Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I'm a fan of the Ecobags.com bags, we have quite a few and they are really sturdy and hold a ton. You can get organic cotton for a little more $ too. We got a "kit" that included some of their stretchy string bags too, but I prefer the plain canvas ones. Plus, no logos! I'm not doing any free advertising, thanks.

sh*t, I could easily eat 9 biscuits but knowing I'm downing 1.5 sticks of butter would be bad. That being said, it's really tempting. My butter comes in big round logs that we cut up and freeze - how much butter is in a stick? I haven't used stick butter since I found a good local dairy.

I can't believe no one has mentioned my "worst" as their own yet: fried chicken. I was fresh out of college and just starting to get away from processed foods and really wanted some good fried chicken (there is none to be found where I live) like my Mom used to make. I knew what my mom used for spices as I had made that up before for her, so I bought the chicken, floured/spiced it and set about to cooking it.

I don't know about you guys, but in my 20s I was not big on investing in any kind of decent pans, and I didn't even think about the fact that my Mom used to fry her chick in a big, heavy cast iron skillet, so I threw it into my cheap Teflon, on high. Result? Very, very burned chicken on the outside, extremely raw on the inside. I just had no clue. Honest to God, to this day I haven't attempted homemade fried chicken since then and it's been over 20 years (though at least now we have a Popeye's, better than nothing).

These articles like the one in CR are just worthless for someone like me. I have not seen a coupon for anything I actually consume in years and years, or one that, even with the coupon, would make the item less than just buying the store brand (such as "ziploc" type sandwich bags or toothpaste), so I just have no use for coupons. I don't buy meat or dairy or bread at the grocery, so buying what's on sale there is n/a. I think I am already shopping as cheaply as possible, these tips are just worthless.

The only way I could really make a difference at this point is if I started making stuff like toothpaste, instead of buying it, but I'm just not there yet. I mean, we already re-use our sandwich bags. We don't use paper towels or paper napkins. We make our own bread. We avoid processed foods. We eat a meatless meal at least a couple of times a week. Etc.

This is inspiring. I rarely make bread because it's so time consuming and I am not good at baking, but this sounds really easy and looks so delicious I will have to give it a try.

I honestly think most consumers would prefer to see the cost go up. How much would it need to go up to prevent us from feeling fleeced like this, really? If it were 20 cents more, which is probably MORE than enough, people would still buy it.

We are definitely eating "out of the pantry" more than before. I never went out to lunch a LOT, but I did regularly go a couple of times a week and now I almost never do, I just bring that old can of soup that's way in the back. We're buying a lot more things in cans than fresh, it's cheaper and they're not that bad, and getting more creative about what we can make/eat with what we have on hand instead of going out or picking up takeout.

mr. rockandroller doesn't know it, but I've also been having us eat less meat; all my "suggestions" and things I prepare to take for lunches are often meatless or maybe have canned tuna. We have even used canned chicken (horror!).

I refuse to give up my cable, it's $40 a month and is our sole form of entertainment. There aren't many other places to cut; neither of us get coffee out or have clothes dry cleaned or any of those other "extra" things they're always telling you to cut out - I've never even had a pedicure and the last time I had a manicure was for my wedding 6 years ago, we almost never buy any new clothes, so this is the only place to make cuts.

At some restaurants I've worked at, it defintely is akin to getting the codes for the nuclear football to process a GC. One large, corporate chain particular, a server cannot even do a void, let alone separate checks, gift certificates, or ANY other out of the ordinary transactions without a manager coming over and doing a bunch of things in the computer first, and certain transactions the managers have to process themselves, you aren't even allowed to. If you can let a manager know a few minutes ahead of time that you're going to need them to process a GC, it ups your chances of them not getting entangled in something else for which extricating themselves might be near impossible. Without warning, you might open the book, see the GC and then begin the process of tracking down the manager and then trying to get them to quit what theyr'e doing to come to the register with you to process it, and it can take a LOT longer. They can be locked in the office, checking someone out, they can be expediting a big party's order and can't leave the pass, they can be in the back cutting meat, they could have sneaked out for a smoke and are nowhere to be found, etc.

Also, there are a lot of restrictions on GCs that most customers don't bother to read, so presenting it up front to make sure you can use it avoids the server having to open the book and say "I'm sorry, we can't accept this on holidays, it says so right here at the bottom" at the end of the meal, when the customers have already ordered and eaten assuming they would be saving some money with the GC, now they're pissed off because they can't use it because they didn't read the fine print, and I can guarantee you that means no tip for the server even though it's not their fault. Mention it up front, or, just put it on the table so the server can see it up front, it can save you a lot of hassle.

"I bet someone on the wait staff would eat it."

Per this earlier comment, I thought I'd mention that in the over 10 years I waited tables, I never worked anywhere where the servers were allowed to eat anything while they were working, not even if it would otherwise go in the trash. In indie places, the dish dogs were given chances at the food before the trash. In chains, everything had to be thrown out and accounted for on some nutso ledger sheet but nobody was allowed to eat while working.

As a previous poster said, I like them, it's the only thing I'll order if forced to eat at a McDonald's.

I'm sure they aren't doing that where I live (northern Ohio) or the wallets would immediately be covered with snow and ice. Maybe we'll find some in the spring. :)

Cauliflower and brussels sprouts gratin sounds fantastic! I'm hungry now!