I received my Costco (Anywhere Visa® Card) Citi rewards certificate. This certificate is not to be confused with Costco executive membership 2% reward certificate. They sent me the certificate via email and I redeemed it at Costco customer service by showing the email barcode on my iPhone.
They distribute reward certificates after your February statements are closed. You should receive yours by March.
Please note: If you are a Costco Executive Member, you will also receive an Executive Membership 2% Reward certificate. They distributed executive membership rewards via the mail two months prior to your annual renewal month.
9th Costco Shopping in 2020 – $153.38 today / $614.22 this year Member Only Savings – $35 today / $125 this year
Kirkland Signature’s Atlantic Salmon (#46340) is a handy food item that I wish to keep in my freezer all the time. A 3-pound bag is currently on sale for $5 off (Feb 2020). They are individually wrapped and frozen to accommodate people like me who don’t live next door to a fish market. For the next several months, I will have salmon whenever I want. I always buy them when they are on sale. One bag has 7 portions of salmon. So one piece of salmon is $3.12. Now, steam up some vegetables, and you have a good meal. It’s Kirkland Signature quality, money-saving, healthy, and you can avoid going to the restaurant.
FYI: I HATE restaurants, mainly because they give me bad tables. I will eat out more often if they stop sitting me by the toilets. Don’t get me started.
They recommend us to thaw frozen salmon by unwrapping it first and place it in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours. But I often put it in cold water while it’s still in the wrapper for a quick thaw. Personally, I cannot tell the difference in how I thaw it.
Below is cooking instruction from the package.
Bake: Heat oven to 400 F. Place in a well-oiled baking dish. Bake portions for 10 to 12 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 F.
Grill: Heat grill to medium-high. Place on a well-oiled grill and cook for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, turning once, or until internal temperature reaches 145 F.
Microwave: Remove thawed salmon from packaging. Place in a microwave-safe dish that has been lightly coated with oil or cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and peel back one corner to allow steam to escape. Microwave at high power 4 to 5 minutes, turning once. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 145 F. Remove from microwave and let sit for 3 to 4 minutes before serving.
“I heard you bring a coffee mug warmer to meetings,” a female colleague of mine said with a goofy smile.
But how? How does she know about my coffee mug warmer? and why is that even a topic? How did that topic come about? Is there a group of people at work making fun of me all the time?
My team likes to make fun of people. As a king of nick-names, I came up with classic nick-names such as Mr. Failure, Shirley Temple, dirty hands, penguin, Allergic to Money,… Karma was finally catching up on me, I thought.
I go to daily stand-up (meeting) every morning to report my work progress and to hear from other departments on their progress and forecasts. There are over ten people in the meeting. Some of us bring coffee, tea, and water. I bring coffee, but I also bring a coffee mug warmer. It’s a beautiful vintage cast iron coffee mug warmer, that I paid one Dollar at a garage sale. The meeting is 30 minutes long. To me, it only makes sense to keep my coffee hot. It would be stupid not to bring a coffee mug warmer to a meeting. You are with me on this, yes?… yes??…
Well, I will not drink lukewarm coffee like a savage.
Conference room – meeting in session.
Anyway, nobody said anything about my coffee mug warmer at the meeting. They didn’t seem to care. Then a female colleague who doesn’t belong to the daily stand-up, pointed out that I bring a coffee mug warmer to meetings. How crazy is that?
“Who told you?” I freaked out. “R told me right after he came back from the meeting,” she explained. “Was he making fun of me?” I asked. “No, he thought it was cool,” she replied. “Mm… OK,” I rolled my eyes.
I don’t care what people say about me. I am my own person. I know I am a little different and it entertains people around me. I enjoy being that person. It’s just… I thought it was fascinating to be reminded that people watch me and they talk about me. Also, there is no topic too small. After seeing my coffee mug warmer, R couldn’t wait to tell his office mate. My coffee mug warmer made an impression on him. Who knew?
I don’t know why, but a few days later, I still think about that boring episode. So much so that I had to write about it. Hence, here’s another boring story. Hahaha.
8th Costco Shopping in 2020 – $115.96 today / $460.84 this year Member Only Savings – $22 today / $90 this year
Instant savings saved $22. Costco’s member-only savings is a major part of my Costco shopping habit. I often hold out on some purchases, hoping they will be on sale.
Costco Basil Pesto (#990551) was not on sale. The last time I saw these on sale was 2 years ago (2018) for $3 off. The next time I see them on sale, I shall buy 4 bottles. They are very good and they also freeze well. I think they can last over a year. Combined with pasta from Costco, I can enjoy excellent quality pesto at any random moment.
I bought a bag of Kirkland Signature Atlantic Salmon (#46340 $21.99 after $5 saving). Each bag contains about 7-8 individually vacuum-packed salmons. They are so good and so fancy. I should buy one more bag before the sale ends.
CJ Bibigo steamed Dumplings are quick and fun (#107699 $7.99 after $4 saving). It takes only 3 minutes to prepare. There are 6 tiny dumplings packed as a unit (see picture). A Chinese coworker told me he didn’t like these dumplings. I would love to try homemade authentic Chinese dumplings.
I switched from organic eggs to non-organic.
Just how good are authentic homemade Chinese dumplings, anyway? How will I ever know? Sometimes I feel like I’m missing out on too many things in life.
7th Costco Shopping in 2020 – $9.83 today / $344.88 this year
My favorite colleague came to work really late today. I figured she was not having a good day. So I made a Costco run and got an Acai Bowl for her. This made her feel better.
I worked 11 hours today. So, I treated myself to a Caesar Salad. Costco’s Caesar salad is a guaranteed good meal. The trick is to eat the least amount of dressing possible or completely avoid the dressing. The chicken seemed to contain a lot of salt. And I don’t see anything good about croutons.
Cauliflower Bites: have no discrimination at multiple parties. Absolutely everyone of all ages have loved them. I’ve had noses snubbed, and then eyebrows turned UP after the first bite. Children to 80+ year old’s couldn’t get enough.
Mix Sriracha, mayonnaise and ranch together to a consistency of dipping sauce to your taste. I found the older they are the more sriracha.
It is frozen in single nest bundles. I tried them last night with Costco chicken tender’s w/ my own Marsala sauce. You should try them. It takes a lot of work out of making your own as I do. I also bought a bag of fresh zucchini, it is within pounds of each other and dollars. Only suggestion is to cook them at a higher heat with lid cracked to release steam. I will try this next time.
You pan sear on one side, get’s a little brown and flip. Cut larger pieces in half to cook evenly.
