Love Costco coffee both hot and cold? When you find you have extra coffee left over, instead of tossing it down the drain, freeze it in ice cube trays and store the cubes in a freezer bag. Next time you blend up Costco’s Mocha Frappe Freeze, add some of your frozen coffee cubes to keep it cold without watering it down. You may love it so much you will find yourself making extra coffee on purpose. —Denise Skyba, Snohomish, Washington
When I buy the 5 pounds of spinach and large fresh mushrooms, I rinse
them, put them into small zip-top bags and add a little olive oil and some
garlic powder to each. I place each bag in the microwave for 1-2 min-
utes. They freeze beautifully and when I want spinach or
mushrooms, I just defrost and they are as fresh as when I first
bought them. I sauté them with fresh garlic and olive oil.
—Toni Jacobus, Naples, Florida
Strawberries ... too many. Freeze
them this easy way: Take a plastic
deviled egg platter; place the largest
strawberries in the oval sections;
place the smaller strawberries
in the center section of the
platter; place the platter in the
freezer; repeat when frozen
solid; then place the berries in
freezer bags (purchased at Costco),
ready for berry recipes!
—Ann Holmberg, Post Falls, Idaho
For those Costco customers in the rare situation of
having leftover wine, small amounts can be frozen in ice
cube trays; once frozen transferred to zip-top freezer
bags; and used in soups, stews, etc., for enhancing flavor
as needed/wanted.
—Karen Verdura, Farmington Hills, Michigan
I use ice cube trays to freeze onions, green peppers, green chilis, extra 505 green chile sauce, etc. Chop the veggies in a blender, pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Pop into gallon zip-top bags when frozen and return to the freezer. —Debbie Vernell, Gypsum, Colorado
My 2- and 4-year-old sons love drinking yogurt. I buy plain yogurt at
Costco and mix it with fresh fruit or juice to make drinking yogurt. They love
the idea of making their own drinks and in the process they learn how colors
when mixed together become some other color.
—Clara Yang, Placerville, California
Shopping in bulk at Costco is possible even for a family of two!
Our regular purchases are:
Almonds: I grind up the entire bag in my food processor, then freeze
in 2-cup plastic containers and use to sprinkle on oatmeal for breakfast,
on vegetables and in baked goods.
Oatmeal: I place the entire 144-ounce package of Old-Fashioned
Quaker Oats in the freezer until needed.
Mozzarella: I divide the bag into 2-cup containers, freeze and use
as needed—in salads and open-faced broiled sandwiches, and on burgers
and pizza.
—Deborah Sullivan, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
When purchasing Costco-size quantities of yogurt cups, freeze
several of them with a popsicle stick inserted into the top foil for a
summer or anytime treat. Kids and adults alike love them.
—Linda Carey, Seattle, Washington
Even when there are only two people in the family, shopping at Costco works so well and saves money! When I cook I plan for at least two meals. ; Roasted chicken appears the next day as Chinese chicken salad. ; Ground beef makes meat loaf and also spaghetti sauce. ; Fresh fruits and vegetables (remember, five a day!) are the most time consuming, so plan for at least two meals and also keep a batch ready for healthy snacks. Wash, peel and prep enough for an encore appearance. Store in an airtight container and do not add dressing until it is served. —Gail Covitt, Encinitas, California
