Cheese Paper

Formaticum Cheese Papers



Dark winter nights in the NW have me regularly rustling up a small appetizer plate prior to dinner. My current favorite pre dinner nosh is English Blue Stilton and Pinot Noir salami slices from Trader Joes.  The stilton cheese is creamy, slightly sharp and absolutely delicious.

Storing this cheese for optimal taste has always been an issue for me. It hardly works to dump leftovers in a plastic baggie. Tupperware containers leave too much air around the cheese, possibly drying it out. Cheese papers to the rescue!

I may be the last to know about these papers, but I will still share.  A local kitchen shop sells Formaticum Cheese Papers for 6.95 pack (12 sheets and stickers). Each sheet can wrap 2 wedges of cheese. You can note the type(s) of cheese with the adhesive labels that are included. I enjoy a variety of cheeses, especially during these darker winter days, and I'm glad to find a way to store them appropriately.

What's your favorite cheese? Where do you shop for your favorites?

The Vortex

Plastic Vortex in Pacific
As a mother of teens, there are many things that keep me up at night. And though I am known as a bit of a worry wart, you might not expect that I worry about the "plastic vortex", that swirling mass of plastic, roughly the size of Texas, assembled in the Pacific Ocean. My walking friend can attest to my obsessive litter pick-up as I mutter about the vortex.

We can all pat ourselves on the back for our great habits regarding reusable canvas bags for shopping trips. Now it is time to take our habits to another level. As my plastic consumption awareness has grown, I look for more alternatives, most recently these durable (and reusable) polyester bags for produce.

While my local PCC Natural Market sells these bags in various sizes in their produce section, they are not available in most mainstream grocery stores. At ReusableBags.com, a set of 5 bags will cost you $10.95, keeping countless produce bags from landfills and possibly the "vortex".

If you have other tips regarding reduction of using plastic items, please share! Thanks so much for reading this post. I hope this inspires you to adapt and change another habit and pass it on to others.

How Very Exciting

As compared to regular sized business cards
They had me at mini-cards!

For a couple of reasons, I have been putting off having business cards made for months. Mainly, I was uncertain of the resolution quality of the pear graphic in my logo. And by making a business card, I guess...that means I am in business! Yikes and Hurray!

In discovering custom mini-cards from MOO.com via a great bloggers' resource, Meylah.com, I knew I had found the place and application to move forward. The mini-cards were the perfect solution for my not so high quality jpeg logo, plus the size makes them so unique!

Creating business cards, mini-cards or postcards at Moo.com is incredibly simple:

Choose Your Product:



Select to upload your own image or choose from existing fun templates:


Continue to follow prompts that allow you to add text to the reverse side, crop and center your image and finalize the layout before ordering. The paper quality is outstanding and my graphic ended up looking top notch in this size.

Once I placed my order, the mini-cards arrived within 8 days. As you can see by the clever packaging by the folks at MOO.com, they know their audience! "How exciting", was exactly what I said while opening my package. And yes, they do have a new best friend!

If you would like to become friends too, simply add the coupon code: PAP2ZN to receive 10% off your order.

I hope you like my new business cards! Yay!

Piles of Pears

Artist and Mom, Pat Brookes
Did you know that my mom, Pat, is an artist who continues to evolve in her craft by the day? She and my dad live nearby on Whidbey Island, about an hour plus a ferry ride away. I speak to them regularly and just today my mom was ecstatic over her latest art endeavor: pear cards! For the past few months she has been successfully exploring texture, shape and design with her unique pear paintings. The originals have become so popular, she had the best selling reproduced 4 x 6 art cards sold in an assorted package of 6 for $16.00. Visit her Etsy page or website: PatBrookes.com to purchase or view more.

Now the bargain shopper in me can see these note cards framed individually with a wide matte border and sleek, simple frame. Grouped in a kitchen or dining room, they would make a strong impact with flair. I have always liked pears. I appreciate their beautiful shape, varying shades of color and simply satisfying sweet taste. Now captured in my moms' art work, I can appreciate them as her inspiration too.

Zip-It

This post may not be the most attractive subject, but I guarantee it will be one of the most useful. Next time you hit the hardware store, take a trip down the plumbing aisle and pick up 3-4 Zip-Its. This is the tool that plumbers and makers of drain cleaner don't want you to know about. At roughly $1.97 ea., this long slender piece of plastic with little barbs running along the sides may end up saving you plumbers fees or the cost (and hazards to you and the environment) of chemical drain cleaners.

To unclog slow running drains, simply insert, push all the way into the drain and pull out the clog. I use this tool for maintaining clog free drains. Whether I am experiencing slow draining plumbing or not, I take 30 seconds to clear sink, shower and tub drains routinely. Imagine the satisfaction of pulling out immense globs of gunk out of your drain at minimal cost and minimal effort!

Favorite Kitchen Tool

I would emphatically state that a great cup of coffee is the only way to start your day.

A few years ago, I had breakfast at a friends and she served a beautiful, frothy cup of coffee. The milk was frothed and foamed with the aerolatte milk frother. At that time my husband and I were trying to wean ourselves off the hydrogenated oil laden french vanilla creamer that we added to our coffee each morning. The aerolatte milk frother did the trick.

The steam free frother works on cold lowfat or non-fat milk by quickly whisking the milk to a perfect foamy top. Add a little raw sugar and coffee and you have a perfect cafe style cup of coffee at home. I love this frother so much, I travel with it.

I have tried less expensive frothers and the aerolatte brand is the best. The motor is stronger and outlasts other brands. You can purchase on Amazon.com for $19.99. Wouldn't they make a great hostess gift too?

The Pursuit

I had a great time at the salvage yard yesterday and will have photos to post early next week. But hey it's Friday, after a long week I am ready to embrace the weekend. My weekend plans will start this evening with a new CD: The Pursuit by Jamie Cullum and a cosmo.

If you have heard any of Jamie Cullum in the past and even slightly liked him, you will love this new CD. Critics say he is unconventional and spontaneous as his songs span jazz, pop and hip hop genres. I am not a music critic, but this album is smouldering and through his musical and vocal talents, his magnetism pervades. Even more so with a perfect limey martini!

Cosmo Recipe:
1/2 oz real cranberry juice (no fruit cocktail version please)
1/2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice (no need to measure, just keep squeezing)
1/2 oz triple sec
1 oz vodka

shake with ice and pour into super fine sugar garnished martini glass

Valentines or Anytime

Emersonmade


Forget fresh flowers on Valentines, I would love an everlasting bloom from Emersonmade. I discovered this quirky site over a year ago and frequent their blog often. Not only do I love their hand dyed, hand stitched roses, dahlias and poppies, the candid photography is fantastic. Out of their New York farm, this adorable couple runs Emersonmade, amongst hens and ducks and dogs.

My daughter just went to a semi-formal school dance last weekend. This Flutter and Little Royal Rose wrist corsage would have been a beautiful accessory and keepsake:



For him, an adorable Popper Tie Tack, certainly he would indulge and wear for Valentine's day:



On a clutch, belt or pin, the Cheeky Dahlias are my absolute favorite. I love the pale pink and salmon colored ones!:



Visit Emersonmade.com and just try to find a favorite.

Finishing Touch

While I don't tend to stock up on seemingly unnecessary cleaning supplies, I can't live without a scented countertop spray. Nothing seems to say "the kitchen is sparkling clean", more than a spray and wipe down of the counter tops. Most sprays are all-purpose and safe to use on non-porous surfaces. Method, Williams & Sonoma and Caldrea sprays are earth friendly and come in a number of scents. My current favorite is pink grapefruit.

Method - Target: $2.99

Willams & Sonoma - $9.99

Candlelight

glassybaby.com

I have always loved the flickering glow of candlelight for ambience at home. The long dark winter nights of the NW have me lighting candles housewide by 5pm. My dedication to this nightly event requires the candle drawer to be stocked with tea lights, votives and pillars.

While enjoying breakfast with friends at a great local bistro recently, I noticed the decorative candle holders had mini oil cartridges for light instead of tealights. These are brilliant! They burn parafin from 8-15 hrs (depending on size of cartridge) and are both smokeless and odorless. In using the cartridges, I can eliminate the sooty buildup on inside windows, the nightly replacing of tealights and cleaning out waxy candle holders. You can find these mini oil cartridges at Dining By Candlelight - 57.99 for 180 cartridges (approx. .32 ea) or at a local restaurant supply.

Let the glow go on.

Product Review - Coffee

I do love my morning coffee.  And while I acquire many pantry staples from Trader Joes, on a recent nudge from my mom, I purchased their French Roast coffee.  $9.99 for 26oz., it comes whole bean, dark, rich and smelling just the way great coffee should smell.  The canister is colorful but I just had to transfer the beans to my flea market find jar.

Another coffee rave review is for SLO Roasted Coffee out of San Luis Obispo, CA.  I have been a fan of their coffee since the late 90's.  For my dads' 70th birthday, my siblings and I pooled our funds for coffee for a year.  He enjoyed a pound of coffee/month.  Teds' top picks:

• Scottish Toffee
• Carmel Caramel
• Morning Fog Lifter

I find their coffees well worth the price and will usually order at least 3lbs. to make shipping costs worthwhile.  The best part of waking up is definitely a delicious cup of coffee.