Costco Expedition
Last year I came across an awesome website. My Favorite Everything. Shanna’s site listed the items she enjoys from Costco. She has been such an inspiration, please visit her site to see her “favorites” too!
This Costco Coupon book came in the mail yesterday. It is the latest bunch of coupons running from May 13 through June 6, this gives you a little over three weeks to get to Costco and shop.
I have been going to Costco since 1993. When it was known as Price Club. Wow, did that just age me perhaps?
Anyway, let me share some tips during each quarterly household adventure:
First commandeer the first available shopping cart then proceed past the bouncer checking for ID. On to the aisles, traverse them as necessary, just be sure to make it past the giant tub of little frozen cream puffs. This took years for me to do without even blinking. Always take the opportunity to gauge the checkout traffic. 8 or more carts is usually a ‘heavy’ time (visions of the holidays come to mind). Try to go when they open at 10am and you can usually have the place to yourself. Once you have made a tiny or huge dent in your household shopping, head to the registers. Take a pause. Ignore the line of carts in each lane, scan each register cashier team, the swiftest team will get you out of the place most adeptly no matter how long their line is. Now keep that receipt in your hand, hold off on quickly shoving it into your wallet, remember there is one more step. You need to show the nice, but wholly ineffectual, person at the exit your receipt and bounty.
Here are a few of our household staples. Enjoy.
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- This $19.99 item would be a perfect serving piece for Strawberry Vodka
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- A bucket of cashews for $11.99, who can beat that?
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- Costco Favorites
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- These soft tortillas are a staple at our house along with cheese. “whooooo wants a queso?”
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- Shredded Cheese in a resealable bag – perfect.
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- Love this stuff. Pre-cook bacon by Hormel under the Kirkland label. 50 piece to a bag.
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- $9.69. I buy two at a time. Heat it up in the microwave or in a pan until desired crispiness. Say 30 seconds. Everything is better with Bacon. Amen.
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- Great whole grain breaded real chicken nuggets that Mickey Mouse approves
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- Large Take and Bake Pizza’s for $9.99. The kids love the plain cheese, the grown-ups love the Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella, otherwise know as a Margherita.
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- Ginormous Roasted Chickens. Perfect for serving or using in recipes – way better than your local mega marts offerings.
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- Parmesan Cheese in bulk, yes. To use from pasta to salads, it is a workhorse.
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- Their meat section is legendary. I know local chefs who marvel at Costco’s meat quality and pricing.
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- Flank Steaks are always in the freezer to defrost for a quick grilled dinner. (A recipe posting later)
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- Rib Eye
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- New York Steak can be purchased as Choice or Prime. Both are very good. I buy these for ‘special’ dinners honoring family or guests. Here is a Prime cut, more marbling = good eats. At $11.99 per steak, a little home cooked meal is way better than spending $45 at Mastro’s Steakhouse.
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- These are pre-cut chicken strips, pack of 6. Perfect for making home cooked chicken nuggets or straight up grilling for salads.
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- Shrimp, perfect for shrimp cocktail. Excellent quality. Ina Garten has a Roasted Shrimp Cocktail recipe that is fantastic. (Future recipe post, promise)
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- D.H. gets this on his birthday. Repeating myself, but top of the market quality at an eye catching price.
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- How about searing some Ahi Tuna? The color says it all, perfect.
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- Found these by the cakes, yes chocolate covered strawberries. They were devoured by the gang before I had the car emptied.
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- This is a great Birthday party trick. Add cupcake toppers to personalize these delicious cupcakes in the theme of your party.
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- With a perfect cupcake price to match.
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- La Brea bread. These were still warm from the oven. I was ever so tempted to rip one of these babies open and have a carb feast while pushing my overloaded cart.
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- Sugar snap peas. Even the kids will eat these with a little olive oil and salt after nuking them in the microwave.
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- This stir fry is perfect for roasting in the oven. D.H. and the kiddos said it was the best veggie side dish ever.
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- I use these for school lunches. They come in packs of four. The 9yr old leaves the tomatoes untouched, but the broccoli and carrots are a favorite.
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- Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne usually runs upward of $45 per bottle else where. This is a good price.
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- Market price is usually $24 for this great Chardonnay. At Costco it runs $18.99, making this find even sweeter.
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- Luna wine. It you find it, white or red, buy it. It is hard to find, but its an exceptional winery in the Carneros Area. Their Pinot Grigio is one of my top 5 wines.
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- Imprint this image on your brain.
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- Raise your hand if you like Bacon Wrapped Fillet.
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- “Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s Party!” ~ Robin Williams
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- One of D.H. favorites, Salt and Pepper Pistachios. These are really good. Different, but good.
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- Oh look, my BFFs in the kitchen. They don’t know this yet, but some day. Hey, a girl has gotta have dreams.
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- These individual packages of Costco trail mix are also lunch/snack ‘go-to’s. The only rule our house is, you need to eat the nuts along with the M-n’-M’s.
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- The dogs will no longer be saying: Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard, to get her poor dog a bone: but when she got there, the cupboard was bare! And so the poor dog had none.
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice 