Friday, September 13, 2013

Fabulous Friday's Food Finds...

I decided that I'd like to start posting and sharing some of my interesting "food finds" as I come across them. I usually post about them along with a recipe post and they probably tend to get lost in the shuffle. This past week I came across a couple new things at Costco that I hadn't seen before. I have been looking for the avocado oil that others have mentioned finding at their Costco, so I've been checking each time I go...and so far my Costco hasn't started carrying it yet. I did run across hazelnuts there for the first time a couple weeks ago, and was so excited since they can be hard to find (they were $10.99 for a 2-pound bag). I've used them twice now in a couple different recipes...my Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Bars and my Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies and I really love their nutty flavor when lightly roasted.  This past week, my Costco began carrying Pink Himalayan Sea Salt in a grinder for $4.79 for a 1-pound jar which is a great price! I prefer using Celtic sea salt or Pink Himalayan salt because they haven't been stripped of all their trace minerals the way regular table salt has been. Here is an interesting article that I read about Celtic Salt and Himalayan Sea Salt from "GreenMedInfo" if you are interested in learning about their benefits:  Real Salt, Celitc Salt and Himalayan Salt.  Amazon carries the exact same pink Himalayan salt, at about twice the price -- but is a great option if you don't belong to Costco. I also recently found a big jar of capers at my Costco (if you like those) for $5.99 for a jar holding a little over 2 pounds -- which is about the price I pay for a teeny weeny jar in the grocery store. I'm going to start using them in other recipes, too, since I've acquired a liking for their little salty snappy flavor that they add. Well...these are just a few of my more recent "Fabulous Friday's Food Finds" that I thought I'd share with you. I snapped a few photos below. Enjoy!




10 comments:

Patricia said...

I love finding new products too! Those are fantastic finds! I will keep an eye out for those at my Costco. Such reasonable prices for the salt and capers! I love capers too. So delicious with a lemon butter caper sauce on fish or chicken! Thanks for posting--I really enjoy finding new recommended products.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks, Patricia! I shop there almost every week and there are certain items they pretty much always carry and then many others they just get in for a short time. I was excited about the salt find -- have never seen it at my Costco before. Have you noticed they already have their Christmas stuff out? LOL :-)

CyberSis said...

Hi GGC,

Thanks for your FFFF's. The hazelnuts & avocado oil haven't showed up at our Costco yet. We've been using the pink Himalayan salt for a couple of years. We get a 2lb-3oz bag from a local health food store for $9.39, which isn't too bad. I'd like to get the chunky kind in the grinder for the table ... it looks so pretty :-) I'll look for it at Costco next time we're down that way. Thanks for the tip!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I love this salt too! My Costco has all their Christmas stuff out too which is really strange considering the temps have been in the upper 90's in the Dallas area! Wanted to let you know honeyville has a great little 15 percent off sale on all their products and I know I couldn't live without their almond flour!! Take care. Happy weekend!! Maria

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi CyberSis! That's a great price on your pink Himalayan salt! I paid probably about $5.00 for a very small bottle somewhere (can't remember) -- so was excited to see this one at Costco. Funny how our different Costco's in different areas carry a few different items -- you would think they would all be the same, but maybe the cater a bit to the area/state that the store is in. Hope you have a great weekend! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Maria! Wow, Christmas stuff when your temps are in the 90s must be kind of strange! LOL I didn't know about the Honeyville sale -- I will check it out to see how long it's running and add that to my blog post to let others know! Thanks for THAT great tip! Happy weekend to you too! :-)

Patricia said...

No i didn't notice the Christmas stuff but I was zoned in on exactly what I had to get! That's amazing though! Have you ever tried the Amylu products? They used to have the Amylu andouille sausages that were made from all breast meat that were fabulous. Now they carry the gouda and apple ones and they are pretty good but not as good as the spicy andouille ones. If you ever want to try them, i got this from the amylu website:

100% natural — no nitrites, no nitrates, no added MSG, no preservatives, no artificial anything
100% fresh boneless, skinless breast and thigh meat
Gluten free
Low in fat — high in protein — low in carbs
A premium-quality handmade texture that's beautiful to look at, and delivers a truly satisfying dining experience

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Patricia! That is just too funny -- I think we have very similar tastes! Actually yes, I have tried them -- check out my "cajun stir-fry" I made with them back in July -- I haven't seen them back since! I liked them and have one pack left in my freezer (I believe they came with 3 packages). I actually liked them a lot. I haven't seen the apple and gouda -- I will have to look for those. :-)

Becky @ Becky's Place said...

Just wanted to suggest TJ Maxx as another store where you can find Himalayan salt, as well as other types. I had bought a large jar (not sure of ounces or pound) for around $4.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks, Becky! I would never have thought to look there, but now that you mention it, I do remember they have a lot of unusual gourmet type food items there, too! Thanks for the tip -- it's a great idea for those that don't belong to Costco or have one close by! :-)