Saturday, December 31, 2011
New Year's Eve Wishes
Best wishes for a happy and safe New Year's Eve here in Boulder. And batten down anything outside that could possibly move, with the winds we're expecting today. If you need to do any last minute Whole Foods shopping, you might consider the Baseline, Ideal, or Superior stores. I was at Pearl Street yesterday, where it was already getting real in the Whole Foods parking lot, with people madly angling for spaces, and I doubt it will be any better today. I'm all set for tonight's linguine with crab, lemon, chile and mint and think I made the right decision buying prepared crabmeat for it. Although Whole Foods has Alaskan king crabs on sale for $16.99 a pound this weekend, I opted to pay a whopping $34.99 a pound for Dungeness crabmeat that's ready for the skillet, and still think that was a smart move. The whole crabs are super handsome, but by the time I finished cooking and shelling them, I'd probably waste enough for the price to equal the prepared stuff, not to mention all the time that would go into the process. So I've given myself the gift of time for New Year's Eve! Happy, happy.
Friday, December 30, 2011
New Year's Celebration Guides
Are you looking for a little inspiration for festive food for New Year's Eve and Day? There are guides out there to help, including New Year's Eve Celebrations from Epicurious, Food and Wine magazine's New Year's Eve Recipes (including a New Year's Day brunch), and Bon Appetit's New Year's Day Party Menu. Those should get 2012 rolling.
Weekend Dinner Ideas
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day make for a pretty big weekend of dinner plans. But before we get to the holiday stuff, the really big shrimp that Sprouts has for $6.99 a pound are making me think of something fun and a little festive for tonight, smoky shrimp and grits from Food and Wine magazine. Although the recipe calls for medium shrimp, we'll make it special with those gigantic ones at Sprouts.
Moving on to New Year's Eve tomorrow, there are many temptations out there. Both Sprouts and Sunflower are pushing surf 'n turf, with lobster tail sales and a multitude of steak sales. Then there's the Alaskan golden king crab sale at Whole Foods, too. I've decided to bypass all that to try a new recipe in the January issue of Bon Appetit, linguine with crab, lemon, chile, and mint. Of course I could cook and shell those crabs on sale at Whole Foods myself, but I just don't think it's worth the effort when you can spend a little more to have it already done for you with prepared crab meat (provided it's very good quality). To start the evening off, I'm thinking about smoked salmon rolls with ricotta and chives. Together, that's plenty of effort for an evening that will also include champagne.
We have a tradition of eating something "lucky" on New Year's Day, and in this house, that's Mark Bittman's spin on Hoppin' John, black-eyed pea soup with ham and greens from the New York Times. I'll adjust the amounts to be sure there will be some left for later in the week. I'll also increase the greens, which will probably be a combo of spinach and collards, to make it more like a stew, as Bittman suggests. There will definitely have to be homemade cornbread to go with this, and one of my favorites is green onion corn bread from Bon Appetit. With a salad on the side, we'll hopefully get 2012 off to a great start!
Moving on to New Year's Eve tomorrow, there are many temptations out there. Both Sprouts and Sunflower are pushing surf 'n turf, with lobster tail sales and a multitude of steak sales. Then there's the Alaskan golden king crab sale at Whole Foods, too. I've decided to bypass all that to try a new recipe in the January issue of Bon Appetit, linguine with crab, lemon, chile, and mint. Of course I could cook and shell those crabs on sale at Whole Foods myself, but I just don't think it's worth the effort when you can spend a little more to have it already done for you with prepared crab meat (provided it's very good quality). To start the evening off, I'm thinking about smoked salmon rolls with ricotta and chives. Together, that's plenty of effort for an evening that will also include champagne.
We have a tradition of eating something "lucky" on New Year's Day, and in this house, that's Mark Bittman's spin on Hoppin' John, black-eyed pea soup with ham and greens from the New York Times. I'll adjust the amounts to be sure there will be some left for later in the week. I'll also increase the greens, which will probably be a combo of spinach and collards, to make it more like a stew, as Bittman suggests. There will definitely have to be homemade cornbread to go with this, and one of my favorites is green onion corn bread from Bon Appetit. With a salad on the side, we'll hopefully get 2012 off to a great start!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Lucky Foods For The New Year
Are you starting to think about what to eat on New Year's Day, something "lucky" to get a good start for 2012? There are traditions around the world about foods to bring you good luck, and Epicurious has a nice roundup of them in the article, Lucky Foods for the New Year.
P.M. Update: here's a new list of lucky foods just out from Bon Appetit. This one includes the Hoppin' John I'll be doing a riff on Sunday. But you probably won't find me smashing pomegranates on the floor.
P.M. Update: here's a new list of lucky foods just out from Bon Appetit. This one includes the Hoppin' John I'll be doing a riff on Sunday. But you probably won't find me smashing pomegranates on the floor.
Crab Sale At Whole Foods
Whole Foods wants to spin your New Year's Eve plans towards an elegant crab dinner with their weekender sale that starts tomorrow, the 30th, and will run through Monday, the 2nd. Alaskan golden king crabs will be $16.99 a pound, $7 off their usual price during the sale. Here's how they describe it: "Caught in the depths of the Bering Sea off of Alaska's Aleutian Islands; Golden King Crab is delicate, tender, and nectar-sweet." Hmmmm.
Year End Sale At Cured
Since Boulder's wonderful cheese and wine shop Cured will be closed the first couple of weeks in January while its owners run off to enjoy getting married, they are having a very nice sale now to clear out their inventory before they leave. Here's what they say:
End of Year Sale: Owing to the perishable nature of much of our product, and the fact that a week from now we will be sipping margaritas on the beach while Cured takes a proper European siesta, we are blowing out our shelves and cooler case and getting them ready for new product in 2012. Wednesday and Thursday we will be offering 15% off all products (excluding meat and cheese) and 15% off wines over $30. If you’ve been waiting to try that one olive oil, or beautiful balsamic, or eyeing that gorgeous linen Deck Towel, now is the time to snatch it up before someone else does (i.e. Coral brings it to Mexico). Then on Friday and Saturday, we’ll be offering 15% off store-wide, that means meats, cheeses, all our booze, and just about anything else you can dream up. So come in and get your last indulgences for 2011 before your two-week forced ‘fast’ takes effect :).
End of Year Sale: Owing to the perishable nature of much of our product, and the fact that a week from now we will be sipping margaritas on the beach while Cured takes a proper European siesta, we are blowing out our shelves and cooler case and getting them ready for new product in 2012. Wednesday and Thursday we will be offering 15% off all products (excluding meat and cheese) and 15% off wines over $30. If you’ve been waiting to try that one olive oil, or beautiful balsamic, or eyeing that gorgeous linen Deck Towel, now is the time to snatch it up before someone else does (i.e. Coral brings it to Mexico). Then on Friday and Saturday, we’ll be offering 15% off store-wide, that means meats, cheeses, all our booze, and just about anything else you can dream up. So come in and get your last indulgences for 2011 before your two-week forced ‘fast’ takes effect :).
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
No One-Day Sale Today
Whole Foods typically does some one-day specials every Wednesday, but this week they're deviating. There's no one-day sale today, but stay tuned for news of a special weekender sale coming up.
This Week's Hot Deals (IMHO)
We have new sales starting today at our Boulder Sprouts, Sunflower, and Whole Foods. Vitamin Cottage is taking a bit of a sale breather until January, and I have no idea what's happening at Alfalfa's; their website still has the sale flyer that expired on the 20th posted, and I haven't been in the store since then to check. Here's what looks good to me in the new sales.
Avocado wars. Avocado fans will enjoy the competing prices happening on conventional avocados this week, 49 cents each at Sprouts, three for $1 at Sunflower (both through January 4th), and $1.25 each at Whole Foods (through January 17th). Since the size of the avocados carried by each store seems to vary in a way that matches their relative prices, that's a lot of good choices.
At Sprouts through January 4th, in addition to the avocados, I'm liking flash frozen Copper River sockeye salmon for $7.99 a pound (Whole Foods is also offering a wild sockeye for $12.99 a pound). Very big 16/20 count raw shrimp, notably from the USA, are $6.99 a pound. It's a New Year's week for steak wars, and Sprouts has five varieties at $7.99 a pound. Chicken sausage is $2.99 a pound, and center-cut pork loin chops are $3.99 a pound, not their best price, but still okay. They aren't advertising much in organic produce this week, but organic Cameo apples are 99 cents a pound, and three-packs or romaine hearts are $2.50. Select party trays are 25% off, and Cascade Fresh sour cream looks good at 99 cents for 16 ounces.
Through the 4th at Sunflower, in addition to the avocados, steaks are looking good, with bone-in New York steaks for $4.99 a pound, boneless New York strip steaks for $6.99 a pound, and filet mignon for $12.99 a pound. Ground chicken breast is $3.99 a pound, and $2.99 for ground pork. Organic produce looks great, with broccoli $1.50 a pound, baby carrots $1.50 a one pound bag, romaine lettuce or bunched spinach both $1.50 each, green or red cabbage 99 cents a pound, russet or red rose potatoes 99 cents a pound, and blueberries $2.99 for six ounces. In non-organic produce, 20 ounces of super cherry tomatoes are $2 each, which I'm pretty sure would be the EuroFresh brand, which is pesticide-free. Their own hummus is $1.99 for eight ounces, or $2.99 for a new 12 ounce size. My favorite Cascade Fresh yogurt looks great at 59 cents each, Horizon Organic sour cream is $2.50 for 16 ounces, including the lowfat variety, Mozzarella Fresca fresh half pound mozzarella balls are $3.99, and the big 28 ounce size of Muir Glen organic tomatoes is $2 a can.
At Whole Foods through the 17th, in addition to the avocados, Stonyfield yogurts are great at 60 cents each. I'm also liking their own teriyaki wild salmon burgers for $7.99 a pound, and top round London broil at $3.99 a pound. Their own sourdough bread loaves are 2 for $6, but it says "you pick two," so maybe two are required for the sale price. Their own excellent fresh large pepperoni pizzas are great at $8.99 each, their 365 Everyday Value frozen veggies are on sale for $1.50 a one pound bag, and wild sockeye salmon, presumably previously frozen, is $12.99 a pound (but Copper River is $7.99 a pound at Sprouts). Also, I haven't tried it, but Castor & Pollux canned pet food is 50% off.
Avocado wars. Avocado fans will enjoy the competing prices happening on conventional avocados this week, 49 cents each at Sprouts, three for $1 at Sunflower (both through January 4th), and $1.25 each at Whole Foods (through January 17th). Since the size of the avocados carried by each store seems to vary in a way that matches their relative prices, that's a lot of good choices.
At Sprouts through January 4th, in addition to the avocados, I'm liking flash frozen Copper River sockeye salmon for $7.99 a pound (Whole Foods is also offering a wild sockeye for $12.99 a pound). Very big 16/20 count raw shrimp, notably from the USA, are $6.99 a pound. It's a New Year's week for steak wars, and Sprouts has five varieties at $7.99 a pound. Chicken sausage is $2.99 a pound, and center-cut pork loin chops are $3.99 a pound, not their best price, but still okay. They aren't advertising much in organic produce this week, but organic Cameo apples are 99 cents a pound, and three-packs or romaine hearts are $2.50. Select party trays are 25% off, and Cascade Fresh sour cream looks good at 99 cents for 16 ounces.
Through the 4th at Sunflower, in addition to the avocados, steaks are looking good, with bone-in New York steaks for $4.99 a pound, boneless New York strip steaks for $6.99 a pound, and filet mignon for $12.99 a pound. Ground chicken breast is $3.99 a pound, and $2.99 for ground pork. Organic produce looks great, with broccoli $1.50 a pound, baby carrots $1.50 a one pound bag, romaine lettuce or bunched spinach both $1.50 each, green or red cabbage 99 cents a pound, russet or red rose potatoes 99 cents a pound, and blueberries $2.99 for six ounces. In non-organic produce, 20 ounces of super cherry tomatoes are $2 each, which I'm pretty sure would be the EuroFresh brand, which is pesticide-free. Their own hummus is $1.99 for eight ounces, or $2.99 for a new 12 ounce size. My favorite Cascade Fresh yogurt looks great at 59 cents each, Horizon Organic sour cream is $2.50 for 16 ounces, including the lowfat variety, Mozzarella Fresca fresh half pound mozzarella balls are $3.99, and the big 28 ounce size of Muir Glen organic tomatoes is $2 a can.
At Whole Foods through the 17th, in addition to the avocados, Stonyfield yogurts are great at 60 cents each. I'm also liking their own teriyaki wild salmon burgers for $7.99 a pound, and top round London broil at $3.99 a pound. Their own sourdough bread loaves are 2 for $6, but it says "you pick two," so maybe two are required for the sale price. Their own excellent fresh large pepperoni pizzas are great at $8.99 each, their 365 Everyday Value frozen veggies are on sale for $1.50 a one pound bag, and wild sockeye salmon, presumably previously frozen, is $12.99 a pound (but Copper River is $7.99 a pound at Sprouts). Also, I haven't tried it, but Castor & Pollux canned pet food is 50% off.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
No Post-Christmas Sale
Still not having a chance to get there, I called the Pearl Street Whole Foods to see if they might be doing their customary special post-Christmas sale, and the answer for this year is no. They're still expecting the usual one-day sale for tomorrow, but there's been no word yet as to what that will be.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Post-Christmas Sale?
I doubt I'll have a chance to get there today, but Whole Foods is renowned for throwing special sales, usually lasting three days, right after a big holiday. So if you happen to be there, keep your eyes peeled for the possibility of some temporary, very good deals. You'd also probably find a special sale flyer by the door.
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