Hey everybody! It's another special Saturday post full of spot-on comments from the past couple of days. I’m thinking I might make this a regular feature, a la one of my favorite blogs, The Comics Curmudgeon, so keep ‘em coming!
On Recession-Proofing Your Diet
Jen@bigbinder: Here is my plan: I am working my way up the food pyramid. My logic is that if this is the bulk of what we should be eating the bottom) best to start there and make a big impact. It might not be the most expensive proportionally but I like visual aids and this is a good one. For example, I am learning how to make my own bread (the kind that we will actually eat) and anything in that lowest category of the pyramid. … Once I get that category nice and cheap, I'll move onto the most frugal but still healthy way to buy and consume veggies, etc.
Julia: Re: the cookbooks, I found a fantastic Cooking Light cookbook called "Superfast Suppers" at a thrift shop. If you love cookbooks, like me, that's a good place to shop for them.
Sheila: I heard it like this: don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. In other words, none of those lunchables. No cheesies. No fruit roll-ups. Just real food. It's cheaper and healthier.
Dan: I had a suggestion that involves Applying the 80/20 Rule. It's more conceptual than specific, but hopefully it helps your readers. Around 80% or so of your recipes will be made from some 20% of the ingredients that you normally stock in your pantry and fridge. Meaning most of the food you eat will heavily rely on a fairly small number of ingredients. If you can carefully manage the cost of those heavily-used ingredients, you should be able to slash your food bill materially.
On Pork Loin with Roasted Red Pepper Relish
Sally Parrott Ashbrook: I made a pork roast last night, using local, pastured heirloom pork and an apple sauce. The roast had beautiful marbling, and even though I overcooked it … it was way, way tastier than the overcooked grocery store pork I grew up eating. The extra fat in the heirloom pork made all the difference, I think. And honestly, I'd rather have a less frequent, really tasty piece of pork than a factory-farmed, so-so one.
Sarah: I regularly do pork loin in the crockpot and find it works well (stays moist and yummy).
Maggie: I love pork in the crockpot with green chilis and a few chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It tastes best made ahead and stored covered in the liquid.I really like crockpot pulled pork also.
On Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar
Julia: Have you tried adding basil to that? I saw it on a cooking show and it sparked my curiosity. Also, I've heard strawberries dipped in freshly ground black pepper is amazing. Is summer here yet?
Ginnyberry: I absolutely love strawberries with balsamic vinegar! I don't use any sugar at all when I prepare mine.
Thanks everybody! (It's Kris again.) Can't wait to see what you have to say next.
