Informational | Dinner With Joy

Nov 8

When the frost is on the pumpkin…

In my area more than the frost is on the pumpkin. We’ll have to brush the sand off too! But wherever you live the calendar pages are turning and the path to preparing for the holidays is lighting up. I mentioned back in September, that I was drawing up my master food shopping list for the various “feasts” ahead. No matter what your situation, there are bound to be increased provisions to acquire and increased costs to be faced in the coming weeks. Amortizing both over a period of weeks, even months, reduces the stress on you and on your wallet and helps turn panic to pleasure. Pre-planning also allows you to recognize and take advantage of the best “deals” on different products as they appear. Read more

Oct 11

Facts Of Basics – Part 2, Sugar

To refresh your memory, a friend asked, in view of the rising prices, if she had to buy all of the different types of the basic ingredients listed in the recipes she would prepare for the holidays, or if she could save a bit of money by making some of them do double duty. I realize that “The Holidays” not only means those so many of us celebrate in December, but Thanksgiving and Halloween as well, which for lots of people involves cooking, especially baking, for classroom and organization parties in addition to family gatherings. It has become a long season! Read more

Oct 4

2 Comments

Facts Of Basics – Part 1, Flour

A friend stopped in while I was writing last week’s posting and read what I was writing. She remarked that she loved, as she termed them ”mechanical tips” that make cooking easier, but would really like to learn more about her options among the ingredients she had to buy when preparing baked goods for the holidays. There are so many kinds of flour available now and types of sugar, she didn’t know if she had to buy everything stipulated in each recipe, or if some could do double duty and save a bit of money. This was true of other basic items required as well. So I promised to do what I could to help. Read more

Sep 22

Up, Up, and Away

In my first posting, last December, I quoted the government projection that food costs were expected to rise in 2012 at a rate equal to that of 2011, about 4%. I was skeptical then, because the price of many items, chiefly dairy and frozen, had risen sharply in the preceding weeks, camouflaged by the holiday sale items. 4% seemed very conservative estimate for that year and, if the trend continued, even more so for this one. By June I was a bit complacent, there had been no drastic spikes and some things had even come down. Then came the drought with consequences that can alter food supplies for years to come. Now there’s been hurricane Isaac, which will definitely hike prices for, at least, the next few months. Read more

Sep 6

Organics

Much has been said about organic food lately and many questions arise. Exactly what is “organic” food? Is it that much better than non-organic? Why is it more expensive? Should I switch over to buying it? Do I have to go completely organic? Am I jeopardizing my family if I don’t? What if I can’t afford it? Should I feel guilty if I can’t? Let’s look at the story of organic foods. Read more

Jul 19

A Visit to the Big Top

The other day I heard a man comment that he was hurrying to meet his wife. They were going to a warehouse store and she needed him to carry her purchases to the car and into the house. Semi joking, he added that he might as well put half the stuff on the curb for the trash now, because it would end up there spoiled or expired, due to overbuying. I thought of the advice on Warehouse Stores I include in THE PLAN, under Supermarket Alternatives, and decided to review and update it. So I checked the latest comments on the subject from Consumer Savings experts at kinolinc.com, and found I was still on target. What I wrote is: Read more

Jul 9

The Tipster

When I started this blog, I promised advice to help make all aspects of your kitchen experience easier, planning, shopping, cooking–everything. Then I realized I’ve been a bit remiss, because I have yet to devote any time to a discussion of real work-saving cooking tips. Well, what better time than the middle of the summer to share ideas on how to get out of a hot kitchen faster? So this week, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite” hints”.

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Soups On

My Memorial Day was less crowded than planned because three of the younger guests were suffering from strep throat. Their mother was relieved they all came down with it within 12 hrs. It meant fewer trips to the doctor and a quicker return to normal schedules, but she was concerned about what to feed them that is nourishing, filling and easy to swallow. When I suggested soup, since one size fits all, she reminded me that it’s 90 degrees outside. I suddenly realized that, aside from Vichyssoise, Madrilene, Gazpachio and a brief interest in Tortilla Soup a few years ago, soup isn’t considered a summer food in the United States. In fact, soup, generally, doesn’t figure prominently in our menu choices as an entrée at any season, except as a hearty dinner on a cold winter night. But why, if it’s filling and nourishing served hot in winter, shouldn’t it be just as nutritious and satisfying chilled in summer? Read more

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