Tag Archives: costco

Make dad feel like a king with ribeye crown steaks

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On Father’s Day, dads grill steaks. So why not give dad a gift of premium beef that he can enjoy at leisure?

unnamed-2We sampled the ribeye crown from Omaha Steaks Private Reserve, with packages starting at $59.99. The steaks arrive in individual frozen portions so you can treat a crowd or treat yourself.

The ribeye crown is the smaller part of the steak that sits atop the eye of the rib. It’s beautifully marbled, so the steak is tender. And it’s aged for at least 28 days, which enhances the rich flavor. I appreciate that it’s a manageable 5-ounce portion, a serving that is satisfying yet doesn’t tempt me to overindulge. (The ribeyes also are available in 7-ounce cuts.)

IMG_5539The beef is the star of the show, so I focus on great supporting players: a yellow onion, sliced thin and cooked long and low with a smidge of olive oil until it caramelizes. Bring it home with a red wine reduction. For a bit of crunch, I grab a leftover ear of corn from a previous go-round on the grill, take a knife to the cob and sprinkle the kernels over the steak and onions.

IMG_5546It’s a simple, lovely dish, so I pick a table setting that is equally simple. This steak deserves more than a paper plate, so I serve it on a  Royal Doulton dinner plate in the Oxford Black pattern that is embellished with slender rings of black and gold. I further celebrate my repast with a white linen napkin in Grandmom’s silver napkin ring and pour a J.Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon from California with hints of black cherry and cocoa. We discovered the wine on Christmas Eve in Salamanca, New York, in the form of a generous pour from Shelley Finn, a childhood friend of my hosts who was home for the holiday from Buffalo. (Back in Delaware, I pick it up at Costco.)

A great steak, velvety red wine and a pretty table. Hey, we’re living.

You can send Omaha Steaks to wherever dad lives and you don’t have to wait for a special occasion. The beef arrives in a styrofoam cooler that dad can repurpose for brewskis.

Read all about it. Even the fine print.

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We’re supposed to read the fine print, right? But what if we can’t?

IMG_2327I don’t know what I would do without my reading glasses, the specs that help me decipher a menu, get a grip on price tags, digest text messages and enjoy a novel.

Here’s the fine print: all reading glasses are not created equal. The specs from various dollar stores are cheap, so no worries when you misplace them. But they fall apart, lack balance and often are uncomfortable. So I usually spend a little more and buy a three-pack from Costco. But they aren’t as stylish as I would like.

Enter Readers.com, a seller of quality, fashionable eyewear. They are light, with spring temples that offer a good fit. And there are lots of super cute styles to choose from in both readers and sunglasses, the better for beach reading. There are 14 power options, including quite a few you won’t find at the dollar store.
The folks from Readers.com sent me two pairs to try out. I am wearing a pair from the new garden collection as I write, with a muted floral design called Bouquet in a matte plastic finish. They are comfy, well-fitting and don’t slide down my nose.

The MSRP is $19.95, but there are codes on the website that offer discounts starting at 15 percent off. To take 40 percent off any one item enter HAPPYWALLET40. The deal expires Aug. 31.

A farmers market, 365 days a year

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I like to shop at farmers markets that sprout in a designated place one special day a week, then disappear until the next time the following week.

But often I missed my chance because the market’s schedule did not coincide with my own.

This afternoon I shopped at the 7 Day Farmers Market that opened in December in a former Pathmark on Lancaster Pike in Wilmington.

IMG_0722There’s no website and no promotions besides the big banner on the store. Still, shoppers are flocking to the store, which is open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday.

What you will find is a wide variety of fresh produce, ethnic foods, and dried herbs in bulk,  in addition to the traditional canned goods and frozen foods shoppers would have bought at the old Pathmark.

A number of former Pathmark employees found new jobs at the market and offer friendly, helpful service. Witness Scott, the enterprising and pleasant staffer who rounded up various options in quinoa from the organic and grains sections for me to compare. The  cashier invited me to take a free bag of clementines with me as I exited the store.

I enjoyed the variety of fresh produce, popping a container of hard-to-find Matari mushrooms into the cart. There are mounds of cactus leaves, bushels of beets and such mysterious vegetables as gray squash.

Prices on fruits and veggies trend lower than at traditional grocers. I paid 49 cents a pound for sweet potatoes, compared to $1.99 a pound at Acme. That said, some prices for non-perishables are higher. Costco wins hands down for the least expensive quinoa around.