This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have new sales starting today at both our Boulder Sprouts and Whole Foods stores. Here's a really quick look at what's looking good to me now.

At Sprouts through February 18th, the hot news to me is conventional asparagus all the way down to 99 cents a pound. Asparagus is one of the few veggies I find myself buying in conventional instead of organic, and it doesn't get lower than that. In meat and fish, chicken breast tenders are $1.99 a pound, and value pack isn't mentioned, five ounce lobster tails are $5.99 each, ground chicken, pork, or chicken breast are all $2.99 a pound, farmed fresh salmon fillets are $8.99 a pound, and in steaks, grass-fed boneless ribeyes or New Yorks are $10.99 a pound, while natural filet mignon is $13.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, celery is $1.50 a bunch, one pound bags of baby carrots are $1.50 a bag, Braeburn and red delicious apples are both 99 cents a pound, broccoli is $1.50 a pound, curly green kale, and red or rainbow chard are all $1.50 a bunch, grape tomatoes are $2.50 a pint, and blackberries are $2.99 for a 5.6 ounce container. Elsewhere in the store I'm liking Chobani Greek yogurts $1 each, the big 28 ounce size cans of Muir Glen organic tomatoes for just $1.50 each, and a Mega Omega Sale at 25% off omegas.

In Whole Foods' new sale through February 24th, I'm liking Pine Manor split air-chilled chicken breasts for $3.99 a pound, American Homestead boneless pork shoulder roast also $3.99 a pound, chicken cordon blue $5.99 a pound, and while the slimy things don't appeal to me personally, live oysters are $1 each, and they'll shuck them for free. Organic green kale is $1.50 a bunch, and organic Cara Cara oranges are $1.68 a pound, but for conventional asparagus, I'd head to Sprouts this week, as Whole Foods' sale price is two and a half times as much at $2.48 a pound. Udi's gluten free pizzas are $2.40 off at $5.99 each, Whole Creamery mozzarella ciliegene look good at $3 for eight ounces, and Ford Farm Seaside cheddar is $4 off at $9.99 a pound.

Chocolate Tasting At Alfalfa's

If you are running a little late on picking up chocolate for your sweetie, the Boulder Alfalfa's will be holding a chocolate tasting fair this Saturday, Valentine's Day, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. They promise "tons of free chocolate or chocolate covered samples and treats!"

Getting Ready For Mardi Gras

We haven't gotten through Valentine's Day yet, but it's also time to start thinking about how to laissez les bons temps rouler, with Mardi Gras coming up on the 17th, just a week from tomorrow. If you are looking for a little culinary inspiration, here are a few guides to help you out (and I'll definitely pass on the king cake): Recipes for Mardi Gras from Epicurious, Classic Mardi Gras Recipes from Saveur magazine, and F & W's Ultimate Guide to Mardi Gras from Food and Wine magazine.

Rose Sale Coming Up

Advance notice that Whole Foods will be doing a fabulous sale on their Whole Trade roses leading up to Valentine's Day. From the 12th through the 14th, they will be two dozen for $20, $10 off. Too bad the family pets in my household would view the placement of a vase of roses as the arrival of breakfast.

Denver Restaurant Week

So what place does Denver Restaurant Week have in a Boulder blog? Because several very good Boulder and area restaurants participate. This year the celebration will run from February 20th through March 1st, during which the restaurants will offer multi-course dinners for $30. Boulder participants include luminaries like Cafe Aion, Boulder Cork, and Salt Bistro, and usually some offer all savory courses, allowing my preference to skip dessert. These can be very popular, so it's always wise to make your reservations early. You can view the menu options on the Denver Restaurant Week site, limiting your search to location being Boulder, or by any other parameter of your choosing. Bon appetit.

Weekend Sales At Whole Foods

For tomorrow through Sunday, our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a quartet of special sales. Chocolov bars, ever a pre-Valentine's Day favorite will be three for $5, nearly half price, four inch pots of orchids are $12.99, $7 off, Siggi's yogurt cups are $1 each, and heads up, all hair care and color will be 25% off, even including serums.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

Good cold and a little snowy morning Boulder (although the snow should be brief and we'll be back close to 70 by Friday!). We have a new sale starting today at our Boulder Sprouts stores, while the current one continues at Whole Foods through February 10th. As for Vitamin Cottage, when I stopped by there last week, the long lasting Hotline sale still hadn't resumed, and customer service had no information about it, so can't help there. Here's what's looking good to me now.

While I usually focus on fish, meat, and organic produce, in Sprouts' new sale through February 11th, the news to me is the real arrival of the conventional asparagus from Mexico season, $1.48 a pound (last week's $1.99 was a pretty good harbinger of this). I see lots of pastas, risottos and stir frys with asparagus in my future this week. In meat and fish, all chicken sausage (pork also) are $3.99 a pound, whole or split chickens are $1.69 a pound (a little higher for cut up), Rosie Organic whole chickens are $2.99 a pound, and bone-in country style ribs and shoulder roast are also $2.99 a pound. (Maybe I should try to replicate Hosea Rosenberg's superb Hatch green chile posole with pork shoulder that I just had at his new restaurant Blackbelly this week.) Also, previously frozen Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets are $7.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, green curly kale and red or rainbow chards are all $1.50 a bunch, butternut and spaghetti squash are both 99 cents a pound, Gala and Granny Smith apples are both $1.50 a pound, one pound bags of baby carrots or celery bunches are both $1.50 each, Valencia oranges or grapefruit are both $2.50 a four pound bag, and grape tomatoes are $2.50 a pint. Elsewhere in the store, Qrunch quinoa burgers are $3.99 a four-pack (and they're really quite good), Fage Fruyo Greek yogurts are $1 each, some Amy's burritos are $2 each, some R.W. Knudsen organic juices are 35% off, smoked Gouda is $5.99 a pound, and Muir Glen pasta sauces are $2.50 a jar.

Valentine's Day Coming Up

February 14th will be upon us before you know it. Cooking at home can be far more romantic than the hassles of going out (especially landing on a Saturday this year), so if a home cooked dinner is on your radar, here are a few guides to help you out: Valentines Day from Epicurious, Valentine's Day Guide from Saveur magazine, and Three Romantic Valentine's Day Menus from Bon Appetit.

CSA Fair Coming Up

After last year's foray into joining Red Wagon Organic Farm's CSA, I'm totally a fan of the experience, and am already signed up with Red Wagon again for this year. If you are wanting to consider your CSA options, there will be a fair highlighting them on the 12th at Chautauqua's Community House. Here are the details from the Boulder Farmers' Market.

CSA Fair Thursday Feb. 12, 5-7pm in Boulder  Learn about 2015 community supported agriculture share options

Mark your calendars to join us for the CSA Fair in two weeks at the *Chautauqua Community House in Boulder on Thursday evening,February 12th from 5-7pm. Visit with 10-12 Boulder County Farmers Markets vendors and learn about your options for community supported agriculture shares this year-everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to eggs, beef, flowers, and even preserved Colorado produce. Learn about what local farmers and producers are doing now to get ready for the growing season, and how your support with a CSA share will directly support their efforts.  And of course, it wouldn't be a farmers market event without some snacks and drinks! 3 Leaf Catering will generously be providing a few treats for us.  *Directions to the Community House: Head west on Baseline Road from Broadway. Turn left (south) onto 12th Street, and we recommend the parking lot on your right by the tennis court and playground, before you get to the Chautauqua Auditorium. All parking surrounding Chautauqua Park is City of Boulder and open for grabs. If that parking lot, along with the park lot is full, there are spaces in the cottage neighborhood and on the south side of Baseline Road. The Community House, a beige building with stone, is on Morning Glory Road, just west of the Auditorium and southwest of the Dining Hall. Here is a map of the Chautauqua area.

Last Day For Chicken Wing Buckets

Happy February already. Some people might be focused on a particular football game today, but for me, it's about today being the last day of Whole Foods' sale on chicken wing buckets for $7.99 each, $7 off. They have several varieties, but none is better to me than the classic Buffalo ones. If you're in a mood for making your own instead, Food and Wine magazine has a chicken wing recipe slideshow.