New All-Clad Product - D5 Stainless Steel

Just what we need, another improved piece of cookware: This does sound interesting - using lower heat to get the same results. Here is the description direct from the page of www.williams-sonoma.com:

Representing the best in American craftsmanship, All-Clad’s D5 Stainless Steel line incorporates five-layer bonded construction as well as functional advances that make it the finest stainless-steel cookware to date. The nonstick surface of this fry pan releases food effortlessly and the lid makes it perfect for simmering or braising.

• Each of the five bonded layers serves a specific purpose, creating a noticeable difference in cooking performance.
• Nonstick interior ensures easy release of the stickiest foods and is dishwasher safe.
• Two aluminum layers, one to conduct and one to sustain heat.
• Patented stainless-steel core diffuses heat for consistent results.
• Magnetic stainless-steel exterior for durability.
• 10" pan includes a domed lid; 12" pan includes a flat lid.
• Extra-large loop handle on lid is easy to grip, even with oven mitts.
• Improved stay-cool stick handle with finger guard for balance and control.
• Pan size etched on base for quick identification.
• Ideal for use on any cooktop, including induction.
• A Williams-Sonoma exclusive.

Where to buy: www.williams-sonoma.com

Ever do a Vodka Taste Test?

I love drinking a martini every now and then. So one day we decided to see if the popular Grey Goose was the best.

We tried making martinis with Absolute, Grey Goose, Kettle One, Belvedere and the less expensive Tito's.

To be certain, we first made martinis knowing which one was in the shaker. The second time, we did a blind taste test.

Both times we choose Tito's Vodka. A big surprise! We found it to be smoother than most and at least equal to Grey Goose.

You should try it. Let me know what you think. What we believe, is that for the money, you can have very good martinis for a lot less money. And really, after the first or second one, who even knows what you are drinking?

Bottles of wine you may not find elsewhere

Great wine at great prices: sounds a bit cliche, but it's true. When you sign up at www.wineaccess.com, you will receive emails with offers, usually wine from smaller wineries, where production is limited. Since the production is limited, most likely you will not find the wine everywhere you look.

Another plus for this site, www.wineaccess.com, is that there is usually an offer for free shipping, depending on the quantity you purchase, and most of the time it is for 4 or 6 bottles of the wine being offered.

Also offered are quantity discounts. Usually there is a price for one bottle, another price point for 6 bottles and then the case discount. What better deal than to get the wine discounted and shipped free?

Many of the wines offered are "Pre-Arrival" offers and when wines become available, they will ship when the temperatures are appropriate for your location.

Where to buy: www.wineaccess.com

A Cordless Wine Opener

I just bought myself the best present: a Waring Cordless Wine Opener! I had been reading about these recently and thought, "Who needs this gadget?" Then finding myself at my favorite store, Costco, I noticed the Waring Cordless Wine Bottle Opener with a $5.00 instant rebate. How could I go wrong? And if I didn't like it, I could return it without a problem.

Got home and charged it in the base for 8 hours. I was looking forward to having wine that night. It was so simple, so easy to use, I couldn't wait for my husband to see it. Seriously, how could you go wrong spending $19.99 for this?

Here is the description of the item from the Waring website:

The Waring Pro™ Professional Cordless Wine Opener (model no. WO50) removes natural and synthetic corks with ease, allowing consumers to effortlessly open a bottle of wine in seconds. The rubberized handset is ergonomically designed to provide consumers with a comfortable grip while removing the cork. The product also boasts a streamlined design; there are no levers or winged attachments to manipulate, so novices and sommeliers alike can open a bottle of wine with one hand, without tugging on the corkscrew.

A removable foil cutter, stored in the base of the unit, saves the consumer time in opening a bottle of wine. Simply attach the foil cutter to the top of the bottle, keeping hands on the lower part of the bottle and away from the cutter blade, and turn the cutter in a twisting motion to remove the foil.

Where to buy: at your local Costco. You can find it on their website, www.costco.com but it is $34.99, shipping and handling included. It is sold many places with an average price of $39.99. Please note that the model number on the box at Costco is different, but that is something manufacturers do when Costco offers products you can find elsewhere. The actual unit has the WO50 on th

Don't forget to check prices on www.TheFind.com

How to be a Better Shopper

Just read an article in the New York Times: there is an application for the Apple iPhone called ShopSavvy, which helps you find the best price of an item. If you are in a store, you can scan the bar code of the item using this application, and it will show you where you may find it for less.

It seems that this is only one of many applications dedicated to help us all get the best prices while shopping in actual stores since we already know we can do all this from a computer at home.

Another application called MyCoupons.com also looks for coupons for the store you are shopping at.

There are other phones, other than the Apple iPhone, for which these applications are suited, and I have not yet done further research on it, but this is an entirely new way to shop.

Normally I would use my Blackberry to go online while in a store and start searching for prices on an item, using PriceGrabber.com for example, but it can take too long.

By the way, from my computer, I just opened up a site called TheFind.com. You put in the item you want and in seconds you can see all the difference places it is sold along with prices.

Retrevo.com , an electonics review site, uses the application RetrevoQ, letting users send a text or Twitter message with the product they want to buy and they will get a quick response telling them whether to buy it at the given price and it lists a range of online prices.

Needless to say, I am thrilled knowing how easy it has become to price shop. And this is only the beginning.

Maybe when I am eligible for a phone upgrade, Verizon will have the Apple iPhone. I don't want to switch to AT&T.

Shopping At Frontgate.com

Pay attention to your shipping costs: Today I received an email from frontgate.com for an additional 20% off their outlet prices. I proceeded to order mulitples of one item, because with the 20% off, it was a good deal.

When I checked out, the shipping costs were calculated on the price BEFORE the 20% discount, which was just not right.

I called and they took the order over the phone and made sure the shipping charges were based on the discounted price of the order.

Where to buy: www.frontgate.com

Discount at Folica.com

Here goes, I may need to buy something...

You can get 20% off with a purchase of $50, which is pretty good considering the last one was good with a $100 purchase, good until 12/14/09. You also get FREE SHIPPING.

Where to buy: www.folica.com

For Ugg Lovers

Uggs, some people love them. If you want to buy a pair of Uggs, Classis style only, on www.onlineshoes.com, you will get a $20 off if you use code 9UGG20.

This expires December 14th at 11:59pm PST.

Where to buy: www.onlineshoes.com

Great Coffee with a Flat Rate Shipping Cost

All you can brew delivered to you: There is this wonderful site, called Grounds For Change, and I am including some information about the company as posted on their site, word for word, but you can read more on the site.

Right now they are offering a flat rate of $4.95 to ship any amount, though this ends on the 10th of December. Even if you don't buy coffee now, please take a look at this site and read all about their business model.

They sell tea, chocolate and some small gift items. You can also buy Coffee Gift Baskets as well as memberships.

Where to buy: www.groundsforchange.com

Here's the info on the company:

Grounds for Change is a family owned and operated coffee roasting business located in the Pacific Northwest [our mission]. We roast our 100% Fair Trade, Organic coffee in small batches to ensure that you receive the freshest coffee possible [what our customers say].

All of our coffee is Fair Trade Certified by TransFair USA and our Organic Certification meets the stringent Organic Processor Standards enforced by the United States Federal Government and the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The vast majority of the coffee we sell is also Shade Grown Coffee which ensures healthy habitat for migratory birds.

A number of community-based programs in coffee-growing countries directly benefit from the purchase of our coffee. For example, farmers in Peru receive a higher price per pound for their coffee (above the going rate for certified coffee) to help support local domestic violence intervention programs and small business loans for women.

Great Wine/Free Shipping Offer

Act Now for a great promo: Purchase wine totaling $50 and you will get free shipping if you enter code: FREE50.

One such wine offered is Kenefick Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 for $50.55.

Where to buy: www.gwine.com

Does Your Hair have the Frizzies?

I thought I had the right stuff: I was using Kerastase Oleo-Relax for my hair. You put it on when hair is damp and it helps with keeping frizzy hair calm. Loved it and recommended it to many, many friends. Each one told me how great their hair looked.

Then my sister told me about another product used in the hair salon she now goes to. It is called Moroccan Oil. I purchased it right away and it is better than the Kerastase . The Moroccan Oil costs a bit less per ounce.

Where to buy: both products are available at www.folica.com.

Garnet Hill Sale

One catalog/website I have not yet written about is Garnet Hill: Some items that they carry are clothes for women as well as accessories, shoes, outerwear, bedding and kid's clothing. Some brand name merchandise is available such as Eileen Fisher and Hanro.

There is a Friends and Family offer of 20% off full priced merchandise, good until 12/07.

I have to share the email since it is Friends and Family, so if you want it, please drop me a comment with your email address and I will forward it to you.

FYI, the website is: garnethill.com