We have 3 major chain groceries stores in the area, Market Basket/Demoulas, Shaw's and Stop & Shop. Stop & Shop has always had a limited selection compared to the other two stores. MB has a good selection but is a not a flashy store. I shop there for the basics plus. For example, MB has the best fresh cilantro in the area. Shaw's has a wonderful selection is more upscale but tends to be pricey. I have noticed that all three have started to limit their selections more than they used to. I haven't been able to find duck breast which all three used to carry. Luckily the local butcher shop can get it for me. I shop a lot at farm stands and farmers' markets, the local family owned grocery store, local butcher shops and order online. It's not as easy as it used to be to one stop shop. I agree that cooking from scratch which used to be the norm has become hobby cooking. My family has always been scratch cooks but I noticed more and more of my friends and co-workers leaning toward convenience. My BFF is a marvelous cook who always had a passion for cooking has decided that cooking is too much WORK and she NEVER cooks now. :-( Now she eats out or buys convenience items; ten years ago she would have been horrified at the thought! I still love to cook and the bonus is my 18 year old daughter is now taking an active interest. We're sharing some great bonding time. This week we are working side by side each evening preparing for our annual Winter Open House this Saturday. We're expecting about 50 or so guests for laughs, camaraderie, tall tales, oh and food....Turducken, sides, appies and of course dessert. We've served Turducken the last 15 years hence it's become tradition and is always requested so.....

I don't buy imported foods, at least to the best of my knowledge. I also do not buy any mass produced foods, from Smithfield or any other company. I certainly do not buy ANY mixes or prefab box foods. This country is just as deplorable in their food practices as any other. I have talked with many a farmer who left the USDA way of farm life because much filth is allowed while the inspector is sitting there. Bad things are alowed in feeds, the farm conditions are filthy, and people think eggs are fine because they are run through disinfectant water full of feces. The cracked ones sitting in that filth are sold to go in cake mixes. Do you really think workers at a factory farm care? They don't. They don't care if a child dies due to contamination. Read some of Joel Salatin's books. They are an eye opener, and due to his wonderful sense of humor, a delight to read. We vsited his farm in Virginia last fall. What a wonderful place! A well run cattle or chicken farm, where the animlas are allowed to be happy animals and are rotated on fresh pasture daily, DOES NOT SMELL. At all. The meat and milk taste fresh and sweet.The cheese is not the rubber stuff the stores sell. Better yet, make your own cheese from local fresh milk. It's a fun past time. So if the masses want cheap food, buy it, and eat it, I don't care. It only exists because they don't care enough about themselves and support it with their dollar. Make a nice meal for family and guests out of pure basic ingredients, and a roast or hamburgers from a local organic farmer. If you're a vegetarian, make a nice lasagna from cheeses you made youself and sauce you cooked from scratch and simmered all day. It's some effort but make enough for the freezer and you have easy meals for other days. Serve them a cake actually made from scratch and not a grocery store or box. They will rave about your meal, probably over eat a little, and ask to come back soon for a visit. Smithfield? Yuck!

Unless you're willing to freeze finished meals, your option is to eat a lot of ham. Here is one recipe that tastes great and freezes well: Ham Casserole Webb In a skillet saute 2 cpw finely chopped ham in 2 tbls butter until it is heated through, and transfer it to a bowl. In a large skillet saute 2 cups finely chopped onion in 3 tbls butter until it is lightly browned. Add 1/2 lb mushrooms, finely chopped, and saute them until most of the juices have evaporated. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste and combine them with the ham. In a small bowl mix 1 1/4 cups fresh bread crumbs with 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/8 tsp sage, and salt & pepper to taste. Mix 1 cup of the bread crumbs into the ham mixture and add 1 cup sour cream. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste and spoon it into a buttered 1 quart gratin dish. Top it with the remaining bread crumbs and bake the casserole in a moderate oven (350) for 20 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden. For a simple sandwich spread: Ham Filling In a bowl mix together 2 cups finely chopped ham, 1 tbls grated onion, a inch of dry mustard, and just enough sour cream to bind the mixture. You can either chop the ham, for a chunky spread, or run it through a meat grinder for a finer mixture---what the British call a sandwich paste. Finally, ham and crab seem to have a natual affinity for each other. The following works best with a cured ham, such as prosciutto. But any ham works: Ham Stuffed with Crab Meat Lay 5 large, thin slices of ham on a plat surface. In a skillet melt 1/2 stick butter over moderate heat until it is bubbling. Add 2 tbls finely choped shallots and cook them for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 1/2-2 cups crab meat and heat it until it is very hot and blended with the butter and shallots. Remove the pan from the heat and toss the crab meat very carefully with 2 tbls chopped parsley and 3 tsp finely chopped fresh tarragon. Add a sprinkling of salt, if need, and 3-4 grinds of black pepper. Spoon the mixture very carefull onto the piecdes of ham and fold them over it. Serve the stuffed ham on warm plates with a garnish of watercress or parsley.

We take the red foiled hams from Costco, and toss the spice packet into the trash. Then we put the ham flat side down in a tray or shallow pan, pour a bit of Coke or diluted apple juice (optional) into the layers, so that there is only about a quarter inch of juice in the bottom of the pan. Then we smoke the ham for 2.5 hours in a smoker. It turns out so good and moist, there is no other recipe anymore.