my favorite things

the milk glass footed bowl

May 24, 2011 No comments

While wandering around Newton Centre last Saturday, we stumbled upon a yard sale hosted by the local Knights of Columbus. I believe yard sales are usually 99% garbage and 1% treasures, but I found my treasure — an actual milk glass footed bowl. You know this thing would go for at least $15 on eBay or in a thrift store. Luckily, I got it for $1.

I’ve been wanting to acquire a few pieces like this one ever since my wedding. At our evening reception we served cheesecake for dessert, along with toppings like chocolate sauce, caramel, fresh strawberries, crushed Oreos, chopped Reese’s, and a berry sauce. I loved all the cake stands, bowls, and serving dishes that came together from a variety of places (mainly friends’ collections). With each new piece I buy, that’s one less piece I have to borrow for next time! (And by next time, I don’t mean next wedding. Just next event.)

the mini bread pan

May 23, 2011 Comments: 2

I just made banana bread in what is probably the tiniest and cutest bread pan you’ve ever seen. At 3″ x 2.25″ (the top pan in the pictured pyramid), it is absolutely miniature and adorable. I bought it for $1 at NY Cake & Baking when I was in New York a few months ago, but I didn’t have occasion to use it until now. Somehow, all my regular size bread pans have disappeared over the last few years, so anytime I’ve had cravings for banana bread I’ve been out of luck. I finally replenished my stash last week using Williams-Sonoma wedding giftcards, and I inaugurated the pans yesterday.

The tiny pan yields a perfect bite-size loaf. I’m thinking a tray full of the mini breads would be a great option at a brunch or breakfast buffet. I’ll have to use miniature chocolate chips next time to complete the small-size theme.

the notecards

May 21, 2011 Comments: 2

I’m not normally one to purchase wolf or Native American paraphernalia, but these note cards were a rather fortuitous find. You see, tomorrow is the birthday of my great friend Rhyll. Many years ago, some members of Rhyll’s family mistakenly came to believe she had a thing for wolves. (Really, how many people can truthfully say their favorite animal is a wolf?) Since then, Rhyll has regularly received wolf-themed gifts. I believe it began with a wolf poster bestowed to her by a family member at Christmas. It quickly became a joke amongst our friends, and Rhyll is now known as the lover of all things wolves. So these $1 note cards will make a perfect birthday gift, don’t you think?

I found them at the Party Shop in Newton Centre. The store is a bit chaotic, but chock full of all sorts of fun party supplies. Most of them seemed more fitting for children’s or teens’ parties, but I may make a return visit before throwing a bash.

the mushrooms

May 20, 2011 No comments

A late-afternoon walk brought me to Johnny D’s Fruit & Produce in Brighton today. My fridge is void of vegetables after being away for a week, so this $1 basket of mushrooms was a great find. I told myself I wasn’t allowed to grocery shop this week without meals planned and shopping lists made, but those rules don’t seem to apply when I’m faced with Johnny’s beautiful produce displays. Maybe next time I’ll actually bring my camera to the store to show it off. Guess that’s a reason to make a return visit very soon!

the moonpies

May 19, 2011 No comments

Once upon a time, my town (Ashburn, Virginia) was home to just a few hundred residents, and Partlow’s was the local general store/market. During my growing-up years, when Ashburn had become a regular Northern Virginia suburb, Partlow’s was still up and running, offering everything from fishing bait to slushees. A few years ago, the store changed hands and morphed into a barbeque joint. The owner is a family friend, but I’d never visited the restaurant until this trip home to Virginia.

For lunch, Tim and I dined on Carolina Brothers barbequed pork and chicken sandwiches, with sides of baked beans and macaroni and cheese. The owner has won a number of national BBQ awards for his meats and sauces, but my favorite was the beans. Please try them someday.

There is a small corner of the restaurant that maintains the Partlow’s general store feel, so we browsed there in search of a dollar-worthy dessert. We came away with three mini MoonPies — a classic treat that seemed appropriate given the quaint, old-timey vibe going on in the store. We even found a little faux hog out front to hold the MoonPie for a photo.

the bulk candy watermelons

May 18, 2011 1 comment

Every time I go home to Virginia I have total grocery store envy. I’m pretty sure my life would be complete if Wegmans and Harris Teeter moved to Boston. Wegmans has more varieties of cheese than any other store I’ve seen. Actually, they have more varieties of everything. And the store has more than groceries — you can sit down for a full meal while you’re there. They’ve got a sushi bar, a sub shop, a wokery, a deli, and a pizza joint inside. And you can even leave your kids at their play place while you shop! I don’t even have kids, but I love that idea. Anyway, on to my dollar find. Wegmans’ bulk food aisle is amazing. The options are seemingly endless — lots of sweets, but also many great snacky foods. I was surprised to see a type of gummy watermelon candies I’d never tried before, so obviously I got a dollar’s worth. The prices were quite reasonable, and I was able to get about 1/3 of a pound. I am now in love with these watermelon slices and am already anticipating my next trip to Virginia to get more. Until then, I’ll keep salivating over all the treats in these pictures.

the book

May 17, 2011 No comments

Another day, another thrift store visit. Tim and I have developed an unspoken system when we go into these types of stores. He heads for the books, I head for the housewares. He waits there patiently, scanning the shelves and flipping pages until I tell him I’m ready to go. Today’s find comes from Capital Treasures in Leesburg, Virginia — a shop run by Capital Caring, a local hospice organization. I didn’t see much I was interested in, but Tim found a 1960s economics textbook — that’s vintage, right? I decided this was a good $1 purchase for a few reasons. First of all, the topic of the book is what Tim studies all day, every day. Second, the book’s title has the word “econometrics” in it, and for a long time I was pretty sure that was a made-up word Tim used to try to sound smart. Also, the book gives instructions for using punch cards (instead of computer programs) and that is just so funny to think about.

the chocolate turnover

May 16, 2011 No comments

Let me begin by saying that I eat fast food very rarely. On some level, I am morally opposed to those types of establishments. But more than that, I prefer to do my eating out at local, non-chain joints. This week, I made an exception for Arby’s. My discount-master sister printed out a stack of coupons for free Market Fresh sandwiches at Arby’s (with purchase of a drink). I had the roast turkey and Swiss, and I am happy to report that the sandwich was quite unlike your typical fast food — the bread was a thick-cut honey wheat, the meat was oven-roasted and thinly sliced, and the lettuce and tomatoes were surprisingly fresh. I was even able to swap out my soda for a milkshake, since I’m not a huge carbonation fan. And since one dessert is never enough, I decided to give the $1 chocolate turnover a try. I’m almost embarrassed about how much I loved it. The pastry was super light and flaky, and the chocolate filling was fudge-like and semisweet, just the way I like it. It’s probably a good thing we don’t have Arby’s in Boston, because I would be tempted to make this a repeat purchase.

the birthday

May 14, 2011 No comments

Today is my birthday, so I gave myself a break from dollar shopping — I get to make the rules, right? Instead of spending $1, we spent 200 times that on plane tickets to fly to Virginia for a long weekend. Today’s activities included all my favorite things — gym time with my mom and little sister, a great hike with the parents/husband/sister/brother-in-law/nieces, shopping at Costco and eating great samples, an afternoon of lounging around during kids’ naps, playtime outside (see twins above), dinner out, and a quick trip to Wegmans.

the sweet potato fries

May 13, 2011 No comments

If I have learned anything from my deal-seeking mother and sisters, it is that you are a fool if you don’t take advantage of your birthday. As it turns out, there are tons of restaurants that are more than happy to email you coupons for free eats on or near your birthday. A few emails I received this year were for free cones at Baskin Robbins and Ben & Jerry’s, a free burger at Fuddruckers, and a free entree and dessert at Not Your Average Joe’s. I particularly enjoyed the subject line of an email from Ruby Tuesday: “We wrapped your birthday present in a bun.” Ruby Tuesday’s offering was for a free handcrafted burger, which just so happens to come with two side dishes. We were near the restaurant today before I was hungry for dinner, so instead of doing the whole sit-down thing, we swung by the RubyTueGo door and put in a quick order for the Boston Blue Burger. When it came time to choose our two sides, I was delighted to see sweet potato fries were an option — for a $1 charge. Perfect for my daily dollar. We chose onion rings for our second side (does it get any fattier?), and they even brought us some tasty garlic cheese biscuits while we waited for our order to be cooked. All for just a dollar!

Ruby Tuesday has a special place in my heart, since it was a high school hangout for a few of us Broad Run folks 10+ years ago. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that the menu was so different. No more chocolate tallcake! But I was so impressed by the side dishes they now offer — how about sliced tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette, roasted spaghetti squash, or creamy mashed cauliflower? And somehow we ended up with fries and onion rings…

the milk glass footed bowl

the mini bread pan

the notecards

the mushrooms

the moonpies

the bulk candy watermelons

the book

the chocolate turnover

the birthday

the sweet potato fries

a few of my favorite things

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