Living the Good Life On A Budget: Montinore Wines

Everyone needs a little drink now and then. Or two. :-) I think Jimmy Buffet may have said it best: "It's 5:00 somewhere." The economy is failing, my hours and pay have been cut, but I still enjoy a good bottle of wine - especially a refreshing Riesling. My recent favorite is Montinore's Riesling Sweet Reserve. Usually it's only $12 a bottle (a virtual steal for such a quality wine), but through the end of January they are having a 30% off sale on white wines purchased through their website or at their winery. Life doesn't get any better than this! It's crisp and refreshing - without being cloyingly sweet. In fact, it has just the right hint of sweetness without being dry. I don't know how they manage it, but it's darn near the best wine I've ever had (and I've had a few). LOL It pairs well with brie, blue cheese, and cambazola - all of which can be found at Trader Joe's for a good price. Please check out their website (http://montinore.com/) or visit them if you're ever in the Forest Grove/Mcminnville area of Oregon.

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Living the Good Life On A Budget: Trader Joe's

I've always loved Trader Joe's, but as prices rise even at bargain places like Winco, I'm appreciating TJ's even more. All of their products are organic, healthy, fair trade - and delicious. They have a new product called a "Take Home Thali For Two," which is basically an Indian dinner for $3.99! It includes rice, yellow lentils, and a potato & pea curry. Pair it with their classic or masala style naan (flat bread) and tomato chutney and you'd swear it came from a restaurant. I never have high hopes from Indian food in a box, but I was totally impressed! It cooked up so well in the microwave it seemed like it came off the stove top. Their multi grain vegetable lasagna is absolutely fabulous, as are their fish tacos with cilantro sauce (both found in the freezer section). Their breaded eggplant cutlets are perfect for making your own Eggplant Parmesan (just bake the cutlets as directed, add cheese and marinara sauce - I love Paul Newman's, but I'm willing to bet TJ's makes a good one, too). Their artisan cheeses are top notch and nearly half what you'd pay elsewhere. My three favorites are their blue cheese, brie, and cambrazola - which is like brie and blue cheese in one. They also happen to make the best tortillas and salsa verde. This salsa is so good it's hard to believe it's fat free, low calorie, and good for you. I use it for salad dressing, too - and it would be great with eggs (juevos rancheros). They also carry a huge selection of reasonably priced beer and wine, so you can really make dinner in feel like dinner out. If you haven't checked out Trader Joe's yet, put it on your To Do list. I guarantee you'll love it...
-Wendy Baylis
Dharma Designs
http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com

Living the Good Life On A Budget: The Grocery Outlet; My New Favorite Store...

OK - I admit it - I'm a bit of a wine snob and "gourmand," but my pay and hours have been cut by almost 1/3 due to the struggling economy. I have to have my wine and brie. What to do, what to do??? Fret no more - Grocery Outlet to the rescue! First of all, they carry wine and beer. How cool is that? I just had a glass of Glory Days Voignier that I picked up there for a mere $3.99 a bottle. I bought a few other brands for $2.99! Some of my other recent finds have been an Oreo cheesecake for $1.99 with real name-brand Oreos, not the cheap knock-off stuff, frozen Indian food microwave dinners for $1.99 (the same brand others carry for a whopping $5), and the most Delicious Greek yogurt with honey for .50! I even got a HUGE bag of fresh red and yellow bell peppers for $1.99 that I cut up in slices and threw in the freezer for fajitas later in the week. This place is freaking AWESOME!!! You simply have to check it out - especially as prices are even rising at bargain grocers such as Winco. And remember - the items are always changing, giving you a great variety. Hopefully there's one near you. If so - what are your favorite finds?
-Wendy Baylis
Dharma Designs
http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Artist: gerebdesign

Izabela Gereb studied furniture design and graduated with a Master's Degree in Art Nouveau furniture from a University in Brasov in Romania. "I never had a chance to actually use my knowledge of Art Nouveau, but 'C’est la vie,'" she jokes. She spent much of her adolescence in museums and galleries - and considers this the most important part of her education. She later studied drawing and painting techniques in galleries in Montreal, Canada. Truly a unique artist, she even made her own clothing. "When I lived in Paris many times women actually wanted to buy whatever I was wearing on the spot." Her real joy comes from "making fun staff out of useless objects." She explains, "Basically most of my home accessories and furniture I developed primary from discarded materials. For example the series of portraits on MDF blocks was born because my neighbours furniture makers had lots of MDF pieces going straight to the garbage. I sold tons of these prints on canvas on unwanted MDF frames." She has designed and built thousands of "unique and crazy" furniture pieces and painted literally hundreds of paintings, selling every single one. "I am a product of split heritage and background," she says, "Polish and Canadian, artist and designer rolled into one." A part of many cultures, she speaks eight languages and "feel(s) at home in many places on this planet." Currently she lives on Vancouver Island where she continues her interested and exploration of human nature. You can view more of her work at http://www.gerebdesign.com./ check out her shop: http://gerebdesign.etsy.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/