I've been shopping at Costco for over 30 years. Here are 9 things I get there to make easy meals for my household of 2.

• I've been shopping at Costco for over 30 years and have figured out some of the best items to get.
• I almost never leave the store without a Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken .
• When I don't have time to make my own sauce, I use the Kirkland Signature imported basil pesto.

When my husband and I became Costco members in 1991, I was shopping for my family of three. Now, at 80 years old, I'm a happy grandparent shopping for my household of two.

Throughout the years I've shopped at the retailer, I've noticed some of the same people, a bit older and a little grayer (like me), still deep in the Costco experience. To me, this isn't any surprise — after all, Costco has built a loyal following of customers.

Though I've downsized from my old "Costco closet" (a utility closet I outfitted with numerous shelves and a wine rack), I still head to the warehouse each week for ingredients to make simple meals. Here are nine things I always get at Costco .

Prices may vary by location.

The Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken is an essential purchase.

Of course, a Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken is No. 1 in my book.

Many shoppers — including me — hardly ever leave the warehouse without a tantalizing, aromatic chicken in their basket. I divide the best parts (the breast meat and thighs) on a plate, add hickory-smoked baked beans and coleslaw, and dinner is served.

The rest of the meat goes into the freezer for chicken stock.

I also love the Kirkland Signature hand-pulled rotisserie-chicken breast meat.

Hand-pulled rotisserie-chicken breast meat is another one of my favorite poultry buys at Costco.

Each no-frills pouch weighs nearly 3 pounds, so I like to repackage the chicken into three small Ziploc bags and freeze them.

I like to smother it with barbecue sauce for sliders, glaze it with Kinder's teriyaki marinade and sauce for rice bowls, or simmer it with noodles for a chunky homemade soup .

The plump, juicy Kirkland Signature farm-raised tail-on raw shrimp is always a winner.

This 2-pound bag of farm-raised raw shrimp is another great find.

We grill shrimp with lime and Mexican-inspired spices for fajitas, sauté them for scampi, or toss them with seasoned breadcrumbs and oven-bake them for dippers.

Each bag gives us three meals for two people.

When I need a delicious flavor booster, I reach for the Kirkland Signature imported basil pesto.

This jarred pesto is so good I've stopped making my own sauce. After I've used a bit of the jar, I spoon the remaining sauce into an ice-cube tray and freeze it.

Each cube is the perfect size for a dollop of flavor in a soup or sauce.

There are so many ways to use this pesto — we add it to a creamy spinach linguini, summertime pasta salad, or grilled shrimp with spicy red-pepper flakes and a squeeze of lemon juice.

The Better Than Bouillon organic roasted-chicken base is perfect for soups and sauces.

This 21-ounce jar of Better Than Bouillon organic roasted-chicken base is great for when I don't have time to create my own stock.

The roasted-chicken base comes as a paste and can be mixed with hot water. I like to add it to soups, sauces, and even risotto.

The brand's beef and vegetarian varieties are also good, but there's always a jar of the chicken flavor in my fridge.

I love the quality of the Kirkland Signature beef-loin tri-tip roasts.

This USDA-prime tri-tip beef loin has abundant marbling for tender, juicy meat .

My technique for cooking tri-tips has remained the same over the years: I carve out one small oven roast for an upcoming dinner, then slice the remaining meat into various-sized steaks for grilling.

We freeze these tender steaks to barbecue for family-style dinners or use them for meals when it's just the two of us.

I use the Kirkland Signature master-carve applewood-smoked half ham in so many dishes.

When our son lived with us, we'd slice up this master-carve half ham for family dinners with potato salad.

Now, we use part of it for two smaller dinners and chop the rest into slices, individually wrap them, and freeze them to add to mac and cheese, quiche, or scrambled eggs.

The bonus knobby-end piece of ham goes into the slow cooker with beans and other aromatics for an easy, hearty soup.

The Kirkland Signature albacore solid-white tuna always gets a spot on our table.

I like the Kirkland Signature solid-white tuna because it's full of nutrients. I use it in basil pasta with peas, crunchy tuna cakes , and cheesy sandwiches with capers.

If the recipe calls for oil-packed tuna, it's not a problem. I just flake the tuna, add a drizzle of Kirkland Signature olive oil (I always keep it on hand) and crushed garlic, and marinate the fish for 15 minutes.

Each box comes with eight cans of tuna.

A three-pack of Garofalo organic pasta serves as a base for quick, elegant-feeling dinners.

You might think this three-pack of pasta would take two people a year to polish off. Not at my house.

The different shapes — farfalle, shells, and rotini — mix up our meals, and they're delicious when tossed with Rao's homemade marinara sauce. This trendy sauce is savory and not too acidic, with a consistency that clings to pasta without being overbearing.

This meal is also a lifesaver for dinner-malfunction days (when I forget to defrost my frozen pesto cubes).

Click to keep reading Costco diaries like this one .

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