- Vanilla extract—The orchids are being marauded, and the price will be going sky-high soon, once grocers dare to end their price war. While the getting is still good, invest in a four-ounce bottle. At the same time, get a large bottle of imitation vanilla extract, “vanillin.” I am already using one-half vanillin and one-half vanilla extract in all my recipes, to conserve.
- Rosewater is what our great-grandmothers used in place of pricey vanilla. I’ll be experimenting with rosewater, and will let you know the equivalents. You can get rosewater at a Halal/Islamic (or a Middle-Eastern) grocery store.
- Pine nuts, also called pignoli
- Wild rice (you can get the same texture from buckwheat groats, called “kasha” by Jews. Kasha is too pricey in the supermarkets, but Amazon sells it for $3.50 for a whole pound. The info is “Roasted Buckwheat Kasha, groats, kosher two-lbs (package of four), Good Food of Tel Aviv, $27.95. The problem is that you need jars for storage, and you need to really like kasha!)
- Saffron (at least here, there’s the fine substitute of turmeric, a great ingredient for brain health, anyhow)
- Balsamic vinegar (just use red wine vinegar)
- Any kind of fresh mushrooms in quantities greater than one-quarter pound
- Quinoa
- Cold cereal, except packaged in large bags
- Packaged salad mixes other than romaine hearts; baby carrots; salad-bar cut veggies.
Also, stay out of restaurants. If you really have your heart (or your stomach) set on something that you feel you can’t possibly duplicate at home, set out a lidded jar in your kitchen, label it with the food that you want, and put quarters or dollar bills in it until you’ve saved up the cash to cover the expedition. Then: enjoy the splurge that you’ve earned by dedication.
(C) Copyright Deborahmichelle Sanders 2018. All rights reserved.
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