Greatest Beverage Ever Sold? Maybe

Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock’s genius new documentary, “Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” was fully financed through product placement – watch Spurlock make the talk show rounds dressed up with more ads than a NASCAR race -- with Pom 100% Pomegranate Juice not only title sponsor but officially named Greatest Beverage. The documentary is a funny, tongue-in-cheek look at the world of movie/TV marketing and advertising but he couldn’t have recruited a more credible sponsor – which may actually be the best drink ever, or at least one of the healthiest, packed with antioxidants and vitamins.

Anyway, Tina and I have sworn by the stuff for years, and Pom is by far our favorite pomegranate brand, very smooth unlike most pure forms. Pure pomegranate juice can be pretty harsh and acidic, but Pom goes down easy. Price can be a factor, but that’s where Costco comes in. As pointed out in an earlier post, we can get a large bottle of Pom at Costco for $7.99, and it’s not a stretch to say it can go for nearly twice as much as other outlets, especially trendy, organic-type niche stores.

Seriously, it’s worth a trip to Costco just to stock up on Pom (and leave with pizza or a couple hot dogs, along with a belly full of samples, of course). Pom has eased us through many bouts of colds and flu. When everyone in my office was dropping like flies from the flu a few years ago, I came down with it and slammed a bunch of Pom and Jagermeister (highly recommended pairing) and ate albondigas soup and was up and fine a day later.

Top photo credit: morganspurlock.com. Here’s the movie’s official press release: POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Costco Commandment No. 8 (Think Bombay Sapphire)

We learned a valuable lesson on our previous two trips to Costco: Always look around inside the entrance for someone off to the side, handing out liquor and wine coupons. The deals can be spectacular – up to $10 off on some select bottles – and you can’t find them in the regular monthly Costco coupon mailer. Sometimes the coupon giver-outer is off to the side, hard to find if you aren’t actively looking. Anyway, they don’t push them on people; you kinda have to seek them out when they’re around.

Case in point: A 1.75-liter bottle of Bombay Sapphire (if you haven’t tried it, you own it to yourself) for $24.99 with the $4-off coupon. It’s a great way to sample high-end bottles without paying a ton. And Costco has great everyday deals on alcohol to begin with.

Just wanted to get that out there before it slips my mind. More Commandments will be posted when inspiration strikes.

Pepper Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin

Tina wanted to post something special for Easter feasts, so she decided on this delicious beef tenderloin recipe from Cooking in Style the Costco Way. All items can be found at Costco, by the way, and Tina recommends the Tyson tenderloin. We’ve had it before; it’s tender and lean, especially when it’s slow-cooked.

Have a great holiday weekend, gang.

2 teaspoons cracked mixed peppercorns
2 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dried and crushed basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried and crushed oregano leaves
1 whole Choice tenderloin, well-trimmed, 4 to 5 lbs
Salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Wash hands thoroughly, then combine the garlic, basil, oregano and peppercorns, and press the mixture evenly into the roast.

Place the roast in a shallow roasting pan. Insert an ovenproof meat thermometer in the thickest part of the beef away from any fat. Wash hands again.

Roast meat uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes for medium-rare (meat temperature at 140 degrees) or 60 to 70 minutes for medium (150 degrees).

Transfer the roast to a carving board and tent it loosely with aluminum foil. Let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes. It’ll still be cooking, rising about 10 degrees.

Carve that bad boy into thick slices, and season to taste with salt. Makes about 4 servings.

Enjoy! We certainly will. With champagne.

Report from the Road: Vermont Cheddar Ale Soup

We received a wonderful response to our Harvest Cheddar Soup, along with a “more complex recipe for Cheddar/Ale Soup from the wonderful Old Tavern at Grafton, Vermont,” from two founders of the Vermont Fresh Network Dining Challenge.

It made a connection with Tina, who was raised in a foodie family that knew very well the quality of Vermont cheddar. Very sharp and fresh and special, she says, and that’s that way we like it.

Anyway, the Vermont Fresh Network is a very cool organization dedicated to promoting locally produced, quality food at restaurants in the small state. We’re waiting to hear more from Neil and Shaula, two intrepid adventurers who have been living on the road since 2005 and blogging about it in Your Mileage May Vary. Fascinating and smart people, to say the least. Please visit their blog, throw them some love and get hooked like us. When we hear back from them, I’ll update with more information.

Here’s the recipe – can’t wait to try it out -- along with the original content of the response:

“Thanks for the easy Cheddar soup recipe and also will do the Shrimp Scampi, my favorite.

We’ve started the Vermont Fresh Network Dining Challenge, and we look forward to trying out more Vermont Fresh Network member restaurants.

Vermont is the home of Grafton Cheddar and quite a few breweries, and cheddar/ale is a delicious combo. Looking forward to the cheddar/wine in your recipe, but will probably increase the amount.

This recipe for Cheddar Ale Soup, by Chef David Smith of The Old Tavern at Grafton, Vermont, showcases Grafton Cheddarand McNeill’s Firehouse Ale.

If you don’t have either on hand, substitute a full-flavoured cheddar aged at least one year and an amber beer.

Enjoy your taste of Vermont!”

We will, most definitely!


Vermont Cheddar Ale Soup

* 1 garlic bulb, roasted
* 1 sweet onion, chopped & carmelized
* 1 red pepper, diced 1/4 inch pieces
* 1 carrot, peeled and diced 1/4 inch pieces
* 2 shallots thinly chopped
* 2 qt vegetable stock
* 1 pint heavy cream
* 2 pounds Grafton Cheddar, shredded
* 22 oz McNeill’s Firehouse Ale
* 3 large Yukon gold potatoes, diced 1/2 inch pieces
* 1/4 pound unsalted butter
* Extra virgin olive oil

1. Saute shallots, peppers, and carrots until soft in 2 T olive oil and 1 T butter.
2. Add bottle of beer and simmer 5 minutes.
3. Add carmelized onions, potatoes, stock and remaining butter.
4. Simmer until potatoes are tender, then turn off flame.
5. Add cream, roasted garlic and cheddar slowly with whisk.
6. Puree in blender.
7. Add salt & pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh chives and croutons.

Yields 1 gallon.

The Smart & Final Answer

A quick word on Smart & Final, which recently, at least locally, retooled from an uninteresting bulk outlet best suited for buying massive supplies for office parties - think paper plates and aluminum containers - to a versatile general discount grocery store. Huge balloon displays welcomed shoppers, and fliers promising “2,000 new products!” heralded a switch to a massive supermarket theme, a grand opening for its total transformation, but still with a side order of bulk supply shopping, as well.

Sort of a cross between Costco and Vons, but with no free samples at all. But that’s okay, since day-to-day discount prices and sales can often be downright irresistible. Two packages of Jennie-O turkey burger for $4 and SeaPaks of shrimp scampi (relevant to our previous post) for $4.99 (as opposed to a $7.79 regular price). The portions were half the size of the Costco SeaPak shrimp – 8 oz. instead of 16 oz. - but still a good deal.

Anyway, the local S&F outlet is a few blocks from where we live, so it’s very convenient – and there’s no member card needed let alone an annual fee. If you have one close by, you might want to check it out for those quick errands when you just can’t make it to Costco. By the way, they have good deals on beer and alcohol, as well.

But again, it’s no Costco, nor should it try to be. No pizza, no hot dogs, no free samples.

Stay tuned for some spectacular new recipes for Easter. Oh yeah...

Mediterranean Shrimp Scampi

This is one of our favorite dishes – love the seafood – and we rarely leave Costco without a big package of SeaPak Shrimp Scampi. Tina found this recipe in “Cooking in Style the Costco Way,” a thick and colorful compendium of all sorts of recipes, from appetizers to desserts, featuring ingredients readily available at Costco. She got it free when she signed up for a membership several years ago.

Tina tweaked the recipe just a tad, to add some spicy heat and cheesiness. Oh yeah…

1 ¼ cup uncooked pasta (Buitoni fresh linguini is our choice) or rice
½ package (16 oz.) SeaPak Shrimp Scampi
1 chopped zucchini
1 14 oz. can of quartered artichoke hearts, drained
¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
½ tablespoon capers
Around 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Cook pasta or rice according to package directions

Heat a 12-inch skillet for one minute over medium-high heat

Add frozen shrimp and zucchini to the pan and sauté for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally

Stir in the artichoke, tomatoes, capers and lemon juice

Keep cooking it for 3 to 5 minutes – or until shrimp is fully cooked

Serve over pasta or rice. Serves four. Now I’m salivating.

Top with fresh parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper as desired

Serve with a Caesar Salad and you have a complete meal!

Easy Slow Cooked Chicken Fajitas

This is the best chicken fajitas I’ve ever tasted. Tina cooks it slow and it ends up so tender I can cut it with a fork. Kirkland chicken and a big-ass bottle of Pace salsa from Costco are preferred ingredients.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 onion thickly sliced
2 green peppers sliced into ½ inch strips
1 red pepper slice into ½ inch strips
½ to 1 cup of Pace Salsa (medium or mild)

Rinse chicken in cold water, then pat dry with paper towels and slice into strips. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Place vegetables in a 5-quart slow cooker.

Add chicken on top of the vegetables. Pour in ½ cup of salsa (Pace is preferred, a big bottle from Costco in lieu of tomato sauce).

Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours. If more liquid is needed during cooking, add extra salsa.

Serve with warm tortillas, refried beans, shredded cheese and guacamole.

The result is heaven. Keep some chicken isolated from salsa if you have a kitty who’s hungry and feed a couple of bites if he or she comes around begging for treats.

Even Better Than a Dodger Dog

“If we’re going to blog about Costco, you definitely have to eat your first Costco hot dog,” Tina said, and I had to agree. So we were off to the Los Feliz store.

She worked near a Costco in Northridge, at a financial institution that bought company store items from the outlet, so coworkers making Costco runs would come by her desk and drop off an occasional hot dog, pizza slice or chicken bake (it pays to suck up to the manager). I’ve been a devotee of legendary Costco pizza for years, but had yet to sample the wonders of the Costco dog – until Friday. We needed to pick up a few things – and generate something to write about here – so yeah, the quarter-pound all-beef dog was spectacular, grilled and greaseless. And only $1.50, drink included. We left with, among other things, a large bottle of Pom pomegranate juice for $7.99 (I’ve seen it for nearly twice as much elsewhere) and a two-pack of large French’s mustard for under 5 bucks.

Most importantly, the free samples were high quality and in nice portions – lots of fish and chocolate, meatless due to it being Friday and Lent to boot, as Tina smartly pointed out.

The headliner was clearly lobster ravioli. Definitely worth waiting 5 minutes for a fresh batch. We’re planning another trip closer to Easter.

Here’s the rest of Friday’s lineup:

 Hake fish

 Alaska salmon burger

 French Brie on crackers

 Crescent roll stuffed with Kirkland turkey breast

 Morningstar Farms veggie sausage patty

 Various forms of chocolate: No-sugar-added Belgian white and dark, chocolate-covered almonds and blueberries

 Seafood spread and spinach spread on crackers

 Frosty strawberry smoothie

Harvest Cheddar Soup

Here’s a really delicious and creative cheese soup recipe, especially good for the spring and summer. Tina discovered the recipe in The Costco Connection magazine – sent to all Costco members – and made it mostly using ingredients we bought at the Los Feliz store.

The white wine was legendary Two Buck Chuck Chardonnay from Trader Joe’s. I believe the nutmeg and thyme came from 99 Cents Only or Dollar King.

2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons white wine
½ medium onion, peeled
1 celery stalk, halved
2 Granny Smith apples, quartered with seeds removed
2 potatoes, baked and quartered
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of white pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

First, put all the ingredients listed above – except the cheese -- in a blender container in the exact order listed above and secure the lid tightly.

Blend at high speed for 6 to 7 minutes or until heavy steam starts escaping from the lid’s plug or vent.

Reduce the blender’s speed and carefully remove the lid or the lid plug, then drop in the cheese and blend at a safe, non-splashing speed for 15 seconds. It makes around six delicious cups.

By the way, the Costco Connection is a slick monthly full of news and features related to Costco, as well as entertainment stories and first-rate interviews with celebrities. James Franco is profiled in the current issue. Lots of health, business and travel features, too.

The Whole Truth

Walking is a great form of exercise, and on Sunday our destination was the local Whole Foods Market, an all-natural grocery chain renown (in case you weren’t aware) for organic freshness, environmental responsibility, local produce and abundant free samples – or in the case of the latter, at least they used to be.

For the past few months, the free treats were few and far between – usually a piece of cheese here or slice of fruit there. And I was prepared to write a post bemoaning this, but I’m happy to say the samples are back, at least on Sunday. We’re talking smoked turkey, spicy mango cheese, pumpernickel crackers and two types of cake, chocolate and lemon.

Nothing on the level of Costco, of course, and not even up to the days at WF when they’d offer small deli sandwiches, pizza and sushi, but still. Anyway, the samples have led to many purchases; we discovered the sweetest, most delicious jumbo tangerines we’ve ever tasted, and really good yogurt chips. Whole Foods produce is especially recommended. It’s as natural and fresh as a farmer’s market. And the meat is always very lean and completely organic – including ground buffalo, which is more flavorful than beef and actually leaner and healthier than chicken. Some WF outlets feature ostrich, as well. For those who value Whole Foods, check out www.mindfuleats.com, an interesting site we recently stumbled upon.

Stay tuned. A major Costco expedition is coming down soon. We’re going to start exploring and reporting on different locations as time permits.

.

Get Inked

One of the best money-saving features Costco offers: Quick ink cartridge refills for $7.99 ($9.99 for some of the larger models). The ink is high-quality and the refill actually is lasting longer than my new HP cartridges – black-and-white 27 series that go for $17 to $21. I got two refills back in December, plugged one in immediately and it’s still going strong. And this is with heavy daily home-office usage. I burned through the new ones all too quickly.

Not every Costco has this service, but it’s well worth seeking out. Just drop ‘em off when you enter the store and pick up when you’re finished shopping (and noshing). It usually takes about an hour. Color cartridges can be refilled, as well. HP, Lexmark, Canon and Dell types are accepted. Check out Costco.com for more details.