You'll no doubt question my sanity sending out a recipe newsletter this week, considering the state of our grocery stores. But we still gotta eat.
I do think it's getting better now that the first two waves of panic buying have passed, but your experience may differ. Try not to shop on the weekends (speaking from experience).
The theme of this newsletter is things you can cook with stuff you probably already have. I hope it makes your trip to the store much quicker. Tip o' the hat to Caitlin for the idea.
Enjoy.
Recipes
Pan Seared Pork Chops with Easy Pan Gravy
Last time I went to the store, there was plenty of pork. Seems that most people in panic mode gravitate towards boneless skinless chicken breasts and ground beef. This works just fine with bone-in pork chops in case you can only find those.
When I first figured out how to make pan gravy, I think I spent an entire month making it after every meat I cooked in a skillet. It was not a healthy month.
Beef and Broccoli
Modify this to make it cheaper and easier by buying flank steak or something seriously cheap. OK, not the junk labeled stew meat, but basically anything else will work. The key is "velveting" the beef, which is explained in the link.
In my experience, produce has been really easy to find, so the broccoli and ginger should be no problem. Everything else in the ingredient list is stuff you should already have on hand. Serve over rice and wash it down with an ice-cold Tiny Bomb.
Other Ideas
Rather than find a bunch of links to recipes I haven't tried, I thought I'd list some ideas for using frozen or canned food in different ways. Produce has also been really easy to find because it's perishable. If you want specifics on any of these ideas, shoot me an email and we'll chat.
- Fish tacos using frozen filets - Whole Foods has some really yummy beer-battered cod that can go directly from the freezer to the oven. Grab a bag of broccoli and carrot slaw and a lime, or use pepper vinegar to spice them up.
- Deli salad - you can get deli meat sliced thick at Kroger, or buy ham steak at Whole Foods and cube it. Throw that on a bed of lettuce with bell peppers, shredded carrots, and cherry tomatoes. Amanda eats this for lunch almost every day.
- Veggie burrito bowls - canned black beans, corn, pickled peppers, and Rotel over rice and topped with cheese and sour cream make a quick meal, and you could swap the rice for chips and have some pretty dope nachos.
- Plebeian charcuterie board - cured meats, like pepperoni or salami, last quite awhile. Or use plain ol' deli turkey or ham. Add sliced cheese, pickled peppers, a variety of crackers; make little cracker sandwiches and eat them with your pinky out.
- A very simple and balanced pasta - boil some noods, then melt plenty of butter in a deep skillet with a little olive oil. Transfer the pasta directly from the water to the skillet without draining, and the starchy water will combine with the butter and oil as you fold in the pasta to form a thicker sauce. Use lemon juice to adjust acidity, and grated parmesan to adjust salt (or, use parmesan just because you like parmesan).
- Make your own stock - Grab a rotisserie chicken for dinner one night, then put the leftover bones in a big pot of water with leftover onions, celery, garlic, carrots, and staple seasonings from your pantry. Boil it for awhile, then strain. There are a million stock 'recipes' on the Internet, so grab one of those for spice guidance. Use the stock for soups, crockpot cooking, or making next-level rice. Hat tip to Christian for this idea.
Locales
Sweet Grass
We've decided to do curbside pickup or delivery from our favorite spots rather than cook on weekends. Local restaurants are being crushed by the social distancing, so please do what you can to support them during the coming weeks and/or months.
That being said, not every restaurant we tried last weekend had figured out how to do the to-go thing yet. Sweet Grass was a notable exception. Our food was vacuum-sealed so we could reheat it in hot water; this meant that everything was piping hot and not overcooked. They also had cocktails to-go. We were absolutely stuffed and really enjoyed the experience. It felt like a date night.
Dining While Social Distancing
Here's a good list of local spots doing takeout by Choose901. Most restaurants have been using Instagram to post updates of what they're serving and when menus change, so find your favorite spots on there to stay up-to-date.
