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Starting January 1, 2010, Guests can go to www.disneyparks.com to search for volunteer opportunities made available through HandsOn Network and sign up for a day of volunteer service. As the nation
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Developing relationships with your local shopkeepers can save you money. My local jewelry repairman fixed my watch clasp for free because I always bring him my business. I gave him $5 towards his daughter
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This recipe is nutrient-packed, low-fat and high fiber but sticks nicely to your ribs. Pair it with a pasta or rice to complete the dinner.
½ cup dried orange lentils
½ cup dried brown lentils
2 cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups fresh baby spinach
½ cup diced red bell pepper
2 tbsp. dried cilantro
½ tsp. fresh ground pepper
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup tomatillo salsa
3 cloves minced garlic (the jar kind is fine)
3 -4 cups cooked brown rice, white rice or couscous
Pour lentils and broth into a medium saucepan. Cover and cook on low for 20 minutes. If the lentils aren’t tender, cook them for a few minutes more. Stir in spinach, pepper, spices, salsa and garlic. Heat until the spinach wilts and everything is nicely warmed. Serve over rice or couscous. Add a dollop of sour cream for a garnish if you like.
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Doesn’t it seem like we’re all looking for a bargain these days? Especially if we’re hosting our wine guzzling friends for a dinner party. These wines are truly a steal but let us define what we mean by “good”. Good isn’t a very descriptive adjective when it comes to wine because what people like and expect differs so greatly. So what constitutes a “good” wine to us at rubbingnickels.com? To us, even if a wine is cheap, it still needs to resemble a decent bottle when you take a sip. It also needs to invite you to polish off the whole glass…or the whole bottle, as the case may be.
We’ve compiled this list with the help of some friends at Vino 100 in Los Altos but have also added our “go-to” favorites for everyday drinking. If you find these wines and like them, by all means buy a case, because when our friends find out about a good, cheap wine, they tend to stockpile it. You may even get a better price if you buy a whole case!
Here are our recommendations for this season:
Edna Valley Chardonnay – 2009 – Julie’s pick. Great with anything at $10 a bottle.
Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio – 2007 – Darcy’s easy-drinking white. Crisp and light at $7.
Enter to win at Balicompany.com. You have to be willing to enter your bra and panty size in the online box. If you win, put at least $40 in your wish jar!
This is an easy recipe and the chicken comes out deliciously moist. Simply double or triple the amounts for a dinner party.
Chicken Breasts with Artichokes
1 package frozen artichoke hearts
4 chicken breasts, boneless or with bone as preferred
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ chicken broth
½ cup white wine
Sprigs of Parsley
Defrost artichokes enough to separate them and place in bottom of roasting pan. Sprinkle chicken breasts with oregano, salt and pepper. Combine broth and wine and pour over chicken. Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender. Garnish with parsley or rosemary.
Bistro Potatoes
6 large red potatoes, or 3 russet potatoes, about 1 ½ pounds total, peeled
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 large shallots, minced
¼ olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
½ grated Parmesan cheese
Put rack in upper third of oven. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease 7 inch round shallow baking dish (a pie dish also works well). Thinly slice potatoes. As sliced, put in bowl of cold water. Drain slices. Dry slices and bowl as thoroughly as possible. Transfer back to bowl. Toss slices with garlic, shallots, 3 tablespoons of oil, salt and pepper until evenly coated. Arrange slices neatly in prepared dish. Cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil. Press potatoes down again with spatula. Bake uncovered, 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese evenly over potatoes. Drizzle with remaining oil. Bake until brown and crusty, about 20 minutes. Serve hot in wedges.
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Julie and I both have kids in public school and have also been involved in numerous non-profit organizations over the years where we have given both our time and our money. But what do you do when you just plain run out of money to donate? Hide? Screen your phone calls? The answer is simple: Give of your time and your material goods and you can feel just as philanthropic as you did when you used to get out your checkbook.
This week, we’ve compiled a list of some things you can do to give back in your community. Here are a few of our ideas, sorted into categories of giving.
Books – Clean out your kid’s bookshelves and give the books to a new teacher at the school who is trying to put together a classroom library. Clean your personal shelves and donate the books to a Senior Center or Senior Day Care Center.
Here is an excerpt from an interview we did with our friend Lori Krolik, who has a Northern California-based business called More Time For You. Rubbingnickels.com is looking for home-based business owners to share their business start-up experiences. Please contact us from our home page if you have a story you’d like to share. We hope you learn from and enjoy her story.
Tell us about your business:
I’m a professional organizer and time management consultant. I provide de-cluttering assistance to individuals and small businesses. I also help clients set up organization systems personalized to their needs including all rooms of the house (office, kitchen, garage, closets, kids’ rooms, etc.), office organization and paper management.
Why did you start this business?
I had a passion for organization and I liked having the ability to help others. I also wanted to do something that would allow me flexibility while raising my kids.
What is your background?
Before starting my own business I was a CPA having worked for a large public accounting firm and also in the real estate industry.
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This is an easy recipe when you have leftover mashed potatoes. It’s also good as a side dish without the sausage. My husband went back for “thirds.”
4-5 sausages (I like Aidell’s, but Polska Kielbasa works as well)
2 ½ cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 ½ cups frozen green peas
1 tbsp. butter
Cooking spray
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
Fresh ground black pepper
Spray a frying pan lightly with cooking spray. Brown sausages in pan for 2-3 minutes per side then slice into wheels. Microwave green peas with 1 tbsp. butter until thawed.
Lightly spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread cold mashed potatoes into the bottom of the pan. Bury the sausage wheels in the potatoes in row. Spoon the peas over the top carefully, making sure to leave out the water in the bottom of the bowl. Press down with a spoon. Top with Parmesan cheese and black pepper (to taste).
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, uncovered.
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Laundering men
While reviewing our own personal budgets line by line, Darcy and I discussed how people sometimes choose to spend money based on their pre-conceived notions and family traditions. For example, no matter how tight our family finances were, my mother would never let us wear hand-me-down shoes. Only brand-spanking new shoes for the Arnheim girls. In the same vein, some people won’t buy generic products at the market or pharmacy, believing them to be inferior. We would love to hear what you would never sacrifice in the name of cost-savings and if you have a few ideas, please post to this blog.
As advice, we have a few recommendations of our own:
Insurance – How tempting it might be to let this, at times cost-prohibitive, line item lapse. But, please do not. Getting sick, or in an accident, without insurance puts an exponentially larger burden on your financial situation. Shop around to find less expensive alternatives, or perhaps consider increasing your deductible, but make sure you keep yourself covered.
Doctor’s Visits and Procedures – Perhaps the elective, cosmetic surgery can wait, but do not postpone the medically recommended treatments or regular check-ups. Preventative medicine can be much cheaper than treating a later-stage problem. This includes check-ups, mammograms, visits to the dentist, etc.
Home and Car Repairs and General Maintenance – Nothing is worse than having your car break down just when you need it the most or having a flood that could have been prevented in your own home. Regular maintenance will undoubtedly extend the life of your vehicle, appliances and home. Don’t put off oil changes, testing of smoke alarms and pest control, just to name a few. You won’t regret having done something to maintain the value of your investment.
Put simply, being pennywise but pound foolish hasn’t worked since Ben Franklin coined the phrase. So keep rubbing your nickels but spend wisely when you need to.
Sincerely yours,
Julie Arnheim and Darcy Ratner
Founders, Rubbingnickels.com
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