Opportunity Links - Stop & Shop

Enjoying a mix of things this weekend (with the stock market closed for MLK Day, this is a holiday and three day weekend).

Stop & Shop, our local grocery store, now "super" store sent a mailer that arrived either Wed or Thu last week. "All the Ingredients": Nice little brochure, kind of seasonal magazine (Winter 2007), glossy pictures, brief articles, some recipes and the requisite coupons.

Some of the recipes sounded really good, both with simple ingredients and easy to make so Dolores and I decided we'd try one this weekend. As we prepared the shopping list on Saturday morning, I noticed that many of the items referenced in the recipes were "on sale". What a coincidence!

The only thing I missed (until starting to write about it this morning) were the coupons. They were on the inside cover/first page but in our copy mostly stuck together so it seemed as if the cover was thicker. No big deal. The coupons are good through the end of February.

Here at least is a good example of an integrated campaign. Brochure with recipes highlighting the use of products that are also conveniently on sale the week of the brochures arrival.

The store web site has no copy of the brochure, at least that I could find.

I did find it interesting that both the Store Locator link and the Weekly Circular link take you to the same page initially. You need to provide your zip code and choose your local store in order to get served the weekly circular appropriate for your store/area. Must be a better way to figure out how to do that without making it seem like you clicked on the wrong link.

Oh, the meal turned out very nicely thank you. It was steak with pasta sauce, onions and garlic cooked in a crock pot and served over pasta. Unfortunately their web site provides no recipe to link to so here goes:


Slow Cooker Pizza-Style Steak

2.5 lbs boneless chuck steak cut into 1/4 " slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 jar (26 oz) pasta sauce
8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 " cubes

(1) Season steak, if desired with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
(2) In 12 " skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and brown steak in batches. Turn into slow cooker (crock pot).
(3) In same skillet, saute onions in remaining olive oil and add garlic, stirring frequently for about 30 seconds. Spoon over steak in slow cooker. Add jar of pasta sauce. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, or medium for 8 to 10 hours, or until steak is tender.
(4) Stir in cheese. Serve over pasta.

This is the basic recipe. I will probably "kick it up a notch" (yea, Emeril!) the next time by using a sauce with some veggies in it, or adding some veggies separately for a little more balance. We did have a green salad on the side this time for balance.

Have you done a recipe like this before?
How do you cook it?


Enjoy!