Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Food - Fun and Subs

 Food is getting more expensive all the time.  Things are hard to find.  We all need to learn a few tips and tricks to substitute things, make things up differently, and well maybe, just play with our food a little!!!!  Why not have a little fun along the way?!!!!!

Surely, you have all noticed I PLAY with my food.  I like experimenting and changing things up a little.  It makes life interesting.  Recipes - eh, not always so much for me.  I just wing it on many, many things.  Probably can't make the same thing twice!  Now I do pretty much follow a recipe when baking, but cooking - nah!

So here are a few ideas that may use up some of those pantry items you may have on hand, some ideas to make things differently, and ways to sub - so you don't have to be worried about not having something.

Here ya go.  I have done this - and my results were like a moist dense brownie.  The cake was rich and yummy.  Super good with a dollop of ice cream!  No need to use eggs or oil at all.  You bake as directed on the cake mix box (I like to bake a tad longer).  Fun uses.  
Now basically you can also add carbonated water as well, if you choose to add no extra flavor.

Biscuits made over the back of a muffin pan.  These would be great little cups to contain gravy - or add a dollop of thick stew to each for a mini type of potpie.  Make sure you grease your pan for easy removal.

Cookie bowls are fun.  Same as above, bake on the back side of a greased muffin pan.  Great little bowls for ice cream or pudding.  Makes dessert a little fun.  Sugar cookies would be good with thickened fruit mix added.  So many fun uses.

EGGS, EGGS
I keep this on hand all the time.  I find it in the baking aisle of the grocery, and it can also be found in the ethnic aisles.  Works great as a substitute for eggs in baking.  I have used it many times.  Many vegetarians use this as well.
There are many items that can be used in place of egg when baking.  Most are things that we all have on hand.
Aquafaba is the water (fluid) from a can of chickpeas.  Carbonated water can be used (why the cake mix recipe above works).  Chia seeds and flax seed can be found many places.  
I know many people are saying that eggs are not to be found in their areas.  I see daily, people talking about the price of eggs.  

Well, if you got them - keep them for breakfast.  Use other things in baking.  I don't bake that much, so it really doesn't matter a lot to me (and I do have the replacer).  
I eat eggs for meals now and then.
Yep, I can make an egg sandwich for a few cents - add a piece of cheese or a slice of sausage or bacon and yum.
  
When you see the higher prices - please stop and do the MATH!
Truthfully, I don't mind paying higher prices, considering what all that egg goes through to get to my table.  If I pay .30 or .35 an egg - it still feels like a deal to me for a single serving of protein.
Now .35 an egg is 4.20 a dozen.  That sounds horrible considering the prices we have paid in the past - but what other protein can you get so cheaply???  Even a serving of canned tuna costs more than that! (using the example of tuna, as it is still pretty cheap).

I truly have no idea how egg farms have ever made a decent living or profit.  I feel the same with milk producers.  There is a lot that goes into getting those items to our tables.  

So, think outside the box a little.  Replace and use different things in your baking.  Save the eggs for breakfast or dinner.  Use products in a different and new way.  Experiment a little.
Have fun and save a little here and there.



Choose to release joy, happiness and love into the universe today.  It is needed.

47 comments:

  1. The only item I've ever not found in the grocery store is a mocha instant coffee I like to have-one a day for my treat.

    I continue to wonder if mostly the 'shortage' is bagged/boxed items? Other than Spanish rice a roni I don't buy manufactured food products.

    Even eggs have always been available here. I can only think it is regional???

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    1. I make a cold mocha drink every morning. I mix regular instant coffee and hot chocolate mix together! Just an idea.

      I wonder the same thing. I have had no problems finding eggs and they aren't nearly as expensive here as I see in other areas (FB). I think lots of things are regional. Funny, I live central in country and get things and get them cheaper - you would think it would be just the opposite here.
      I have not really seen many shortages lately, except canned cat food (still limited). Even paper products are back to normal here. I never had a problem with pasta either - some have.

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  2. I shared this on another forum yesterday, and will share it here, as well. I made meatloaf last night and, instead of adding bread crumbs as the binder, I threw in the last of the stuffing from the refrig. My meatloaf recipe calls for 1/4 tsp of sage, so I just left that out, since it was in the stuffing mix. It turned out exceptionally good! AND, it used up my leftover stuffing.

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    1. I am sure that was wonderful. I have used bread crumbs, oats, crushed crackers or chips and I have used stuffing before. It is all good. I don't do sage at all - not my taste - but I am sure it was tasty.
      Love the idea.

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    2. I am making meatloaf what egg replacer could I use? thanks in advance.

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    3. I've never made meatloaf without eggs, so will be interested myself. The eggs hold your filler and meat together. I can't think of anything else that would keep it all from crumbling.
      --Elise

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    4. I always use an egg, so I have no idea what could replace it. A quick Google search suggests olive oil, mayo, egg substitute, or 1/4 c. cream (and one site suggested adding some gelatin if not using an egg, to help as a binding agent). But, I've not tried any of these, so can't speak from experience.

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    5. I use an egg as well, but I would think perhaps mayo or sour cream would work as a binding agent. Maybe ketchup! Lots of people put that in and on meatloaf (or tomato sauce)

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  3. I wonder how much profit turkey farmers in the US are making, given how cheaply you seem to be able to buy turkey. They are horrible things to raise too.
    I seldom bake, I don't need those calories! It's interesting to see the alternatives though.

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    1. I wonder about that as well. They are so stinking cheap. And supposedly everyone in the line makes money! I wonder how a lot of farms stay afloat. Everyone has their hands out to grab profit - and one would think the farmer some how gets the least!

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  4. A disconcerting item in the news feed this AM is grocery stores closing in our state due to supply issues.

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    1. Oh my goodness, Lana! That could have a huge impact on people in your state.
      :-O --Elise

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    2. I surely wouldn't think it would be large stores - chains. It just amazes me, that supply chains seem to be so bad some places and just fine in others. I hope that was just a 'let's get viewers' type of story.

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  5. Miss Lori's idea of using stuffing for meatloaf was brilliant. We are making a hamburger/ground turkey meatloaf today. Just have to add more seasoning. Meatloaf sandwiches...mmm.

    The alternatives to baking with eggs is interesting. We have been giving our eggs away to neighbors. We have 8 Rhode Island Reds and get 8 eggs a day. My neighbor had been paying $5.50 a dozen.

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    1. I'd happily pay $5.50 per dozen for fresh eggs, Donna.
      :-) --Elise

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    2. I have done that a time or two and it is good. Glad she mentioned it.
      Nice that you are helping the neighbors out. I would pay that for fresh eggs for sure.
      We all need neighbors like you!

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  6. Love the egg substitute charts. I had a lot of potatoes left over from when the family was here at Christmas. Boiled them up, rough-mashed with butter and leftover onion dip, and put them in a rectangular container in the refrigerator. When they were cold, I turned the container onto a cutting board and sliced the "loaf" into 6 sections. Bagged in quart bags for the freezer. We'll enjoy them for a long time. I love potatoes but hubby is so-so, so I don't cook them often.

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    1. Oh yum that sounds good. What a great idea. Ready to go seasoned potatoes. You are welcome on the ideas for egg subs.

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  7. Good morning, Cheryl. It's senior day at Safeway (here), but browsing the online flier, I'm not seeing great prices. We'll go and I'll scout out any unadvertised markdowns and sales. Like you, I'll pay for eggs, even with higher prices, by scouting out the lowest available prices. Nowadays the organic and/or free range eggs are cheaper it seems. I'm not fond of egg substitutes and am grateful I can just buy eggs, but in a pinch, those are interesting ideas.

    To Lori, I've used stuffing for meatloaf and love it, especially when using ground turkey or chicken. You can even make it into meatballs and serve with gravy over top. Yummers!

    Cheryl, if you have jumbo muffin pans, you can warm corn tortillas (taco sized), form them into the muffin pans and bake in a hot oven for a few minutes, too. Perfect for little taco salad bowls. We've even used them with a bit of shredded lettuce in the bottom + a scoop of chili inside, sprinkled with cheese Wendy's style. I love the ideas I get here! --Elise

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    1. I have been seeing brown eggs cheaper for some reason. Not sure what is going on with that! I look for the cheapest prices too - but some things, I will just pay what I need to pay.
      Nothing is going to change for a while - so we might as well figure things out now.
      Great idea on the taco bowls. I had forgotten about that.
      Thanks for that reminder.

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  8. I have noticed very few grocery "shortages" in my area. My opinion, and it's ONLY my opinion, is that maybe the shortages are occurring in regions where there are a large number of "preppers" who are hoarding -- over-stuffing their freezers and shelves. I have given up on some of the blogs/vlogs that I used to enjoy because of the constant fear-mongering. They seem to be using it as clickbait.

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    1. Here, I'm convinced the stores are using this as a way to clear their old inventory -- let the shelves run bare before restocking, and are also using it as an opportunity to swap brands/labels they carry and how they're positioned on the shelf. Meijer let all the "Meijer brand" run completely out, so people were buying up all the higher priced brands. Once that inventory got low, they scrubbed the shelves, removed all the old labeling, and added their new Frederick's brand, along with new inventory of some of the staples and some new gourmet lines, with fresh labeling and signage. They did the same several times in the dairy aisles, and other areas of the store.

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    2. The above ^^ reference started in their dairy aisle, then moved to their pasta section in mid-Dec., and then it switched to their soups, then the coffee/tea aisle. Seems to be roving, and especially when they want to move a section to another area.

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    3. I've noticed the same here, Lori, at both Safeway and Walmart. Less so Basha's, but they're a smaller chain. What we see all the time is Dollar General and Family Dollar food sections with shelves bare. Could have to do with distribution, though.

      As for preppers, my MIL and FIL got into that for awhile, and they bought specifically packaged for extra long shelf life pallets of bulk foods. A prepper isn't stockpiling meat in the freezer that will quickly spoil if the power goes out. Even with a home generator, you'd eventually run out of propane. Those who keep a well stocked pantry and freezer are often doing so in case of illness, injury, or (in the case of LDS) so they're prepared for job loss or other personal economic stress. It's like an edible savings account. --Elise

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    4. Marceline - I kind of have to agree. I don't think there are really shortages - just contrived shortages for whatever reason.
      I have stopped with a lot of blogs and FB pages for the same reason - I can't stand fear mongering. Geesh, we get enough of that from outside the groups with news and papers. People just get their bowels in an uproar over things today. Keep calm, and it will work itself out. Always has!!!

      Lori, Lana, Elise
      I have seen much of the same here. Many, many products and companies are changing their packaging (and sizes) and they let things run out - looks like a 'shortage'. People get all worked up. Clean and re-arrange shelving, then add the new packaging. Smaller sizes, same prices. Trying to be tricky.
      We are manipulated every which way but loose, buy the manufacturers, stores and media.

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  9. We only have the 3 hens, but for 2 people I'm always looking for recipes to use up the eggs! And I do give some away as well. The cookie and biscuit bowls are a wonderful idea, Cheryl!!! I might fill the cookie bowls with pudding and fruit and top with whipped topping. The biscuits with stew, as you suggested, or creamed chipped beef or even chicken or tuna salad. So many possibilities!!!

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    1. You go girl! It is nice of you gals to share your eggs.
      I love the bowl ideas. You can use them for about anything. Your ideas sound scrumptious. Might as well have some fun and do things a little different.

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  10. Debby in Kansas USAJanuary 4, 2023 at 1:19 PM

    Eggs have always been available here, but the prices vary dramatically. Trader Joe's for cage free are $2.79 and the dairy for regular at $5.99.

    All but the fancy pasta brands are usually gutted with empty shelves. Dried beans and such are available, but the shelves have been very picked over. Not the usual piles.

    When flour was mentioned as limited, it was only the store brand here that was. We buy a local brand and there was always plenty. I don't recall any shortages of any other baking goods.

    I do see plenty of empty shelves all over the store, but I couldn't tell you what was there. I never see them in the cookie, potato chips, or bread. So, it is possible that whomever mentioned the preppers is on to something. Personally, if I was looking at a doomsday scenario, I'd want cookies and chips!!

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    1. @Debby in Kansas USA. I'm with you! Hahaha!! By the way, my comment on peppers was not meant to disparage anyone trying to be ensure their family's security. I hope that no one here was offended.

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    2. No offense (from me) Marceline. Now that both my MIL and FIL have passed, my BIL has to figure out what to do with those pallets of buckets of dried foods. They're probably 20 years old. Weight and space-wise, it doesn't pay for him to move them out of state to store in a storage unit while he looks for a home. His local food bank won't take them.
      --Elise

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    3. Marceline, I don't consider being prepared and Preppers to be the same at all. I don't have a bunker with stores of dehydrated food. I have a basement with sale bought pasta in food safe buckets. If the zombie apocalypse happens, I would prefer to go sooner than later. Thanks to old movies like The Night of the Living Dead, being chased down for either my brains or my bag of Lorna Doones is too frightening to comprehend. And no, I'm not making fun of anyone.

      Now, let me tell you about an ad campaign that was eliminated because it was deemed insensitive. My reaction to it was completely hysterical laughter.
      I believe it was 24 Hour Fitness (a gym chain). The billboard was a bit alienish, a la Roswell. "When the aliens come, they'll eat the fat ones first."
      I nearly crashed my car on an LA. freeway because I was laughing so hard.
      And lest you think I'm heartless, I assure you that the aliens would come to blows over who got me for their main course!! I could probably feed the Alien Walton's family.

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    4. Debby you are right. You betcha I would want goodies for the SHTF days!!!!!!! Same here - cat food has been my only real shortage seen. Oh back in the 'freak out' days TP shelves were empty - but I didn't buy or hunt for it. My goodness, I had more than enough and knew how to tend to my needs in other ways!!!! LOL

      Marceline no offense taken by me either. Sure, we all need to be prepared for whatever may happen so we can take care of our families. But there are some that just tend to go a weeeeee bit overboard. LOL

      Elise -According to things I have read those buckets will last decades if taken care of and stored correctly. Maybe see what he has - some might be worth having (flour, rice, etc.)

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  11. I try to keep eggs for a meal - eating it as an egg rather than as an ingredient in other things like baking. I got jars of mayo for 50 cents so I use that as a substitute for eggs & oil in baking especially cookies. I find it helps to refrigerate the cookies for 30 minutes before baking and bake a tad longer. They seem to be better a little crisper. One batch I didn't do that and hubs said they were gummy. I do this with cake or cookie mixes I get for 50 - 75 cents on clearance.

    Some things you can leave out of recipes and it doesn't really matter. Vanilla extract is outrageous here. Until I found a cheaper source I often skipped it and it didn't seem to be noticeable to anyone. I would use the vanilla in recipes where it was an essential part of the taste. But something like chocolate cookies can do without.

    If I don't have stock on hand for soup I use water and extra spices. I found online a recipe for a vegan bouillon powder. It is basically a bunch of spices ground together. It does list nutritional yeast as an ingredient but I have left it out.

    I once made a dessert my daughter really liked. The title of it was the 3 main ingredients. When she complimented me I pointed to the recipe on the counter.My daughter looked at it then me and said. "It doesn't have any of the 3 things in it". We had a good laugh.

    When she was dating her husband I made soup one night and he told me how much he liked it. My daughter dead pan says "you'll never eat it again". He looked at her completely lost.

    She then explained that even though they ask me to write down my recipes I never do! So they'll probably ever have it again.
    ~margaret

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    1. Love this. You are so right. Shoot in chocolate desserts, add a little leftover coffee is you want to add flavor. I have been known to add OJ or any fruit drink I may have to a recipe to add flavor.
      Soup - LOL - never the same twice at my house either. Hubs used to say 'man this is good - you'll have to make it again' - uh, maybe or maybe not!!!!! Depends if I remember what leftovers went in it!!!
      Bouillon is a great flavor extender.
      There are just so many tricks and ideas to extend our budgets. I just love that everyone is jumping in and adding theirs.
      Thanks

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  12. Debby in Kansas USAJanuary 4, 2023 at 2:03 PM

    I just looked the ad up on Google. It was in 1999. It seems a gym in the UK resurrected the same type ad in 2016. And yeah, I'm still laughing and making my 3 chins jiggle...

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    1. LOL - that is too funny. I don't remember the ad - but I would think it would have been a hit and not TOO sensitive. Geesh, it seems people have been sensitive over things for ages!
      I would have cracked up seeing that.
      I am more than prepared to take care of me and those I can help. I will eat - maybe not a balanced meal - but I will eat. If the aliens come - they will probably go running from me - I have soooooo many questions!!!! LOL

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  13. I have made my own spice mixes when I have run out of say taco spice, or pumpkin pie spice. I have also done the biscuits on the bottom of a muffin tin, filled with creamed chicken, or other such mixture. Using substitutions, or doing meals a bit differently keeps things exciting.

    God bless.

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    1. Spice mixes are so good, and you know exactly what is in them and you get exactly what you like. Mmmm, now I am thinking about creamed chicken.
      It does keep it exciting. Thanks

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  14. Based on this blog post, I paid close attention while making some quick stops today. Eggs at Dollar General are $7.50 per dozen. Long grain white rice, however, is $3 per 5 lb. bag. Milk is about the same as any grocery store, though Safeway has it in sale this week. Speaking of which, Senior Day is a zoo! The egg case (I don't need any right now) was about 1/2 empty, and eggs ran from $6.79 to $7.99 per dozen large. As before, the brown were cheaper than the white eggs.

    Also noted was what folks *weren't* buying. Meat, for one, other than chicken. All the meat cases were full, except that case. Rotisserie chickens that used to sell for $5.99 are now smaller and $9.99 regularly, but a coupon offered them for $5.99 this week and they were sold out. Produce also wasn't moving as much as usual. Bread was selling, but there were coupons for that and cheese, and the cheese case was also pretty bare. Again, I didn't need that.
    Folks were buying pet food, canned goods and staples as well. We just got the coupon items we'd gone in for + fresh strawberries and left. More on those strawberries tomorrow. ;-)
    --Elise

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    1. I do believe more and more people are going for deals and the coupon items. I do that too. Usually when I go, I am after the digital coupon offers and cat food. Clearance is always on the radar too. I did notice the last time I went, the bakery clearance rack was pretty empty. So people are buying mark-down stuff for sure. Chicken is so versatile, that may be why it sells more. I notice when pork loins go on sale - folks are buying more than one.
      Interesting.

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  15. I will buy eggs. I will not cut back.
    That billboard was hilarious. Yes, I can be a group meal. Just add an onion and bake me.
    I am well-prepared, but not a prepper.
    The accidental use of Hungry Jack in the sausage balls turned out just fine even though it was not a deliberate substitution. It is on my blog.

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    1. Same here - I will buy the eggs too.
      It isd amazing that so many items we buy under different names, are practically the same and will work in other ways. I bet they were great.

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  16. So happy to hear you are all stocked up. Yep, I will not go hungry either! That is a good thing. Food security is a real thing!!!
    Great deal on the ham - it sure is versatile. I can snack on so many things - cereal, pretzels, fruit, veggies, or bake if I choose. Being on SS, often means living on a limited income (for those who have only that), so it is important to to watch for the deals.
    You are sooooo right!!! We sure did get a nice raise on SS - but we got a rise on everything else. It seems there is a method to their madness!!!!!! Just a coincidence - not so sure.
    Thank you for your kind words. I think our mission on this earth is to help others in some way. I just do what I know.

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  17. Thank you for sharing the egg substitutions.

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  18. As Farmer and I were in Sam's for groceries & Menards for other things, we noticed the after Christmas clearance items (especially the decor) was not selling out very quickly. In other years, it would be almost gone by now. I'm guessing people did not buy much during the season and are now stocking up on necessities. I did get double-sided wrapping paper, marked down right after Christmas as Sam's, but there is nothing else I need.
    I love that Texas is banking her SS increase. IF I get a raise this year, I plan to do the same. We can live on our current wages and I want to save up for Farmer's retirement (from his in-town job) in the next few years.

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    1. That is wild - I have heard that this years black Friday and Cyber Monday were the biggest ever. Stores here were always packed. Maybe they bought before.
      I didn't buy anything after this year - as I needed nothing. Still have paper, bows and bags bought ages ago!!!
      I love that too. Anything that can be tucked away is a plus for future income. Between my SS and the retirement I get from G's retirement plan - I bank about half, if not more. My bills don't change much, I live simply and intend to continue to do that. It is nice to have a cushion!

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