Yesterday, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey, wrote a glowing review of Bitches on a Budget. Obviously, whenever anyone says something nice about our message we feel happy, but when someone who is a terrific writer says something nice about our writing, we positively shine.
Some snippets of what they had to say in yesterday’s paper:
“With a prose style that clickety-clacks across the page like stiletto heels on a marble floor, Rosalyn Hoffman gives pointers, tips, guidance and ploys for you to maintain, or attain, the glam of a glossy fashion mag. Clothes, home furnishing, vacationing, dining and, yes, plastic surgery, this book covers it all.”
“Some tips: The clothing at Walmart can be as stylish as at Neiman Marcus, and pleasure in a museum as seductive and romantic as a European spa. Dining out? Lunch at that expensive new restaurant everyone is talking about is cheaper than dinner.”
Best of all, they finish the review by saying “...this book has more ideas than Bergdorf’s has snobs. Buy it!”
We’re always stumped when it comes to Father’s Day gifts.
Ludlum books (which you’ll never want to read), golf tees (whatever they are), car detailing kits (hey, what’s a car wash for?) are all big fat yawns. Besides what do you get out of them?
We think it’s time to give a gift with benefits.
This year, how about getting your hubby the new fatherhood documentary, The Evolution of Dad – a film that promises to inspire him to spend more time with the kids and do more housework? Crazy, huh, but it just might work! Could be the best 20 bucks you ever spent!
You’ve been with us long enough to know that the one thing we never kid around about is our food. We are drop dead, deadly serious when it comes to yummy and healthful eating (which to our palate is one and the same). So we thought we’d share our penny-pinching dinner from last night. It is now on the menu in our fantasy restaurant. (Yes, whenever we prepare an epic dish we say it will go on the menu in our restaurant. A place open only when we feel like cooking and where we serve whatever suits our fancy that day. Hence, it is our fantasy restaurant.)
We arrived home late after having been out of town for some time. Too tired to go out. Too cheap to order in. Besides we were hungry for something delicious, and take-out does not equal delicious.
Outside of a new bottle of Les Domaniers de Puit Mouret, Rose, from Costco, which we were dying to try (and loved) the refrigerator was empty, empty, empty.
We found in the pantry: garlic cloves, a can of top quality anchovies, Setaro brand bucatini pasta, excellent extra virgin olive oil, raisins, a jar of home made whole wheat bread crumbs, hot pepper flakes. In our garden we had copious amounts of flat leaf parsley and spearmint.
We set to work.
We put on a big pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. We roughly chopped three large garlic cloves and set them to slowly cook in ¼ cup of olive oil on a very low flame for ten minutes (they should be translucent, maybe slightly golden, but never browned).
Then we took five anchovy filets and finely chopped them and added them to the garlic, stirring until they completely melted into the sauce. We added a handful of golden raisins and cooked for ten more minutes on low heat.
We chopped up two cups of parsley* and several sprigs of mint, most of which we added to the anchovy, raisin and garlic sauce. Again, we simmered this for 15 more minutes.
To the boiling water we added a fistful of bucatini. When the pasta was almost done we took a ladle full of pasta water and added this to the anchovy/parsley/raisin sauce. Before the pasta finished cooking we added it to the saucepan. We turned the heat up to high and cooked the pasta al-dente (keep tasting-never overcook). Be mindful, as you might need to add more pasta water to keep it moist and a little saucy. Once done, we seasoned it with salt and freshly ground pepper.
We put the steaming hot pasta into two heated bowls, drizzled a little olive oil, sprinkled loads of hot pepper flakes (we love spicy), fresh parsley, mint and a generous handful of whole wheat bread crumbs.
It was divine.
*You could also use endive, escarole, radicchio, even zucchini at the stage where you add the parsley for a twist on this basic sauce. Eliminate the raisins; add pine nuts; add more or less anchovy or garlic. Create tastes that suit you.
When Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace prize it piqued our interest. While we’re optimists by nature, we found ourselves a little worried. You know when a story climaxes too soon, the end result isn’t very satisfying. And we have very high hopes for the big O. While we were debating the merits of the award, we thought back to Al Gore and his winning the Peace Prize for his work with the environment and climate change. How relevant to our work: conservation and careful use of resources are keys to being a modern woman living on a budget. President Carter and his Nobel Prize for brokering conflict resolution also comes to mind as our heart lusts after all those unaffordable but adorable things we once thought essential to our happiness. You know, like a day at the spa, dinner at Daniel, or that Narcisco leather jacket. We digress. Anyway, it got us to thinking about thrift and virtue.
Since everything is about us (isn’t it?), we began to wonder if there shouldn’t be a prize for being thrifty. Don’t we too deserve a reward for being so mindful and careful about how we’re spending our precious resources? What’s more virtuous than thrift? Then we started to get nervous. Images of thrift started floating by: a wingback chair, a needlepoint stool, little tabby lapping a wholesome plate of milk, Aunt Jenny saving rubber bands. It’s safe and sensible being thrifty. But do we want to be so prudent all the time? No, not really.
Remember in our “Whap!” post we talked about the devil and the angel sitting on your shoulders helping you resolve your purchasing conflicts? How in our brownie recipe we talked about teasing your palate with different sensory sensations? Well, contrasts are what make life worth living; without the ups and downs where would we be? (Okay, on Prozac.) But how would we ever experience joy and sadness, pleasure and pain, love and hate?
We’d live a very boring and passionless life if we didn’t on occasion act on that little lust engine that drives us. (Think planting peanuts versus running Worldwide Pants.) After all, lust is the fuel that propels us forward. It’s green (the color of envy) and it’s renewable. The trick is for you to be your own lust-master. On the surface it should be easier for us than for boys, but have you seen Alexander McQueen’s new collection? Yes, we want to be thrifty, but not all the time. Learn to be your own conflict resolution negotiator; by saving and conserving you’ll have the flexibility to go out and have a satisfying good splurge. A great splurge should bring peace (if not a peace prize)—not saddle you with anxiety or buyer’s remorse.
While we’re budget gurus, we recognize the eternal yin-yangness of life on earth. And so we celebrate the splurge as well as the conservation. We laud the new and shiny as well as the old and worn.
Tell us: what’s the biggest and best splurge in your recent memory?
This is an updated ‘oldie but goodie’ from Bitches on a Budget.
The truth of the matter is we’ve been inside writing for far too long and are looking kind of pasty. So we got a little over excited when we popped into Sephora for a little afternoon pick-me-up. Since we’re only human, we waaaaaay overbought. You know how that cosmetics candy rush feels—so many products, so many colors, so many forms to play with: brush on, roll on, schmear-on, hard, soft, foaming…
We went in for a new blush and found ourselves overwhelmed searching for the right color, the right viscosity, the right whatever-it-is that would make us happy (okay we know a tall order for any modern woman let alone a bitch on a budget). In short, we needed help. (BTW, only ask for help from people whose makeup looks good on them; some of the salespeople looked ready for Halloween). Since we haven’t been out much and were feeling kind of bumpy and gray, we were very vulnerable. (more…)
No more nasty aerosols or overpriced faux- scented potpourri for us! A thrifty bitch brews up her own home scents. Mix herbs and spices with a cup or two of water. Bring to a boil , turn to a slow simmer and release the delicious fragrance. We love a mixture of cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. Make your own combinations using rosemary, lavender, peppercorns, juniper berries, star anise, orange peels… Spa for free.
Mother’s Day is right around the corner and we’re here to help with five simple ideas she’s sure to love.
1. Herbs
Whether your mom lives in an apartment or on in the country, nothing spices up a meal more than fresh herbs. Arrive with shovel in hand ready to plant them for her in the garden or in a window box. (Make sure your assortment includes lemon verbena so she can brew the best herbal tea ever.)
2. Melitta Coffee Cone and Filters
The single best cup of the day is the first cup. The simplest and best coffee is made using this $2.99 Melitta cone. Period. (So reasonably priced you’ll have enough left to spring for designer coffee beans and a gorgeous new mug!)
3. Hip New Nail Polish and Manicure
Give her a manicure because on Mother’s Day she shouldn’t be lifting a single well polished digit. While the $14.00 price tag is high for nail polish, we’re obsessed with the hip colors and no chemical ‘nasties’ formulary from Butter London.
4. A Massage (Mom is Worth the Splurge)
As every mother knows, there is not a day that goes by without worry about her little (or big) darlings. Today’s your day to take the stress off her shoulders (you are responsible for it, after all). Spring for a gift certificate for a long relaxing massage.
5. A Book or Magazine Subscription
Is your mom a romantic, a cook, a bird watcher, a travel fanatic, a quilter, hiker, sewer, basket weaver? Whatever her passion, interest or budget– there is a book or magazine that will thrill her. Of course, if your mom hasn’t read Bitches on a Budget it’s time to get her, her own copy. We’re also crazy for new cookbooks like Pasta Sfoglia and Stir; novels like Olive Kitteridge and The Three Weissmanns of Westport; magazines like The New Yorker, Vogue and Real Simple. (And, if your budget allows, consider giving them to her on a new i-Pad or Kindle!)
OK, that sounds way dirtier than we intended… that’s wrong even to our ears.
What we mean is this: it’s Wednesday, that day of the week you might need your spirit perked up, and you’re a dog lover. And you’ve got the most stylish/adorable/talented/heroic dog in the world.
We want you to prove it.
Tell us your most amazing dog story. Got a dog who could perform an incredible trick? Who saved you from a fire? Found novel ways to communicate? Helped balance the checkbook? Or just does something really really, really cute? (Don’t they all?)
Write to us about your favorite bitches to win a copy of The Bitches. Post in Drop-a-Dime box or email us at info@bitchesonadbudget.com by May 15th.
And be sure to read Chapter 10, “Pamper The Bitch,” in Bitches on a Budget. Tell us what you think of our doggie ideas!
*Oh, and make sure you send us your kitty stories. Of course we love little puss.
This is our second pet contest and we’ve received the most to-die-for cute pet pix. So don’t forget to send yours in –even send us your video!
Congratulations to all of the James Beard Award Winners 2010. We are especially delighted to see one of our favorite food blogs Serious Eats winning this year! And, Sfoglia, the restaurant we featured during Strawberry Week for their fantastic, fabulous, ultra-delicious, yummy strawberry/tomato sauce for pasta, won in the single subject category! Bravo.
Since we think cookbooks make an amazing Mother’s Day gift, we want to take this time to share with you our go to cookbook catalog- Jessica’s Biscuit. Check them out for their HUGE assortment and amazing prices.
Books
- American Cooking ”Real Cajun” by Donald Link
- Baking and Dessert ”Baking” by James Peterson
- Beverage ”Been Doon So Long” by Randall Grahm
- Cooking from a Professional Point of View
“The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts” by The French Culinary Institute with Judith Choate
- General Cooking ”Ad Hoc at Home” by Thomas Keller
- Healthy Focus ”Love Soup” by Anna Thomas
- International ”The Country Cooking of Ireland” by Colman Andrews
- Photography ”Seven Fires”, Photographer: Santiago Soto Monllor
- Reference and Scholarship ”Encyclopedia of Pasta” by Oretta Zanini de Vita
- Single Subject”Pasta Sfoglia” by Ron and Colleen Suhanosky
- Writing and Literature ”Save the Deli” by David Sax
- Cookbook of the Year ”The Country Cooking of Ireland” by Colman Andrews (more…)
We believe good taste need not be expensive, so there is nothing more exciting than seeing one of the world’s greatest designers, Jil Sander, extend her collaboration with Uniqlo (an amazing Japanese retailer with stores all over the globe).
Her third +J collection just arrived in stores.
So, if you’re in NYC make it a point to drop by their Soho store to snatch up sophisticated silhouettes at simply great prices!
No more nasty aerosols or overpriced faux- scented potpourri for us! A thrifty bitch brews up her own home scents. Mix herbs and spices with a cup or two of water. Bring to a boil , turn to a slow simmer and release the delicious fragrance. We love a mixture of cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. Make your own combinations using rosemary, lavender, peppercorns, juniper berries, star anise, orange peels… Spa for free.
