Costco "secrets"

Even though we are only recently a family of three, I am a Costco junkie. I love going up and down their aisles, looking for things to fill my home with.

Here are some Costco "secrets" that I've discovered...
1. Those items ending in '.97' are clearance items. Get 'em while they last!

2. For Canadians, it's better to buy a Costco cash card in Canada and use that in the States versus using your Amex credit card. The exchange rate is slightly better but I still find it more beneficial to take cash down. That way, you determine the exchange rate  you pay. (i.e. buy American $ when the rate is good!)

3. I recently had to renew my membership. By coincidence, I happened to be shopping at the Bellingham Costco when it came up for renewal. The cost? $100. With no tax. So, factoring in the US/Canadian exchange rate AND the fact there's no HST charged, I saved!

4. The States doesn't always have better deals. I was recently comparing electronics (SD cards, external hard drives) and Canada was better.

5. In the States, they don't give you coupons at the door. You have to go to the membership desk to ask for the coupon booklet. Be careful too. If a coupon book has just ended, they only give the new ones out the following Thursday. So there's a few days there where no coupons are in play.

6. Eggs, cheese, milk, chicken and pork are so much cheaper in the States. For example: Organic brown eggs in Canada? Over 8 bucks. Down in the states? $4.50.

7. For Vancouverites that cross-border shop: the best place to buy gas is the Bellingham Meridian Costco. Line-ups are horrendous because of all the Canadians that buy, but it's worth it. For example: Current price of 87 octane in Greater Vancouver: $1.38/litre. Down at the Costco in Bellingham: $3.79/gallon.

8. Costco memberships are good all over the world!!! Handy if you happen to be traveling.

9. Finally, it pays to check out this thread before you go shopping in the Costco West stores in Canada: http://forums.redflagdeals.com/costco-west-deal-pointer-thread-1056914/#post13431334
A fellow shopper posts the latest coupon deals and even goes into the store to post photos and prices of those not advertised in their weekly flyer. I'm pretty sure he's influenced Costco sales in the West. He's even been accused of being a Costco employee (which he is not).

Cherries Galore!

I've recently come into possession of a sh*tload of cherries. I'm talking a good 10 lbs of them. I love cherries (even though I had an unfortunate reaction to them during my pregnancy) but now I have no idea what to do with them.

Yesterday I made a cherry pie from this website: http://www.joyofbaking.com/printpages/CherryPieprint.html

The result was... well, it tasted ok (my friends even went back for seconds) but I was so embarrassed. It wasn't as thick as I would have hoped and there was cherry liquid everywhere! I'm thinking the "Tapioca starch" I bought wasn't the same as "quick cooking tapioca" the recipe called for. My dad tried it and loved it. He gave it a 9 out of 10 and had three pieces. I'm thinking next time I'll find a different recipe that uses flour or starch instead of this "quick cooking tapioca" (whatever that is).

Anyway, here are some of the highlights of my cherry pie making experience:
1. I don't own a cherry pitter. However my brother-in-law Zac (who wins pie making contests!) told me that a chopstick works just as well. That way,  you can "feel" the pit before you push it through and it makes less of a mess. My experience? It went fabulously! I did get cherry juice all over the hand that was holding the cherry but a pretty simple task. Just pull off the stem, insert the chopstick into the stem end, feel around for the pit and then push.

2. The crust is key. I used the tenderflake recipe on the back of the box but instead of water, I used vodka. That's right. booze! My brother-in-laws secret to an amazing flaky crust. Sorry Zac. Secret's out!

3. Transporting a leaky pie. I'm not kidding when I tell you cherry juice was everywhere. I wasn't sure how i was going to transport it to my friend's house. Then I looked around and found an empty sushi tray. You know, one of those huge round ones? Perfect for transporting in my car. It did get a little messy but at least I didn't have cherry juice on the fabric of my car seats.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of the pie. Tonight I'm going to attempt cherry crisp so I'll be sure to snap a few then!

Chocolate cupcakes

A friend recently gave me some cupcakes that were to die for. They were a day old by the time I consumed them but they were light, fluffy and amazingly moist. I asked her for the recipe and she said it was a good ol' Martha one!
http://www.marthastewart.com/282243/one-bowl-chocolate-cupcakes

One Bowl Chocolate cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons safflower oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
   
2. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
   

Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to three days.

Failed first attempt

I was so excited about making these. To my disappointment, they turned out heavy. So heavy that both my brother and husband commented they tasted like brownies. I refused to eat them after I tried my first one as they reminded me of hockey pucks.

I begged my friend to impart some baking wisdom since this is one of the hobbies I'd like to improve upon during my mat leave. Her hints?

1. Add 1/4 cup of mayonnaise to the mix.
2. Add a bit more buttermilk (~2 tablespoons)
3. Hand mix the batter initially and only use a mixer for a couple minutes (otherwise the batter will be too glutenous)
4. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack
5. Store the cupcakes overnight in an airtight container (otherwise they'll dry out)

My next attempt to make these were foiled as I failed to check my ingredients before I started to bake. (Fundamental Lesson Pen! Sheesh.). No Flour = No Baking.

Success!

So on Thursday I bought more flour and made sure I was ready to bake Friday night. Tried the recipe again and YUM. So much better. I will admit they aren't as moist as my friends, but at least I'll eat them now!

I'll eat the one on the right, thank you very much!

Failed Attempt on top. Note the size difference