Intro to Sous Vide

About a year ago, I saw an article about an interesting Kickstarter project for a sous vide circulator by Sansaire.  At that point, I had never heard of sous vide and it's possible I had not heard of Kickstarter, either.  The only thing I understood is that cooking sous vide would allow me to cook a steak that was perfectly medium rare from end to end.  This was the sales image that made me want to explore sous vide circulators:

So, sure, this isn't exactly a fair comparison, since we can all agree the steak on the right wasn't cooked by a particularly masterful chef, but the point remains that it's hard for me to get a totally even texture and temperature in my steaks.  They're often more well-done on the outside or on the ends.  The more reviews I read about how easy sous vide circulators were to use and how amazing meat tastes when cooked sous vide, the more I wanted to give this thing a shot.

(Plus, if you know me at all by now, you know I'm a sucker for interesting kitchen gadgets.  My pressure cooker is still the MVP of my kitchen, years later.)

The other week, I decided to take the plunge.  I had decided on the Anova sous vide circulator (it seems like the choice is either Anova or Sansaire) and was about to use my Amazon.com points to buy this one, when I did a bit more googling and realized that Anova has a new sous vide circulator model with bluetooth connectivity, and it's about $25 less than Amazon if you purchase directly from Anova's page.  I found a coupon for another $25 off at Anova so that sealed the deal.

(I liked the idea of getting a circulator instead of a fixed sous vide oven, since a circulator allows you to turn any basin into a sous vide oven.  So if you have thirty pounds of beef to cook, stick it in a huge rubbermaid bin, stick the sous vide circulator in there, and you're all set.  When will I ever cook that much beef?  Probably never.  But I COULD.)

My initial experience with the Anova was mixed.  I was excited to try the bluetooth connectivity features, which allow you to control the temperature of the water from your phone, make your circulator follow recipes from Anova's app, and alerts you when the water is ready:

But, what I learned the hard way while trying to cook a corned beef brisket for ten hours:  if you walk away from your Anova such that the bluetooth is disconnected, the device TURNS OFF.  And STOPS COOKING your food.  (As in, you arrive home after being gone five hours only to realize that your corned beef has been NOT cooking for all that time and you're having people over for dinner in two hours.  Luckily, I dumped it in the pressure cooker with some sauteed onions and water for an hour and a half and it came out GREAT.  Best corned beef I've ever had, in fact.  Not sure if the pressure cooker or the sous vide is to thank for that one.)

So, basically, the bluetooth feature is useless as far as I can tell.

(No pictures of the corned beef because it was immediately devoured.)

Last night, I gave the sous vide a try with steak.  I had a big win at work and decided to treat myself to a fancy ribeye (my favorite cut of steak).  I had a community meeting to attend around dinnertime, so I rubbed the steak with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, and a little butter. 

 Then I sealed it in a ziploc bag, dropped it in a 130 degree water bath, and went on my way.

 

It's only supposed to cook for an hour at that temperature, but I didn't get back to my house for almost three hours.  I'd read that keeping a steak in the water bath for longer than an hour wouldn't hurt it, since it would not exceed the 130 degree temperature of the water...so I figured I'd test that feature?

Once I got home, I seared the steak for a few seconds on each side:

And you guys, it came out perfectly:

I mean, LOOK AT THIS:

So, overall, I'm pretty pleased with the sous vide so far.  The bluetooth technology is just for show, but the implement itself seems to do a GREAT job with meat.  I'm going to try fish and eggs in the next week or so...I'll let you know how that goes.

Have any of you tried cooking sous vide before?  What did you think?

 





Settle something for me.

[Edited to remove faulty poll and post results.  Also, 70% of you are totally wrong.]

A Super-Obnoxious Post About Coconut Water

But first, a joke courtesy of my friend Tony:

Q:  How can you tell if someone does Crossfit?
A:  Don't worry.  They'll tell you.

See also.

Soooooo, I've been doing a little Crossfit.  I mostly like it; it's a good workout and the coaches/fellow classmates I work with are pretty great.  I do find some/many aspects of the culture to be a little too much.

I mean, geez.  This is totally obnoxious.  (source)

My biggest dislike of the whole crossfit thing is that, even at gyms that say they are not trying to impose higher values on you, you generally do feel like non-caveman/paleo choices are seen as bad with little to no room for argument.  That's not to say that caveman/paleo choices are bad either, just to say that we're all trying to be healthy and eat well and it seems kind of counterproductive to say that the only good form of exercise is Crossfit and the only good form of eating is Paleo.  But whatever, I'm just there to get my sweat on.

Anyway, given this, I was initially very skeptical when I overheard one of my WOD class members raving about an obscure brand of coconut water that was just "Sooooo good" and "Makes Vitacoco taste like crap"

(From The Anti-Jared.  I do not share this view.)

I enjoy coconut water.  I drink it after particularly difficult runs or crossfit classes as a way to get some potassium (good for muscle recovery) and hydration without imbibing fluorescent sports beverages.  I don't have any problem with Vitacoco and think it tastes pretty good, so naturally I assumed this guy was just being kind of snooty.  My assumption was strengthened when he said that his mom had to ship him the stuff from Puerto Rico because he couldn't find it in any stores around here.  ::eyeroll::

Taste Nirvana Real Coconut Water, 16.2 Ounces (12-pack available here*)

Let me apologize to this guy right now for my unfair thoughts, because I found a can of this coconut water in a grocery store on Monday, tried it, and HOLY SHIT you guys, this is like no coconut water I've ever had before.  The taste is rich, almost creamy, and it's only 100 calories for an enormous can.

I will never drink another brand of coconut water again...the difference in taste is truly astounding.  As the guy at the gym said, it's almost like a completely different product than the more popular brands.

If you dislike coconut water, I highly encourage you to give this brand a try and see if it doesn't change your mind.  If you already like coconut water, you should just go ahead and order a twelve pack* because heavens to Betsy, this stuff is fantastic.


*  Affiliate links because why not, but SERIOUSLY this stuff is amazing.  I would be posting about this regardless of whether it was available on Amazon or not.  If you want a non-affiliate link, click here.  This coconut water should be in your life whether I get 40 cents or not.

Just...trust me on this one.

Red Velvet Torte:

Gluten-free, refined sugar-free, flour-free (e.g., no coconut flour, almond flour, etc), supremely easy, chocolatey, and SO AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS.

Really, I promise, this torte will become your new favorite party trick. "Oh you like my red velvet torte? What's in it? Oh, you know, the usual....eggs, cocoa, honey...BEETS YES BEETS MUAHA."

That's right, the secret ingredient in this torte is a couple of beets, and I'd bet that unless you told people they'd probably be none the wiser. (Note: I LOVE beets, so I couldn't tell you whether the taste would be aggressive for someone who doesn't like beets. I didn't notice the beets in the recipe but that could just be because I don't hate them.)

I found this recipe at a blog called Elana's Pantry. She calls it the Purple Velvet Torte, but it looks red enough to me. Try it ASAP and come back to tell me what you think! I love making desserts with random "secret" vegetables! (See, e.g., Green Monster.)

Posted with Blogsy

In the Kitchen

Two things.

One:  I made a delicious and easy recipe this week that I couldn't wait to share.  It's a chorizo and kale soup recipe from PaleoPot.  It was incredibly hearty and did a great job of warming me up on a few of the cold winter nights we've had around here lately.  If you like your soups a bit spicy, you'll love this!  Vegetarians, I bet you could replace the chorizo with white beans.

Two:  I recently overhauled my tupperware cabinet and I am a better woman for it.  (You know the cabinet I'm talking about --- the one where you keep your motley assortment of plastic containers collected from Chinese take-out orders?  I am sure that isn't just a Jewish thing, right?)

Previously, it looked something like this:

(source, suggesting its own organizational method)

I found this little diddy on Amazon (for only $20, no less---now on sale for $16):

And now, I've got this:

Geez, what would I do without Amazon Prime?  Honestly.

Do you have any cabinet-organization secrets?  I want to attack my pots and pans cabinet next...

The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift?

(image source)

Really.  Book description, from the Amazon product page:

Dripping Thighs, Sticky Chicken Fingers, Vanilla Chicken, Chicken with a Lardon, Bacon-Bound Wings, Spatchcock Chicken, Learning-to-Truss-You Chicken, Holy Hell Wings, Mustard-Spanked Chicken, and more, more, more!
 
Fifty chicken recipes, each more seductive than the last, in a book that makes every dinner a turn-on.  
 
“I want you to see this. Then you’ll know everything. It’s a cookbook,” he says and opens to some recipes, with color photos. “I want to prepare you, very much.” This isn’t just about getting me hot till my juices run clear, and then a little rest. There’s pulling, jerking, stuffing, trussing. Fifty preparations. He promises we’ll start out slow, with wine and a good oiling . . . Holy crap. “I will control everything that happens here,” he says. “You can leave anytime, but as long as you stay, you’re my ingredient.” I’ll be transformed from a raw, organic bird into something—what? Something delicious. 
 
So begins the adventures of Miss Chicken, a young free-range, from raw innocence to golden brown ecstasy, in this spoof-in-a-cookbook that simmers in the afterglow of E.L. James’s sensational Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. Like Anastasia Steele, Miss Chicken finds herself at the mercy of a dominating man, in this case, a wealthy, sexy, and very hungry chef.  

And before long, from unbearably slow drizzling to trussing, Miss Chicken discovers the sheer thrill of becoming the main course. A parody in three acts—“The Novice Bird” (easy recipes for roasters), “Falling to Pieces” (parts perfect for weeknight meals), and “Advanced Techniques” (the climax of cooking)—Fifty Shades of Chicken is a cookbook of fifty irresistible, repertoire-boosting chicken dishes that will leave you hungry for more.

With memorable tips and revealing photographs, Fifty Shades of Chicken will have you dominating dinner.

I think this might be great for everyone.  Lovers, friends, parents, bartenders...if I wasn't less than 100% sure that she would not be offended, I would get this for my office manager (who is an amazing cook).  (I'm 92% sure she would not be offended.)  It works for people who love Valentine's Day ("Aw, yay, a random gift/something kind of romantic!") and people who hate Valentine's Day ("Aw, yay, something that underscores how cheesy and dumb this Hallmark holiday is.")

I thought you might appreciate this "featured recipe," also from the product page:

*~*~*

Featured Recipe: Dripping Thighs

The way his apron hangs from his hips already has me all wobbly. But as he coats my thighs with sticky liquid I can hardly contain myself. Is it the wine, or is my aroma starting to drive him crazy too? He heats me up fast, it won’t take much too?

He heats me up fast, it won’t take much to finish me off now. His lips quirk up to a smile. My own juices are mixing with the coating and running all over the place. I get the strangest, sweetest, hedonistic feeling up and down. It’s epicureanism run wild!

He spreads my thighs out on a plate. Sticky hands and at least five wet napkins. What will the housekeeper think? Who cares?

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry with paper towels
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon plus pinch coarse kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon honey

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the chicken, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper together.

In a small saucepan, simmer together onion, wine, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and a pinch of salt until most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss in the honey and butter.

Spoon the mixture over the chicken and toss well. Spread thighs, onion mixture, and any juices onto a baking sheet. Bake until chicken is no longer pink and onions are meltingly tender and caramelized, about 25 minutes.

*~*~*

I mean, LOL ALL DAY LONG.

I realize this cookbook came out months ago; I'm only just now discovering it so forgive me if you all knew about this already.  But geez, this was just too good not to post, just in case someone else has been living under a rock like me.  It's $13 on Amazon.  (That's an affiliate link, but I hope it's clear that I'm posting about this book for no reason other than because it's entertaining.)

Incidentally, am I the only one who hasn't read a single bit of the 50 Shades series?  I have read the feminist version of 50 Shades of Grey:

(source)

Let's Talk About Pressure Cookers

In an effort to shed some of the weight I gained this summer, I have renewed my efforts to cook for myself more often.  I've always loved my crockpot because it has allowed me to make huge batches of delicous food, which I could then portion and freeze for easy reheating at some future time.  My biggest beef with the crockpot, though, was that I could rarely arrange my life so as to have a hot meal waiting for me when I got home.  My hours at work can be unpredictable and I didn't like the thought of leaving the crockpot up and running for twelve hours (or even longer, after which the crockpot would shut itself off and I would risk food spoiliation). 

Also, I don't like waiting for food to be done and prefer as close to instant satisfaction as possible.

(Source)

I was intrigued by the prospect of a pressure cooker after reading an article about pressure cooking in Cooking Light magazine a while back (here).  The main selling point of the pressure cooker is that it cooks foods using pressurized steam so that you achieve the same degree of tender perfection you would expect from a slow cooker, but in 30% of the time.  In other words, what would take eight hours in the slow cooker or 3-4 hours in the oven/stove only takes an hour in the pressure cooker.  (Or realistically, an hour + about 5-7 minutes for the cooker to accumulate pressure.)

(Source)

Snap.  That's all I have to say.  Just snap.

The biggest negative of the pressure cooker, based on my research, is only that they carry the risk of explosion, scalding, and painful death.

(Source)

A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR PERFECT BEETS AND ARTICHOKES FINISHED IN EIGHT MINUTES, I SAY.

So, despite my hesitations, when a friend of mine simplified her kitchen and offered to give me a mostly new electric pressure cooker last month, I was too tempted think of my bodily integrity and accepted on the spot.  Of course, she assured me that these newfangled pressure cookers have lots of safety mechanisms built in to prevent disaster, but really what sold me was the 25-minute roast whole chicken.

(This is the model my friend gave me -- a Deni 8.5 Quart) (available here) (note the mixed reviews --- as much as I love this pressure cooker, especially the large capacity and the slow cook function, several reviewers said that their Deni cooker broke after a few uses.  There are a few higher-rated options on Amazon here, here, and here, although they lack the slow cook function and are smaller than 8.5 quarts.)

I've been playing with this pressure cooker for a month now and I can safely say that it's a fantastic appliance!  I'm not sure why I was ever intimidated by this thing.  The electric models look like crock pots (and the Deni even has a slow cooker function) and they can cook similarly large, freeze-able quantities of food.  I'm told there's some kind of locky latchy thing that keeps the pressure cooker from starting if it's not fully closed and that somehow keeps it from exploding.  (The mechanics of that last part are unclear to me, but it seems that the explosions are mostly a problem with the stovetop model.)  Also, using common sense when opening the lid or releasing the pressure makes it easy to avoid physical injury.  (i.e., that scalding-hot steam that's about to come out of the machine?  Don't put exposed skin in its way.  Easy enough?)

(This extreme may not be necessary.) (Source)

The best thing?  The food that comes out of this guy (the pressure cooker, not the man in the photo above) is AMAZING:

*  I have NEVER successfully cooked even a single artichoke, but this thing got six done in eight minutes and they were PERFECT. 

*  That 25-minute roast chicken I mentioned?  The most delicious, tender chicken I have ever made EVER, including the white meat which is the true sign of a well-cooked chicken, I think.  And know this:  I am CONSTANTLY messing up chicken because I am so paranoid about undercooking it that I always dry it out.  (Also, the pressure cooker I have has a "brown" feature, so I could brown/crisp up the chicken before starting the steaming.) 

*  I made ropa vieja in about an hour, and because the pressure cooker can do wonders tenderizing cheap meat, I skipped my normal flank steak and bought cheap London broil on sale, saving about $20 on meat alone.  The London broil cooked perfectly and shredded as easily with forks as a more expensive cut of meat would have.

So, in sum, I am thrilled with the pressure cooker.  The electric ones seemingly require very little effort and oversight and the results are truly, truly fantastic.  Almost unfairly fantastic, because I should not be getting any of the credit for how good my food turns out nowadays.  (Thanks, Shari!)

Do you have a pressure cooker?  Do you have a similarly magic piece of kitchen equipment?  Dish!  (ha, pun retroactively intended.)

A few things I've purchased lately

Despite the fact that I am on a much more limited budget than I have been in the past due to an aggressive multi-year strategy to pay down my student loans (here)...

Ack, look how close I was to paying my first one off this month!!  Arrrrggg...

...I have made a few relatively frivolous purchases in recent weeks (within my budget) that I figured I would share!

(Remember these shoes from last week?  I returned them.  They ran wide.)

*~*~*

(image)

The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook: Cookies, Cakes, Candies, and More

I am a TOTAL sucker for cookie dough, so a cookbook featuring only cookie dough recipes is pretty much guaranteed to make its way into my house.  I think I love the concept of this book slightly more than its practical ramifications...meaning that I love the very fact that somebody created this cookbook more than I love the idea of making some of these things.  Then again, making chocolate chip cookie dough fudge, marshmallows, brownies, and bread pudding are sounding like very good ways to spend the next few weekends.  (Also, sidenote:  the book is spiral-bound beneath the hardcover, which makes for easy page turning and holding-open!)

*~*~*

(image)

Cards Against Humanity

Have you ever played Apples to Apples?  Cards Against Humanity is billed as the "Party Game for Horrible People."  As you can see from the cards above, that's largely true.  Players take turns reading a black prompt card (example:  "why am I sticky?") and then other players contribute a white response card that they think is the "best" response to the prompt.  The prompt reader then selects the best card, using whatever criteria he wants.  What makes the game so outrageous and fun is that the cards are RIDICULOUS (other favorites include "German Dungeon Porn," "Shooting a rifle into the air while balls-deep in a squealing hog," and "Glen Beck catching his scrotum on a shower hook."  (Adrien and Marianne just blogged about the game here!) 

(image)

The only problem is that it's almost constantly sold out at Amazon, and you can't buy it at local game stores.  The upside is that the game is licensed under a creative commons license, which means that you can print it out for FREE right here.  (I recommend printing the black response cards on a different color paper.)  I bought one copy of the game and then printed out two more -- one to keep at my BF's house and one to keep at work.  (I filtered out the really inappropriate ones for the work version, and added a few work-specific cards to the mix as well!) (i.e., "Crying tears that taste like documents.") 

This game is just a great thing to keep around for that moment when the party lulls a bit but nobody is quite ready to go home!

*~*~*

(image)

This is not something I bought (yet!), but check out this awesome drawing of me from Vitamin J!  Isn't that fantastic?  Jyoti frequently draws what she wears on her blog, but she's starting a new feature where she will draw what other people wear.  I'm thrilled to have been the first subject!  (original outfit post here)

*~*~*

Other than these things, I've managed to avoid most of the tempting clothing sales I've been spying around the internet lately.  J.Crew almost got me (I love the Lucille Dress and Shirred Maxi Skirt in festival green!) but I'm hoping the prices will come down a bit more (on top of the current 40%-off promo, which ends today...) before I plunge.  Sigh.

Focusing on my goal of paying down my student loans quickly has been helping.  I actually find myself looking forward to the middle of the month when I can dump money into my loans.  With less than $60 left in my first loan, I KNOW I will be able to finally pay it off next month and move onto the next one!

Decision Crowdsourcing

Okay, readers, I could use your help with regard to three purchases I am currently considering. 

First:  folding bicycles. 

(image)

I briefly mentioned this last week, but I'm now firmly in the market for a folding bike and I'm debating between an economical model (Dahon, Schwinn) or a sexy but heartshatteringly expensive Brompton.  (Come onnnnn, law firm!  Match Beat S&C's spring bonus!)  I'd love to know if you or anyone you know has any experience with a folding bicycle, particularly one of the aforementioned brands!


Second:  food processors.

(image)

I'd like to buy a food processor.  I currently have this one and a half cup model, but I'm looking to upgrade to something large enough to handle double pie crusts.  I'm stumped at a) how many cups capacity I'll need; and b) which brand to buy.  There is an insane discrepency between, for example, Hamilton Beach ($60 for a 14-cup model with good reviews) and a Cuisinart (~$200 for a 14-cup model with slightly better reviews).  WHAT?  How are these even close to the same product?

If you have a food processor, tell me about the brand you got and what your thoughts are.  Also, how many cups do I need?


Third:  ice cream makers.

(image -- ironically from a post about making ice cream without an ice cream maker.)

(PS:  I read that blog regularly and love it!  She has some AMAZING splurge-worthy recipes (chocolate chip cookie dough brownies WHAT?).  I recently made these white chocolate coconut brownies and although I thought they came out a little wet, they got rave reviews)

Summer is coming, and I think it would be fun to try my hand at a bit of ice cream making.  I know absolutely nothing about this topic, so it would be great if you more experienced folks just toss a few recommendations at me in the comments.  Brown Eyed Baker (linked in the image credit above) has some great suggestions, but I'd love to learn more about your experience.  From a quick poll of my Facebook friends, it seems many of them disagree with BEB re: the Kitchenaid Stand Mixer ice cream maker attachment, so please weigh in on this if you can.


Thank you in advance!  To repay you, allow me to present two random product endorsements:

1)  Brother multi-function printers.  Reliable, sturdy, provide flatbed copying/scanning capabilities, inexensive (<$100), and ink is SUPER SUPER CHEAP.  As in, <$1 per cartridge (the machine takes four cartridges --- black, yellow, cyan, and magenta --- but you replace them proportionally with your use.  I.e., if you print mostly black & white, then your colors will last a long time).  I recently bought a second Brother to replace my first printer because I wanted the capacity to print directly from my iPhone/iPad, and the older models (like mine) did not have this capacity.  My current model (this one - was on sale for $99 last week) allows you to upload to evernote, flickr, picasa, facebook, google docs, and more!  My boyfriend bought a Brother for himself after using mine all year and is in love with it, too (this one - $69).

2)  Refurbished Kitchenaid Stand Mixers.  Ideeli is selling Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixers today for the low low price of $299, which caused me to smirk a bit because I discovered last year that you can buy the same mixer (in a wider variety of colors) directly from Kitchenaid for less than $200 (here).  The catch:  the models are refurbished and only come with a 6-month warranty.  However, I haven't experienced any issues with my pear beauty, and I feel like a real adult now that I finally have this seminal piece of kitchen equipment!

BOOM, ROASTED.

Okay, I'm about to share one of my Top Five Super-Easy No-Fuss Methods of Totally Impressing People at Dinner (tm).

Roasted garlic (and fresh bread).

All the spreadability of butter, more flavor, and fewer (i.e., practically zero) calories/Weight Watchers points.

Of course, those of you who don't like garlic should skip over this particular suggestion.  However, if you're a fan of onion's cousin then you may just love this incredibly easy recipe.  The garlic comes out of the oven buttery soft and a bit carmelized---the perfect condiment for home-baked bread.  See also, "Garlic," Wikipedia (holding garlic has "a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking"). 

Full disclosure:  Although I do bake much of my own bread using these two books (which make it extremely cheap and easy to bake your own bread), I did not bake the actual loaf seen above.

You can even add your own choice of seasonings into the mix for versatility and variety.  (I added a sprinkle of Italian seasoning to the garlic bulb you see in the first picture.)

Five stars!

Ingredients:

• 1 bulb of garlic (or 3/4 bulb if, like me, you used a few cloves and then decided to finish off the leftovers all at once)
• Drizzle of olive oil or spritz of water
• Seasoning (optional) (ex. rosemary, italian seasoning, sea salt and fresh ground pepper)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 450.

Place the whole bulb of garlic on a piece of tinfoil.  (No need to peel it.)  [Edit:  Life Begins at Thirty suggests cutting off the top of the bulb for easier eventual eating.  Although I didn't do that this time, I have tried that before and it's a good suggestion!]

Drizzle a bit of olive oil or water onto the garlic (about 1 teaspoon).  Sprinkle fresh or dried seasonings on the bulb (or, if using a sprig of rosemary, place the sprig around the garlic).

Seal the garlic and seasoning inside the foil.  Place directly on oven rack and bake for an hour.

(I TOLD you it was easy!)

To eat:  use a butter knife to scrape out the cloves one at a time, as you need them.  Spread on your bread and enjoy!

Shopping Break

As if retailers weren't already killing us with the plethora of sales at this time of year, I figured I'd add a bit of sale-tuational awareness to the mix.

Kate Spade Rose Club Melisse, $425 $291 $212



My beloved Kate Spade purse/clutch got a substantial price reduction this week!  (Reviewed here)  Now with several more weeks of wear, I can affirm that I love the bag.  One significant downside, though:  The enamel bow on the front of the bag can scratch.  Mine is showing several scratches of unknown origin.  It's only visible up-close, but if you know this is the type of thing that would bother you, then best to pass on the bag.


Kate Spade Dotted Magdalena Dress continues to pop back

While we're on the subject of Kate Spade, the dress I wore to my firm's holiday party seems to be continually popping back in different sizes.  Availability seems to change every day, so if you were looking for this piece, keep an eye out!



For the same fabric in a different cut (and at a lower price), check out Kate Spade's Gail Dress (now $195).

Miscellaneous Kate Spade Buys

Okay, I can't resist some of Kate Spade's new sale items!


Gia Clutch -- $57 (it'll arrive in time for New Year's!) Doodles Pen Necklace, $46 Prize Ball Thermos, $21

Restaurant.com $1 Sale

From now until December 24, you can buy $25 gift certificates to thousands of restaurants for only $1.  Use promo code "JOY." 

The way these restaurant.com certificates work is that you have to spend a minimum of more than $25 (varies by restaurant, but for some places the minimum is as low as $35).  Each restaurant has its own conditions (some limit you to dinner only, dine-in only, etc.).  There are no expiration dates.  You tip on the total of the bill before the discount is applied.  I've used these before without a problem.

I stocked up on certificates for a few of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood, and bought a few more just to experiment with.  The total value of my coupons was $550 (the certificates themselves would have been nearly $300) and I paid $26.50 for everything.

If I were not a forgetful idiot, I would have visited Ebates before buying, and I would have gotten 30% cash back. But I didn't do that. Because I'm an idiot. But you are not, so sign up for Ebates (and don't forget to actually use it) and start earning that cash back.

(Note:  If you try to get frisky with Restaurant.com and buy a $25 restaurant.com gift certificate for $1.50, thinking you can then use that certificate for your other coupons, be warned that it does not work that way (no promo codes with gift certificate orders).  Whomp whomp.)


"1-800-NOT-GUILTY" Coaster

Admittedly, this one is only good for those of you who live in D.C., but how cute is this New Orleans-inspired coaster for the lawyers in your life?

This is manufactured by Jeannette Landphair, who sells her stuff (coasters, magnets, posters, nightlights) on the weekends at Eastern Market in D.C.  Sadly, she does not seem to have any online storefront set up, but you can email her at JLandphair@aol.com if you want more information about her products.


Anthropologie:  Extra 50%-off Sale Merchandise

For those of you who missed my earlier post today AND several posts at EA, you may not be aware that all of Anthropologie's sale merchandise is currently an extra 50% off!  This promo is scheduled to run until 12/31 and you WILL be able to get a price adjustment for orders you placed in the last two weeks.

Make a point to check out your local sale rooms---the stores in DC are bursting with stuff, and the new 50%-off promo means that most stuff is now about $40 or less, and you can pick up lots of beautiful fall/winter coats for $50-$100.  This coat, called the "Vaterland Parka," is very warm (lined with fluffiness) and will be great for snowy months:




It's ringing up now for $100, but you'll have to find it in stores because it's sold out online.  I couldn't justify this one because I bought Anthro's Petal Curves Puffer Coat last year, but if you're in need of something soft and warm, this is your coat.


Free "Kind Heart" Spice Gift Box at Penzey's

My favorite spice store, Penzey's, is offering a free "Kind Heart Gift Box" with orders over $5.  Treat yourself to some of the best cinnamon ever and then get one of these nifty boxes for free.

My poor, poor bank account.  I'm going to need retailers to raise their prices again ASAP so I can recover.