Bargain guide, week beginning December 14th

Once again, this week's biggest promotions are on baking supplies, party trays, birds ranging from the sizable to the humungous, and extraordinarily large sections of kine and swine.

At Fooducate: a great and ultra-simple recipe for roasted acorn squash (squashes, a bit of butter, a sprinkling of brown sugar: PointsPlus count of only 4 per serving)! Also, in the news: the Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission are working together to crack down on sellers of HCG diet products.

Chow.com offers an analysis of how it happened that turducken – “an ungodly Frankenbird, a multifowl mash-up with turd in the name” – came to be seen as trendy (Shorter chow.com: “Heck if we know.”), and a decidedly not suitable for workplace viewing video of Vegan Black Metal Chef's Christmas Yule Log Cake.

Serious Eats recommends a recipe for homemade Three Musketeers bars, as well as a report on what happens if you go to Cold Stone Creamery and order an ice-cream with every single mix-in they offer. (“Not something I'd shell $28.90 for again.”) And now that none of us are even slightly hungry any more, Summer Tomato offers “10 Tips for Healthy Entertaining”.

The day after tomorrow is both National Eat What You Want Day and National Chocolate Covered Anything Day, for the benefit of those of us who will indeed eat anything if it's dipped in chocolate. Sunday, the 18th, is National Roast Suckling Pig Day DO NOT GOOGLE FOR PICTURES OF THIS IF YOU ARE AN ANIMAL LOVER AS IT WILL MAKE YOU CRY AS IT DID ME. For a healthier and less emotionally wrenching option, the 19th is National Oatmeal Muffin Day. Add some chopped apple and they will be delicious.

December 14th: National Bouillabaisse Day
December 15th: National Lemon Cupcake Day
December 16th: National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
December 17th: National Maple Syrup Day
December 18th: National Roast Suckling Pig Day
December 19th: National Oatmeal Muffin Day, National Hard Candy Day
December 20th: National Fried Shrimp Day, National Sangria Day
December 21st: Kiwifruit Day (in California), National Hamburger Day

This date in 1968, Marvin Gaye's “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” hit #1 on the charts. (Every person reading this is now seeing dancing raisins.) The 17th will be the 168th anniversary of the publication of A Christmas Carol.




Albertson's:

Beef rib roast, large end, bone in, $3.97/lb (small end, $4.99/lb
Beef rib roast, boneless, $6.99/lb
Beef rib roast, WHOLE, bone in, $4.49/lb
Beef New York strip roast, bone in, $3.77/lb
Beef New York strip steaks, boneless, $6.77/lb
Beef petite sirloin roast, boneless, $7.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
Other boneless beef roasts: bottom/top round, sirloin tip, chuck, London broil, crossrib, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
93/7 ground beef, $2.69/lb
Hormel spiral ham, bone in, $1.37/lb
Cook's ham, shank portion, bone in, $1.29/lb (butt portion, $1.49/lb)
Hormel Cure 81 hams, boneless, whole or half, $3.99/lb
Albertson's whole boneless hams, $3.79/lb (half ham, still boneless, $3.99/lb
Pork loin roast, boneless, whole in bag, $2.99/lb
Pork picnic roast, bone in, $1.69/lb
Pork shoulder roast, bone in, $1.99/lb
Honeysuckle White fresh turkeys, 10-22 lbs, $1.59/lb
Butterball fresh turkeys, 10-22 lbs, $1.99/lb
Albertson's butter, $1.99
Kraft cheeses, 7-8 oz chunk or shreds, $2.99
Tillamook or Sargento cheeses, 8 oz shreds, 2/$5
Deli: Many Dietz & Watson lunchmeats and cheeses, $7.99/lb
Deli Fresh cheeses, $5.99/lb
Shannon's Deli roast or Italian beef OR “signature” turkey breast, $6.99/lb
PictSweet frozen veggies, 14-16 oz pkg, 77¢
Barilla pasta sauces, 24 oz jars, 2/$5
Barilla lasagne noodles, 8-16 oz boxes, 2/$4
Cuties clementines, 5 lb box, $2.88
Navel oranges, 99¢/lb
Whole Del Monte pineapples, 99¢/lb
Gala or Granny Smith apples, $1.49/lb
Broccoli crowns OR cauliflower, 88¢/lb
Vine tomatoes, 14 oz pkg, 2/$5


Bashas':

Beef standing rib roast, large end, $3.75/lb (small end, $4.99/lb)
Other beef roasts: top sirloin, sirloin tip, top/bottom/eye round, crossrib, chuck, rump, $3.99/lb
Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, value pack, $4.87/lb
Pork roasts: crown loin, shoulder, $2.99/lb
Cook's spiral sliced smoked hams, bone in, $1.37/lb
Hormel spiral ham, $1.99/lb
Other Hormel boneless hams: whole, half, quarter sliced, quarter sliced w/brown sugar, $3.99/lb
Leg of lamb, whole or half, $6.99/lb
Jennie-O OR Butterball fresh turkeys, tom or hen, $1.79/lb
Norbest frozen turkeys, tom or hen, 10-24 lb, 99¢/lb
Libby's veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 5/$3
Bertolli pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$5
C&W or Birds Eye frozen veggies, 10-16 oz pkg, 2/$4
Flav-R-Pac frozen veggies, 1 lb bags, 77¢
Navel oranges, 99¢/lb (organic, $1.29/lb)
Organic Gala apples, $1.69/lb
Slicing tomatoes, 79¢/lb
Fresh green beans, 85¢/lb
Cucumbers, 2/$1
Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
Red or Beauregard yams, 99¢/lb
Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 99¢ ea

Food City:

Beef crossrib steaks, boneless, value pack, $2.27/lb (roast, $2.49/lb
Pork sirloin roast, bone in, $1.39/lb
Chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in, 67¢/lb
Roma tomatoes, 4 lbs/96¢
Iceberg, 3/99¢
Cucumbers, 6/99¢
Italian squash, 2 lbs/88¢


Fry's:

Beef whole damn standing rib roast, bone in, $4.97/lb, good luck
Beef whole damn standing rib roast, bone in, tied and oven ready, $5.97/lb
Beef New York strip roast, bone in, $3.97/lb
Beef New York strip steaks, bone in, family pack, $4.97/lb
Beef chuck or bottom round roast, boneless, $3.99/lb
93/7 ground beef, $3.49/lb
Cook's half or spiral-sliced hams, bone in, $1.37/lb
Hormel Cure 81 spiral-sliced half ham, bone in, $2.99/lb
Private Selection spiral-sliced half ham, bone in, $2.69/lb
Pork crown roast OR rack of pork, $5.99/lb
Jennie-O OR Private Selection frozen turkeys, 10-20 lb, 89¢/lb
Fry's eggs, AA large, 18 ct, $1.88
Simple Truth “cage free” brown or white eggs, grade A large, dozens, 2/$5
Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.88
Kraft cheeses, 5-8 oz chunk or shreds, $2.79
Kroger butter, 2/$5
Challenge butter, $2.99
Philadelphia cream cheese, 8 oz bar, 2/$3
Kroger fruit, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
Kroger veggies, 11-15 oz cans, 5/$3
Best Foods mayonnaise incl. Light, 30 oz jars, $3.99
Kroger pickles, 24 oz jars, 2/$5
Birds Eye frozen veggies, 10-12 oz pkg, 10/$10
Kroger frozen veggies, 9-12 oz pkg, 10/$10
Navel oranges, 13 lb box, $8.88 (68¢/lb)
Whole pineapples, 99¢ ea
“Cuties” clementines, 3 lb bag, $3.99
Apples: Cameo, Rome, Granny Smith, 99¢/lb
Red grapefruit, 8 lb bag, $4.99
Red or gold yams, 99¢/lb
Nature Sweet cherry tomatoes, 10 oz box, $3.99 and get a box of Sunburst cherry tomatoes free





Safeway:

Beef ribeye roast, bone in, whole in bag, $4.77/lb
Beef London broil, boneless, value pack, $2.49/lb
Beef tenderloin, boneless, whole in bag, $10.99/lb
Safeway hams, whole or shank portion, bone in, 99¢/lb (rump portion $1.19/lb)
Safeway Select spiral-sliced half ham, bone in, $2.29/lb
Pork loin, boneless, whole in bag, $1.99/lb
Pork tenderloin, boneless, whole in bag, $4.79/lb
Open Nature leg of lamb, “semi boneless”, $6.99/lb
Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
Dairy Glen or Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.57
Lucerne cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, 2/$5
Philadelphia cream cheese, 8 oz bar or tub, 2/$4
Barilla pasta sauces, 24 oz jars, 2/$4
Barilla lasagne, 8-16 oz box, 2/$4
Mt. Olive pickles, 24 oz jars, buy 1 get 1 free, still PointsPlus free
Healthy Choice frozen entrees, 4/$10
Open Nature wide pan bread, 24 oz loaves, 2/$5
Whole pineapples, $2.99
Cranberries, 12 oz bag, 2/$5
Broccoli crowns OR cauliflower, 99¢/lb
English cucumbers, 10/$10
“Mayan Sweet” yellow onions, 89¢/lb
Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
Beauregard yams, 99¢/lb


Smart & Final:

Farmer John spiral-sliced hams, whole or half, $1.47 (with $25 minimum purchase)
Gold Wrap whole hams, $1.47/lb (with $25 minimum purchase)
Farmer John pork shoulder picnic roast, bone in, $1.29/lb
First Street frozen turkeys, 12-22 lb, 99¢/lb
Zacky Farms fresh turkeys, 12-20 lb, $1.49/lb
Foster Farms whole chickens, 79¢/lb
First Street butter, $1.99
Del Monte veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 89¢ ea
Navel oranges, 5 lb bag, $1.95 (39¢/lb)
Whole pineapples, $1.49 ea


Sprouts:

Beef standing rib roast, "presidential cut", $5.99/lb
Beef chuck roast, boneless, $3.99/lb
Beef ribeye steaks, boneless, $8.99/lb
"Extra lean" ground beef, value pack, $3.79/lb
Sprouts spiral sliced ham (boneless? bone in? It doesn't say), $1.99/lb
Chicken breast tenders, boneless, $1.99/lb
Turkey breast, bone in, whole or half, $2.99/lb
Chicken sausage, sweet or hot, bulk or links, $2.99/lb
Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
Sprouts eggs, AA large, dozens, 2/$3
Muir Glen organic tomatoes, 28 oz cans, 2/$4
Sprouts extra virgin olive oil (healthy!), 500 ml bottles, $5.99
Red seedless grapes, 88¢/lb
Apples: Braeburn or Fuji, 88¢/lb
Pears: Bartlett or Bosc, 88¢/lb
Organic Fuji apples, 99¢/lb
Pineapples, $1.99 ea
"Rio Red" grapefruits, 3/$1
Roma tomatoes, 88¢/lb
Cucumbers, 49¢ ea
Bell peppers, red/gold/orange, 88¢ ea
Summer squashes: Italian, yellow, Mexican, 88¢/lb
Cauliflower, 88¢/lb
Eggplants, 88¢ ea