Variety is the key

Uncle Doug - I was talking to my neighbor this morning and he said to go out and buy a bunch of rice and beans for pandemic preparations.  Should I go by a bunch of rice and beans?

Do you like rice and beans?  I like rice and beans but I would hate to have to eat rice and beans day after day.  As a matter of fact I made 16 bean soup (Goya 16 bean soup mix as the base) and added some rice to it just last week.  It was great especially since there was a pork loin chopped up in it.  But after 2 days that was enough.  Eating that without an end in sight would depress me even though it was one of the best things I had eaten this last year.

Variety in meals and life is a key to being happy.  Get more of the stuff you normally eat.  I am sure there is variety there.  I just looked in the pantry and there is a huge variety stuff:
Rice
Beans
Pasta
Ragu pasta sauce
Ramen
Tuna Fish
Hash
Canned chicken
Soups of different types

There will be power and water for the pandemic so in in my refrigerator and freezer and I see all sorts of stuff.  In there I have:
Banquet Pot Pies - $0.97/ea - The best deal going for quick food
Chicken breasts
TV dinners
Sandwich meat
Sausage

All of this stuff is normally at the house so even if the pandemic goes away I am good and have wasted nothing.  The key is just go buy what you normally buy and just buy just an extra week or two of stuff.   If you can't afford that then buy a few dollars more of your normal stuff.  Extra bag of rice (not a 50 lbs bag), couple cans of your normal soup, noodles,  package of hot dogs and you are ahead of the game and have not wasted a dime.

Key is variety, don't panic and think through the problem.

Hormel Mary Kitchen Roast Beef Hash

Uncle Doug, I bought some hash.  How do I cook it?

Well first of all, good for you for getting some food in your pantry but you should have gotten stuff you normally cook so you would not have this question. Uncle Doug likes hash, so I have some in my pantry.  I usually make it from scratch or more appropriately, from leftovers. That is what hash is,  meat, potatoes, onion, chopped up fine and then fried, aka: dinner leftovers from a couple of nights ago.  

A lot of folks cook corned beef hash.  Corned beef is not my favorite so I tend to avoid that but roast beef hash is out there and I found some from the nice folks at Hormel.  14oz of product in the can or roughly 2 cups of food.  I got it at Walmart for $2.39 a can.   This is something I actually keep on the shelf and have once every couple of months when I am looking for a heavy breakfast.

When you open the can it is not very appetizing.  Think pet food.  Take a taste, it is safe and all you will taste is salty grease.  It has to be cooked to get the real flavor going.  

Hash from a can is super easy to cook.  Just scrape it out of the can into a non-stick skillet.  I do mean scrape because it will be stuck to the inside of the can.    Don't worry if some of the fat has separated, it is still good so long as the can is intact and not bulging.

Once in the skillet just fry it up over medium heat.  Mix it a couple of times to make sure all of it gets browned.  It takes a just a couple of minutes.  You know it is done when the pink meat is brown and it starts to get a little crunch.  If you taste it now you will see the huge improvement from when it was cold.

Just going that far makes a good meal.  But we can do better.  This is where real cooking starts.  Take something that is good and make it great.  So what can we do.

I do not know how but Hormel forgot the onions and garlic.  So as you cook this add some minced onion.  I used dried minced onion but fresh onion sweated before you add the hash would be even better but would be more work.  Include a pinch of garlic as you cook it for more flavor.  A shake or two of black pepper  and you have a great dish.  DO NOT add any salt.  It already has plenty of salt which is one of the problems with most canned meat.  You can try adding a dash of Worcester or Teriyaki sauce or even add some ketchup for some more taste but go easy, you can always add more but you can not take it out.

Serve over toast or a English muffin, add some eggs and cheese, chop up a pepper and you get a dish that is served in many fine dining establishments.  Hormel even has a recipe site at https://hormel.com/Brands/Hormel-Mary-Kitchen-Hash if you want to go fancy.

There is enough in the 14oz can for 2 people.  Very calorie dense (which is why I only eat it every couple of months) with 700 calories of food in the can.  The shelf life is 3 years or so.    

How to use your N95 Mask

Ok;  Uncle Doug understands everyone is ignoring him and is panicking.  So if you are going to panic, at least panic right.

I am going to share some information with you all on how to use all cool survival things you have purchased so you actually use them right.

First off, how to use all of those masks you have bought:

https://youtu.be/zoxpvDVo_NI

Corona Virus 3 day cone on uncertainty - March 1, 2020

Uncle Doug, This virus is all over the news.  What should I do?

Well guys,  we are now down to that 3 day cone of uncertainty in hurricane terms.  What does that mean, it means we are going to get wet.  How windy and wet is the question now.  Is it just going to be a sprinkle or a is it going to be a Category 5 hurricane is what the uncertainty is.

REMEMBER - NO PANIC - STAY CALM.  But the 3 day cone means that Jim Cantore has a hotel reservation in your town so you have to take this serious.

If you have been following along, you should be doing fine.  You have already stocked up your normal weekly stuff so you should be good.  If you have been ignoring Uncle Doug then get to the store and get your pantry full of your normal stuff.   Frozen food is good for the Pandemic, the electricity should stay on as should the water.  This is just having to stay in and not grab fast food every day.

What do I need to do differently?   A Couple of things.  You need to top off you pantry.  Instead of going to the store for groceries once a week, go 2 or 3 times until this event passes.  That way nothing gets low.    You should keep your car over 1/2 a tank (Just a good idea).  Get plenty of sleep, get outside for sunshine, wash your hands often, stay away from crowds.  Going to a concert or a movie is bad.  Taking a walk, working outside on those put off chores is good.

So what to plan for?   Have 2 weeks of food you will eat happily.  Those artichoke hearts and old can of cranberry sauce don't count.   Find your cold and flu meds that are around the house so you will not be searching if you feel bad.   On medications,  make sure your prescriptions are filled.   Got plenty of toilet paper, soap, laundry detergent?  Make sure you have 2 weeks of that as well.

No need to panic, but you have to take stock and keep the stock levels up.  This will all pass in a few months.