Cornish Game Hen

At Daiei, USDA Choice blade chuck or 7-bone chuck roast is selling for $1.48 a pound through Saturday, and thinking ahead to Labor Day, the store is offering boneless tri-tip steak for barbecuing, at 2.68 a pound.

Meanwhile, Foodland is offering London broil, cross-rib roast or blade chuck roast at $1.68 a pound through Tuesday.

Times offers boneless cross-rib roast at $1.99 a pound and boneless top sirloin at $3.29 a pound, also through Tuesday. And Safeway is offering USDA Select value packs of T-bone or Porterhouse steaks at $3.98 a pound.

Pair that steak with onions, three -pound bags of Californias for 99 cents at Daiei. At Times, Northwest onions are 59 cents a pound; at Foodland Spanish onions are 49 cents.

You won't need to gripe about grape prices: Red flames are 59 cents a pound at Safeway and 67 cents at Sack 'n Save stores; Thompson seedless are going for 68 cents at Foodland.

Chicken prices aren't for the birds either. Foster Farms whole fryers are 77 cents a pound at Daiei. And as an option to the usual chicken dinner, surprise the family with Patti Jean frozen cornish game hens, 20 ounces for $1.88 at Daiei, or $1.69 each at Star Market with a store coupon (five limit).

Cornish game hens don't demand lavish treatment. Simply remove the giblets, cut them in half lengthwise, baste them with your favorite grilling sauce and grill over medium hot coals, skin side up, for six minutes, covered. Flip the halves, baste and cook 30 minutes, turning and basting every seven minutes.

You may also try herb butters. For tarragon butter, combine 8 tablespoons softened butter with 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, and follow grilling instructions above.

To oven roast the hens , season with salt and pepper, then roast at 375 degrees for 50 minutes to an hour, basting every 15 minutes with chicken broth.