Household Ideas, Discounts, Coupons & Life

Follow Jeannette Tomanka on your social media network of choice via the links below.

Mom, housewife & life hacker! Corporate drudge escapee writing recipes, tips & discount alerts. Still bring home the bacon & cook it up in 101 healthy way. You’re also going to find out that I’m a total Disney geek. I don’t know if it started with the Read-Along records (“When Tinker Bell waves her wand – bbblllliiiinnnggg – turn the page!”) or the Disneyland book my grandfather gave me around age 3, but however the innoculation happened, it was very effective. I’m happy that my kids share my passion, and I’m even happier that Portland has one of the fancy-shmancy new Imagination Park Disney Stores!

Microblogging
Twitter
FriendFeed
Plinky
Plurk

Archive for Seasonal (Fall)

Mar 20,

2019

Have a Happy National Ravioli Day with this Walnut Gorgonzola Ravioli!

by Jeannette Tomanka

I decided I’d celebrate National Ravioli Day by sharing my special recipe for Walnut Gorgonzola Ravioli with you. This is probably my husband’s favorite dish that I make, although I do it mainly for special occasions. It’s rich, creamy and with the perfect counter-balancing notes between the walnuts and the gorgonzola cheese. It’s a dish that you could definitely find in a restaurant in Northern Italy, but it’s really not at all pretentious.

For those who are Lacto-ovo-vegetarians, this entree is perfect. It’s not gluten-free, but can be made so by substituting the flour.

Walnut Gorgonzola Ravioli - Homemade Fresh

People often believe that making your own pasta from dough is too labor-intensive, but it’s really not, and the flavor is much richer and warmer when you do. That’s why this dish and others with homemade pasta are much better and will seem more like “restaurant quality”. Also, once you’ve done it once or twice, it becomes easier and quicker. The main trick is that the dough must be the right consistency.

Categories : Recipes, Seasonal (Fall)

Tags : gorgonzola pasta recipes, gorgonzola recipes, italian recipes, pasta recipes, vegetarian recipes, walnut pasta recipes, walnut recipes

Nov 29,

2014

Small Business Saturday

by Jeannette

A few years ago, American Express launched a concept called “Small Business Saturday” that happens after Black Friday and before Cyber Monday. The idea is to support family-owned, non-big box, non-mega-chain restaurants, retail stores, service providers, etc. If you read my post earlier this week, you know I’m not a fan of Black Friday, but I have gotten out and tried to support small businesses. I’m a big fan of non-chain restaurants; in fact, 90% of the time we eat out it’s at a small, family-owned places. I admit I don’t shop many “boutique” shops for clothing, because it’s just too expensive, but we’ve had a few consignment shops open in the area recently, and those are fun. I mostly shop little stores for unique gifts, so this day happening in the holiday season is perfect.

Check the American Express website for participating businesses, or just wander around town and stop somewhere that looks interesting. Remember, most of these businesses don’t have robust websites, so don’t count on a web search to find them. An old-fashioned phone book might work better! Happy shopping!

Categories : Deals, Events, Portland Fun Things To Do, Seasonal (Fall), Shopping

Tags : American Express, consignment shops, family-owned restaurants, non-chain stores, shopping, Small Business Saturday 2014

Nov 27,

2014

My 2014 Thankful List

by Jeannette

We started a tradition in my family a few years ago where we write down what we’re most thankful for, and it can’t be just “my family” or “my job” – we have to be specific. In my immediate family, every day in November we talk about one thing we’re thankful for, and it doesn’t have to be serious; for example, on Day 6 of Thanksgiving, my husband was thankful for the “mute” button on the remote.

This is my 2014 Thanksgiving list, in no particular order:

1. I am thankful to live in a city that is so beautiful and so close to so much natural beauty.

2. I am thankful for the laughter that is so much a part of my family. Not a day goes by that I don’t hear my children giggling or that we don’t make each other laugh.

3. I am thankful for the opportunity to spend so much time with my children as they’re growing up, and I am thankful for the most wonderful spouse who truly makes raising these two precious souls a team effort. I can’t imagine doing this without him!

4. I am thankful for our furkids who are more than just pets; they are teachers, companions, guards, therapists, and friends.

5. I am thankful for the “mute” button on the remote.

Categories : Seasonal (Fall), Thanksgiving, Uncategorized

Tags : children, dogs, give thanks, laughter, Portland OR, Thanksgiving

Nov 25,

2014

Black Thanksfriday Cheapens the Holidays

by Jeannette

It’s that time of year. The time when we should reflect on our blessings, savor family traditions, enjoy being together watching football or playing cards. One thing my family always enjoyed on Thanksgiving was poring over the Black Friday sales flyers in the paper, commenting on the deals – not that we ever participated in the Black Friday madness, we just liked looking at the paper. Over the years the deals have gotten crazier, the store hours earlier, the shopper behaviors more bizarre. Of course I have opinions about all of it, but I must confess: this year, my prevailing emotion is confusion.

This is a Boxing Day photo, not Black Friday, but the scene is the same.

Yes, I’m confused. Stores are opening at 6 pm Thursday, earlier than they’ve ever opened. That’s not what confuses me. What I don’t understand is why every major retailer is starting their “Black Friday specials” up to a week before Thanksgiving. What’s the point of opening so early if you’ve already had your sale going for a week? Yes, I know most of them are offering special deals on Thanksgiving, like extra discounts for a few hours, but what’s the point? Shoppers will have spent all their money by Thursday, right?

Is this just the retail world’s way of commercializing Thanksgiving like they’ve done every other holiday? They’ve managed to turn other traditionally non-gifting holidays, like Easter, into “let’s go talk to the Easter Bunny and see what he brings in your basket this year!” When I was a kid, Easter was jellybeans and coloring/hiding eggs, Valentine’s Day was making your “mailbox” at school to put your little cards in, and Thanksgiving was time to play with the cousins you rarely saw and eat yourself into a food coma. As an adult, Thanksgiving became my favorite holiday because of the lack of commercialization; it was just a time to be together, relax, visit, watch football. The only shopping was for groceries.

As a matter of fact, it’s still that for my family. If you decide to shop on Black Thanksfriday, have fun and please be careful, and thank the employees who are required to work so you can shop.

I’ll be in a food coma.

Categories : Seasonal (Fall)

Tags : Black Friday, family, food, Thanksgiving

Oct 31,

2014

Our Favorite Halloween Movies

by Jeannette

We are so excited that Halloween is on a Friday this year!! We like to make scary snacks and watch a movie, but we usually have to limit it to one movie because it’s a school night. But this year, with it being on Friday, we’re planning a marathon that could last all weekend!

I don’t really like the typical Halloween movies that top the internet lists – like Halloween and all its sequels, or the equally cliche Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. My whole family has contributed to this list, so it’s pretty varied. And here we go!

The Family Titles (in no particular order)

1. Night on Bald Mountain segment of Fantasia, which to me is the perfect telling of Hallow’s Eve and the following All Saints Day

2. The Ghost and Mr Chicken, a Don Knotts classic

3. Arsenic and Old Lace, which makes this list because it’s set on Halloween and stars the perfectly terrifying Raymond Massey, but it’s one of our favorite movies of all time

4. Tower of Terror, based on the awesome Disney attraction of the same name

5. Beetlejuice, a modern classic whose “Day-O” scene still almost makes me wet my pants laughing

6. The Others, perhaps the creepiest of the family movies, but my kids love it

7. Nosferatu, the original silent film that’s just macabre – as is the film Shadow of the Vampire about the making of the film, starring the goosebump-inducing John Malkovich

After the Kids are in Bed

1. Any Vincent Price movie, but especially House of Wax or House on Haunted Hill

2. Young Frankenstein (“that’s ‘Fronkensteen'”), which never gets old

3. Little Shop of Horrors, the 1986 Rick Moranis version

4. Sleepy Hollow, the Johnny Depp one, because it has the ever-terrifying Christopher Walken as the Headless Horseman

5. Fright Night, the Chris Sarandon version, although I love David Tennant as Peter Vincent in the remake, and I adore Anton Yelchin, who plays Charlie Brewster

6. Odd Thomas, speaking of Anton Yelchin. This is a new addition to the list, since the movie just came out in 2013.

Do you have any Halloween favorites that don’t usually make “The List”? Please share – we’re always looking for good movies!

Categories : Movie Reviews, Seasonal (Fall)

Tags : family movies, Halloween, movies, scary movies

Oct 30,

2014

From Pie to Punkin Chunkin – Pumpkins Please!

by Jeannette

Well, it’s not exactly zombie-ish, but you get the idea.

I’ve always been a fan of pumpkins. They were the basis for my favorite childhood dessert at Thanksgiving, with whipped cream, of course! I will buy a bakery pie in a pinch, but I prefer the homemade variety. When I got old enough, carving pumpkins was an annual Halloween festivity, followed by the bets to see how long it took for them to look like zombies.

Pumpkin carving has gotten quite elaborate in recent years. People are carving actual works of art on these gourds. Read More→

Categories : Recipes, Seasonal (Fall), Uncategorized

Tags : catapults, jack-o-lanterns, pie, pumpkins, Punkin Chunkin, trebuchets