Bargain Shopping at Grocery Outlet

I love a good deal, so you'll frequently find me perusing the wares at garage sales, thrift shops and outlet stores (not to mention sale racks!). Bargain hunting might as well be called 'treasure hunting,' as far as I'm concerned. Nothing beats the thrill of finding a long out-of-print copy of Better Than Store Bought cookbook, a discarded Moulinex meat grinder, or Santander chocolate priced to move (all things I've scored). Actually, the thrill is in just the possibility of finding something, which is exactly why I like shopping at Grocery Outlet.

Grocery Outlet buys closeouts and discontinued items so you never know what they will have. Unlike similar stores, they focus on quality brands and they have just about everything you'd find at a regular supermarket, including some organic produce. Sometimes you can figure it out why the product ended up there, because the size or the packaging gives it away. It might be something that was packaged for food service or a big box store. Or it might have been a seasonal promotion or flavor.

As you can imagine, each product has a story to tell, on an insider tour I learned why a terrific wine ended up being sold at a bargain price (a bank note was due and the winery needed cash) why an expensive beauty product ended up being discounted (the packaging changed and they needed to reduce inventory), why some fancy imported cookies were available (an order was cancelled after the shipment had already left Germany for the US) and why an adorable stuffed toy was being cleared out (a typo on the label). Prices vary but are often discounted 50% or more.

I also learned that Grocery Outlet is a third generation family owned company and that each store is independently operated and very involved in the local community. Employees even participated in a 'hunger challenge' style effort to experience what it was like to live on a food stamps budget.

Here are some the excellent finds from my most recent shopping trip:


Ok, so clearly this is NOT Baby Romaine! But who cares? It's an organic salad mix for an unbeatable price.


Greek yogurt. This stuff normally sells for $1.65 each at my local supermarket, and here it was 2 for a dollar!


Thomas' English Muffins really are the best you can find at any supermarket as far as I'm concerned, and $2.49 a pack is a steal.


I am crazy about Numi's puerh tea! Even with a coupon I can't get it this cheap.


Not on my usual shopping list, but how could I resist Terra Chips with Olive Oil, Roasted Garlic and Parmesan and for only $1.99 a bag? They are delicious by the way.


I'm guessing the new name 'mascarpone fresca' is what caused this to end up discounted from what the regular price $5.49 to only $1.99 (is it just me or does mascarpone sounds like the name of an Italian crime syndicate?) All that really matters is that the price is amazing for this luscious ingredient necessary for tiramisu. It's not on my regular shopping list, but like I say, I can't resist a bargain...

My thanks to Grocery Outlet for giving me a tour, introducing me to your buyers, sharing your stories and for giving me a gift card. (It will probably come as no surprise that I spent much more of my own money because I found so many good deals!)

What's the best closeout you've found or store where do you routinely find them?

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION! ©2011 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission. If you are reading this post somewhere other than Cooking with Amy, the Oyster Local blog or Gather.com, then the site where you found this post is illegally publishing copyrighted material.

Alaska Diary Day One

Welcome to Cordova, a remote Alaskan town Southeast of Anchorage. The population is around 2,000 people (though it swells to around double that in the Summer during salmon season). The life of the town is tied to the Copper River. Salmon fishing is not just an important part of the economy but a way of life.

It's a place where you go for a hike instead of going to the movies and host a potluck instead of making dinner reservations and wear Xtratuf boots all year round. People fish, forage, hunt. And the annual festivals celebrate things like salmon, wild berries and fungus (at the fungus festival you can win a prize for the best mushroom themed decorated pair of Xtratuf boots!). There are scientists, fishermen and processors, environmental advocates and a whole lot of overlap between them all.

Cordova is also the home of the Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association, Alaska's first regional seafood development association and host of my trip.


'In Alaska, you are never more than 5 minutes away from being cold and wet,' someone told me the night I arrived. And true enough, it was grey and drizzling when I landed on a connecting flight from Anchorage (you can only get to Cordova by flight or ferry).


First thing after breakfast we head to the dining room of the Orca Adventure Lodge to meet our fishing guide. While we wait, what do we food bloggers get excited about? A massive 113 year old diesel powered stove named Bertha that we spy in the kitchen.


...and the engaging chef, Jeremy Storm, who told us about the challenges of shopping and cooking in a far off Alaskan outpost.


Intrepid food bloggers, we steeled ourselves and cast our lines. The zen of fishing is irresistible. You are at one with nature and catching a fish doesn't even matter. The only one that got pulled from the water by a neighboring fisherman got thrown right back in but it provided a little excitement all the same. My fish? He got away!


Alaskan haute couture aka Copper River Fleece.


Does this tell you how important restaurant culture is in Cordova? (note the spelling on the sign)


I was told by a fisherman that the favorite wine in Cordova is 'Take me to Hawaii!' I think most folks will have to settle for Baja Taco, even though it's only open during the Summer.


The tacos are filled with Copper River salmon, but of course.


When not catching fish or eating them, you can print with them, especially if you get instructions from local gyotaku artist Pat McGuire.

Note:The unwitting model in the photos is none other than Joelen of What's Cooking Chicago?, another blogger on the trip.

A huge thanks to Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association for hosting me in Cordova. If you enjoyed this post, check out Day Two...

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION! ©2011 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission. If you are reading this post somewhere other than Cooking with Amy, the Oyster Local blog or Gather.com, then the site where you found this post is illegally publishing copyrighted material.

Oliveto's Whole Hog Dinner 2012

After experiencing one of the Whole Hog dinners at Oliveto last year, I couldn't wait to do it again. This time I brought along a friend Susie, who had just moved to the neighborhood. While it may seem like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and doing a whole animal dinner, the one at Oliveto is one of the oldest and surely one of the best. For one thing, it's a la carte, so you can eat and spend as much as you like. This year chef Jonah Rhodehamel focused the selections and there were more rustic options, but it's not all ears and trotters.


First up was a very hearty favata bean soup made from dried fava beans. Restaurant owner Bob Klein is the mastermind behind Community Grains and really knows his beans! The soup had tender chunks of braised pork, a chewy crouton and plenty of lift from a minty herbal puree. This is the kind of soup I would make and eat all week long.


Next up was a spectacularly good lasagna from Calabria called Sagne chine it had the lightest noodles and meatballs, plus a fresh and spicy tomato sauce and thin slivers of hard boiled egg. It was the most ethereal lasagna I have ever tasted. I was tipped off that a similar recipe is in My Calabria:Cooking with Rosetta cookbook so you may want to bookmark it. The recipe includes peas, and the Oliveto version does not.



The main course we shared was not the more common porchetta, but rather spit-roasted pork leg served with roasted carrots, turnips and greens. It was lean but still juicy, full of flavor. The chef told me he gets his pork from several sources including the sustainably raised ones from Magruder Ranch and Riverdog Farm.


After a palate cleansing salad of garden lettuce, we chose a pear strudel for dessert with vin santo ice cream. The leaves of the strudel with crackly crisp, because of course, they were slathered in strutto. Ah porcine goodness from beginning to end!

Note: There may be a few more seats left for this dinner 2/10/12, but call the restaurant to find out.

Oliveto
5655 College Avenue
Oakland, CA
510.547.5356

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION! ©2011 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission. If you are reading this post somewhere other than Cooking with Amy, the Oyster Local blog or Gather.com, then the site where you found this post is illegally publishing copyrighted material.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sBff/~3/JALW7FoK45E/coming-soon-duck-shrimp-and-sausage.html

Eggplant, pistachio and tomato salad recipe

Photo: Eggplant, pistachio and tomato salad recipe

The Arabic Food Recipes kitchen (The Home of Delicious Arabic Food Recipes) invites you to try Eggplant, pistachio and tomato salad  Recipe. Enjoy the Arabic Cuisine and  learn how to make Eggplant, pistachio and tomato salad . 

This superb salad tastes so good you'll be chasing every last morsel around your plate.

Preparation Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
8 (about 600g) Lebanese eggplants, halved lengthways
2 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup fresh coriander leaves
1 x 80g pkt Sunbeam pistachio kernels, coarsely chopped
130g (1/2 cup) Greek-style yoghurt
60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
Lebanese bread, to serve

Method

Heat half the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add half the eggplant and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until golden brown and tender. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining oil and eggplant.

Meanwhile, combine the tomato, coriander and pistachio in a medium bowl. Combine the yoghurt, lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the eggplant among serving plates. Top with the tomato mixture and yoghurt dressing. Serve with the Lebanese bread.

Notes

Herbed zucchini & tomato salad: Replace the eggplant with zucchini in step 1. Replace the coriander with fresh mint leaves and the pistachio kernels with toasted pine nuts in step 2. Serve with sliced ciabatta (crusty Italian bread).

Source
Good Taste - December 2006, Page 26
Recipe by Michelle Southan

More Arabic Food Recipes:   

Moroccan potato salad 

Lamb Rack With Maghrabia Biryani (served with Torlly)

Chicken tagine with apricots
Authentic Moroccan lamb tagine
Beef moussaka with tomatoes
Grilled Veggie Hummus Wrap

Save and share Eggplant, pistachio and tomato salad recipe

 Want to share this recipe with your family and friends? Click the button below to send them an email or save this to your favorite social network.

The Frugal Cook is away

No credit crunch drinking recs this week or next I'm afraid as I'm away on a work trip to Australia. (Yes, jammy, I know) Normal service will be resumed after December 11th.