Wren's bargain guide, week beginning June 12th:

If you have any Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berries in your freezer, contact Costco.  This product has been linked with close to ninety cases of Hepatitis A in eight states, including Arizona.  Townsend Farms has issued a recall:  the product in question is a 3lb bag labeled “Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend”, with the UPC code 078414 404448.  If you or anyone in your family have eaten them, the Centers for Disease Control strongly suggest you contact your local health department ( http://www.maricopa.gov/publichealth/ ) to find out if you need a vaccine.  Costco is offering free vaccination in their own pharmacies for people who've purchased the berries, or reimbursement if you prefer to get vaccinated elsewhere.

At Fooducate, there's a list of the top three reasons for food recalls (hep A isn't on the list), a note on Target's new “Simply Balanced” line of organic and natural foods, and an article about the biggest misconceptions about the Mediterranean diet.  (The biggest is that there is something that can be called THE Mediterranean diet.)  Darya Rose, at Summer Tomato, has a nice piece on decoding “menu-speak”.  (Look for such words as “roasted”, “seared”, “spiced”, or “ broiled”, she says;  avoid “melted”, “smothered”, “creamy”, “gooey”, or “glazed”.  One of her commentors has already added helpfully, “Then there’s “loaded” or “super”, which seems to mean there are a million ingredients, and two of them are cheese and bacon.”)

Recipes!  Chow.com has Salade Niçoise, chicken satay, Thai pickles, and a double helping of Father's Day “guy food” stereotypes:  a collection of “Beer and Beef Recipes” and another of “Manly Rib Recipes”.  Simply Recipes has, simply, “Shrimp and Grits”.  Okay, that's very ... Southern.  And Snack Girl has the healthiest oils (she recommends olive and canola, both on WW's Healthy Oils list), a six-PointsPlus-per-serving Oreo refrigerator pie, and how to make a burger out of a portabello mushroom.

Stone fruits are moving in, and the first Rainier cherries are in the shops.  Either it's too soon or this is not a good year for Rainiers, because I haven't found any sweet ones yet.

Next Tuesday is International Picnic Day.  We're looking at a solid week of 105°+ temperatures:  have your picnic indoors.  And tomorrow is my own personal holiday, Kitchen Klutzes of America Day.


June 12th:  International Cachaça Day, National Peanut Butter Cookie Day, National Jerky Day
June 13th:  Kitchen Klutzes of America Day;  feast of St Anthony of Padua, patron saint of swineherds, domestic animals, harvest, and the unfed
June 14th:  National Strawberry Shortcake Day
June 15th:  National Lobster Day, World Gin Day, Key West Conch Fritter Day (sadly conch is not easily available here), National Potatoe Day (this date in 1992, US Vice President Dan Quayle “corrected” a New Jersey student's correct spelling of “potato”)
June 16th:  National Fudge Day
June 17th:  Eat All Your Veggies Day, National Apple Strudel Day;  birthday (1903) of Ruth Graves Wakefield, inventor of the Toll House cookie
June 18th:  National Cherry Tart Day, International Picnic Day
June 19th:  National Dry Martini Day;  1941, General Mills introduces a new breakfast cereal, “Cheerioats” (not changed to “Cheerios” until 1945)



Albertson's:

    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $8.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, family pack, $7.99/lb
    Beef t-bone or New York steaks, bone in, family pack, $8.99/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roast or family pack steaks, boneless, $3.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $2.79/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $2.97/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, $2.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.79/lb
    Keta salmon fillets, wild caught, $3.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Catfish/tilapia/swai fillets, farm raised, $2.99/lb
    Shamrock Farms milk, gallons, 2/$5
    Land O Lakes butter, $2.99
    Wild Harvest organic butter, $3.99
    Yoplait yogurts, 20/$10
    Essential Everyday cheeses, 8 oz chunk, $1.99
    Deli:    Jennie-O “honey smoked” or “oven brown” turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Signature “double honey” ham, $5.99/lb
        Charlie's Pride Italian roast beef/corned beef/beef pastrami, $5.99/lb
        Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson chicken breast varieties, $5.99/lb
        Stella Swiss/Provolone/Muenster cheeses, $5.99/lb
    DaVinci pasta, 16 oz pkg, $1
    Nabisco Wheat Thins, 3 pk, $5.99
    Essential Everyday veggies OR tomatoes, 14-15 oz cans, 69¢
    Ranch Style beans, 15 oz cans, 88¢
    Raspberries, 6 oz box, 99¢
    “Midnight Beauty” black seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
    White nectarines OR “Great White” peaches, $2.79/lb
    Donut peaches, $2.99/lb
    Cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Cut up seedless watermelon, 2 lb bowls, $3.99
    Slicing tomatoes, $1.29/lb
    Organic grape tomatoes, 12 oz box, $2.49
    Sweet corn, 4 pk, $2.99
    Bok choy OR Nappa cabbage, 79¢/lb


Bashas':

    Beef Porterhouse/t-bone/ribeye/New York steaks, bone in, 50% off
    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, $5.99/lb
    Beef tenderloin, whole in bag, $6.99/lb (steaks, $9.99/lb)
    Ground beef sirloin, fat content not listed, value pack, $2.88/lb
    Pork shoulder steak OR country style ribs, bone in, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.97/lb
    Swordfish steaks, bone in, 6 oz portions, $4 ea
    Sockeye salmon portions, wild caught, 5 oz, $4.99
    Bashas' eggs, AA large, dozens, 88¢
    Land O Lakes butter, $2.99
    Flav-R-Pac frozen veggies, 1 lb bags, 3/$5
    Nature Valley granola bars, 6-9 oz boxes, 2/$5
    Prego pasta sauces, 23-24 oz jars, 2/$4
    Bumble Bee solid white tuna, $1.99
    Whole seedless watermelons, 19¢/lb
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 4/$5
    Raspberries OR blueberries, 6 oz boxes, 4/$5
    Whole pineapples, 4/$5
    Seedless grapes, green or red, $1.99/lb
    Apricots, peaches, nectarines, red or black plums, $1.99/lb
    Organic Fuji apples, 99¢/lb
    Grape tomatoes, 12 oz box, 2/$3
    Organic vine tomatoes, AZ grown, $1.99/lb
    Dole bag salads, buy 1 get 1 free
    Summer squashes (zucchini/yellow/grey), 99¢/lb


Fry's:

    Beef ribeye or NY strip steaks, bone in, family pack, $5.97/lb
    Beef crossrib roast, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin, boneless, family pack, $5.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $2.79/lb (3 lb chub)
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.49/lb
    Kroger 85/15 ground turkey, 19 oz pkg, $2.99
    Quaker Chewy Granola bars, 6-8 ct, 2/$4
    Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.79
    Simple Truth organic butter, $3.99
    Kroger pasta, 12-16 oz boxes, 87¢
    Simple Truth organic variety (non-baked) beans, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
    PopChips, 2/$4
    Healthy Choice frozen entrées, 5/$10
    Red seedless grapes, 85¢/lb
    Yellow peaches, 99¢/lb
    Nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Mangoes, 88¢ ea
    Broccoli OR cauliflower, 99¢/lb
    Simple Truth organic box salads, 1 lb, $3.99
    Red bell peppers, 88¢ ea
    Hass avocados, 88¢ ea
    Organic kale, 2 bunches/$4


Safeway:

    Beef back ribs, bone in, $1.29/lb
    Beef London broil, boneless, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Beef ribeye steak, bone in, value pack, $5.99/lb (boneless, $1/lb higher)
    Beef chuck steak, thin cut boneless, value pack, $3.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, value pack, $2.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Pork sirloin country style ribs, boneless, value pack, $1.49/lb
    Sanderson Farms chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in, $1.99/lb
    Swordfish steaks, wild caught, bone in, $9.99/lb
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.89
    Sargento cheeses, 5-8 oz shreds, 2/$5
    Bush's Best baked beans, 28 oz cans, 2/$4
    Bush's Best “Grillin'” beans, 21-22 oz cans, 2/$4
    Safeway Select olive oil, 25 oz bottles, buy 1 get 1 free
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrées, $1.99
    Red seedless watermelons, $4.88 ea
    Red cherries, $4.99/lb
    Peaches OR nectarines, $2.99/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, $2.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, AZ grown, 2/$5
    Blueberries, dry pint, $3.99
    Sweet corn, white or yellow, 5/$1
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Organic vine tomatoes, $2.99/lb
    Zucchini OR yellow squash, $1.29/lb


Sprouts:

    Beef ribeye steaks, boneless, $9.99/lb
    Beef London broil, boneless, $2.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef sirloin, $4.99/lb
    Pork shoulder roast OR country-style ribs, boneless, $2.49/lb
    Pork loin roast or chops, boneless, $2.99/lb
    Pork or chicken sausage, bulk or links, $2.99/lb
    Chicken breast tenders, $2.99/lb
    Ground chicken OR turkey breast, $3.99/lb
    Kerrygold “Irish” butter, half pound, 2/$5
    California Olive Ranch olive oil, half litre bottles, $6.99
    Ethnic Gourmet frozen entrées, 2/$6
    Ahi tuna steaks, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Cantaloupes, 4/$5
    Seedless watermelons, 15¢/lb
    Blueberries, dry pint, 2/$4
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 2/$3
    Green or red seedless grapes, $1.49/lb
    Apricots, yellow peaches or nectarines, red or black plums, $1.49
    Organic yellow peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Organic vine tomatoes, AZ grown, $1.99/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 88¢/lb
    Red or gold grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$4
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 88¢ ea