A New Look!

Hi everyone,

I am working on a new look for Roses to Rainbows.  It's still in the semi-experimental stage so don't be surprised that it looks different, and then looks different again.  I'll get it ironed out eventually.

Here is my Rosie keeping me company while I blog.

Are the Grocery Stores Really Too Expensive?

It has been mentioned to me that some of the stores I shop at are too expensive.  I suppose this is true on a regular price comparison with say Wal-Mart or even Aldi.  I shop at these stores, too.  However, I go where I can get the most for the least, and many times that is a major grocery store.

For example, I posted a week or so ago about Harris Teeter coupons in the Friday newspaper.  There were $16 worth of coupons:  Four 50¢ coupons off "any" one item and four $1.00 coupons off "any" item of $2 or more, and also two for $5 off a $40 purchase.  

I used three of the $1 coupons on 3 packs of diet Coke, which brought the price down from 3/$10 to $3/$7, a much better deal.  I used the 50¢ ones on Campbell's tomato soup, making it 10¢ a can.  I used my last $1 coupon on a bottle of wine, and also used a $5/40 coupon.  All of this was on sale already.  Everything else I got was either on sale, I had a manufacturers coupon or it was a store brand.  

What was the bottom line?  I saved $27.34 and paid $34.08.  This is about 45%.

Last week's highlights focused on cleaning products:
Lysol Kitchen cleaner - Regularly $2.89 for 44¢ (BOGOF + $1 coupon)
Lysol Toilet cleaner - Regularly $2.69 for 34¢ (BOGOF + $1 coupon)
Brawny paper towels 8 rolls - Regularly $9.99 for $4.99  (sale $5.99 + $1 coupon)
12 oz. bottle of Joy dish washing detergent - Regularly $1.39 for 39¢ (sale 99¢ + 30¢ coupon)

I saved around 43% that day.  My goal is to save an average of 50% on groceries and household items. 

Harris Teeter always doubles coupons up to 99¢ every day (up to 20 coupons per day).  Go here for their next triple coupon event starting 3/24.

Check out my Top 5 list of things not to pay full price for, and see another example of savings here.

Restaurants.com Gift Certificates 80% Off

Restaurants.com has a new promotion going on now through March 31.  All gift certificates are 80% off.  Just use the promo code COOK when you check out, and your discount will be applied.  You can get $25 gift certificates for just $2. 

What a great way to eat out and save!

Renewed Inspiration

I was reading one of Sara's recent posts from a sharing connection, and  was inspired to share more of my own poetry.  Here is one I wrote on May 22, 1984. 

New Dawn
Sun painted sky
Of brilliant orange
Bids a fond farewell
To still another day
Yet we know always
There is a new dawn
Breaking on some
Distant shore

Quote of the Week

Saturday was the official start of Spring, and we are glad to see it arrive after the long, cold winter.  It seems fitting this week that we reflect on what Robert Frost has to say about it.

 
 

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

- Robert Frost

March Madness - NCAA Team Napkins

Are you into Basketball?  Do you have a favorite NCAA team?  To round out your game-day parties, Sociale has folded napkins for your favorite teams.

Here are a few samples.

Call Donna (336-705-6888) or drop by the shop at 380 Knollwood Street in Winston-Salem.

Wine Lover's Club - March Meeting

The Wine Lover's Club held it's March meeting at Sociale on Tuesday the 16th.  It began on a somber note as we bid a fond but sad farewell to one of our members who passed away rather unexpectedly.  He loved French wine, so we toasted with a Bordeaux after a heartfelt tribute to him and what he meant to all of us.

As with all meetings, we handled the business end of things first, or in this case, second.  We decided on a design to represent our chapter of the American Wine Society going forward, and chose a new e-mail address that reflects our name change.  The minutes were read and the treasurer gave her report.

Now down to the real business of tasting wine!  Tonight's presentation was on Spain, and in particular, Tempranillo.  All wines tasted were 100% tempranillo, and in the $8 - $15 range:

Egruen Tempranillo Vino de la Tierra de Castilla -  2007 $7.99

Ercavio La Mancha Tinto Roble - 2007 $11.99

Venta Mazzaron - around $15

Volver Tempranillo La Mancha - around $13

Paso A Paso Tempranillo La Mancha- 2008 $9.99

I liked all but the first one.  The Egruen seemed a little harsh compared to the rest.  The Ercavio was much smoother and well balanced (my favorite).  The Venta Mazzaron was much more fruit forward with an almost sweet taste.  It was still a dry wine, but the fruit gave it sweetness.  The last two were smooth, easy drinking, but less fruity.  They all paired well with the food.  As you'll see below, we had a lot of different type of food to pair with.

 Here are the wines being opened for tonight's tasting.

Lots of good munchies to go with our wine.

One of our newest members prepared a fruit and dessert platter.  Doesn't that look pretty?

Everyone pitches in to clean up.

Meetings are currently held at 7 p.m. on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at Sociale, on Knollwood Street in Winston-Salem.

Awesome Olives

I first had marinated olives at a party, and I thought they were so good, I just had to find a recipe.  After pouring over dozens of recipes on the internet, this is what I came up with.  They're always a hit.
 
Marinated Olives

1 sm. jar pimento-stuffed olives (5.75 oz.), drained

1 large clove garlic, minced

3 TB olive oil

1 TB red wine vinegar

1 tsp. (scant) dried oregano

1 tsp. (scant) dried thyme
1/3 cup diced feta (approximately)

Mix all ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl with tight fitting lid.  Refrigerate overnight or up to several days to allow flavors to blend, and watch 'em disappear.  

Note:  Bring to room temperature before serving.

St. Patrick's Day

Photo Credit: Puzzler 4879

St. Patrick's day is coming up this week, so let's talk a little about the "green" holiday, and why and how we celebrate.  St. Patrick's Day (March 17) is a Public holiday in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and is widely celebrated in many other areas, but is not an official holiday.  St. Patrick's feast is on the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church - it is a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics, and  usually falls during Lent.  On the occasion that the 17th falls during the Holy Week, it is observed on another day.  The last time this happened was in 2008. 

Now for some history on St. Patrick, whose life we honor and celebrate on this day.  He was born in the 5th century in Roman Britain (the portion of Britain controlled by the Roman Empire).  His father was a deacon in the church as was his grandfather. St. Patrick was kidnapped at 16 and held in Ireland somewhere near the West Coast.  After a time he had a dream in which God told him to escape his captors and return to Britain.  There he joined the church and studied to become a priest.  In 432 he was called to return to Ireland as a bishop to save the Irish.  He died on March 18, 461 AD after 35 years of spreading God's word.  He is held in high esteem as the Champion of Irish Christianity.

Although blue was originally associated with St. Patrick, he used the 3-leafed plant known as a Shamrock  to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish people.  The displaying and wearing of shamrock-inspired objects symbolized this, and green became the color associated with St. Patrick.  This is how the phrase "wearing of the green" came about.  As to the stories of St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland, it is likely that is a metaphor for bringing Christianity to Ireland.

St. Patrick's Day, once only a religious holiday, became a public holiday in 1903.  Law required that all pubs be closed on March 17, (horrors!) and this was not repealed until the 1970s.  The first St. Patrick's Day parade in Ireland was held in Dublin in 1931.  Parades have been held in the U.S. since 1737, when the first one was held in Boston.  St. Patrick's Day remains a religious observation for the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church.  Traditionally, Irish families would attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon.  The no-meat-during-lent restriction was waived, and people would dance, drink and feast on Irish bacon and cabbage, the traditional Irish fare.

For the rest of the world, Irish or not, it is a reason to celebrate with St. Paddy's Day parties.  Things tend to turn green everywhere.  Chicago has been dyeing its river since 1961.  Savannah dyes its city fountains green, and Indianapolis dyes its main canal green.  There are green beers, green-iced cakes and cookies, and you must always wear green or risk being pinched.  The pinching is actually an American tradition started in the early 1700s, and is not related to either St. Patrick or Ireland.  At the same time that St. Patrick's Day became widely celebrated, it was also thought that wearing green made one invisible to Leprechauns.  This was good because the Leprechauns would pinch everyone they could see.  Pinching, therefore, became a warning and reminder to watch out for Leprechauns.

So, how do you celebrate the "green" holiday?  

Quote of the Week

A blessing for you all in honor of St. Patrick's Day!

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.

- Irish Blessing

2nd Annual Farm Toy Show

Occasionally we treat ourselves to breakfast out on Saturday's, and this was one of those days.  It's usually the Bo, but today we went to a real sit-down restaurant instead and had pancakes.  Here's was we did afterward, which leads me to believe there was an ulterior motive involved in the restaurant selection.  It seems there was a farm tractor show being held nearby.  It was the 2nd Annual Farm Toy Show, and it was held at Windmill Acres Farm on Jasper Lane in Winston-Salem.  Trucks lined both sides of the road leading to the exhibition buildings.  The property is owned by Phil and Brenda Fishel, who collect antique tractors and farm toys.

In the field there were all kinds of tractors, new, old and older, and other kinds of farm equipment.  We had heavy rain last night, so we didn't walk through the field to look at them.

In the buildings there were displays of model tractors, tractor trailers and other memorabilia, much of which was for sale.

 

There was even a "Show Special".

They also had old lawn tractors, similar to one we use to this day.  

One tractor had a small tank labeled "gasoline for starting only". 
These actually run on kerosene.

 

And there were toy tractors?

And even an old wood stove.

It seems there was something for almost everyone.  Move over Fred Flintstone.  This is actually a pedal tractor.

And souvenir T-Shirts!

Five Things You Should Never Pay Full Price For

A penny saved is a penny earned.  

Never has that statement been more true.  With prices rising and sizes shrinking, we have to make the most of every dollar.  There are many products you buy regularly that you can get without paying full price.  Here are my top 5:

1. Paper/Plastic Products

2. Toiletries/Personal Care Items 

3. Sodas

4. Cleaning Products

5. Cereal

For this writing, we are not talking about generics or store brands, although these are often a better buy from a regular price standpoint. Today we are focusing on name brand products from the major area grocery stores.

Every week the competing grocery stores put out new sale ads, usually on Wednesdays. Nearly every Sunday there are one or more coupon inserts in the newspaper.  If you take a few minutes to look through the grocery sales, and match up coupons to the sale items you can often save 50% or more.

I have found the biggest money savers to be the buy one get one free sales.  In many stores you are not required to purchase two items, and each one will ring up individually.  At this point the item is already 50% off.  Add a coupon and your discount increases.  If your store will allow it, you can use two coupons on a BOGOF item.  If not, then just purchase them in two separate transactions to get the greatest savings.

Some stores go a step further and double or triple coupons up to a set amount.  They usually have a per-day limit of around 20 coupons.  Of the stores I write about, Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods double coupons every day, and Harris Teeter occasionally has triple coupon or super double coupon weeks.  Food Lion does not double coupons at any time.

Quite often items such as paper goods and cleaning products are BOGOF or maybe 2/$5.  For example, if the regular price for a bottle of kitchen cleaner is $3.29, a 2/$5 sale makes it $2.50 or 79¢ cheaper.  That same item on a BOGOF sale would be $1.64.  Use a $1 off coupon and you get it for just 64¢.  This is the effective way to use your coupons.  The $1 coupon used at the regular price would still make your item $2.29.  You see the difference.

This same concept applies to nearly everything, and coupons are readily available on most items.  One key to making the most of sales and coupons is your ability or willingness to switch brands depending on the deal available.  Brand loyalty goes right out the window here.

However, if you're like me and have favorite brands on certain products, cereal for example, then you clip the coupons and wait for the sale. Our faves are Frosted Mini Wheats (his) and Raisin Bran Extra (hers).  There are often coupons for these, sometimes as much as $1.50 off 2 boxes.  I've gotten Mini Wheats for as little as 50¢ a box.  In this instance, I combined a BOGOF sale with two coupons which were doubled.  I will tell you that great finds like that do not come along every week.  This is where your ability to stock up will take you further down the road of savings. 

If you drink soda, you know that coupons for them are rare.  The price of all brand-name soft drinks has been steadily increasing.  They are now around $6 per 12-pack in the grocery stores.  Most stores have one brand on sale each week, but we are seeing the good sales less often.  Common sale prices range from 3/$9, which is about half price, to 3/$12.  A good price is 4/$10 or $2.50 each, and anything less than $2.50 is a real deal.  So don't be fooled by the BOGOF sales on sodas, pay attention to the regular shelf price, and you'll know when you're getting a good deal.

A little disclaimer:  I like to use the term BOGOF instead of BOGO.  To me this emphasizes that one item is free as opposed to sales such as "Buy one get one for half off" which are also referred to as BOGO.

New Restaurants.com 80% Off Promotion

Restaurants.com has a new promotion going on now through March 16.  All gift certificates are 80% off.  Just use the promo code BITE when you check out, and your discount will be applied.  You can get $25 gift certificates for just $2.  What a deal!

I have used these several times now, and they're a great way to save!

Expired

Pickin' up Sticks

Like I've mentioned a time or two, we've had a long, cold, wet winter, and I've spent most of my time inside.  Mother Nature, however, has been busy, and my yard was littered with branches from all the windy days.  After going for a nice walk yesterday, and doing my Zumba class today, I felt energized...no that's not quite true for I have muscles which have lain dormant lo these many months and are now feeling the strain of yesterday's uphill climb.  Anyway, if not energized, I was at least motivated by the warm weather to get out and finally do something about the mess that is my front yard.

I have big trash barrels I use to collect my sticks.  I tote these around the yard and then dump them in my yard waste cart the city collects every week.  I donned my sunglasses and work gloves and trotted on out to get started.  I grabbed a barrel, and as I pulled it back I saw possibly the biggest bunny ever spotted in our yard, a very dead bunny at that.  This is what we would call a mega bunny.  Yes, we have size descriptors for the rabbits around here.  The big ones are mega bunnies, the normal size adults are just bunnies, the half-grown offspring are mini bunnies and the babies are micro bunnies.  It's not often that I put our weirdness out for public display, but there you have it.

Back to my situation at hand.  I grabbed a shovel and scooped up the deceased and after having him (or her) fall off I scooped him up again (we'll just assume it's a him) and toted him, carefully perched on the shovel, around the house, down the driveway and deposited him in the woods on a bed of ivy to return to nature.  I hate to find dead critters in the yard.  There was this turkey vulture...but that's another story.

After caring for the dearly departed, I got on with trudging around the yard with my barrel, picking up stick after stick, feeling every step.  I piled all the big branches at the street, and put out my cart.  It was a beautiful day and great to be outdoors even with the pain in my shins.

This is a winter's worth of branches, and just from the front yard.

This Camillia is on the south side of the house right by my kitchen window.  It is huge and in desparate need of pruning. It usually blooms in mid to late February, but had a couple of blooms around Christmas.

Like Spice - Dirty Rice!

Looking for something spicy?  This makes a great entree, just add a veggie and bread.  I guess you can use serve it as a side dish as well, just remember it already has sausage in it.  I got this recipe from Christy Jordan from Southern Plate.  Many of her recipes have been in her family for generations.

I made this very nearly like it was written.  I didn't have celery, and didn't worry about it.  It was just fine without it.  This was tasty and an easy recipe to put together.
 
Dirty Rice

4-5 Cups cooked rice

1 pound uncooked sausage (or ground beef)

*1 -3 Tablespoons Creole Seasoning (I use Tony Chachere’s)

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 Bell Pepper, chopped

2 Tablespoons chopped or minced garlic

4 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (or 2 Tablespoons dried)

In large skillet over medium heat, place celery, bell pepper, garlic, onion, parsley, and sausage. Break up sausage and cook all, stirring regularly, until sausage is fully cooked and vegetables are tender. Add Creole seasoning, stir. Stir in rice and continue cooking over medium heat until rice is heated through, stirring well the whole time.

*For the Creole seasoning: Start on the low end and add more after the rice has been stirred in if you like more seasoning. This adds the spiciness so you want to do it to your personal taste. 

I omitted the celery, used Jimmy Dean hot sausage, and my own Creole seasoning made from Emeril's recipe.  I made a half-batch using 1/2 lb. sausage and 3 cups rice.  I used 1 1/2 TB of Creole seasoning, which may have been aggressive considering it is the equivalent of Christy's max.  There was additional heat from the sausage that I didn't take into consideration.  We do like spicy stuff, but this was on the hot side for us.

I served this with roasted asparagus, garlic bread and a wonderful Brancott Pinot Grigio from New Zealand ($6.97 at Costco).  This wine had the right balance of fruit and acidity.  The fruitiness paired well with the spiciness of the dish.

The link above will take you directly to this recipe, plus the accompanying story.  She has great stories.

First Walk of Spring

Well, technically it's not spring yet.  Not for another 12 days, but it's sunny and warmer than it has been in quite a while.  We actually hit 65 degrees today, folks.  Not a record by any stretch of the imagination.  By this time of year we've usually had a day or two that pushes the 80-degree mark.  Sometimes it pushes right past like birds returning from their winter retreat.

Today wasn't like that, but pleasant just the same.  The birds were singing, lots of birds, all different kinds, everywhere.  It was like a feathered chorus celebrating the birth of a new season.  I noticed as I walked the smell of Spring was in the air.  Funny, though there are no visible signs.  There are no daffodils or tree blossoms, no forsythia which is usually at least peeking out, if not in full bloom.  The maples aren't even showing any color.  I'd say we are definitely behind in getting our Spring on.  Or maybe it just seems so since we've had such a long and consistently cold winter.  I can't remember one like this in at least a decade.

The first crocus!                         

As I walked, I was alone with my thoughts.  I was thinking how nice it was to get out again, that maybe I can walk away a few pounds, and at the same time planning my dinner and taking mental notes for his post.  

I could see that some things have changed, and folks are finally getting out in their yards again.  Someone had cut down a bunch of bamboo, and it was piled out by the street to be hauled away.  Bamboo is an interesting tree (actually from the grass family).  It grows and spreads wickedly fast to form dense forests you can't begin to see through.  When the wind blows through the bamboo it is like an eerily strange instrument playing in the distance.

The next casualty was the passing of a grand old weeping willow.  It's now no more than a stump and branches cast aside awaiting pickup by the branch guy, much like the bamboo.  Sad.  That tree held court on the corner for many years, greeting all passers by with a gentle wave of her drooping limbs.

Still, Spring is in the air, and we are all ready to welcome her with open arms.

Quote of the Week

I remember, I remember

The house where I was born,

The little window where the sun

Came peeping in at morn;

He never came a wink to soon

Nor brought too long a day;

But now, I often wish the night 

Had borne my breath away.

- Thomas Hood

Our quote this week is the first verse of one of my Mother's favorite poems.  I copied this from "The Golden Treasury of Poetry" that was given to me by Ashley's Grandmother for Christmas, December 25, 1967.

Good News!

I just have to shout this from the roof top.  When we took Rosie in for another blood sugar check, it was an amazing 115.  This is absolutely normal.  Our vet was surprised, amazed, for lack of a better word.  He's cured.  Now really there's no cure for diabetes, but it does reverse itself sometimes in cats.  In his case, I think he was diabetic for a period of time, and we caught onto it at the tail end of its cycle. We (and he)  just got lucky.  I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.  Now we can try and get him back onto regular cat food.  No small feat since canned cat food is addictive for him.  Off to get more kibble that he'll actually eat. 

"Mrrroowwoo!  Want more mushy stuff, mama."

Wish us luck!

Gone to the Cats

More adorable cat pictures.  I'm shameless!

 Wanna bath?  Who me?

  My boy Rosie and his buddy Dood

 Ah, it's just my size

Mama's Boy

Last Saturday, we took our cat, Rosie, back to the vet to have his sugar level rechecked (this was part one of the birthday day). Thankfully it was much lower than before, about 260 points lower, but that doesn't mean his condition has reversed or that he won't require shots.  We are simply getting some data to proceed with. 

Next up was a trip to the Bo (BoJangles for the uninitiated) for some lunch.  It would have been breakfast except for the cat thing.  We stopped by the car dealer for a stroll around the lot in the wind.  The lot is on a hill and the wind cuts across it like a knife through butter.  Nada.  

On to Wal-Mart for more Fancy Feast for the fussy feline, and a diabetes testing kit and strips.  I guess it's official now.  Face the facts, you're little boy's diabetic, at least for now. In treating diabetic cats, the key is  partly in what you feed them.  The lower the sugar and carbs and higher the fiber the better.  Certain varieties of Fancy Feast canned food were recommended by our vet and also by some on-line sources.  This has had an unfortunate result.  Rosie wasn't crazy about the new "diet kibble" we got.  You know, that high dollar prescription stuff that you can only get from your vet.   Well, when you combined his obvious distaste for that with the yummy new "treat" food, you get one fabulously fussy feline.  All three cats are used to free feeding, which, in fact, is good for the diabetic cat as it helps keep their sugar level on an even keel.  However, free feeders graze throughout the day versus eating regular meals, and canned cat food does not lend itself to this method.  Now Rosie wants the "good stuff" whenever he gets the urge to graze.  What to do?  That's one of the questions we're trying to figure out.  

The other problem is using the glucometer to do the blood sugar test on his poor little ear.  I suspect that it hurts me more than it does him.  Our first attempt drew nothing to test with, and only served to traumatize him.  He was beginning to tremble like when he goes to the vet.  After all, he'd just had this done the day before.  

This is new to all of us, and we're just muddling through the best we can.  Our vet recommended we get a glucometer especially for cats for, oh, around $175.  I  did a little on-line research and discovered nearly everyone uses regular "human" glucometers.  We took advice from someone who has worked with diabetic cats both personally and professionally, as well as humans, and got a $12 one from Wal-Mart.  I expect that will be just fine, especially if we actually get a sample to work with.

Anyone have experience with diabetic cats?