What we are buying in 2023.

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Myron's Mom

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Thanks for the heads up about sugar and chocolate. I’m pretty well stocked with sugar but with freezer jam and pie filling season coming I guess I’ll pad my stock. I’ll grab some chips so I have them. I just used up the last that I had making 2 double recipes of chocolate cookies (tollhouse and double tree) for the freezer. I’m was out of all my cookie dough balls and baked cookies in the freezer, it’s nice to have that on hand.
Wow crisco is expensive! I use lard and butter for cooking and baking but I usually keep a pack of sticks in the freezer for emergencies. Guess I’ll rethink that.
 

Lori K

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I'm highlighting these ideas so when I read through this thread again, it will stand out to me. I always forget about Home Goods/Marshalls/TJ Maxx for seasonal food.
I stopped in at Home Goods on Thursday and they are having a BIG clearance sale that included a LOT of their gourmet food items, including unique pastas and sauces, seasonings, and sweets. I got some chocolate bars, a bag of regular carmels (they also had vanilla and chocolate flavors, $2.50), bagel seasoning ($2), and organic pasta (Fusilloni, 17.5 oz bag, $3.50). The Best By date on the pasta is 2026!!!! They had several other kinds of pasta, including linguini, some "birds next"-looking ones, and several colored pastas. I'm pretty well stocked on pasta, but liked the look of the fusilloini -- looks like it will hold sauce well. Will store the chocolate in the back of the freezer (out of sight, out of mind) and put the pasta in a quart mason jar. ** Adding because I'd never seen these before, Fusilloni are huge spiral noodles and they apparently expand to 3x their dry size.
 

Holiday_Mom

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I have wanted to bake a fruit cake too but so far have managed to just collect recipes. We will have to have a MHH fruitcake bake off.
That was on my list to do a few years back and I did it. I'm pretty sure I followed Alton Brown's recipe. I served it Christmas morning with our coffee. My kids said it was really good but they got a buzz after a few slices. :D They've been wondering if I'll ever make it again. LOL! It's not hard but you have to start in October or something like that so it can age well.
 

Holiday_Mom

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I was making a list for my CIJ plans. I have made a note to completely empty the stockpile and freezers by the end of July, double check lists and plans and make sure I am on track. That will still give me 5 months to get organised.
I just love knowing that there is at least one other person in the world that thinks like me as far as planning and organizing. It may not go as planned but I always feel more peaceful when I'm not hurrying about last minute all the time.
 

Lori K

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If you ever read Dorothea Benton Frank books, her book The Christmas Pearl includes a fruitcake recipe. I made it last year for Book Club and it was pretty good. I only soaked it for about a week, and I'm sure it would have been much better, had it soaked for 6 to 8 weeks.
 

sweetpumkinpye

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Fruit cake is a tradition here in Australian homes. We do a crushed pineapple fruitcake which is much lighter and does not "soak" as it has no alcohol. It can be made and eaten on the same day.
 

missjane

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Fruit cake is a tradition here in Australian homes. We do a crushed pineapple fruitcake which is much lighter and does not "soak" as it has no alcohol. It can be made and eaten on the same day.
I would love the recipe. Is it in our Christmas recipe book? I need to pull that out.
 

sweetpumkinpye

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I would love the recipe. Is it in our Christmas recipe book? I need to pull that out.
Not sure.....here it is just in case. You will have to adjust measurements to US sizes

Jamie's Pineapple Fruit Cake.

450gr Crushed pineapple in juice
125gr margarine
375gr mixed dried fruit
1 cup sugar
1tsp mixed spice
1tsp bi-carb soda
1 cup each plain and self raising flour
2 eggs.

Add pineapple, margarine, fruit, sugar and spice and bi-carb in a large pot and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool
Once cool stir in the flours and and the eggs and mix well.
Pour into a greased and paper lined 18cm square tin. Bake at 180C for 1 1/4 hours or until cooked through.
Leave in tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a rack to cool fully.
 

Minta

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Ummm Fruit cake. My grandmother was known for hers. She would do 2 versions .. one soaked in alcohol and 1 soaked in apple juice for the kids to enjoy. I have her recipe so I may to give it a try this year.
 
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sweetpumkinpye

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Ummm Fruit cake. My grandmother was known for hers. She would do 2 versions .. one soaked in alcohol and 1 soaked in apple juice for the kids to enjoy. I have her recipe so I may to give it a try this year.
How wonderful. I like the idea of the recipe using the apple juice. Sounds nice.
 

sweetpumkinpye

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I haven't quite decided on what to serve for Christmas breakfast yet, I have plenty of time to decide. I did however pick up a packet of cinnamon scroll mix at the supermarket that has a good use by date. It was 1/2 the normal price so thought I would grab it.
A little closer to Christmas I will ask the kids what to serve along side the normal cereal and juice.

1) Warm apple and apricot danishes
2) Cinnamon scrolls
3) Raspberry and white chocolate baked french toast.

I like all of them so not a problem either way.
 

Ahorsesoul

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I haven't quite decided on what to serve for Christmas breakfast yet, I have plenty of time to decide. I did however pick up a packet of cinnamon scroll mix at the supermarket that has a good use by date. It was 1/2 the normal price so thought I would grab it.
A little closer to Christmas I will ask the kids what to serve along side the normal cereal and juice.

1) Warm apple and apricot danishes
2) Cinnamon scrolls
3) Raspberry and white chocolate baked french toast.

I like all of them so not a problem either way.
I was just talking about your French Toast recipe today. Need to make it soon.
 

sweetpumkinpye

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sweetpumkinpye

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And all at once we have hit July.

As a part of my CIJ prep every year I reevaluate my Christmas menu plans and make any additions or changes. I will pull all the foods that I have stored and check that they are OK, double check my lists and add any items needed to my shopping list for the next few months. I think that I only have 12 more fortnightly shopping days left to get everything that is on my list. EEK. I will also make a start for what I will need for over the hotter Summer months. It is time to tidy the freezers and the stock pile to make room for what I will need.
July will be a busy month.
 
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Lori K

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What I didn't know, cost me dearly. July 1, reinstatement of sales tax in IL. An additional local retail tax also became effective in my community -- 1/2 of 1% added on to the already high county and state tax places us at 10.5%. Yesterday, we also saw the first increase in our gas tax this year, with more to come. I could have gotten gas and groceries on the 30th. But nooooooo, I put it off until Saturday. My tank was below 1/4 and I had to do my big shop for the gathering I'm hosting on the 4th. Watching those taxes added on almost made me cry.
 

sweetpumkinpye

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What I didn't know, cost me dearly. July 1, reinstatement of sales tax in IL. An additional local retail tax also became effective in my community -- 1/2 of 1% added on to the already high county and state tax places us at 10.5%. Yesterday, we also saw the first increase in our gas tax this year, with more to come. I could have gotten gas and groceries on the 30th. But nooooooo, I put it off until Saturday. My tank was below 1/4 and I had to do my big shop for the gathering I'm hosting on the 4th. Watching those taxes added on almost made me cry.
We have a across the board GST of 10% on most items. The "beauty" is that it is included in the price of the item. Not so shocking when you see the total as it includes the tax.
 

AuntJamelle

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Never a good time for a tax increase! :(

I need to get my head back in the game this month! Many, many other things have kept me from giving any attention to Christmas 2023 and it IS a good idea to buy early. I still don't trust that stores will always have things in stock. And prices for so many things have just never gone back down.

I've been waffling back and forth over making a solid list and pre-buying because there are several recipes I intend to test out for use this year. But I need to just make a plan for things I know we will have and that I always bake for gifting and go from there. Then at least I'll be somewhat ahead of the game!

I am very low on sugar so that will be the first thing I start to pick up again!
 

sweetpumkinpye

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I still don't trust that stores will always have things in stock. And prices for so many things have just never gone back down.
It is certainly much harder to source items that we need or want now. I am hoping that eventually we get back to what we considered normal.
In the meantime I will just have to keep making lists and checking at each store that I go to to find my items. It is just harder work.