Etcetera Etcetera: 12/1/08

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Welcome to 2009

From the family Cottrill to yours, Happy new Year to everyone!

I found this Recipe for a happy New Year at appleseeds.org...

Take twelve fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor and hate, cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short, see that these months are freed from all the past—have them fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of Time. Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot this way) but prepare one day at a time.

Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing— don’t do it), prayer, meditation, and one well-selected resolution. Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Cedar-Planked Salmon with Pinot Noir Sauce

Here's an entertaining recipe that you and your guest would surely love. I got their recipe from cooking club to which I am a member. You might wanna try making this one day.

The next time you need an elegant and impressive dinner party dish, try planking. In this technique, salmon is cooked on a cedar board, imbuing it with rich, smoky flavor. Here the fish is paired with a velvety Pinot Noir-based sauce, which you can make the day before. Be sure to start soaking the planks the night before, too.

Here's how:

SALMON

2 (16x8-inch) untreated cedar planks
1 cup fresh thyme sprigs
4 (12-oz.) salmon fillets with skin (about 2 inches thick)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1/4 cup butter4 (6-oz.) bags baby spinach

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The Pros and Cons of Buying in Bulk

Do you buy in bulk? Are you a member of any warehouse club? Some people consider it cheap when they buy things like food in bulk. Personally, it is good if you have a business like a restaurant because you will be able to use all of it in time but if you will just use it for personal consumption, I'm afraid it will go to waste eventually. What do you think?

The current economic crunch, you might feel the lure of warehouse clubs more than ever. And you wouldn't be alone: While Costco and BJ's Wholesale Club saw a jump of up to 19 percent in the last year, overall food sales increased just 3 percent, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. But is joining a warehouse club the right move for you? Consider the following pros and cons.

Pro: The price is right. Shopping at a wholesale club can reap an average savings of 40 to 60 percent on everything from toilet paper to ketchup. Though not every item comes at a deep discount--fruits, vegetables, meat, and interestingly cat litter are often about the same price found at a supermarket--most do. For example, while a 46-ounce jar of pickles costs about $4.00 at the grocery store, a 128-ounce jar of the same product costs only about $.10 more at a wholesale club.

Con: How many mouths do you need to feed?The problem with a 128-ounce jar of pickles is the amount of time it will take you and your family to go through it. If your clan consists of you and your spouse, you're lucky if you can go through a standard-size jar in a year, and depending on who you ask, that's long past the acceptable shelf life of an opened jar of pickles. Even pantry staples such as cereal, tea, and flour have less longevity than you'd expect (cereal peters out at two months, flour at four, and tea at 18). So before you stock up at a warehouse club, you should familiarize yourself with the life span of the foods you need. Of course, if you have a ravenous household of large proportions, then buying in bulk may be the only way to go.

Pro: You can get a lot more than just food and household items. Most warehouse clubs also offer health and beauty items, office and school supplies, furniture, electronics, computers, and appliances. You can even find discounts on health-care plans, prescriptions, and travel packages. Although the money you'll save on some things is very small, other savings can be quite significant.

Con: Storage space is key.If you're thinking of buying 12 rolls of paper towels, 170 ounces of laundry detergent, 12 six-ounce cans of tuna, and five pounds of frozen turkey meat, but you have nowhere to stash these items, you'll only be wasting your money. Therefore you should ensure that you have ample room in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer before you decide to invest in a warehouse club

source of info: qualityhealth.com

Friday, December 5, 2008

Christmas Cards

Welcome to my new blog, for a starter, I am sharing the Christmas cards we've received in the snail mail from friends and family.

During special occasions like Valentines day, birthdays and anniversaries, Christmas and other celebrations, I prefer receiving cards more than gifts. I always told my husband that, cards are lasting rembrance that you could reminisce over time. Here are the cards we got this yuletide season...

This is from my loving husband. He wrote "Thank you Hon for the wonderful life you have given me" inside... Gave me teary eyes when I read it...

This is the one I gave him..

This one is from our very good friends from blogosphere Demcy and Greg with a newsletter in it. I love this Idea manang, I think I may have to steal it when we get back to mainland hehehe..