Frannie's eSpace

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!

Frangelico

The other day, out of the blue, I got a hankering for some Frangelico. I think the chill in the air made me think about it! The next day, I made a special trip to the liquor store and grabbed a bottle (You can't miss it: it has the same shape as a bottle of Aunt Jemimah syrup.) Yummy! I like just a little Frangelico at a time, about "deux doigts" worth as they'd say in France. And a little goes a long way for this delectable liquid desert!