2½ Dozen Ways to Decorate Easter Eggs

“Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love.” — Sitting Bull

Got a lot of eggs? Why not put all of your eggs in one basket; a boiled egg in the morning is hard to BEAT. Here’s some egg-spiration that’ll make you want to take dip-dying eggs with the kids up a notch. Learn the Ukrainian technique for creating those gorgeous, intricate patterns from Naztazia on YouTube: here. Click on an image to view full size, Happy Easter!

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Puff Pastry Apple Roses Recipe

The effort-to-rewards ratio on these little beauties provide an easy WOW for any gathering!

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Spray 6 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray and set aside. Quarter apples, slice thinly with peel on. Coat slices with 2 TBSP sugar, avoid breaking delicate pieces by gently shaking through rather than stirring in.
  2. Microwave on high for 90 seconds (or sauté on low heat 3-4 min until softened). Let sit for 10 minutes. Transfer to a strainer and drain over bowl for another 10 minutes, reserving apple juice in bowl.
  3. Remove puff pastry from refrigerator and place on lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 12″ x 9″ rectangle and cut into six 2″ x 9″ strips. Sprinkle with remaining 3 TBSP sugar and cinnamon, combined.
  1. Place slices along top edge of one strip, slightly overlapping, and ensuring skin side of apple sticks out over edge of dough.
  2. Fold up bottom half of dough over apples. Roll up pastry and smoosh dough together with your fingers at ends to seal edge. Place into muffin tin and repeat for remaining five strips.
  3. Refrigerate pastry in muffin tin 15-20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375˚F. (Remember puff pastry prefers polar temps to puff properly, or put simply PPPPTTPP :p)
  1. Bake 40 mins until light golden brown. Tent with foil after 25 mins if apples start browning too much.
  2. Meanwhile, add 1 tsp maple syrup to the reserved apple juice in bowl, microwave 90 seconds and set aside.
  3. Remove from oven and brush tops with syrup mixture. Return to oven 5-10 minutes, until golden. I hope you enjoy!

Photos by Micheile Henderson

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My High Standards for Cotton Swabs

One of those “deals that aren’t really deals” are generic cotton swabs. I’ve bought store brand on sale, ignorant to the existence of one of the worst product designs I can think of: Plastic Applicator Cotton Swabs.

Too bendy, too wasteful, who came up with them anyway? I won’t dignify that scourge on humanity with a google search. I’ll just learn my lesson, and eventually use up these plastic applicators in craft projects, rather than as single-use disposables.

Looking for sales on Q-Tips to coincide with my PC Optimum bonus offers used to be a regular activity. Zum Zum has crossed that task off my list with access to Costco Business Centre’s incredible everyday savings of 20% on brand name Q-Tips.

And until April 2nd Zum Zum is delivering Costco’s limited time “Warehouse Instant Savings” of 38%!

Source: The Pittsburgh Press – Jan 28, 1927



CLICK HERE to stock up on earth friendly, all natural, sustainably sourced paperboard-applicator Q-Tips.

(Savings compared to the grocery store’s 500 pack @ $4.47)

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Mozzarella Morsels

So, it only took me 32 years to learn the apparent common knowledge that bocconcini is NOT its own separate type of cheese. Translated from Italian, bocconcini means “morsels” or “small mouthful”, and Wikipedia describes “small mozzarella cheese balls the size of an egg.”

I just read Maclean’s local feature on fresh mozzarella. They visited the International Cheese Co. factory outlet in Toronto, where cheese marketed under the brand name Santa Lucia is made. The article from 2011 mentions their bocconcini’s win for “best mozzarella” at the seventh Canadian Cheese Grand Prix.

I have been hesitant to purchase Costco’s 1.5kg bulk tub of Santa Lucia Bocconcini Soft Cheese in fear of letting it go to waste. They’ve found my weakness though; I can’t pass up a 20% sale on fresh cheese. So I looked for a few resources that explain the best ways to freeze fresh mozzarella for use in sauces, melted on sandwiches or on pizza, etc. (Click to grab Santa Lucia Bocconcini 50g Balls or 10g Minis, on sale for $1.14/100g – compared to the grocery store at $2.19/100g, that’s 48% savings until Apr 11th!)

The freezer will change the texture from soft to crumbly – defrosted bocconcini will not be suitable in salads, but I’m partial to gooey melted cheese anyway. Slice before freezing, lay flat either on a tray or with pieces of wax paper between each slice. Defrost in the fridge 24 hours in advance, and pat dry with paper towel before melting on pizza to avoid a soggy crust. Skip defrosting and use directly from the freezer if excess moisture won’t ruin your dish.

Marinated bocconcini, so good it requires “the portion, plate it, and put it away method”: Recipe from Craving Something Healthy

Bread them & deep fry: Recipe from Mantitlement

Upgrade your pizza: Recipe from Love & Lemons

Let us know your favourite Santa Lucia Bocconcini recipes on Facebook or Instagram!

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Unpopular Opinion: Tomatoes in the fridge?

I hope I don’t discredit myself in any connoisseur’s eyes by suggesting that you store your tomatoes in the fridge to extend their shelf life.

I know it’s not a subject typically open to debate – the fridge destroys the flavour of the tomato, turning it into a pointless ball of water, right?

Well… From my days as a grocery cashier I’ve learned that grocers store their excess tomatoes in a produce cooler. My fridge would be a few degrees colder than that, so I wondered what effect storing at a lower temperature would have.

Daniel Gritzer at Serious Eats has done an amazing deep dive into the subject, running blind taste tests on an impressive range of tomatoes, stored in different ways. He analyzes studies that consider how storage temperatures affect a tomato’s texture and its volatile aromatics.

Turns out, the flavour isn’t permanently neutralized by the cold environment! You simply want your tomatoes to fully ripen at room temperature on the counter first, allowing their flavour and aroma to develop. Then drastically extend your perfectly ripe tomatoes shelf life by storing them in the fridge!

Most of the flavour and aroma will return when the tomatoes once again reach room temperature. You’ll need to take them out about 30 minutes before you’re ready to eat, in order to enjoy a great deal more flavour than if you had eaten the tomatoes straight out of the fridge.

That’s a win-win: save money on a bulk buy, knowing you can extend the shelf life of your tomatoes AND enjoy the taste!

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PRESS – Rosedale Livery to Delivery: Wholesale Grocery Savings Ride Across the GTA with Zum Zum

Rosedale Livery introduces Zum Zum Grocery Delivery: commercial-sized savings “chauffeured” from Costco Business Centre to the residential doorstep, with no membership required.

TORONTO, March 16, 2021 – Rosedale Livery Ltd. pivots into the GTA grocery delivery battleground with their latest venture – Zum Zum, in order to fill an under-served niche in the delivery market: wholesale savings. Since March 2020, as travel essentially ceased due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Rosedale has seen a crushing 98% decrease in activity. As travel resumes, they are looking forward to regrowing their chauffeured services, meanwhile adapting their software systems to service the GTA’s growing demand for grocery delivery.

“We set up an online storefront, and launched Zum Zum on June 6, 2020,” said Craig McCutcheon, CEO of Rosedale Livery, and founder/CEO of Zum Zum. “Our customers have shared their appreciation for our careful handling of their groceries throughout the pandemic, trusting our forty years of ‘white glove’ service standards.”

Zum Zum delivers throughout the GTA – from Oshawa to Newmarket, to Burlington and everywhere between. Craig explained, “We have secured a fulfillment centre, where each order is sorted into pantry, ‘Refrigerate’ and ‘Freeze’ upon arrival in our environmentally friendly, recycled paper bags. More of our chauffeurs have stayed on the road, professionally delivering the orders and providing their touch of class.”

Zum Zum’s team recognized the unique value and inventory control of the Costco Business Centre in Scarborough over other suppliers that were considered, as 70% of the Business Centre’s products cannot be found any where else. The plan was to deliver the savings that a bulk shop offers – and save the labours of completing the trip that consumers would prefer to avoid, especially during Covid-19 challenges. Zum Zum’s AI dispatching system generates the routes, while ensuring each truck reaches its maximum efficiency and clients receive their orders at their selected time.

Craig explains how Rosedale’s previous investments in technology provided the ability to adapt in the pandemic landscape. “In 2013 we developed our proprietary AI dispatching platform ‘Boomerang’, and reduced our overhead by 40%. It was a true game changer, our AI eliminated the need for manual calculations in dispatching our fleet.”

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Online grocery shopping: Say NO to delivery minimums with ZUM ZUM

Rather than needing to consider a dollar amount to reach delivery minimums, Zum Zum asks that you select a variety of items you’ll need this week to unlock all delivery windows.

It’s a system guided by our duty to minimize our impact on the environment. By ensuring all vehicles depart at 90%+ capacity, we optimize our miles driven and reduce carbon emissions.

I tend to start building my next cart soon after I’ve placed an order, continually adding to it through the week as I see what I need for my next delivery.

Without needing to consider delivery minimums, I stay disciplined in my bargain hunting. Instead of searching for the cheapest way to reach a target dollar (usually overspending on a single size treat), on the occasion I may want to top up my cart to access same day/next day delivery, I’ll grab some useful non-perishables at everyday savings of over 50%.

56% savings on coffee filters, and 54% savings on organic sugar are a few of my favourite go-tos if an extra item is ever needed. Savings are on regular priced items compared to nofrills.ca, current as of April 4th 2021. Stay tuned for regular updates that will ZUM IN on more of those fantastic Costco Business Centre everyday-deals!

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Have your groceries DELIVERED & PAY LESS versus going to the grocery store

Shop with ZUM ZUM for your weekly staples and enjoy the convenience of receiving your groceries to your door, while SAVING money

We’re all feeling the pain of rising food prices, so buying everything you can in bulk is a great way to stretch your grocery budget. Canada’s Food Price Report is released together by Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph, and they are forecasting “an overall food price increase of 3 to 5% for 2021. The most significant increases are predicted for meat at 4.5 to 6.5%, bakery at 3.5 to 5.5%, and vegetables at 4.5 to 6.5%.”

Zum Zum’s prices ALWAYS MATCH costcobusinesscentre.ca – we update weekly to deliver every sale to you. Our 5% Pick & Pack fee & FREE delivery provides our customers an easy way to calculate exactly how we beat the competition. We want to make your weekly shops a no-brainer.

I have always been meticulous in my price comparisons, thanks to my mom somehow making “price per 100g” interesting to an eight year old. Though I’ve noticed Costco Business Centre will not always beat a few of the discount grocery’s tight margin items like milk & eggs – when I calculate my overall savings on high ticket items such as cheese, nuts, meat etc, my Pick & Pack fee is paid for a few times over vs going to the store.

Your savings are impossible to ignore when shopping by “price per 100g”. It is truly worth the time invested in planning a grocery budget, if the extra upfront capital required to buy in bulk has made it intimidating to get started. That capital is recuperated next week when you’re taking your bread out of the freezer instead of running to the store!

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Welcome to Zum Zum!

Thank you for visiting the Zum Zum blog! We’ll be zuming in on useful price comparisons, recipes, meal plans, product information, reviews, and fun DIYs that reuse packaging to reduce waste. New posts to come every week with the goal of adding even more value to your Zum Zum orders!

We would like to express our deep gratitude for the support of our growing customer base over our first year of Costco Business Centre grocery delivery. We appreciate that you have recognized our commitment to safety during a worldwide pandemic, and we strive to ensure that you’ll continue to feel like you’re taken care of by family.

We thank those who have taken their time to leave us a review on Trustpilot, or a comment on Facebook & Instagram. Your invaluable feedback has been transformational in our expansion. Thank you for zuming with us into an exciting new spring!

Zuming out,

Jacqueline & the Zum Zum team

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