiddos were little the called it "keenie cake." When we had to switch to gluten free, it was one of the first recipes I converted. Took 3 attempts to find the right flour. But we still make it to this day in the mini loaf pans.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

We had lamb burgers with Feta and fresh rosemary on Sunday night. Michigan corn hasn't reached peak season yet, but the two ears we had were very good. The ground lamb was 9.99 a pound, but we decided to treat ourselves because we like lamb in our red meat rotation and haven't had it for months. Leg of lamb is 15.99 a pound. DH asked butcher to weigh the boneless leg of lamb in the showcase; it was just over 6# and would have cost $96+

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Local media reports that Kroger and Meijer are "requesting" that employees and patrons wear masks. It will be interesting to see how this goes. Will be going to Nino's tomorrow or Wednesday. I wonder if they will "request" masks...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Last month I searched desperately for Randall beans for July 4. Nino's, Meijer, and Kroger did not have them. I thought they were out of the wonderful Great Northern Beans because everyone was making baked beans for the holiday. Looking for them again this week - still no Randall beans. DH was in Nino's over the weekend and asked the grocery manager why they didn't have them. He just knew that he'd been unable to get them through their distributor with no further explanation. DH did some research and learned that the beans were recalled in late May due to "processing mistake". Company expands recall of 1.6 million cases of beans from 22 states for processing mistake | Food Safety News

We were in Nino's earlier, and DH told the grocery manager about the recall. I got assorted canned beans but hope my favorite Randall Great Northern Beans are back on shelves this fall. There weren't many masked employees or patrons.

 

[PayrollNerd]

This morning I went to the produce pickup and tonight I went to the food pickup. I had to toss 3 eggplant and 4 ears of corn, some tomatoes and a few peppers. It’s a shame because I was thinking eggplant Parmesan would be good. I may just improvise with the one eggplant. Roast it with some seasonings and top it with cheese maybe a little marinara on the side.

At the produce pick up, it was 2 boxes of standard food bank dry goods. Nearly the same items each time. At the church grocery pickup, it was a nice variety. Tissues, bread, granola bars, desserts, dry & canned goods, produce in good shape, cheese, frozen chicken breast and 2 lbs of ground beef.

It rained most of the day so I wasn’t sure if they’d be doing the distributions. I always thank them of course. But today, since it was slow, I let them know how much it meant to me. For them to stand out there, and fill your vehicle while you wait, it is such a blessing.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

DH hadn't gone to Costco in July because we really didn't need anything urgently. He went on Sunday with a list of several items - some edible, some not. Costco had no Dijon mustard (twin pack) and no Laughing Cow Lite cheese wedges (4-pack). He got two cases of Perrier, a case of bottled water, salmon, TP, and a sturdy 3-step ladder. Our home has high ceilings and cabinets that we can't reach with our 2-step ladder. After Labor Day, we are going to clean and purge the kitchen cabinets and our walk-in closet. We've put it off long enough and really need to get this done in the fall. COSCO 3 Wide Step Folding Step Stool | Costco

FYI: Costco now requiring masks. Kroger and Meijer, too.

 

[PayrollNerd]

This week I’ve used 3 lbs of ground beef. Made 2 burgers, a pan of meat sauce for spaghetti and sloppy Joe’s. I bought an 8 pack of hamburger buns. I may have to freeze some. Too bad you can’t buy a 4 pack of buns.

I could not find Shake n Bake at Walmart. I still need a few things from Publix tho. Maybe I’ll just make my own breading for the chicken.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Uh oh, check your freezers!!


Nearly 60,000 pounds of frozen raw chicken products sold at Aldi and other stores recalled - CNN