Stock-up prices

This week Kroger has some great stock-up prices on popular staples, no coupons required. Kroger peanut butter (16 ounce) is $1.49, Kroger apple juice (64 ounce) is $1.49 and Kroger pasta sauce (24-ounce jars) are $1.19. Heritage Farm whole fryer chickens are 69 cents per pound, boneless center cut pork chops are $2.99 per pound and Hormel pork tenderloin or fillets are on sale “buy one, get one free.” Perdue chicken drumsticks or thighs are $1.29 per pound and Heritage Farm boneless chicken breasts are $1.99 per pound. $5 off five items: Kroger has a promotion that gives you $5 off when you buy five participating items. Kellogg’s Special K is $1.99 after promotion savings. Use the $1-off-three coupon from the June 4 RedPlum to pay $1.66 per box. Nature Valley granola bars (12 count) or Fiber One bars (five count) are $1.99. Use the 50-cents-off-two coupon for either variety from the May 7 SmartSource to pay $1.74 each. Land O Frost lunch meat (16 ounce) is $2.99. Use the 75-cent coupon from the May 21 SmartSource to pay $2.24. Nabisco Snack Crackers (3.5 to 9.1 ounce) are $1.39. Use the 75-cents-off-two coupon from the May 21 SmartSource to pay $1.02 per box. Juicy Juice (64 ounce or 6.75-ounce eight-pack) is $1.49. Use the 55-cent coupon from the May 21 SmartSource to pay 94 cents each. Reynolds aluminum foil (35-75 feet) is $2.79. Use the 55cent coupon from the May 14 RedPlum to pay $2.24.

Now that my kitchen counter is almost clear of potential Tidbit items, I’ve realized that I forgot to see whether there were any new items in my freezer.

From Hostess come ice-cream versions of Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Sno Balls and Hostess Cupcakes. I was surprised to learn that, of the six offerings, only two (the Ding Dong and the Sno Ball) are what I expected: A “frozen novelty” version of the regular product filled with ice cream.

Three of the other four offerings (Twinkies, Sno Balls and Cupcakes) are flavors of ice cream (in pints and half-gallons), with inclusions of cake pieces and flavor swirls. It was unable to locate any of these, but it’s early.The sixth item is a second version of a frozen Twinkie: a cone “with creamy Twinkie-flavored frozen dairy deliciousness, topped with golden sponge cake crumbles.”

Yes, the cone is filled with “frozen dairy deliciousness.”

Because I was careless above in my use of the term “ice cream,” in order to help visualize the products involved, I’d like to point out that Hostess refers only to the pint and half-gallon items as “ice cream.”

The Ding-Dongs, for example, are described on the box as “Vanilla frozen dairy dessert sandwiches with chocolatey coating.”