My grandmother, who lived through the Great Depression, handed along the few family recipes that weren’t off the back of a soup can. Many families survived on bread and very little meat during the 1930s and until the end of World War II (sometimes rationed). One-dish dinners that could be prepared quickly and cheaply were the greatest option for feeding the entire family, as well as some unknown cousin who had ended up sleeping on the floor. The greatest technique to stretch a small amount of food was to combine bread crumbs or potatoes with steak and a canned vegetable. Is it possible to have more people? More potatoes, please. This was the beginning of the casserole as we know it todaya dish that has a shady culinary history in America but is making a comeback now that the economy has crashed.
Thankfully, a cheap casserole no longer connotes the boring hot dinners of Grandma’s time or Mom’s cream-of-mushroom-soup concoctions. While some of us may still have long-lost relatives or freshly laid-off college friends resting on our floors, we don’t have to eat the same way our grandparents did. Not only do we have more sophisticated palates, but we also have more accessible fresh produce that is equivalent in price to canned or frozen alternatives.
Most of my friends are surprised at how inexpensive one-dish dinners like potato and cauliflower gratin, baked risotto with Portobello mushrooms, and a chicken casserole with cheddar cheese and sun-dried tomatoes can be. But every now and then, I have trouble persuading folks of the contemporary casserole’s benefits.
My fianc was not-so-subtly discouraging me from bringing my macaroni and corn casserole for his parents’ Upper East Side Thanksgiving meal around this time three years ago. He explained, “It’s not really the kind of stuff they’ll go for.”
I wasn’t surprised in the least. In his perspective, the casserole had become synonymous with Milwaukee’s Best and contemporary country music because of the flavorless, colorless canned concoctions that had adorned Midwestern dinner tables for the preceding few decades. And, in my opinion, the parallel was not entirely unjustified.
But what my partner didn’t realizeand what I only discovered a few years ago when I came to New York and started cooking for myselfis that casseroles can be made just as simply with fresh green beans and fine cheese from the farmers’ market. A casserole is actually just a collection of a few simple items baked together in one dish, whether canned or fresh.
I insisted, “I use nice cheese.” “As well as organic corn.” My vintage Pyrex filled with elbow macaroni, sweet corn, caramelized onions, sharp cheddar, mozzarella, and gruyerewith a nicely browned parmesan and butter crustsat alongside his family’s free-range turkey and $40 bottle of wine on his Thanksgiving spread, much to his displeasure.
The same macaroni and corn casserole was on the menu for the Thanksgiving meal I hosted three years later, but so much had changed. Families on the Upper East Side and in the Missouri suburbs alike are looking for ways to stretch their grocery budgets as food prices rise and incomes and hours are curtailed. It wouldn’t hurt to learn from people who have gone through recessions and depressions before us in this economy.
By baking lean ground sirloin with pasta, garlic, mushrooms, smoked gouda, sharp cheddar, and fresh cherry tomatoes, you may extend the life of the meat. When you bake spicy chorizo with a can of crushed tomatoes, pasta, Parmesan, and basil, it lasts for a week. Experiment with different flavors to see what you can come up with. Alternatively, classic ones. After that, accompany it with a $10 bottle of red wine.
I couldn’t deny my craving for old-school tuna noodle casserole, like Mom used to make, as I glanced at my refrigerator full of vegetables from the Greenmarket earlier this week. Despite the fact that I used frozen, organic sweet peas instead of canned and added chopped white onion, the ingredients were under $10, and I have enough for the rest of the weekwell, most of the week; I went back for seconds.
Sweet Potato Not Pie Seduction Almost Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole (Mac & Corn 2.0)
Nonetheless, a “While traditional tuna noodle recipes call for canned peas, I prefer frozen sweet peas added just before baking.
12 ounces large egg noodles (optional) 1 can cream of mushroom soup (10.75 oz.) 2 white albacore tuna cans (6 oz.) 16 oz. frozen sweet peas 1 large white onion, diced (preferably Cascadian Farm) seasoning with salt and pepper a couple handfuls of potato chips or 2 cups French-fried onions
Combine the soup, noodles, onion, tuna, peas, and salt & pepper to taste in a large mixing dish. Fill a 2 1/2- to 3-quart casserole dish halfway with the mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes, uncovered, or until bubbling. Remove the crust and top with your favorite crunchy topping.
This recipe, I joke, is the savory version of my father’s candied sweet potatoes, which are made with canned sweet potatoes, marshmallows, and brown sugar. It’s just as appropriate for Christmas as it is for Thanksgiving. While it has a color scheme comparable to traditional yams, it’s prepared entirely of fresh ingredients and will appear as candied sweet potatoes on any table across the country. It’s also gluten-free.
5-6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced Ingredients 6-8 oz. fresh goat cheese 1 big white onion, diced 1 habanero or jalapeo pepper, green (depending on how much spice you like) about 1/3 cup olive oil, chopped (you may not use it all) season with salt to taste
Layer sweet potatoes in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish. Arrange onions, peppers, and crumbled goat cheese on top. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the top and season with salt. Continue layering until you reach the top of your plate (aim to finish with sweet potatoes and a sprinkle of olive oil), reserving at least 1 ounce of goat cheese for the end.
Bake for an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half at 400F, or until a fork easily slides through the entire dish. Remove the baking dish from the oven and top with the remaining goat cheese. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, uncovered.
If everyone who eats this wants to sleep with you, marry you, or both, don’t blame me. You can also blame me if you want. This, my specialty casserole, has a name for a reason “Seduction,” she says. It’s not because the ingredients are seductive in and of themselves. I’ll let you fill in the blanks with your own imagination. With a bottle of dry red wine, a mixed green salad, and your favorite song, this dish is perfect.
1 pound cavatelli 2 garlic cloves, minced (you may want to omit this if you’re truly attempting to seduce someone) 1 big sliced white onion 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 gallon of milk (low fat or skim is fine, not that it really matters at this point) a half pound of sharp cheddar cheese, cubed or shredded 1/2 pound cubed or shredded white cheddar Gruyre, diced or shredded, 1/2 pound 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated a (10 oz, bag) Organic frozen sweet corn from Cascadian Farm seasoning with salt and pepper 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cubed
Over medium heat, saut the garlic and onion in 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot. Reduce the heat to low and mix in the milk once the onions have started to brown. While continuing to mix, add both cheddars and Gruyre. When the cheeses have started to melt, add the cavatelli and stir constantly. Stir in half of the Parmesan (1/4 cup) until the cavatelli is fully coated. Continue to whisk in the corn (it should go in frozen). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the mozzarella.
Transfer to a 3 quart buttered or greased casserole dish and bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until bubbling.
Remove from the oven and top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and cut tomatoes.
During a recession, what do people buy the most?
- While some industries are more vulnerable to economic fluctuations, others tend to do well during downturns.
- However, no organization or industry is immune to a recession or economic downturn.
- During the COVID-19 epidemic, the consumer goods and alcoholic beverage sectors functioned admirably.
- During recessions and other calamities, such as a pandemic, consumer basics such as toothpaste, soap, and shampoo have consistent demand.
- Because their fundamental products are cheaper, discount businesses do exceptionally well during recessions.
During a recession, what should you stock up on?
Take a look at the suggestions we’ve made below.
- Protein. These dietary items are high in protein and can be stored for a long time.
In the event of a financial meltdown, what will be valuable?
In the case of an economic collapse, food will become one of the most precious commodities on the planet. You will not be able to survive if you do not have food. Most American families could not survive for more than a month on what they currently have. So, how do you feel? How long could you survive on what you have today if calamity hit right now? The reality is that we all need to begin stockpiling food. If you and your family run out of food, you’ll find yourself competing with hordes of hungry people raiding stores and roaming the streets in search of something to eat.
You can, of course, cultivate your own food, but it will take time.
As a result, you’ll need to have enough food on hand to tide you over until the food you’ve planted matures.
However, if you haven’t saved any seeds, you might as well forget about it.
When the economy fails completely, the remaining seeds will vanish swiftly.
So, if you think you’ll need seeds, now is the time to purchase them.
Who profited the most from the financial crisis of 2008?
Warren Buffett declared in an op-ed piece in the New York Times in October 2008 that he was buying American stocks during the equity downturn brought on by the credit crisis. “Be scared when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful,” he says, explaining why he buys when there is blood on the streets.
During the credit crisis, Mr. Buffett was particularly adept. His purchases included $5 billion in perpetual preferred shares in Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), which earned him a 10% interest rate and contained warrants to buy more Goldman shares. Goldman also had the option of repurchasing the securities at a 10% premium, which it recently revealed. He did the same with General Electric (NYSE:GE), purchasing $3 billion in perpetual preferred stock with a 10% interest rate and a three-year redemption option at a 10% premium. He also bought billions of dollars in convertible preferred stock in Swiss Re and Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW), which all needed financing to get through the credit crisis. As a result, he has amassed billions of dollars while guiding these and other American businesses through a challenging moment. (Learn how he moved from selling soft drinks to acquiring businesses and amassing billions of dollars.) Warren Buffett: The Road to Riches is a good place to start.)
In a downturn, who benefits?
Question from the audience: Identify and explain economic variables that may be positively affected by the economic slowdown.
A recession is a time in which the economy grows at a negative rate. It’s a time of higher unemployment, lower wages, and increased government debt. It usually results in financial costs.
- Companies that provide low-cost entertainment. Bookmakers and publicans are thought to do well during a recession because individuals want to ‘drink their sorrows away’ with little bets and becoming intoxicated. (However, research suggest that life expectancy increases during recessions, contradicting this old wives tale.) Demand for online-streaming and online entertainment is projected to increase during the 2020 Coronavirus recession.
- Companies that are suffering with bankruptcies and income loss. Pawnbrokers and companies that sell pay day loans, for example people in need of money turn to loan sharks.
- Companies that sell substandard goods. (items whose demand increases as income decreases) e.g. value goods, second-hand retailers, etc. Some businesses, such as supermarkets, will be unaffected by the recession. People will reduce their spending on luxuries, but not on food.
- Longer-term efficiency gains Some economists suggest that a recession can help the economy become more productive in the long run. A recession is a shock, and inefficient businesses may go out of business, but it also allows for the emergence of new businesses. It’s what Joseph Schumpeter dubbed “creative destruction” the idea that when some enterprises fail, new inventive businesses can emerge and develop.
- It’s worth noting that in a downturn, solid, efficient businesses can be put out of business due to cash difficulties and a temporary decline in revenue. It is not true that all businesses that close down are inefficient. Furthermore, the loss of enterprises entails the loss of experience and knowledge.
- Falling asset values can make purchasing a home more affordable. For first-time purchasers, this is a good option. It has the potential to aid in the reduction of wealth disparities.
- It is possible that one’s life expectancy will increase. According to studies from the Great Depression, life expectancy increased in areas where unemployment increased. This may seem counterintuitive, but the idea is that unemployed people will spend less money on alcohol and drugs, resulting in improved health. They may do fewer car trips and hence have a lower risk of being involved in fatal car accidents. NPR
The rate of inflation tends to reduce during a recession. Because unemployment rises, wage inflation is moderated. Firms also respond to decreased demand by lowering prices.
Those on fixed incomes or who have cash savings may profit from the decrease in inflation. It may also aid in the reduction of long-term inflationary pressures. For example, the 1980/81 recession helped to bring inflation down from 1970s highs.
After the Lawson boom and double-digit inflation, the 1991 Recession struck.
Efficiency increase?
It has been suggested that a recession encourages businesses to become more efficient or go out of business. A recession might hasten the ‘creative destruction’ process. Where inefficient businesses fail, efficient businesses thrive.
Covid Recession 2020
The Covid-19 epidemic was to blame for the terrible recession of 2020. Some industries were particularly heavily damaged by the recession (leisure, travel, tourism, bingo halls). However, several businesses benefited greatly from the Covid-recession. We shifted to online delivery when consumers stopped going to the high street and shopping malls. Online behemoths like Amazon saw a big boost in sales. For example, Amazon’s market capitalisation increased by $570 billion in the first seven months of 2020, owing to strong sales growth (Forbes).
Profitability hasn’t kept pace with Amazon’s surge in sales. Because necessities like toilet paper have a low profit margin, profit growth has been restrained. Amazon has taken the uncommon step of reducing demand at times. They also experienced additional costs as a result of Covid, such as paying for overtime and dealing with Covid outbreaks in their warehouses. However, due to increased demand for online streaming, Amazon saw fast development in its cloud computing networks. These are the more profitable areas of the business.
Apple, Google, and Facebook all had significant revenue and profit growth during an era when companies with a strong online presence benefited.
The current recession is unique in that there are more huge winners and losers than ever before. It all depends on how the virus’s dynamics effect the firm as well as aggregate demand.
During the Great Depression, what did people buy?
Many people have claimed that the Great Depression was caused by the stock market crash or President Hoover’s “hands off” policy of the government staying out of economic concerns, but this is simply not true. The Great Depression was brought on by a mix of economic problems and bad luck, and it had a global impact. A handful of the major reasons of the Great Depression are listed here.
Buying on Credit
Buying anything on credit means taking out a loan to pay for it. A bank lends you money and then expects you to repay it plus interest. Borrowing money comes with a price called interest. The issue is that farmers were not the only ones who purchased items on credit. Credit was utilized by millions of Americans to purchase items such as radios, refrigerators, washing machines, and automobiles. Banks even used credit to purchase stock on the stock exchange. This meant that everyone used credit, and no one, not even the banks, had enough money to repay all of their loans.
World War I and Over Production
Before World War II, World War I was the largest war the world had ever seen. During the battle, millions of people fought and died. There were not enough farmers growing food for everyone since there were so many people fighting. As a result, the cost of food increased, prompting remaining farmers to purchase additional land and new tractors in order to increase their profits. They purchased the land and tractors with bank loans, believing that they would be able to repay the banks fast. When the war ended, food prices fell again, forcing farmers to take out more and more loans to cover the cost of all the land and equipment they had purchased. No one felt this was a problem as long as the farmers continued to raise crops and earn enough money to repay the banks.
What should I put away in case of economic collapse?
Having a strong quantity of food storage is one of the best strategies to protect your household from economic volatility. In Venezuela, prices doubled every 19 days on average. It doesn’t take long for a loaf of bread to become unattainable at that pace of inflation. According to a BBC News report,
“Venezuelans are starving. Eight out of ten people polled in the country’s annual living conditions survey (Encovi 2017) stated they were eating less because they didn’t have enough food at home. Six out of ten people claimed they went to bed hungry because they couldn’t afford to eat.”
Shelf Stable Everyday Foods
When you are unable to purchase at the grocery store as you regularly do, having a supply of short-term shelf stable goods that you use every day will help reduce the impact. This is referred to as short-term food storage because, while these items are shelf-stable, they will not last as long as long-term staples. To successfully protect against hunger, you must have both.
Canned foods, boxed mixtures, prepared entrees, cold cereal, ketchup, and other similar things are suitable for short-term food preservation. Depending on the food, packaging, and storage circumstances, these foods will last anywhere from 1 to 7 years. Here’s where you can learn more about putting together a short-term supply of everyday meals.
Food takes up a lot of room, and finding a place to store it all while yet allowing for proper organization and rotation can be difficult. Check out some of our friends’ suggestions here.
Investing in food storage is a fantastic idea. Consider the case of hyperinflation in Venezuela, where goods prices have doubled every 19 days on average. That means that a case of six #10 cans of rolled oats purchased today for $24 would cost $12,582,912 in a year…amazing, huh? Above all, you’d have that case of rolled oats on hand to feed your family when food is scarce or costs are exorbitant.
Basic Non-Food Staples
Stock up on toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, shampoo, soaps, contact solution, and other items that you use on a daily basis. What kinds of non-food items do you buy on a regular basis? This article on personal sanitation may provide you with some ideas for products to include on your shopping list.
Medication and First Aid Supplies
Do you have a chronic medical condition that requires you to take prescription medication? You might want to discuss your options with your doctor to see if you can come up with a plan to keep a little extra cash on hand. Most insurance policies will renew after 25 days. Use the 5-day buffer to your advantage and refill as soon as you’re eligible to build up a backup supply. Your doctor may also be ready to provide you with samples to aid in the development of your supply.
What over-the-counter drugs do you take on a regular basis? Make a back-up supply of over-the-counter pain pills, allergy drugs, cold and flu cures, or whatever other medications you think your family might need. It’s also a good idea to keep a supply of vitamin supplements on hand.
Prepare to treat minor injuries without the assistance of medical personnel. Maintain a well-stocked first-aid kit with all of the necessary equipment.
Make a point of prioritizing your health. Venezuelans are suffering significantly as a result of a lack of medical treatment. Exercise on a regular basis and eat a healthy diet. Get enough rest, fresh air, and sunlight. Keep up with your medical and dental appointments, as well as the other activities that promote health and resilience.
Should I start buying groceries?
You may be asked to stay at home in specific instances, such as during a disease outbreak. That is why it is critical to have an emergency preparedness stockpile. Every American household should have at least a three-day supply of food and water, with one gallon of water per person every day.