Monday, November 27, 2006

Holiday budgeting

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I took last week off to relax.

I found this today online, and thought it was helpful.
http://www.realsimple.com//realsimple/web/pdf/1204/giftbudget.pdf

However, I think the guidelines for the holiday budget are kind of wacky! 1.5 % of pretax income? We never spend that kind of money and don't expect anyone to spend that on us!

Never forget that the retailers try very hard to make you feel or want to consume, it is in their best interest if you give big ticket items. Not necessarily your best interest.

The best thing we did in our family is to decide to give small presents. It took so much pressure off as we are limited to $10 a person for the cousins, their spouses, & my siblings and their spouses. That means that 7 gifts are small and fun. Same goes for parents, etc. While not $10 gifts, we have been getting smaller gifts for them.

It just makes for a more enjoyable holiday when not stressed about how much is enough. I had gotten to a point where I dreaded buying for Christmas and this has really helped. Take the extra money you would spend, and give it to the less fortunate. To me, that is the best way to celebrate Christ's birth, and the way that will bring joy this season.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Thanksgiving Timeline

Thanksgiving is next week, so if you are doing a big gathering (or even a small one), here is a timeline that looks interesting from Real Simple.

http://tinyurl.com/wdqej

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Expert help from the Container Store

Here is a cool link:

http://www.containerstore.com/experthelp/recipes/index.jhtml

Container Store has an expert help menu that has everything from homemade holiday recipes to ways to wrap presents like a pro. I love info, so I am going to bookmark this page.

Speaking of the container store, I could buy shoe boxes until the cows come home. They have changed their styling, they are narrower now, so more fit on shelves. I may indulge and buy a case of shoe boxes! The organizing never stops in this house!!

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Addicted to panda cam

I am addicted and every day must check out the baby panda.

http://www.zooatlanta.com/animals_panda_cam.htm

Dang my sister for causing this addiction. However, I have passed it onto many friends. You have to check frequently, because pandas (like dogs) sleep an awful lot. Sometimes you will catch the mommy panda holding the baby girl and licking her. It is so darn cute!!!

Speaking of dogs sleeping, here are the girls in typical fashion.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Item of the Week - Litehouse Sesame Ginger Dressing

I bought a huge bottle of this the other day.

http://www.litehousefoods.com/product_details.asp?pid=34

It is perfect as a dipping sauce for potstickers, a dressing for chinese coleslaw or as a stir-fry marinade. I make a huge batch of healthy fried rice (very little oil) using the Kirkland Stir-Fry veggies, brown rice and some egg. We added some of this dressing and it turned out great.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Suds away

No antibacterial soap for me! Studies have shown that not only does it destroy good bacteria, but washing your hands correctly is more important. I think it is a way for manufacturers to charge more.

Interesting article from ABC news about washing hands.
http://tinyurl.com/y2bnrg

My beloved Costco only carries antibacterial soap, so I don't buy soap from them. I did find some Ivory liquid soap, which was half the price per ounce of other soaps. Interestingly, it was on the top shelf of the Kroger. You know you find the best prices either on the top or bottom shelves of grocery stores. They put the more expensive brands in the middle. I will find the info and post it.
http://www.ivory.com/YourIvoryProducts_LiquidHandCleanser.htm

While this smells good and does the job, my hands get super dry in the winter. I bought some Dr. Bronner's almond liquid soap and used 3 capfuls in some foaming pumps I had. The 16 oz. cost me around $7.50 and should last quite a while. Disregard the interesting packaging and it is a great product.

I may add some olive oil to the foaming soap and see how that works.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Making bath salts

Don't ask me why, but not working has allowed me to tap into all the creative sides of me. Right now I am making my own bath salts. My feeling is - how hard can it be? I am trying to do it with dried rosemary (from my garden) and dried lavendar, but am not sure how strong the fragrance will be. I may need to buy some essential oils to add as the herbs may not cut it.

Costco has a huge bag of Epsom salts for around $3. That rocks as it will be cheap for me to make. If you know me, don't be surprised if you get some from me for Christmas once I perfect my recipe. I will keep you all posted on my success or failure.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Giving it all away!

I love reading and gathering information. So I thought I would share it with you. Of course, once I give away all my secrets, I may lose my ability to impress others with my wealth of knowledge. :-)

Real Simple's - 25 Ways to Get Ahead for the Holidays
http://tinyurl.com/vvzp7

I especially love the idea of giving olive oil, etc. as a hostess gift. Crate & Barrel's price is no longer $10, now $12.95, but the packaging is so very hip. I am finding that I am more drawn to modern design than ever before.

They also have some other interesting items such as the Fig Balsamic Drizzle. That sounds yummy!
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/oil-vinegar-dressings/gourmet-foods/1

I sometimes watch Take Home Chef and the other day he made mini-cheesecakes with strawberry sauce and drizzled a 12 year old balsamic on top. Like wine, age makes balsamic vinegar mellow, in this case, it is less tart and more sweet. YUM!

Monday, November 06, 2006

Belated anniversary dinner - Shitake Mushroom Risotto

We finally celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. As in the previous year, we were going to celebrate by staying in downtown Winnipeg after going up for Canadian Thanksgiving (Oct. 13). However, with my husband's new job and travel schedule, we weren't able to go.

We finally decided to celebrate Saturday night. We opened a bottle of wine from our honeymoon trip to Napa. It was a 1999 Markham Zinfandel. So amazing! The years had really softened the tannins. We put it in a decanter and let it breathe for about an hour before drinking.

We tried the frozen New Zealand lamb shanks from Costco. They had a mint-rosemary demi-glace. While the serving size said each lamb shank serves two, I find that hard to believe. You just need to realize that this is a splurge dish, as the calories and fat are not low.

Speaking of splurge, I made risotto. Here is my basic recipe.

1. Rehydrate 1 cup shitake mushrooms with 1 cup boiling water. Let sit for 25 minutes.
2. Saute 1 cup onion in 1-2 Tbsp. each of unsalted butter and olive oil (Kirkland extra-virgin). Sprinkle some kosher salt on the onions to draw out the water as they cook. Once they are translucent, add 1 cup arborio rice, saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add 1 can (15 oz + 1 oz water) chicken broth, but add one cup at a time. Cook over medium-low stirring constantly until broth is absorbed. Then add the second cup, doing the same. Your muscles should feel all the stirring. Next time I may try a pressure cooker, no stirring involved!
4. After mushrooms are hydrated, remove with a slotted spoon and saute in a little EVO. Save the leftover mushroom broth, and add that as your 3 cup of liquid for the risottto. My husband doesn't like the mushy texture of mushrooms, so I browned them and salted them a little to draw out more water. Then I chopped them up.
5. Towards the end of cooking, I added the mushrooms and a cube of frozen parsley/olive oil. (read my posts about freezing herbs in oil for cooking). Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. The rice should be al dente, with just a bite to it.

Risotto is comfort food at it's finest, rich and creamy! We served the risotto as our primo piatto, and the lamb as our secondo piatto.

For dessert, I was going to have pane e cioccolata (who knew there was a movie by this name), but instead, we dipped the dark chocolate in Cool Whip. You know my love for Cool Whip!

I was going to grill the bread and melt dark chocolate on it. Had I been thinking, I would have bought some wanton wrappers and Nutella (2-pack at Costco) and tried baked ravioli. The fried are fabulous, but the house smells like frying afterwards. If you ever want to make a dessert to impress, and don't mind frying, this is a good one.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_32984,00.html

Item of the Week - D'allasandro Dried Sliced Shitake Mushrooms

This is my item of the week. A 1-lb bag of shitake mushrooms for $9.99. Great to keep and use in such recipes as mushroom risotto (refer to my post about my anniversary dinner).

I was also reading on Epicurious where someone grinds the mushrooms into a powder to use in sauces and rice dishes to add an earthy flavor. There is a recipe on the back of the bag for a Chinese chicken and mushroom dish, I may try that too.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Fabulous dinner

I love shrimp! My husband doesn't love it, so when he is not home, I try to have it. I tried this the other night using a large pack of grape tomatoes I brought home from Costco. It was fabulous!! Everything the recipe calls for I bought from Costco - feta, shrimp, tomatoes. The only thing I didn't buy there was the parsley. I had chopped up some I had mixed with basil and olive oil and froze them so I had it in the freezer.

http://tinyurl.com/t2dme

Make sure you have a good loaf of crusty bread to sop up the juices or serve over couscous. YUM!

Rumor has it

that a Costco is opening right across the street from me! So not only will I have a SuperTarget & Chik-fil-a, I will also have a Costco not more than 2 minutes from me! My husband is very, very scared. :-)