Frannie's eSpace

Muenster cheese

I was at the grill the other day at work ordering my standard veggie burger, and this time, the nice chef recommended the muenster cheese. (I've had provolone every day since the beginning of time.) The burger was delicious, with the cheese giving it a nice flavor.

Hmm... I wonder what other cheeses are out there?

A delicious salad dressing

I've gotten hooked on taking salads to work. I like to toss the following: Spring Mix, walnuts, feta cheese and dried cranberries. I substitute raisins if I'm out of cranberries.

A few weeks ago at Publix, I saw a Newman's Own "Light Cranberry Walnut" dressing, and it just looked too good to pass up. It's yummy! A little tangy and a little nutty, and it goes perfect on my salad!

Thanks, Paul!

If you like Corona...

A guy at work who knows that I like Corona, told me about LandShark Lager. I tried one recently, and it was definitely pretty good! You can get 6- and 12-packs at Kroger, and they are very reasonably priced, considering that they come from a small brewery.

Anyway, if you like Corona, and are just looking to change it up a bit, but not too much, then try a LandShark Lager. You'll be pleasantly surprised!

http://www.landsharklager.com/default.aspx

A good advice columnist

I like Carolyn Hax's column in the newspaper. The one from yesterday was particularly good!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/08/AR2008070802476.html

I had already sided with the lady until reading Carolyn's oh-so common sense response.

It's true!

I'd heard good things about Trader Joe's "Two buck Chuck" wines. They are officially known as "Charles Shaw Blend" wines and cost $2.99, which I guess makes them Three buck Chucks. Even so, what a deal!

Last week I saw some at Kroger and adventurously picked up a couple of bottles of the Shiraz. Wow! It tastes very smooth. Highly recommended from the queen of "wines under 5 dollars".

Smells and feels good!

Have you tried the "go fresh" body washes by Dove? I bought a bottle of the "Grapefruit and Lemongrass" for my sister recently, but she had plenty so I kept it for myself. The grapefruit and lemongrass smells fabulous; the wash is very creamy going on and makes my skin feel soft even after the shower.

After at least 25 years of using Ivory, I may just be a convert to Dove body washes. Next time, I'm trying the "Cucumber and Green Tea".

Propel vs Aquafina

I like to drink flavored water after a run. My two favorites are Kiwi-Strawberry Propel and Peach-Mango Aquafina. I actually prefer the taste of Peach-Mango a bit more than I do the Kiwi-Strawberry, but Propel's bottle of water is easier to open. The mouth is bigger and I can get a better grip on it. (There's probably a law of physics related to this.) Anyway, after a run when my muscles are a little fatigued, ease of opening is a big deal. As as result, I buy Propel, unless Aquafina is way on sale!

Isn't it funny how we make decisions?

Organic raisins

I bought organic raisins a few weeks ago because they were out of regular ones. Organic raisins are almost twice the price, so I was a little hesitant at first, but, hey, I like raisins on my cereal! Once I tasted them, however, there will be no going back to basic, dry tastes-like-chemicals raisins! The particular brand I got was Kroger brand, as an FYI.  You should splurge, too, the next time you're picking out raisins!

New kind of mascara

If you are make-up challenged, particularly with eye liner and mascara (like I am!), you should try a new mascara that I picked up at Eckerd yesterday: Lash Stylist by Maybelline. Instead of using a brush, it uses a little bitty comb. It goes on much neater; you can actually comb your lashes; and there's no big brush to get in the way. It's about $7.00, and since there's not a brush for the mascara to get gunked up in, I spec the mascara will last a few weeks longer than regular mascara.

For 7 bucks, it's definitely worth trying to see if it'll work for you!

Another good Publix treat

I've written before how yummy Publix fudge bars are. I've discovered another treat from Publix: their peppermint candy. It's much better than "the real thing" by Brach's! You should try some.

Name brands have  definitely come a long way!