Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Yummy recipes for a romantic night in!

I love to eat. Second to travel, it may be my most favorite thing to do. Moreover, I like to cook and bake. My ideal weekend night does not consist of getting dressed up and going out for a fancy dinner, it consists of me in my comfy clothes and wearing my 'Italia' apron slaving away over a hot stove. I love the process from beginning to end. I love searching for a recipe (which I undoubtedly will change completely before my cooking is done), making my shopping list, shopping for fresh ingredients (especially in the summer when I can go to the farm!), and making a complete meal for my husband and I to savor and enjoy paired with a yum bottle of wine. In this day and age with so many people working long hours and driving kids to soccer (baseball, basketball, karate etc...) practice, it seems that take out food is the way most people eat most meals. This is a bit more that a Frugal Life suggestion- while it is definitely cheaper to eat in than out most times- I highly suggest you try this just as a fun change in lifestyle! Spend the afternoon alone or with your partner and cook up a really special meal to enjoy. Have a fancy date night in.... get out your fine china that you are saving for when the queen comes to dinner, use those pretty cloth napkins and napkin rings you got at your wedding shower, light some candles and pop open a good bottle of your favorite wine. Below is the complete menu & recipes that I created for this past Sunday night's dinner. Looked fancy- but was so easy to make! We paired this dinner with a bottle of 2007 Louis Jadot Macon Villages Chardonnay (great wine and very affordable at about $11.99 a bottle). Enjoy!

Menu

Cheese platter of water crackers, grapes, honey & a "blue cheese" style cheese from Valley Shepherd http://www.valleyshepherd.com/

Cornish Game Hens with Cornbread Stuffing (adapted from Ina Garten's recipe)
Fresh Corn Salad (adapted from Ina Garten's recipe)
Garlic Bread (because we eat bread with everything)

Strawberry and Banana Fondue
(used my tealight lit fondue maker. You can purchase these at any Bed Bath and Beyond or Target...)


Cornish Game Hens with Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients

1 large Spanish onion, sliced
2 Cornish hens
Cornbread Stuffing, recipe follows- I used a mix to make my cornbread- the kind in the bag that you add milk, egg and butter to)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the sliced onion in the bottom of a roasting pan. Remove the giblets from the hens, and rinse them inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outsides dry. Place the hens on top of the sliced onion.

Pack the cavities of the hens with the cornbread stuffing.

Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the hens. Rub the hens with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast the hens for 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.


Cornbread Stuffing :

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups cornbread
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Break the cornbread into pieces and place the pieces in a large bowl. Add the onion mixture to the cornbread. Add the celery, chicken stock, parsley, salt and pepper, and mix together.

Yield: 2 servings

Fresh Corn Salad

Ingredients

5 ears of corn, shucked
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup julienned fresh basil leaves
Directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone. Drain and immerse it in ice water to stop the cooking and to set the color. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob, cutting close to the cob.

Toss the kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.


Garlic Bread

Ingredients

6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil
1 loaf ciabatta bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until minced. Add the parsley, oregano, salt and pepper and pulse twice.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the garlic mixture. Remove the pan from the heat.

Slice the ciabatta bread in half horizontally, and spread the butter on 1 half. Spread the garlic mixture on the other half of the bread, and put the halves together. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil.

Place the bread in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Open the foil, and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes.

Strawberry & Banana Fondue

Cut up some strawberries and bananas or whatever fruit you choose
Melt some chocolate in your fondue maker (you can melt it first in a double boiler if you'd like)
Dip away!


xo
E

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Free stuff on Tax Day!!!! YAY!

It's TAX DAY!!! Woohoo!.... ok, maybe I am exaggerating a bit on the woohoo. I like many other Americans loathe tax day. It is the day that reminds me that I never get back the amount of money that I think I should. But as the old saying goes....There are 2 things you can count on in life: Death and Taxes... well we can add free stuff on to that list today! There are a whole bunch of companies that are giving away free stuff or offering some fun discounts in honor of Tax Day. So after you leave your H&R Block appointment in anger and frustration go get a free mini cupcake from Cinnabon. Or if you leave with a big smile on your face and visions of dollar signs dancing in your head....treat your self to a discounted dinner. God Bless America.


Places participating nationwide: (info courtesy of Eater)
Starbucks: Free Coffee For Customers with Reusable Travel Mugs [MW]
Taco Del Mar: Free Taco with Website Coupon [Official Site]
Maggie Moo's: Free Sample of Ice Cream Pizza Between 3-7pm [Official Site]
McCormick & Schmick’s: $10.40 Dinner w/ Drink At the Bar, Plus Coupon Worth $10.40 [NRN]
P.F. Chang's: 15% Discount On Everything, All Day [Official Site]
Cinnabon: 2 Free Mini Cupcakes, 6-8 pm [Food2Blog]
Jamba Juice: Buy One Drink Get one Free with Coupon (Till 4/25) [Official Site]
Chick Fil-A: Free Breakfast at Participating Locations [Food2Blog]
T.G.I. Friday's: $5 Discount Card For Purchases $10-$25, $10 Card for Purchases over $25. [Official Site]

SF, Chicago, LA, NYC, Miami, Texas, and more.
San Francisco:
BIN 38: Free Glass of Wine for First 75 Customers, $5 Glasses After That [FCSF]

Manheim, PA
Swashbuckler: Diners Can Spin Stimulus Wheel to Win 20%-50% off Meal [Official Site]

Columbus, OH:
The Refecetory: $ 29.10 Three-Course Dinner, Now Through 4/30 [Official Site]

Chicago:
Zocalo: $15 Dollar Three-Course Meal [Official Site]
Taiyo Sushi: Dinner for $10.99 Including Beer and Wine [Official Site, PDF]
Lucky Monk: 16" Pizzas for $10.40 [Official Site]
Va Pensiero: 15 Cent Martinis with Purchase [NRN]

New York:
BLT Restaurants: 50% Off Cocktails Beer and Wine By the Glass [Crain's]
Arby's: Samples of $1 Menu Items Will be Handed Out Outside Post Offices [GS]
Energy Kitchen: $2 Lunch Specials [Crain's]
Exchange: Free Glass of Beer or Wine with Purchase If You Say "Market Price" [89 And Broker via GS]
Schnipper's: Free Coffee with Any Breakfast Item (Till 4/30) [Eaterwire]

Miami:
BLT Steak at the Betsy: 50% Off Cocktails Beer and Wine By the Glass [Sun-Sentinel]

Baltimore:
Sotto Sopra: Make a Donation to the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Get $1 Pasta [BS]

Arizona:
NYPD Pizza: Get a 14" One-Topping Pizza for $10.40 [AZ Central]

Texas & Louisiana:
Mr. Jim's Pizza: Free Pizza if You "Friend" Mr. Jim's on Facebook [Mr. Jim's]

Los Angeles:
Townhouse Kitchen & Bar: Tax-Free Dining On its Entire Menu, All Day [NRN]

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Groupon.com- My new favorite site! Do cool stuff & save $$!

It has been a super busy few weeks for me! Easter and many Spring updates to the house (new fence, update deck, renovate pool, new wood floors in bedroom to name a few) have left me tired and B-ROKE! Gotta love owning a home!

In the midst of all this incessant money spending that makes me break out into hives, I have, of couse, found another way to do cool stuff and save some much need cash. This new little website is my new obsession- I should also add this disclaimer: Use this site responsibly, or you will wind up spending lotsof money! Which, obviously, is never my intention : )

So for those of you who know of this site- you probably understand my love for it...for those of you that do not...well- Welcome to www.Groupon.com. This is how it works (as quoted directly from their site):

1.Each day they feature something cool to do at an unbeatable price.
2.You only get it if enough people join that day… so invite your friends!
3.Check back the next day for another awesome Groupon!

There is a daily deal that is sent directly to the email of your choice, after you sign up. It can be anything from discount spa treatments, restaurant certificates, theater or fun events (I bought a Groupon that was a ticket to a Beauty Bash Martini event at a rooftop bar in NYC that was originally $75 for $35.), or money toward a store or boutique. If you (and enough other people, hence the invite your friends part) purchase the deal within the 24 hour timeframe, they will let you know that you got it ( so fun, it's like winning a prize!)and then charge your credit card. If there are any restricitions on the Groupon, such as expiration dates, they will be listed. You can sign up for the Groupon deals in your city or the big city that's is near your hometown. You can also purchase the daily Groupon as a gift!
This is such a fun way to find out about exciting things in going on in your area, and save some money. And although saving money is a great part of this site, but I really love it because it exposes me to fun activities I would not have know about otherwise.Just remember, limit yourself to the number of Groupons you buy, or the purpose of this site (to SAVE money) will be moot! With Mother's Day coming up- this is a great website to utilize for a fun, and different gift for Mom. Even better, purchase a fun daily deal from Groupon (maybe wait for an event or spa deal), then head over to www.restaurant.com, and purchase a restaurant gift card to use for dinner and you'll have a wonderful day, at probably half the price!


Have fun with this one everyone!
xo E

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Go out to dinner and save some money!

I've mentioned it before...I don't typically go out to dinner. It's one of the ways my husband and I save money and I happen to love cooking at home. So- 6 to 7 nights a week (mornings and afternoons too on the weekends) dinner is provided by Chef Moî at Café Elisa. It is astounding how much money you can save if you cook at home (hmmm...I may need to do a blog experiment and figure out just how much...) Nevertheless, I am always looking for a great restaurant promotion in the rare event we do go decide to eat dinner out.
So for those of you that are like me, and go out only on a special occasion & love to save money or even better for those of you who DO go out often (naughty, naughty)...Here is a website I think you will love as much as I do... www.restaurant.com.
Restaurant.com offers restaurant coupons for less for the restaurants that participate on the site. Here's an example for all my local people... through Restaurant.com the yummy restaurant The Prickly Pear in Hackettstown NJ offers $10 gift certificates- though you only pay $4 for them, and $25 gift certificates- though you only pay $10 for them. What's the catch you ask?? Well, of course there are some restrictions. Every restaurant is different..the above restaurant sites "Minimum 2 entrees. 18% Gratuity added prior to discount. Valid for Dinner, Dine In ONLY. Excludes: Other Offers/Promotions". But, I think the exclusions/restrictions are very fair. There is sometimes a minimum amount that you must spend, but it seems to always be reasonable amount for the restaurant. You can pop in your zipcode on the home page and search for restaurants that participate near your home town annnnnd you can purchase the gift certificates as gifts!! You can purchase a gift certificate to the site or to the specific restaurants (there are over 13,000 restaurants that participate on the site!). So just to recap- you can buy a $50 gift certificate to a favorite restaurant and only pay $20... pretty cool, huh?!

So whether you use this as an excuse to go out and try somewhere new, or if you buy these certificates to save you loads and loads of money...go to www.restaurant.com and try it out!

xo
E

Monday, March 22, 2010

More free stuff from Starbucks! Free Pastry day tomorrow!

Another week, another fun promotion! Here’s a little something to put a smile on your face now that the amazing weather has left NJ.- Free pastry from Starbucks! Tomorrow 3/23 until 10:30 am, when you purchase a beverage from Starbucks, you can receive a free pastry with the coupon below. Pretty good deal…get your $1.50 Bold coffee (so you get your sticker of the week of course) and get a free pastry! $1.50 for a splurge of a breakfast- treat yourself tomorrow!!

To get your free pastry, go here: http://starbucks.com/FreePastryDay and print out the coupon and present it to your barista. Or simply show them the coupon on any mobile device. But Free Pastry Day ends at 10:30 a.m. – so don’t miss out!

Xo E

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Save some money & support a great cause! 30% off coupon inside...

This weather makes me want to shop! The spring dresses and wedge heels are making an appearance, and I soooo ready to rid myself of my sweaters and boots. This is a great week to start your Spring shopping for the entire family, save 30% and help a great cause.
Below is all the info you need to print out your 30% off coupon to use at The Gap, Old Navy & Banana Republic! Happy Shopping! xo E

Shop for a Cure! Download your LLS Give & Get coupon today and use it in any Gap, Old Navy or Banana Republic store from Thursday, March 18th - Sunday, March 21st. Take advantage of a 30% discount while you support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's work to cure cancer and improve the lives of patients. 5% of what you spend will go to LLS when you use the LLS discount coupon.

PRINT YOUR COUPON HERE: http://www.gapinc.com/giveandget/lls/

Share the LLS Give & Get coupon with your friends, welcome spring with a new wardrobe and support life-saving cancer research by participating in the Give & Get campaign from March 18th-21st.

NOTE: This offer is good for in-store purchases only, including all Gap, Inc. Outlet stores.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Yes, you CAN afford to go on vacation! Here's a frugal alternative to that pricey resort..


Almost 6 months ago, my husband was relaxing outside reading his latest issue of Maxim magazine. Whenever he reads Maxim, he tends to read aloud many of the oh so interesting facts he finds there ("Honey, did you know it takes "blah" amount of tourque to crush a can on your head?!" "Babe, did you know that Star Wars was only originally released in 32 theaters?!") and on this particular day he found something in Maxim that would change our lives forever. Yes, I know that sounds very dramatic...but it is true! Matt found an article in Maxim about a website called VRBO.com, and it has changed the way we vacation. He read me this article about a site that offers "online space for homeowners to advertise their vacation properties and make it easy for travelers to search 130,000+ rentals in over 100 countries worldwide." At the end of the article, it stated that you could even go to Maui (known to be a super expensive destination) for about $150 a night. It took me about 8.4 seconds to get on my computer and start researching if this was true. After much research, I found a condo that was up for rent for about $100 a night. We decided that same week, that we would vacation in Maui, for 15 days. Thus, this started my love affair with http://www.vrbo.com/. This website makes searching for a rental very easy & fun!

Why do I love VRBO & vacation rentals in general?
-Compared to hotels, vacation rentals offer more value. If you have the patience to do the research, the value of vacationing this way is astounding! You can easily find a condo for a very low price (helloooo..Hawaii for $100 a night!!!!), or if you want to get your family and friends together...rent a huge house and split the cost! I assure you, you can find something in your price range. Another huge cost advantage is the food cost. If you can rent a condo or house with a kitchen, and you cook in for some meals (we cooked in our breakfast and lunches in Maui)- you will save a huge amount! Hit the Costco or the local supermarket, pick up some eggs, pancake mix, sandwich meats, bread, chips and stuff to grill (huge plus if you can find a place with a grill) and you can save yourself $100 a day. If you are vacationing with family or friends, let each person or couple take a day to do the cooking. And remember to stock up the fridge with some cold beverages too (in Maui, a water bottle at a resort could cost up to $5. We bought a case of water at Costco for that much and took a few bottles with us every time we went out)!

-Compared to hotels, vacation rentals offer more space. An average hotel room is pretty small. Renting a condo or house is much bigger (what a concept, huh?!). Our condo in Maui was about 1200 sq feet and had a bedroom, bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen and patio. It also had other amenities of home, like a washer and dryer (I know...some of you may cringe at the thought of doing laundry on vacation, but it was sooo nice coming home with a suitcase packed with only clean clothes!). An amazing condo (pictured above) that we just rented in Charleston, SC was 1600 sq. feet (probably triple the size of an average hotel room), and it also had a 20x30 outdoor roof patio. All for $91 per couple a night (we stayed with one additional couple).

-Compared to hotels, vacation rentals offer more privacy. If you rent a private home, this is obvious. But even if you rent a condo or townhouse with neighbors, you most likely are going to have more privacy all around. Be it a gated entrance, private patio, or a building with a keycode entrance, you most likely will have a bit more privacy than a huge hotel with a large lobby.

VRBO also makes it very easy to find a vacation rental where you can bring your furry friend. It notes on every listing if the rental is pet friendly. And the pet friendly fees seem a bit more reasonable than many hotels.

The website even offers a Rental Guarantee, so you can rent with more confidence (believe me, it was a huge fear of mine that we would get to Maui, and the condo wouldn't exist). On that note, when searching and speaking to people about their rentals,use your common sense, gut instinct and "creeper detection". If someone seems shady or off, don't rent from them. It's better for your piece of mind!

This method of vacationing may be a little different if you are used to a 5 star resort with butler service, and going out to eat 3 meals a day. But if you think you can't afford to go on a vacation because you can't afford a 5 star hotel with butler service, this may be the method for you! Have you always wanted to go on a ski vacation to Colorado while staying in a swiss chalet-ish type place, or have you always wanted to stay at a real Tuscan Villa with your entire family? Check out VRBO, they may have what your dreaming of, for a much more affordable price. Take a look, take the family, and get away...you only live once, and you deserve a vacation. I give you permission...live a little...just do it frugally.

xo E