Tag: shopping

Christmas shopping: how to save without giving up anything – Italian Cuisine

Goal of the upcoming holidays: spend less, eat better, don't waste anything, make everyone happy, pamper yourself at the table

During the Christmas holidays inevitably a lot of money is spent, often uselessly and often on the kitchen.
You buy too much and badly, you don't consume everything and a lot of things go to waste.
Our advice? Take your measurements for this Christmas.

The essentials on the Christmas table

Let's start with what we believe should not be missing at Christmas at the table.
For the Vigil fish of excellent quality, no doubt, but don't overdo the quantities.
Better to cook less, but better. So a good appetizer, perhaps with several appetizers, a first and a second. Stop!
For the Christmas lunch follow the tradition because in general the dishes of the classic Italian cuisine of Christmas are not always super expensive.
Also in this case we recommend rich appetizers, a first course, a second course and a side dish.
Obviously, the dessert cannot be missing and in addition to the traditional sweets that from north to south make the end of every holiday meal special, it cannot be missed. panettone, or the pandoro if you love the genre more.
In this case, you can spend a little more for a quality handmade product because it is always worth it.
Same thing goes for wines. Few but good.

It is not necessary but it does party

There dried fruit and the dried one have a fairly high cost, but often during the holidays it is possible to take advantage of the offers. Are these ingredients necessary for our table? No, but if not at Christmas when?
In this case, then make a good supply to put at the center of the table together with coffee and bitters after the party lunches and dinners and also during the bingo because munching on almonds, walnuts, dried figs and dates puts you in a good mood.
And then some delicious sweets also for breakfast or for a snack with friends, a special tea or herbal tea, some cuddles that can make the holidays even more special for us and for our guests.
Ponder these expenses well, but treat yourself to one comfort food that warms the heart this Christmas.

The one you can save on

Do you want your table to be unique, beautiful and elegant?
Well, this is how the Christmas table should be, but it is not necessary to buy something new for the table every year, a new set of plates, glasses and tablecloths.
If you have any household items to which you are emotionally very attached, use them and everything will be more intimate and beautiful.
Then you play a lot with the decorations that don't necessarily have to be bought, but you can make them yourself with pine cones, dried leaves and flowers, candles and fruit, Christmas balls and garlands to eat.

Some advice for a careful expense

Go at the supermarket a few days earlier of the holidays, at least for everything that is not fresh.
For fruit and vegetables, however, it is always better to buy them at the market.
Buy locally when possible, and we're not just talking about fruit and vegetables, but also products such as meat, bread, pasta, cheeses and cold cuts. Choose the quality closest to you.

At the supermarket, on the other hand, take advantage of the offers if there are any and go shopping following one exact list that you have prepared with great care at home, trying not to let yourself be tempted by everything you don't need.
Establish menus of the holidays and go on your way, without second thoughts otherwise you will spend days shopping without ever having at home everything you really need to cook what you have in mind.
What you absolutely must get, if you don't already have them, are box for storing leftovers or to prepare small gifts for your guests when there is too much food at the table, even if after all that we have just said it shouldn't happen. Obviously, freeze and do not throw away, when possible!

Greedy gifts

If you love to cook, do it for Christmas gifts too.
Instead of spending money on useless gifts that may not even be appreciated, why not prepare some delicious packages? Here are some ideas:

Pistachio cookie
Christmas liqueurs
Christmas cookies
Homemade panettone
Homemade Pandoro

Scroll through the gallery above to get some other savings ideas

Christmas and stress-free shopping – Italian Cuisine

Don't panic! Christmas is around the corner, but there is still time to do everything. Here are the tips for those who have to cook during the holidays, but also to stock up for the following days

You are already going crazy with the endless shopping list for the next few days? Don't worry, take a break, think and then act!

Shopping list for those who will cook during the holidays

Making a shopping list for those who cook Christmas menus is a bit more complicated than usual because you have to get exactly everything you need without forgetting anything.
We suggest you or to make one recipe list that you will prepare e next to it a list of ingredients necessary.
Always take something extra in case of possible failure in the kitchen. A pack of eggs 12 is better than a six also because if the eggs are left over you can use them later as they have a fairly long storage.
Don't overdo it with easily perishable products.
In addition to this, don't forget what you need for the family breakfast, any snacks even if you must not underestimate the amount of things you will have to dispose of between sweets and other delicacies of all kinds.
Don't forget the bread which is always needed and maybe buy a little more to freeze.
And don't forget either tea and herbal teas that will accompany the slow afternoons at home and help to better digest the holidays.

Shopping list for those who won't cook during the holidays

Those who do not cook, on the other hand, are certainly more fortunate because they will be able to enjoy the holidays pampered and in total relaxation, but watch out because, if you are among them, you could find without stocks at home for days if you don't get organized in time.
Grocery stores and supermarkets will be closed for the holidays, so make sure you have everything you need for the next few days. Those who cook will always have something to put in their teeth because leftovers they never end. Those who are guests, on the other hand, usually have nothing at home.
Take a good one stock up on vegetables and fruit for the stage detox after party and buy the necessary to prepare meals with minimum effort and maximum yield.
Salads of legumes and cereals for example, or baking pans and flans of baked vegetables, always pasta for a quick first and meat and fish to be frozen already portioned.
A nice amount of eggs also should never fail to prepare omelettes, Pancake for breakfast and cakes and biscuits for a snack or to give to your hosts during the holidays.
You make a nice one too stock up on bread or flour and yeast if you have time and desire to prepare pizzas and homemade focaccia.

Supermarket, but also small shops

Don't crowd supermarkets these days, remember there are also shops that never as in this period need a little support.
For meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, and also for bread, stock up on food small trusted shops and for everything else go to supermarket, trying to choose, if you can, a suitable time.
Very early in the morning there is less confusion, there is less queue and there is more choice.
Buy online what you can choose without looking, smelling and touching, i.e. packaged products, but not fresh products, and make sure you do it in time because deliveries will also be delayed in the coming days.

Stress-free holidays

Enjoy your holidays as much as you can, in this difficult year we all deserve it!
Cook with a little advance what you just need to heat or defrost. Mostly, cook less.
Do not prepare lucullian lunches and dinners because you will be few at the table and it is never worth it waste on food.
If you really can't regulate yourself with quantities, get yourself some trays for freezingand or give away what is left over.
The Christmas it is not only dinner and lunch, but also an important moment of sharing, not only of the table.
Greetings to you all!

Shopping at home: the best shops in Rome – Italian Cuisine

From meat to vegetables, from fish to pasta and bread, tips for shopping on the Internet in complete safety and with a high level of taste

TO Rome we sail on sight, for now in the Yellow Sea, but it is a moment that it becomes the Red Sea. So, even if in theory you can still go shopping, laziness prevails a little, it starts to get chilly a little bit and above all the recommendation is anyway to to stay at home. For this the various come to the rescue shops, which after the lockdown they have organized themselves with increasingly efficient deliveries. Shopping with a click is increasingly child's play and there are many companies that deserve the remote support of real foodies in the capital. From meat to vegetables, from fish to pasta and bread, here are the best shops to shop on the Internet in complete safety.

Dol – Of Latium Origin

Just call them and the Spesa Contadina arrives home, strictly of Lazio origin. From cheeses to cured meats, passing through the pantry and the wine shop. On Wednesdays even the boxes with the best of the catch travel. To guarantee the quality of the selections, from short supply chains to very short supply chains, there is Vincenzo Mancino. On the site you will find the online shop with all the products, from cheeses to cured meats, for which Dol is particularly renowned, passing through the pantry and fresh products such as fish. There are also delicious kits for making traditional Roman pasta such as amatriciana, gricia, carbonara and cacio e pepe at home. For Christmas, apart from the baskets in preparation, an idea could be to give a gift card to spend on Dol shopping.

Beppe and his cheeses

Everything in the shop can also be ordered delivery: cheeses, meats, pasta, preserves, flour, truffles and wine, but also ready-made dishes such as veal with tuna sauce and seasonal vegetable soups. Just contact them directly to find out what is available. They have prepared kits, but you can also draw on the long list of gastronomic wonders, including the wine shop. To order your shopping at home just call the shop at 06.68192210. Wonderful gift baskets are on the way for Christmas.

Clods

Zolle is a sustainable agriculture project that involved a group of 80 farmers and breeders from the Roman countryside, selected by a group of young entrepreneurs who have taught them. The Zolle are boxes full of products at zero km or a little more, which include vegetables, milk, eggs, cheese and meat. The goal is to support a local food market, bring healthy products and do it in a green way (with Zolle's bikes).

Fortunato Farm

Meat, meats, cheeses, vegetables: practically all the best of a complete and organic farm, based a stone's throw from Rome, in the Marcigliana, which delivers directly to your home. Due to the large number of customers it takes a few days to process orders, but deliveries are always precise.

Le Carré Français

For those who want to indulge in a French whim, Le Carré Français comes to the rescue with baguettes and foie gras, cheeses from beyond the Alps and champagne. There is also no shortage of wonderful desserts from the pastry shop and you can order everything on the shop's online shop. For those in a hurry, you can also order through the Deliveroo platform, where you can also find the restaurant's dishes.

Ercoli

Ercoli's pantry is on Cosaporto, with a selection of products from the counter, ranging from cheeses to cured meats, through to sea preserves and wines. Whether you go to the shop in Prati or in the one in Parioli, the feeling is always that breaking into that counter is a gourmet's forbidden dream. There are also ready-made kits, perfect perhaps for making a gift.

Volpetti

One of the most famous delis in the city has its own e-commerce site, from which you can order all over Italy and also deliver it to your home (free of charge if you don't go too far from Testaccio, where it is based). The best of national and international production of over-the-counter products such as meats and cheeses, the pantry and wines available for orders.