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Tasty Tuesday: Fresh Onion Soup (for one) We all have those days that we just want to make PB&J sandwiches for the kids and something easy for ourselves. When you're not feeling up to making a grand meal for the whole family, make yourself a bowl of yummy soup, perfect for rainy days like this. Even if you don't like onions, you'll be surprised how good this recipe really is.
Onion Soup for One
3 brown onions 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt 1/2 cup white wine 2 cups low-salt chicken broth or homemade chicken stock 1/4 tsp. ground dried thyme 1/4 tsp. dried parsley 2 bay leaves Fresh-ground black pepper Traditional toppings: slice of crunchy bread and 1/2 ? 1 cup grated Fontina or Gruyere cheese Trim ends off each onion, then halve lengthwise. Remove peel and thinly slice into half moon shapes, pile onto a plate. Set electric skillet to 300 degrees and add butter. Once butter has melted, add a half the onions in a layer and sprinkle with salt. Repeat second layer of onions and remaining salt. Sweat down for 15 minutes, covered, and do not stir. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany, total time about 45 minutes. Do not worry about burning.
At this point, add wine and simmer uncovered, stirring slightly to deglaze the pan. Add chicken broth, thyme, parsley, bay leaves and pepper, simmer 15 more minutes.
Place oven rack in top third of the oven and heat broiler. Cut any portion of bread off so it will fit like a cap over the soup, pop into the toaster until crisp. Pour soup into oven-safe crockware, top with toast, sprinkle with cheese and broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
9 Easy Secrets to Keeping Your Resolutions As the sun dawns on January 1, your resolutions are shiny and new and seem very doable. A few weeks (or days) into the year, they?ve been abandoned. Sound familiar? This year, realize your goals with real women?tested motivational tricks?like anticipating pitfalls (tip #1) and asking family and friends to help keep you on-track (tip #5). Don?t scoff: These ideas are simple, but they?re effective?designed to help you succeed. Read more about them, then share your resolutions for 2010 (make your goals public: tip #4).
Happy New Year!!! Hope you and yours stay safe during this festive evening and start off the New Year with a bang!!
Thursday Tips: A Brief Guide to Holiday Tipping I?m getting more requests this year for holiday tipping info than ever before. For example, Nina wrote: ?Can you provide some guidelines for Holiday Tipping Etiquette for the holiday season? I?m at a complete loss??
To be honest, I don?t know much about holiday tipping. It?s not something I was raised with. I covered it briefly in my guide to how much to tip, but I?m basically as in the dark as Nina is. To learn more about the subject, I did a little research. I learned that in some places and for some jobs, holiday tipping is customary.
The December 2009 issue of Consumer Reports includes a survey on holiday tipping habits . Housekeepers are by far the most commonly tipped profession. A full 75% of folks tip their cleaning person ? and no wonder. More than half tip their child?s teacher. Other than that, holiday tipping is more sporadic. (Only 8% tip the trash collector.)
Here are some general holiday tipping guidelines:
* Holiday tipping is never required. Even when it?s the social norm, you shouldn?t tip if you can?t afford it or you don?t feel the person deserves it.
* Tipping tends to be more common (and on a larger scale) in big cities than in small towns. The best way to determine the etiquette in your area is to ask around.
* In general, you should consider giving a holiday tip to the folks who take care of your home and family, especially those you see often. The more often you see someone and the longer you?ve known them, the more you should tip. (Someone who works in your home regularly ? such as a housekeeper ? usually expects a tip.)
* For personal services like manicures, massages, pet grooming, and fitness training, tip up to the cost of one session, but only if you see the same person regularly. For example, if you get a $60 massage every six weeks, your holiday tip should be about $60.
* Public servants are not allowed to accept cash tips in the U.S., but it?s acceptable to give a non-cash gift of up to $20. You might give a plate of cookies to your mail carrier, for example, or a book or a gift certificate to your child?s teacher.
* When you give a tip, include a card or a hand-written note thanking the person for their service.
* If you tip cash, crisp new bills make a better impression than old wrinkly ones.
Here?s a list of people who often receive holiday tips and what they typically receive:
* Babysitter: one week?s pay * Nanny: one week?s pay * Housekeeper: one week?s pay * Gardener: one week?s pay * Doorman: $10 to $100, depending on what they do for you * Garbage collector: $15 to $25 * Janitor: $15 to $25 * Newspaper delivery person: $15 to $25 * Parking attendant: $15 to $25
This is just a list of people who commonly receive holiday tips. Tipping service people with whom you have regular contact can build goodwill. Everyone likes to feel appreciated; we tend to remember the little gestures others make on our behalf. If you want to tip the bus driver, go ahead. Use your best judgment. Further reading: The New York Times Bucks blog recently ran a series on holiday gift-giving and tipping etiquette. You can read part one, part two, and part three. See also the holiday etiquette guide from the Emily Post Institute.
What?s your experience with holiday tipping? Is it customary in your area? Who gets tipped and how much?
Thursday Tips - 12 Tips for Thrift Store Shopping If you don?t yet shop at thrift stores, I really encourage you to do so. If you picture dingy floors, bad lighting, and torn clothing heaped together, you might be surprised. There are a few like that in every town, I?m sure, but for the most part, they are a veritable gold mine of unclaimed wealth.
With the sketchy economy, it?s a no-brainer way to save money. But even when the economic situation is in full bloom, it is a practical, reasonable, and easy way to stretch your family?s dollars. If your family lives on one income, and you?re the home manager assigned the job of managing the spending, then consider shopping at thrift stores your income contribution ? you?d be surprised at the money saved.
I always shop at Goodwill, Salvation Army, or St. Vincent de Paul?s before heading to the ?regular? stores ? and nine times out of ten, I don?t even need to hit the regular stores. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your thrift store shopping experience. 1. Go in With a Plan?
Know ahead of time what you need. Sometimes they can be a bit overwhelming, and each location has its own organizing system, making it a bit challenging to find what you need. So if you go knowing you?re looking for 12-24 month-old boy?s khakis, and size 8 black dress shoes, it can be a lot less stressful.
2. ?But Be Open-Minded
That said, keep your eyes open for any surprising deals. It?s hit-or-miss with thrift stores, so sometimes you really hit the jackpot of gear your family truly needs. If you weren?t necessarily shopping for swimsuits, but you see a darling one in your daughter?s size this summer, then snag it up. You need to make sure what you find is actually something you need ? otherwise, you?re just buying clutter, and you?re not saving money. Even so, think outside just your immediate family, and consider your extended family, your friends, or unexpected gift ideas. You could find birthday gifts for all your nieces and nephews, or you might find throw pillows in just the right shade your friend is looking for.
3. Look For Quality Brands?
The older I get, the less the inexpensive brands work for me ? I wish they did, but Old Navy clothes rarely fit me well. Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, or Calvin Klein, however, usually fit me like a glove. Because over 90% of my wardrobe comes from thrift stores, I can afford these quality brands. You?d be surprised the amount of well-made, expensive clothing is hiding in thrift shops, just waiting to found. You have to dig for it, but it?s there. My kids can wear Baby Gap and Gymboree, thanks to thrift stores.
4. ?But Also Try New Brands
Keep in mind, however, that there might be some quality pieces in brands you?ve never heard of, or with the tags completely missing. Check for holes, stains, missing buttons, and loose seams, and pass on something if it looks pretty worn or stretched out. But sometimes the brands you don?t know are actually really high-end European brands, well worth their money.
5. Try Things On
Always try things on. Just because it?s a beautiful silk Ann Taylor skirt doesn?t mean you should buy it. If it doesn?t fit well, then it?s a needless purchase and will only clutter your closet. And different brands size things differently, so you can?t assume anything by the number on the tag. 6. Don?t Go With Kids
Sure, you may have to bring them sometimes. But if you?re armed with a detailed list, it can be hard to get much accomplished at a thrift store when you have little ones to watch. Shopping at thrift stores means having to sift through lots of aisles of crammed-full racks. If you have to bring your kids, plan on just shopping one of the store?s sections, and then come back another day to shop the rest.
7. Know Your Local Store?s Sale Days
Many local Salvation Army stores have half-off Wednesdays. Other stores have similar days, so call and ask for their regular sale schedule. A $4 pair of shoes is cheap, but when they?re $2 ? even better! 8. If You Really Need Something, Ask
If you?re in the market for a very specific item, and you?ve been returning to the store for several weeks in search of it, it wouldn?t hurt to ask an employee to keep their eye out for it. You can?t expect them to bend over backwards, because thrift stores usually have piles of items that come in unexpectedly. But if you let them know you?re looking for a light purple Ralph Lauren wool scarf, and then see one come by, then maybe they?ll remember you.
9. Find Ways To Repurpose
Think creatively when you thrift shop. I was looking for a Christmas tree skirt a few weeks ago, but I happened upon a perfect vintage tablecloth with red and green flowers. It was thick, durable canvas with a beautiful red fringed border ? and it will work better as a tree skirt than I had originally planned. Sheets make great curtain liners, and mismatched silverware and dishes work well in a play kitchen. 10. Stockpile, Think Long-Term
We don?t need to buy clothes for our kids for a long time, because my mother-in-law has containers of boys and girls clothes of all sizes waiting to be grown into. She stops by thrift stores weekly, and is always on the lookout for her grandkids? clothes. We?re probably set for at least two years, because she thinks longer-term when she thrift shops. If you have the storage to stockpile, then consider your family?s long-term needs. 11. Go Often
If you don?t find anything one week, try again in a few weeks. A stores? inventory changes constantly, so you might strike gold one week, and come up with nothing the next. Make thrift store shopping part of your regular home management routine.
12. Go With Cash
Finally, leave your debit card at home. When you?re armed with cash, you?ll be more selective with your purchases, and will therefore think more level-headedly about the value of items. When you stick to a budget, then thrift stores are a money-saver. When you go way over, then you?re buying more than you need ? emptying your wallet and filling your closets. Aim for the opposite.
