snapshot: new things spotted at Costco, November 2014

Things spotted on my recent Costco run- skillet bake it yourself cookies (tempting!), sun dried tomatoes, bacon mac and cheese, bulk fortune cookies (LOL! can you imagine a restaurant in Taipei serving these?), Snyders Honey Mustard pretzel, soft baked chocolate cookies, bottled frappucinos, and Christmas in full swing- trees, wrapping paper, decorations, candy and gifts. 

snapshot/costco: i recommend MANGO SHAVED ICE at COSTCO

It's hard to tell from this photo how monstrous this mango ice is. A mountain of frozen chunky shaved ice, cascading frozen mango cubes, two scoops of vanilla ice cream and a generous pour of condensed milk. We had three people share this and there was still leftovers. Not as good as Ice Monster or Mango Cha Cha since it was basically a mango flavored slushy once all the semi-frozen mango was gone, but at NT$79 it's about half the price of the other places in town.

snapshot: new stuff spotted at COSTCO

Spotted on my Costco run today! A megapack of Korean ramen noodles with curry including the diced potato, carrots etc. I was super tempted by this, and will try it on my next trip.

Jalapeno muenster and chipotle jack cheese slices. If you've ever bought cheese in Taipei, you know how expensive it can be. A small chunk of smoked cheese at Breeze's supermarket is about NT$100. So that makes this a bargain at NT$285, even though I'd probably rarely pay US$10 for cheese in the states. I really like Finlandia's Colby, Jack, Cheddar and Swiss pack so I bought a pack of this to try.



And...Tigreat premade crepes, coming in butter and sugar or chocolate fillings. I was tempted by this too, but I resisted. Has anyone tried this or bought premade crepes before?



Stuff picked up on this trip- Kirkland pesto, grapes, apple strudels and a giant jar of Korean citron tea.

my kitchen: homemade bulgogi kimchi tacos

I'm. Too. Busy. Eating.

to give you better looking pictures than these from my iPhone, but trust me, when I say, I now "get it."

Bulgogi + Kimchi + corn tortillas + onion/mushrooms = frickin deliciousness
(made possible by Costco in Taipei and tortillas from LA)

I never made the leap to wait-in-line-for-hours for the all-over-LA Kogi trucks, but once had my sister's cold leftovers which left me unenthusiastic. But having it hot out of the kitchen- it's a weirdly odd satisfying combination that works. The smoky sweetness of the marinated beef mixed with the spicy heat from the pickled cabbage held together by the fragile corn tortillas. I'm sure the imaginative and adventurous have been creating other fusion combos, but the basic one is best.

I already inhaled 4.

Could this work in Taipei? They like the kimchee here, and not so much the cheese, so maybe if I had a little taco truck, I could make some cash on the side?

costco/dessert: i strongly recommend JULIE's ORGANIC ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

COSTCO
No. 268 Jiu Zong, Sec 1
Nei-Hu, Taipei
(02) 8791-0110

website: costco.com

hours: 10:00 am - 9:30 pm

Kid friendliness: they're organic! but still taste the same

Visit reviewed: 10/24/2008

Sadly, I haven't seen apple pie or cake donuts at Costco in awhile, but if you're like me and you like to eat ice cream when it's cold out, you should definitely pick up a box of Julie's Organic Ice Cream sandwiches.

I had passed by them for many months, but after hearing from a friend that they were good, I decided to pick up a box. It works out so it's about US$1 a sandwich- a lot more than a box would cost in LA, but about the price you would pay for any ol' ice cream from 7-11. Plus with Haagen Daaz ice cream bars running around NT$100 these days, this was a bargain.



And I'm glad I did! It tasted just like the classic ice cream sandwich, with the melt in your mouth chocolate wafer.

I had tried a local brand of ice cream sandwich awhile back and it was not good- the wafer was dry and crumbly and the ice cream was too sweet. It was so bad I couldn't get past 2 bites, believe it or not.


avoid this brand!


looks promising right?

my kitchen: guacamole

Hey everyone! Sorry for being away so long without updates... did you miss me??

I had a huge new project that took over my life and I didn't even have a lot of time to be online, much less writing posts. I'll try to not let it go so long again without posts. Lately, I have been eating out less (or at least at new places) and have been having crazy cravings for sweets, especially chocolate chip cookies like you would get in the states. Then I'd want to eat something savory. Then something sweet again. Sigh.

I think avocados is one of those things you love or hate. I used to hate it until I met guacamole!

But I still can't get a handle on avocado milk which is popular here.. ugh..the thought of it makes me think that it's just WRONG.

While making your own guacamole is not that hard, there are a lot of variations to all the basic elements that make it taste slightly different- the amount of avocados, garlic, onions, tomatoes, lime/lemon juice and spices. I like it best with Haas avocados from Costco and chips!



I basically followed the recipe on the bag, but altered it for 1 avocado since it doesn't keep that well and I was just making it for myself. The first time, I didn't chop the onions fine enough and it was too strong. I learned my lesson the next time!

Anyone have any killer recipes to point me to?

my kitchen: my hello kitty sandwich maker

After a friend of mine told me how awesome her Hello Kitty sandwich maker was, I tried to find one for awhile in Taipei. None of the Sanrio stores really knew what I was talking about and I finally found one, GUESS WHERE, at Watson's of all places!! It was a pretty good deal at around NT$500 (I bought it awhile ago, I forget exactly how much!) and it actually makes REALLY good toasty cheesy sandwiches.

Some of my favorite combos are:

-ham and cheddar cheese
-goat cheese, honey and pecans
-mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce
-avocado, tomato, ham and cheese



I just bought some goat cheese and gouda cheese (SO GOOD) from Costco last week so I will probably be making some goat cheese honey ones and some gouda canadian bacon ones. I love how the sandwich maker seals in the melted cheese and makes the bread all crispy like it's almost fried, but without any oil.

The slightly burned HK face is really cute too.

dessert/bakery: i strongly recommend cake donuts at COSTCO

COSTCO
No. 268 Jiu Zong, Sec 1
Nei-Hu, Taipei
(02) 8791-0110

website: costco.com

hours: 10:00 am - 9:30 pm

$

Visit reviewed: 3/13/2008

Who would have thought the perfect American style cake donut would be at Costco? I spotted it on my trip today and couldn't resist- after all- you get 8 for NT$119 which is basically the price of 4 Mr. Donut donuts.

The tray comes with half chocolate donuts and half plain (4 each)- they are a good size with vanilla frosting.

I practically inhaled mine- it was moist, sweet and dangerous! It's so simple, yet so satisfying especially in contrast to the dry bricks of cake-style donuts that I've had at Mr. Donut or Dunkin Donuts. It was dense, but not heavy.



I don't know if it's a staple like their muffins, croissants, cheesecakes, or seasonal like their pumpkin pies, but I was happy to find it! I totally love their cheesecake and birthday cakes too. They also have freshly made cream puffs and cookies, which I haven't tried here, not to mention their churros and frozen yogurt in the food court.

Oh, and good beef hotdogs (not like the nasty hot dogs at Ikea).

I also spotted some ice cream sandwiches today there, I guess, an organic brand called Julie's. I didn't feel like paying a premium NT$300 plus for 12 ice cream sandwiches so I bought the blackberry sorbet bars which I haven't tried yet.

If only they made lemon meringue pies, then Costco would be even more awesome.

What's your favorite thing from Costco or what do you wish Costco Taipei would import in?

my kitchen: goat cheese avocado sandwich

I love my sandwich maker. It sears and toasts the bread so it tastes like I had baked it in the oven for hours. Today I made a goat cheese (Costco), Haas avocado (Costco), tomato, ham (Costco) sandwich. It's like grilled cheese with a twist. And it's not easy to find good sandwiches in Taipei- it's usually easier to make your own.

Nothing beats comfort food on a rainy day.