This week, just like always, there are big differences between stores on meat and produce. You can make a big difference in your weekly food cost when you BUY STUFF AT THE RIGHT STORE!!!!

Beef Chuck Roast: Fred's: $2.48/lb; Safeway: $1.99; Albies: $1.97

Beef London Broil: Safeway: $3.99/lb; Albies: $3.49/lb; Fred's: $2.99/lb

Chicken, Whole Fryers: Albies: $.99/lb; Safeway: $.99/lb; Fred's: $.79/lb

Cucumber: Albies: $1.99/ea; Safeway: $.99/ea

Grapes: Albies: $2.99/lb; Safeway $1.49/lb

Pork Loin Chops: Albies: $1.99/lb; Fred's: $1.99/lb; Safeway: $1.29/lb

Here's a recipe that uses both the chicken and the grapes on sale, and on a cold spring evening, will make your kitchen smell great:

Easy roast chicken stuffed with grapes

1 whole chicken

1 bunch grapes (any color, but seedless, please, and stem enough of them to stuff the chicken)

a few slices onion

Salt and pepper

Cooking spray or Oil, any kind

Cheap white wine, half a cup for the recipe, more than that for the cook

Optional if you want/grow/have on hand: couple sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme, couple slices lemon

Remove the giblets from the chicken and rinse under cold running water. Salt and pepper the cavity, stuff with the onion and the grapes (and optional herbs/lemon). Tie the drumstick ends together so the cavity is mostly sealed. Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken, put it in a roasting pan on a rack. Pour a little of the white wine into the cavity right before you put it in the oven. Spray the chicken with cooking spray, or rub with oil. (Sometimes, when I'm really, really bad, I use bacon fat....)

Roast at 350, basting occasionally with pan juices, until drumsticks move freely, and juices run clear when you poke the thigh base, about 20-25 minutes per pound.

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven!

Drain the juices from the pan and skim the fat. Use pan juice as is for a sauce, or thicken with a little cornstarch dissolved in cold water. Cut the chicken into serving pieces and don't forget to serve the grapes and onions from the cavity! They're delicious! (Throw out the lemon and herbs.) Garnish with more grapes, if you like. 

Rice goes well with this. Especially dirty rice.

But that recipe is for another time.