Thursday, May 5, 2011
GoLite Warehouse Sale Starts This Weekend
Okay, so this has nothing to do with cooking, but it's too good to ignore and I've mentioned it before. The big GoLite (or GoLight, as people tend to spell it) outdoor gear sale, with huge savings of 30 to 80%, starts this Saturday and will run everyday through the 15th, 9 am to 7 pm. It's at the same place as last year, 3850 Frontier Street, just off of Pearl west of Foothills Parkway. Details here. Grab some great gear and get outdoors to work off all those cooking calories. UPDATE - the sale has been extended through May 22nd.
So Many Things To Celebrate
We have a slew of fun celebrations from today through this weekend, starting with Cinco de Mayo today, which I covered a few days ago here. Don't forget also that the Pearl Street Whole Foods will be doing Cinco de Mayo tastings from 4 to 7 today, mentioned here, and Alfalfa's is promising it to be a "food fiesta and always fun times."
Then tomorrow will be graduation at CU, so major congrats to all graduates, as I send hopes for festive celebrations your way.
But then we're on to Saturday, which will be the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby, an excuse for a party if ever there was one. Epicurious has a nice guide that will take you through everything you'll want to eat and (more to the point) drink for that festive day.
But wait, then we're on to Sunday, which is Mother's Day. Heavens, mother has seen enough of the inside of a kitchen, so take her out. Or there can be special in-house options like brunch or a special dinner, which I'll cover a bit later.
Then tomorrow will be graduation at CU, so major congrats to all graduates, as I send hopes for festive celebrations your way.
But then we're on to Saturday, which will be the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby, an excuse for a party if ever there was one. Epicurious has a nice guide that will take you through everything you'll want to eat and (more to the point) drink for that festive day.
But wait, then we're on to Sunday, which is Mother's Day. Heavens, mother has seen enough of the inside of a kitchen, so take her out. Or there can be special in-house options like brunch or a special dinner, which I'll cover a bit later.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Wednesday Boulder Farmer's Market Today
So we're that far into the season already. Today will be the first Wednesday afternoon for this year's Boulder Farmer's Market, open from 4 to 8 this evening. And if Longmont's your location, the opening day there will be this Saturday, from 8 to 2. Now I'm anticipating my favorite farm stands opening as well, but those will likely be awhile yet.
This Week's Hot New Deals (IMHO)
We have new sales starting today at Sprouts and Sunflower, while Vitamin Cottage and Whole Foods continue from last week. Alfalfa's also should have a new set of sales today, but it looks like I'll need to get to the store to see what they are. So here are some highlights, based on what's in front of me.
Lobster tail wars (in time for Mother's Day): $5.99 for 5 ounce at Sprouts, $4.99 for 3.5-4 ounce at Sunflower, both through May 11th.
Tilapia wars: $6.99 a pound at Sprouts, $5.99 a pound at Sunflower, both through May 11th, but based on this NYT article, I'd check the country of origin first.
At Sprouts through May 11th, other deals that look good to me include natural cut up or whole chickens for $1.49 a pound (but see below for an organic option at Sunflower), boneless top sirloin steak for $3.99 a pound, grass-fed organic ground beef for $3.99 a pound (Sunflower also has grass-fed ground beef for $3.99 a pound, but the ad doesn't say organic), and fresh ground pork for $2.99 a pound. In organic produce, a one pound bag of carrots is stellar at 88 cents each, red delicious apples are 99 cents a pound (same at Sunflower), green onions are just 69 cents a bunch, Braeburn apples are $2.99 for a three pound bag, and russets are $2.99 for a five pound bag. If going for conventional watermelon, you can get a whole seedless one for $1.25. I really like Sprouts' bulk coffee beans (including organic Fair Trade decaf), so I'm happy to see it on sale for $8.99 a pound.
Deals that appeal to me at Sunflower through May 11th include an "ultimate steak sale," with several Harris Ranch cuts all at 40% off, organic whole chickens for $1.99 a pound, and 41/50 count cooked shrimp for $4.99 a pound. In organic produce, romaine lettuce looks good at $1.77 a head, broccoli and white cauliflower are $1.88 a pound, red delicious apples are 99 cents a pound (same at Sprouts), jewel and garnet yams are $1 a pound, and Hass avocados are $1 each. Like Sprouts, Sunflower is featuring conventional whole seedless watermelons, in this case at 17 cents a pound (how much does one watermelon weigh?). Also looking good, Lundberg rice chips are $1.50 (and check Mambo Sprouts for a 75 cents off coupon), my fave Crunchmaster crackers are $1.50 a bag (with $1 off coupon at Mambo Sprouts, practically free!), and select Pamela's cookies are $2.99 a box, plus more than 50 gluten-free products are 20% off.
Vitamin Cottage's long lasting sale is highlighted here, and I covered highlights of Whole Foods' new sale when it came out last week. Will spread some news about what's happening at Alfalfa's as soon as I get there.
Lobster tail wars (in time for Mother's Day): $5.99 for 5 ounce at Sprouts, $4.99 for 3.5-4 ounce at Sunflower, both through May 11th.
Tilapia wars: $6.99 a pound at Sprouts, $5.99 a pound at Sunflower, both through May 11th, but based on this NYT article, I'd check the country of origin first.
At Sprouts through May 11th, other deals that look good to me include natural cut up or whole chickens for $1.49 a pound (but see below for an organic option at Sunflower), boneless top sirloin steak for $3.99 a pound, grass-fed organic ground beef for $3.99 a pound (Sunflower also has grass-fed ground beef for $3.99 a pound, but the ad doesn't say organic), and fresh ground pork for $2.99 a pound. In organic produce, a one pound bag of carrots is stellar at 88 cents each, red delicious apples are 99 cents a pound (same at Sunflower), green onions are just 69 cents a bunch, Braeburn apples are $2.99 for a three pound bag, and russets are $2.99 for a five pound bag. If going for conventional watermelon, you can get a whole seedless one for $1.25. I really like Sprouts' bulk coffee beans (including organic Fair Trade decaf), so I'm happy to see it on sale for $8.99 a pound.
Deals that appeal to me at Sunflower through May 11th include an "ultimate steak sale," with several Harris Ranch cuts all at 40% off, organic whole chickens for $1.99 a pound, and 41/50 count cooked shrimp for $4.99 a pound. In organic produce, romaine lettuce looks good at $1.77 a head, broccoli and white cauliflower are $1.88 a pound, red delicious apples are 99 cents a pound (same at Sprouts), jewel and garnet yams are $1 a pound, and Hass avocados are $1 each. Like Sprouts, Sunflower is featuring conventional whole seedless watermelons, in this case at 17 cents a pound (how much does one watermelon weigh?). Also looking good, Lundberg rice chips are $1.50 (and check Mambo Sprouts for a 75 cents off coupon), my fave Crunchmaster crackers are $1.50 a bag (with $1 off coupon at Mambo Sprouts, practically free!), and select Pamela's cookies are $2.99 a box, plus more than 50 gluten-free products are 20% off.
Vitamin Cottage's long lasting sale is highlighted here, and I covered highlights of Whole Foods' new sale when it came out last week. Will spread some news about what's happening at Alfalfa's as soon as I get there.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
One-Day Sale at Whole Foods Tomorrow
For tomorrow only, our local Whole Foods stores will have a duo of special sales. Wild caught coho salmon will be $9.99 a pound, $5 off their usual price, and Pamela's gluten free pancake mix will be $7.99 for 64 ounces, a whopping $7 off.
Cinco De Mayo At Whole Foods
The Pearl Street Whole Foods will be whooping it up for Cinco de Mayo on Thursday, with samples and giveaways. Here's what they say:
"Thursday, May 5th
Cinco De Mayo Fiesta
4-7pm FREE
Join us as we celebrate Cinco De Mayo with yummy samples in every department and "Fiesta in a Bag" giveaways at checkout."
"Thursday, May 5th
Cinco De Mayo Fiesta
4-7pm FREE
Join us as we celebrate Cinco De Mayo with yummy samples in every department and "Fiesta in a Bag" giveaways at checkout."
Monday, May 2, 2011
Avoiding Imported Tilapia
Thank heavens country of origin is required in fish cases these days. Today's New York Times gives us good reasons for seeking out tilapia farmed in the United States or otherwise designated as responsible, per this article.
Saveur's Rustic Mexican Food Feature
Wouldn't you know, I no sooner write the post below about Cinco de Mayo, mentioning the great article in Saveur magazine on the food of Zacatecas, Mexico that wasn't yet available online, and today they post it. You can find the illuminating article here, with a gallery of local recipes, including the arroz a la Mexicana that I mentioned in a post yesterday.
Cinco De Mayo Menu Guides
Looking for inspiration for a Cinco de Mayo dinner, either this Thursday on the 5th, or postponed for a weekend fete (a Mother's Day fiesta?)? Check out these guides from Bon Appetit, Epicurious, and the New York Times. For some particularly authentic ideas, grab a copy of the current May issue of Saveur, with its extensive feature on the rustic food of rural Zacatecas, Mexico. (It will eventually be online, but isn't yet.) Or turn to Rick Bayless' recipes section for even further inspiration.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Weekday Dinner Ideas
Happy May Day. Tonight's dinner of pasta with peas, asparagus, lettuce, and prosciutto is suitably spring-like, and we'll continue the spring celebration tomorrow with shrimp risotto with baby spinach and basil, another Bon Appetit recipe. The shrimp are on sale at both Sprouts and Sunflower, while my spinach is beautiful stuff bought at yesterday's Boulder Farmer's Market, although it can obviously come from a store, too.
For Tuesday, we always have something big made over the weekend that serves as a quick midweek reheat, and in this case it will be the smoky shrimp and halibut stew. Tuesday will also be the last day of the current Alfalfa's sale, where organic spring mix for the side salad is a stunning $1.99 a pound (and the Pearl Street Whole Foods was matching that the last time I looked).
By Wednesday we'll want something with an Asian flair, and since that will be the last day of Sunflower's 40% off select ground meat sale, I'm thinking of trying something new from the April issue of Bon Appetit, spicy pork with asparagus and chile. Since ground pork isn't part of Sunflower's sale, we'll use ground turkey or chicken instead, and we can catch asparagus for $1.99 a pound at Whole Foods all the way through May 10th. I'd up the sparse number of green onions (in Vietnam, we saw that they were very liberally used, and delicious), and maybe throw in some of my green garlic from the Farmer's Market. We'd normally serve something like this over brown rice, but might use sobas this time for variety (and they're buckwheat, too).
Finally, we'll want something simple and quick for Thursday, and since Wednesday's "pork" dish will be turkey or chicken instead, we'll go with a quick saute of pork chops, which are $2.99 a pound through Wednesday at Sprouts. Since Thursday will be Cinco de Mayo, if I get ambitious I'll do arroz a la Mexicana from the current issue of Saveur. They're not yet sharing that content online, but there are plenty of other recipes for it out there, like this one.
And that will get us through to next Friday's planning.
For Tuesday, we always have something big made over the weekend that serves as a quick midweek reheat, and in this case it will be the smoky shrimp and halibut stew. Tuesday will also be the last day of the current Alfalfa's sale, where organic spring mix for the side salad is a stunning $1.99 a pound (and the Pearl Street Whole Foods was matching that the last time I looked).
By Wednesday we'll want something with an Asian flair, and since that will be the last day of Sunflower's 40% off select ground meat sale, I'm thinking of trying something new from the April issue of Bon Appetit, spicy pork with asparagus and chile. Since ground pork isn't part of Sunflower's sale, we'll use ground turkey or chicken instead, and we can catch asparagus for $1.99 a pound at Whole Foods all the way through May 10th. I'd up the sparse number of green onions (in Vietnam, we saw that they were very liberally used, and delicious), and maybe throw in some of my green garlic from the Farmer's Market. We'd normally serve something like this over brown rice, but might use sobas this time for variety (and they're buckwheat, too).
Finally, we'll want something simple and quick for Thursday, and since Wednesday's "pork" dish will be turkey or chicken instead, we'll go with a quick saute of pork chops, which are $2.99 a pound through Wednesday at Sprouts. Since Thursday will be Cinco de Mayo, if I get ambitious I'll do arroz a la Mexicana from the current issue of Saveur. They're not yet sharing that content online, but there are plenty of other recipes for it out there, like this one.
And that will get us through to next Friday's planning.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
