Dinner at Ombu

It's not fair to review a restaurant after only one visit, so this is not a review.  Besides, I'm not a restaurant critic, although I can be critical.  Tonight I took my husband to Ombu for his birthday.  For anyone not familiar with Ombu, it is located on Hanes Mall Blvd. across from Wal-mart.  It is an attractive brick building with a patio and fireplace.  It is just as elegant inside with both tables and booths.  We were seated next to the kitchen, which wouldn't have been my choice because it was brighter, hotter and noisier.  However, it proved to be entertaining and enlightening to see how the kitchen was run.  I commented to my husband that I doubted it was like this at Applebee's, and he agreed it probably wasn't.

Jen was our server, and she did a very nice job.  She was knowledgeable about the menu, and when I questioned her about the serving temperature of their red wine she admitted that it was not climate controlled, but served at room temperature.  While it was comfortable for humans, it's not so good for the wine.  She said she would like for us to share our thoughts on this with the chef, as he takes customer's comments to heart.  Chef Joseph Monteiro is the Executive Chef as well as a partner in the restaurant.  He came to our table to hear our thoughts and  relate his concerns over not having the proper storage or cooling capacity for the wines.  And Ombu does have an extensive wine list.  His task would be much simpler if it did not.  It is apparently something he thinks about often.  

We placed an order for lobster and gruyere fritters with poblano pepper jelly and chives, and gave the red wine a try.  After all the only place we ever get it at the correct temperature, at least in this town, is at home.  Jen brought us samples of "The Bitch" grenache from Barossa.  It was light in body, similar to that of a pinot noir, but full of flavor like you would expect from Australian wines.  We enjoyed it in spite of the temperature so we each ordered a glass.  I suspect another 8-10 degrees cooler would have made a pleasurable difference, though.

Soon our fritters arrived.  They were crispy, golden mounds of spicy sweetness combined with the gooey cheese, and of course the lobster.  The lobster was not extremely obvious among the other flavors and textures.  They were quite good, but I would have liked a little more heat and a little less sweet in the sauce.

The restaurant didn't appear too busy when we arrived for our 7:00 reservation, but picked up steam as time went on.  The kitchen was slammed, and Chef Joe was keeping everyone in line and things moving.  Shortly we got our orders.  I had the Scottish Salmon with truffle potato au gratin and almond Thai basil butter.  Hubby ordered the divers scallops with smoked tomato grits, pancetta and cilantro hollandaise.  There were four large scallops on individual beds of the grits and pancetta.  They were topped with caviar.  Now this was the first experience of caviar for either of us, and  I've got to say, I didn't  care too much for it.  If asked ahead of time if I thought I would like it, I would have replied, "probably not".  I would have been right.  It was not so much as to upset the dish or the eater, but it's not something we'd want again.  It had the mouthfeel of so many little black seeds popping like tiny bubble wrap.  The salmon and scallops were cooked perfectly, and the portions were generous.  I even remarked that my salmon was large enough to split.  I usually buy enough for 6-oz. portions for each of us.  This must have been about 10 oz.  The only issue with the food was that the scallops were not served on a "hot" plate like my salmon, and were maybe not as hot as they could have been from the get go.  We let them know this for future reference.  

This was a very nice experience, and we saw first-hand a chef who cares about the food and wine he serves, and we saw him in action.  The wait staff were all friendly and competent.  I would give Ombu a thumbs up rating.  We had heard really good things about Ombu from friends, and they were right.

I cannot comment on the dessert.  I declined to even look at the menu since I was so stuffed.  Did I mention the complimentary bread and butter?  Yum!  It was all good.  Would I go back?  Yes!  

Now to make this evening even better, Ombu is one of the area restaurants listed with restaurants.com which sells restaurant gift certificates on-line.  I had purchased a $25 gift certificate during one of their special offers for just $2.  

Bottom line, I recommend this restaurant especially for special occasions.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish my husband 

a GREAT BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Simple Oven Chicken

Tonight's dinner was extremely simple.  Take chicken out of the freezer and go shopping.  Hubby's birthday is tomorrow, and no, I'm not giving away any secrets  here.  Fast forward to the dinner hour, and the chicken is thawed.  Take some French's brand French Fried Onions and crush them up, crack an egg and beat it up.  We're really hard on our food!   Next dip the chicken in the egg and then coat with the onion crumbs.  OK, we've already preheated our oven to 400 degrees, right?  Put the chicken on a baking sheet and pop it in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness.  I always cut mine in half (like fillets) before freezing, and I flattened them a bit, so I only cooked them about 15 minutes. 

Here is the exact recipe.  I was only cooking for two, so I cut it back.

French's Crispy Onion Chicken
2 cups (4 oz.)  French’s^® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten 

Place French Fried Onions in plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin. Transfer to pie plate or waxed paper.

Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional crumbs, if desired.

Bake at 400°F for 20 min. until no longer pink in center

We had this with fried potatoes and green beans, along with the mismatched remnants of a bottle of Smoking Loon Merlot from Monday.  Yeah, I know better than that, but that's what was open, and yeah, sometimes I'll open the second bottle to get the right match, but not tonight. 

This simple recipe makes some tasty chicken right out of the oven. 

More Car Stuff

Last Saturday, like most other Saturdays lately, we were out looking for cars.  My lastest test drive was an '02 Subaru Outback.  It's an attractive vehicle with all wheel drive.  That makes it good in all this snow we've been having here in the "Sunny South".  It was nice enough, I guess, but it felt small on the road, and a little cramped inside.  The door and the seat were so close to each other, there was hardly room enough to get my hand to the seat adjustment controls - and I don't have big hands.  However, there was something wrong with it that I can't put my finger on.  It had a slight hesitation on take off, which my previous experience with an Outback told me wasn't normal.  I decided that it wasn't the car for me.

Since we are both in the market for a car, hubby drove a Toyota Corolla ('02 maybe).  It was fine after he got the seat and mirrors adjusted for his comfort.  We didn't see anything wrong with the car.  It was even a nice color, beige/gold (we don't like silver).  The thing holding him back is that it wasn't as comfortable as the Accord.  Well, of course, that's another step up the Honda ladder. 

So that concluded another day of car shopping in ridiculously cold weather.  

Here Comes the Sun

It was cold and rainy this morning.  It quit by lunch time only to return again later this afternoon.  It was still cold and the rain was mixed with some sleet.  After leaving huge puddles in the driveway, the rain moved on and out popped the sun for a late-day photo op.

I just love the way the sun hit the trees with some of the dark clouds still in the background.

Looking East from my driveway.

Product Review: Phillips Maryland-Style Crab Cakes

Are you a fan of the humble crab cake, that golden brown, slightly crunchy parcel of delectable deliciousness?  

What makes a good crab cake?  In my opinion, and probably most crab lovers, high quality lump crab meat, minimal ingredients and and gentle handling.  I've eaten crab cakes at many places, some good, some OK and some just plain awful.  Even places that I liked on the first visit, the next time they seemed to have changed their recipe.  So what made the good ones good and the bad ones bad.  Given quality crab in all instances (any anything less than nice lump meat doesn't get counted) some offending ingredients are bell peppers (red and/or green), celery and onions.  Not only are the peppers still crisp tender and "crunch", the flavor overwhelms the delicate crab.  That version seems to be very popular around here.  However, good crab is good all on its own and does not need to be stuffed full of crunchy vegetables and fillers.  Any seasonings should just enhance the flavor, not cover it up.  Want more spiciness, serve with a tartar or remoulade sauce on the side.

Having figured out what I didn't like, I set out to find a recipe that would produce the results I craved.  I searched for crab cake recipes, and scanned through a number of recipes online.  I only found a couple that used the offending bell peppers, and barring those, they all used similarly simple ingredients.  Wow, this is it.  This is what I've been looking for.  I actually found the recipe I used here.  So when lump crab meat went on sale, I snatched up a pound and proceeded to makes crab cakes using my new-found recipe.  The recipe was wonderful, but we had an issue with the crab meat itself.  It smelled funny.  Not spoiled, but not like I thought crab was supposed to smell.  It didn't make us sick, and it tasted...eh...all right.  After that, I was leary of trying it again.  I could tell, though, that it was a GOOD recipe, so next time I got a different brand, and it was much better.  I don't remember either brand right now, but that's not important.

Now for the product review part of this post.  When we were in Costco the other day picking up  coupon items and some wine, we saw the Phillips brand frozen Maryland-style crab cakes.  They were $12.99 for six 3-oz. crab cakes.  You pay more than that for a pound of the good stuff at the grocery store, and most recipes make 6 cakes per pound of crab meat.  Considering that you can pay that much for a sub par crab cake dinner in restaurants, it seemed like a good deal.  I mean they're already made; you just pop them into the oven for about 16 minutes or so, and poof, you've got crab cakes.  I don't buy a lot of pre-packaged, already made up stuff, preferring to make my own, but we didn't have anything planned for dinner, so I said, "this is dinner tonight", and into the cart they went.  The directions were to bake them on a buttered baking sheet (I used olive oil) at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, turn them and bake an additional 4 minutes.  I think I let them go a couple minutes longer while getting the rest of the dinner together.  They were nicely seasoned, with nothing overpowering the crab.  They had decent size pieces of crab meat, and held together well without being tough or packed with fillers.  Just good taste, good texture, and I think, a good value for the money.  The flavor was equally as good as my recipe, and at just $2.16 per serving, this is definitely a repurchase.  If you like crab cakes, these are worth checking out.  Of course I will keep making them from scratch, too!


For the record, I had heard of different styles of crab cakes.  I mean every area has one, Carolina style, Charleston style, Chesapeake style, Maryland style.  Since I live here in North Carolina and have a hard time finding good crab cakes, I assumed that it was the Carolina style that I didn't care for.  I was mistaken in that assumption.  My continued research shows that most styles have pretty much the same basic recipe, and that the propensity for adding veggies seems to be more the exception than the rule (except around here). 

Quote of the Week

We don't always get to where we want to go, but we always get to where we're going.

- Robert Brault

I think this pretty much speaks for itself.  We can choose our own path, and plan our future but life's bumps along the way may affect where we end up.  Nevertheless, we always get there, where ever our "there" happens to be.

Valentine's Day...Dinner?

Today is Valentine's Day, whether you celebrate it or not.  Apparently a lot of people do according to the wait times and packed parking lot at every restaurant we tried.  We drove through a half dozen parking lots and actually went in to check wait times at two.  First we tried Texas Land & Cattle.  They had a 25 minute wait, which some days is not too bad, but it was getting late and we were already hungry.  Next on the list was Macaroni Grill.  We drove through the parking lot and past the door.  Too many people standing around.  On to TGI Friday's.  They had a 30 minute wait.  Same story, and we didn't want to wait.  We drove past O'Charley's, and saw the same pickup that had been leaving the Macaroni Grill parking lot when we drove through.  The driver had apparently sent his lady friend in to check the wait.  She came out and got back in the truck.  That told us all we needed to know.  We thought about a couple other places, but our style was rapidly going downhill as fast as our hunger was growing.  So we ended up going home...without dinner.  Thanks for the ride!  We still had our sense of humor, thanks in part, to a well-stocked freezer and a gas grill.  

You may ask why, knowing that it was Valentine's Day, and a huge dine-out day, did we wait until so late to decide to go.  It was just one of those days, and I was feeling a bit off.  Not bad, just off, and wasn't sure what I wanted to do.  By the time I came to the conclusion it would be just fine with me to go out, we were getting hungry and still needed to decide where to eat.  I narrowed it down to the three places where I had some type of coupon.  In the end, I would have settled for anywhere we could get in and eat before we were too weak from hunger to get out of the truck.  

So what did we finally eat?  Before we got into the house, the grill was lit.  I popped some tater tots into the toaster oven, and pulled some salmon burgers from the freezer.  Yes, the Trident ones from Costco (the same folks that make those yummy fish sticks).  I tossed those on the grill for 8 minutes, made up some of my special sauce and we were good.  We washed that down with the remains of last night's wine - Spanish Quarter, a Chardonnay and Albarino blend.  It was great with last night's crab cakes (review in progress).  It might not have been the fanciest Valentine's dinner ever, but it hit the spot.  Some of the best meals really are had at home. 
I hope you all had a wonderful day, no matter what you did.

What a Winter

This is the most snow, or number of snows (4 so far), we've seen around here in years, so I guess we're due.  The snow and all the rain we had this fall and winter has offset the years of drought, and brought the water levels up to normal or above.  That's a good thing.  It was getting scary when the weeks and months went by without measurable rainfall.  Even though we only got an inch or so this time, it made for some really good pictures.

 

These are the seed pods from our Poplar tree, filled with snow.  They look like snow cones.

 

View up the driveway.

The snow came with the night, and the day dawned clear, but it was still cold and windy.  Thankfully, though, it was not like last Wednesday with 50+ mph winds.  We do pick great days to car shop!

A Lunar Vacation Part II

Remember the new Lunar vacation  spot, the hottest or coolest new getaway scene?  It seems that the monetary cost is not the only price to be paid. Another danger to be considered may be even more difficult.  With extended time in space we lose bone density - kind of like a rapid onset of osteoporosis, and weightlessness, or zero gravity, is the culprit.  How do we combat that for the chance to vacation among the stars, other than Hollywood, of course. A possible solution?   If we can simulate weightlessness here on earth for the purpose of space training, then isn't it possible to simulate gravity in outer space?  This is where it does take a rocket scientist to figure it out.  However, I can envision a large arena, covered and climate controlled to keep our bodies on an even keel.  Filled with oxygen and whatever science has discovered to keep our feet firmly on the floor.  Think of the walled cities from centuries ago, only with a roof as well.  Everything you could need contained within, and going outside is dangerous.  Looks like sometimes we have to go back to go forward.

Another thing has come up, and this is an area for the space wear fashion designers.  We need outfits that are some two inches longer than our earthly clothes.  Why?  Well, it is a known fact, at least to the space bound, that the human body grows two inches over the course of a 12-week exposure to zero gravity.  Bone loss and height increases are both attributable to weightlessness.  There is nothing pulling you down, so your bones reconfigure themselves to adapt to their new circumstances.  Your height will return to normal back on earth, and scientists are working on ways to prevent the bone loss.  It's not likely that any of this will be a serious problem for the casual visitor.  Heck, we can't afford to stay long enough to be affected.  The full-timers do have a problem, though.  So bring on those shuttles, rocket scientists, engineers and fashion designers and lets get busy.  The ultimate vacation awaits. 

Does Your Bathroom Need a Pet Door?

Seriously.  I suppose y'all think I'm nuts for asking such a question, but if you live with cats or at least cats like ours, you know what I'm talking about.  We have three cats, and some days it's like Grand Central Station in and out of our bathroom.  They won't close the door when come and go, so out goes my heat and I end up shivering in the shower, well at least after my shower anyway.  Are your cats like that?

OK, just latch the door you say.  Ha!  You don't know our cats, do you.  Sophie will beat her head or some other body part (I can't tell because I'm in the shower at that point) up against the door until the offending door is opened for her - by someone else when he gets tired of the racket or worries that she'll beat her brains out (no comment).

Quite often when she realizes someone's going into the bathroom, she gets up and heads in to get her attention.  She'll put her head down and pretend she's going to roll over to one side, then switches to the other side - ha! faked you out.  This is prime petting time for her, and she doesn't always leave when you leave, she just waits for the next visitor.  She's been known to spend hours in there.  Sometimes she stays during the shower.  If she's already in there when get ready to start my shower, I latch the door.  She's usually OK with that, and it means I stay warm.

Here's Sophie holding court in the bathroom.

Dood, on the other hand, will just lay quietly on the other said of the closed door, waiting.  He is the patient one of the bunch.  If the door is not latched, he'll come in and sit and stare at the shower curtain.  Hmmm, what's going on in there?  I wonder if he's surprised when I peak out at him?  Then he'll leave and come back and leave again.  See why I think our bathroom needs a pet door?  There's too much in-ing and out-ing going on, and it's not unusual to have more than one in at a time.

If the door is closed and Rosie wants in, he'll sit outside and cry...er meow.  Nah, Rosie never "meows".  He has his own language with an extensive vocabulary.  He'll occasionally stay in the bathroom for showers too.  Sometimes, I find him in the small space between the tub and the toilet.  No idea why that particular spot appeals to him but I do believe he feels warmer in there.  He has long, silky hair without the undercoat most cats have, so he feels the cold more than the others.

I guess to sum it up, all of our cats, even those who have gone on, have enjoyed bathroom visiting for whatever reason.  I'd love to hear your cat stories!

Edited to add the pics.

Change back from your dime!

Think I'm kidding?  What, you ask, can you get for under 10 cents?  Well, I was in CVS picking up a prescription for my hubby, and I had these Extra Bucks that were going to expire soon.  Now I wasn't about to let that happen.  No siree, that's money!  So I started looking around the store for something I wanted, needed, someone else needed, but I came up empty, not even a Valentine card.  I was about to walk out when I decided to hit the food aisle.  No, I don't usually buy food at a drug store, but sometimes you get lucky.  Now, I had $3 in Extra Bucks and the DAK canned hams just happened to be on sale for, you guessed it, $3.  That's not the brand I normally buy, so I was going to pass.  I walked a bit further up the aisle and spotted small boxes of Wheat Thins for $1 each (marked down from $1.99).  It just so happened that I had a coupon for $2 off any 2 boxes of Nabisco snack crackers (no size or variety restrictions).  I couldn't pass that up - 2 free boxes of crackers.  Thinking just how great a deal it would be to get the ham with my Extra Bucks and free crackers, I went back for the ham.  After the EBs and coupon, my subtotal was $0.00, and I paid only tax.  And that, folks, is how I got change back from my dime.  I mean it didn't seem right to swipe my card for 8 cents.

Good things come to those who coupon.

Giving Plastic a New Life

A ban went into effect on October 1, 2009 requiring all plastic bottles such as soda bottles, milk and laundry detergent containers, etc. to be recycled rather than tossed into the garbage.  This posed no problem for the folks of Winston-Salem.  City residents have been recycling at a rate of 84%.  The city's curb-based recycling program makes that easy.  It is not so easy for people outside the city limits where there is no curbside pickup.  One company is working to make recycling available for their customers.  Rural Garbage Services, Inc. which services eastern Forsyth Co. is currently providing that service for free, with pickup of recyclables on regular trash collection days.  Chris Parrish, president, says he has been an environmentalist and recycling for years, and will continue to provide this service until there is a better solution.

While the ban on disposing of plastics is difficult to enforce, it does encourage recycling.  The success of this can be measured by the amount of plastic collected.  For the one-year period from September 2008 - September 2009, collection averaged 14,000 lbs. per month and increased to 19,000 per month for the first three months following the ban.  

There is a huge market for plastics to recycle, and North Carolina has some of the largest processors, with a new plant under construction in Fayetteville.  With one out of two bottles going to China, it leaves the US fighting for recyclables  The ban should help us retain more for our own use.  There are many items made with recycled plastic such as flower pots, strapping, tiles, plastic furniture, and yes, even new plastic bottles.  

While there is an expense to collecting and recycling these items, and a it is a much discussed issue between city and county officials, it does help extend the life of our landfills by not filling them with unnecessary items.  

So please help give used plastic a new life.  Reduce, Reuse and Recycle today.  For more information see the full story in the Winston-Salem Journal, or my original post on the ban.

Quote of the Week

When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.  - African Proverb

I've had a tough time with this one, trying to find the deeper meaning here and express it successfully.  I think it means that if you are at peace with yourself, if you are not torn or conflicted by things going on in your life, then you will be better prepared to weather the ups and downs of life and less likely to fall victim to the wrath of others.  This state of being, however, will not protect you from the physical side of living.



 

Just Messin' Around

If things look different at times, it is because I'm messing around with colors, fonts, pictures, etc.  Maybe I'll come up with something I like better.  This is a work in progress with a lot of experimentation going on, so don't be surprised and think you've landed in the wrong place. 

For your viewing pleasure, here is a gorgeous sunset from last year.

  View from my front door

Snow Again!

It's not your average winter here in North Carolina.  I mean we do get snow and sometimes a lot of it all at once, but that doesn't happen every year, and some years we're lucky (or unlucky if you dislike snow) if we get a dusting.  This is an unusual winter because we've had three ground-covering snows since the middle of December.  We even had a white Christmas thanks to the deep freeze that descended on us after that first snowfall.  Lots of times it snows, and the next day the temperature is 50 degrees.  Bye-bye snow!

Not this year.  No sir.  Why we even went sledding.  I dusted off my nearly antique sled, waxed the runners and took off.  We bundled up and went over to Ashley's to sled on their street.  Unfortunately, since I said we wouldn't be able to go sledding by 11 a.m. they made other plans.  [pouty face].  They did stay and sled for about 20 min. before they really had to leave.  They said "Go to Mt. Carmel".  There is a hill there beside the church that is just the best for sledding.  We weren't first.  There were lots of kids (big and little if you know what I mean).  We were among the "big" ones.  My sled did OK, but it is made more for street sledding where the snow is really packed down and slick.  This hill was snow-covered grass but it had been semi-packed by the tube sleds.  Those are great, by the way.  We borrowed one for a few trips down the hill, and it was a wild ride.  You end up spinning around and flying down the hill backwards.  It leveled out to a flat straight away and some tall grass before you go into the woods.  Such fun.

Later I paid for that fun with sore muscles over the entire body.  I'm not too old for this.  Repeat.  I'm not too old for this.  I have recovered and would do it again except now all we have is white slush, and we are engulfed in a cold rain.

Here are some more pics from the last snow on Sunday after the sun came out.  Compare with these.  What a difference the sun makes!

View from the front door.

Street view looking left.

  

Street view looking right.

Here is what it looks like today.  We got about 2.5 inches of snow overnight, and the road was snow covered about 7 a.m., and then the rain started.  These were taken around 11:30.

Today's view from the front door.

Slushy footprints on the sidewalk.

Is the Eggo Shortage Affecting You?

A while back I started seeing signs in the grocery stores about a shortage of Eggos.  I hadn't noticed, nor had I seen anything in the paper.  Now I don't read the paper word for word, cover to cover, but you'd think I would have seen the Eggo thing. Oh well.  We do eat Eggos, but we'd been getting them from Costco in the 60-count box, and up until the last month they had a good supply.  Now our supply was cut off.  I found a few boxes in the grocery stores for the outrageous sum of $4.99 for a "family-sized" box of maybe 16-20.  We pay $6-7 for the big box.

We decided to try the Kirkland brand 60-count waffles that Costco had as a replacement for Eggos.  Now we're getting to the heart of this post.  We had two Eggos left so we opened the Kirklands and did a side-by-side taste/texture test.  They are two completely different products.  The Kirklands, in taste and texture, are more like homemade waffles, but drier and less flavorful.  The Eggos, to me, have never been really waffle-like, so I eat them like toast, with just butter.  OK, laugh at me, but that's what I've always done, and I like them that way.  The Kirklands are not that great that way, so I do the butter/syrup thing  The problem is that I make homemade waffles every Sunday morning which we eat with butter and syrup, and thus it is just more of the same.  This doesn't affect my DH, though.  He always eats Eggos that way.  The weirdness is all me. 

Here is an excerpt from the Eggos website about the situation and the outlook on getting Eggos back on the shelves:

Kellogg Company recently experienced supply constraints caused by flood damage at our bakery in Atlanta. In addition, we’ve been making significant equipment enhancements and repairs in our largest waffle bakery. Unfortunately, this is taking longer than anticipated.

The Eggo™ team is working around the clock to bring everyone’s favorite waffles back to store shelves as quickly as possible. We hope to regain full distribution of Eggo® products by the middle of 2010. This is a top priority for Kellogg Company.

Click here to receive periodic updates from the Eggo® brand about your favorite products, including news about when they will be back on shelf, or for more information, call 866-971-3320. Thank you for your patience during this time, and we apologize for any inconvenience.

Don't get me wrong, both are good products, I just enjoy them in different ways, so yes, the Eggo shortage is affecting me.  How about you?  Is it affecting you, and what you are buying in place of Eggos. 

Eating Out For Less!

We all like to eat out now and then, and now we can do it for less.  Restaurant.com offers deeply discounted gift certificates of $10, $25, $50 (and up) to many restaurants.  For example, you can get a $25 certificate for $10.  After the initial purchase, that equals a $15 savings.  Go here to see what restaurants are available near you, and enjoy the savings.  Just enter your zip code (or any zip code where you will be dining) in the "Find a Restaurant and Save" box.

Now here's where it gets even better.  These certificates go on sale every so often for up to 80% off.  That makes a $25 certificate only $2  Wow!  I got a $10 one for La Botana for just 80 cents.  We used it Monday and got $10 off our $21 total.  We had two entrees and one beer on the bill.  The meal was delicious, by the way. 

Just to be clear, there are restrictions such as a minimum purchase amount, and some restaurants do not include alcohol in the required purchase amount, so read carefully before you select your certificate.  They e-mail you the certificates and you print them out, so you don't have to wait for snail mail.  They make great gifts, too.

Treat Your Sweetie!

Valentine's Day is a couple week's away so there's still time to plan a special evening, that is if you are inclined to celebrate.  It is not a serious holiday for us, meaning that we are not consistent in our celebrating.  Sometimes we go out for dinner, sometimes I cook.  Sometimes we exchange cards, sometimes we don't.  Occasionally there are flowers or gifts, but more often not.  Now we do have a good excuse for our lack of heart-shaped enthusiasm.  We both have birthdays in February, and we actually met in February 1986, so we have a lot more meaningful dates to celebrate.

That's not to say that there haven't been any special V-days or never any surprises.  One year I got a big balloon and some candy (Hershey's dark chocolate kisses).  Was that the year I got flowers, too?  After nearly 23 years together, the lines between the years begins to blur a bit.

Anyway, one dinner I clearly remember was in 2005 (I kept notes on that).  I had a recipe that I'd been wanting to try, and Valentine's seemed like the perfect occasion.  It is from Southern Living's Easy Weeknight Favorites.  Everything I'd made from this book was good so I figured this would be too, and it was.

I got a couple filet mignons from the Fresh Market just to make sure I started out with good quality.  That, of course, was when I didn't have to go across town to get there.  The recipe is for four steaks but if you're just cooking for two as I was, it's OK, just make the gravy as instructed. You'll just have a little more gravy for your potatoes.

I followed the recipe to a tee, and those were probably the best steaks I ever made.  My side dishes were homemade mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus.  I had French bread (probably from the Fresh Market as well) and a nice Cabernet to wash it down.

Now I know we had dessert, but please forgive me, I don't remember what it was.  If it comes to me, I'll update with that critical information.  Here is the recipe.  I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we did. 

 Happy Valentine's Day!







Filet Mignon with Horseradish Gravy

4 (5 oz.) beef tenderloin steaks

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1 (3/4 oz.) package brown gravy mix

½ cup water

½ cup red wine

2 ½ TB prepared horseradish

1 (8 oz.) package fresh mushrooms, sliced

Heat a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper.  Add steaks to hot skillet; cook 1 minute on each side.  Place steaks in a greased small baking dish.  Add gravy mix and next 3 ingredients to skillet.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Stir in mushrooms.  Pour mixture over steaks.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or to desired doneness.  Yield:  4 servings.

Notes:  The times in this recipe work with 1-inch steaks to give you a perfect medium.  Allow more time for thicker cuts or more doneness.  You may also make your own gravy from scratch and then add the wine.  The package makes about 1 cup of gravy.

The Quest Continues

In spite of the wintry blast we received this past weekend, the quest for wheels continued today.  At least our sales guy didn't come out and say, "Oh it's you again".  The search seems never ending.  Today was another round of SUVs.  As you recall, last time it was the Highlander and Escape.  Now it was a 2002 CR-V and a 2003 RAV4.  Both were great vehicles and I didn't dislike either, other than the color, they were both black.  

I should state that the terms I use when describing steering are not technical terms, but just me trying to describe how it feels compared to other vehicles, and that aspect that is important to me.

The RAV4 steering had a softer feel than I have been used to, and the 2.0 litre engine seemed to lack get up and go on the highway.  There were some nice features including front wheel drive,  the outside temperature and a compass on the rear view mirror, the gear stick was on the floor, and it had a center console, albeit a small one.

The CR-V had a nicer ride, it seemed more solid on the road (it was a 4WD and had a 2.4 litre engine), and the steering was more solid, too, although my DH didn't like it as well.  The gear stick was on the dash, which is not my choice, but it was OK.  It did not have a console, but a cup holder/tray that would fold down to allow access to the back seat. Helpful, but I would prefer a console.  I went down some streets that were not cleared, but not slick.  It powered through with no problem.  On the highway, I felt secure, and it had good power and smooth acceleration.

With regard to ease of parking, I honestly didn't park the RAV4 other than just to stop in an empty parking lot to change drivers.  I successfully parked the CR-V between two cars in a 90 degree spot.  I cheated and pulled through instead of backing up, so I parked again but this time beside a car with no car on the passenger's side.  I find that the shorter wheelbase and tighter turning circle presents a different challenge in that one can cut the wheel too soon when backing up.  It is something that would take practice, but is not a negative like the car being too long.

The down sides to both, other than color, were the lack of power seat controls and cloth seating. They put in a sunroof, but no power seats.  Go figure.   I understand that the CR-V isn't available with these options until the 2009 model.  That pushes the price point out of my ballpark.  The search continues...

Quote of the Week

A man may smile and bid you hail

Yet wish you to the devil;

But when a good dog wags his tail,

You know he's on the level.

- Author Unknown

I participate in an on-line community devoted to good food, good wine, and good people.  One of those people is grieving this week, as she lost her beloved dog, a loyal and much loved member of her family.  My heart goes out to her in this time of sadness. 

A Snow Day

It was a snow day in the not-so-sunny South.  For all y'all who don't live here, this is what it looked like this morning.

 

 This is the view from my front door. There is a street straight ahead in the picture

  

This is at the street looking right.

 

This is at the street looking left.

The snow began about 5:30 last night, and started sticking immediately even though it was slightly warmer on Thursday (upper 50s).  It appears that we got the bulk of the snow under cover of darkness.  Isn't that the way it goes?  I love to watch it snow, but it seems we get most of ours during the night.  It was sleeting when we got up this morning, and that lasted until after lunch (maybe 2 p.m.).  We bundled up and went for a walk.  Mind you the temperature was about 20 with a wind chill of 6 or 7 degrees.  Our faces were freezing, but hands and feet (at least my hands - I wore gloves, 2 pair actually) were quite warm.  Long johns help a lot, too!

To combat the chilly willies tonight, we had Shrimp Creole & garlic bread, washed down with half a bottle of Manyana Tempranillo.  This is some good wine for a good price.  I got it for $6.99 at Harris Teeter.  Might not be everyone's choice with Creole, but it went down quite well.

As I was getting dinner ready, we had another band of light snow come through.  It looks like everything has moved out for now, although we may get another round later depending on if it shifts a little further south.  I'm not a fan of the cold, windy days of winter, but I do love a good snow.  The temperature is supposed to dip to 14 degrees tonight.  Might be good sledding tomorrow!

Chick-fil-A is Spicing it Up!

Everybody loves Chick-fil-A, right?  Well I just heard about a spicy new addition to their menu [drum roll, please].  Coming this June from the Inventor of the chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A presents their new spicy chicken sandwich. 

Here's what they have to say about it straight from the horse's, um, cow's mouth (sorry what was I thinking).

Be sure to try our hand-breaded sandwich seasoned with a fiery blend of peppers, pressure-cooked in peanut oil and served with dill pickle chips on a toasted buttered bun.  This spicy variation of our signature hand-breaded, pressure-cooked Chick-fil-A^® Chicken Sandwich will be coming to your Chick-fil-A this June. 

I know I'm looking forward to it.  I love spicy food!

Coupons in the Comics

Do y'all read Baldo in the daily paper?  Well, yesterday's was great.  Tia Carmen is a woman after my own heart.  Her conversation with Gracie went like this:

Gracie:  Do you have a shopping list, Tia Carmen?

Tia Carmen:  I don't need one Gracie.  My shopping list is very simple.  Things I have a coupon for and things that are on sale.

Cheesy Chicken and Corn Casserole

I have had a hankering for some new dishes for my repertoire.  When I need new recipes, ideas or just good chuckle, I tune in to Christy Jordan from Southern Plate.  She is down home Southern personified.  Not only do you get her yummy food, but you also get a peek into her life, her values, and the love of family that she pours into each and every recipe.  She does it all, from main dishes and casseroles, to sides and sweets, and many recipes go back for generations.

She appears on local TV in Alabama, and is even writing her own cookbook which will be in the book stores this fall.

Perhaps my favorite recipe is her hashbrown casserole. If you've ever been to the Cracker Barrel and tried their hashbrown casserole and thought it was good, try Christy's  It's way better, and everyone I've served it to loved it.

The recipe I tried last night was her Cheesy Chicken and Corn Casserole.  Now, I'm known to make changes, so I added my own touches here and there.

Here is her original recipe, followed by my tweaks:

Cheesy Chicken And Corn Casserole (this is a single recipe, I usually double it)

1 Box Yellow Rice

1 Stick Margarine

1 Can Cream Of Chicken Soup

1-2 Cups shredded, cooked chicken

1 can Whole Kernel Corn (drained)

1 1/2 Cups Cheddar Cheese

Cook rice according to package directions. Add rice and all other ingredients, except for 1/2 C of cheese, into a bowl and stir until well combined. Spoon into casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for about thirty minutes, or until bubbly.

Notes:  I used 1/2 stick of real butter, a 10-oz. can of chicken, and I made a version of my yellow rice from scratch (rice, onions, garlic, turmeric and some diced zucchini) about 3 cups.

New Pic

Y'all know I can't resist showing off my kitties.  Here are my cuties today all snuggled up together.  They are the greatest buds! 

Rosie is the gray one, and Dood is black & white.

Saved by the Dinner Bell

It was another dreary, rainy day here yesterday.  Hubby is working on a huge project at work, which is long, drawn out, very time consuming, and will be the major focus this year.  As such, he had to go into the office after breakfast, so I had the day to myself.  Nothing unusual since most days are that way, but this was SUNDAY!  I just puttered around the house and finished reading a book.  Yes, an actual print on paper book.  I was just finishing up my lunch of a fish stick sandwich.  Don't laugh, fish sticks make a good "fish filet" sandwich.  I always get the Trident brand.  They sell them at Costco in a big bag.  But that's way off topic.  So as I was finishing my sandwich, the phone rang.  It was Ashley inviting us (or me in this case) to dinner.  Now I am falling behind because they had us over last Sunday as well.  I happily accepted, though - as if I would turn them down?  Ha!

While dinner was being prepared, Ashley and I went to play games with the kids (Kevin was doing the cooking).  We played Jenga.  You remember the game where you stack logs by three's, alternating directions each layer and then take turns removing one log at a time until it falls?  I'd never played before, and it was easy to learn but harder to actually "do".  Playing against Michael,  Ashley and I took turns toppling the tower.  Next out came checkers, and I played against Michael.  Mind you he's just six.  Now I haven't played checkers in over 20 years, and then didn't play often, but I know the rules.  However, I misjudged the skill level of my opponent.  Remember, he's just six years old.  I was suffering.  I moved and he countered until I had no moves without risking capture.  I did manage to get one of my men kinged (he had about 3 plus had taken about 5 of mine).  I got a few of his, but I was in trouble, and the call to dinner saved me from complete humiliation.  Kevin offered to take a picture of the board so we could continue later, but I said I need to brush up on my checker playing skills first.

Quote of the Week

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

- Robert Brault

The more time that passes, the truer this statement becomes.  Life is not built on the occasional major events like cruise vacations or the long-awaited promotion, but a composite of the small moments like watching your kids (or cats) play, sunsets or long walks on a beautiful afternoon.  So pay attention to the moments for they are your life.

My Quest for Wheels

Ever need to buy a new car, or a replacement car?  It's easy, right?  Just go down to the nearest car lot, pick one out, haggle with the dealer and drive away $$$ poorer, but at least driving.  Wrong!  For me anyway.  There is so more to consider than just "oooh, pretty car".  Is it good on gas?  How many people will it seat?  Then there's size, and yes size matters.  If it's too large, I can't park it comfortably.  If it's too small, I can't pack enough stuff or haul enough people, etc.  So do I get a minivan, a small  SUV, a crossover, or stick with my comfort zone and get a regular full size 4-door car.  When I got my Cutlass Supreme in 1997 it was classed as a mid-size.  Now cars that size are considrered full size.  Growing or Shrinking?

The Test Drives
 I drove a 2002 Honda Odessey (red)  and a 2006 Chrysler Town & Country (blue).  Both nice minivans, but for comfort and drivability, I preferred the Town & Country.  The downside was the 119" wheelbase which would make parking between two cars in a 90 degree parking space at best a challenge or possibly a nightmare.  I've learned more than I ever wanted to know about the importance of wheelbase and  turning circle in everyday driving.  So even though a minivan can carry 7 people or lots of trip stuff, it doesn't seem practical for my every day use.

Next I drove a 2000 Honda Accord (gold).  Nice car with leather (a must for me).  It drove all right although the acceleration was more sensitive than I'm used to so I pulled away from the traffic lights a bit more aggressively than normal - unintentionally.  I felt rather low to the ground, and it also has visible body damage, so I left that one with the dealer, too.

Yesterday I tried out a 2002 Toyota Highlander 4WD (blue).  It was nice but the steering felt a bit mushy (that is compared to the pickup I've been driving since that fateful day in November).  It also made weird squealing sounds when you turned the steering wheel back and forth.  It also stalled out while my husband was parking it so he was leary of driving it too far.  When I did drive it, I was able to nail the parking in a 90-degree space, granted there were no cars to park between, but I hit the space on the first shot.  The reason being that the wheelbase and turning circle are similar, if not smaller, than my car.

On to the next vehicle - a Ford Escape (silver?).  This is a relatively small SUV as well, but unlike the Highlander, it drove more like a truck (built on a truck platform).  The Highlander was built on a Camry platform.  The Escape was comfortable enough and had good acceleration (bigger engine), but I really want something with a more car-like ride.  I'm spoiled - I've driven Oldsmobiles for 20 years! 

When we arrived at the dealership, a salesman asked if he could help us.  They always ask that.  We'd been working with Tim, so they paged him.  He came out, we told him what we came to look at, and he went back for a tag so we could take it out.  When he came back he said they'd asked him if he ran us off.  He said "no - they adopted me".  He's been nice and helpful and not pushy, and we (I) have been upfront that I'm trying out a lot of different types of vehicles and am not to the "buying" point yet.  With that understanding out in the open, I feel comfortable driving first one then another to see what fits. 

I have noted the color of the test cars for a reason.  Yet one more thing to consider when stepping into the car shopping arena - Color!  I don't want white, black, silver, or most reds.  White and black show dirt, and I just don't care for silver.  Red, eh...some are all right, but no fire engine red, please.

When you only have a few hours one day a week to get out there and look, and drive and then dissect the couple of cars you lined up, it tends to become a long, drawn out experience.  I'll be glad when I actually find something "acceptable". To make this saga more interesting, my hubby is also looking for a replacement car.  Stay tuned for the latest adventures in my Quest for Wheels.

Quote of the Week

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.  

- Dr. Seuss

Not to be taken extremely literally, because you could hurt someone's feelings.  That said, there is a measure of truth to this statement.  Those who truly matter, will accept you exactly as you are.

Quote of the Week

Pay attention to your dreams - God's angels often speak directly to our hearts when we are asleep.  

- Eileen Elias Freeman

Although I can't say that this has happened with me, I would suspect that it happens far more often than we realize.  We just don't know how to "listen" to our dreams.  Mine are often a reflection on what I've been focusing on that day.  I do know, though, that dreams can provide insight or give us a sign, but usually only if we understand and act on what we've been "told".

The Long and Short of it.

I caught this really cute pose, and just couldn't resist posting yet another picture of my "babies".  Actually, Rosie is my baby, and Sophie is her "Daddy's Girl".  They both have their quirks.  Rosie is the old timer around here.  He will be 13 in June, whereas Sopie is truly the baby of the household at about 3 1/2.  We believe she'll be 4 sometime in May.

Sophie (back) and Rosie

This is a shot of Rosie with his other bud, Doodle (or Dood for short).  Not to be confused with Dude, although he is that sometimes, too.  The reason for the title of this post is that when Doodle was a baby, we think he had an accident involving the under-the-hood area of car (possibly one of ours), that injured his tail, and we had to have it amputated.  It is a cute little black stub about 2 inches long, and yes, the hair did grow back, thank goodness.  It was quite vulgar looking for a while.  He was born in the summer of 2000 and lived outside until Christmas of 2007, about a month after we got Sophie.  Now the three of them are friends, and Dood idolizes Rosie.  There are more kitty cat stories and pictures where these came from.

Doodle is the black and white one.

Recycle your Christmas Tree

Christmas has passed, the decorations are packed away, and the tree is bare.  Do you put your tree out by the curb for recycling, toss it in the woods, or take to a drop-off point, or does it get picked up by the trash collector and wind up decaying in the landfill?  The latter is of no benefit to anyone, and the tree is wasted.  Let's all put our trees to good use.  Recycled, they become mulch to beautify the landscape and enrich the soil.  Even those who recycle their trees in the woods are benefiting the environment by returning the tree to nature, and even creating a winter sanctuary for birds and animals.

The cats especially enjoy having a live tree of their very own (or so they think anyway).  Sophie and Dood like drinking the water from the stand.  I'd rather they didn't, but it hasn't seemed to do them any harm, and it's not like they don't have fresh water in their bowl every day.  I guess it's the Eau du Frasier Fir that's so appealing.

So now it is January 6th, the day of the Epiphany, and the day many people take down their Christmas trees and decorations.  The date varies for me, depending on how our tree is holding up.  This one is great, still takes up water and smells nice.  We had a tree one year that was so great we kept it up (lights only) until mid-January - I just couldn't throw it out.  They're not all like that, and some shed so bad that right after Christmas you want to get them out of the house. 

Anyway, I took all the ornaments off this morning, and all that remains are the lights.  It is still beautiful, but I need to let it go.  I'll be vacuuming up needles for weeks to come.  The cats carry them all over the house since they like to sleep under the tree.

So when do you take down your tree?  Are you motivated to get your house back to normal, or do you carry out the tradition of the 12 Days of Christmas, culminating in the Epiphany?  Whenever, I hope you remember to recycle.  It's good for all of us.

It's time to meet the family...

I think it's time I introduce you to our very good friends.  I've mentioned them anonymously many times, and we do hang out a lot.  Ashley has been my best friend since way back, and in today's speak she would be my "BFF".  She is the mother of two boys, Scott 10, and Michael 6.  She was a stay-at-home mom for a while, but is back teaching again, and it's second grade this year.  About 15 years ago she married Kevin.  He is an airline pilot, but due to economic times, is currently doing gardening and landscaping.  This is something he loves and for which he has a great talent.  Ashley's talent lies in painting, crafts and decorating.  Together they do amazing things with whatever they have at hand.

We shared New Year's Eve with them and Kevin's family, and I figured what better time to introduce them than with the beginning of the new year.  I am so glad they are back in town.  They had lived in Florida and Georgia since the late 90s, and when  life brought them back home a little less than two years ago I was thrilled.  They are wonderful friends, and an absolute joy in my life.  I am so happy for you to finally meet the "family I chose for myself".

Quote of the Week

"Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow." 
-   Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

This is a beautiful passage, and there is much beauty in the silence of snow falling in the woods. 

There are remnants of last's month's snow still clinging to banks too shaded from the sun to have melted away.

Welcome to 2010!

I hope everyone had wonderful New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebrations with friends and family.  I know we did.  We dined out with our best buds on NYE at Macaroni Grill.  This is a place we used to love and going there was a treat.  However, the last several time we went, we were disappointed in the food.  Things have changed, as they have in many restaurants, and the cutbacks are clearly visible.  The big round loaf of foccacia is not nearly as big as in years past, and not as flavorful.  It seems that herbs are in short supply.  However, we went and ordered things we'd not had before.  I had the mushroom ravioli and it was very good, as was the house chardonnay I chose to go with.  Hubby had the chicken and capellini pomodoro. The chicken was a little over done, but  the pomodoro sauce was fine, just not to his liking.  Our friends had chicken parmigiana and a cannelloni dish.  According to our dining companions, the cannelloni was good, but they seemed to have changed the recipe on the chicken parm, or at least it didn't taste like he remembered it.  All in all, it was a wonderful dinner, and the most important part was sharing the time with good friends.

After dinner, we regrouped and went to our friend's parents' house to participate in the NYE tradition of making lefses.  His Mom is of Swedish/English heritage.  In a nutshell, lefses are made from flour and potatoes, and look like tortillas when cooked.  It was an assembly line process:  Rolling, cooking, buttering and sugaring (brown sugar of course).  I was the sugarer.  This was my first experience both making and eating.  They asked what I thought, and I said they're fine, but I like mine with more butter and less sugar.  The others wanted the sugar piled on.  His Mom said "MORE SUGAR".  OK, I used MORE SUGAR!  The one I got had too much, so I made one my way for me, but after the first one, I could only eat a small part of the second one.  You can read about lefses and how to make them here. Before the lefses were made, however, we "opened" our Christmas Crackers (click to read about the crackers).

We had some fireworks on the deck.  It was cold, the smoke was thick and the bottle rockets were killer on the ears, but that's another family tradition.  Later there was a rousing game of "Round Robin" ping pong downstairs.  Yes, this is a real game with a number of players lined up around the table.  One person serves to the person opposite him, then places his paddle on the table and moves down the line while the other person returns his serve to the next person in line.  I found this video that shows better than I can explain.

Needless to say, this was a New Year's Eve of "firsts" for us, and It was an honor to be part of these traditions. 

Happy New Year to All!

Another year comes to a close, and we reflect on the days that have come and gone.  Did we use them well?  Did we make the most of every precious moment, or were we overwhelmed by how harried our daily lives have become?

We look to the future, wondering what each new day will bring.  It is a time for hope and renewal.  A time, not for resolutions which often fail, but to firm up our resolve to deal with and manage our own circumstances, whatever they may be.  Once again we have the opportunity to start over and cull out the old and withered and usher in the new and fresh. 

Here's to a great new beginning - to old friends and new faces - to 2010.  Happy New Year!

Quote of the Week

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.  

- Benjamin Franklin

Good words to live by not just for the new year, but all year through.

Quote of the Week

Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year to All!
 

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through! 

- Author Unknown

Winter Weather, Winter Food

Hi.  Just more ramblings today.  I thought I would start with the local weather report.  We have the first Winter Storm Watch of the season for tomorrow and Saturday.  There is apparently a big blow coming up from the Gulf.  The moisture will come up and collide with the cold air here, and poof...Snow!  Like many of these forecasts, things change and we end up not getting anything, so as usual I'll believe it when I see it.

I'll be staying on top of the forecast and following the progress on the radar.  Now I really don't care for cold weather and the bitter windy days of winter.  However, I have always liked snow, especially long walks like I used to take with my Mom.  We had such fun walking in the woods with the snow clinging to the pine trees.  One time we even took my sled and went sledding down the path made by trail bikes.  It was hazardous to say the least, but thankfully we never crashed.  Alas, those days are gone, and so are those woods.  They are now a housing development with no sign of their former beauty.

Speaking of cold, snowy weather, it is time to break out the soup pots.  Playing in or shoveling snow builds up a big appetite, and soups and stews are a warming, filling antidote for the chilly-willies.  This is where the crockpot comes in handy.  Just toss in a chuck roast, some onions and carrots, flip the switch and you've got a hot satisfying dinner in the making.  What I did the other day was take some of the broth from the roast and made a gravy.  I whipped up some mashed potatoes and it was pure deliciousness on a plate.  A hearty, healthy, homemade dinner can be quick and easy when you let the slow cooker do the work for you.  Dig in, everyone.

It's Almost Christmas Again

It's amazing how fast time goes by, and once again Christmas is just around the corner.  Yep, just 9 days away.  Is your tree sparkling from top to bottom with a zillion lights, and ornaments of silver and gold, red and green, and all the trimmings?  Do you have all your shopping done?  Presents all around the tree?  I finally started wrapping/bagging yesterday.

My list is short these days, and on-line shopping makes is so much easier.  No driving all over town, waiting in long lines of traffic and longer lines in the stores.  Just click here, click there and you're done.  Simple.  So far, I've had 3 orders from Amazon, one from Penzeys, cashed in green points for a gift card, and ordered ink for my printer to print more money-saving coupons.  The more you save, the more you can give.

I still have a few gifts to get for the "hard to shop for" folks.  My guess is gift cards for them.  I know that sounds like a cop-out, but personally I never mind getting gift cards.  Being the frugal shopper that I am, I make the most of them.  

So, my thoughts in a nutshell...Shop on-line, use coupon codes and seek out free shipping deals.  When you do have to go to the stores, the same principles apply.  Use coupons, especially combined with sales to get the best deals.

Quote of the Week

The only person who never makes mistakes is the person who never does anything.

-  Denis Waitley

We almost didn't have a quote this week.  I hadn't found the right one until now.  This one fits the everyday life of all of us.  It is apparent in many daily acts, at work, with family, even cooking.  I use a variation of this when one of my culinary experiments doesn't live up to my expectations.