A first-timer's guide to Aldi, the price-tag trick that spots a Costco markdown, and a budget-breakfast ranking are this week's grocery and savings stories.

We also have an old-school breakfast flashback with a stop in Lancaster, the real first PB&J, a chicken cheesesteak with a mushroom relish, and Saturday's farmers market at Antelope Valley Winery. Start with the trivia question below. The answer is at the bottom.

Shopping at Aldi for the first time works a little differently than at a typical supermarket. Mashed put together a list of 11 things to know before your first visit, and a few of them are worth passing along.

Most of what's on the shelves is Aldi's own brand, so don't expect to recognize many names. The store is also smaller than a mainstream supermarket. That means fewer products to choose from, but it can also mean a quicker trip.

The rotating Aldi Finds aisle is hit or miss, so don't plan a trip around one specific item. Seasonal stock is a strength, from holiday decorations to fall pastries in the bakery. Selection and prices vary by store, so check what your nearest Aldi has before you go.

There's no company-wide schedule for when Costco marks down unsold items, according to Mashed. Markdowns can cover seasonal goods, discontinued products and slow-moving or excess inventory, and the timing varies a lot from one warehouse to the next.

Shoppers online suggest weekday mornings for the best chance of catching new markdowns. The easier tell is the price tag. A price ending in .97 usually means a manager markdown, often on returned or slightly damaged items or on inventory that's running low. Those prices can differ from one Costco to another.

The Costco app also lets members check warehouse inventory and pricing, but out-of-stock items don't show up and updates can lag by up to 30 minutes. If you shop at your nearest warehouse often, the .97 endings are the thing to watch for.

Don't pour the liquid left in the slow cooker down the drain. Food Republic rounds up 14 ways to put it to work.

You can simmer it down into a makeshift stock, then reduce it and freeze it in cubes for later. Skim off the fat to save for cooking, or turn the juices into gravy, au jus or a quick pan sauce. Rice, grains and risotto can cook in it for extra flavor, and a splash keeps leftovers moist when you reheat them.

Stretching a ready-made chicken the same way? We covered that in Turn a Rotisserie Chicken Into Stock.

Tasting Table picked 12 breakfast chains that offer the best value. To make the list, a chain had to meet most of its tests: affordable food, wide availability, options for different diets and an easy morning pickup.

Fox News' recap says the list includes familiar names such as McDonald's, Starbucks, Dunkin', Wendy's, Burger King and IHOP. Tasting Table says IHOP's value menu had five meals under $6 when it wrote the piece. It credits Starbucks for drink customization and for app rewards that include a free drink on your birthday.

Prices change often and vary by location, so check the app or menu at your Lancaster or Palmdale stop before you order.

Food Republic's Michael Serrur looks at 12 breakfast orders you rarely see on menus anymore. They include fried cornmeal mush, chipped beef on toast, red-eye gravy, shirred eggs, SPAM and eggs and Dutch babies.

If that sounds like a trip back in time, Lancaster has a diner built for it. Katz-N Jammers is a 50s-style diner at 44801 Beech Ave. According to a Metrolink visitor listing, its retro look includes hanging vinyl records, a black-and-white TV looping old sitcoms and a working jukebox. The listing points to the biscuits and gravy and the "John Wayne steak and eggs" as must-orders, with generous portions at fair prices.

Call ahead for hours at (661) 945-6646. Got a favorite old-school breakfast spot in the AV? Tell us and it could be our next Hidden Gem.

The earliest known recipe for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich appeared in a 1901 issue of The Boston Cooking School magazine, in an article called "Peanuts and Pralines" by Julia Davis Chandler, Tasting Table reports.

It wasn't a lunchbox sandwich. It was a finger sandwich filled with peanut paste, which is what we'd now call peanut butter, and either currant jelly or crab apple jelly. Both fruits are tart, so the original was far less sweet than a modern PB&J.

Want a throwback version at home? Tasting Table suggests soft bread rather than crusty, crab apple or blackcurrant jelly, and cutting the sandwich into fingers or fun shapes.

This week's Featured Bite is a Lancaster favorite that locals have been pointing friends toward for years: Sammy's Restaurant on Sierra Highway.

Sammy's is a Mexican restaurant at 44139 Sierra Hwy in Lancaster, and it covers the whole day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all on the table, with dine-in, takeout, outdoor seating and a drive-through. That makes it as handy for a relaxed sit-down meal as for a quick stop on the way across town.

The tacos are what built the reputation. L.A. Taco included Sammy's in its guide to classic places to eat in the Antelope Valley and described a lunch of two tacos with chips and a bottled Coke for roughly $10 at the time of writing. The writer called it affordable and serious about flavor. Prices change, so check the current menu before you go.

Diners who review the restaurant online mention the same few things again and again. The tacos come up the most, followed by a flavorful carne asada burrito and the menudo. One reviewer praised the butterflied shrimp. Several say they have been coming for years and think of it as an Antelope Valley destination, and others like the quick, friendly service.

The restaurant lists wheelchair-accessible parking, entrance, restroom and seating, and beer and coffee are on the menu too.

Make a stop of it: L.A. Taco's tip is to follow lunch with a few frames at Bowlero Lancaster, which is only a few blocks away.

Local Bites Take:
If you're hunting for an everyday taco spot that locals keep coming back to, Sammy's is an easy yes. Go hungry, order the tacos, and bring a friend who still thinks the AV is all chains.

Sammy's Restaurant
44139 Sierra Hwy, Lancaster
Phone: (661) 940-3443
Hours: Listed as daily, 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. on Yelp and other directories. Call to confirm holiday hours.

Source: L.A. Taco, Superbloom Eats: Where to Eat in Antelope Valley

The Daily Meal's twist on the classic sandwich swaps beef for crispy, thinly shaved chicken thigh. It's piled on with caramelized sweet onions and poblano peppers, then topped with a homemade Gruyère and smoked provolone cheese sauce.

What sets it apart is the relish. A layer of oyster mushroom and Calabrian chile paste relish goes on the bottom half of a toasted pretzel roll before the chicken filling. The recipe calls for 8 ounces of oyster mushrooms with the tough stems removed.

It's an easy way to turn an ordinary sandwich night into something a little more special. The full ingredient list and steps are on The Daily Meal.

When: Saturday, November 7, 9 a.m.–noon
Where: Antelope Valley Winery & Brewery, 42041 20th St. W., Lancaster
Cost: Free to attend. Vendors set their own prices.

The certified farmers market at Antelope Valley Winery runs every Saturday morning through November 14, so this Saturday and next are the last two chances this season.

Vendors include Ventura County fruit and produce, small-batch local honey, organic micro-greens, farmstead organic eggs, artisan breads and pastries, handcrafted chocolates, hummus and pita, tamales, dried fruit and nuts, and fresh-squeezed juice. There's also lavender, goat-milk soaps and local crafts.

Organizer: Antelope Valley Winery & Brewery · (661) 722-0145

Opening an independent restaurant is a big bet. A planning guide from a commercial furniture company puts illustrative U.S. numbers on it for a 4,000-square-foot, 140-to-170-seat restaurant on leased space.

Converting an existing restaurant is estimated at roughly $470,000 to $1.07 million. A brand-new buildout runs about $1.135 million to $2.04 million. Construction is the biggest cost, followed by commercial kitchen equipment, permits, technology, inventory, staffing, marketing and furniture. The guide also budgets $75,000 to $250,000 for working capital and contingency, which it treats as the owner's safety net.

These are national planning figures, not Antelope Valley quotes, so anyone thinking of opening here should gather local estimates first. For the rest of us, it's a good reminder of what's at stake each time we choose a local kitchen over a chain.

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