Summary of Some Food Deals at Costco from 7/31-8/24 2024

 I felt some commentary on this months deals might be useful. I do realize that the numbers are going to be different, but since all food has gone up, Costco is still clearly a leader in value.

This month they have the Frito-Lay Classic Mix 54 pack on sale for $5 off.  I have previously written about the Baked Lays saving you calories and money.  While the Classic Mix pack won't save you calories, it will save you a lot of money over vending machine or the overpriced bags at the store checkout.

Save yourself some money and have some portion control and buy these at Costco!

While not a food item, the Ziploc Variety Pack is also on sale.  While reusable containers are have a lot of advantages, at this price the occasional use of disposable bags makes some sort of financial sense.

The Ocean Spray Craisins are again on sale. Over the years we have done a number of posts about them:

An Apple Compote.

Homemade Trail Mix. 

Pork Loin with Cranberry Relish and Mixed Grain Salad.

Bacon and Tomato Ravioli with a Salad of Romaine, Almonds and Cranberries. 

The Ling Ling Potstickers are again on sale. Here is a review of them we did.

The Columbus Reduced Sodium Sliced Italian Dry Salami is also on sale again.  This is a great product just as a snack, on a charcuterie board, in sandwiches and on pizza. We have done a variety of posts about this lovely product. 

We are thinking about trying the Coconut Chicken and the Lasagna that are on sale. Hopefully we will be reporting back with reviews.

"Drunken" Pork Loin In The Crock Pot-Cook It Once-Use It Again And Again

Last month when the pork loin was on sale,  we stocked up.  We bought a bunch of the chops and froze them in pairs in bags so we have them in easy to use portions in the future.  We also bought a whole loin and my wife cooked it in the slow cooker with some wine and some of the Robert Rothschild Farm Cherry Pomegranate Habanero sauce that we bought at Costco. Because of the wine in the recipe, she calls this drunken pork. It takes about three minutes to get it ready to go in the crock pot.

She then cooked it for about eight  hours on low and it certainly looked and smelled good when it was done.

In addition to smelling and tasting good, the finished pork was very tender and it was practically falling apart.

This recipe is very versatile.  You just vary the wine and other seasonings to get a different flavor profile.  The pork itself is also has a wide range of uses.  The first day we had the pork just the way it was made but then later on we made some barbecued pork sandwiches by simply heating the pork up with some of our favorite barbecue sauce.

You can also use this in a stir-fry, a soup or in as many different ways as you can imagine.  After we had had it a couple or so times, I took the rest of it, cut it into bite sized chunks and froze a few packages of it for future use.  Now, in addition to the chicken and ground beef in our freezer, we also have some tasty pork.

Pork loin is generally a versatile and affordable meat and this is a great way to cook it. It is easy, effortless and the prep time is a few minutes.  Then you have some great pork to eat as is and some tasty meat in the freezer for future use.

Pork loin with cranberry relish and mixed grain salad

Hi everyone, I'm the wife and today is a report on a dinner that we put together for my folks.

My parents started by splitting one of the pork loin steaks and each taking one half. By the end of the dinner, they had worked on the other one too so that it was almost finished as well.

If the cranberry relish recipe was doubled, there would be enough to season an entire package of the pork loin steaks.

Out of one package of pork loin chops, four were set aside for dinner and the other six were packaged in twos and put in the freezer for later use. These pork loin steaks were cut at approx. 1".

Pork Loin

Season the loin steaks with salt and pepper and roast at 325 degrees until just past pink. Watch the meat, don't let a timer do the thinking. Do not overcook. While the meat is still a little pink put the cranberry relish on the pork and finish cooking. Let sit a minute and sprinkle on a handful of silvered almonds before serving.

Cranberry Relish

2 cups Kirkland apple, peach, and passion fruit juice blend

1 cup Ocean Spray Craisins

1/4 cup coarsely chopped crystallized ginger

zest of one lemon

Simmer the juice, the Craisins and the ginger on low until most of the juice is reduced. Add the lemon zest at the end.

This cranberry relish would also be good on ham, chicken, or ice cream.

With the pork, a salad was served. This grain blend has not only quinoa, but also amaranth, brown rice and wild rice for a satisfying and nutty flavor.

Heritage Grain Blend Salad

1 Cup Nature's Earthly Choice Heritage Grain Blend

3 cups water

juice of 1 lemon

approx 1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 thinly sliced red onion (pole to pole)

1/2 each thinly sliced red and green bell pepper

Handful of cherry or grape tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the grain with the water until the liquid is absorbed and the grain is tender. When the mixture is done cooking and still warm add the lemon juice and olive oil. Combine with the veggies and season to taste.

If it were still summer, a large handful of fresh herbs would have made it into the dish as well.