bbq desserts: shopping tips

Showing posts with label shopping tips. Show all posts

Showing posts with label shopping tips. Show all posts

New Toys

I took a little trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond today, mainly because I needed a new nonstick skillet. I decided on this Cuisinart Green Gourmet. It is a newer line from them and boasts a ceramic base, scratch resistant nonstick surface and petroleum free. It's a little pricier, but I used a 20% off coupon.

The other new toy I bought was the Vidalia Onion Wizard. It makes chopping so much faster. I used it today for the onions, celery and carrots for my marinara sauce. It worked great.

Father's Day Gift Ideas

Check out my latest Tampa Food Examiner article on gift ideas for your foodie dad. Hopes this list helps some of you who haven't found a gift for dad yet.

Grocery Shopping

My new favorite thing is to get up early on Saturday and get my grocery shopping done first thing. You get it out of the way and the best thing is the store is virtually empty.

Shopping tip: organize your list by department. List all your produce together, dairy, etc. so you can follow the list as you move through the store. This way makes it less likely you'll forget something or miss something then have to make your way back to the complete other end of the store.

New Cookware: French Oven

I have been wanting a Dutch Oven for some time. Something I can take from stovetop to oven, so I can make dishes like Beef Bourguignon and braise things. My husband surprised me this Christmas with a beautiful cast iron French Oven (the French version of the Dutch Oven). In fact, it is so French the website is written all in French. It is a beautiful blue and I have already broken it in (with pot roast). It is a great piece of cookware. Cooks evenly and is surprisingly easy to clean.

New Boots!

After looking for boots for like three years I finally found ones that I really like. I always thought I would get brown boots, but after that great Calvin Klein find last weekend I knew I had to get black ones to wear with my new dress. I went shopping with my mom and sister on Friday and we ended up at DSW. My sister got a similar looking brown pair by Sam & Libby and I got the black ones below. They're Madden Girl and were only $50. I really like the suede, but I wasn't crazy about the bow in the back, so I pulled out the ribbon.

Huge Savings at the Grocery Store This Week

So, I saved almost $40 at Publix this week! Very exciting. I have become a coupon clipper and I'm proud of it. I look through the ads every Sunday in the paper and clip coupons. And I gotta say there have been some really good ones lately.

A couple of tips: don't clip coupons for items you don't normally buy or won't really use. This will just cost you money because you wouldn't normally buy it. Also, I've heard to not use coupons right after you clip them. Wait a week or so because supposedly some vendors/manufacturers will raise the normal price right after they run a coupon to make up the difference. Just a thought.

Oh, and I didn't save $40 on coupons alone. I looked at what was buy-one-get-one-free and what products were on sale at Publix this week. I then created my meals around those sales. (My friend Jeanne is the master saver and she has taught me well. Needless to say, she was very proud of me this week.) Even though, I saved $40 this week I still spent well over a hundred dollars, but I must say I really did stock up on meats. Chicken cutlets and ground turkey were on sale, so I bought a couple of packages of each. Italian sausage, pork loin chops and tilapia were also on sale. I love when my freezer is packed and now I probably won't have to buy any meat next week.

Shopping Deals at Ross

Today I went to Ross for the first time in a very long time. Ross is very much a hit or miss place, but there are always great deals on housewares and accessories.

Today I got a stainless steel tea kettle for only $10. I have been wanting to get a tea kettle for awhile and I couldn't pass this one up. Now, it just needs to get cooler than 90 degrees, so I'll feel like having a cup. Another houseware I purchased, also for $10, was a set of four white storage canisters. I am going to store my flour and Kosher salt in them for sure and I'm thinking maybe some orzo and breadcrumbs in the other two.

Last, but certainly not least, I bought this charcoal grey Calvin Klein sweater dress for only $50. Again, I just need it to cool down so I can wear it. That and also a pair of great black boots would look cute, so that'll be my next purchase. What is even more exciting than finding this dress at Ross, was immediately afterwards I went over to the mall and was browsing around Macy's when I saw the exact dress for $100. I couldn't believe it. I was so excited I had to tell this perfect stranger shopping in the same vicinity. She was excited for me. I tried to find a picture of it to post, but couldn't find it at Macys.com or the Calvin Klein website.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share my cool findings from Ross today. I need to remember to check out Ross more often. You never know what kind of deals you'll come across.

Blew Through Yet Another Hair Dryer...

...Pun definitely intended. Is it just me or does everyone go through a hair dryer like once a year?

I swear I just bought this hair dryer maybe a year ago and it already broke. Died on me this morning. Luckily I was just about finished and used my flat iron for the final touches. Otherwise I wouldn't have looked very pretty this morning. My hair is getting longer now, so I can't get away with not blowing it dry anymore, otherwise it does this very unattractive wavy thing. I only reserve Sundays for no blow dryer use, because come on, it's the day of rest, right? And then I just throw it up so no one can tell I have this weird wavy thing going on.

Anyway, I am looking for some suggestions on a good hair dryer that will last me longer than a year. Please provide your suggestions in the comment box, preferably an affordable suggestion. Thanks!

Tomato Paste Tube

So here's a little shopping tip. Have you all discovered the tomato paste that comes in a tube like toothpaste? It's the greatest thing ever. Before you'd have to buy this whole can just for a couple of tablespoons and then the rest would go to waste. Now there are tubes where you can squeeze out a little for what you need now, twist the cap back on and throw it back in the fridge for the next time. I usually find it next to the jars of marinara sauce and pasta versus next to the canned tomatoes.

First TasteCasting: Save the Tortillas

Last night I had my first tastecasting event. Future tastecastings will be held at locally-owned restaurants, but this one was a little unique. There is a local tortilla company, La Bonita Ole, that manufactures Wrap-Itz and Tam-X-icos products. You may have seen them at a grocery store near you. They are readily available in the Eastern states, and some Midwestern states.

Unfortunately in 2008, they were forced into chapter 11 bankruptcy, but after some changes they remain profitable. Even so, the bank, which is Sun Trust, may move to sell. A community effort and campaign has sprung into action to try and help save this company. I met the owner last night and she is a very impressive woman. She started the company in 1992 with only $13,000 and grew it to over $12 million in sales. Forty employees are at risk as well if the company is sold.

Let's help Save the Tortillas! I urge everyone to check out http://www.savethetortillas.com/ and sign the petition telling SunTrust to save this company! And if they're available in your area, buy La Bonita Ole tortillas and wraps. There are various flavors and are the best tortillas around. I will be posting some recipes in the next few days using the La Bonita Ole products.

The community outpouring that has taken place to try and help save this local company has been amazing and inspirational. Everyone can help, visit http://www.savethetortillas.com/ today! Viva the tortillas!

Steve Madden Bedding...what?

I just got an email from Bed, Bath and Beyond telling me my shoe lovah makes bedding now! And it is exclusive to BBB. Check it out here. This is so freakin' exciting!

Wines for Summer

At least once a week you can find my husband and/or me at this family Italian restaurant, Gino's that is about a mile from our house on North Armenia Ave. in Tampa. It has been around forever and offers great, homemade Italian favorites and they boast a great beer and wine menu. Actually, they opened a great wine shoppe not too long ago.

Last night we attended a wine tasting event there that featured wines for the summer, all white wines of course, which didn't bother me in the least. A lot of Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and sparkling (my personal favorite). I of course had my husband purchase a few of the ones we sampled and I will definitely be going by there throughout the summer to pick up the others.

The ones we brought home were a Prosecco, a nice Italian sparkling that I had never tried; a lovely German Riesling from Fountain Blue winery, sweet and refreshing during the hot summer months and Twin Vines Vihno Verde, a white wine from Portugal. All reasonably priced.

Gino's has a lot of other events planned for the summer including a beer and food pairing dinner and a beer tasting. I definitely suggest everyone check out this Tampa jewel. They even have a Facebook page now.

A Lotta Produce for 20 Bucks

I have said it before and I will say it again, buy your produce at local stands and markets. I bought a ton of stuff at my local produce stand for only $20, well $23. If I went to the grocery store all of it probably would have cost twice as much. Below is a list of everything I got.

1 whole cantaloupe (and let me tell you that melon was juicy, I already cut it up)
2 Haas avocados (they were only 79 cents a piece; at the grocery store they are at least $1.29)
2 (16 ounce packages) of strawberries (fresh from Plant City and only $1.79 per package)
1 head of broccoli
2 white onions
4 Gala apples
2 lemons
1 bag of baby carrots
3 portobello mushroom caps
3/4 of a pound of Boar's Head Turkey
1 jar of roasted red peppers

Pretty good deal, huh? If you buy a lot of fresh produce like I do, you'll save a ton of money each week going to local spots.

A Peek Inside My Pantry

I don't have a recipe to post tonight because I didn't make dinner. I went out with some friends. However, I thought I would write a quick post about some of the staple items I always have in my pantry. With these items and a quick stop at the market, I can prepare a quick weeknight meal.

Pasta - a variety of shapes and sizes: orzo, spaghetti, penne, ditalini
Rice - brown, white, wild, and arborio for risotto
Couscous
Barley and lentils (Don't have these two now, but I plan to start cooking with them more.
Breadcrumbs - Panko (japanese-style) and Italian seasoned
Flour - all-purpose and whole wheat
Vinegars - red wine, balsamic, white wine; I even have a white balsamic that is delicious
Oils - extra-virgin olive, vegetable
Nonstick cooking spray (a regular one and one with flour for baking)
Beans - a variety of your favorites: I usually have garbanzo, white, kidney and/or black
Kalamata olives
Diced tomatoes - no salt added
Tomato paste, sauce, crushed tomatoes
Tahini pasta - an essential ingredient for making hummus
Sundried tomatoes - love these!
Capers
Peppers - roasted red and banana
Dried fruit - apricots, raisins, craisins
Nuts - walnuts, cashews, almonds (You can make great trail mixes with nuts and dried fruits. Throw some sunflower seeds in there, too. Trail mix makes for a great snack.)
Whole wheat crackers
Tuna, clams (These last forever and when used with fresh ingredients like lemon juice and parsley, they really freshen up.)

I know this sounds like a lot, but accumulate the items over time, plus a lot of these you probably already have. Remember they last forever, so it's not like they'll go bad.

Bolthouse Farms Salad Dressing

I wanted to share a product recommendation to all my readers. I like creamy salad dressings, but sometimes they are just too fattening. Well, I have come across this line of salad dressings from Bolthouse Farms that uses yogurt instead of sour cream or mayonaise. It cuts down on the fat a lot, but it still tastes good. It also uses natural ingredients, so there aren't any preservatives. The varieties I have seen so far are Caesar, blue cheese, ranch, and thousand island. You can find them in the produce section of your grocery store, usually by the bagged and prewashed lettuce.

St. Pete Saturday Market

My mom and I headed down to St. Pete this morning for the Saturday market. If you haven't been, you simply must check it out! It was awesome. There are a ton of local farmers, artists, and vendors selling their products. Farmers with fresh produce at unbelievable prices. Artists selling jewelry, photography, art made out of metals and old hubcaps. People selling artisan breads, hot sauces, bbq sauces, cheeses, fresh herbs, fresh seafood, desserts, specialty food items, etc.,etc., etc.

It was a foodie's dream. There was a live band and tons of people with their dogs. I bought some grapefruit, oranges, a great chedder cheese and baba ganoush. There was a great vendor, Pappardelle's, there selling homemade flavored pastas. They only sell it at local farmers markets, they don't have a store anywhere. I got a rainbow medley orzo, which is spinach, red pepper and plain orzo. I also got a basil garlic fettuccine. While my mom got lemon garlic fettuccine. You know I'll be making some good dishes with those in the future. Here is their website: www.pappardellespasta.com.

And of course I bought fresh kettle corn popcorn! One of my favorite things in the world.

Tip of the Day

I just got home from a lovely shopping excursion with my husband. To all the local ladies out there, you have to check out Land and Sea Market on Gunn Highway. There is also a location in New Tampa. You can buy 5 pounds of ground sirloin all individually wrapped per pound for only $3 per pound. It is a great savings. They also carry all kinds of meat and seafood at unbelievable prices. Another great deal I got was the deal of the week. For $24,99 I got crab bisque for 2, 2lbs of ground sirloin, a pound of deli ham, greek potato salad, 2 filet mignons, and pot roast soup for 2. They have some great dips, spreads and premade meals as well. It definitely makes weeknight cooking a breeze.

My other tip is to shop at Farmer's Markets and produce stands. There is a great one by my house that carries fresh, local produce for way less than a grocery store. I hardly shop at the grocery stores anymore. I can get my meat and seafood at Land and Sea, and then my produce and even my milk and eggs at the stand. I encourage everyone to find local meat markets and produce stands in their areas. More than likely the quality and price is better than at your local grocer.