We have a confession to make: We can’t seem to make it out of Costco
having stuck to our shopping list. There we are in the checkout lane and
poking out of our cart (or carts!) are a couple of racks of lamb that looked so
tempting we had to grab them, or a big bag of limes we didn’t intend to buy
but which suddenly has us thinking: margaritas tonight! And are those fresh
salmon fillets? Did they leap in there by themselves?
Strolling Costco’s food aisles always inspires us to cook—and since we’re buying
in volume, our thoughts often turn to entertaining a crowd. A cocktail party
starts to take shape in our heads, or we make a mental note to invite a few
people over for dinner Saturday. Soon all that remains between us and an
evening of good food and good friends is to figure out what to do with all
those treasures!
That’s where Creative Cooking The Costco Way comes in. If you’re long on
inspiration but not quite sure about execution, you’ll find inventive ways to
cook your favorite foods. Or flip through it before your next shopping trip and
let it motivate you to try out a new-to-you dish. There’s even a special section
of recipes created by some of the country’s best-known chefs, who were
inspired, as we were, by the range and quality of food available at Costco.
( We’ve offered up a few of our own recipes, too—you’ll find out what we
came up with for our racks of lamb on page 87.)
The ingenious ideas and glorious photographs in Creative Cooking The Costco
Way can’t help but make your mouth water and your chopping arm tingle in
anticipation of the fantastic meals you can make. And if you’re thinking about
cooking for a crowd … we’d love to be invited!
Sisters Lauren Purcell, at right in the photo, and Anne Purcell Grissinger are the authors of Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! Easy Hors d’Oeuvres,
Delicious Drinks, and Inspired Ideas for Entertaining with Style. For more recipes and fun entertainment tips from this New York–based team, see
their Web site, www.purcellsisters.com.
