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How I make Snapdragon’s Vietnamese Pho
Posted by: | March 14, 2022
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| Costco Blog
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This is how I make Snapdragon’s Vietnamese Pho. Costco item #1529692

I have absolutely no idea how the real deal Vietnamese folks eat pho. This is how I eat it.

First of all, I don’t eat off the plastic bowl like a savage. I use a nice bowl I bought from Costco 10+ years ago. I add some garlic and onion. And I use hoisin and sriracha sauces for extra yum.

This stuff is so bad for you, but they are so good. I don’t eat like this all the time.

Making Costco Hotdog at Home
Posted by: | March 7, 2022
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| Costco Blog, Uncategorized
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It’s Sunday night (Monday morning) 1:30 AM. Since the pandemic, I have always stayed up super late on Sunday night. If I stay awake, it’s still the weekend. I shall go to bed around 3:30 AM. I have 2 more hours to enjoy.

For my weekend fun, I put together a quick video of me making a Costco hotdog at home this weekend. I am not a YouTuber, and I don’t plan to be one. I had some free time this weekend, so I took videos instead of taking photos. Also, I wanted to learn a video editing program for fun.

It was another glorious weekend. Good times.

Vacuum, freeze, and enjoy~!!

FYI: I thaw the buns and the dog before cooking. I did not put the frozen buns in the microwave oven. Everything else is self-explanatory.

3 online orders – January 2022
Posted by: | January 25, 2022
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| Costco Blog
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3 online purchases – $100.2 / $304.52 this year

I made 3 online purchases this month on the Costco website (January 2022)

I’ve been ordering Valentine’s Day flowers for the last 3-5 years, and I know for fact they deliver high-quality products. Last year, my friend texted me in March with the pictures of the roses. She said “Look they are still beautiful”

After several months of waiting, I finally went online and ordered a bottle of Kirkland Signature Shampoo. I had to pay a $3 shipping fee. But the grand total of $14.49 was still very good. Amazon is selling this exact shampoo for more than double what I paid. People buy them up and leave high ratings. This concentrated bottle will last about a year for me. I get the best value for the money. Since shampoos have one year of shelf life, I cannot buy multiple bottles and keep them long-term.

I ordered16 8×10 reprints for a photography client. I rarely take on photography gigs anymore. But sometimes people ask for small favors here and there. This person didn’t know how to print, so I did all the legwork for her and charged $200. I uploaded digital files to www.costcophotocenter.com. I got pictures delivered in a week via USPS. Costco used to be my go-to photo printer for my professional prints. Costco provides excellent photo quality.

Heart-Shaped Macarons in Costco to celebrate Valentine’s Day
Posted by: | January 24, 2022
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| Costco Blog
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Information & images provided by a visitor

Just in time for Valentine’s Day. Costco locations in the US Northeast region are carrying heart-shaped macarons.

  • Authentic French Recipe
  • Made in France
  • Naturally Gluten Free
  • Exclusive to Costco
  • Item Number: 1596806
  • Dual-Flavor Pack: Chocolate and Raspberry & Vanilla
  • Piece Count: 20 pieces per pack
  • Located in the Refrigerated Deli section
  • Currently selling in the Northeastern states, Midwestern states, as well as southern California, Southern Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico.
Costco Shopping – January, 21 2022
Posted by: | January 21, 2022
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| Costco Blog
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1st Costco Shopping in 2022 – $204.32 / $204.32 this year
Instant savings saved $35.50

I used to go to Costco 5 times a month. But, since the pandemic, I go to Costco less than once a month. I don’t know what I’m doing with my blog anymore. Mm.. anyway, we shall see.

I had a growing Costco shopping list. Also, I didn’t want to miss out on this month’s savings. I saved $35.50 from this month’s member-only savings. I bought some vitamins and supplements. And I got SPAMs.

Kirkland Signature Shampoo:
I still couldn’t find Kirkland Signature shampoo. I think they’ve been absent from my warehouse for a year or longer. At least they are now available online. I shall order one today. I will pay $3 for shipping. It’s still a very good price.

Irish Spring Soaps:
I have a nagging feeling these soaps will be on sale in a few weeks. As I said before (Nov 12, 2021), you don’t always see Irish Spring soap in Costco. In fact, you rarely see Irish Spring soaps. I usually see these soaps when they are on sale. After that, they would disappear for several months or for over a year (or longer).

I saw Irish Spring soaps today and noticed that they no longer say “Originals” on the packaging, but it reads “Original Clean”. They have changed the formula, and now each soap is 0.5 oz bigger. I hope I will like the new soap.

New Irish Spring soap at costco

After my Costco shopping, I bought a hot dog and a Cold Brew Mocha Freeze (with chocolate). The straws for the drinks were back. They no longer had sippy cup lids for the drinks. But they still didn’t have onion cranks. I parked my car in a partially shaded area and ate a hot dog. At home, nobody at my work noticed I took a long break. What the heck, so I took a nap. Zzz…

My Vitamix Routine
Posted by: | January 15, 2022
| 2 Comments
| Costco Blog
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I bought a Vitamix 5200 mixer 10 years ago at Costco. (10 years and 1 month as of now)

Since then, I’ve been using it twice a day for the last 10 years without stopping.

Without a doubt, Vitamix is the best purchase I made from Costco. This is possibly the most beneficial product I own in my life. Vitamix is expensive. And you don’t have to buy a Vitamix blender. You can buy any cheaper blender. You just need to use it every day. You need to replace junk food with fruits and vegetables.

Below is my 10 years old Vitamix routine.

To me, the blender is a chore. I don’t enjoy the taste. It takes a short time to fill my stomach with fruits and vegetables. I gulp it down fast, clean up, and move on with my life. I do it fast and cheaply. I don’t make Vitamix juice to sit down and savor the moment.

Sorry, the video is painfully long. This was my first time editing a video. Maybe I’ll get better the next time.

In real life, I make Vitamix juice and make coffee at the same time. I would have two timers going. It gets busy.

I am not a scientist, and I refused to pretend to be one (by looking up). I blindly trust that my green mix is better than most breakfasts that people eat. I blindly trust that having one of these before eating dinner is what’s keeping my weight down.

Buy at Costco.com

Vitamix blender container close up
Split Pea & Ham Soup Recipe – Kirkland Signature
Posted by: | December 16, 2021
| 18 Comments
| Costco Blog, Kitchen
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Posted: January 5, 2018

I make ham dinner for Christmas. New Year’s Day is when I enjoy split pea & ham soup. I make split pea soup with a leftover ham bone. I follow the recipe that comes with the ham.

Except, I do things a little differently. I put less ham. I don’t put salt and pepper. Ham is salty already, and I can always add salt later. When it comes to water, I put just enough amount of water to start. I would add more water as needed. Starting with less water is much better than starting with too much water – because there is no going back if you end up with thin soup. You don’t need to think too much about how much water is needed. You can just eyeball it and add more water as needed. The soup will tell you how much water is needed. 

To make the soup, you have to be the soup.

Also, I put a few bay leaves that are not in the recipe.

The soup was amazingly good. I ate half and put the other half in the freezer.

Split Pea and Ham Soup - Costco Recipe

Kirkland Signature Split Pea & Ham Soup Recipe

Split Pea & Ham Soup recipe

Makes 12-16 servings

  • 1 (16-oz) pkg. dried green split peas, sorted and rinsed
  • 2 quarts water
  • 4 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cups chopped onion
  • 2cups chopped carrots
  • 2 cups sliced celery
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 kirkland Signature Spiral Sliced Ham bone with leftover meat
  • 4 cups cubed ham (or remaining leftovers)
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  1. Place split peas and 2 quarts water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat: reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Drain
  2. Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan. Saute onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil over medium-low heat until tender  – about 10 minutes.
  3. Return the split peas to the saucepan.
  4. Add ham bone, cubed ham, 2 quarts water, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Remove cover and continue simmering until desired thickness, stirring occasionally.
  5. Remove ham bone: cut off any remaining beat. Dice meat and return to soup before serving.

Kirkland Signature Spiral Sliced Ham