More great deals at RT Mart

I finally found Scope again! Carrefour is no longer selling it, but you can find it at RT Mart in the toothpaste section.


I almost started jumping for joy when I saw the generic brand of Grape Nuts for only NT$99! I used to buy them at Wellman's, but they haven't been selling them for months. These taste like the real thing, and the price is unbeatable.


And lo and behold, cheap instant pudding is finally in Taiwan. I guess I don't have to bring it back with me from the States anymore. For only NT$29, you can buy instant chocolate and vanilla pudding. Add 2 cups of milk, stir, and you're good to go. Now I can make pudding pies galore!

Great new foods at RT Mart

RT Mart's "imported" section keeps expanding. I found a bunch of new products there, including...

Honey Mustard

Chocolate Chips (waaay cheaper than what you'll pay in Tianmu)



Honey Puffs!

Crispy Rice (another cereal that's hard to find here)

and yummy pasta sauces.

The prices for all the imported foods are really cheap! Where else can you find boxes of cereal for NT$85?

EEC Filipino Store bargains

Today I found something I've been looking for for several years now---caramel syrup. And now it's here, and it's cheap---only NT$75 at the Filipino store. Can't wait to try it on some vanilla ice cream! Also, have you noticed that peanut butter has really gone up in price lately? The ever-popular jar of Chinese "Skippy" is now NT$169. (It used to be NT$88 when it was on sale at Carrefour). But, have no fear...the Filipino store sells the Planters variety for NT$95. What a bargain!


Also, make sure you get your Thanksgiving essentials here. The evaporated milk is only NT$35/ can, which is HALF the price of the same stuff in Wellcome. And you can also get cream of mushroom soup and cheap cream. This is the easy stuff...just chill it and pour it on your dessert. No whipping required.
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Two other products worthy of mention: You can now find small tubes of BATH and BODY WORKS lotions, which make any American gal a little nostalgic for the red and white checkered store.

And right now, the store is selling TWO big bars of dark chocolate Ritter Sport for only NT$59.

Thanksgiving food at Wellman's

Wellman's (in Tianmu) carries pretty much everything you need for a Thanksgiving meal. Some of the prices are cheaper than what you'll find at Jason's Marketplace. So go ahead and get a few things there...but save things like evaporated milk, chicken broth and cream of mushroom soup for the Filipino store or Wellcome.

A 10-lb. turkey is around NT$1,000 at Wellman's. I'm going to price Costco's turkeys later this week.

I'm not sure if you can get French Fried Onions anywhere else...so if you're determined to have green bean casserole, you'll have to buy them here.

Stove Top Stuffing is definitely cheaper at Wellman's. You can get two boxes of it for around NT$200. One box at Jason's is NT$150.

And the pumpkin pie mix is cheaper, too. It's NT$120 at Wellman's.

They also sell a frozen pie crust you can use if you don't want to make your own crust, as well as frozen tubs of whipped cream. But both are expensive, so I recommend attempting a homemade crust and buying whipping cream at Carrefour or Costco.

I think Wellman's also sells Cranberry sauce, although I forgot to look for it today.

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If you want evaporated or sweetened condensed milk, visit the EEC Filipino store on Jhongshan Road. It's quite a bit cheaper there.

And you can get chicken broth for NT$29 at Wellcome.

For rolls, try Costco, if you don't mind buying them in bulk.

And, of course, there are the mashed potatoes...visit your local vegetable vendor for the potatoes. If you want sour cream, the best deal is at Costco. You'll have to buy a big tub of it, but it will last you awhile!

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More ideas to come...

Almond Butter Recipe

Who is going to pay NT$300 for a jar of almond butter at an import store? Not I! So I've learned how to make my own! First, you need to get a big bag of almonds. I recommend the Kirkland brand that you can find at Costco for about NT$350, I think. This gives you 9 cups of almonds, so it will make quite a bit of almond butter. I've already made 2 batches and still have a lot of almonds left in the bag.

Make sure the almonds are plain, because you're going to roast them in an oven.

So, your ingredients are as follows:

Raw almonds

a little oil (I prefer olive oil)

That's it! How hard can it be? Well, if you have a really good blender or food processer, you're in luck. All you have to do is roast the almonds, throw them in the blender or processor, add a little oil, and you're all set!

For some more detailed directions, check out this link:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/gist96.html

That will take you through the process, step by step. I had to add a little more oil than the recipe called for, but that's probably because my blender isn't that great.

The taste of homemade almond butter is fantastic. And if you don't know yet that almonds are really good for you, then do a little googling.

Coming Soon...Recipes using food you can find in Taiwan

There seems to be a lack of new products lately, so I'm going to add a new feature to the blog---RECIPES. I'll keep them simple and useful. For example, have you ever thought about making your own almond butter? I tried that last week and it was fantastic. And you can save a lot of money by buying the bulk bag of almonds at Costco instead of buying the little bags at convenience stores. I'll also tell you where to find the cheapest Thanksgiving foods so you can have your own Thanksgiving dinner. Stay tuned...

Pepsi Light at Carrefour

You can find this soft drink near the bread section at the DaZhi store. Doesn't make sense, but that's where it's located. NT$14/ can.

Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms at 7-11

Get 'em while they're hot!

New breakfast foods

Wellcome is now carrying 'breakfast bars' that you can find in the cereal aisle.

And they have a few more granola bars to choose from. Pineapple and papaya, anyone?

Move over, Special K. Your competition has arrived in "Fruit and Form," the Carrefour brand. Three varieties are available---plain, with strawberries, and with chocolate.

Rice Crisps and PEANUT BUTTER MMs at 7-11!

Have you tried these rice crisps yet? If not, go out and get yourself a bag. They're delish. 7-11 usually carries several varieties, and you can also find them at Costco in bulk.

I was so happy to see that 7-11 is now carrying Peanut Butter M&Ms. I used to bring back big bags of these things from the U.S. Mmmmm...chocolate and peanut butter.

Pantry Magic, another Monopoly game, and big boxes of granola bars

If you haven't visited Pantry Magic yet, you're missing out. This store is located on Shi Dong road, not too far from Shi Dong Market in Tianmu. This store has so many cool kitchen things, especially utensils and pots and pans.

Carrefour is selling another Monopoly game...this one is World Monopoly and features famous cities all over the world. These games make great gifts.

Carrefour is now selling big boxes of granola bars for a cheap price. You can get 18 Nature Valley granola bars for around NT$200. (usually, 6 bars is $99). So this is the best deal around.

Cheap almonds and tasty pita chips at Costco

The best deal I've found for almonds is the Kirkland dry roasted brand. The only ingredients are almonds and sea salt, and this big 2.5 lb. jar is just over NT$300. Almonds are a really good snack, and this jar will last you awhile!

I tried the garlic parmesan pita chips for the first time, and these suckers are gooooood. I highly recommend buying a big bag of these things instead of potato chips.

More goodies at Carrefour

Panner peanut butter is pretty good peanut butter and is quite crunchy, too. It's only NT$83, which is a good price.

I find that the Lysol brand of disinfectant works best when you need to mop your floors. Some of the Chinese brands are really strange and leave streaks and suds all over the place.

I recently saw Mott's apple juice for the first time at Carrefour.

And now you can move away from the ever-present Thousand Island dressing into new territory with Creamy Caesar dressing. (NT$129)

Also, in the cheese and yogurt section, there are several varieties of French "Dessert de Fruits" that are basically pureed fruits that are perfect for toddlers. Right now, you can get a pack of 4 for under NT$55. Some varieties are cheaper because they're expiring in the next few weeks. These actually taste really good and I've used them as substitutes for oil in recipes.

FINALLY! Someone is selling organic sesame butter (tahini?) for a good price! You can find this in the organic section for NT$149.

Also, the Armour TREET ham is on sale. (NT$79) There's a reduced fat version as well.

Splenda and Coldstone-To-Go at Costco

Costco now sells packets of Splenda in a big box.

And last week in the Neihu Costco, you could purchase tubs of Coldstone ice cream for just under NT$400. I think this is a better deal than buying the individual servings of ice cream in the store. It's still a lot of money for ice cream, though...

Organic Spinach and Feta Pizza at Costco---a great deal!

When these pizzas first hit Costco's frozen food aisle, they were over NT$300/ box. Last weekend, I saw that the price had dropped to NT$197/ box. And there are 3 pizzas in each box! That's a steal, and for a frozen pizza, this one isn't bad! It's pretty good, actually.

I took a picture of the finished product. Just pop it in the oven and you're good to go in about 25 minutes.
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FYI...if you're into Oreos, there's a new strawberry cream version at Carrefour. I guess you could dunk this into strawberry milk for a berry delicious dessert.