A Sunbeam mixer for your honey

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image037The way to a woman’s heart is through the appliance garage. Especially if you indulge her yearning for a coveted stand mixer, the must-have gadget in any stylish kitchen.

This Valentine’s Day, consider a Sunbeam Heritage Series Stand Mixer, a pretty powerhouse constructed of die-cast metal in a sleek retro design in bold, trendy colors. I like the cobalt blue best.  It looks like something that might have been on grandmother’s counter, at the ready to whip the cream for the rice pudding.

Sunbeam also serves up an appetizing price point, with an MSRP of $129.99, easily $100 less than Kitchen Aid.

Features include a 350-watt motor for effortless mixing at any of 12 variable-speed settings. Heavy-duty accessories are color-coded to make it easy to figure out which attachment goes where when you set up to make bread or cookie dough or whatever else is on the menu.

The mixer has a free-spinning bowl aligned slightly off-center to allow the cook to add ingredients while the mixer is working with minimal scrapping. A slow start feature prevents unfortunate splatter.  The mixer includes stainless steel beaters, dough hooks, and 4.6-quart bowl. In addition to cobalt, new colors include pink frosting, sea foam green, and tangerine tango.

You can buy Sunbeam at Target, Walmart, Sears and other retailers. And if you really want to wow your sweetheart, start a new tradition and volunteer to use the Heritage to mix her favorite dessert.

Valentine’s Day in Cape May

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image001Valentine’s Day is fast approaching — and you forgot to book your flight to Paris.

How about a last-minute get-away to the Jersey Shore?

Two of Cape May’s most charming and historic destinations, Congress Hall and The Virginia Hotel, are offering romantic packages for you and your valentine.  Think crashing surf, boutique shopping and the joys of visiting the Shore off-season. And you have a little wiggle room in penciling in your retreat. Packages are available throughout the month of February.

Congress Hall, an oceanfront venue, is floating the My Blue Valentine package.  The deal includes a $40 credit towards dinner at the lively Blue Pig Tavern. Afterward, celebrate  with complimentary Blue Bubble champagne in the Brown Room, a clubby lounge Hemingway would have loved.
image002In the morning, choose between a $25 credit towards breakfast in bed or at the Blue Pig Tavern. Late-check out? Of course.  Rates start at $170.28 per night. To book,  call (888) 944-1816 or visit http://www.congresshall.com/. 

The elegant Virginia Hotel and Cottages is located a few blocks inland. Rates for the Savor Romance Slowly package start at $259.48 and offer couples a $110 candlelit dinner in the sumptuous Ebbitt Room with a special menu selected by Executive Chef Anthony Micari.  Also included are a chilled bottle of Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries, continental breakfast in bed for two and late check-out.  To reserve, call (800) 732-4236 or visit http://www.virginiahotel.com/.

 

A Prévu to romance

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As  Valentine’s Day approaches, we are coming up with novel ways to say I really, really love you.


imagesEnter Prévu,  a new and engaging blend of wheat-based vodka and cognac,  distilled in Cognac. In France, of course.

First, let’s talk about the bubbles, the harbinger of celebration. This  sparkling liqueur is an effervescent blend of 70% vodka and 30% cognac. Expect black currant, raspberry, blackberry and a bouquet of violets,  a combination that offers natural sophistication.

The color is so gorgeous you will be tempted to dash to the paint store and ask the clerk to match it. Plus, Prévu’s ingredients are all certified organic and natural. The proof? It’s 17%.

That’s less than other liqueurs. That means you can actually taste the blend of vodka and cognac. It also presents the option of mixing a cocktail or simply enjoying a pour on the rocks, chilled, with lemon or lime.

Prévu was created by 27-year-old entrepreneur Simon Tikhman, who was raised in an organic household and then studied business. After immersing himself in San Francisco, he developed Prévu, which is now served in the hippest lounges in the city by the bay.

If you want to impress your date or mate, consider The First Kiss, a simple but potent cocktail. Here’s the recipe:

– 3 oz. Prévu

-1 oz. champagne

-Add a raspberry for garnish — and enjoy a big smooch

Grooming on the go with ShaveTech

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dt.common.streams.StreamServer.clsHere’s the buzz about a novel way to keep from looking like a grizzly bear on the road.

ShaveTech, a travel shaver the size of a smartphone, is powered by plugging it directly into a USB port. No bulky electric razor. No blades you can’t carry on the plane. No electrical adapter for whatever current is available at your destination.

Even better, there’s no excuse for neglecting grooming at home or the office when you own  a shaver that charges in the USB port on your computer. ShaveTech is sleek, slim and comes in black or white.

An electric razor will never be a substitute for the barber shop close shave achieved with a blade, lather and hot water. But it’s a handy convenience, ready when you need it. MSRP: $39.99. Available online or at select retailers.

Free pancakes at IHOP

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0Feb. 5 is Shrove Tuesday, also known as Free Pancake Day at IHOP.

For the eighth consecutive year — and the 30th anniversary of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, IHOPs  nationwide will offer each guest a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes.

You can eat and run, if you wish. But the folks at IHOP encourage patrons to make a voluntary donation to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to kick off                                   the 2013 fundraising year.

Contributions in the greater Philadelphia market will  benefit the program at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. IHOP hopes to raise $3 million this year, to bring the total amount of funds raised to more than $13 million.  To find a local IHOP or to donate online, visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.

Don’t worry if you miss breakfast. IHOP will be flipping flapjacks all day, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Amy Poehler vs the Clydesdales in Super Bowl XLVII

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MpMea.St.4This year, Best Buy is featuring funny gal Amy Poehler in its Super Bowl commercial, a highly visible venue and a way for the electronics retailer to show consumers that the folks who work at Best Buy enjoy helping customers. Really.

Budweiser is trotting out a Clydesdale foal to play up the traditional of the beer in a commercial sure to appeal to both animal lovers and brew hounds. After the big game, viewers will have an opportunity to name the foal by voting on Twitter.

So which will resonate more with viewers? The petite blond comedienne? Or the big, bob-tailed horse?

Vvf7s.St.4I’m betting on Bud, purely from a personal standpoint. I love horses. I have read Black Beauty five times and I love Bud’s Super Bowl commercials, from the donkey who yearns to be a Clydesdale, to Hank, the horse who hit the equine equivalent of the gym in order to make the team pulling the beer wagon.

I also have drunk about a million beers. And I am really grateful to the gallant Clydesdales who haul that precious cargo to bars.

So as I cheer on the Ravens, I’ll be watching for big plays, on and off the field. Bring on the commercials! Especially, the Clydesdales.

 

 

Walmart heading to Franklin Mills

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imagesThe lights will go on in more than 180,000 square feet of darkened retail space at Franklin Mills when Walmart opens a super store in the suburban Philly discount shopping venue.

Simon, the center owner, says the world’s largest retailer will break ground in March. In addition to budget-friendly clothing and home goods, Walmart will sell fresh, prepared and frozen groceries.

Franklin Mills is home to Last Call by Neiman Marcus, Nike Factory Store, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH and other outlet retailers. The space Walmart is taking has been vacant for several years in a chilly climate for merchants.

Walmart will hire about 250 workers to staff the store.

Healthy, happy hands with (seed)

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imagesIn this especially virulent flu season, hand washing is the first line of defense.

You can clean your hands — without worrying about the drying effects of repeated hand washing — with (seed) Therapeutic Hand Wash. (seed) scrubs away dead cells that make hands look old before their time and then replenishes skin with grapeseed and safflower oil.

It’s so gentle that I also have used (seed) to clean my face when I wash my hands first thing in the morning. Multi-tasking! And because winter is hard on hands, I then smooth on (seed) Healthy Hand Cream, with Shea butter, grapeseed and other oils. It’s not oily or greasy, so I can slip on my ring and get on with my day.

There’s an extended line of (seed) products at affordable price points starting at $5.99. You can find them at Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, Wegmans and a number of other retailers, as well as online.

 

Refining luxury in the minimalist bath

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A truly luxurious bathroom lifts you up and makes you feel like you’re floating above the floor.

Topex-AAAC-WOOD-Walnut-8354The new Armadi® Art Aqua Collection from New Jersey-based decorative hardware manufacturer Topex Hardware exemplifies minimalism with contemporary cabinetry that hovers above the floor in lush materials, including artistic graphics, croc-embossed faux leather, and high-quality, reflective glass. Storage solutions and practical features, such as waterproof surfaces, round out the collection. Elegant and sensible.

Streamlined designs are big enough to accommodate shaving, makeup and whatever else you do at the sink, with straight or rounded edges. With more than 30 finish possibilities, from Metallic Gray Glass to exotic Bamboo Wood laminate, you will be showered with options.

All surfaces are scratch resistant, waterproof, and designed to withstand humidity. Each vanity interior is lined with leatherette. Drawers feature soft-close slides. Because the vanities are wall-mounted, they offer unique height flexibility, sure to please the tall guys out there — or the gal who doesn’t want to stand on tip toe in her own private domain.

Sold as a complete set with sink, countertop, matching mirror, and Bright Chrome or Satin Nickel hardware, each model is available with one or two drawers. Vanities are offered in 24-, 28-, 36-, and 42-inch sizes. Coordinating storage cabinets, including upper and lower cabinets, and medicine cabinet mirrors for each finish, are sold separately.

Prices start at $2,700 for a single-drawer GLASS vanity in a 24-inch size.

 

Red Owl Tavern a wise choice

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A little birdie — actually, it was a large, feathered creature that says “hoo” — told me about Red Owl Tavern, the lounge and bistro in Hotel Monaco, the newish Kimpton property at 433 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia’s historic district.

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But just because Red Owl is located in a hotel doesn’t mean it caters only to travelers. The restaurant has a warm and welcoming vibe and creative American fare that is sure to attract locals, as well.

We like the tavern’s soaring ceiling, and walls of barn boards and exposed bricks. It has the feeling of an old, industrial loft, even though the decor was created specifically for the restaurant.

As we relaxed and watched horse-drawn carriages roll down Chestnut Street, we enjoyed drinkies. I sipped the signature Red Owl cocktail a frothy, $12 blend of Belvedere vodka, grapefruit juice and spiced berry and pepper syrup shaken with egg white. Dale raised a classic old-fashioned ($10) with Wild Turkey, fine sugar and angostura bitters.

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Any questions about the menu? Our attentive and well-versed server helped us to focus our choices. Do try the fork-tender short ribs and lamb shank, a reminder that food cooked on the bone is especially flavorful. Chicken pot pie is rustic comfort food, oozing herbs and creamy gravy.

We settled on a perfectly cooked, medium rare prime cut of beef with onion marmalade  and house-made steak sauce for me and red beet pasta,  with house-cured pork belly, sweet peas and Kennett Square mushrooms for Dale. We ordered a side of kale, which was so hearty we almost forgot it’s good for us.

The final bite: mocha in a jar. Yes, indeed, it’s as rich and decadent as it sounds. So share!

At $9 a glass, the 2008 Primaterra Primitivo is the least expensive wine on the list. It’s an earthy food-friendly red that proves wine doesn’t have to cost a lot to make a good impression.

Red Owl Tavern’s balanced mix of laid back atmosphere and attention to detail made a good impression on us, too.