(Pandemic) Your favorite packaged foods still for sale?

[KK4YZ]

How about this?

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by KK4YZ

How about this?

Good grief! Not your average turducken, obviously.

[Ultraclassic]

Originally Posted by KK4YZ

How about this?

Is that a Gator [emoji246] with a chicken [emoji215] in its mouth?

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Part of what I'm trying to do is an exercise in futility, but it's an interesting study in pandemic engineering nonetheless.

The other day, I opened a block of "pandemic cheese" - a product I bought a month or two ago, simply because my regular brand was sold out when people were stocking up (some would use the word "hoarding").

Come to find out that this unassuming brand is excellent quality cheese, so good that I would like to switch to it permanently.

It could have come from 3 different grocery stores I was shopping at the outset of the pandemic, so I set about tracking down which one sold it to me, so that I could go back. And as far as I can tell, it's not for sale in Texas.

What probably happened is that, when the supply lines came under strain, buyers in Texas trucked in groceries from wherever they could find them (we know that is true of Texas' flagship grocer HEB, which is legendary for its ability to respond at break-neck speed to the demands of 30 million people). I probably got this block following a one-time supply line purchase that'll never happen again.

Google "food club brand" looks like it is widely available. Sounds like it is worth trying too. Thanks.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Mansderm161

....I also buy the Indian packets by Tasty Bite at Costco. ....

Major kudos for this suggestion. I found them in HEB in Texas and they are absolutely worth buying. Not as good as a "better" Indian restaurant, but I would not expect them to be - for mass-produced packaged food, they are excellent.

[Mollysdad]

As a poor college student I survived on Raman noodles, available, Vienna sausages, available, and tiny jars of "shrimp cocktail" for a buck, not seen in years!

[northfayston]

King Arthur products for breakfast. Halladay Barn soup mixes, which work well, since they only make 4 - 6 servings, so you don't end up with too much to storel They also have spice packets to beef up dinners. Cin Chili Mix, just add meat, veg. and beans or what ever you like. Annie's Pasta products which you can buy in most grocery stores. I always have tuna and canned chicken, if needed. I keep a variety of spices in the trailer from curry, dill, smokey paprika,Italian spice mix, Old Bay seasoning for fish.

[PB_NB]

We will pack at least one of these on every trip:

Tiberino one-pot gourmet meals.

I will throw in some veggies and some tuna depending on which pack we have at the time.

[mccreainmd]

Canned smoked oysters are delicious on a cracker for an appetizer. Great with a Bota Box of wine.

[PB_NB]

Originally Posted by mccreainmd

Canned smoked oysters are delicious on a cracker for an appetizer. Great with a Bota Box of wine.

we save the oysters for holidays and special occasions!

I like the Bota Box idea.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by mccreainmd

Canned smoked oysters are delicious on a cracker for an appetizer. Great with a Bota Box of wine.

Yes! We add a tiny bit of lemon rind to add some zing.

[KK4YZ]

Originally Posted by Ultraclassic

Is that a Gator [emoji246] with a chicken [emoji215] in its mouth?

You missed the bacon that the gator is wrapped with😂

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by KK4YZ

You missed the bacon that the gator is wrapped with[emoji23]

Ooh! Three of the four Southern Food groups in one!

Beer being the fourth...

[Julie-Bob]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Ooh! Three of the four Southern Food groups in one!

Beer being the fourth...

We when shopping in the Walmart in Pagodas Spring the other day and was shocked at the empty shelves and the lack of different foods. No SPAM , water, beer, not a lot of prepackaged meats, and lunch snacks. Today we stopped at Safeway in Monte Vista and found their shelves stocked. Yup they had SPAM We have found the lack of foods in grocery stores hit and miss. The grocery store in South Fork was stocked well. So we stock up when we find it.

[mccreainmd]

Streamin' is a special occasion!!!

[PB_NB]

Originally Posted by mccreainmd

Streamin' is a special occasion!!!

You are right about that!

We are spoiled on the West Coast with some really good restaurants. One of our favorites is an Oyster Bar called "Chewies". They are open and serving up some pandemic oysters on their deck! We just park the trailer out front of their place

[bevmills]

I have been wanting to try the "already cooked pasta" in the shelf-stable packaging. Sometimes I don't like how the rice tastes. Has anyone else had experience with this product?

Another thing I keep on hand is canned clams. Throw in a can (& juice) with a jar of spaghetti sauce and (optional), a can of chopped tomatoes, and we think it's pretty fancy!

You can also make a good clam chowder with them -- For 2 people: I use 2 cans of clams, about 2 cups of cubed raw potatoes, season up with some sautéed onion and 1 tablespoons of bacon bits from the plastic container in the supermarket. Also, I'm from NC, and some of the old-style clam chowder on the Outer Banks doesn't contain any milk. You just use the 2 cans of clams & juice, potatoes, onions, bacon bits, then I use an extra bottle of clam juice from the grocery. Then smash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot until you get the thickness you like. I also have at times used "Better Than Bouillon" brand clam base, dilute enough with water for 1 cup, -- but then you have to refrigerate the reminder...So I have also found Knorr Fish Bouillon Cubes when traveling outside the US....Never have found them in the US....and when I do, I get a box, and substitute one of the cubes (with 1 c. water) for the extra bottle of clam juice or the clam base. I have also made this sup with 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces) sliced new potatoes, drained, if you don't want fresh potatoes. I carry a lot of dried spices in our AS, so if you have it, add this: 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. & lots of black pepper to taste.
This is enough for 2 large bowls of chowder.

[kpfate]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Good beer in bottles or cans in a pinch?

Beer is a must, but if it is micro-brews then pay close attention to the expiration date as they DO expire and go flat....but then become a good base for chili, stews, and the like!

[InterBlog]

I don't have the luxury of sorting topically. I have to sort and store by weight because or Interstate will be so heavily loaded on this trip. Best way to do that is to pile it up and then knock it down.

This (pictured below) is not all of it - this is just the stuff that goes in the closet and lower cabinetry. I also have an upper galley overhead cabinet and, of course, the fridge.

I took these pics below before adding our Tasty Bites packets to the pile. Gosh, I can't forget those.

The final empty plastic bin... I will probably put onions and potatoes in that one, once I get over the border and can have them delivered. Those are fresh so I cannot bring them across myself. A great deal can be accomplished with onions and potatoes.

From heaviest to lightest container fill, left to right. See that green thing in the center of the lower photo? That's Kerbey Lane pancake mix. Kerbey Lane is an Austin institution. I was pleased to find it still for sale. Of course, it's very expensive, so it would tend not to be chosen by many people.

The box with the two vertical red stripes is organic black bean spaghetti, my husband's favorite. Also expensive, also still for sale.

Zatarain's one-pot meal mixes are not bad, but very salty.

Organic whole wheat flour because I am going to try to make my own bread in a Coleman camp oven that I recently bought. Or at least some tortillas. The latter I know I can make.

Someone mentioned Annie's pasta - yes.

Craisins and tinned almonds (low sodium) are still for sale. Good nutritional bang for the buck.

Generally speaking, we are investing quite a bit in food at this point, whether we are traveling or not. We have barely left our house in 4.5 months. We don't do anything fun. It's nice to have a good meal to look forward to, with so many other options off the table right now.

[magnusdog]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Part of what I'm trying to do is an exercise in futility, but it's an interesting study in pandemic engineering nonetheless.

The other day, I opened a block of "pandemic cheese" - a product I bought a month or two ago, simply because my regular brand was sold out when people were stocking up (some would use the word "hoarding").

Come to find out that this unassuming brand is excellent quality cheese, so good that I would like to switch to it permanently.

It could have come from 3 different grocery stores I was shopping at the outset of the pandemic, so I set about tracking down which one sold it to me, so that I could go back. And as far as I can tell, it's not for sale in Texas.

What probably happened is that, when the supply lines came under strain, buyers in Texas trucked in groceries from wherever they could find them (we know that is true of Texas' flagship grocer HEB, which is legendary for its ability to respond at break-neck speed to the demands of 30 million people). I probably got this block following a one-time supply line purchase that'll never happen again.

Here's where to order real Wisconsin cheese, much better than the generic stuff. I'm spoiled, the "good stuff" is everywhere here, and there's even a Carr Valley store where I live.

https://carrvalleycheese.com/

You're welcome!

Brad