Money Crunchers

With everything that's been going on in our economy lately, I've actually tried to be more frugal in my everyday habits. Very difficult for a shopaholic like me, believe me! One store I really love once I got used to their quirky rules is Aldi's. Rule number one: they don't take credit cards or checks, just cash and debit cards. This got me the first time I went there because I rarely carry cash and didn't have a debit card, so I had about five dollars to spend. Even at Aldi's five dollars doesn't buy much. The second rule is that if you want a shopping cart you have to put a quarter in this wierd locking device that hangs off of the handle. If you return the cart to the rack, you get your quarter back. Once again, you must be prepared before shopping at this store. The third rule is bring your own bags or buy bags at the cash register. This is easy because I keep bags from Harris Teeter and Trader Joe's in my car. Speaking of Trader Joe's, the same company owns Aldi's and Trader Joe's, although they are nothing alike in their design. Aldi's is a very basic, no frills store. A lot of the merchandise is still in the packing boxes and you will recognize very few major brands. I find the quality of these unknown brands to be exceptional. The fruits and vegetables, although not widely varied, are always fresh and much less expensive than any other grocery store. If you're trying to stretch your grocery dollar, this is a great store to try.

Speaking of groceries, I have stumbled upon a great resource for stretching your monthly budget. Angel Food Ministries. I learned of this a couple of months ago from my former church in Raleigh and did some research online. This organization distributes restaurant quality food bundles at a reduced price through area churches. The purpose of their group is to assist families who need help with their food budgets; however, people from every income bracket are encouraged to participate as this enables them to negotiate a better discount from food suppliers. We bought the primary box, a fruit and veggie box, and a grill meat box, and shared with Nick's parents. Some of the items are fresh, some frozen, and some shelf staples. Everything that we have tried so far has been good. We will probably do this again. Go to their website at www.angelfoodministries.com to check it out for yourself. I was able to place our order online and then we picked it up at the Church of Christ on Country Club Drive on Saturday morning.

One more plug for saving money: Ed McKay's Used Books. Okay, I've been a snob about books, I admit it. I have liked buying new books the first day they arrived at Sam's. But both Nick and I are idiots about books and my house is overrun with books.....so, I have stopped buying new books, okay, so Nick hasn't, but that's another post......I now try to buy all of my books at Ed McKay and.....drumroll, please.... I have even sold some to them!!!! If you are a rabid reader like I am this makes perfect sense. I love to read and in the absence of anything else, I have been known to read the back of a detergent bottle; however, I don't need to keep every book I read. This is where Ed McKay makes perfect sense: buy a book, read the book, take it back and trade it for a new book! You can get cash or trade in dollars. I take the trade ins. They give you half the price in credit of the price they charge for the books. Believe me, coming from someone whose book budget exceeds a typical shoe budget, this is a deal! You'll be happy to know that I did not receive any books in exchange for this endorsement!! ;-)

Happy bargain shopping!

The Daring Bakers: Pizza Dough

This was not my first time making my own pizza dough. Pizza is one of my favorite things. I especially love non traditional toppings (which thanks to restaurants like California Pizza Kitchen are becoming more main stream). I found the dough recipe straight forward and simple to follow, but in the end, I didn’t like the flavor as well as others I have made. Since Trader Joe’s sells pizza dough for like 99 cents, I don’t see myself making the dough from scratch very often; however, I had fun with the toppings.

Mushroom Magic:
I sautéed mushrooms and garlic in a mixture of butter and olive oil. After I spooned a light covering of marinara sauce over the dough, I added the mushrooms, asparagus, and a generous amount of havarti cheese.

Hail Caesar!:
I love Caesar salad, so I brushed one pizza with olive oil and spread parmesan cheese over it before baking, once out of the oven, I topped it with romaine lettuce mixed with my homemade Caesar dressing. I love the contrast of the warm bread and cold greens.

Hawaiian:
I spread the dough with Trader Joe’s Pineapple Salsa, then added julienne ham and pepper jack cheese. This was my husband’s favorite.



Artichoke:
I used a jarred pesto sauce, Trader Joe’s again, as my sauce, and then topped it with artichokes and Romano cheese.

BBQ:
I mixed left over pork roast with some smoky sweet BBQ sauce. I spread a little BBQ sauce over the dough, and then topped it with the pork and a little sweet onion. I used havarti because that’s what I had, but I think I would have liked smoked Gouda or smoked cheddar better.

Overall this was a great challenge, got me thinking out of the circle, ;-). Can’t wait for the next one!

Pizza Madness

Breakfast

Nick loves breakfast. I am trying to love breakfast as long as I am not expected to eat it before 9 am. Recently we have gotten into the routine of going out to breakfast on Nick’s day off, usually Fridays. You are likely to find us at Zorba’s. Don’t be alarmed when you walk in there for the first time because it looks kinda dumpy. Yes, the décor dates back to the early 80’s (sorry if it was updated since then!), and the fixtures look old, but I find the interior to be very clean. The bathrooms are nice, too, which always bumps up a restaurant’s rating for me. I almost always get two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. Nick likes the pancakes. He usually has them with eggs and gyro meat. The basic menu satisfies our morning cravings and the prices are a welcome sight in today’s economy.

This week we ventured away from our normal routine and tried the Pancake House at the Ambassador Motel. This motel and diner have been on 301 for a gazillion years, but I don’t think I had ever been until Friday. The restaurant is very clean and neat with a fresh Americana theme. We had similar meals to those at Zorba’s and the quality was comparable; however, these prices were $2.00 more per entrée. While I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere, I like the bottom line at Zorba’s more!

Stay tuned for more breakfast favorites as well try new places.

Little Italy

Why are pasta dishes in restaurants so expensive? I find pasta and sauces very simple to make at home and most are economical if you don’t use expensive cheeses. Today we ate at Little Italy for lunch. I got what I normally do, the steak and cheese sandwich, but Nick wanted pasta. He got a dish call “Ziti Chef”. The penne pasta (why not call it “Penne Chef”?) was served with a tomato cream sauce. The menu said it had sautéed onions, mushrooms, and bacon. The sauce tasted great, but Nick only found two mushrooms and very little bacon. This came with bread for $9.95. He added a side salad for an additional $1.95. I thought this was an outrageous price for an entree that probably cost less than $4.00 to make. The salad was odd, with iceberg and green leaf lettuce, thick curls of carrots, tomatoes, and big chunks of red onion. The ranch dressing was very watery. My sandwich was a better buy at $6.50, but didn’t come with fries or salad. Another thing that annoys me is the lack of sweetener on the table. The owner would probably contend that some patrons stuff the little packets in their pockets. Even so, when unsweetened beverages are ordered, the waiter should bring the sweetener. Nick had to ask twice before that was brought to our table.

I like the food and the atmosphere at this eatery, but I don’t suggest it often because I find the seating uncomfortable. This will continue to be a sandwich place for me, but I will reserve a $10 pasta entrée for a nicer evening out, not just everyday eating.

The Worst Bathroom Ever!

To the Loo!

Nick’s goal is to venture out into the world and return home without ever having to use a public restroom. I, on the other hand, thanks to my miniscule bladder, have visited every bathroom from here to Miami. Public restroom facilities vary greatly. The bathroom at Nordstrom at Tyson’s Corner, Virginia wins top honors. First you enter a sitting room which could easily pass for a very elegant parlor. The comfortable furniture and soft lighting invites you to rest awhile, maybe reconsidering that sweater you saw on sale, or plan your strategy for your shopping day. As you enter the inner chamber, the usual metal stalls and stark lighting are absent. Each toilet is completely enclosed in its own closet with its own sink. This lovely loo sets the standard by which I measure all public bathrooms. Regrettably, I have never had the pleasure of visiting another one like the one at Nordstrom.

Let me take my soapbox for a moment. I wish I knew who designed the typical public bathroom because I would like to slap his face. And yes, I am sure a man designed it because no woman would have thought that we should take care of the most personal of business with partitions that don’t reach the floor and doors with cracks the size of a Buick. At least we have stalls; some men’s rooms have urinals that look like drainage ditches with no partitions at all. I am a very private person, okay, I’m a prude, but I see nothing wrong with a little modesty. I refuse to accept the belief that because I choose not to parade around naked in the gym I have hang ups. Who decides this standard of behavior, anyway?

Now that we’ve cleared that up, I can continue. Last week we were traveling on Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. We had packed lunch and ate at one of the picnic sites. Here’s a picture of the outhouse I had to use. As far as outhouses go, it wasn’t too bad, definitely better than risking a tick bite on the hiney! The worst part was seeing the brand new modern restrooms that were not yet open! Also during our vacation, I found the worst bathroom I have ever visited. This one was at the Shenandoah Heritage Market. The aqua green wooden partitions were very short, so short that the toilet seats were visible. So I guess the idea is someone might see your hiney, but at least your face is hidden. EWWWW!

My other pet peeve about bathrooms is the new toilet paper holders. These are seldom installed in a convenient spot. Many times I feel like a contortionist while trying to reach the paper, and then it usually comes off the roll in one or two sheet sections. How I miss the old fashioned toilet paper rollers! At one time or another we all must visit a public loo. I suggest not patronizing businesses that do not provide adequate facilities, but sometimes, when you have to go, you have to go!