From the category archives:

Good Stuff

Using Balsamic Vinegar to “Fix” a Sauce

Got a sauce that needs fixing? I’ve got the answer! Balsamic vinegar saved the day and my dinner. The other day, I made my typical pot roast in the slow cooker. The house was full or good smells all day long. But, when I went to mix up the gravy, it wasn’t as flavorful as [...]

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Grocery Geek: The New Normal?

As I try to improve the nutritional quality of our diet, I find myself having to play with our grocery budget and find the new normal. This week I went over budget. Oops! A few years ago, I set out on some baby steps to improve our diet. This was after we paid off our [...]

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Buying Better Food on a Budget (Grocery Geek)

Finding affordable sources, stockpiling, and readjusting my shopping mentality all help me buy better food on a budget. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and eating this week. In my brain are ideas of food sourcing. Four years ago my grocery shopping was dictated by the bottom line. We had limited funds, a growing [...]

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Grocery Geek: Big Eaters Abound!

I feel like I’ve been extravagant in our grocery spending lately. But, really, I haven’t been. My family is just eating a ton. I guess this is what it is to feed a small army of eight? In case you didn’t know, the good cheap eaters at our house are 2 adults, 14, 11, 9, [...]

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How to Reduce Grocery Spending (Reader Q&A)

Looking for basic tips to reduce your grocery spending? We’ve got answers in today’s reader Q&A. I am actually out of town today hanging out with one of my favorite grocery geeks. I’m not reporting on my recent purchases today. I’ll do some big catch up next week, but for now, I’ll say that last [...]

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Afternoon Tea (& a Giveaway)

Afternoon tea can be a wonderful way to break up the day, enjoy a sweet and a hot spot of tea. Pumpkin Spice Scones Tea time has such a cozy ring to it. My kids embrace tea time, little hobbits that they are, because of all the British literature that I’ve fed them. Well, that, [...]

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Grocery Geek: Just for U & A Giveaway from Vons

We interrupt our regularly scheduled episode of Grocery Geek for a giveaway from Vons, a Safeway affiliate, and a review of their “Just for U” shopping program. Recently, Vons wrote me with information about their new, personalized shopping program, called Just for U™. It “enhances your Club Card rewards and saves you additional money on [...]

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Grocery Geek: Basics for the Pantry?

Grocery shopping can be costly, even when you are careful about your spending. I’m crunching numbers this week. I really thought that this week I could limit my grocery shopping to pantry staples. I probably could have, but I didn’t. Apparently, better planning is in order. It doesn’t help that I’ve been reading a delicious [...]

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Grocery Geek: Produce Galore

While February doesn’t seem like a fabulous month for fresh produce, here in Southern California, we’re enjoying plentiful pickings. It would seem that Wednesday brought an influx of fresh produce to our house. Not only did I pick up the produce box, but I also cruised by Sprouts for some of their sale produce, to [...]

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Review of La Bonne Femme Cookbook

La Bonne Femme Cookbook is a wonderful addition to your repertoire of recipes. I’ve been drooling reading my way through my copy of La Bonne Femme Cookbook that my publisher so graciously sent me a few weeks ago. Oh my! It has been a delightful journey back in time and across the globe. Author Wini [...]

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