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Costco Shopping – October 7, 2021
Posted by: | October 7, 2021
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22nd Costco Shopping in 2021 – $149.86 / $2,512.66 this year

Costo hasn’t brought back the onion crank at the food court yet. So, tonight I brought my own chopped onion to Costco. The hot dog was brilliant.

Since this blog, I heard they brought back the onion cranks.

There was no full-scale Christmas display at Costco. This is highly unusual in October. I only saw some Christmas items, but not even close to what we normally see. Also, Kirkland Signature shampoos weren’t there. In fact, Costco took down their shampoo from the website.

I picked up a bag of salted peanuts by mistake when I wanted an unsalted one. Salted peanuts are tasty, but I don’t want too much salt in my body. This bag of peanuts had an expiration date of March 2022. I wonder if they will be good for that long (6 months from now).

Better treat for my neighbors

This will sound condescending, but…

When I lived in a government-subsidized apartment, there were a lot of kids in the neighborhood, but I had zero trick-or-treaters in 8 years. They all went to rich neighborhoods for better candies. Then, I moved to an above-average neighborhood.

Now, on every Halloween, my street gets packed with strange cars and SUVs, each car carrying several kids from the poor side of the town. I get 60 to 120 kids every year. The number is unpredictable.

That’s why I bought 2 kinds of chocolates at Costco. I will hand out small chocolates to the trick-or-treaters. But, when I see my neighbors’ kids. I will let them pick a full-sized bar of chocolate from the box of Hershey’s. I feel bad doing this, for I am from the poor side of the town. But, what can I do?

* Hershey’s full-size chocolates were on sale ($5 off).

Costco Bratwurst – Kirkland Signature Brats (sausages)
Posted by: | September 29, 2021
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| Costco Blog, Costco Product Review, Food, Household, Pet
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Vacuum, Freeze, Enjoy (#vacuumfreezeenjoy)

I bought Kirkland Signature Brats (Bratwurst) on June 9, 2021. I paid the regular price of $8.49 for 14 links (2 packages of 7 each). I vacuum-packed and froze them for long-term storage. It took me 3 months to finish all 14 links by myself. And I can tell you that these sausages are a delight. I like them, and I will buy them again.

Kirkland Signature Bratwurst, brats, Costco

I made gumbo with these brats. In that gumbo, I also put in an equal amount of Costco chicken breast meat. I don’t live in the South, so I don’t know how the homemade gumbo should look and taste like. I blindly followed the generic recipe, and I enjoyed my gumbo a lot. It was very good. But people from the South may look at the picture of my Gumbo and say, “What the heck is this?”. What can I say… that would be my imaginary gumbo that came to life. 🙂 I also made the collard greens from scratch (picture).

I also fried some brats in a frying pan. For these, I put olive oil and several basic seasonings (no salt). I put it on low heat with the cover on. I purposely didn’t follow the cooking instruction on the package. While cooking, I turned over the brats only once, so my pictures would come out pretty. Don’t worry, I cooked them all the way through. I am not that clueless.

Costco Brats, Kirkland Signature Bratwurst
Costco Brats cooking instruction, Nutrition Facts
Sausage and chicken Gumbo, Collard Greens
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Below are the official care and cooking instructions from the bottom of the package. The instruction is there for people who never cooked before. You may ignore it if you know what you’re doing.

Care Instruction for Costco Bratwurst

  • Once opened, use within 5 days
  • Freeze up to 30 days
  • Keep refrigerated

Cooking Instructions for Kirkland Signature Brats

  • Grill – Heat gas grill to medium-low (if charcoal, allow it to burn until white ash has formed on the embers). Place links on grill. Use tongs to turn often. Grill bratwurst for 20 to 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F
  • Stovetop – Spray skillet with cooking spray. Add brats. Cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes, turning links with tongs often. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 1/2 cup of water to skillet. Cover skillet and simmer for 12 to 14 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
  • Broil – Place links on broiler rack or foil-lined baking pan 7 to 9 inches below heat. Turn links with tongs every 3 minutes. Broil for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown or until internal temperature reaches 165°F

Costco Combination Pizza and Onion Connection Theory
Posted by: | September 24, 2021
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Costco doesn’t have Combination Pizza anymore. The last time I enjoyed a slice of combo pizza was right before the pandemic (Feb 19, 2020). The following year was a blur. I guess the food court was shut down(?). I don’t remember. I didn’t go to Costco because people were yelling and freaking out at Costco.

When we came to our senses, we realized that there was no more combination pizza.

Currently, there is a petition to bring back combination pizza. They want 7500 digital signatures and they will meet that number. But, I believe the combination pizza will come back regardless, but when they are ready. I have a theory.

Below is my theory. I can be wrong :

No Costco Combination Pizza
Missing onion dispenser at Costco
Costco Hot Dog Pandemic 2021

Costco’s combo pizza disappeared because of the pandemic. If there was no pandemic, Costco will not abandon our beloved combination pizza. I believe it because Costco took away the onion dispensers in the food court. It can be a safety-related reason or a supply-chain-related issue. Whatever the reason is, the onion dispensers are gone because of the pandemic.

Now – to make a combination pizza, they need various chopped vegetables, including the onion.

I believe there is an onion connection. I don’t know what’s going on, but at this moment, the pandemic and the onions don’t mix in the Costco food court.

I believe the combination pizza will come back when the onion dispensers are back in the food court. You must believe.

My God, I need to get a life.

Talk to you later.

Costco Shopping – September 23, 2021
Posted by: | September 23, 2021
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21st Costco Shopping in 2021 – $38.46 / $2,362.80 this year

I didn’t see many Christmas items at Costco. It’s almost October, and it is highly unusual not to see the full-on Christmas display at Costco. But we live in an unusual time. I saw some Christmas items, but not a lot.

Not only that, they still didn’t have Kirkland Signature shampoo. They had conditioners, but there was no shampoo. I guess this has something to do with the pandemic and supply. I hope there is no global shortage of shampoo.

The peanut season is back. Last year, we had peanuts from Hampton Farms. This year Costco is carrying Sachs peanuts. In my experience, peanuts are good between October and November. These peanuts are good. Also, my favorite cookies are back for the season.

That’s about it. Today’s Costco shopping was not as productive. I shall come back in a few weeks.

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Costco Shopping – September 9, 2021
Posted by: | September 9, 2021
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20th Costco Shopping in 2021 – $118.65 / $2,324.34 this year

  • No! It was not Christmas time at Costco yet. I only saw one small stack (pic). It was a sad-looking Christmas display.
  • I have had a huge craving for chocolate for the last few months. So, I bought some chocolates.
  • All American Chocolate Cake is back in mini size. I tried one, and it tastes just like the original big cake.
  • Flu shot was free with insurance.
  • Kirkland Signature Cheddar Cheese is my go-to snack that I enjoy so much.
  • I bought a bag of Coache’s Oats Oatmeals 2 months ago. I almost finished this huge bag. I ate this much oatmeal because I work from home and have access to the kitchen. The pandemic changed my diet.
  • Vienna Sausage is my guilty pleasure – I always buy some at local grocery stores for about $0.70 a can. I often get a huge craving for these. Buying a case at Costco is much cheaper ($0.44 each can, 37% savings). BUT, only If I make them last a year.
  • Instant savings saved $22.40.
  • Kirkland Signature shampoo was unavailable. There were conditioners, but no shampoos. I hope I will find them on my next visit.
  • I tried Dunkin’ Donuts coffee several years ago, and I didn’t like it. But I wanted to give it one more chance. It was on sale.

Flu shot

I had a mixed experience today getting my flu shot. When I checked in, the lady said “wait 10-15 minutes”. But, I waited 40 minutes. At that point, I thought something was not right. I had to check to see if they didn’t lose my paperwork. So, I became THAT guy, asking for special attention. I finally paid for my flu shot ($0). And the shot was absolutely painless. This guy was amazing. I barely felt the needle. “Wow!, you are good!” I exclaimed.

My shingles shot last December (2020) was painful, and I bled. I could tell that pharmacist was reckless. I felt the negative energy from his core, and I didn’t like that. But today’s pharmacist was pleasant. He was careful, and I barely felt the needle. This made me think. Those two pharmacists wake up and go to work the same. They probably take home similar paychecks. But, one guy was pleasant and the other guy was negative. From now on, I shall be mindful of my attitude. I want to be like the Costco pharmacist I met today.

Early September 2021 Christmas Display at Costco
Libby's Vienna Sausage at Costco - 18 Pack
Costco Mini All American Chocolate Cake
Costco Chocolate Cake, Mini All American
Dannon Okios Tripple Zero Yogurt on sale - Costco
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Costco Eggs 24 Counts - September 2021
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Big Shoulders Smokehouse Baby Back Pork Ribs
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Thank you for the hot dog
Posted by: | August 26, 2021
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19th Costco Shopping in 2021 – $1.64 / $2205.69 this year

Friday, August 20, 2021 – Sunny and warm. Lazy day. Still working from home.

I took a quick ride to Costco for a hot dog lunch. I didn’t go inside the warehouse.

The food court was busy. The drink station was open for everyone. Catchup, mustard, & relish dispensers were back, but there was no onion. And they still had sippy cup tops instead of straws. They cut down the number of the tables by about 75%. I was lucky that I found the only empty table.

Thank you for the hot dog donation. It’s fun killing time. Yum..

Chicken Sausages at Costco
Posted by: | August 24, 2021
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| Costco Blog, Costco Product Review, Food, Household, Pet
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Article submitted by a new reader of the blog, David from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

One of the things I love about Costco is that, despite being a warehouse type store, they often manage to offer multiple options for many products.  A case in point are the chicken sausages they have for sale!

I love chicken sausages.  They taste great and have less fat and cholesterol than traditional pork and beef sausages.  When I am eating chicken sausages I can at least pretend that I am eating healthy.  By the way, they are especially great when sliced thin and used as a topping for the Costco Caesar Salad!

Costco is currently offering chicken sausages from the following brands:

  • Chef Bruce Aidells
  • Amylou
  • Sabatino’s

The sausages from all of these brands are pre-cooked and ready to eat.

Aidells’ Chicken and Apple Sausage

Bruce Aidells was a pioneer in the poultry sausage marketplace.  His brand has developed a lot of different flavors and there are a ton of great recipes on the company’s website.

I have tried lots of different Aidells products and the apple flavored sausage is one of my favorites.

Chicken Sausage Costco

Amylou’s Andouille Chicken Sausage

Amylou Foods started in 1992 out of Chicago as a side business from an existing sausage shop.

Amylou has developed a lot of interesting chicken products and even has a line of chicken bacon!

The sausage they are selling at Costco is an andouille style that is being marketed as Paleo friendly.

Sabatino’s Basil and Black Pepper Chicken Sausage

Sabatino’s is based out of California and traces its food styling origins to Palermo, Italy.
The Sabatino sausage at Costco is the Paleo friendly Basil and Black pepper flavor that they feature in this amazing recipe for Keto Corndogs!

Which of These Sausages is the Best?

I wish I could tell you that Brand XYZ is the absolute best option so I could make your shopping decision easy.

However, the reality is that all of these brands are great and the flavor profiles of the sausages are so different from each other that a Head to Head taste comparison wouldn’t make any sense.

I think it would be fun to hear what other folks think about these sausages and learn which ones are their favorites!