MyBlogSpark: Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust

I've been making a lot of pizza, lately, and while I've made a few scratch crusts, I usually buy balls of pizza dough from the grocery store or a local bakery. White or whole wheat, it all seems to work out about the same and still makes (imho) a better pizza than most of the delivery or carry-out stuff available locally.

Recently, I saw that Pillsbury recently started selling an "artisan" pizza crust with whole grains. I was a bit skeptical -- could stuff in a tube be as good as fresh dough from the bakery -- but that didn't stop me from running off to the store to pick up a tube when MyBlogSpark sent me a coupon for $1.25 off one package of New Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grain.

Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust is certainly convenient -- just roll it out, cover it in pizza toppings, and bake until delicious. Unlike bakery pizza dough, there's no need to leave the dough out on the counter at room temperature to puff up and there's no need to roll or shape it.

See the whole grain goodness!

It's almost pizza!

Slightly burnt around the edges, but still yummy.

I made my pizza with garlic marina sauce, leftover shredded chicken, thinly sliced garlic, fresh mushrooms, reduced-fat Italian cheese blend, and salt-free Italian seasoning blend. It looked beautiful when it came out of the oven and tasted pretty good.

However, I don't know if I'll really buy Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grains again. It was easy, yes, and the coupon certainly made it economical, but pizza dough isn't hard to find or make and I think I prefer the taste of "real" pizza dough. This Pillsbury dough had that slightly sweet, buttery edge that many of the refrigerated Pillsbury doughs seem to have. Buttery and sweet is fine in biscuits and bread sticks, but a little weird in pizza dough.

Mind you, The Husband liked it just fine. A little more wheat-y tasting than other whole wheat doughs we've tried, but good enough for him. Nor did he mind that the bottom stayed a bit soft -- I don't know if that's because of the dough itself or because I used a jelly roll pan instead of a pizza stone. I usually use a pizza stone and we get a uniformly crisp crust.

Want to try Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grain? You can visit http://bit.ly/PCwWG to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off one roll. Don't know what to put on your pizza? Find great recipes at the Pillsbury website, or by visiting Pillsbury on Facebook, or by following Pillsbury on Twitter!

MyBlogSpark: Progresso Light Soups

On a cold, dreary October day there is truly nothing as warming as a bowl of soup. Since I’m trying to eat better, but don't always have the time for home-made soup, I was happy enough to receive a coupon from MyBlogSpark for $1.25 off 4 cans of Progresso Light Soups -- all the taste, warmth, and comfort of Progresso soup without the calories or fat.

With my coupon, I picked up a can each of Light Italian Style Meatball, Light Creamy Potato with Bacon and Cheese, Light Chicken Pot Pie Style, and Light Zesty Santa Fe Style Chicken. Each can contains about 2 100-calorie servings and is only 2 Weight Watchers Points Plus per serving so, even if I run amok and eat the whole can, I haven't wrecked my eating plan. The sodium is a little high (especially compared to home-made) but this is hardly surprising for tinned soup.

Want to try Progresso Light Soups? Click here to download a coupon for $1.25 off 4 cans of Progresso Soup. (My local PriceChopper had Progresso Light Soups on sale 4 for 5, too, so I felt extra thrifty when I picked these up earlier this week).

MyBlogSpark: Weight Watchers® ♥ Green Giant®

Since we go through a lot of frozen vegetables and I am (kinda-sorta) following the Weight Watchers program, I was pleased to receive a coupon through MyBlogSpark for 60¢ off 2 Weight Watchers® endorsed 2 Green Giant® frozen boxed vegetables. Green Giant® is, apparently, the only frozen vegetable brand to be endorsed by Weight Watchers®, and nearly all endorsed varieties have a 1 or 2 PointsPlus® value per serving.

Wai, ridiculously excited owl, wai.

I’m a fan of Green Giant® "Teriyaki Vegetables" which is only 1 PointsPlus® per serving and tastes great tossed with a serving of brown rice and some cooked shrimp.  Makes an easy and delicious work lunch -- ten minutes or less to throw it together and yet it's real food and makes me feel like I'm having a civilized meal.

I also like to make a fast macaroni and cheese using either the broccoli or cauliflower in cheese sauce with 3 servings of whatever pasta I have on hand and a little sriracha. Just cook the vegetables and pasta as directed. Stir together (sometimes, I mash the vegetables up a bit to make a smoother sauce or stir in some garlicky salsa for extra yum). Season with sriracha as desired (omit if using salsa). Delicious, easy, low Points+ and makes 3 work lunches when combined with fruit and a bit of salad.

Want to try Weight Watchers® endorsed Green Giant® Boxed Vegetables? Thanks to MyBlogSpark, you can visit http://bit.ly/greengiantcoupon to download a printable coupon for 60¢ off the purchase of two boxes. I don’t know how long this offer will last, so print’ em while you can.

Disclosure: This coupon offer was brought to my attention by Weight Watchers® and Green Giant® via MyBlogSpark. All opinions, such as they are, are my own.

MyBlogSpark: Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks

Last month, I signed up with MyBlogSpark to receive special offers and promotions (hopefully) relevant to my interests and this blog. Given the modest size and scope of Savory Tart, I wasn’t expecting much from MyBlogSpark, but the two offers I’ve received have been pretty good. The first offer I received was for Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks and, since they were already on sale, I thought I'd give them a whirl.  I'm in the market for new low Points+ snacks and thought these might fit the bill.

Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks come in two flavors --"Berries & Cherries" and "Assorted Fruit."  As my grocery store had both on the shelf, I picked up a box of each. They’re basically fruit-flavored gummies, stamped in the shapes of various fruits. They’re actually rather cute and the girlish part of me that digs cute food was quite pleased.  (It's quite probable all gummy snacks are just as cute, but it's been a long time since I've eaten such things).

Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks are made with real fruit juice (juice concentrate) and natural colors ("colors from natural sources") and flavors, are only 80 calories per serving, gluten free, and contain 100% of the Daily Value of Vitamin C. Each serving is individually packaged so you can just stuff them in your pocket or bag and go, knowing there’s a little something sweet on hand when the mid-afternoon blahs kick in. (I can’t be the only one who gets all cranky and rundown around 3 o’clock and buys something sweet but regrettable from the snack machine, right?)

The Snacks themselves are very soft -- almost glutinous -- but not gooey enough to stick in your teeth. The flavors are pretty good in that they mostly taste fruit without any of those "fake fruit" notes you sometimes get in candy.

Want to try Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks? Thanks to MyBlogSpark, you can visit http://bit.ly/K9P4Eo and download a printable coupon to save $1.10 when you buy any two boxes of Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks. I don’t know how long this offer will last, so print’ em while you can.

(I’m amused/horrified that the press release I received from MyBlogSpark regarding these Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks specified that “they are not intended to replace fruit in the diet.” People, you should not need to be told this).

Disclosure: This coupon offer was brought to my attention by Ocean Spray® via MyBlogSpark. All opinions, such as they are, are my own.

Tomatoes All The Time w/ Amazon Subscribe & Save

I wasn't joking when I said we've been going through a lot of tomato products since I started the pantry challenge. Oh, I mean, I must have known we normally go through a lot of them as it feels as if I'm always buying more, but I never really tracked usage as obsessively as I have since I started the challenge. I'm thinking I should really start buying tomato products -- diced, crushed, and fire-roasted -- by the case.

Back in 2009, I talked about buying Muir Glen products through Amazon's Subscribe & Save, but I whussed out because buying groceries from Amazon seemed like the height of laziness. I'd probably still think that if I hadn't broken my ankle and been off my feet for six months -- Subscribe & Save became The Best Thing Ever at that point as all the things I needed came to me. So, yes, maybe I should subscribe to some tomatoes already!

What have I been making with all these tomatoes? Many delicious things! Most recently, I made a heavily adapted version of Rachael Ray's "Gemilli with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce" for the pantry challenge. It came out really well, but I should really try the original one day!

Easy Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce & Chicken

1 large shallot, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained
6 oz frozen cooked chicken strips, halved
1 cup low-sodium tomato sauce (leftover from other recipes)
½ cup white wine
2 tsp Penzeys Tuscan Sunset (salt-free Italian-style seasoning blend)
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz whole wheat fusilli, prepared as directed
Parmesan, as desired

Puree red peppers using whatever appliance you prefer -- I used my immersion blender, because I am obsessed with it and must blend all the things.

Heat oil in a French/Dutch oven. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are translucent and a little gold around the edges. Add pepper puree and cook, stirring occasionally, for two minutes. Add tomato sauce, wine, chicken, and seasoning blend. Cover and cook at a low simmer for about 10 minutes (or as long as it takes you to make the pasta). Season to taste. Toss with pasta. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan. Eat. Serves 2 hungry people.

Tomato-tastic Presents!

For the third year in a row, Muir Glen sent me a limited edition Reserve kit. Besides the awesome little basket (which I look forward to using in my vegetable garden next summer), I received Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, No-Salt Added Diced Tomatoes, Reserve Harvest Sunset Organic Fire Roasted Red & Yellow Diced Tomatoes, Reserve Harvest Sunset Organic Red & Yellow Diced Tomatoes, and a recipe booklet.

I don't know how Muir Glen found me or why they send me free products, but I hope they never stop. Muir Glen is the only brand of canned tomatoes I use these days as they're organic, high-quality, and so very flavorful -- sweet and ripe-tasting, that taste as if they were just picked and processed yesterday.

If you've never ordered a Muir Glen Reserve kit before, I suggest you do so rightnowthisminute. $15 dollars gets you a beautiful basket of tomato goodness!

Legalese: I am not affiliated with Muir Glen Organics nor was I compensated for gushing over their Reserve kit. All opinions, such as they are, are my own.

Sweets from Abroad

Lest you think we spent all our vacation time eating, let me also just say we certainly spent some of it buying food to bring back with us. Yes. And we were doing pretty good until we wandered into the Wigan Thorntons shop. Until then, we'd only acquired a few boxes of Mr Kipling cakes and a couple small bags of chocolate. Thorntons was our undoing. We walked in ...

... and we walked out with a carry-on's worth of chocolate.

(Doesn't include all the chocolate we bought as gifts ... or ate before arriving home!)

Cheap & Tasty

I am addicted to Planters NUT-rition Omega-3 Mix -- a salt-free blend of crunchy walnuts, sweet-tart dried cranberries, and yummilicious dark chocolate-covered soy nuts -- but I balk at the price. Staring despondently into an empty tin one afternoon, I wondered if I could create a cheaper, but equally tasty, clone of this nut mix.

From NutsOnline, I ordered one pound bags of:

• Roasted Walnuts (Unsalted)
• Whole Dried Cranberries
• Dark Chocolate Covered Soy Beans

When my order arrived, I opened the bags and dumped them into my biggest mixing bowl. Gave everything a good mix and then portioned it out into storage containers. I filled five one-cup square tins for work and one big five-cup storage container for refilling and home snacking.

How does my clone taste? Very close to the original.
Is it really cost effective? I would consider it a good cost savings as it costs about half as much per ounce (37¢ instead of 70¢).

Awesome Ajvar

Two years ago, I bought my first jar of ajvar. Today, I cannot imagine how I ever got by without this tangy-sweet, smoky stuff. What is ajvar? Ajvar is a spread made from fire-roasted pepper and eggplant. You can usually find it in international markets or import shops in hot or mild, cheesy or non-cheesy versions. I prefer the mild, non-cheesy variety because it tends to go well with just about everything. Seriously, it has displaced ketchup in my hierarchy of condiments.

How do I use ajvar?

• Spread on a sandwich, burger, or plain toasted bagel
• Spread on a water cracker with a thin slice of Cabot's Seriously Sharp cheddar
• As dipping sauce for fries
• As a relish for roast or baked meats

I bet it would even taste good tossed with hot pasta!

A video slide show of home ajvar production:


Want to make your own ajvar? Try this recipe for "Red Pepper-Eggplant Ajvar" from the 19 January 2010 New York Times. A great way to use up an overabundance of garden peppers and eggplant.

Green Walnut Confusion

Browsing the aisles of an international food store in Waterbury, I stumbled across jars of pickled green walnuts. I knew I had to buy a jar as I've been hankering to try pickled green walnuts ever since Clarissa Dickson-Wright made a pheasant and pickled walnut terrine during the "Game" Episode of Two Fat Ladies.

Except I didn't buy pickled green walnuts! No, I bought green walnut preserves. While green walnuts are pickled in malt vinegar infused with lots of spices, these preserved green walnuts are cooked with sugar, vanilla sugar, citric acid, and vitamin C. Also, while pickled green walnuts are generally served with game meats or a strong cheese like Stilton, preserved green walnuts are used in cookies, cakes, and sauces.

Somehow, I do not think I can use green walnut preserves in Saveur's "Braised Beef Brisket with Pickled Walnuts" or Delia's "Venison Braised in Guinness and Port with Pickled Walnuts." However, I think I can still get away with serving them next to baked pears stuffed with blue cheese ...

Happy Anniversary! I Bought You Some Peppers.

We celebrated our eleventh wedding anniversary by visiting not one, but two farmers markets!

Burlington Farmers Market
268 Spielman Highway
Fridays through October, 3-6

This year, Gresczyk Farms is the only vendor at Burlington, but they put out a good spread and we picked up some lovely yellow squash, pickling cucumbers, peaches, and huge stuffing peppers. When we go back next Friday, I'll be sure to pick up some eggs and hydroponically grown butter lettuce, too.

Southington-Plantsville Farmers Market
1003 South Main Street
Fridays through October, 3-6

The Plantsville market had about five vendors -- including one who was custom cutting chunks of Cabot cheddar from a huge block. We considered buying some, but decided we had enough cheese at home. Madness, I know. We did buy tomatillos, zucchini, apples, and baked goods (including a yummy pumpkin pie square).

Combine my farmers market loot with the huge bowl of cherry and small fruit tomatoes I harvested from my garden and it looks as if my kitchen is exploding with produce. What to do?

Well, I have a plan. A menu plan ...

Tasty Penzeys Loot

Over the weekend, The Husband took me to our local Penzeys so I could stock up on some necessities. I'd been a little worried about taking my wheelchair into such a little shop, but there was enough floorspace available for me to get around and find all the things I was looking for without knocking down racks of merchandise.

I picked up:

• Regular Canadian Mustard Powder
• Herbes de Provence ("rosemary, cracked fennel, thyme, savory, basil, tarragon, dill weed, Turkish oregano, lavender, chervil and marjoram")
• Northwoods Seasoning ("coarse flake salt, paprika, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic and chipotle")
• Horseradish Dip ("ground horseradish, salt, dextrose, onion powder, lemon peel, dill weed, black pepper and chives")

I had two coupons so the Northwoods Seasoning ($3.39) and the Herbes de Provence blend ($2.39) were free. Yays!

(Horseradish dip was The Husband's impulse buy. We like dip. We like horseradish. We shall like horseradish dip?)

Yay for Local Yoghurt

When we were grocery shopping last weekend¹, The Husband encouraged me to pick up a new brand of yoghurt. I am so glad he did, because Simmons Family Farm's low fat yoghurt tastes awesome and is made twenty-five minutes from my home -- eat local, ftw!

I purchased a strawberry and a peach Simmons Family Farm yoghurt, but Price Chopper also sells blueberry and plain. Blueberry might be nice with some granola mixed in and I'm betting plain will work wonderfully in place of sour cream on baked potatoes or pirogi ...

Omnomnomnom.

I've only eaten the strawberry yoghurt, so far, and I was so impressed by it that I really had to argue with myself against going straight on to the peach.  In the end, dietary guilt won and I set the peach aside for later. 

Ingredients: Organic Sugar, Water, Strawberries, Natural Strawberry Flavor and Pectin, Skim Milk and Non Fat Dry Milk.

Cultures: Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii Subsp. bulgaris, Lactobacillus delbrueckii Subsp. lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus.

Five yoghurt cultures for happier digestion!

No fruit-on-the-bottom here; the yoghurt is thoroughly mixed with strawberry puree which turns it a pale pink but only yields a gentle whisper of strawberry flavor. If you want jammy yoghurt, you'd be better off with a different brand. As I don't like overly sweet or jammy yoghurts, I was very pleased. Also, despite being low-fat, the yoghurt is very thick and creamy.

In addition to being local, low-fat, and delicious, Simmons Family Farm yoghurts are quite reasonably priced! A good thing, as I plan on eating many more of them. The downside to purchasing more is the un-recyclability of the plastic yoghurt tubs -- my town will not recycle #5 containers so I will have to save them up and recycle them at Whole Foods at the end of the month.

And, you know, it's just terrible to have another reason to go to Whole Foods!

--

¹ Grocery shopping in a wheel chair? Not as difficult as I had expected.

Veggies & Dip

Is there anything better than fresh veggies and dip? Why, yes! Leftover veggies and dip!

To make Knorr's® French Onion Dip you mix together:

16 oz. container Breakstone's® sour cream
½ cup Hellmann's® light mayonnaise
1 envelope Knorr® French Onion soup mix

Refrigerate for as long as possible, so that all the flavors melt together. Mix and serve.

I prefer to eat this dip with pretzels, but The Husband likes it with everything.

To make Betty Crocker's® Creamy Salsa Dip mix together:

½ cup Breakstone's® sour cream
½ cup Hellmann's® light mayonnaise
¾ cup Green Mountain Gringo® Roasted Garlic salsa
1 Tbsp Penzeys® dried cilantro

Again, refrigerate for as long as possible, so that all the flavors get a good chance to mingle. Mix and serve.

While I think this dip is best with sliced orange or yellow bell pepper, it is also good with cucumber rounds, grape tomatoes, pretzels, bagel chips, fingers, and whathaveyou.

(Yes, that is a lot of ®s ... when it comes to making dips, I am a complete brand whore).

Going to Pot

We moved into our first home in 2000 and I, being a total culinary n00b, bought our kitchen a nice set of non-stick T-Fal cookware.

Five years later, I replaced that badly chipped set with a stainless steel set from the Betty Crocker Catalog (read about that experience here). I also bought a 12" nonstick chicken fryer, because I needed an extra deep sauté pan.

Five years after that, the stainless steel cookware set is as fine as the day it arrived, but the chicken fryer needs replacing as its bottom is all scratched up. I am not surprised by the damage,  but I do want know why did I not learn my lesson in 2005? Why did I not purchase a stainless steel chicken fryer then?

Well, I own a stainless steel chicken fryer now. It is a Cooks brand four-quart tri-ply 18/10 covered sauté pan with a tempered, vented glass lid and I bought it on sale at JCPenney for forty dollars. It has a lifetime guarantee and I fully expect it to last forever goshdarnittoheck.

(Must admit I have never fried chicken in my chicken fryers -- I used them as if they were small French/Dutch ovens and makes stews, braises, etc in them).

Sometimes, I Do Like Shoppin'

Today, we left our house for the first time since Christmas Eve. What could motivate us to leave our snug nest, as full of cuddly kitties and Christmas loot as it is? The Coventry Regional Farmers' Market, of course!

I wasn't sure how busy the Market might be, so I drafted a list of what I needed and where I expected to find it ... needn't have bothered as the Market was nice and quiet. I presume a lot of people were either at home, still cabbaged out in post-Christmas recovery mode, or at the mall exchanging their loot. Silly buggers.

We bought:

• 2 baskets of Purity Farm's fingerling potatoes
• 1 sack of Purity Farm's baby kale
• 1 stalk of Brussels sprouts
• 1 bunch of watercress (for cucumber and cress sandwiches)
• 2 packets of New Boston Beef's ground beef
• 1 packet of New Boston Beef's sweet Italian sausage
• 1 hunk of goat cheese with cranberries from the Ladies of Levita Road
• 1 pack of teriyaki jerky from Wook's Beef Jerky (I am addicted to this stuff -- need a new pack every two weeks)
• 1 bag of chocolate chip cookies from Morning Glory Homemade Goods (The Husband's impulse buy)
• 1 jar of Norm's Best Marinated Mushrooms

I was hoping for some Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) to use in "Roasted Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts and Jerusalem Artichokes," but did not spot any. I guess I'll just have to roast the Brussels Sprouts my usual way, instead.

For Christmas, my mother gave me a copy of The Ultimate Soup Cookbook (Reader's Digest, 2007) -- a most excellent cookbook I have borrowed from the library manymany times. I am going to use some of my tasty Market purchases in "Potato and Kale Soup" and "Corny Tomato Dumpling Soup." Perhaps, I will even bring my mom some soup for New Year's!

(I shouldn't make fun of you post-Christmas shoppers -- I was certainly keen to stop and pick up some bargains at Stonewall Kitchen today, too).

Soon Fruitcake Cometh

Last month, King Arthur Flour was offering free shipping on orders over seventy-five dollars and, since I needed to get start assembling holiday baking ingredients anyway, I went to town.

For holiday fruitcake(s) baking:

• Candied cherries
• Mini diced ginger
• Walnuts
• Dried orange-flavored cranberries
• "Our favorite fruit blend" (a mix of apricots, raisins, pineapple, dates, and cranberries)

For whenever:

• Cranberry-sunflower granola bar mix (simply fahbulous when made with honey and shredded coconut)
• Fabulous fudge brownie mix
• Old-fashioned date bar mix
• Potato pancake mix (we ate these last week and they were pretty good, but more hash brown-y than I had expected)

This year, besides Paula Deen’s "Tropical Fruitcake" (from Cooking with Paula Deen Nov/Dec 2008), I am also trying at least one of KAF’s fruitcake recipes -- most definitely the recipe "Orange-Cranberry-Nut Fruit Cake" (hence my purchase of orange-flavored cranberries) but possibly also "Taste of the Tropics Fruitcake" just to see if it’s as good as Paula Deen’s rum-soaked madness.

My Precious, Let Me Show You It

Muir Glen sent me a free 2009 Reserve kit! I am so chuffed to have received this kit -- aside from salsa (♥ Green Mountain Gringo) and ketchup (No Salt Added Heinz), Muir Glen makes all my favorite tomato products. And, yes, I would say that even if I hadn't been sent a free 2009 Reserve kit!

Every time I look at the crate I squeee a little and want to hug the darn thing to my chest and never let it go ... precious ... my preciousss ...

What's in my kit?

• Yolo Red Hand Harvested Diced Tomatoes
  

  Yolo Red Diced Tomatoes are sweeter than most, high in lycopene and allow you to create wonderful bruschettas, salsas and soups.

• Brigade Hand Harvested Whole Peeled Tomatoes
  

  Brigade Whole Peeled Tomatoes are full and plump, have consistent bright red color and are perfect to use in your favorite lasagna, pasta sauce or stew recipes.

• Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
• Fire Roasted Adobo Seasoned Petite Diced Tomatoes
• Recipe cards from award-winning chefs and The Diary of a Tomato booklet with 25 delicious tomato recipes (including one for "Bacon Ketchup!")

Legalese: I am not affiliated with Muir Glen Organics nor was I compensated for blogging about their Reserve kit. All opinions, such as they are, are my own.

Cheap Pleasures

Last month, BookCloseOuts ran a fantastic cookbook sale – 30% off all (their always reduced) cookbooks plus free shipping on any order over thirty dollars. I must admit I ran a little mad and ended up with an order of six cookbooks for $30.09. This after despairing over the overstuffed conditions of my bookshelves!

How am I going to shoehorn in these little darlings?

• Betty Crocker Chicken Tonight (List Price: $14.95 Amazon: $10.17 BCO: $4.54)
• Betty Crocker Quick Fixes (List Price: $14.95 Amazon: $14.95 BCO: $5.19)
• Better Homes & Gardens Fast Fix Family Food: More Than 400 Easy Recipes Your Family Will Love (List Price: $19.95 Amazon: $13.57 BCO: $6.49)
• Better Homes & Gardens Quick-Fix Family Favorites (List Price: $12.95 Amazon: $11.01 BCO: $3.49)
• Better Homes & Gardens So-Easy Slow Cooker (List Price: $12.95 Amazon: $5.80 BCO: $3.75)
• Taunton’s Fine Cooking Annual: A Year of Great Recipes, Tips & Techniques (List Price: $34.95 Amazon: $23.07 BCO: $6.23)

Time to re-organize, me thinks. Perhaps, the Friends of the Library will get lucky? Certainly, I will not be keeping all the volumes my mother has thrust upon me and there are a few things I’ve picked up over the years that I don’t really make use of …

The Spice of Life

Many people have told me how awesome Penzeys spices are and I do love reading their catalogue -- it's a nice non-gimmicky blend of product info, advice, and recipes. A couple months ago, I noticed I was running low on thyme and paprika. Rather than add them to my weekly shopping, I thought I would be clever and see if Penzeys had a store in D.C. and do a little shopping on our hols ... for some reason it did not occur to me that Connecticut would have a store. Make that two stores!

As soon as I saw the Hartford listing, my little feet positively itched to run up and browse. Although I was running low on a bunch of things, I thought it best to hang on and do a big shop after D.C., when I would be tired out from our vay-kay and so be less likely to overspend at Penzeys.

Hah, bloody, hah.

Needed (and bought):

• Four Peppercorn Blend
• French Thyme
  
• Penzeys Cinnamon (Brand new product -- "a jar full of smiles," indeed!)
  
• Hungarian Paprika
  
• Ground Cumin Seed

Also bought:

• Buttermilk Ranch (salad dressing mix)
  
• Green Goddess (salt free salad dressing mix)
  
• Bold Taco Seasoning (sniffing this made my nose so happy!)
  
• Parsley

Needless to say, I am madly in love with this store and can't wait to go back and sniff some more sample jars.