In my early twenties I used to wait tables at the Old Spaghetti Factory across the street from Pier 70 in downtown Seattle. It’s the type of family friendly restaurant where the energy is always high, flipping tables is a must, and the smell of spaghetti never washes out of your clothes. Most of the entrees are served as a budget-friendly three course meal. Free bread with garlic or plain butter, milk (tea, or coffee), side salad with your choice of dressing, entree, and a scoop of spumoni or vanilla ice cream for dessert. Back when I used to work there, all of this could be yours for under $10.
The most popular salad dressing choice was their creamy pesto dressing. Served on a bed of chopped iceberg lettuce and seasoned croutons, this salad dressing developed a cult-like following. People would come into the restaurant just to buy pints of this stuff! I used to spread it on bread, so good! [click to continue…]
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I have no shame in admitting that I am often very motivated by what’s on sale in the butcher/seafood case when deciding what I’m going to be cooking for dinner. Finding little Manilla clams at the store today was a nice unexpected surprise because I’m burned out on roasts, hams, turkeys, mashed potatoes, any all other holiday type foods.
Usually when I buy clams I steam them in white wine, garlic, and lemon. But because it’s winter and the weather is very Seattleesque, I decided to spice things up by steaming the clams in a red curry, coconut and ginger stock. Hello, lover. [click to continue…]
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As I write this my husband is downstairs putting away Christmas decorations, my kids are playing with their Christmas presents, and I’m still in bed enjoying a morning of sleeping in and reading in bed. It’s hard to believe it was exactly one year ago we were saying our final goodbyes to my dad as he lay at peace in a funeral home. Boy, what a year it has been.
For the last two weeks we’ve been hosting family, parties, and lounging. Christmas Eve with fifty extended family members, Christmas Day with my immediate family, and with no plans for New Year’s Eve other than to enjoy the presence of each other, I’m looking forward for this year of transitions and major life changes to close. [click to continue…]
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We are finishing up our final Christmas giveaway with an awesome 5 1/2 cup Zojirushi Umami Micom Rice Cooker (value $273). Zojirushi is known for their high quality kitchen appliances, especially rice cookers. They are considered the best rice cookers on the market because of their intuitive technology which makes perfect rice every single time.
The Zojirushi rice cooker not only makes great rice, it has multiple unique settings that go far and beyond what other cookers can do. The Zojirushi rice cooker soaks and steams the rice longer for enhanced flavor, which releases the natural sugar in the rice grains resulting in a noticeably different flavor compared to cooking on a regular setting. As the rice cooks, the rice cooker adjusts the temperature and cooking time so the rice is always perfect. This is not the case with most other rice cookers on the market.
The cooker also has different settings for cooking different types of grains or rice (white, Umami, mixed, sushi, porridge, sweet, brown, GABA brown, rinse-free, quick cooking and slow cook). This rice maker also doubles as a slow cooker making it a dual purpose appliance. It’s also small enough to store in a kitchen cupboard or left on the kitchen counter without taking up too much space. [click to continue…]
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In 2008 Groupon launched an innovative way to buy deep discounted vouchers for everyday services like haircuts, spa treatments, housecleaning, restaurants, shopping, travel tours, and many other services. From paper certificates to their Groupon iPhone app, finding and redeeming discounts for places you love to eat, shop, or utilize has never been easier. Groupon has become a household name for finding the deals you want at the prices you love. I love taking advantage of Groupon deals for my family!
As Christmas approaches and the stress of last-minute holiday gift buying increases, Groupon e-gift cards would make the perfect stocking stuffer or holiday gift for your friends, family, teachers, colleagues, neighbors, and just about anyone. No need to fight for the last and only parking spot at the mall or wait in long lines to buy the not-so-perfect gift because you waited till the last minute. Instead, you can relax with a cup of coffee and print out a Groupon e-gift card which can immediately be used for whatever Groupon deal appeals to you for the day it’s offered. [click to continue…]
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