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.