I understand what you're saying, Lars. I use to go at the drop of a hat, but now you have to pry me out of my house and into my car. Part is that is everything has gotten soooo extra expensive that I hate to go to the cashier.

As to your question: I have learned lots of substitutions here over the years and have applied them a lot over the last two years. If there is no sub, I just don't make whatever. I have two freezers and one of them is bound to have something to eat.

When I am out for an appointment I think about where I'm going to be, what is in that area, and what do I need or am going to need in the near future. I try to go to those places too -as long as I'm out anyway.

I make bread to have better breadand more variety, At the beginning of the shortages, I invested in bulk flour, but more recently, as normal sized bags have been available, I've gone back to them. The only thing I can think of that I might specifically make to avoid the store, since I get everything delivered, is ice cream. But If I just need a pint, I'll order that from the store, too, and have it delivered at night. Only one store I regularly order from has quarts of milk, rather than half gallons. There was a sparsely populated small grocery in the same parking lot as I had an appointment, and I did pop in there for a couple things that were missing from my grocery order, and I got the milkin the glass bottle to get a quart. It's the price of a half gallon, and I prefer California organic (this is merely California, but good milk), but it was worth it to save space, and I'd have had to throw away half if I'd gotten a half gallon. I don't like previously frozen milk. So, to answer you question again, it's not a make thing, but I will use canned or powdered milk nowadays, if I'm out, rather than popping out to the store,

Nothing specific I can think of. I have two excellent grocery stores within minutes of my house and have never thought twice about going in person. I am not interested in any grocery deliveries unless I am physically incapacitated. And even then, I'd opt for a family member to shop for me, not an unknown worker droid.

But I do admit to being too lazy or unmotivated to go to the grocer for just a single item I may be missing. I'll just wait on that for another time and make something different with whatever I DO have on hand.

I keep powdered milk, powdered buttermilk, evaporated milk, and table cream handy. A spash of milk or just a cup sometimes is what I need and I'm not running to the store for. Sometimes I want the more condensed or dry form rather than regular milk.

Otherwise if I just need a something I do have a dollar store two minutes up the road if I want. I tend to go to the local town store loop once a week, and shop according to sales. So long as I have other errands, I hit the store too.

I did this before the pandemic though. Only thing that has really changed is when I shop. I've always avoided weeends and evenings. Used to go later week in the afternoon. Now I go early week early morning- it's much quieter.

I'm having a hard time thinking of anything too, since I make all kinds of things from scratch because I prefer them to store bought, and bread is one of them. I made it for years, then stopped when we didn't eat it very much, but started back up in 2020 and now I can't stand store bread. The only bread I occasionally buy any more is the organic baguettes from Trader Joe's

I do grocery pickup - I've only done delivery once, early on in 2020. I don't see the point in paying extra for that when the stores are at most 10 minutes away.

Hubby's the one who goes to the store all the time and he always asks me if I need anything, so that's usually how I get something we're out of. I keep a lot of stuff on hand as well.

It's interesting how habits have changed. I've been thinking about that a lot recently. I used to shop for entertainment it seems, but now I don't go inside any stores (or anywhere else, really) unless I absolutely have to. It's not a bad thing either, as I'm not continually buying things we don't really need.

I grow herbs, fruits and veggies too, so I always have something fresh to use.

Re delivery, I have the luxury of getting most of my produce, all organic, directly from the farm. There are also a couple of superior grocery stores near me where you don't have to pick through the produce--they don't have anything on the displays that isn't top notch, so I have no qualms ordering the occasional artichoke or cucumber. And I have no hesitation at all to report anything that isn't top quality, and getting it refunded. The workers who shop for us aren't "droids". They're people who need flexible jobs or any work at all, and try very hard to get it right. That said, any old droid can pick up toilet paper or a box of pasta. If they're out of the one I pick, I decline replacements, or specify a second choice. I can afford delivery. What I can't afford is a respiratory infection that could have been avoided.

I do not like shopping. I find it tedious and I rarely visit supermarkets. I get all the boring repetitive groceries delivered every five weeks or so. That is cleaning materials, tinned and packet goods. I order what I want and do not allow substitutes. The person who picks it is a regular supermarket employee and the delivery driver is too. They are most definitely not ‘droids.‘ There is no tipping expected or allowed. Delivery is free over a certain spend which I always reach. I do not use a car so delivery is perfect for me. I get vegetables, fruit and eggs delivered once a week by a local market gardener/farm shop. Meat and cheese we get from a weekly farmers’ market. Bread we buy once a week from a bakery. Both are within walking distance. If I need anything else, which I don’t often, I walk to a local shop.

I feel like we've gone back to the way things used to be in some ways. Supermarkets are relatively recent - a 20th century invention. I definitely like being able to avoid going inside them!

"worker droid" how condescending of you!

I'll sometimes make myself a cocktail rather than go to the store to buy beer.

your complicated yesterday made me smile in sympathy Annie. i usually assume that life proceeds smoothly for other people. you competent ones i mean. outdoor work is so often booby-trapped by an implement that will not work when it is needed.

eggs for dinner are the typical default for when i have no clue.

sumac for lemon zest was a happy substitute i landed on one day.

I don't buy eggs that often, but I do need to go to the store to buy those, but the main reason is that I am out of cheddar and Monterey Jack, which I use in a lot of Mexican dishes that I make.

Right now I'm in Cathedral City by myself because I had to get the kitchen project started, and I thought I was going to have a dentist appointment here. However, I changed that appointment to a new dentist in Los Angeles that is less than one mile from my house there because I found out that my new insurance has dental coverage, but I have to see a dentist in L.A. or Orange County. It will save me significant amounts of money, and so I decided to give a new dentist a try. Right now I just need an exam and cleaning, but those cannot be done on the same day at this point.

I never buy milk, and we use Nestlé powdered milk instead. Neither of us drink milk, but this brand tastes like fresh milk to me anyway, and I only use it in baking and in smoothies. I also have powdered cream and powdered buttermilk. I add powdered cream to my protein shakes, and it makes them taste like ice cream.

I rarely eat more than one egg a day (and most days none), and I never eat eggs for dinner, except in a larger dish, such as lasagna, crêpes, or perhaps a soufflé. Anyway, I'm almost out of eggs now, and I think I will have to throw out the few that I have on hand now.

Lately I've been making my egg somewhat like this, but I use different ingredients, and I turn the tortilla once, after it has been spread with the egg but not with the cheese. On the second side, I put ham, sliced mushrooms, and the cheese, and then I spread what is left of the egg around the edges. This makes the tortilla taste somewhat like a crêpe.

I have to go to the grocery store today so that I can get ingredients for the grits recipe that I make, and it has a lot of ingredients. I plan to pick up a couple of tamales as well.

The other night I made some stuffed shells, and they taste like lasagna, but it is easier to make them on a smaller scale. I made three servings and still have one leftover, but they taste very good reheated.

Annie, you made me smile at your day. We've all had those, and eggs for dinner was probably better than the Beanie-Weinies I once fed my husband. 🙃

Nothing i can think of, as far as bread or anything like that. I will bake bread, but because I want to, not because I want to avoid going to the store.

I will sometimes scrounge around to make a meal out of whatever we already have on hand if I do not feel like leaving the house at all. If I am going to get takeout, its really no more trouble to go the store, so it makes no difference to me.

I'm not the good cook that many of you are. If I'm out of something, I eat something else until I can get to the store. I don't think I buy any packaged foods and, as I've said so many times, I have very limited freezer space. I need to go to the store about every four days to get fresh produce. During the worst of lockdown, I made do with frozen vegetables and we had more meals like vegetable frittata or lasagna that work okay with frozen vegetables. I do have a few cans of tuna and of chickpeas as emergency rations.

I don't like to shop, but Trader Joe's is so small that I don't mind the ten minutes it takes for me to fill my list there on the way home from somewhere else.

I did go to the store today, with a list, as usual, and when I got back, I found another grocery list in my other shirt pocket that was almost identical to the one I wrote today!

I noticed that the elementary school near my house was closed, and so the kids must be out for Semana Santa and won't return to school until after Easter. That's how it was in Mexico when I would visit there around Easter. In fact, Easter was the worst time to travel in Mexico, and so I only did it once.

I didn't notice until later yesterday, but I accidentally bought Mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar. I will use the Mozzarella for sandwiches and use the Monterey Jack for Mexican food, which is okay, although I usually use cheddar.

I'll have to make grits with Monterey Jack and maybe not put any on top, as it burns more easily than cheddar.

I was distracted while shopping in the cheese and cold cuts section of Cárdenas because I heard some women next to me say something about "white Americans..." but I couldn't tell exactly what they were saying. I don't think they were talking about me, but if I were paranoid, I might think that. It probably had something to do with food preferences or cooking. My food preferences are not typical of most white Americans (which is why I like to shop at Cárdenas), but I did notice that I could not find any olives - probably because the store considers them too expensive - at least that is the excuse that they have given me in the past. They won't stock tomatoes unless they are cheap.

We get a veg box delivered every 12-16 days or so. Keeps us well stocked with basics like root crops, onions, garlic, green onions, garlic, ginger, leafy greens, etc. Lots of pantry item add-ons.

I have a half dozen quick meals that do not require much effort, but like Annie, my go-to is egg dishes. Once or twice a month, frittatas. Using up any vegetables a day or two before my delivery. Always have eggs and various cheeses. Flour and corn tortillas and Siete almond flour tortillas in the freezer. (Costco).

I usually make a potato crust but also use a flour tortilla sometimes. If i'm working late DH will make himself a quesadilla.

So no, we no longer shop and don't miss it at all. Pre-covid, we went together to Costco twice a year, and DH did the weekly small list without complaint. Not admits to hating it. Always somthing looking droopy or out of stock. Frustrating to make substitutions even at a high end grocery.

Frittatas always different. Sometimes in my tiny cast iron or larger to include next day lunches.

My other delivery is a local grass fed meat share. They also have pasture raised eggs so i'm always stocked since eggs have a long fridge life. They have good inexpensive chicken and beef bones for stocks.

The few times i used instacart i had good experiences and gratful that it exists. Especially for many that have mobility issues. They would send me a message that they were starting to shop. With their name. Send a pic if i wanted a substitution.

NYC has had FreshDirect for 20+ years. No retail grocery stores so they aviod all that overhead. One big transfer station in the Bronx. (maybe another but not sure). All BigGroceries have transfer stations as well. Multiple packaging, trucking, handling. My veg box is from a transfer station without plastic, (90%). On my doorstep days before most find produce on grocery shelves. Obvious since it lasts so much longer.

Farmers markets, farm stands in season, and specialty international markets we adore.

So yes, we can avoid shopping for weeks. Learned a bit during the initial lock-down.

@Lars You stated: "Lately I've been making my egg somewhat like this, but I use different ingredients, and I turn the tortilla once, after it has been spread with the egg but not with the cheese. On the second side, I put ham, sliced mushrooms, and the cheese, and then I spread what is left of the egg around the edges. This makes the tortilla taste somewhat like a crêpe."

Am glad to see your post because I have been consdering making that dish. Now I will definitely make it, with your changes which I like much better than those shown in the video

As far as going to the grocery store, I do not and do depend on those "worker droid" employees @gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9). Surely this was derogatory comment was unfortunate wording on your part. Those people are the people I depend on to do my shopping and for the past year, it has worked very well and the people making the deliveries are very helpful in getting the groceries into the house for me. These are people who are taking a job in order to support themselves and their families and should not be sneered at in any way.

I am not "sneering" at anyone!! I just do not choose to have some faceless stranger pick out my groceries for me, I am more than capable of doing so myself.

WalnutCreek, I made that recipe again this morning for breakfast, as I described above.

One shortcut I use it to put boiling water in the non-stick skillet that I will be using and then dunk the tortilla in that and remove the tortilla to the plate that I will be using for serving. I use an 8" tortilla, which fits perfectly in the bottom of a 10¾" diameter pan. After I dump the water out of the pan, I put the tortilla back in the pan, and you don't even have to dry the pan - the tortilla will not stick!

Some people in the comments section of Youtube had said that they had trouble with the cheese when they added it to the side with the cheese, but when I first made this, I forgot to add the cheese to that side and liked how it came out. Anyway, it did not make sense to turn it over after it had cheese on it.

I'm sure you can come up with some good variations on it. I use raw mushrooms because I used to make quesadillas with ham or turkey plus raw mushrooms and cheese, and those came out crisp (which I also like), but this version with the egg added is more filling and tastes more like breakfast. I use medium-low heat when making it and cook it covered for three minutes after I have added everything to the second side.

If I were going to add onion, I would sauté that and add two mushrooms instead of one and sauté them together, but I've not done that yet. What I like about this recipe is that it uses no salt and no oil - the ham and cheese have plenty of salt, and so there is no need to add any salt to the eggs or mushrooms. I do add black pepper to the mushrooms, however.

The only time I have used Instacart was when I wanted 6-in-one Tomatoes and could not find them in the stores. This ended up saving me a lot of money because I ordered the restaurant size (105 oz) by mistake (thinking they were the 28 oz size), and so now I have enough tomatoes to last me a couple of years, providing they do not go bad in the cans. Even so, the 105 oz cans only cost very slightly more than I was used to paying for 28 oz cans, and this is why I got the sizes confused. I would have had to pay much more for six 28 oz cans than what I ended up paying for six 105 oz cans.

Thanks a million for this additional info, @Lars. I have copied it and will add to the recipe.

The tale of the tomatoes is very interesting. I had no idea that the 105 oz cans were comparable in cost to the 28 oz cans. Also, don't think I have seen the 6-in-1 tomatoes anywhere around here, but when I googled them, they sure sound appealing. Think I will see if they are available in our locale.

When raising kids, a goto snack was quesadillas - so if I ran out of our local TacoLoco flour tortillas I'd make them rather than run to the store and it was super a fun family project especially watching them puff up on the griddle. We have totally enjoyed perfecting corn tortillas also, with store bought masa.

Today, I thawed a half-package of hamburger, and instead of running out to buy buns I put together a dough for the buns. (decided to make them into sloppy joes :)) - let me know if there's a secret ingredient, I grew up on 'Manwich' haha!

My shopping has changed enormously after Covid and also my husband retired. In March 2020 I had a sort of panic attack seeing the tape on the floors and masks (I mask up now but was slightly late to realize to do so, in early March 2020) . Thereafter I used instacart a few times and it worked great - the people who dropped stuff off were so friendly and cared about the delivery, chatting to say what they found and informational about the status out there. Then we switched to placing orders for pickup and the guy there took a lot of pride in his selections for us and would really want to do a good job and chat about what he found and sometimes would call to check our preferences. For a while I couldn't get flat leaf parsley, so I'm planting soooo much this year I love that stuff.

I can only grow flat leaf parsley in the winter, but it grows abundantly in my backyard during that time, along with cilantro - another winter crop. I could possibly grow them indoors, but I don't think I have room for that.

I've made corn tortillas using fresh masa, and one store where I buy it in L.A. gives me free lard, as that is a byproduct of some pork product that they make in the store.

I've never frozen tortillas of any kind, but when I visited Vancouver in the 1970s, the only tortillas I could find were in the frozen department, and so I did not buy them. I had never been anywhere before that (that I knew of) where I could not find fresh tortillas, and so I had to make them while I was there, but I only made flour tortillas, whereas I normally only ate corn tortillas.

It's nice to have the fresh parsley and cilantro any time it will grow - our summer might be similar to your winter temperature-wise, but we have lots of light , we are the land of midnight sun :) . Hope Im not too off topic !

I remember feeling dismayed when cilantro 'goes to seed', ie flowers and seeds begin forming so quickly - But, cookbook author Samin Nasrot wrote an article in the NYT last year about eating the undried green seeds of cilantro and they are delectable, so I now look forward to that - and then plant a seond succession. I'd link the article, but I'm sure it's behind a paywall but I love her writing so look it up if you have a NYT subscription.

We always save our duck fat and some pork fat from our cooking and we use whatever we have like that in the corn tortillas . My daughter was a vegetarian so I had to use vegetable oil through the years but she now doesn't mind the real fat on occasion:)

I love grocery shopping so mostly I find recipes so I can go to the store.

Oops, Maybe I meant using fat when we make tamales... the corn tortillas don't have the fat

My flour tortillas have some of the fat so that must be what I was thinking of

Mexican cuisine is soooo good! That's what makes me 'dabble' . :))

I always find myself with too much leftover meat for the 2 of us! We both like a nice mixed meat hash with taters and veges.

@lat62 we don't have thread police. Welcome! :D

lat62, I use duck fat when making tamales, and it makes the best tamales, even if you do not have leftover duck meat.

Lars, yummm !

We make tamales occasionally and have used duck fat too, and pork fat. I put pumpkin in the dough this past christmas, turned out nice - added a sweetness.

We used this guy's simpler way of just folding instead of tying, and it made a real difference in how fast our 'production line' went :)

(It's a PBS cooking show that I've enjoyed)

https://www.tpt.org/relish/video/tamales-by-chef-gustavo-romero-otv7tw/