Woman Crush Wednesday Recap Time

March 2, 2016November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220

Can you believe it is time for another recap of our incredible infatuations of our female chefs? Yes we have had 19 super fun Woman Crush Wednesdays now, and have made some very tasty food. We have also learned a bit more about these fabulous female foodies! I did a recap of the first seven honorees back in November and here is the link if you’d like to have a peek. Then back in January, I took another gander at the next six lucky ladies that had been chosen. You can click here for the detailed synopsis.

And since then, there have been six more delicious dames and I just want to take a moment to appreciate them again. And also marvel at how I was able to keep up the weekly tradition of #WCW with all my travels through America during this time!

Rachael Ray is one of the sunniest personalities out there. You just want to wake up to a happy person like that! And when I think of waking up I think of Rachael because her Oatmeal Cookies Pancakes are so good! Click here if you’d like to bask in her sun, and maybe even look at the recipe and think, “Ah sure, I have most of those ingredients in the cupboard anyway so I think I’ll make it!” You won’t be disappointed!

I had thought a nice healthy pasta would be in order on this particular day, and lo and behold I ran across the Ellie Krieger pasta recipe that changed my world. Yes it is that good! Trust me, if you want to indulge in flavor and taste without going overboard, then make this or any of her recipes. She defo knows a think or two about smart and clean nutrition.

This was such a fun #WCW because Harper my granddaughter joined in while we did the tutorial for snapchat. We made Rachel Khoo’s puff pastry wrapped banana and chocolate recipe. Harper even got into the whole dancing around the kitchen as well. Click here to see the recipe (sorry you can’t see the dancing and singing part as the video expires in 24 hours, but you can still see my snapchat: blissbakery).

While visiting my friend in Southern California, I knew I just had to do a cooking demo with a Gaby Dalkins recipe. She is the quintessential L.A. girl! But this wasn’t just any recipe, this was the awesome Asian Chicken Slaw. It was divine and yes, I am craving it again! You’ll defo want to make it too so here is the link to whet you appetite.

Olivia Wollenberg (aka Olivia’s Kitchen) may be from London, but she has the healthy eating down pat like she’s from L.A.! Geez! I did a demo of her lovely Chocolate Chip Blondies. But they are totally guilt free! No wheat, dairy or refined sugar. My granddaughter was delighted as she doesn’t eat anything with dairy products. So having a treat that suits her dietary needs are a real treat indeed. And these keep for a week in an airtight container. Here is the link if you want to see how good, these good for you, dessert bars look!

Finally, just as Chrissy Teigen’s first cookbook was about to launch, we were making her decadent Cereal & Milk French Toast Casserole With Salted Frosted Flake Topping. Click on the link here if you’d like to see this beautiful momma to be’s #WCW story and the recipe. And with Mother’s Day in Ireland and the U.K. this weekend coming (March 6th) this would be a good time to pull it out for the day that’s in it!

Thanks so much for the support of this very popular weekly series. It sure is fun for me to recreate a recipe from one of the #WCW recipients. Long may it last!

Recappin some lady love,

YDP

P.S. In a way, today was still a #WCW as I finally met my Snap Sista Melanie Morris (her user name is: melanierjmorris). I have mentioned her before as she was the one who recommended a Foodie Fieldtrip Friday to Moon Juice in Venice. Well she kindly invited me to an evening with Image Magazine featuring a lecture on Digital Media. Hello! Need! Want! Grateful!

Foodie Fieldtrip Friday: Feeling at Home at Trader Joe’s

February 27, 2016November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220

Though I have loved living abroad the past eight years, there are indeed some things I miss about the U.S. One of them is Trader Joe’s. It is a foodie’s dream and I just had to go on a fieldtrip there while I was visiting family (the number one thing I miss about living abroad). And I even brought my darling 5 year old granddaughter Harper along for the fun and snapchatted the whole way (username: blissbakery) though the story has since expired.

Harper says her favorite thing about Trader Joe’s are the tasters! I can relate! When we went to Costco a few weeks back for Foodie Fieldtrip Friday we were in taster heaven. But the difference is that Trader Joe’s own employees work the tasting station and they often have some of their new products to sample. And then you gotta love a place that offers kids’ size shopping carts!

So what is Trader Joe’s? For those of you who don’t know and who didn’t see the snapchat tour I am delighted to share! Technically it is a grocery story, but not just any old place to shop for your dinner. With over 450 locations in the 48 contiguous states, they pride themselves on being the leader in organic and fresh foods. And 80% of the products on the shelves are their own brand.

Trader Joe’s was started by Joe Coulombe back in the 60’s in Pasadena, California. Remember the song “Little Old Lady From Pasadena”? Well the song, written by Jan and Dean was made popular by the 60’s band The Beach Boys. They made wearing a Hawaiian shirt mainstream at the time. So, it’s understandable that the classic Hawaiian shirt became Trader Joe’s uniform from then on.

Though Trader Joe’s is now owned by the German supermarket chain Aldi, they have retained their South Seas Beach-y motif. The casual atmosphere is even evident in some of their packaging and branding such as the whimsical tissue paper boxes. Yet their professionalism is prevalent through and through from the management (on duty the day we went was the friendly Chris) to the shop floor staff to the cashiers. And to keep the lines of communication going they have the infamous brass bell (which is rung by hand when customers services is needed) and the informative newsletter.

While I surely have my fav TJ’s products, I wanted to make sure I showed as much of the store as possible for the snapchat tour. It is pretty awesome to take in all the goodness available. From reasonably priced fresh flowers and produce, to ready made meals. A massive selection of frozen foods are a big draw, as are the incredible cheese and bakery selection. And my personal go to are the vitamins, healthy snacks and the wines. Yes the do have a decent cellar. And the most famous wine sold there is the “Two Buck Chuck” as it is called. I gave in to my curiosity as I had never tasted it before. Not bad, and actually better the day after it was opened.

There are many websites that tout they have the definitive list of most popular TJ’s products. I’ll let you follow this link here if you’d like. Or you can take my own word for it with this top 5 list below:

Wine- as I just mentioned. I usually go for an organic California red wine called Bonterra. In saying that, all of their wines are priced very reasonable and there is a great selection.

Nut Butters- We Americans love our peanut butter and TJ’s has everything from peanut, almond, cashew and yes cookie butter!

Frozen foods- Pretty much all of the items are amazing, but I love the chicken pot stickers, frozen waffles, Churros and Mochi ice cream!

Vitamins- There is a great selection and all very affordable. Hubby and I usually stock up when we are in the U.S. Now if I can only remember to take them once I have them at home!

Trail Mix- Hubby is a granola/protein bar person and could (and maybe did as a bachelor) live off them. But we both love the trail mixes. Any variety would suffice. But the particular tasty treat we love is the “Cashew, Almond and Dried Cranberry” Mix.

This Foodie Fieldtrip Friday reminded me of why I love Trader Joe’s so much. Great food, great quality, great selection and all at a great price. That is part of their ethos, to provide fair pricing. They can offer food at a lower price than some of their competitors because they work directly with the supplier, no middle man. But we end up benefitting from the lower price! All in all it was fun, informative and as you can see, a YUMMY Foodie Fieldtrip Friday too!

TJ Love,

YDP

Foodie Fieldtrip Friday: Moon Juice and Fun in the Sun

February 13, 2016November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220

So very grateful my Hubby flew in to L.A. from London to spend Valentine’s Day with me!!

It is wonderful and simultaneously strange to be in L.A. as a tourist. Having spent most of my life in California (though born in Chicago) growing up and then raising my own kids here, I thought I had a pretty good handle on the So Cal lifestyle. But living abroad the past 8 years, I feel like I am now navigating it for the first time. So much has changed. Yes there is more traffic and smog, and indeed some of my fav places have gone out of business or moved. But there are so many cool places that have opened since I left and I have been enjoying exploring them all.

One of the aspects of Los Angeles I’ve always admired is that it is certainly on the cutting edge for the latest and greatest health fads. Because of the hot and sunny weather nearly 365 days of the year, people dress accordingly. And when you are in shorts and tank tops, you do want to look your best. Since health comes from the inside out, Angelenos (as they are called) are always finding ways to nourish their human tank with clean eating, exercise and various stress busters. I mean, think Raw Food, Hot Yoga and deep tissue massage and that is the embodiment of many in “LA-LA Land”!

So for this week’s Foodie Fieldtrip Friday, a nice visit to a trendy place called Moon Juice fit the bill perfectly! I hadn’t heard of it before, but a lovely snapchat note from Melanie Morris peeked my interest and I decided it was a great one to check out along with a lil tour of Venice Beach (always a hoot with the various things going on down there). And of course, my snapchat buds came along for the tour (username: blissbakery).

While I am quite familiar with juice bars, as Jamba Juice was a hit when I still lived here, Moon Juice is another whole ball of wax. With two locations (their other store is in Silver Lake), they sell totally organic products. Their juices are also cold pressed. However, according to the founder Amanda Chantal Bacon, Moon Juice is actually a lifestyle shift. A way to use food as a healing element. With beauty foods and high powered natural remedies, this isn’t your average stop for a quick O.J.! They even have glass vials of detoxifying minerals from the sea that you crack open and throw down like a shot of Tequila (only better for you, duh).

Yet one look at Amanda and her incredible glow and you feel like you want some of that in your life! Gwenyth Paltrow and other celebs seem to as well! But when I saw the price of one juice from the Rose Avenue flagship store I wondered, is this really the nectar of the gods or just hype? One sip and I was hooked. No joke, this was the most incredible green smoothie I have ever tasted!

Though I love, love, loved my Greens Shake smoothie (with celery, kale, spinach, parsley, dandelion and a frozen banana), Hubby opted for a Vanilla, Fig and Almond smoothie. And since I was doing some research I just had to help him with it! It was like a dessert it was so good, but the description sounded like it was miracle worker: Alkaline/Mineralized Oxygenated water, Turkish figs, unpasteurized activated California almonds, Lukuma, honey, vanilla bean, and pink salt. Each of our smoothies promised their own perfect prescription. In a nutshell, mine was meant to be an energy provider, joy promoter and a detoxifier. Hubby’s was an alkalizer and mineralizer. Both oozed “good for you” gorgeousness, but they weren’t easy on the pocketbook. I’m talking $10 and $14 respectively! Ouch! But as the saying goes, “your health is your wealth” and better to spend your money on good, clean healthy food now then on doctors and meds down the road.

The other thing on offer at Moon Juice is an array of little snacks. They even had a taster to help whet your appetite. And I love my tasters! Remember on one of my other Foodie Fieldtrip Fridays I went to Costco and that place is taster heaven. But THESE tasters at Moon Juice are nearly medicinal because they are so healthy! This one had “Activated Hazelnut, Mulberry and Cacao”. They also have a wide range of dehydrated fruits and veg which make great lo-cal, high nutrient nibbles. The menu is brilliant as it outlines which elements in each juice or snack are meant to help what areas of your well being. I like to think rather than a menu, it is a map through a gourmet galaxy to Moon Juice Heaven!

I left with a lil treat besides my smoothie, some chocolate candy! Hey before you judge, remember this place is healthy! Not only did they taste AMAZING, these chocolate treats are also good for you! They are made with coconut oil and nut butter! Like a healthy Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup! Yummy!

With so many things going on in L.A. over the President’s Day holiday weekend (Valentine’s Day, the L.A. Marathon, the Grammy Awards and a PGA golf tournament), Venice Beach was buzzing! Sure it is a tourist destination, but it is also favored by local basketball players (and was featured in the movie White Men Can’t Jump), surfers, artists and lately, LA headquarters of tech companies such as Google and Snapchat. But it is probably best known as the birthplace of Muscle Beach which started the weightlifting and fitness craze in California in the mid 1930’s. Former California Governor and action film star Arnold Schwarzenegger used to work out here as well! Besides the weightlifting area there is a stage and grandstand that serves as the body building competition arena. And some passers by like to have a pic there, but uh not me. Nope, not on the workout train at the moment! LOL! Just the foodie train!

The crowds on the boardwalk (the ones not whizzing by on bikes or rollerblades) were treated to a fun music and dance show. And this one particular dancer not only busted a move, but was also a contortionist. He twisted his body into all sorts of positions whilst keeping up the beat to a Michael Jackson song! And of course besides all the tattoo and piercing shops scattered around, there is also a bit of shopping available, though nothing caught my fancy.

After all the vitamins (the ones in the smoothie and the vitamin D from the sun) my Hubby decided a real decadent treat was in order! But it was sweet because it was getting us in the mood for Valentine’s Day! All in all, it was a wonderful day of exploring a new place, and reconnecting with a corner of our old home town.

Love you to the moon and back,

YDP

Foodie Fieldtrip Friday: Double Header

February 5, 2016November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220

When I lived in Los Angeles, we had a tradition of attending at least one L.A. Dodgers baseball game each season. I often heard of the phrase “Double Header” but never actually went to one. Well, for today’s Foodie Fieldtrip Friday, I got the chance to do so. Even if there wasn’t a baseball in sight, I got to experience double the foodie fun while taking my snapchat buddies along with me (my username is blissbakery if you want to check it out for yourself).

On this typical hot and sunny day, I braved the per usual traffic and unearthed two cool places that weren’t yet opened when I lived here. The first stop on the tour was Fo-nuts a donut shop with a twist. It opened five years ago and carries only baked donuts, nothing fried. And bonus they also have gluten free and vegan donuts as well, hello healthy friends! Not only that, but they are known to have some of the best coffee in all of L.A.! Though it was so warm I opted for iced coffee to accompany my two tasty treats.

Strawberry Buttermilk and Red Velvet Fo-nuts!

I have never seen savory donuts and they make them as well. On offer today was a rosemary fonut and also a chorizo one as well. The selection of fresh fonuts was so massive I had a hard time choosing which one to get. There was even a sweet/savory combo fount of Maple Bacon with actual pieces of bacon on top! Yum! But you know me I like the sweet stuff, so in the end, I opted for one of my all time favorite flavors, red velvet. And I took the recommendation of another customer who said the Strawberry Buttermilk was to die for, and indeed it was! So moist!. You don’t miss that frying oil at all with these healthy baked goodies. Apparently, though this location is their only store front, Fo-nuts sells to many other food establishments. Hence their name, product and brand have seen much success, especially with Hollywood types that want a treat without the guilt! The lovely staff member that served me was super friendly and helpful and they offer free wifi. Very handy when you are trying to snap along the way!

It may seem a bit random to say, but I love the whimsical nature of the shop. Not only the name, but also the fact that they have decor pieces (like a large white old fashioned oven just when you walk in the door) and fun wording on signage that brings a smile to your face. It is nice in an often stressful world, that we can find a slice of sweetness (literally and figuratively) in a bakery as fab as Fo-nuts!

The next stop was literally across the road on 3rd Street in West Hollywood. The Sweetgreen salad shop is a fast food joint turned upside down. Yes, it is fast, yes it is a well oiled machine. But it is absolutely clean, real food, put together by hand in clever and creative ways. If you remember from Salad Scentral Week (where I made a different salad recipe every day) I shared with you how much I love salads. But Sweetgreen, had it been opened when I still lived in L.A. eight years ago, would have been my uber fav place. And like Fo-nuts the selection was massive. The menu at Sweetgreen is seasonal, and even in hot and sunny L.A. where you think you can get anything anytime of year, they are mindful of airline miles on their ingredients. I had considered ordering a “Hollywood Bowl” Salad with organic chicken and kale. Instead, I got a Grapefruit, Avocado and Shrimp salad to go (as I wanted to continue the sightseeing) but it made for a fun picnic in the rental car later in the day.

It was an outstandingly fresh and vibrant salad and I loved the creamy chunks of avocado (perfectly ripened) and the zingy grapefruit expertly segmented with no trace at all of the white pithy bit. It was served on a bed of arugula (called rocket over in Ireland and the U.K.) and the server asked if I wanted my dressing applied light, medium or heavy before she whisked the salad up in a big bowl. Wow, my kind of service. And PS they even had tasters. As I mentioned in the Foodie Fieldtrip Friday two weeks ago when I visited Costco, tasters are proven to be an effective way to get people to purchase the products! Not that I needed any help mind you!

A while back I did a post on YDP’s best of short list of Los Angeles. It is interesting to go back over it again, myself, now that I am here in L.A. I am kind of getting to be a tourist in what was once my home. And though I am pretty darn happy with all the recommendations on this list, I think I might have to add Fo-nuts and Sweetgreen to the list now too! Nice satisfying food for the belly, without the guilt! Which means more energy to bop around Hollywood for some sightseeing!

Healthy Happy Love,

YDP

Foodie Fieldtrip Friday: Rocky Mountain Style

February 1, 2016November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220

It is so exciting to finally share my long time love of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. I took my snapchat friends on a tour of one of the local franchises in Washington State while I am here visiting my family. For years I have enjoyed the fruits of their labor. Going to Mammoth each year for a skiing holiday, we would often stop by the local RMCF there and pick up some gourmet chocolate apples. It was a slightly less guilty pleasure because, hello, an apple a day, right?

These apples are ginormous. You can buy them as is, or the will slice them for you to make them easier to eat. Their flavors range from traditional (apple on a stick dipped in some caramel) to the glorious gourmet fav of mine, snickers! Yep, an apple on a stick dipped in caramel, then chocolate then rolled in chopped up snickers candy bars. Wowza! But they have some with M&Ms on them, or nuts, or chocolate chips. Everything and anything you can think of. They even have an apple pie caramel apple. It is dipped in caramel then dipped in white chocolate then rolled in a lovely powder consisting of cinnamon and apple pie spice. Now I see why they offer to slice up the apples. This way, when you go with a friend, you can each have tastes of the others, which makes it easier to share the love.

Which brings me to the point, some people like to just bite their caramel apples with their teeth tucking in with gusto. Others prefer to eat it after it has been cut into slices. Which camp are you? I asked that question on my Istagram this summer when I was here visiting my family. I picked up some of the gourmet apples from RMCF for the 4th of July and sliced some and the others, well let’s just say I tucked in with full gusto!

Even though my fav are the apples, they also have loads of other chocolatey treats. They make chocolate dipped strawberries, chocolate dipped marshmallows on a stick, chocolate dipped Twinkies, chocolate dipped pretzel sticks, a variety of chocolate truffles, chocolate bark, and caramel and nut clusters called turtles. They make great gifts for Valentine’s Day of course (hint, hint it is just around the corner folks), Mother’s Day, Graduation and my personal fav, Wedding Day Favors. How cute would it be to have either chocolate covered strawberries or chocolate covered apples on your special day? Surely your guests will leave feeling the sweet love!

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is no longer just in Rocky Mountain territory folks! Though founded in 1981 by Franklin Crail in Durango, Colorado, it is now an international and publicly traded company. With franchises as far as the Middle East and Asia, I think it is high time that there is one in the European Union! Judging by the response to my snapchat Foodie Fieldtrip Friday, I think my Irish friends would especially appreciate a location there! They were drooling on their mobile devices watching all the gorgeous treats I showed them. Some of the products are made at the 53,000 sq ft factory in Durango and then shipped in refrigerated trucks. Yet, some items are indeed made at the individual stores, such as the apples. Using traditional methods and tools like copper pots and marble slabs and only with premium quality ingredients it is a feast for the eyes. Here is a before and after, and though I love me some shiny green apples, I think these dipped ones are really up my alley! Yummers!

I really admire Mr. Crail’s business ethos and this short article which you can read here gives you a little glimpse into his sweet success. What strikes me the most is the notion of giving the customer an experience. When they walk into a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Shop not only do they smell the gorgeous chocolate, they are often treated to a free sample, and they get to watch some magic happen. People do enjoy seeing the process of how the products are made. And this is what sets RMCF apart from other “candy” stores. Mr. Crail did initially think about opening a See’s Candy store when he moved from California to Colorado. But since they didn’t do franchising, he started his own chocolate heaven. And it seems to me that he is savoring that savvy decision.

Well done to everyone involved in Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. It has been one of our family traditions for years. Now I just need to win the lottery and open a franchise in Dublin and chances are, all my friends will be out the door enjoying the tasty treats!

Chocolate Dipped Love,

YDP

Recipe: A Winter Warmer

January 26, 2016November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220

Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy some tasty food with pumpkin as a key ingredient. I have shared several recipes with you here, here, here, here, here and here, which might indicate an appreciation of my fav squash. I was reminded of the love affair Americans have with the orange gourd when I roamed the aisles of Costco on our last Foodie Fieldtrip Friday. Just to mention a few, I saw pumpkin granola, pumpkin bread and pumpkin soup.

Out for a chilly walk today with my grand baby Hope

And since it is pretty darn cold here (0 celcius/32 F) the later sounds pretty darn good! My daughter is known to whip up a batch of her famous turkey pumpkin chili, which is even better than soup. Hearty, filling and since it is made with ground turkey, it’s light, low in fat and super high in protein (perfect for all of you with New Year, New You resolutions). But since she is up to her ears at the moment with the babies and getting a masters degree, and since I was in town visiting, I decided put this together real quick like!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped, chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound ground white or dark meat turkey
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée or fresh pumpkin roasted and pureed
1 cup water or stock
1 tablespoon chili powder (I only put in 1 tsp to make it kid friendly)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and add beans. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes more. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.

This is a great meal to prepare in advance and even tastes better the next day as the flavors have time to marinate. And though it is super easy to make, if you are having guests they’re likely to think you spent hours slaving away over a hot stove! You can use canned pumpkin, which is usually available in the supermarket, or you can roast off a fresh pumpkin (or any another type of squash) and puree it in a food processor. In fact, my daughter had some pumpkin puree she had made and then froze. A quick defrost and we were ready to rock and roll.

My other granddaughter Harper at her first gymnastics competition

It was fortuitous that I made the Turkey Pumpkin Chili early in the day. My granddaughter Harper has gymnastics on Mondays after school. By the time we got home from that we were both starved and ready to eat. I worked up an appetite just watching her navigate the balance beam and uneven bars! So this chili was a blessing! I guess we weren’t the only ones in the family having some chili. My daughter in law also made some Turkey Chili (sans pumpkin) and posted it to her blog! All in the Chili Fam for winter warmer meals!

Warm and Toasty Love,

YDP

Foodie Fieldtrip Friday Supersized!

January 24, 2016November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220 ~ 1 Comment

Besides Wednesdays and our Woman Crushes, Friday is my next favorite day because of the F-cubed (Foodie Fieldtrip Friday). I love to go on gourmet archeological digs looking for anything and everything that has to do with food! Because it’s the first Friday since I arrived in America, I thought what would be the most iconic foodie fieldtrip to take? And of course a visit to Costco Wholesale Market seemed like the best thing to do. A super sized warehouse filled with food and more! Just a few short weeks ago, we were in Copenhagen eating at the two Michelin Stars restaurant Geranium. But the cool thing about these little culinary expeditions is to see all sides of the food world. And of course I brought along my snapchat friends (username: blissbakery). But the best accompaniments for this journey were my girls! Heather, Harper and Hope joined along for our big adventure.

Costco opened its first warehouse in Seattle, Washington in 1983, but the birth of warehouse shopping began in 1976 in San Diego, California. Price Club, as it was known, eventually merged with Costco in 1993, and this new company has grown to 689 warehouses around the world! Although primarily in the United States and Canada, you can now find a Costco in places such as Spain and Japan! The business model is pretty simple, low prices on high volume of products, usually bulk packed, which suit a large family or business. And with a mandatory yearly membership fee, there is built in customer loyalty.

Though this was a foodie fieldtrip, I couldn’t help but share a bit about the other aspects of Costco. They sell everything from clothes, books, electronics, furniture, exercise equipment and even tires. Having a party? No problem, they’ve got the food, drink, ice and a place for your guests to sit to go with it all! Their ethos is simple, ” Costco is known for offering low-price, limited-selection ‘retail treasure hunts’, where ‘one’s shopping cart could contain a $50,000 diamond ring resting on top of a 64-ounce vat of mayonnaise.'” That is a funny visual! So long as the ring doesn’t fall into the vat of mayo! And of course my fav juxtaposition was the exercise equipment for sale next to the ginormous food area! But with all the tasty samples of food offered, we might need to burn off a few calories!

My granddaughter on her tippy toes to see what is on tasting today at Costco!

The vastness of the food area cannot be emphasized. But what is brilliant is that to prevent overwhelm (as in, so many choices where does one start) they offer tasters of everything! Literally you could go in at noontime and leave not needing to eat your own packed brown bag lunch! But there is a method behind the madness. This article in the Atlantic spells out the psychology behind Costco’s food offerings. Having managed a gourmet fresh food store in Dublin for a number of years, I was all about tasters. While mine were fancier than Costco’s, I remember the “tasting culture” as we called it in work. It makes a difference to sales to offer product demonstration (free samples) as there can be as much as a 2000% boost in sales! YUM! Perfect example, on our little Foodie Fieldtrip Friday, I walked out buying a loaf of bread I didn’t need, but couldn’t live without! S’Mores Bread!!!!!

They carry ethnic foods, special dietary foods (such as gluten free), and my fav, they carry some key Irish brands like Guinness and Kerrygold! As you know from my story on here before, I love my Kerrygold butter! And my Hubby is addicted to all kinds of bars as meal replacement. At Costco, you can get a year supply in one trip!

With all the goodies you end up getting, you kinda need a super sized shopping cart! Or you can opt for a flatbed dolly/trolly! Which makes getting in line at the cash registers (tills) a bit tricky, but with all those tasters no one complains. Their blood sugar levels are all good and most folks just chill out! And if you buy ginormous bags of coffee beans, they offer grinders just past the check out counters. Good thinking Costco!

While this kind of shopping isn’t for everyone, it is fascinating to see what it is all about. For families, it can be a real savings to stock up on these large bulk items. Because Costco doesn’t spend loads on fancy displays (everything comes in on wooden pallets and that is how they are displayed) that gets passed on to the customers in lower prices. As well, Costco is meant to be one of the best places to work compared to other giant discount chains (I’m not naming names) as 85% of their workers do have health insurance and earn a much better wage. But even a household of only two people such as my aunt and uncle can benefit from Costco by purchasing the gas/petrol for their cars, buying a new computer or even getting a quick bite to eat at their little cafe. If you like hot dogs like they do, who could pass up a giant one (with a drink) for only $1.50?

While the American stereotype of Supersize isn’t always the most glamorous or flattering, in the case of Costco, I think it is awesome! It was really fun to explore from a different vantage point having lived abroad now for the past eight years. And from the looks of the comments I received from my snapchat followers, they enjoyed it too!

With Supersized Love!

YDP

Yankee Doodle Paddy

America + Ireland = LOVE

Foodie Fieldtrip Friday