Gingersnaps-No Rolling

These were a breeze to make, and delicious too. Make them larger for puffier, softer cookies, smaller for flat crisp ones.

From Better Homes and Gardens Cookies and Candies, 1966

You Will Need:

3/4 cup shortening (I used half butter)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses (I used full flavour)
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups AP flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Granulated sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2 large baking sheets

Cream together shortening, sugar, molasses and egg. Sift together dry ingredients and mix into butter mixture. Combine well. Form into small balls and roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on racks. Makes about 5 dozen.

Empress Rice, Gourmet Magazine March 1972

Oh look, mama made a "fancy" dessert.
1972? Wow, that's Nixon era cooking. I wonder if you could mould one of these with ketchup and cottage cheese?Now that's elegant. I know I'd go right ahead and set out a bowl of raspberry sauce on Damask.


I just set mine on a plate on the counter. I mean, you know Mr. Eat The Blog will be standing in front of the fridge piling it into a bowl at 3 AM anyway-so why bother with all that fussiness of getting it centred on the plate? OK, I did a predictably sloppy job getting it on the plate and I'm afraid moving it will destroy the whole damn thing. He's still going to eat it standing at the fridge at 3 AM. You don't spend close to 20 years with someone and not know their eating habits.




Danny picked this recipe. I made it last evening, and unmoulded it this afternoon-it really needs sufficient time to set. I skipped the raspberry sauce, and cut waaay back on the amount of Kirsch the recipe called for. I will post it as written.

Yes, this was a pain in the behind. It has a million steps, and you really need to be comfortable with making custard bases, and so on. The recipe seems to assume people know at what temperature a custard will coat a spoon, and how to soften gelatin, but I'm going to go ahead and include a few notes in the recipe. I don't think Bavarians and such are as common for the home cook to be whipping up as they were in 1973 when this was published.

You Will Need:

1/2 cup glaceed fruit and 1/4 cup Kirsch set in a bowl to macerate for at least an hour.

1/2 cup rice
Water to cover
1 3/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 vanilla bean scrapings

1/3 cup apricot jam, heayed and strained
1 tablespoon Kirsch (I omitted this)

4 teaspoons powdered gelatin sprinkled over 1/4 cup water

4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups whole milk, scalded
A bowl of ice cubes and cold water

1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
Oil for greasing mould

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In an oven-proof saucepan, blanch the rice in enough water to cover and boil 5 minutes. Drain rice well. Return rice to saucepan and add 1 3/4 cup milk, 1/3 cup sugar, butter, and vanilla bean scrapings.Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover tightly and bake for 1 hour. Remove and transfer rice to a shallow dish and cool.

In a saucepan, melt the apricot jam and strain through a fine sieve. Mix with kirsch. Strain this into the rice. Add the soaked glaceed fruit along with the liquid and combine gently.

In a small dish, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let soften. If you have a microwave, 20 seconds will do a good job of liquefying it right before you use it. It will soften in the custard if you don't, but I find this quick step cuts down on the stirring time and ensures it will dissolve completely (don't worry, the strainer will catch any bits that don't melt).

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and they form a ribbon when beaters are lifted. Slowly, in a thin stream, add the scalded milk, beating as you go. Transfer back to a saucepan and over medium heat, cook, stirring constantly until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon (by "coats" it means, if you drag your finger through the film on the spoon, it will leave a line that does not blend immediately back into itself. You don't want to cook the eggs, but rather heat it enough to kill any bacteria and get it to set as a custard base. Again, don't freak out if a few small bits cook-that is why you strain it before pouring into a bowl. If you've ever made ice cream, this is pretty much the same technique.

Transfer the custard to a heatproof bowl (the metal bowl from a stand mixer works great) and set it in a large ice water bath. Stir constantly until it is cool, but not completely cold. Pour the custard into the rice a small amount at a time, mixing gently. Let the mixture cool completely, but do not let it set (in other words, don't put it in the fridge for an hour and forget about it).

Combine the custard and rice with 1 cup of whipped heavy cream and fold carefully combining well.

Grease a large 2 quart mould with a flavourless oil (they suggested sweet almond oil, which I obviously skipped) and pour int the mixture. Cover with plastic and chill at least six hours, or overnight. I left mine a full day.

Run a knife around the mould to loosen, and set it quickly in a pan of hot water. Unmould onto a platter and decorate with sweetened whipped cream, fruit sauce and additional glaceed fruit. Serves 8

Lima Bean, Lentil and Barley Casserole

This makes a ton of food for very little money. You may need two casserole dishes to make it fit. Freeze one for later.

You Will need:

4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 stalks celery, trimmed and finely diced
6 carrots, peeled and finely diced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste (I used quite a bit)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups cooked, small lima beans
3 cups cooked lentils
2 cups cooked pearl barley
2 cups grated Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one or two casserole dishes.

Heat the oil and butter in a large dutch oven. Add the onions, carrots, celery and bay leaf. Cook until carrots are softened. Remove bay leaf. Add the thyme, salt and pepper. Add the beans, barley and lentils. Mix well. Remove from heat. Mix in the Swiss cheese.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and blend with the cream. Mix into everything else. Mix well.

Pour into casserole(s) and bake about 1 hour or until liquid is no longer bubbling up to the top when pierced with a knife. Top should get a bit crusty. Serve hot with a strong Dijon mustard.

Not a Legitimate Genre

Danny: Why are you so tired Mama?
Me: You know that new free movie channel? They had an old achtung! movie on last night, and I stayed up to watch part of it.
Danny: (Clearly irritated) Normal people just call it a war movie.

A Massachusetts Turkey

We're having our usual Massachusetts turkey for Thanksgiving next week-a baked stuffed cod. With two vegetarians, there's little point preparing a turkey. Mr. Eat The Blog doesn't care for it anyway. Thanks to the generosity of a co-worker, we have venison steaks in the freezer, so perhaps I'll make him one for the day after Thanksgiving.

I don't go overboard cooking for this holiday unless we have guests which mercifully this year, we do not. Still, I understand for many, this is a yearly family gathering and a time when they go to great pains preparing a special meal. I thought this might be a good time to list a "best of" series of links, in the event you're looking for a good cornbread recipe, or cranberry relish.

Maple Sugar Pie
Shoo Fly Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Cranberry/Orange/Coconut/Raisin Loaf
Cranberry Ice Cream
Sally Lunn Bread
Pumpkin Kibbet (perfect for the vegetarians in the family)
Rosemary Grape Foccacia
Fried Celeriac (Celery Root)
Beet Souffle
Corn Grits Timbales
Mushroom Timbales
Brussels Sprouts Mould
Carrot Timbales With Parsley sauce
Filled Baked Red Onion
Ohio Shaker Lemon Pie
Carrot Pudding Loaf
Individual Mushroom Pies
Pumpkin Fritters
Pumpkin Cake With Fig Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting
Orange Slices In Bourbon
Steamed Cranberry Pudding
Cranberry Raisin Pie
Cape Cod Cranberry Pie
Crown Jewels Gelatin Cake
Mini Cod Pot Pies and Sweet Potato Bouchons
Frozen Grapefruit Mousse
Cranberry and Pear Chutney
Cornmeal Yeast Bread
Blood Orange Sorbet
Squash With Grapes and Sage
Dixie Cornmeal Foldover Rolls
Raisin/Date Hand Pies
Pickled/Spiced Pineapple
Potato Starch Muffins (gluten free)
Apple Cranberry Raisin Strudel
Sweet Potato or Squash Bread
Spiced Pears
Roasted Beet Salad With Boiled Cider
Cranberry Mincemeat
Crusty Water Rolls
Pumpkin Challah
Roasted Fennel With Dried Apricots
Charles Street Indian Pudding
Dried Apricot and Fig Compote With Wine
Broccoli Salad With Figs
Pilgrim's Bread
Cornish Game Hens Stuffed With Cous Cous
Mushroom Pate


Happy Baking.

Stout Bread

I still had 2 cups of stout left from making the puddings, and no intentions of simply drinking it. I bought one of those gigantic bottles thinking I'd find a use for it. And I did. Please disregard my horrible, horrible job of slashing the loaves.

I was trying for a checkerboard effect-well that went wrong didn't it? That's fine, I'm far from a perfect baker even after these many years, and it is always nice to post the less-than-perfect results.

The original recipe called for walnuts which I replaced with a couple handfuls of raisins. It sounds like an odd combination of ingredients, but it really turns into a wonderful bread-provided you can slash properly. I don't know about your family, but mine will pretty much eat any homemade bread they are offered.

The recipe may be found HERE.

Birthday Countdown

Just about a month to go-and I still haven't planned out the Birthday cake. It will be difficult to out-do last year's, but I suppose that's what's expected.

Danny's rather taken with the whole Martian/Space Alien thing, though he makes a distinction between "good" and "bad" Martians. The ones that abduct people and probe them-very bad. As Danny so eloquently put it:
"I prefer nice Martians."

Yes well, don't we all?

Right. So I'm thinking a flying saucer cake-I have large round pans and then I could bake the top layer in a bowl. Maybe little green men cookies walking down a slab of chocolate for a ramp? Anyone have ideas that don't involve wiring the whole cake with LED lights?

How did it get to be the middle of November already?

Grannymar's Christmas Pudding-Pt.1

The recipe is HERE.

This is what they look like after five hours of steaming. I omitted the nuts and used extra cherries instead (because I had homemade ones). For the spirits, I used brandy and the stout was Guinness. I'm still in a state of disbelief that it actually worked (what with the stupid large mould tipping over and all). Danny is quite impressed (as he should be!).

You would think living in a place that was for years known as "The Beef State" I'd be able to find suet, but I cannot. This pudding is suetless. We can find all the butter we want.

They get two more hours of steaming the week of Christmas.

Thanks again Grannymar, they look delicious.

Frosty Anise Rosettes

Or, if you're my old neighbour in Boston, a "Frosty Anus Rosette". That used to slay me when people would mix the two up. Now, Mr. Eat The Blog says it deliberately, which just adds to the confusion. I typically avoid embarrassing slips by calling it "fennel."

Well, with this cold snap we're having my anise is getting a bit frosty (oh, you knew I wouldn't let that go) and a nice batch of cookies is a great excuse to heat the oven.

These would be adorable decorated for Christmas as wreaths. I went for something that looks like the old Stella D'Oro cookie mix (anyone else miss the bright pink frosted rosettes, or remember them for that matter?) because it just seems too soon for red and green jimmies.

The recipe comes from that (well-used) Pillsbury's Best Butter Cookie Cookbook pamphlet from the 1950's. The recipe was the senior winner in the 6th Grand National Baking Contest. The only change I made was using water rather than milk in the glaze, which I will note in the recipe.

You Will Need:

3 cups sifted AP flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons anise seed
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon anise extract if desired (I omitted this)

Glaze:
3 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup hot milk (I used water)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease two baking sheets.

Sift together dry ingredients. Cream together the butter and sugar until light. Beat in the eggs until well blended. Add the anise seed, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix well. Add all BUT 1 cup of the sifted flour mixture. Beat well. By hand, work in the remaining amount of flour (I could not get it all in-about 1/8 cup remained, but it was fine). Knead about 1 minute until smooth. Divide into 8 parts. Roll each part into a length about 18 inches long. Cut into 5 parts. Roll each slightly and then cut, 1/2 inch intervals about halfway through log. Join ends. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake 7-10 minutes. Cookies will not brown on top. Cool on rack. When cool, dip in glaze and let dry on a rack over a baking sheet. Decorate as desired. Makes 3 1/2 dozen.

Your Questions Answered

To the person who arrived at the blog with the search:

"What is the secret to stiff migraines?"

A four year old. If that doesn't work, try bringing the kid to room temperature first, and then beating him with cream of tartar. Try not to over-beat him, or you'll get a weeping migraine, and no one likes that.

Thanks for stopping by.

Vintage Magazines

...Featuring, children who grew up to murder their parents!




She's going to murder her parents...right after she gets home and out of her good church clothes. Gosh, this just makes me want to watch The Bad Seed.
She murdered her parents shortly after they subjected her to the dreaded "China Doll" haircut. Nice look on a round face, eh?


This young man wanted to murder his parents, but knew it would interfere with his political ambitions, so he resisted. He got his revenge twenty years later by having his old man audited.The older brother...well someone had to dig the graves in the backyard. That's hard work for a nine year old.


Aw, ain't he cute? You don't want to know what he grew up to do.


Look out mama!
The magazines also featured cooking-some of the recipes like "Pizza Chicken" sound rather gag inducing.


Is this coat beautiful, or what? I included this because I found it amusing-what was she, maybe a size eight? It was the Twiggy era, sure, but I wouldn't exactly call her "large."Next week, I have a USDA pamphlet from the 40's about making slippers and belts from animal hides and pelts. I know you can't wait.

Is It Too Early For A Gaudy Embellished Sweater?

*updated*

I know what you're thinking, but it really looked better with big shoulder pads, stirrup pants and ankle boots. White leather ankle boots. With a chain on them.

I'm seriously considering turning the medallion part into a handbag...but then again, what if I uh...well...want to wear the sweater someday?


Since the 80's look is back, I have a large oversized sweater with gigantic shoulder pads I want to wear. It has gold braiding and tassels over the arms and shoulders and in the centre, a large satin and silk embroidered medallion that looks like Japanese enamel work with a bird and a mountain. Very classy-my mother dropped a couple hundred dollars in 1982 to buy it for me one Christmas at Marshall Field's.

OK, I'll look for it in the attic today when I go unpack my winter gear and post photos if I can find it.

Look, I Like Crafts Too But...

"Customizing" a jump drive with a shotgun shell casing is a bit much.
Some of the other options include gum wrappers and erasers, you know, for the gum chewing crowd that make lots of mistakes.

Who the hell cares what their drives look like? No really, have you ever looked at a jump drive and thought:

"Damn, I wish there were some way I could dress that thing up. Hey wait, I know-a shotgun shell casing!" And then you're all like:

"Aw crap, all I have is this stupid gum wrapper and an eraser." Then, inspiration presumably strikes...oh you know it doesn't. This is asinine. Buy a proper gift if you can't make something decent. Cheap bastards.

Jan Morris

Today's Guardian has a four page excerpt from the new Jan Morris book, Contact!: A Book of Glimpses.

So what are you still doing here? Go read. Go on, get out of here.

Britons Are Ugly

So what?

Really, one look at the Prince of Wales' ears, or David Bowie's teeth ought to make that point rather well, it isn't exactly a secret.

Oh yes, Swedes and Norwegians...the beautiful people. Such straight teeth, such nice skin...too bad they reek in lutefisk and Bols and live in bleak, inhospitable landscapes. Wait, my bad, that's Finland. Same difference. Here, have some pickled skate. Yeah, it only smells putrid, the stuff is delicious...

Can the Norwegians drink until they throw-up or pull off football hooliganism? I think not. What has Sweden offered the world besides their beautiful men, easy to assemble bookcases, and dirty magazines?

I did find the comment about Germans not doing well on the site because they look too stern, amusing. And telling. They probably couldn't find time to smile for the photo because they were busy colour coordinating the linen closet and ironing the dust rags.

I'm going to get hate mail.

Coffee Poundacke, Gourmet November 1971

Two weeks in a row I've made a pound cake from the old Gourmet magazine collection-must be a theme. The recipe has a glaze which I didn't bother with, but I will include at the end of the recipe. I did not line the pan with waxed paper, but greased and floured it instead-no difficulties removing it at all. The recipe was vague as to size of eggs, etc. so I will specify what I used.

Plantation Inn Pound Cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a loaf pan, 11x4x3 inches.

1/3 cup instant coffee
1/2 cup whole milk-heated
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups AP flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Dissolve the coffee in the hot milk and set aside to cool. Cream together the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Sift together the flour and baking powder and add, alternating with the coffee milk. Mix until well blended. Pour into pan and smooth evenly. Bake 90 minutes or until cake tests done by inserting a toothpick in the centre. Cool ten minutes in the pan, then cool completely on a rack. When cool, top with glaze.

Glaze:

Beat together 1/2 cup butter and 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar until smooth. Add 1/4 cup instant coffee dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water and cooled. Beat in 1 egg and combine well. Spread generously on the cake. Note-the egg does not get cooked, so unless you have a particularly strong constitution, or know the source of your eggs well, you may prefer to skip this.

Baking With Candy

One of the few candies made on dedicated equipment free of nuts are Andes mints. Having a "safe" candy for Danny is really great, and as a bonus he likes them. I had my doubts about the cherry flavour, fearing it would taste like cough syrup, but they were actually pretty good,with bits of dried cherries as well. I grabbed a coupon for a rebate, and it had a couple recipes on the back. These cookies were one of them.

Again, I didn't think they would be worth the bother, but in the end, they truly were. I ran short of candies so I filled the last few with baking chips-worked fine. I imagine you could use just about any candy.

The recipe is HERE at the Andes website.

I Couldn't Find Another Movie About Death and Chess

After Halloween Danny became sort of interested in the whole Grim Reaper as a character thing. Fine. He's also obsessed with playing chess-like first thing out of bed every morning obsessed. So I'm buying him a copy of The Seventh Seal. It just seemed like an obvious movie for him even with subtitles.

I dunno, on a bad parenting scale it isn't like buying a photography obsessed four year old a copy of Blow Up. Is it?

I Draw Strangeness

No really, I must be some sort of weirdo-magnet. Don't misunderstand, most of the time it is kind of fun to have people tell you completely inappropriate things, or tell you how to protect yourself from the government trying to read your thoughts.

At The Liquor Store:

Me: Can you tell me where I can find a single bottle of stout?
Young Male Clerk: We have a whole section over here (points to a row of stout bottles).
Me: Wow, I had no idea there were so many kinds, I just need a bottle to bake with. I'm not up on these things.
Young Male Clerk: Oh, that's funny because you like someone who drinks.


At The Grocery Checkout:
(I've actually had similar takes on this one happen before unfortunately)

Fat, middle aged man in grimy clothes in line behind me is watching as I put my purchases on the conveyor belt:

Grimy Man: Wow! You still get your period?


So, how's your day going?

Pasta With Squash, Carmelised Onions and Paprika Sauce

I started making dinner at 5 PM with no idea what I'd be serving. By 7 PM this is what I brought to the table. I find it difficult to cook with imagination when I'm not feeling well, but this dinner really suggested itself as I have a counter brimming with assorted squashes.

You Will Need:

For the noodles:

3 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg
3 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semolina flour
1-2 cups AP flour
Extra flour for dusting

Beat eggs until light. Add water and salt. Beat in semolina flour and 1/2 cup AP flour. Add the rest by hand until you have a very stiff dough. Wrap in plastic and let rest half an hour before rolling. Then, let dry briefly on a rack before cooking. Boil gently for about fifteen minutes.

For the Onions:

2 tablespoons clarified butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large onions, thinly slices
1 tablespoons preserved lemon rind, pith removed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons sweet (not smoked or hot) paprika

Add everything except paprika. Cook gently until onions are deeply browned. Stir in paprika at the last few minutes of cooking. Add more oil if needed at this point.

For the Buttercup Squash:

Cut into eighths and scoop out seeds. In each section place a garlic clove, a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of chili powder and some salt and pepper. Roast at 425 degrees F. until tender, but not mushy. Cool, remove skins and cut into cubes. Add to onions. Again, add more olive oil if needed.

Toss with hot pasta, garnish with some chopped parsley. Serve dinner to family. Crawl back into bed clutching your head. Don;t worry, you've made plenty for leftovers.

Oops

I just deleted comments instead of posting them. So uh, could you please post that again Raymond. Obviously, all the sugar has gone to my brain and made me stooopid.

All Day Baking

And it begins, holiday baking 2009. Today I made two insanely large fruitcakes for my in-laws. They are neatly wrapped in brandy soaked cheesecloth and set to soak until Christmas (the fruitcakes, not the in-laws). Tomorrow, the steamed puddings.

This is where the English/Austrian heritage clashes with the Ukrainian. My English side loves baking these holiday cakes and puddings and the Ukrainian side is thinking:
"You're wasting perfectly good alcohol on cake?"

Man, I wish I had a nice brandy-soaked blanket to snuggle up with for the next month or so.

Problem Solved

The first sentence I taught Danny to write was:

"Nice boys stay home with their mamas."

At one point, I even had it neatly printed out, and hanging on the living room wall. For years, he's been hearing this teasing without really thinking about it-until today.

Danny: I figured out how I can move away from home someday.
Me: No, you can't. Nice boys stay home with their mothers, bad boys run off with floozies."
Danny: But I know how it can work.
Me: Do tell.
Danny: I can bring you with when I move, and you can still cook and do laundry and all the other chores I need you to do.
Me: Awesome.
Danny: I hope I can find a yellow haired floozie, they're the best sort of floozies.


I'll be ironing my apron if anyone needs me.

Glaced Fruit and Candied Peel For Baking

Why? Because for twenty dollars, and the cost of my time I made over a hundred dollar's worth of glaced fruit to use in my holiday baking. I have to think they taste better than the peels and cherries in the plastic tubs at the grocer. Less preservative anyway. As a bonus, I know what century they are from.

I made:

Crystalised ginger
Candied orange peel
Candied pineapple (I tinted half the batch green so it would look festive. That's some damn festive pineapple there)
Glaced apricots
Glaced cherries


The pineapple and apricots were dried fruit that I re-hydrated by steaming and then proceeded with putting through the sugar syrup. The biggest time suck was waiting for them to dry and then re-dip them in syrup. I did the process about five times with the apricots and pineapple, about eight with the cherries. I may give them another dip tomorrow, but they really don't need it.

So let me tell you about the cherries.

My grocer had 10 oz. jars of maraschino cherries for .99 cents. They are store brand, more fruit than liquid and every bit as nice as the ones that cost twice as much. You do the math. I'll wait.

OK, so you see my point. Fresh cherries never came down in price last summer, or I would have made a few batches using a similar process-no big deal. Honestly, they are going in fruitcake. By the time you are done with them, they won't taste anything like maraschino cherries, not that there's anything wrong with them-I'm sort of partial to them myself, and frequently bake with them.

If you were super-thrifty, the liquid they are packed in could be boiled down into a usable syrup. I did not do that. I used sugar and water in small batches (you really can't crowd the fruit in the syrup). I used cane sugar because I do not like the smell of beet sugar (everyone thinks I'm quite mad, but to me, beet sugar smells like dirty hair that hasn't been washed in a very long time. I know, it probably really is just me, nonetheless, who wants to think of dirty hair every time they pour a cup of sugar in a bowl? Right.

It is slow, and tedious to make these, and it gives you a better understanding of why glaced fruit is so mind-bogglingly expensive-but for my purposes, totally worth it. I'm tempted to skip baking this year and just give away glaced fruit as gifts. It isn't like you can pop over to the grocer and pick up glaced apricots-at least not where I live.

Thrift Finds

The first Saturday of the month is the bag sale at the thrift store in the Senior Centre in Wahoo, Nebraska. The scarves would have been a deal at .25 cents full price, but into the $2.00 bag they went. Silk, from Italy. Fancy, huh?
This glass set was originally three dollars, but today I took it home for $1.50. Not a scratch or chip on it. There was a large matching trifle dish I should have bought as well for $4.00. If it is still there Monday I might go get it anyway-still quite the bargain.


This jacket is a velvety/suede type of material and is a much deeper blue than the overexposed photo makes it look. I fell in love with the collar, so into the bag it went. I also bought Danny a brand new pair of sneakers. We were paying when the resident grandma insisted I go find something else to shove in the bag because the vintage jacket, two silk scarves and Keds weren't getting my full two dollars worth. I know better than to argue with grandma...so I found a red corduroy jacket (also much deeper coloured than the photo looks). She was so happy I found something else. We found a couple motorcycle magazines for Danny in the Free pile by the door on the way out.
Not my favourite look, but Granny insisted I take it.
Also purchased but not pictured:

Vintage greeting cards, still in box from 1940's(.25 cents)
Books
A Richard Simmons Video Tape (Mr. Eat The Blog thought it would amuse Danny...or so he claims) .50 cents
A paper lantern shaped like a fish still in the original sealed packaging (.25 cents)

I still can't believe how lucky I was-I never find nice glassware. Then, because clearly the cheapskate gods were smiling on me, I went grocery shopping and bought a two pound block of extra sharp cheddar for $3.99

Not a bad day overall.