Cooking during COVID-19

[StateDawg44]

So yes we all see how this is shaping up. Very possible whatever state you live in will likely be putting some parameters around what we can do in the coming weeks.

But that's not what this thread is about.

---

What are y'all cooking?

Obviously, if you're doing it right you already have rice, beans, pasta, etc. Those are simple and easy to mix with things.

What about meals that involve just a little more but are still easy and don't require a ton?

What are some go-to meals involving some of these dry goods and basic ingredients?

I've vac sealed portions of meat to use for different things but trying to spread them out for now just so I don't have to go to any stores for now.

I've got stuff for Fajita's, Beef & Chicken Tacos, Chicken Casseroles, plenty of canned goods like green beans, limas, black eyed peas, etc.

What are some meals that are easy, require mostly dry non-perishable goods, and go a long ways that yall are cooking while staying in?

[Coldsleeve Jr.]

Cajun red beans and rice

[hacker]

I made 5.5 lbs of porkloin taco meat / carnitas Friday, still got about half of it left

I use an instant pot, it's awesome for making a ton of food at once.

[StateDawg44]

Cajun red beans and rice

Ahhh very nice... I hadn't even thought about this one.

Grab some sausage (if I can find any) next time I have to go to the store and this is definitely happening.

[Extendedcab]

Shawarma Deer Tenderloin. It was delicious. There are various variations of the shawarma spice recipe so find your favorite and use it. I paired it with some Risotto and a nice salad.

This was the first time I had the shawarma spice on meat other than Chicken. I thought it was delicious.

[MetEdDawg]

If you can find Ramen, stir fry is a good way to go. Had a couple days of different types of stir fry. You can always mix with rice to to make it go further and give it a different texture. And obviously meat or tofu (better chance of finding tofu right now) is your protein if you want to add that.

I've also noticed that the forgotten meat during this time have been frozen meatballs. You can do a lot with those and they haven't been hard to get. Tater tot bake with meatballs, pasta bake, Swedish meatballs, bunch of different things you can pair with any pasta you've got in the house.

We've actually had an ok time finding meat here in Central Alabama. Bought a whole chicken yesterday. Other things people forget about during this time are canned tuna and chicken. Normally I don't do canned chicken, but when you run out of fresh chicken and really want chicken, you just modify. I went to Publix in my city two days ago and the canned meats section was completely full. I was shocked.

[BulldogDX55]

The meal kit delivery services are still operating, at least for now, and might keep running if they get classified as groceries when the lockdown goes official nationwide.

I've tried basically all of them and can say that HelloFresh is probably the best one. I've learned that one of the discount ones, EveryPlate, is made by the same company, and has basically the same menu for about $22 less per box per week ($38 for 6 meals).

Your best bet is to use the discount codes for all of them and then cancel when the discount period is over. There are so many that you can have enough discounted boxes to last through the whole lockdown. The discount codes make the premium ones about $30/box and the cheap ones about $20/box, with each box having 3 meals with two servings each that you choose on their website or app the week before.

The main benefit is that this will help you break out of the slog of eating the same damn thing every night that you will be entering into the next few weeks. Here's how I'd rank them:

1. HelloFresh (Everyplate)
2. Blue Apron
3. Home Chef
4. Marley Spoon (Dinnerly is discounted version and the worst of all)

If you want any discount codes or have questions let me know, but my wife and I swear by them. I'll also praise their customer service. I'd say each box has about a 25% chance of having a small error in it - like maybe missing an onion or a spice. Let them know immediately and without trying to argue they'll give you anything from $10 in credit to a free box entirely.

[StateDawg44]

If you can find Ramen, stir fry is a good way to go. Had a couple days of different types of stir fry. You can always mix with rice to to make it go further and give it a different texture. And obviously meat or tofu (better chance of finding tofu right now) is your protein if you want to add that.

I've also noticed that the forgotten meat during this time have been frozen meatballs. You can do a lot with those and they haven't been hard to get. Tater tot bake with meatballs, pasta bake, Swedish meatballs, bunch of different things you can pair with any pasta you've got in the house.

We've actually had an ok time finding meat here in Central Alabama. Bought a whole chicken yesterday. Other things people forget about during this time are canned tuna and chicken. Normally I don't do canned chicken, but when you run out of fresh chicken and really want chicken, you just modify. I went to Publix in my city two days ago and the canned meats section was completely full. I was shocked.


Shew I have purposely not eaten Ramen since college. I swore it off but you know desperate times and all... I should probably keep an eye out for some but that will truly be me raising the alarms if I dip into a Ramen supply lulz. I'm sure mixing in actual stuff besides the powder they provide makes things much better though.

I'll keep an eye out for meatballs, because like you said, they are pretty versatile.

Got a recipe for that tater tot bake? That sounds good and like it can feed for a while.

Certain stores in Chattanooga have meat, (at least last Thursday they did) others don't. I have avoided stores since then so I'm not sure what the state of most of the are currently. I'm pretty sure it's luck of the draw and timing with items like meat.

The Publix near my house is a madhouse and has been busier than it was the day before Thanksgiving this past year when I popped in for 2 weeks now. I just skip that one altogether because I struck out so many times on stuff and never seemed to change.

[StateDawg44]

The meal kit delivery services are still operating, at least for now, and might keep running if they get classified as groceries when the lockdown goes official nationwide.

I've tried basically all of them and can say that HelloFresh is probably the best one. I've learned that one of the discount ones, EveryPlate, is made by the same company, and has basically the same menu for about $22 less per box per week ($38 for 6 meals).

Your best bet is to use the discount codes for all of them and then cancel when the discount period is over. There are so many that you can have enough discounted boxes to last through the whole lockdown. The discount codes make the premium ones about $30/box and the cheap ones about $20/box, with each box having 3 meals with two servings each that you choose on their website or app the week before.

The main benefit is that this will help you break out of the slog of eating the same damn thing every night that you will be entering into the next few weeks. Here's how I'd rank them:

1. HelloFresh (Everyplate)
2. Blue Apron
3. Home Chef
4. Marley Spoon (Dinnerly is discounted version and the worst of all)

If you want any discount codes or have questions let me know, but my wife and I swear by them. I'll also praise their customer service. I'd say each box has about a 25% chance of having a small error in it - like maybe missing an onion or a spice. Let them know immediately and without trying to argue they'll give you anything from $10 in credit to a free box entirely.

Yeah, those are definitely convenient. But with more and more layoffs happening, I'm looking for stuff that's a little more sustainable and economical.

If you have any free first order coupons and it would help you out for referring people I will gladly take one and then just cancel, otherwise I'm trying to spend as little as possible right now and save while I still have income.

My bosses are currently in a meeting this very second deciding who will be laid off in the coming day or two. Luckily I've received reassurance from all 3 decision-makers that I am not on the block at the moment. I'm very thankful for that but have no clue how long that will actually last. I've purposely been avoiding internal work like working on our website & brochure designs, email campaigns, and other simple marketing stuff so that I can pitch working on these from home if it comes to that.

I also just paid off my CC and no longer making purchases with anything other than a debit card so I don't have to deal with banks and CC companies being the snakes they are until that time comes. But I'm not going into this with any debt other than on my house. I'd hate to see what the public reaction is if banks start trying to foreclose on homes during all of this.

[BulldogDX55]

Yeah, those are definitely convenient. But with more and more layoffs happening, I'm looking for stuff that's a little more sustainable and economical.

If you have any free first order coupons and it would help you out for referring people I will gladly take one and then just cancel, otherwise I'm trying to spend as little as possible right now and save while I still have income.

My bosses are currently in a meeting this very second deciding who will be laid off in the coming day or two. Luckily I've received reassurance from all 3 decision-makers that I am not on the block at the moment. I'm very thankful for that but have no clue how long that will actually last. I've purposely been avoiding internal work like working on our website & brochure designs, email campaigns, and other simple marketing stuff so that I can pitch working on these from home if it comes to that.

I also just paid off my CC and no longer making purchases with anything other than a debit card so I don't have to deal with banks and CC companies being the snakes they are until that time comes. But I'm not going into this with any debt other than on my house. I'd hate to see what the public reaction is if banks start trying to foreclose on homes during all of this.

I hear that. It appears I am fresh out of free boxes though - my wife sent them to her brother who didn't take things seriously quickly enough and didn't have a lot of groceries. You can google codes that will bring down Dinnerly and Everyplate to $20/box for your first three boxes though. This is more about the variety without paying a ton than being the cheapest possible option, so it isn't for everyone.

[StateDawg44]

I hear that. It appears I am fresh out of free boxes though - my wife sent them to her brother who didn't take things seriously quickly enough and didn't have a lot of groceries. You can google codes that will bring down Dinnerly and Everyplate to $20/box for your first three boxes though. This is more about the variety without paying a ton than being the cheapest possible option, so it isn't for everyone.


Thanks I may look into that. I can spare $60 for 3 weeks of food for sure. It would at least save me or my family from having to enter a store.

[MetEdDawg]

Shew I have purposely not eaten Ramen since college. I swore it off but you know desperate times and all... I should probably keep an eye out for some but that will truly be me raising the alarms if I dip into a Ramen supply lulz. I'm sure mixing in actual stuff besides the powder they provide makes things much better though.

I'll keep an eye out for meatballs, because like you said, they are pretty versatile.

Got a recipe for that tater tot bake? That sounds good and like it can feed for a while.

Certain stores in Chattanooga have meat, (at least last Thursday they did) others don't. I have avoided stores since then so I'm not sure what the state of most of the are currently. I'm pretty sure it's luck of the draw and timing with items like meat.

The Publix near my house is a madhouse and has been busier than it was the day before Thanksgiving this past year when I popped in for 2 weeks now. I just skip that one altogether because I struck out so many times on stuff and never seemed to change.

Hell I throw the packet that comes with the ramen out. I use garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, lemon juice, soy sauce, ponzu, a little vinegar, peanut oil, and sesame oil. So definitely not your normal ramen. Makes for a good stir fry.

For the tater tot casserole it's just meatballs, tater tots, cheese, and whatever else you want in. Dice up onions, garlic powder, anything else. Bake it and done.

We use InstaCart and get groceries delivered to avoid the craziness for most of it. Occasionally I'll go into Publix and get a gauge on how things are by actually viewing how things are going. Ham is another one I've seen a lot of folks ignoring. You can do a lot with ham.

[Johnson85]

So yes we all see how this is shaping up. Very possible whatever state you live in will likely be putting some parameters around what we can do in the coming weeks.

But that's not what this thread is about.

---

What are y'all cooking?

Obviously, if you're doing it right you already have rice, beans, pasta, etc. Those are simple and easy to mix with things.

What about meals that involve just a little more but are still easy and don't require a ton?

What are some go-to meals involving some of these dry goods and basic ingredients?

I've vac sealed portions of meat to use for different things but trying to spread them out for now just so I don't have to go to any stores for now.

I've got stuff for Fajita's, Beef & Chicken Tacos, Chicken Casseroles, plenty of canned goods like green beans, limas, black eyed peas, etc.

What are some meals that are easy, require mostly dry non-perishable goods, and go a long ways that yall are cooking while staying in?

We're not into the survival cooking mode yet. Been eating steak, hamburgers, fish, etc. about every other night, then the other nights doing easy stuff that provides good leftovers (basically casseroles or dishes like spaghetti or enchiladas). Just now gotten to the point where we are out of fresh vegetables, but still have some good frozen vegetables that are almost as good. Depending on how it looks where we are after that, we will either go to the store and restock or we will do jambalaya and boston butt in some order and eat that until we are sick of it.

[StateDawg44]

We're not into the survival cooking mode yet. Been eating steak, hamburgers, fish, etc. about every other night, then the other nights doing easy stuff that provides good leftovers (basically casseroles or dishes like spaghetti or enchiladas). Just now gotten to the point where we are out of fresh vegetables, but still have some good frozen vegetables that are almost as good. Depending on how it looks where we are after that, we will either go to the store and restock or we will do jambalaya and boston butt in some order and eat that until we are sick of it.

Yeah, that's exactly what this thread is about. I've also smoked a Boston butt over the weekend and frozen half of it for later. Been eating good and eating leftovers.


This isn't a question on how to ration your beans and rice.

[R2Dawg]

We are still eating almost as normal except not eating out as much and eating more sandwhiches at work. Folks need to still eat out (drive thru) as much as feasible and here is why. First support our local businesses that have good food to eat.

Second, the more you eat at home, the more you eat your food stock at home and in case of more severe lockdown you will be lower. Now the argument that well food places may have virus, well the grocery store workers may also have virus. You either have someone at store or restaurant handling your food or boxes. I've see good protection, better protection at restaurants than grocery. The more folks keep eating out some the less impact on economy and food stress at grocery stores.

[StateDawg44]

We are still eating almost as normal except not eating out as much and eating more sandwhiches at work. Folks need to still eat out (drive thru) as much as feasible and here is why. First support our local businesses that have good food to eat.

Second, the more you eat at home, the more you eat your food stock at home and in case of more severe lockdown you will be lower. Now the argument that well food places may have virus, well the grocery store workers may also have virus. You either have someone at store or restaurant handling your food or boxes. I've see good protection, better protection at restaurants than grocery. The more folks keep eating out some the less impact on economy and food stress at grocery stores.

Order groceries online. No clue how much longer this service will be offered though. Still a risk but much less risky and nearly no contact with any workers or shoppers.


I guess you could argue that's no different than ordering a meal from a restaurant. And I'm all about supporting service industries right now. But your getting more than one meal from a grocery store and typically you can't stretch a meal from a restaurant over 2 sittings. If you can you'll do great if it comes down to real rationing ha.

[gtowndawg]

Not exactly on topic but I smoked a turkey breast yesterday. It made the house smell like thanksgiving which everyone seemed to like.

[StateDawg44]

Not exactly on topic but I smoked a turkey breast yesterday. It made the house smell like thanksgiving which everyone seemed to like.

The one thing that sucks about being the person who is in charge of the smoker is by the end of the day when you finally get to eat it, you lose your ability to taste the smokey flavor of your finished product.


But the next day after you've showered and gotten all the smoke smell and residue off of you (except your hair) you get to taste it in all it's glory. I always look forward to the following day of eating after smoking.

[Offshore Dawg]

This cooking at home thing is a totally new experience for my wife, before all she made for dinner was reservations.

[gtowndawg]

The one thing that sucks about being the person who is in charge of the smoker is by the end of the day when you finally get to eat it, you lose your ability to taste the smokey flavor of your finished product.


But the next day after you've showered and gotten all the smoke smell and residue off of you (except your hair) you get to taste it in all it's glory. I always look forward to the following day of eating after smoking.

Totally. I ate it for lunch today and it was glorious.

[desotodawg]

Thanks to diverticulitis ... home made chicken broth since saturday.
Grilled some bone in Rib Eyes and had baked red potatoes last week ( before sat ).
Before Kroger was apocalypsed picked up a large salmon filet. That lasted several meals. my wife fixed it with a Dijon sauce that was very nice with sauteed asparagus.
Pouch/canned salmon can be used to make Salmon Croquettes. Pick up a box of Idahoan Potatoes at Sam's. Best instant mashed potatoes out there quick and easy. Prefer home made mashed red potatoes tho.

Costco had some packets of rice ramen noodle bricks at one point. Used one of those in chicken broth and it was great.

We did take out chinese and chik-fil-a curbside too. Sonic was made for this. Drop off in the car and off you go!

[StateDawg44]

This cooking at home thing is a totally new experience for my wife, before all she made for dinner was reservations.


Fortunately, my gf and I can cook more than we eat out and enjoy it. Get her a few staple dishes and she will be tweaking and fine-tuning them in no time. Garlic can go in everything as far as I'm concerned. Onions are close to being the same. People seem to get bogged down and worried about all that goes into cooking. Tell her to keep it simple and go from there. I'm sure helping in the kitchen would help relieve some stress for her too. Then if it doesn't turn out as good as you hoped, it's not all on her.

Collierville eh.... You ever fished Herb Parsons?



Thanks to diverticulitis ... home made chicken broth since saturday.
Grilled some bone in Rib Eyes and had baked red potatoes last week ( before sat ).
Before Kroger was apocalypsed picked up a large salmon filet. That lasted several meals. my wife fixed it with a Dijon sauce that was very nice with sauteed asparagus.
Pouch/canned salmon can be used to make Salmon Croquettes. Pick up a box of Idahoan Potatoes at Sam's. Best instant mashed potatoes out there quick and easy. Prefer home made mashed red potatoes tho.

Costco had some packets of rice ramen noodle bricks at one point. Used one of those in chicken broth and it was great.

We did take out chinese and chik-fil-a curbside too. Sonic was made for this. Drop off in the car and off you go!

No doubt. Super easy side for camping also. More on the inconvenient side of clean up when you're in bear country though. Definitely stocked with these at my house currently.

[The Federalist Engineer]

I am making protein Muffins for snacks.

Then I have picky little kids (5, 6, and 8 year olds)

The 5 year old won't eat home-made Chicken Nuggets. "I want to go to Donalds!"

Reminds me of this Eddie Murphy skit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAx553k7W5s

https://musicart.xboxlive.com/6/cf2954f1-0000-0000-0000-000000000009/504/image.jpg?w=1920&h=1080

[desotodawg]

on the plus side, wife and i put up 100lbs of muscadines, 100lbs of peaches, 40 pounds of tomatoes, and lots of pickles. I figure a diabetic coma will get me before covid.

[ScoobaDawg]

Last night was fresh made pasta with a garlic basil pasta sauce with some ground beef.. With grana padana over the top.
Tonight gonna go classic chicken Alfredo all from scratch with the extra pasta made on Sunday.

Someday I still need to recreate the verandas Mardi gras pasta. Loved that so much when I was in college.

[The Federalist Engineer]

Last night was fresh made pasta with a garlic basil pasta sauce with some ground beef.. With grana padana over the top.
Tonight gonna go classic chicken Alfredo all from scratch with the extra pasta made on Sunday.

Someday I still need to recreate the verandas Mardi gras pasta. Loved that so much when I was in college.

You should post the recipe to the Mardi Gras Pasta. That sounds awesome.

I think i've had something called that at Pappadeaux, a super creamy meal. Probably 7,000 calories on one plate.

[BrunswickDawg]

Sunday night was a thick ribeye, roasted sweet potatoes, and grilled asparagus.

Last night was a pork tenderloin, garlic roasted broccoli, and homemade shells and cheese with smoked gouda.

[StateDawg44]

Last night was fresh made pasta with a garlic basil pasta sauce with some ground beef.. With grana padana over the top.
Tonight gonna go classic chicken Alfredo all from scratch with the extra pasta made on Sunday.

Someday I still need to recreate the verandas Mardi gras pasta. Loved that so much when I was in college.

Fresh made pasta like you are making your own pasta?


All of that sounds awesome. The one place I'm lacking in my cooking repertoire is creating sauces. I can make cream-based sauces just reducing it down and adding pesto, garlic, and stuff but past that, I'm not as creative as I'd like to be.

Especially with glazes and wine sauces.

What was in the Mardi Gras Pasta? I've had a dish by the same name that had green peppers, onion, cream based with cajun seasoning and crawfish and shrimp. So good.

[bobcat91]

Cowboy/Tomahawk Ribeyes. 1.5 inches thick cooked on charcoal for true steak flavor. Fried red potatoes and onions with corn on the cob. Dont miss fast food one bit and may never go back like I used to. I think once folks see the difference in cooking for yourself vs eating garbage from a sack, a lot of places may be in trouble.

[ScoobaDawg]

Fresh made pasta like you are making your own pasta?


All of that sounds awesome. The one place I'm lacking in my cooking repertoire is creating sauces. I can make cream-based sauces just reducing it down and adding pesto, garlic, and stuff but past that, I'm not as creative as I'd like to be.

Especially with glazes and wine sauces.

What was in the Mardi Gras Pasta? I've had a dish by the same name that had green peppers, onion, cream based with cajun seasoning and crawfish and shrimp. So good.

This is the only pic I can find. don't remember the seafood being fried but makes sense. maybe it was just the crawfish tails
from the verendas website - Mardi Gras Pasta 18 – penne with shrimp, crawfish, corn, sausage, cajun cream sauce

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/93/cc/6f/93cc6f2a996a5d69dabeb8f16198f335.jpg

Someone in Starkville should go enjoy a good meal and take a pic for me when they order it.

I'll play with it sometime but I think ideal would be sub the corn for grilled peppers.

Made the chicken fettuccine tonight. So simple. cream, butter, parm basically. loads of fresh cracked black pepper.
So good. resisted the urge to throw some red pepper flakes in.


\

[StateDawg44]

Yeah, the kind I had wasn't fried either. I don't think that's necessary but to each their own. Just seems like it would get soggy.

One of the best things about pasta is having leftovers. The meal seems to get better the next day.

[Johnson85]

Cowboy/Tomahawk Ribeyes. 1.5 inches thick cooked on charcoal for true steak flavor. Fried red potatoes and onions with corn on the cob. Dont miss fast food one bit and may never go back like I used to. I think once folks see the difference in cooking for yourself vs eating garbage from a sack, a lot of places may be in trouble.

A lot of people are working from home now and not doing things after work (whether it be kids activities or adult stuff), so cooking is much easier. We don't eat fast food much unless you count pizza, but we eat takeout a lot, probably three or four times a week. I'd much prefer to eat they way we are now, but it's not practical on our normal schedule. Still easy enough to cook, but we don't currently have the skills to cook in way that is so much better and healthier than takeout without the extra time we have now. We may be a little different having young kids, but I suspect most people will go back to their hectic, pre-covid schedule in short order and will be back to not cooking.

[BrunswickDawg]

A lot of people are working from home now and not doing things after work (whether it be kids activities or adult stuff), so cooking is much easier. We don't eat fast food much unless you count pizza, but we eat takeout a lot, probably three or four times a week. I'd much prefer to eat they way we are now, but it's not practical on our normal schedule. Still easy enough to cook, but we don't currently have the skills to cook in way that is so much better and healthier than takeout without the extra time we have now. We may be a little different having young kids, but I suspect most people will go back to their hectic, pre-covid schedule in short order and will be back to not cooking.

We became empty nesters back in the fall with both kids being away at school. That completely changed our whole approach to eating out and cooking. I'd honestly forgotten what it was like to be able to not have to plan our food around 1,000 activities a week. COVID hasn't changed much of that - other than we now have 1 kid back home. We maybe eat out once a week now, buy a lot of pre-portioned fresh meals at Publix, and in general eat a lot healthier. Kids screw up everything****

[StateDawg44]

I don't have kids and completely understand what y'all are saying from my perspective.

Currently and pre-COVID, we cooked most of our meals but if there was one more activity (much less a kid involved daily) there is no way we could cook from home as much as we do. We have had that discussion as we were cooking or eating multiple times.

Props to parents that can pull that off. No clue where they find the time.

[Ezsoil]

I've been grilling or smoking every day... lunches are take out to support the local guys..I smoked ribs, turkey and brisket .

[mo7888]

So yes we all see how this is shaping up. Very possible whatever state you live in will likely be putting some parameters around what we can do in the coming weeks.

But that's not what this thread is about.

---

What are y'all cooking?

Obviously, if you're doing it right you already have rice, beans, pasta, etc. Those are simple and easy to mix with things.

What about meals that involve just a little more but are still easy and don't require a ton?

What are some go-to meals involving some of these dry goods and basic ingredients?

I've vac sealed portions of meat to use for different things but trying to spread them out for now just so I don't have to go to any stores for now.

I've got stuff for Fajita's, Beef & Chicken Tacos, Chicken Casseroles, plenty of canned goods like green beans, limas, black eyed peas, etc.

What are some meals that are easy, require mostly dry non-perishable goods, and go a long ways that yall are cooking while staying in?

I've got the staples but, so far we are eating like we normally do. Last night I had wild Alaskan King Salmon...may have halibut tonight. . Not much has changed in the food department..just bored out of my mind most of the time.