Archive for September, 2010
Whiskey the Official Drink of Every Repression
September 29th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: Food & Spirits, whiskey
We’re big whisky/whiskey gals. We even offer a tutorial in our new book, Bitches on a Budget, so a gal can sidle up to the bar and order with authority. After all, we think that whisky (or is it whiskey? read The Bitches to get the answer) should be the official drink of any Repression.
Repression?
Yes, we’ve decided we are not exactly living in a recession or a depression, but something psychologically nefarious and new. A Repression.
Think about it: the national mood is one of repressed appetites, repressed spending, repressed lending, repressed reality.
Some of this is a good course correction–not consuming everything in our path is wise, smart, and green. We need to finally grow up as a country–we can’t have and do anything we please. Thoughtful careful spending is overdue. Savings are good. But a frightened consumer and withholding banks aren’t good for anyone.
Are we repressing our reality because it is too painful to see and hear the truth? Crumbling infrastructure, desperate local governments, deficits, joblessness and the fear of joblessness. Gridlock in Congress (who doesn’t want a big tall stiff one listening to the incessant, unproductive, petty squabbling while war rages, unemployment continues unabated and the future seems uncertain ).
Meanwhile, as a nation we’re glued to reality shows depicting “real” people whose lives are falling apart or defy normal logic: so-called real housewives; or women so desperate to get famous they’ll let some dude pick them from a line-up. Don’t get us wrong, we have our addictions like Project Runway and Chopped. But isn’t it disturbing to read about the latest perversion: Bridalplasty?
Think about it: what else could account for the popularity of our “Peep Show Nation” but a need to hide from our own reality, to submerge our psyches in those whose lives are weirder and more unbelievable?
We think it’s time for a little healthy stimulation, leaders willing to tell the real truth and stop the spin, and voters mature enough to face hard realities and listen. Until that day comes, we’re doing everything we can to stay afloat.
Whiskey or whisky? We’ll take one of each.
We originally published a version of this in the Huffington Post.
The Cheapest Beauty Tip, Like, Ever
September 28th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: bargain, Beauty & Grooming, savings
We were thinking about all the money a gal spends on make-up and grooming products. You know: the Sephora binge and shame jaunts; the Duane Reade/CVS/Walgreen hair accessory pick-me-up-basket-fill-ups; the Avon lady calling and you buying all she’s selling visits.
When it occurred to us the biggest error most of us make when applying make-up or styling our hair is that we do it facing a mirror.
Huh? What’s wrong with looking straight into the mirror? Nothing and everything. While you get a fabulous full frontal view, you miss all the nuanced dimensions of how people really see you. (Well, not exactly metaphysically, more superficially and three-dimensionally.)
So, the one key grooming and beauty item you should have in your arsenal is a hand held mirror. It’s the biggest beauty buy of all ($2.99 and up) to make sure the back of your hair is in concert with the front, the clips are pinned straight, and the make-up is blended smoothly back from the jaw into the neck line.
Roots Week: Baked Sweet Potato Fries. Sweet.
September 20th, 2010 | 2 Comments
Tags: bargains, Food & Spirits, Health & Fitness, healthy food, recipes
Healthy, delicious, easy. Sweet.
Not only have we have given up old fashioned fried fries, but our potato of choice is sweet potato*. So what could be better than simple to make, yummy to eat, baked sweet potato fries?
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Wash and completely dry one large sweet potato (we buy organic whenever possible). This should be enough for two people.
If you like wedges, cut the potato in half the long way. Place the flat side down on your cutting board and slice each half into 4- 6 wedges (you determine how thin or thick you want them, just remember to check on them as they cook). If you prefer a real ‘fry’ look, slice the potato into 1/3-inch long slices, then 1/3-wide inch strips.
Before baking, lightly coat them with olive oil, sea salt and loads of freshly ground pepper . Get creative and vary your seasonings: cumin, curry, paprika, truffle oil…
Place on baking sheet lined with parchment (easy clean-up) and cook from 20-30 minutes until crispy on the outside and soft inside. Add salt and pepper to taste.
*We were wondering about the difference between yams and sweet potatoes and did a little research. In the US almost all potatoes labeled as yams are in fact sweet potatoes. The Texas Cooperative Extension Aggie Horticulture Network, advises buying sweet potatoes with a deep color for the best food value. For best food flavor they advise storing them in an environment between 55-60 degrees–not the refrigerator.
Root cellars anyone?
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Roots Week
September 19th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: bargain, Food & Spirits, healthy food, recipes, Root vegetable, Shopping, Turnip
Living well has nothing to do with how much money you have, it’s about discovering what roots you and gives pleasure. Things like: spending time with family and friends; reading a book; going for a swim; playing a game; eating well.
While we kid around about most things, (we did write Bitches on a Budget, after all), we never kid around about our food!
Marketing for, preparing and eating delicious healthy food is like a religion to us. We believe that the only thing between being on a budget and eating well is sweat equity. We believe the best food is often the simplest. We believe the best food is always the freshest. The best way to get fresh produce is by buying in season as close to farm as is reasonable. So, we keep a close eye on seasonal surplus to find the best fresh ingredients at the best prices.
Since digging up bargains is what we do best, this fall harvest time we’re rocking out on root vegetables. They are versatile, nutritious, delicious and cheap, cheap, cheap.
First up. Turnips.
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Beauty and the Beast
September 18th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: bargains, designers, Fashion, Lady Gaga, Lanvin
 Fashion Week in NYC just finished and we’ve shown remarkable self-restraint. Mostly because we’ve seen nothing that has gotten us too excited (on the runway) one way or another. Until now, that is. We just saw the most gorgeous Oscar de la Renta dress that if we weren’t on a budget we would be lusting after. But, as you know by now (if you’ve read The Bitches, that is), the job of a fashionable gal on a budget is to shop the trends and then find them interpreted at affordable price points. Trust us, we’re not perky, pink and green Lily Pulitzer kind of gals, nor are we frou-frou-fraus, but this dress is objectively elegant and beautiful.
Speaking of taste. Bad taste, that is.  Lady Gaga in a “Meat Dress”.
PB&Joe
September 17th, 2010 | 2 Comments
Tags: bargain, Health & Fitness, healthy food, peanut butter
We have a confession to make.
We scoffed at peanut butter and jelly when we were kids. While, on occasion, we could be coerced into a Fluffernutter on white bread (we feel nauseated thinking about it now), the thick gooey peanut butter sticking to the roof of our mouth made us feel like we were gagging. (On reflection, maybe it had something to do with the peanut-fluff-white-bread-glue-mix.)
So it’s kind of twisted that as adults we’re totally crazy about peanut butter. (Although, we never liked hot dogs as a kid and they still gross us out. Ugh, think about what you’re eating and feeding your kids people.)
Anyway, now that we’ve got the peanut butter bug we’ve been searching for the best tasting brand -at the best price. We’ve bought the big guys: Skippy, Jif, Teddies, Reeses. We’ve tried small scale organic brands. We’ve ground shelled peanuts in the machines at Whole Foods and tried making our own. (A tip: Just don’t. Shelling all those peanuts sucks!)
But, leave it to good old Joe to give a gal good, goods. Yup, for our money Trader Joe’s has the best peanut butter in the world. Organic. Smooth or Crunchy. Great price.
Products He Steals
September 16th, 2010 | 2 Comments
Tags: Beauty & Grooming
You know you’re onto a good product when your boyfriend/husband/ball-n-chain secretly uses it. Oh, they’ll deny it, but it’s true: OUR MEN USE OUR PRODUCTS. We bitches know all, and we’re here to report the grooming products most stolen by our men.
Before we spill the beans, it’s worth noting that the men in question, while fashion conscious to some degree, are decidedly not the metrosexual type. Nope, we’re not talking dudes who get facials and weekly manicures and know Turkish from Egyptian cotton. Still, we’ve done an unscientific poll and have found them using the following:
MAC Brow Set. And why not? It’s a ‘cheapish’, effective, simple product, awesome for keeping unruly brows in place. (And unlike most stuff on the market, the drugstore version just isn’t as good.) Before we discovered this we’d overpluck or overwax, since that seemed the only way to tame our dramatic brows. MAC eyebrow gel keeps ‘em tidy—and it does so invisibly, making it particularly ideal for men. Yes, it’s true, we found our guy using this on the sly to control his handsome, dramatic, but, uh, rather sun-visorish brow. Got a man who’s fighting a private battle with his twin caterpillars? Offer him this weapon and that battle is won.
 Smith’s Rosebud Salve. The classic in the vintage-y tin. Recently a friend kissed her manly-man goodnight and tasted a hint of this luscious rose, cotton-candy, baby-oil-esque amalgam. “Have you been using my Rosebud Salve?” He shrugged sheepishly, and she understood why his lips had recently become so soft. Want to tenderize your prince’s pout? Offer him a dab at bedtime. Though we can’t help but wonder—is it a form of narcissism, taking such pleasure in kissing lips that taste so much like our lips? Well, nevermind. Keep it by the bedside. It’s cheap and sweet, just how we like it.
Benefit Benetint. OK, funny story here. Another friend noticed her man emerging from the bathroom with the nicest, most natural-looking flushed cheeks. Ah yes, that rosy, in-from-the-cold, I’m-so-well-rested look. This was a Monday morning in February, the height of haggard pale. She complimented him and, lo and behold, watched him turn a deeper shade of red—turns out he used her Benetint! He confessed all, stammering that he was “just curious.” Fine with us, if it imparts such a natural, flattering stain. If you haven’t tried it yet, swing by the Benefit counter. A splurge, but a bottle lasts a long time (if he doesn’t get his hands on it, that is).
You know you’re onto something good if your man can’t keep his paws off it.
What products do your partners steal? Let us know! Write to us!
This is an anniversary repeat of one of our favorite posts!
We’ll Say it Again: When the Economy Bites–Bite Back!
September 15th, 2010 | Comments
How does a foodie survive when her bank account is drained? You’ve already heard us wax rhapsodic about cabbage—the uber economical/healthful/super-delish/underrated veggie.
But we imagine you don’t want three square meals of cabbage a day.
Check out, Economy Bites, a user-friendly, appetite-inducing blog devoted to helping people eat well in tough times. Good recipes, how-to videos, and a charming cast of characters make this a worthy site to cruise before you impulsively dial for mediocre greasy take-out yet again.
While not all the recipes are sexy–face it, ground turkey is never sexy–there’s something so refreshingly home grown about this blog we’re always entertained!
Lustworthy
September 14th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: splurge-worthy
We’re not sure if it’s the red lenses or the Holly Golightly’esque frames, but we can’t stop thinking about these Oliver People’s shades at Barney’s. Different women have different g-spots when it comes to objects of desire: shoes; handbags; sunglasses– all of the above. We’re curious: What is your g- spot (no, not that kind, please) and what’s the most you’ve ever spent on the object of your desire?
(Oh! No worries, your secret is safe with us.)
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