FREE organic chocolate truffles, rotisserie chicken, & photo collage 2/12 only!

If you're looking for a hint for the hubby or if you want to take the initiative to get yourself your own special treat, Earthfare can hook you up today, Friday, February 12 with a FREE box of organic chocolate truffles and a FREE humanely certified rotisserie chicken (saving you $14). The chicken deal is today only; you can get the truffles through 2/16 or while supplies last. Here's how.

With this coupon, if you spend $10, you get the free chicken (worth $8). There's two more coupons here for $1 off a lobster tail and $3 off a tenderloin filet if you want to go all out. It's not hard to spend ten bucks at Earthfare!

With this coupon, if you buy any floral purchase (I bought one red rose for $4), you get a box of truffles for free (worth $6 on sale, normally closer to $10). They have bunches of flowers for $15, but I went the less expensive route.

You can create your own 8x10 photo collage from the comfort of your computer and get it printed for FREE at any Walgreens through 2/12 (I think). Just enter the code "VDAY" at check-out. I did mine last night and can't wait to pick it up. They also have 15% off special items today only as well. Print out the coupon here.

Now I've got dinner, flowers, chocolates, and a gift at great prices. Happy Valentines. Pass it along.

Twitter Phobia

When I heard that "Tweet" was voted word of the year for 2009, I decided it was time to take my head out of the sand and finally check out Twitter. I knew it was a social media--one of the key ways news and ideas were spreading like wildfire--but I had really dragged my feet on this one. Peer pressure had led me to join Facebook a few months back; wasn't that enough? Why did I need Twitter?

The irony is that I've always been eager to educate myself on the latest in technology. We were one of the first families in the neighborhood to get Atari, the Apple IIE, and one of the first Panasonic camcorders with sound. Even though that video camera was a two piece behemoth weighing probably 20 pounds, I jumped right in at age 12.

I got my first email in college, was booking flights through that amazing tool they called the World Wide Web by age 22, and had one of the earliest versions of IMovie home editing software. Technology doesn't scare me. I'm open to the latest and greatest. Ok, maybe that's not the entire truth.

The truth is as I've gotten older, I've lost some energy along the way. I've lost some of that gung-ho gusto to figure out what it takes to work the latest widget or software. I've got three kids, I don't recall the last 8 straight hours of sleep I've had, and my mind is buzzing with "Did Brooke take her medicine? Do I have all the ingredients to make the class cookies? Is that really my dog in the front yard tearing into the neighbor's trash? Crap!" Who has time to Tweet?!

In between loads of laundry and cleaning up trash (yes, true story), I decided to stop making excuses and jump on board. It seemed fairly straight-forward. Messages had to be 140 characters or less and they'd let you know when your message...oops, my Tweets tend to be too long. And then there were all the questions I had: When I tweet, who reads it? How are random people I don't know now following me? Who should I follow? I think retweeting is like forwarding an email, but I haven't tried that yet. A fellow tweeter advised me that http://bit.ly/ and http://tinyurl.com/ will be my best friends for links. Huh?

But I'm happy to report that good things do come to those who crawl out of their comfort zone to try a new technology. Yesterday I picked up two dozen free cupcakes from Pimento's Cafe & Market for becoming a fan on Facebook and tweeting. That was just in time for Teacher Appreciation Week and the MOMS Club valentine party. Yeah!

I'm sure in time, I'll learn the lingo and not feel so old. Be patient with me. I'm just now getting the hang of this blogging thing. So, do you Tweet?

Take it From a Chocohaulic

I wrote the following for EvaMag a few years back and thought you might enjoy this as you're firming up plans for Valentine's Day. Make sure you scroll to the bottom to see video of our family's tradition: the chocolate fountain.

I eat chocolate every day. That’s right—every day! My name is Margaret, and I am a bonafide chocoholic. Join with me, “Hi, Margaret.” Now that I’ve come to terms with my addiction, I see the positive aspects as well. Over the years, I’ve become somewhat of a connoisseur of really good chocolate and am happy to share my knowledge to help you give the gift of chocolate for Valentine’s Day.

Though we are emerging from New Year’s resolutions to eat better and exercise more, I feel Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to splurge. I’d take a box of fine chocolates over flowers any day. The key is to buy a quality chocolate, like Sees made in California or Lindt from Switzerland. Don’t waste your time and money on cheap heart-shaped no-name imitators. Five fine truffles are better than 25 crème-filled impersonators of real chocolate. The ingredient list tells you all you need to distinguish pure chocolate from manufacturers that use fillers.

For a good variety of imported chocolates, check out Cost Plus World Market in the Turkey Creek shopping center. Knoxville can also boast Bradley’s Chocolate, Candy Blast, Mast General Store, and the South’s Finest Chocolate Factory for a variety of chocolates. I considered visiting all of them in the name of research but didn’t have time or spare room in my pants waistline.

For a special homemade touch this year, may I recommend the irresistible—dare I say sexy—form of chocolate. Melted chocolate in either a fondue pot or fountain can be a big hit as a romantic dessert for two, a party focal point, or a new family favorite. I first fell in love with chocolate fondue at The Melting Pot. Always save room for their dessert. Both pots and fountains can be found at major home retailers like Bed, Bath & Beyond. (Don’t forget their 20% off coupon in most Sunday papers or mailers).

You can melt whichever chocolate you prefer: milk, semi sweet, white, or butterscotch. However, the instructions for the fountain recommend pure Belgian chocolate, high in cocoa butter. If you use chocolate chips from the grocery store, at least buy the better quality like Ghirardelli or Hershey’s. The store brands may not even list chocolate as the main ingredient. For the fountain, you’ll need 24 ounces (2 bags) of chips and ¾ cup of canola or vegetable oil; follow instructions in the manual. Fondue pots usually come with a few recipes in the back of their manuals as well, but it’s as easy as melting 2 bags of chips with 1 cup of heavy whipping cream. The key to both is heating the chocolate mixture gradually and stirring often, so as to not scald it.

There are no major rules for which dipping delicacies you choose, but some foods work better than others. My personal favorite is strawberries, but other good fruits are firm bananas, pineapple chunks, and canned mandarin oranges. Angel food cake is about the only cake firm enough to handle the chocolate; Pirouette cookies hold up nicely too. Of course, there’s also pretzels, marshmallows, peanut butter balls, and for the truly decadent--miniature Snickers bars.

Whichever chocolate path you prefer, I wish you well in your pursuit and preparation of quite simply the best food on earth.

Interesting Chocolate Tid-bits:

• Chocolate residue found in several jars in Honduras from around 1100 B.C. is the earliest evidence of the use of cacao. It seems to have been part of an alcoholic beverage.
• Xocolatl was a chocolate drink consumed by the Aztecs and associated with the Mayan god of fertility. Originally it was bitter and was said to be an acquired taste.
• Centuries ago, chocolate was an important luxury good, and cocoa beans were often used as currency.
• Christopher Columbus brought some cocoa beans to show Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. By the 17^th century, chocolate drinks were luxury items among the European nobility.
• The mid 1800’s saw the invention of the chocolate bar. Several candy makers throughout Europe began developing their own recipes, including the creators of Cadbury, Nestle, and Lindt.
• About two-thirds of the world’s cocoa is produced in Western Africa.

Source: Wikipedia.org

The History of Childbirth

Today NPR featured the author of a new book: Get Me Out: A History of Childbirth from the Garden of Eden to the Sperm Bank. Randi Hutter Epstein, a medical doctor and journalist, says that people have driven themselves crazy over childbirth over "hundreds and hundreds of years." And that while we've made advances, "someone is going to be laughing at us probably 50 years from now." Check out the full story and an excerpt from her book. I can't wait to pick up this book; looks like a must read!

Something out of Nothing

I love making "something out of nothing," finding value where previously there was none. During tougher economic times, this is exactly when we should return to the ingenious ideas of our grandmothers who were the original reducers, re-users, and recyclers. And when this "something" is tastier, healthier, and saves me money---well sign me up!

I'm fortunate to have my office right next to the kitchen because as I type this, a wonderful smell of baking bread is wafting to my computer. I'm turning the ends of a dozen or so sandwich bread loaves into homemade croutons and breadcrumbs. Since I don't care for the end pieces, I've been saving them for weeks in my freezer and tonight I'm trying new recipes.

Google "homemade breadcrumbs" or "homemade croutons" and you'll get plenty of suggestions. I chose this recipe for breadcrumbs because it looked easy, fast, and said I could store them in a cabinet for up to six months. Once the bread was defrosted, I added a step to make them a bit crispier: I baked them at 300 degrees for 10 minutes (flipping the bread at 5). After that it was as easy as blending the bread to desired texture in a food processor and mixing with butter and spices of my choice. Done in 15 minutes.

The croutons were just as easy but took 45 minutes in the oven. I liked this recipe for croutons because it talked about using bread slices rather than French bread loaves like most of the recipes out there. Having all-wheat croutons may take some getting used to, but there's no preservatives like store-bought, it cost me nothing, and I can keep them in the freezer up to six months.

Another way I like to be thrifty is making my own chicken stock. I roast a larger oven-stuffer bird about twice a month so that I can make two or three meals out of the meat. Tip: You can often find them on sale at Kroger for $.99/lb.

After you debone the chicken, break the carcass into smaller pieces, add the skin, and just barely cover it with water. Throw in the tops of celery and any extra onion if you have it and add fresh pepper. Let that simmer a couple of hours covered, cool, discard everything but the broth, and let congeal overnight in the fridge. The next day skim off the fat.

Tip: I mix a little of the fat with some of the broth and pour it over the dog's food; she loves it. The remaining stock is usually about 3 cups, which I freeze in various sizes of Ziplocs. I take out smaller portions for recipes or larger amounts when I make soup. Now I've got healthy, delicious stock for $0.

So before you toss any food, I challenge you to think of another way it can be used first. Share your ideas.

Ten Ways to Save Thousands of Dollars

It's always nice to see your name and writing in print. Getting paid for it is even better. Thanks to Knoxmoms, I've accomplished both this month. Check out my article: "Ten Ways to Save Thousands of Dollars," which gives tips for saving cash on big ticket items.

Knoxmoms is a wonderful on-line community for mothers of all ages in Knoxville, TN. I'm honored to be a part of it. This free monthly magazine is well distributed around Knoxville, especially in kid-friendly venues. I recommend picking one up for car line. Let me know what you think.

FREE or Nearly Free Kroger Finds

Looking back over my Kroger receipt today, I realized I had 7 items that were free or nearly free; regularly they would have totaled $17.71 but I only spent $.46 for all 7! Deals are through Saturday, February 6 if you're interested in adding a few bargains to your list this week.

First of all, you need to decide on 10 items that qualify for the "Buy 10, get $5" sale. The plus side of this sale is that you get to pick from a lot of different items. The trick with this sale is that you must get exactly 10, 20, 30, etc. items to get the savings. If you buy 9, you save nothing; if you buy 10, you save $5; if you buy 11-19, you still only save $5. So I advise you to keep track of how many of these items you purchase by adding marks to your shopping list as you put them in the cart. And if you're coming up a couple short towards the end, treat yourself to one of the tastier sale products this week: Edy's ice cream (and don't forget the $1 coupon for Edy's in the paper a few weeks ago).

Most of my coupons were IPs that you can probably find on coupons.com, and all my e-savers happened to come from Cellfire. That said, here are my 7 best finds at Kroger this week:

1. Chex Mix 8oz: $2.48 regular, $1.99 on sale, $.50 savings Cellfire, $.50/1 coupon doubled, $.50 B10,G5 deal savings; Final Cost: -$.01.

2. Nature Valley Nut Clusters 5oz: $3.79 regular, $2.69 on sale, $1 savings Cellfire, $1/1 coupon, $.50 B10,G5 deal savings; Final Cost: $.19.

3. French's Honey Mustard: $2.19 regular, $1.69 on sale, $.50/1 coupon doubled, $.50 B10,G5 deal savings; Final Cost: $.19.

4. Betty Crocker Frosting: $1.59 regular, $.50 Cellfire savings, $.50/1 coupon doubled. Note: This is a deal you can get often if you buy them one at a time. You might even make money if it's on sale. I just saw a recipe that uses this to make molten lava cake; yum! Final Cost: $.09.

5. Halls Cough Drops 30 count: $1.39 regular, $1 on sale, $.50/1 coupon doubled; Final Cost: FREE

6. Fresh Selections Bagged Salad 8oz: $3.28 regular, $2.50 on sale, Buy 2 Ocean Spray Craisins ($5 total), get salad free. If you don't like dried cranberries, then this is not the deal for you, but I was going to buy them anyway. Final Cost: FREE

7. Private Selection Organic Chocolate Milk half gallon: $2.99 regular, $2.79 on sale. By going here, you can get a coupon for 1 free half gallon of chocolate milk when you buy 2 gallons of white milk. I was going to buy the white milk anyway; so this was just a bonus. I was able to print 2 coupons for the chocolate milk a few weeks ago and just now, I printed one for a free gallon of white milk with $100 grocery purchase; no problem! Final Cost: FREE

I'm sure there are more deals to be had, but they weren't on my list. What were you able to get for free this week?