Major Food Recall for Salmonella

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is actively investigating findings of Salmonella Tennessee in hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) manufactured by Basic Food Flavors, Inc., in Las Vegas, NV. HVP is a flavor enhancer used in a wide variety of processed food products, such as soups, sauces, chilis, stews, hot dogs, gravies, seasoned snack foods, dips, and dressings. It is often blended with other spices to make seasonings that are used in or on foods.

As a former food scientist who developed low fat food products, I can attest this ingredient is in a lot of products. It may even be in products and not declared because it is a subingredient of "onion flavor" or some other minor component of a food. It is probably okay in products that will be cooked to simmering or boiling, but I would watch out for the dips that are served cold.

A complete searchable listing of the recalled products is listed on the FDA Recall List. At this time, no illnesses associated with this contamination have been reported to the FDA.

One product I recognized and had recently purchased at Publix, is the T Marzetti dips. Here is a partial listing of Marzetti lot codes. Please check the FDA listing for all the brands listed, there are lots of soups and chips listed. If you find some of these products in your pantry or refrigerator, just return them to the store where you purchased them for a full refund.

Category	Brand Name	Description	Recalling Firm	Pack Size	Lot Numbers		UPC Code
Dip and Dip Mix	Johnny's Fine Foods	French Dip Powdered Au Jus	Johnny's Fine Foods	6oz bottles	Expiration date: 0332
Dip and Dip Mix	Johnny's Fine Foods	French Dip Powdered Au Jus	Johnny's Fine Foods	1.1oz foil packets	Expiration date: 02212
Dip and Dip Mix	T. Marzetti	Southwest Ranch Veggie Dip	T. Marzetti	15.5 ounce plastic tubs	Best By dates: APR2010F, APR2810F, MAY1610F, MAY3110F, JUN0610F, JUN1410F, JUN1910F		70200 52004
Dip and Dip Mix	T. Marzetti	Fat Free Southwest Ranch Veggie Dip	T. Marzetti	13 ounce plastic tubs	Best By dates: MAY1610F, MAY3010F, JUN0810F, JUN1210F, JUN2510F		70200 52033
Dip and Dip Mix	T. Marzetti	Spinach Veggie Dip	T. Marzetti	15 ounce plastic tubs	Best By dates: APR1910F, MAY0910F, JUN0710F		70200 52059
Dip and Dip Mix	T. Marzetti	Spinach Veggie Dip, Epinards, Trempette A Legumes	T. Marzetti	340 gram plastic tubs	Best By dates: 10AL11F, 10AL17F, 10AL24F, 10AL30F, 10MA08F, 10JN12F		70200 58843
Dip and Dip Mix	T. Marzetti	Southwest Ranch Veggie Dip, Ranch style sud-ouest americain Trempette A Legumes	T. Marzetti	340 gram plastic tubs	Best By dates: 10AL17F, 10AL24F, 10AL30F, 10MA08F, 10JN05F, 10JN14F		70200 58844

Give A Day

Today we volunteered for the Give a Day, Get a Day Disney promotion. It was the Tour De Cure sponsored by the American Diabetes Association and 500 bicycle riders hit the road for various length bike rides. We signed up to serve lunch, which was delish - Ciccios wraps and satay, plus Pollo Tropical chicken, with rice and beans. It started off chilly but warmed up nicely by the time our stint was up.

Publix Trip - I spent $0.11 today

5-Mar	42		94.4	26.26	67.76	0.38	40	savings -99.60%
Product	qty	price	subtotal	bogo	Q	TOTAL	Q#	Q details
carrot matchsticks	0	1.99	0			0
lettuce, iceburg	1	1.89	1.89		1	0.89	1	$1/1 PQ calendar march
cucumber	1	0.75	0.75		1	-0.25	1	$1 off when you get 2 krft drssing
romaine	0	1.99	0			0
strawberries 16oz	2	1.66	3.32		1	2.32	1	$1 off when you get 2 krft drssing
bananas	0	0.75	0			0
mushrooms	1	1.99	1.99		1	0.99	1	$1 off when you get 2 krft drssing
tomatoes	0	0.6	0			0
Bertolli sauce bogo	4	2.69	10.76	5.38	4.4	0.98	6	$1/2 PQ multiplymeals+0.60/1 2-14RP
Mrs Pauls Fish bogo	2	4.49	8.98	4.49		4.49
knox gelatin	7	1.39	9.73		28	-18.27	7	$4/1
milk	1	3.19	3.19			3.19
Puffs, tissue	2	1.33	2.66		2.66	0	2	B2vicksG1freepuffs 2-7pg
vicks nyquil dayquil, trial	4	1.29	5.16		8	-2.84	4	$2 or 1.5/1 vicks 2-21pg 1-17pg
arm hammer deo bogo	2	2.99	5.98	2.99		2.99
coupon		0	0		5	-5	1	$5 off $50
Baileys creamer	3	2.09	6.27		3	3.27	3	$1/1 2-28ss
steamfresh veggys 50% off	2	1.79	3.58		1.7	1.88	2	$.35/1 PQ Hlthymeals + 0.50/1 2-7ss
country crock side dish bogo	2	3.59	7.18	3.59	2	1.59	2	$1/1 print
krft cheese shredded	2	1.67	3.34		3	0.34	3	$1/2 blinkie+$1/1 TQ
salad dressing Kraft bogo	6	3.27	19.62	9.81	6	3.81	6	$1/2 TQ + $1/2 MQ + $1 off produce

 

Here's my planned shop, but actually they didn't have any strawberries so I had to throw in a couple other fillers (peanuts and carrots), and then DH wanted me to get extra cheese, so I pulled out more cheese Q's, and then found the $2/2 cheese blinkies in the store, so my final total was 0.11 OOP, saving $107.81. Used up all my knox coupons - man am I going to miss those suckers.

 

Thought I'd lay out this amazing shop at Publix on our new counter top and you can see the nice backsplash we had tiled in our new kitchen. What a great backdrop for shop pictures. (click to enlarge photo).

 

Hope you all have a great shopping trip at Publix this week.

Friday Follow 3/5/10

Welcome to the Friday Follow blog hop, get a cup of coffee and browse around. I'd love to get more followers and if you leave me a comment, I'll come visit your blog and follow.  Have a great day!

Sunday Coupons 3/7 & Kmart Doubles Event

It looks like there will be Three (3) inserts in your Sunday newspaper (unless you're getting St Pete Times which doesn't get SS)

 

1- Red Plum

1- SmartSource

1- Proctor & Gamble

 

The P&G probably has some high value coupons that are good to save for the upcoming KMart Doubles event April 4-10. During this event Kmart will let you double the coupon value up to $2.00 for up to 5 items per day per customer (bring your kids and spouses - they count as customers). It doesn't matter if the value of the coupon is greater than the item when doubled. Last year I stocked up on lots of ziplocs, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, snacks, soda and cleaning products. They accept internet printables and manufacturer coupons.

Husband Shoots Cashier in Orlando Publix

TODAY this happened.

 

The Associated Press

Published: March 3, 2010

ORLANDO - Police say a cashier who was shot inside a crowded Orlando supermarket has died.Orlando police spokesman Sgt. Patrick Guckian says 34-year-old Anicia Yankton died at a hospital early Wednesday morning. Police say her estranged husband, 62-year-old Andreau Yankton, shot her in a Publix store Tuesday night. The grocery store was open at the time of the shooting, but no customers were injured. Andreau Yankton was confronted by authorities outside the store and reportedly shot himself. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

LOOK OUT for a $5 off $50 Publix coupon

Check your junk mail today to see a Publix ad with upcoming BOGO deals, and on the front is a $5 off $50 coupon. Valid thru March 16, 2010.

Can't Find Publix Booklets?

If you're having an impossible time finding the new coupon booklets from Publix, Multiply Your Meals and Beautiful Benefits, you can simply go HERE to request them directly from the manufacturer Unilever. One the right hand side there is a link under special savings to click and get an email popup. Just email them by March 15th with your requested booklet(s), name, phone and they will mail you the booklets.

Florida Legislature Starts Tuesday

Well, since DH and I are both FL state employees, I thought I'd share the reason for our dour mood for the next 2 months. The FL legislature starts hacking away at a budget plan, trying to take away what little money we make, and cut our free medical insurance benefit, and rid us of our pension plans. HERE'S an interesting article by Bill Cotterell, also pasted below if you don't want to go to the link.

 

Bill Cotterell: State workers face a rough 60 daysDo you ever feel like people are talking about you?

Not the paranoid who goes to a football game and thinks the players are whispering about him in the huddle or the prickly defensiveness of George Costanza on the old "Seinfeld" show. It's just that sometimes we have an entirely reasonable expectation that we, or whatever we're doing, might be drawing a little more attention than we'd like. Well, if you're a state employee, your antennae should be abuzz in the next 60 days. Florida legislators are convening the 2010 Session Tuesday, and they have to close a gap, estimated as high as $3 billion, between state revenues and expenses.
Tax increases are out, this being an election year, so there's no realistic hope of new revenues. That leaves expenses to be cut and, this being an election year, there's no more politically popular place to start than with the government payroll.  Some Republican women in the House and Senate got things started last week. Rep. Marlene O'Toole of Lady Lake and Debbie Mayfield of Vero Beach proposed making all state employees pay for health insurance. They said taxpayers could save about $56 million if all employees, from the governor to the Selected Exempt workers, paid $50 a month for single coverage or $180 for family insurance.  There's a major fairness problem with that. About half of the estimated 35,000 employees now getting paid-up health insurance were moved out of Career Service by ex-Gov. Jeb Bush's "Service First" initiatives in 2001 and reclassified into the Selected Exempt Service. The deal was, they gave up Career Service job security and got "free" insurance in return — whether they wanted that deal or not. If they're going to pay premiums now, it would seem that fairness dictates they be moved back to Career Service. The trouble with that is, it's the positions that were reclassified, not the people, so you couldn't logically extend Career Service protection to some SES employees — the ones who were moved in 2001 — and not all of them.  And besides, nothing is forever. If an SES employee took the job in 2006, knowing paid-up insurance was a perk, there was no guarantee that it would be ever thus. Times change, and so do budgets. Also, if the $25,000-a-year administrative assistant in Career Service can pay for insurance, it's hard to say the six-figure judges and department heads shouldn't. Legislators and their staff would be included in the everybody-pays bill.  Politically, for legislators who go back home and run for re-election this summer, it's impossible to justify free insurance for any state employees when constituents are struggling to make ends meet. Across the Capitol, Sen. Ronda Storms of Valrico has proposed a 5-percent pay cut for all employees earning more than $65,000 a year. Her bill includes a provision that employees taking the whack can't get bonuses to make up the cut. That seems like a taunt — "Hey, we're onto that old trick; don't cut your pay 5 percent, then give yourself a $3,250 promotion to break even."  The Storms bill could be a starting point. They could amend it up to $75,000 or $80,000 or lower the cut to 3 percent or 2 percent — or, for that matter, make it 10 percent and drop the threshold to $35,000. Senate Bill 2282 just gets the discussion going. Last year's budget called for a 2-percent pay cut for employees earning more than $45,000 a year. Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed that, but, all things considered, state workers shouldn't count on the governor riding to the rescue again. He didn't propose any layoffs, pay cuts or furloughs in the budget he sent to the Legislature on Jan. 29. But House and Senate committees treated the governor's recommendations as just a starting point — more like a kid's wish list sent to Santa — and lawmakers will send him their own priorities by May Day.  Downstairs, meanwhile, the lady who would be governor has proposed thinning the herd in middle management. Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink figures her agency has about five frontline workers for every manager, and she wants to widen that ratio to about 7-to-1. Spread through all the state agencies, Sink figures, such a standard would save the government nearly $300 million. Her plan doesn't require legislative action and would be accomplished by not replacing SES and Senior Managers when they leave and reorganizing some functions under fewer bosses. But it shows the belt-tightening attitude prevalent in the Capitol in this recession-stricken election year. Speaking of which, that's another active idea down here in Florida — cutting from the budget any authorized positions that have been vacant six months. Never mind that the reason these jobs stay vacant so long is that you can't find qualified people at the salaries the state is willing to pay. State employment is not exactly the scapegoat of budget cuts. With revenue and politics being what they are, the cuts are inevitable and layoffs are looming. Don't take it personally, legislators seem to be saying. It's just a natural consequence of the times.

Sometimes It's Not Worth It

So there's a deal now at Walgreens. They have Purex laundry soap for $5.99 and it's BOGO for a Megasaver deal good for a month. It means you get FREE Purex when you use your Purex BOGO coupon (2-24 RP). But only if the store manager and clerk understand to just ring in the price they will be getting reimbursed for the coupon. We all know that you can stack a store BOGO deal with a manufacturer BOGO coupon, and get both items free. But not at my local Walgreens in Temple Terrace. Mr Rivera the store manager insists you have to PAY for one (but the coupon doesn't count as paying). I tried to explain and asked if we could call another store so he could verify it's a valid purchase. He refused. We left. DH was fuming and plans to call 1800WALGREENS tomorrow to spout off about Mr Rivera's attitude problem. 

Friday Follow 2/26/10

I love these blog hops, it's a great way to discover wonderful new blogs. Browse around and follow me, and I'll check out your place too.

Free Busch Gardens Preschooler 1 Year Pass

Busch Gardens Tampa is opening a new Seasame Street Safari of Fun March 27th! To celebrate this they are offering free kids Annual passes for children 5 and under that are FL residents.   You can register and sign up online. 

 

Free Rhymes with Wheeee!
If you have a child 5 and younger, a Free Commemorative Busch Gardens Preschool Pass is waiting! It's all they need to explore the wonders of Busch Gardens and our all-new Sesame Street Safari of Fun…for all of 2010. Elmo and Ernie, can't wait!
 

Just go here!

In order for the pass to be valid you need a copy of their birth certificate when you take them to the park.  Just to verify age.

Busch Gardens is a great family park now, since they got rid of the free beer. No more old folks like us hanging around taking up tables and benches, while we have a cold bud. But its a nice place for grandchildren.

 

They just created a new parking area in the preferred parking lot for "Families with Strollers" and put up pretty pink signs along the whole front row of preferred parking.

 

We go every week to see the free concerts and have a nice walk. Pat Benatar is playing this Sunday in Gwazi Park at 4pm.

Happy Birthday Swagbucks

Today is Swagbucks 2nd Birthday! For their birthday celebration, they will be giving out Swagbucks out the gazoo. I just signed up a few months ago and have redeeemed hundreds of points for over a dozen Amazon gift cards. It's an amazingly effective way to search every day and you get points for it too. I have a favorite word that I search on every day and get points.

Two Great Matchups

Here are two great coupon matchup deals to do at Publix using the new Heathy Kids booklet and recent manufacturer coupons.

 

1. Weight Watchers Yogurt, 6 oz  (not sure of the price but it doesn't matter)

Stack the Publix store coupon BIGI with the Manufacturer BIGI coupon (1-17 SS) to get free yogurt

 

2. Buddig Deli Cuts meats 12-16 oz, $2.50

Use the Publix store coupon $1/1 from the booklet and stack with the $1/1 (2-7 SS) to get package for $0.50

 

Also still doable deal is the Vicks trial size Nyquil or Dayquil $1.39 (use $2/1 1-17 PG or $1.50/1 2-21 PG) and match with the Free Puffs WYB Vicks coupon (1-17 PG). This gives you a little overage and free tissues.

 

Also the Knox coupons expire on 3/9/2010 so get yours soon, or use them up. Some people are reporting more difficulty is getting this overage and it may be from overuse by other couponers. Just use a few at a time to ensure a smooth checkout.

 

Weekly Weigh

Actually, I haven't really been dieting, as evidenced by the evil scale - I weigh the same as I did at the beginning of the month. Still down 7 lbs overall since I started this diet, but I still have a month to go to reach my goal weight by Easter, on my birthday. I've got a big list of freebies to get on my birthday and most of them are food, so I'm definitely not dieting that day. Who can pass up free starbucks coffee, krispy creme donuts, Denny's grand slam breakfast, Qdobe burrito, and Kobe's free teppanyaki Japanese meal? Plus I aim to get my free African Safari ride to feed and photograph the wild veldt animals at Busch Gardens. Hope it's not busy there on Easter.

Anyway, my diet siderailed due to the cold frigid weather. I feel sorry for all the folks up North where they have six months of this misery. I was so excited to ride my bicycle to work today in the 65F weather, even though it was misty rolling through the clouds on the ground. It's my therapy. It makes me happy to ride my bike. The fresh air and just being outside exercising makes me more aware of my surroundings and notice details and beauty.

I also am starving now. I read this little tip in an email and realize I don't eat enough. I'm hungry all the time, right after breakfast, and every afternoon.
Physicians often advise their patients to eat six small meals if they want to lose weight or lower insulin spikes in the case of diabetics. Small meals every three hours keep you satisfied, and speeds up your metabolism, thereby helping you to lose weight. If you get hungry again in about three hours, your food portion sizes are correct. If you're hungry sooner, you didn't eat enough. Still feeling full four or five hours later? You ate too much.

Publix Sneak Peek 2/25-3/4 BOGO deals

Ragu Pasta Sauce, Assorted Varieties, 16 to 26.3 oz jar (Excluding Organic) BOGO $2.29
Ronzoni Pasta, Assorted Varieties, 8 to 16 oz box, BOGO $1.99
Juicy Juice, Assorted Varieties, 64 oz bot, BOGO $3.65
Green Giant Canned Vegetables, 11 to 15 oz can (Excluding Specialty Corn Varieties, Three Bean Salad, And Asparagus) BOGO $1.29
Del Monte Tomatoes, Assorted Varieties, 14.5 oz can, BOGO $1.39
General Mills Cereal, Lucky Charms, Cookie Crisp, Kix, or Reese's Puffs, 11.25 to 13 oz, Golden Grahams or Cinnamon Toast Crunch, 16 or 17 oz box, BOGO $3.99
Post Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal, Assorted Varieties, 13 to 17 oz or Vanilla Clusters, 18 oz box (Excluding Family Size) BOGO $2.69
Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix, Assorted Varieties, 19.8 to 22.5 oz or Dessert Bar Mix, 19.5 oz box, BOGO $2.69
Knorr Sides, Assorted Varieties, 4 to 6.4 oz pouch, BOGO $1.49
Lipton Family Size Tea Bags, Iced Tea Brew, 24 ct box, (Excluding Decaf) BOGO $2.65
StarKist Chunk White Tuna, Premium Albacore, 6.4 oz pkg, BOGO $3.19
Pam Cooking Sprat, No Stick: Original, Olive Oil, Butter Flavor, For Baking With Flour, or For The Grill, 5 or 6 oz can (excluding Organic and Professional) BOGO $3.39
LouAna Pure Vegetable Oil or Canol or COrn and Canola, 48 oz bot, VOFO $3.39
Doritos Tortilla Chips, Assorted Varieties, 11.5 to 13 oz bag (Excluding Baked, Light & Natural Chips) BOGO $3.99
Thomas' Bagels, Assorted Varieties, 20 oz bag (Excluding Bagel Thins) BOGO $3.99
Planters Peanuts, Assorted Varieties, 12 or 12.5 oz can, BOGO $3.09
Entemann's Donuts, Rich Frosted or Variety Pack, 8 ct., 16 or 17 oz box, BOGO $4.29
Nabisco Toasted Chips, Assorted Varieties, 8.1 oz bag, BOGO $3.39
Hershey's Nuggets, Assorted Varieties, 10.5 to 12 oz bag, BOGO $3.69
Keebler Club Crackers, Assorted Varieties, 12 to 16 oz box, BOGO $3.99
Gorton's Shrimp Temptations or Grilled Shrimp or Premium Fish Fillets or Fish Sticks, Assorted Varieties, 8 to 17.2 oz pkg, BOGO $7.49
Mayfield Ice Cream, Assorted Varieties, 48 oz ctn, BOGO $4.99
Green Giant Vally Fresh Steamers, Assorted Varieties, 12 oz bag, BOGO $2.39
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spread: 15 ox or 7.5 oz tub, 16 oz ctn, or 10 oz bot or Spray, 8 oz bot, Assorted Varieties, BOGO $2.49
Right Guard Sport Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant, Assorted Varieties, 2.8 or 3 oz pkg, BOGO $2.79
Publix Hydro Cream or Hydro Plus: 1% Hydrocortizone, 1 oz box, BOGO $3.99

It's Winter in My Refrigerator

I opened the refrigerator this weekend after shopping for salad stuff only to find that the fresh leafy greens frozen. It's among the more unpleasant of kitchen surprises. I tried to thaw it in the bathtub (we have no sink in the remodel progress) with a vegetable strainer but it was difficult to get the center thawed. Those of you who have had frozen heads of lettuce know that the results are typically soggy and limp.

 

Many factors can lead to frozen vegetables, from setting the refrigerator's temperature too low to storing the produce in the wrong place. This is a relatively new development which has occurred for the second time since we moved out our refrigerator to tile the floor. Ever since we moved it back, our lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, tomatoes and carrots have froze in the vegetable crisper.

 

The first thing we did was check the temperature setting. We dropped it to the center of the range of temps. We've kept our produce in the crisp drawer all the time but now it freezes. If we take it out and place it on the bottom shelf above the crisper its okay. Manufacturers

recommend keeping produce in the crisper drawer, away from the circulating air. You don't want the moisture to transpire out of the product and make it limp, which can happen with produce on a shelf.

If the crisper is full and some produce has to sit on a shelf, it's better to keep it at the front of the refrigerator, because cold air falls down along the back wall. Along with the area directly beneath the outlet, the back and bottom of the refrigerator tend to be the coldest spots.
So we have some limp soggy lettuce in our salads. Luckily the red leaf didn't freeze, so they are salvageable. But more investigation is needed this week.

Friday Follow 2/19/10

Hi Thanks for visiting. My computer at work blocks me from pasting the Mcklinky so I have to do that later when I get home, but leave a comment and I'll come follow you, or add yourself to my followers on the side bar and I'll get over to see your blog if you have one.

Have you done your taxes yet?

 

I hope you at least have gathered your tax information together, and if you're ready to do them, go HERE to use Taxact which I used for my taxes. Its really easy and the prompts are clear and easy to understand. I changed from having to owe to getting a refund and Taxact helped me verify it all. I'm getting ready to submit my tax return by efiling with Taxact this weekend.

Sunday Coupon Inserts

This weekend Sunday, 2/21 you can expect to see up to 3 inserts (who knows what'll be in the St Pete Times ugh!)

1 - Smartsource
1 - Redplum
1 - Proctor & Gamble

The Computer Won't Let Me

I hate it when store personnel use that excuse to not honor a discount. Most of the time it's not true, it's simply that they don't know how to do it. The other day I had a Publix coupon for 0.55 that had expired two days earlier. I asked the assistant manager if she would approve it for me to use. She said no "the computer won't accept it". She was lying of course because we know that Publix computers accept anything. I wish she would have just told me the truth, she wasn't comfortable approving it. I could have asked another manager who always approves my requests and I'm sure he would have said fine go ahead use it. I don't usually use expired coupons and always ask approval to do so, but I did use it anyway because I was mad she lied to me. The computer accepted it. duh.

Then last night we ran an errand to get a new all in one printer scanner copier fax machine. It's one I've been watching for a price drop since before Christmas and this is the first week its been on sale. Except it was on sale at Office Depot, and I wanted to get it from Staples to get an extra $50 off for recycling an old BJ200 Canon printer, and also to use my staples rewards coupon. So I grabbed the OD ad and found the last printer on the shelf and the assistant manager tried to assist us. He said the "computer wouldn't let him" combine the discount from the price match and the recycling discount. We reviewed the policy for price match and it didn't exclude any other offers so we said it should be honored. But the computer wouldn't let him do it. It was a frustrating experience because he insisted in his 4 years of experience it couldn't be done. We asked him if he was comfortable letting us walk away and get it from Office Depot and he said he was sorry the computer couldn't combine it.

So as we walked out we called 1800STAPLES and got some help from customer service and they said it was a combinable deal and it should be able to work, and if he couldn't get it to work the manager needed to just do it manually. duh. That's what we were trying to tell him he should do in the first place. After a 15 minute call he finally led us over to a register to try to sell us the printer. He ended up having to just use a generic $50 discount rather than the recycling discount, but we ended up walking out of there with the printer for $146 when it was regular price at $299.

So my point is, don't believe sales people when they use the excuse "the computer won't do it", because it's a lie. They just don't know how to do it.