Lonley Blog...

I found this drawing looking for a lonely image...aww...

This poor blog has been taking it easy this summer but worry not! More posts to come this fall, starting with a ton of great new recipes from Anna Olson including Gingerbread--yum. I have issues with gingerbread. Last winter I made a gingerbread cake from Everyday Food, because I trust Martha and those recipes have never failed me, except it was too molasses-y and slightly bitter and burnt tasting (despite not being burnt). I also have YET to find a decent recipe for Gingerbread men (and ladies, and babies) I love them but my dough is always too hard and dry and I break my wrists trying to re-roll it. Again, I think the problem may be molasses. I have several friends who promised to give me their recipes and never did!

(Some, I know, would give me a "fake" recipe too, because they keep their recipes closely guarded secrets. I don't get this. I always tell people where my recipes are from or what my tips are for cooking them so that they are successful. I hope it gets written down in their recipe books as "Tasha's Easter Nests" although I am sure they take credit for it some of the time. My Mom and Baba always had the recipes as "Joyce's Pickles" "Angie's Ribs" etc--I think this is good because you remember exactly which ribs you are talking about, and that woman's recipe (whether her own or from the back of a box or cornstarch or whathaveyou) ties you to the memory of when you enjoyed it. One another side note (I won't start another parentheses so we don't get lost) my Mom had a recipe for a baked pancake of sorts that was originally called Lo-Cal Apple Pancakes. Over the years we modified the "lo-cal" part and used other fruit and even experimented with ham etc and it was always a hit with guests. We loved hearing that my cousins, when my Aunt made it for them, had renamed it Apple Aunty Donna. How sweet!)

So, back to my story, if someone has a good recipe for Gingerbread men send it my way! I will post the gingerbread cake recipe from Anna next week (so we are officially in Sept and no one can give me heck for jumping the gun.) I L-O-V-E love gingerbread cake, especially at Earls in the fall--soo good.

I will also be posting more about new arrivals in the store, we have lots of exciting new things on the way.

In the meantime, stop by to shop our end of summer clearance--we have LOTS of stuff and are continuing to add to it--grab some stuff now and stash it away for Christmas! Although it's an end-of-summer clearance, not everything is seasonal.

Till next time...

The Big Day Out

THE
BIG
DAY
OUT

The BIGGEST sale of the year.

This Saturday, August 21, 8-5.

Shop early for best selection.

books, baby, maternity, purses, jewelry, candles, clothing, cookware
music, art, appliances, kitchenware, tools, bath accessories, lighting,
cookbooks, cards, bath and body products, notebooks, decor,
picture frames, furniture, towels, toys, webkinz, placemats, dinnerware,
kitchen gadgets, gourmet foods, hardware, lawn and garden,
paint, garden, seasonal, plants, bbqs, patio furniture, shoes, sandals,
baskets, building materials, travel mugs, water bottles, yoga gear, etc etc etc

If you wanna go BIG, you gotta go to HOME.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom!
Hope you have a lovely day--
enjoy the picture!

Upgrade

Soo...I've been thinking it's time for an upgrade. My friend Haley (who writes a lovely blog about scrapbooking) always has random lists on her blog, and this is a random list of sorts.

Some things in life we keep around or keep doing just because we always have, and we don't realize there is a whole other world of goodness out there to be enjoying. So with that in mind, here are some things I am upgrading, maybe you will too (or have a few of your own?)

1. Pepper Grinder
You always hear how it is important to refresh your spice drawer and not use nutmeg from 1973, because even though they are dried, spices are best the fresher they are. After awhile, the spice flavor dulls and flattens out, kind of defeating the purpose.
While pre-ground black pepper is all fine and good, lately I have been feeling it adds color and not too much flavor. So, after hearing from a chef (Jamie Oliver?) and talking about it over family dinners, I figured it's time to break out the old grinder. I have one, I just never use it. I am not a fan of exotic peppers--I'll stick with the tried and true, but it will be freshly cracked and spicy. Can't wait. (May even make the switch with salt, too).


2. Dishtowels
My absolute favorite dishtowels are the Floursack towels from Danica. Great colors, great size, great drying ability (so many towels are nice but don't actually dry anything!) I have quite a few, but I also have some old, stained uglies that are still in the drawer. I am getting rid of them and going to have a drawer full of my favorites. Now that makes drying dishes (or hands) much more fun!


3. Glasses
This is embarrassing. When Jeff and I first got married, we got a lovely set of beautiful glasses. At the time, we were also into Pom Tea which came in a reusable glass. Always one for reusing, we kept the glasses and they entered the rotation. Over the years, wouldn't you know, our nice glasses broke here and there, and now, looking in our cupboard, we have few of them left. They are supplemented with a nice collection of Pom glasses and some other randoms that worked their way in (including 2 Venti sized Starbucks porcelain cups.) The truth is, the Poms stayed around because they are an ideal size and weight and they never broke!
In reality though, it is embarrassing to serve your guests their drink in glass with a logo on it. And, we do have some new lovely glassware at the store that is the same size and shape as the Poms without the logo (or dishwasher etching). So it's time for an upgrade there too.

What do you need to upgrade in your life? Last year I made the switch to reusable grocery bags, and stopped using papertowel to wipe Hannah's highchair tray/face/hands after meals (bought a ton of baby facecloths and keep them in the drawer with the dishtowels. Works way better and we save money and paper towels! Woot!)

Gingersnaps made a seasonal upgrade too--if you are lucky, your salad will be made with fresh garden greens from the garden centre--yummmmm.

Gingersnaps Weekly Menu

Gingersnaps Weekly Menu

August 2-7

Monday – CLOSED

Tuesday – Deli Sandwiches and Subs

Wednesday – Deli Sandwiches and Subs

Thursday – BBQ Roast Beef on a Bun

Friday – Chicken Caesar Panini

**Heather made a really cute menu this week but I can't get it to open properly in the new download menu--grr. So, come in for Beef on a Bun and see it in real life! PS--Just cracked some new ice cream flavors in Sweetpea's (including Cotton Candy and Coconut) so grab some of that for dessert.

Saturday – Assorted Pizza

August Tea of the Month

A Raspberry in Paris

A raspberry in Paris. So, what exactly does a raspberry do in Paris? Well, visit the Louvre, see the Mona Lisa, go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and take a stroll down the champs elysée. This herbal tea is also incredibly good for you and incredibly delicious. Raspberries contain ellegaic acid, a substance in the family of tannins, a phytonutrient, and are subsequently considered by some nutritionists to be a good source of antioxidants. You’ll notice upon opening the packet that we’ve included a generous portion of dried raspberry pieces to ensure that the goodness of the fruit passes on to the tea. Rooibos itself is also an incredibly nutritious natural delight.

Enjoy a cup of loose leaf tea freshly brewed for you!!!

Special Tea of the Month price

$1.68

SKU: HOTL (single serving)