My kind of Sunday

My kind of Sunday: 
Waking up after a good night's sleep (the AC is finally on, and the house was at a nice 78 instead of 87), gardening, and then multitasking: having a cup of Caribou coffee from Mary with a slice of sink bread*, watching the Katie Brown workshop and getting a back rub with my massaging chair mat. It's the start of a great day.

Strawberries are here!

The first Morning Glory

*While watching the Man Utd v Barcelona game, I decided to bake. I started moving around in the kitchen, which Tom was quick to notice and wanted to know what I was doing. I said baking a cake with a banana, dark chocolate and white chocolate chips, coffee (I don't like that coffee cake actually doesn't have any coffee in it), and coconut. He said that I was making a everything but the sink cake. I decided against the coconut, and modified the banana bread cake recipe in the Joy of Cooking. The bread/cake is a good breakfast item.

Morning Glory and Dahlia

Garden update: At the request of our landlords we laid down tarps on the balcony to limit runoff water going through the wood deck. A few weeks ago, I transplanted the morning glory into a round pot and used a tomato cage as a trellis, which seems to be working fairly well. The Gladiolus still haven't bloomed, but the Dahlias keep making gorgeous bright yellow flowers. The petunias are very happy, with vivid pink and purple flowers. The Marigolds are still growing and the Mums went back downstairs after they were in rehab on the balcony since the beginning of the year. We have a new addition to our balcony, mint. The cilantro is probably on its last leg (or sprig), they are not doing well at all. The lettuce is also struggling. We are starting to see little peppers or rather pepper flowers I think, but they are covered with aphids. We have tried spraying water, detergent, 70% alcohol, Sevin, but these little buggers are still there. I will try to find some Neem oil at the store next time I'm running errands.

They make me happy

The Aphid zone

Coupons?

I'm always amazed when I read Anne's savings blog. In some cases, her store total comes to $0.00! The movement picked up - I'm assuming because of the bad economy and the Internets - and there's also a TV show (Extreme Couponing on TLC; haven't seen it since I don't have cable). I had tried my hand at coupon clipping about a year ago - I'd leave the coupons at home or the coupons would sit in my coupon organizer and expire. Then a couple of weeks ago, Emily told me about her coupon exploits. According to her, it was all about patience. Collect coupons and wait for a sale, hit several stores if needed for the best deal. She had a cause - putting together a care package of different hygiene and other items for her friend and his squad in Afghanistan.
I'm more selfish that Em. If I coupon, it would be to save money, and if possible get some items for free to donate. I decided to try it again. I found my little accordion coupon holder, cleared out the expired coupons, and took stock of what I had. I bought a Sunday paper and started clipping and organizing the coupons. I checked out circulars from Publix, CVS, and Walgreens. I also found out that companies have coupons on their websites or on their Facebook page. Plus there are 3 main couponing websites. Anne often talks about CVS rewards program with ECBs (ExtraCare Bucks), so I registered my account. One example:
Last week, CVS was selling 64oz V8 splash juice (which I love) at 2 for $5. If you bought two, you got $1 in ECB. I had a $1 off coupon for V8 (from their website). I spent $4 ($4.50 with tax), but really it was $3 because of ECB. I earned my first ECB! woohoo! :)
Empowered, I took advantage of a Walgreens sale: I spent $13.24 and saved $10.98. I went back to CVS and got laundry detergent that was already on sale, and I used a $2 coupon. So I paid $2.99 (before taxes) on an item that originally would have cost $8.99. Coupons = winning.
Today before heading to lab, I stopped by CVS and used their coupon kiosk for the first time. I got a coupon for a free green leaf tag. You attach the tag to a reusable bag, and at each visit, the cashier scans the leaf tag. After 4 visits, you get 1 ECB.
After lab, I went to Publix to get a few groceries for the week and stock up on summer items that were on sale (charcoal anyone?). I left the store having spent $62.41 and saved $26.08 (mostly because I want to make a Patriotic Berry Trifle for Monday). The Sunday paper coupons made up for the $2 paper.
Coupons, yay or nay?
Yay: saving money! It's almost like a game, so if you're the competitive type...
Nay:
1. It's a lot of effort. The best way to use coupons is to collect them and stack them on sales/promotions. You have to take advantage of sales. If you really need something, there may not be a sale or a coupon. So it does take some planning and thinking ahead. I have read stories about some people who have a room stocked with groceries that were bought when they were on sale (but not needed). I can see how it would blur the line between want and need.
2. You have to be willing to visit different stores. Walgreens is between the house and Publix, and is thus just one stop. I go by CVS almost everyday because it's on the way to lab. While I saved at Walgreens, I got the worst customer service experience. The cashier was not helpful at all, and totally unprofessional. So I will stick to Publix and CVS. I don't shop at Walmart - unless I absolutely have to.
3. You have to be willing to go to the store every week. Deals are different every week at each store. I'd rather go on one giant trip and do smaller trips for perishables. Maybe the best way for this to work for me is to collect perishable coupons (mostly yogurt). Talking about perishables - why aren't there more coupons for fresh produce? I will make up this number, but it feels as if for every 100 coupons I clip, there is only 1 on fresh produce.
4. Most of the products that have a coupon are for processed foods. Making pizza from scratch with Tom is somewhat more fun than making Hamburger Helper. But then again, you can save on tomato sauce, flour, cheese, pepperoni etc..
5. If you use the coupon websites, you have to print the coupons and ink isn't cheap. It may be worth if the savings offset the price of ink. 
6. I need to figure out if couponing and shopping at Publix and CVS is better than Costco (and Costco coupons). Is it cheaper to buy 6 cans of tomatoes at Publix, with a sale and a coupon, or at Costco? Remember, I'm not as awesome as Anne or the other experts out there.
7. Coupon clipping is cool? What if it is cheating? What about other people who are stuck in line behind you? What if stores change their policies? If more people coupon, will companies decide to release less coupons? What if...?

All in all, I will keep my coupon scissors. While some of the stuff that I have bought in the past 10 days were things that went straight into the pantry (not needed now), they are items that will be used at some point. For example, today's canola mayonnaise doesn't need to be refrigerated, and is good until March 2012. Charcoal? I'm sure that we'll be firing up the grill soon enough.

Monday Chuckles

This totally made us chuckle in lab today. Thanks Em!

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

It's a bit early, but I couldn't resist being the first to wish you a merry Christmas. Have you and your elves been relaxing after the wonderful Christmas season you brought us? I can picture you on the beach right now (drinking pina coladas).

Santa, I've been a very good girl this year, doing some amazing science in the lab with the hopes of eradicating tuberculosis. I will send you a copy of my thesis, so you can judge for yourself. For being a good girl this year, I would love it if you could bring me this one gift this year (or in the next 10 years):
A cabin near Nicolet National Forest (I like this one, it's pretty sweet). It is about 2 hours from our beloved Green Bay Packers, 4 hours from the Milwaukee Brewers (and the Drankas), and 4 hours from La Crosse.

As always, cookies and milk will be provided. Thank you Santa!

Love,
Me

Tasty Tuesday Beer Edition

It seems as if everything just picked up the pace. The super amazing boyfriend is going to a conference to present a poster soon, but he also found out that his abstract was selected for a talk at a second conference when he gets back. The selection comes with a travel award! So proud of him.
On my side, we're waiting on my first paper to be reviewed, while I finish the second paper. This week is packed with science experiments and writing, and hope to get my second paper out by the end of May.
Anyways, busy schedule leads to crockpot cooking, especially since it got colder this weekend (yay!). On Saturday, I made a beer stew with beer batter bread (both courtesy of Laurie). Tom chose creamed spinach (I added artichoke hearts) and it all turned out really yummy! No cooking for a couple of days = winning! :)

Random post

Was reading an article about the alcohol content in wines on Slate. Scrolled down and saw the following comment. Really Cece?!!

Someone said moss?

I've been wanting to do this for a while, and it finally happened. I picked up all the supplies from Hobby Lobby and within an hour of starting, it was done and on display, and the floor had been swept clean. I had originally thought of this for the balcony but for now it's in the entry way.

Tasty Tuesday

I'm always amazed at what you can find these days at the store. I remember my college days when I would stock up on guava juice when I saw it at the local Walmart. In Birmingham, we found guava jam, and coconut water. FYI: coconut water is almost transparent and different from coconut milk. And the coconut water tastes surprising similar to the real thing:












 Then there are a few things that I find in the house. In order:
Ghee - clarified butter (the label says 99.9% butterfat, 0.1% moisture). There's a reason why I've had this for a while (~ 2 yrs, in the back of the fridge) and only just opened it. A favorite in Indian cuisine. Also saw this at the store by the house!
Spices - I have two containers which contain my Mauritian spices and ingredients.
Saffron - Wikipedia says that it's the most expensive spice by weight! Add boiling water to a few of these and use the water to add flavor and color to the dish.

















One of the containers had briyani spice, or as the Indians would have it Biryani, and the other day I decided to make this Mauritian favorite: Chicken, lightly fried potatoes, peas, hardboiled eggs, are marinated in spices and yogurt. Everything (including the marinate) is placed in a pot, and is then topped with half cooked rice (flavored with saffron), mint, and cilantro. Cook for about an hour. Serve with a chunky tomato chutney (almost like a simple salsa), and salad (cucumber and carrots go very well with this dish). I've tried making it a couple of times, but could never get it right. This time, the taste was spot on. Maybe it's because I used the ghee? The slow cooker works (you need to cook it for about 4 hours on high to get the rice cooked through) but I would use a regular pot next time. Yum!

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the mommies out there (including new triplet mom, Laura), Happy Mother's Day!

Early this week I received this in the mail and couldn't stop laughing. Yes, I approve the spay/neuter campaign, but the wording was a bit out there don't ya think? I liked the little caption on the right that said "financial assistance available if you are on Medicaid or Food Stamps."

In 2008, I had a chance to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom here in the States. Back home, Mother's Day is the last Sunday of May, and Father's Day is on the first Sunday of June, although my mom told me last night that they are both celebrated on the same day, the last Sunday of May.  So in 2008 we went to one of my favorite places, the Melting Pot. Can't wait to go there again with you Mom, and hopefully Dad will go with us too!

I made crepes - this is something that we would make as a treat to have with tea on the weekend. We drink a lot of tea back home and almost always at around 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays when we wake up from our midday naps, or come back from the beach. My sister was the crepes expert, she could always tell when the batter was of the right consistency. I, on the other hand, still can't do that, and need exact measurements (thanks Joy of Cooking, yours is a good one). So as a treat for Mother's day and for the fond memories of my family, I made sweet crepes. Sorry Dad, next time I'll make savory ones.

The Fallen Giants

To mark our second anniversary and a successful committee meeting, we went away for the weekend: Sipsey Wilderness area, in the Bankhead National Forest. We just had a few storms with a lot of rain and the waterfalls promised to be gorgeous. So off we were, backpacks and all.

So ready to be on the trail (and to test my new shoes!)

The storms blew down a few tall giants, making it challenging to keep on the trail, yet the scenery was breathtaking.

Other challenges: we had two steep descends with ropes; we also made it to one of the many waterfalls. We encountered a 4 ft snake, no worries - no one was bit (when we got home, Tom found out that it was a non-venomous black racer). We were both on edge given that this time of the year is ripe for snakes, boars, and possibly bears. We had bear mace but an accident can happen so quickly.

We made it to our campsite. Tom set the tent, gathered wood, and got the fire going. He really was in charge and doing everything! We had a few backpacking meals, and brought two steaks. One of the things that I've learned on my trips with Tom is to get a hot bed of coals, and lay a flat stone on top of them. The stone then becomes an instant pan. I love our sporks (SPoon, fORk, and Knife). Breakfast the next day started with a nice cup of hot tea!

We had a few hikers stop by and ask for directions. We also had a group of 3 young guys who were completely lost and in the middle of the dark night, Tom helped them get back on the trail and probably saved their lives.  They were so not prepared for a hike, let alone spend the night in the wilderness. We hope that they made it out of the park safely.
We had a great time, the weather was perfect too (we were maybe at 82 degrees at the highest, and about 62  at the lowest). We are definitely tired tonight and we'll be sore for a day or two.

Oh, Happy Easter y'all! :)