Stuff you'll need part deux

Ho HO!
My primary eater reminded me of a couple things I left off of the list. Hopefully, you haven't run out and done your shopping already and if you have well, bummer. Don't hate the playa, hate the game.
These are some essential fluids I neglected to mention.


Walk, bike, or public transit to get yourself some...

Olive Oil:
Here's another possible dissertation. You can really shop a full spectrum with this one. Go with McEvoy at $30 for 12 oz. and it's like eating liquid gold. Buy Safeway brand light olive oil and you might as well just flush it down the toilet. Never fall short of extra virgin, no matter what you go with. Here's a place where we can practice our label reading skills. Lots of farms in Napa are growing olive trees and there's really not much reason why you shouldn't be able to find a California grown olive oil at the store. Try and save a bottle so you can buy it in bulk. You don't have to buy imported to have it be good stuff. (The Italians and Spaniards like to think that though.)

Balsamic vinegar:
Fancy fancy, we can be. You do NOT have to break the bank to get a good balsamic. I think the organic generic brands are fine. This will save you when you're in a tasteless tailspin. Even in desserts, which will impress your friends. Although, at the moment I'm always praying they'll invite ME to dinner.

Red wine vinegar:
It's cheaper. It's my go-to for salad dressing. Call it an everyday vinegar, if you will. Sherry vinegar will serve you just as well.

Canola Oil:
I buy this in bulk too. You'll need it for frying. Who doesn't love fried things?

Last but not least...

BACON:
Yes, bacon. It ain't a luxury, I have it in my fridge all the time. It keep forever, but you won't have it around very long. This is the beauty of moderation. If you don't eat as much meat in your life, you can have bits of yummy things around like good ol' bacon. It's also a shape shifter. Chop it up and fry it with kale for a quick pasta. Do the BLT standard. Crumble it on salads and MAC AND CHEESE. Whoa nelly. Best part? Save the grease in an airtight jar in your fridge and use it for flour tortillas, re-fried beans, and biscuits. My girlfriend Christine makes those, I'll include her recipe for sure. She's the baker among us. Speaking of which...

FLOUR (4 - 5 lbs.)
Seem like a lot? It's not when baking bread at home. That will be more from Christine.

EGGS:
They last a long time and make great brain food at the top of the day. I like keeping a couple hard boiled in the fridge for salads. It's an easy way to get your protein in. And, I mean, you have the bacon so...

Since I'm here, a word on meats. Eat less, buy well. Don't buy shit. That means when you want to have meat in your life, try to make sure it comes from a sustainable source. Why eat tortured cows? They're not happy, why would eating their misery make us happy? I know it sounds corny, but it's true. These are also huge, faceless, food corporations who don't give a fuck about your health or your family's. That sucks. Don't let them win and buy from the little guy. This usually means I have to shop in more than one location. My meat shop is El Cerrito Natural Grocery. But really, you don't have to shop at a high brow place to buy good meat. Just pay attention to labels and talk to your butcher people. They know more than you think. They're the ones spending the most intimate time with that product.
Bacon and chorizo are my two exceptions. Bacon I like to buy on sale in bulk, you know those $9.99 packs that way a couple pounds? Yeah. If I did that with Applewood smoked bacon we'd have to refinance the house. I buy El Mexicano chorizo because that's what they sell in my neighborhood. I saw it at the Berkeley Bowl yesterday, if anyone tries that and digs it let me know. Sounds a bit hypocritical, huh? It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Change is hard, do a what you can, a little bit at a time. Otherwise, who wants to stick to it? It'll seem like a burden and you'll forget about it. There are enough difficult things, right?
We'll start with recipes next.