Common Purslane Is A Perennial Superfood Plant

Wow, I learn something new every day! I’m a city girl, and don’t know much about botany. Outside of well-known plants, I’m clueless. I did not know the following existed until last week! Here’s what I learned ...

Common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is exceptionally easy to grow and naturalized all over the world. It’s very adaptable in all climates, though it thrives in warm, sunny, and dry conditions. Somewhat invasive, it is a highly resilient, drought-tolerant succulent that grows as a weed in nearly all soils, preferring well-drained, sunny spots. It is a summer annual in cooler zones and a perennial in warm climates.

If you’re as ignorant as I am, you might be tempted to remove it from your backyard or cracks in your concrete and toss it into the garbage, but no, you shouldn’t! Here’s why:

Common purslane is a nutrient-dense superfood. It is packed with omega-3 fatty acids (the highest amount of any land-based plant), along with high levels of vitamins A, C, and E and minerals like magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium.

Its high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation in the body, the risk of strokes, and support a healthy heart. Its high content of antioxidants supports immunity and skin health. Its mineral richness supports bone health and regulates blood pressure. The plant also contains small amounts of vitamins B1, B2, B3, folate, copper, and phosphorus. This nutrient-dense powerhouse is low in calories at 16 calories per 100 grams. Studies indicate it also helps reduce insulin and blood sugar.

Purslane is a tasty weed that is categorized as a leafy green vegetable. It has a slightly salty and tart taste, and just like spinach or watercress, you can toss it in salads or on sandwiches. Mix it into grilled vegetables or add to stews.

Calorie for calorie, purslane is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on earth! It may look like a weed, but looks are deceiving! Now that I know what a common purslane is, I want to grow some in a flower pot. I’m curious to taste it. How about you?

One note of caution: If you find purslane in your neighborhood, be sure it hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals before eating it.

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Ways My Worried Friend Could Save Money

Photo: Forbes

I have a Manhattan friend who is always worried about not having enough money to maintain her present lifestyle. I try to sympathize, and yet, we’re two different types of people in outlook and approach. I may write about value and bargains, but I’m not preoccupied with not having enough money to live on. Justified or not, I have confidence I’ll always manage. I don’t sound like the broken record that my friend does. As it happens, she inherited money 3 times, and IMHO, is better off than the average American who lives from paycheck to paycheck. This makes it tiring listening to her, but I find it’s best to just let her talk. She knocks down any logic I offer, and it doesn’t stop her from talking about the subject again and again since her anxiety is real.

A glass-half-empty attitude is draining. If you really need to tighten your belt, do it! Instead of rehashing your fears, take action! 

Sometimes I fall into the trap of wanting to fix problems when someone else just likes to vent. So here goes.

Photo: HuffPost

Ways I think my friend could save if she had to, but I don’t believe she really has to:

1) She could cut her cable tv subscriptions.

2) She could lower her cell phone with a better plan. Last year, she was paying per minute. This year, she changed her plan to one without unlimited texts ... a huge mistake. It limits her ability to share information and keep in communication with her contacts, which is never a wise decision. Out of habit, people will continue texting her, and, like last year’s per-minute rate, her inflexible plan will significantly raise her bill. The world is not going to stop texting anytime soon.

3) She could stay in her neighborhood to buy food. Taking buses and trains to shop outside of her neighborhood adds up! Also, where she shops tempts her to buy more prepared food (cheese boards, salads, and desserts), which she wouldn’t buy if she shopped locally. Furthermore, she could use her transportation costs to buy some gourmet food in her own neighborhood, and still come out ahead. Again, we take different approaches. I like to simplify repetitive tasks, saving time, whereas my friend may love leaving her neighborhood to spend half the day food shopping. In the suburbs, the question becomes whether driving to multiple stores (it takes gas) saves you any money.

Photo: Dreamtime

4) She spends a lot of money on airfare for family events, which may be unavoidable since she wants to see and maintain relationships with her family. Her family's short notice often requires her to book expensive airfares. If she can afford it, fine. If not, she’s got to tell them she can’t attend every function.

5) She spends too much on her hair to the tune of $200 - $450 per salon visit, which she realizes. Her remedy is to teach me how to color her hair. Aye yi yi! I’ll try.😳

6) The more self-sufficient we can be, the better. We don’t have to pay for services once we can do certain tasks for ourselves. We may get a sense of accomplishment, also.

In summary: (1) Be realistic about what we can and cannot afford. (2) Trade worry for a positive frame of mind. (3) Take action when needed! (4) Embrace independence and simplicity in life to worry less about finances ... and hopefully enjoy more leisure time!

Friends make their own budgeting decisions. We may not know all the details, so only give advice if asked. Write blogs instead.🤭

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Greek Yogurt Reese’s Cups

Both photos: Instagram here

I've been making my own version of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for years, sometimes for Christmas. I have never actually made cups, but I spread my mixture of peanut butter, eggs, and sugar onto a cookie sheet, bake it, top it with a melted block of chocolate, and then cut it into squares to eat. Delicious, here’s that recipe. 

There’s an entirely new recipe floating around the internet that I recently tried. Per serving, it has more grams of protein, no sugar or eggs, requires no baking, so it's faster and easier to make ... the reason I wanted to try it. There are too many uploads of the recipe to know who originated it ... and I tweaked the ingredients myself to improve it. Many of the posters use powdered peanut butter and protein powder, which I do not stock. A few add maple syrup. I think it's tasty without additional sweeteners. Another change I make is adding a tad of milk to the melted chocolate because after the chocolate melts, it re-hardens during the refrigeration stage, and you don’t get an even amount of chocolate with each bite. Making a chocolate ganache spreads more evenly and maintains its consistency as a chocolate topping. So the following is my version of the recipe, which is ultra satisfying:

Greek Yogurt Reese’s Cups

Ingredients:

2 cups of plain Greek yogurt

4 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter

1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips (or any chocolate you have)

1 tablespoon of milk, then add drops if needed

Optional: Sugar, dark bown sugar, honey, or maple syrup to taste. I omitted the sweetener.

Directions:

1) Soften the peanut butter in a microwave, then stir the Greek yogurt into it. If you buy peanut butter powder and/or protein powder, feel free to use them, but the recipe also works with just peanut butter. Add sweetner if using it. Pour into 2 dessert dishes.

2) In a separate bowl, combine your chocolate and milk and toss into a microwave to melt, then stir to make a ganache and spread over your 1st yogurt peanut butter mixture.

3) Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer. Makes two 1-cup servings.

This recipe is good for eating a healthy sweet as a lunch, which is how I ate it. There are days I don’t want a lot of lunch or a fussy lunch with a lot of cleanup, so this recipe is a keeper. Try it too if you wish!

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Meet Your New Friends: Legumes

What No Smudge Lipstick Does Taylor Swift Wear?

When Taylor Swift went on her Eras Tour, she wore bold red lips. The megastar singer needed a lipstick that would not smudge during the length of her shows. The lipstick she chose was Pat McGrath Labs LiquiLust Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick in Elson 4, a vivid blue-red lipstick in a luxurious, long-lasting formula. Wearers like its comfortable, weightless feel that glides on seamlessly for velvety full coverage with one swipe. It’s designed to last 12 hours, but I have yet to find any lipstick that doesn’t need freshening up every few hours. Certain brands like this one will endure longer than others.

Frankly, I never wear a bold red lip color because it's high-maintenance. For it to stay put, you have to prep your lips with either a dab of foundation, concealer, or primer, next line your lips with a lip pencil, and then lock in the color with a dusting of powder. Unless I’m going to a special event, I just want to get out of the bathroom! So I lean towards nudes and naturals, sometimes with a little shimmer, often skipping the prepping, linining and powdering even for a night out on the town. It’s time you never get back!😉 A nude lip color can be worn on its own, but it wears off faster than red lipstick, and you must reapply it several times during a day or night. Even a subtle touch of color gives a face more polish, which Glamour magazine calls creating facial contrast. Creating facial contrast is also why we wear eyeliner or shadow. In the 21st century, society views wearing cosmetics as a sign of enhanced femininity but not masculinity. I was into bolder colors in my 20s than I am now.

That said, you bet I'd follow Taylor Swift's lead if I were going on stage in front of 1000s of eyeballs with iPhones recording me! She needs her fans in the top tiers of an arena to see her. Pat McGrath Labs LiquiLust Legendary Wear Matte in Elson 4 is a glamorous color on her.

There is a 2-area rule when applying vibrant makeup hues to our faces, for example, wear it on your eyes and lips, or your eyes and cheeks, or your cheeks and lips, but not on 3 areas. One area must remain minimal. Intense hues applied to all 3: eyes, cheeks, and lips, isn't flattering but starts to look cheap and overdone. You’re welcome!

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The Story Hybrid: A Suitcase in a Backpack

Have you heard about The Story’s Suitcase-in-a-Backpack sold exclusively at Target? Wear it as a backpack, but open and pack it as a suitcase. It’s 35L in size and has a water-resistant polyester exterior with a zip-around closure. It has padded shoulder straps, an outside zipper pocket, and holds up to a 17-inch laptop inside. The hybrid travel backpack features interior mess compartments and pockets to separate and store all your items.

What gives this hybrid travel backpack its hot internet buzz and makes people want it is this: The combination backpack-suitcase is spacious yet small enough to qualify as your personal bag, to take along with your carry-on luggage unchecked aboard an airplane. In other words, you can board with 2 unchecked bags and no fees! It fits under an airline seat! As a bonus, when you’re pushing it to your gate to board your plane, it has an integrated trolley strap that slips over a wheeled suitcase.

Available in 5 colors, customers buy it to take an extra unchecked bag on an airplane, but the travel hybrid backpack also makes a great lightweight weekend suitcase that holds lots of stuff you can organize! So roomy that if you stuff it to the brim, it gets heavy.

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Breakfast Oatmeal Carrot Apple Cake

We violated this cake before I knew I’d post a photo of it.

I tweaked a recipe for a (no fat, no flour, no sugar) healthy cake because had I not done so, it would have been a big, uneditable glob of gooey mess. There is no way you can make a fluffy cake with just fruit, applesauce, and oatmeal. Oatmeal will always be chewy, and not in a good way, if you transform it from cereal to cake! Moreover, cake is not good with zero sweetness. Still, I was intrigued by the recipe. Life is not always an either-or situation! Sometimes you can eat a no-compromise, full-out, high-calorie cake, and at other times you might choose to eat a little healthier. IMHO, you’ll want a real carrot cake when hosting dinner guests; to satisfy a dessert craving, or on your birthday ... and the following Oatmeal Carrot Apple Cake for a Sunday breakfast:

Breakfast Oatmeal Carrot Apple Cake

oatmeal flakes, 2 cups ground in a food processor (Grinding makes oatmeal finer and less chewy because it absorbs more moisture.)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs

1 teaspoon lemon juice (Lemon juice, vinegar, or buttermilk are 3 ingredients that causes baking soda to rise.)

1 cup applesauce

1 cup milk

2 small apples, shredded (about 1 cup)

1 cup carrots, shredded

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup raisins (I add to keep a sheet cake moist for extra days.)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice (or the equivalent of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice)

Butter to grease the baking pan.

Directions:

1) Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl, one by one. I stirred with a fork.

2) Thickly butter a 9” by 9”  square baking pan. There’s no other fat in the cake!

3) Pour and spread the cake batter, then pop it into a preheated 350 degree F oven. Bake for about 30 minutes.

4) Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Low-Fat Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese

About 2 cups (or more) of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Mix and keep adding powdered sugar until you get the desired thickness.

2) Spread on top of the cake.

So what did I add to the Facebook recipe?: Flour, sugar, milk, lemon juice (your cake won’t rise without it), raisins, butter for the pan, and a low-fat cream cheese frosting. Whoever posted the original recipe did not make the cake. If they had, they wouldn’t have ended up with cake! You don’t have to be a professional baker to know it.

What motivated me to make this recipe was ... I had all the ingredients in my pantry, and a bowl of oatmeal didn't sound all that appealing. This is how my senior mom and I are eating our oatmeal this Sunday morning. A close enough 2nd to real full-fat carrot cake to be tasty. Good texture like carrot cake. Breakfast oatmeal, our way!

I’ll leave 2 links below for traditional and flakier carrot cakes to eat, not for breakfast but as dessert.🥕

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Oreck Elevate Command Vacuum

To borrow a term from financial journalism, a vacuum cleaner isn’t a sexy topic, but I bet all households need one!

I use an Oreck Elevate Command Vacuum. It is recommended for hard floors and low to high-pile carpet, both of which I vacuum. I’ll start by stating I prefer upright vacuums that contain bags. 

Uprights are more compact than canisters, and I’d rather push a handle than pull a canister to vacuum. I also wish to change and toss out dirt inside a bag over the less sanitary and greater mess of emptying and cleaning a bagless vacuum. So in selecting a vacuum, I start with these two preminators.

The Oreck Elevate Command Vacuum is super compact and lightweight to move around furniture or to carry up stairs. It has strong suction, nearly too strong on carpet on the carpet setting, as it ripped a corner lining of my 8.6 x 10-inch area rug! Nowadays, I only vacuum using the lower (hard floor) setting. However, I do like the ease of use and the excellent suction in achieving a good cleaning. Moverover it’s quieter compared to a commercial vacuum cleaner. Check the noise level when you are tempted to save a few bucks by ordering commercial instead of residential vacuums. Turned on, the Orack lights up, and it flattens to roll under a bed. I choose not to pay $100 more to buy the Oreck model with a swivel head. Would I have liked it? Sure. Is it worth another $100 bucks? You must decide for yourself.

Oreck upright vacuums lack attachments for anything beyond floor cleaning. So there is no hose on the side to clean couch crevices or blinds, and this lack of a hose gave me pause about whether or not to buy it. What sold me was Oreck's soft belly with a zipper over a hard plastic belly upright vacuum. A soft belly that you unzip to change the bag is lighter and more compact than a plastic belly when storing in a closet. No potential for plastic breaking off after years of opening and closing to change a vacuum bag, either.

Oreck has the reputation of being a durable vacuum cleaner with decent customer support, should anything go wrong. The Oreck Elevate Command Vacuum is a no-nonsense model. It does its single job of vacuuming the floor well, and I love how little space it takes to hide it away in a closet; therefore, I decided to pay the piper, expecting it to last for years to come.

I managed to buy it in 2025 during a promotion offering a $50 discount with 6 free hepa bags.

Still, I understand that vacuum cleaners have gotten expensive! So for consumers who have a small budget and really need to spend less, Housebrush offers a Cordless Vacuum Cleaner on a self-standing stick that many customers say cleans well and has a good battery life that is also rechargeable. There’s a small bagless compartment that collects the debris. It comes with convertible nozzles to clean 8 surfaces, not just floors. Customers also like the similar SVHT vacuum on a stick, costing even less. Perfect for dorms or tiny spaces. For a house, you’d likely need a more substantial vacuum cleaner, but I cannot speak from experience. Read all the customer reviews to know what type and size of vacuum cleaner is right for you!

Years ago, a co-worker bought a hot pink Oreck vacuum! A blast from the past. The black Oreck Elevate Command Vacuum is meeting all my needs, though I looked for the pink, a fun color to push around.:)

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How Do You Use Glycerin?

I ordered 4 ounces of anise oil to make springerle for Christmas next year. Instead, a pharmacy sent me 6 ounces of glycerin. I hate to waste it. Although I know it is often an ingredient in soap and moisturizers, I don’t know how to use it. So I looked it up.

Glycerin (C3H8O3 - glycerol) is a compound derived from plants (from the triglycerides of such oils as soybean, coconut, or palm), animal fats (from beef or mutton tallow), or synthetic petroleum products (like propylene). It’s produced as a byproduct of making soap or splitting animal fats. Glycerin is also a natural ingredient found in fermented foods like beer, honey, and vinegar. If you are a science geek, go here for the in-depth details.

Suffice it to say, glycerin is a humectant (a substance that retains moisture, meaning it stops the loss of moisture), so it's often added to skincare as a moisturizer.

As a powerful moisturizer, glycerin needs to be diluted with water, rosewater, or mixed into lotions to prevent irritation and stickiness on the skin.

Photo: musimmas

According to several sources, you mix 1 part glycerin to 2 - 5 parts water or rosewater and can put it in a spray bottle to use as a mist. Or you can add 1 - 2 drops of glycerin to one application of your regular face or body toners and lotions. You can also add 1 - 2 drops on a cotton pad along with a cleanser or toner to remove dirt on your skin, or you can add 1 - 2 drops to hand lotions, lip balms, or overnight face masks to boost their moisturizing properties.

Safety tips for using pure glycerin include: (1) Always dilute, (2) apply to damp skin, and (3) avoid excess. Too much of a good thing is rarely a good thing!

Frankly, I don’t think I’d go out of my way to buy pure glycerin, but now I know more about it, and sometimes we do have lotions or moisturizers that work well in warm seasons, but need an extra boost to work better in drier, colder seasons. In such cases, it sounds like a few drops of glycerin could enrich an already sitting-at-home moisturizer, turning it into the ultra winter moisturizer!

Aren’t we all the wiser? If you have experience using glycerin, feel free to share.

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Godiva Chocolate Truffles on Valentine’s Day

Godiva Chocolate Truffles are the best! A bite sits on your tongue and scrumptiously melts in your mouth. In Manhattan, I’ve often stepped into a Godiva shop, bought 2 truffles, and slowly eaten them on my walk home. With rich, select dark chocolate, two truffles are all it takes to be ultra satisfying. Unfortunately, Godiva closed all of its physical retail stores in North America, including those in Manhattan, in 2021, voiding our chances of passing one. So if we want to continue savoring the retailer's delicious truffles, we’ll have to try making them at home. The following recipe is ideal for Valentine’s Day:

Copycat Godiva Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

12 oz  (Belgium to be authentic) dark chocolate 70% cocoa, finely chopped

6 oz heavy cream

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced

3 tablespoons of white table sugar

3 tablespoons Cognac (or, if you wish, Cognac extract, 1 teaspoon)

Optional flavors: Instant coffee or vanilla extract. I’m too lazy to make 3 different truffle flavors, but it can be done. You can also make truffles with white chocolate.

Directions:

1) In a saucepan, combine the heavy cream, butter, and sugar. Bring it to a gentle boil, then turn off the heat.

2) Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until you get a smooth ganache mixture. (If  the mixture is too dry, carefully add a little extra butter here.) While cooling, stir in the Cognac.

3) Place the pot in the refrigerator for 10 to 20 minutes to help it solidify. 

4) Next, whisk the mixture by hand or with an electric mixer 

until it thickens. 

5) Once firm enough, roll into tablespoon-sized balls and place on parchment paper.

6) Refrigerate for 4 hours or less time in the freezer until firmer.

6) Finally, roll the firm truffles into unsweetened cocoa powder, grated nuts, chocolate sprinkles, or dip them into melted chocolate with paraffin wax.

Although I’ve always bought, not made, Godiva Chocolate Truffles, times and circumstances change. The cost of all candy has skyrocketed! What's more, it's good to know how our treats are made and what ingredients go into them.

🍫🍬Happy Valentine’s Day! ♥♥♥

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Harry Winston’s Sunflower Collection

Brrr, Manhattan is experiencing a deep freeze, forcing us to stay indoors. So today, let’s get our sunshine in an indirect way.🌞 Without leaving your home, come with me to Harry Winston to admire his Sunflower Collection. It’s for diamond lovers, although a customer could select the pieces set with several colored gemstones that feature rubies, emeralds, sapphires, or yellow diamonds!

We, ordinary wage earners, can’t afford the collection, but we can be inspired by its beautiful design when occasionally buying or being gifted more affordable jewelry.

1st up: The Sunflower Graduated Diamond Necklace is set in platinum with round brilliant-cut diamonds. The so-called small necklace has 429 round brilliant diamonds weighing 20.60 carats. That’s the small?😳 I could live with “small,” --  little puny 20 carats of diamonds in this necklace! Could you?

What’s more, the collection has matching watches, rings, earrings, and bracelets! So let’s continue our blog shopping spree, shall we?

The Harry Winston Premier Sunflower Automatic Watch is 36 mm in size with a yellow mother-of-pearl dial and a pearly yellow alligator leather strap. It comes in blue, red, and green also, but we’re focusing on sunshine yellow today. The Sunflower Diamond Two-Motif Twin Ring, set in platinum, has 36 round brilliant diamonds totaling 3.58 carats; its center stones weigh 0.70 carats.

The Sunflower Diamond Earrings on Wires in small, set in platinum, have 18 round brilliant diamonds weighing 3.73 carats. The center diamonds are approximately 0.70 carats. The platinum Harry Winston Sunflower Earrings on Wires in medium have 18 round brilliant diamonds that weigh 4.43 carats, and the center stones are 1.00 carats. Ooh, la, la, these resemble the Sisi’s Stars I covet!

Now we’ve arrived at selecting a bracelet: The Sunflower Diamond Bracelet in small has 198 round brilliant diamonds weighing 9.70 carats, and the large has 165 round brilliant diamonds weighing 16 carats. Both are set in platinum.

Visiting Harry Winston on my blog is much friendlier than going in person to the 5th Avenue flagship store. The shop is not welcoming to browsers, unlike Tiffany down the street, whose associates are fantastic to tourists!

17 round brilliant diamonds weighing a total of 1.72 carats, with a center stone of 0.70 carats conprise the small, set in platinum

Still, I will always be grateful to the jeweler, Harry Winston, for buying and donating the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian in Washington DC in 1958, so it’s on public display. The story is, he sent the Hope Diamond there in the US Mail!!😲

I hope you've enjoyed your Harry Windson stop on THE SAVVY SHOPPER! Before we know it, the weather will turn into a warm sunflower-growing season again. Let's never lose our love for summer, Mother Nature, or her jewels!🌻

Meanwhile, stay warm, my lovelies, in these frigid temperatures! 

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Milk Street’s Stir-Fried Cumin Tofu

Photo: Milk Street

Take a look at what I’m making for dinner tonight! Often, I have a packaged block of tofu in my refrigerator. It’s a no-fuss protein that rarely spoils, and usually I toss cubes of it into my sesame noodles to make the dish more substantial. Tofu makes quick meals in less than 30 minutes!

So how thrilling to come across another fast meal that uses totu! Cumin is a strong spice, but when used in the right amount, it’s super tasty. I love cumin on roasted carrots, among other foods. In this dish, we’ll use cumin and red pepper flakes to spice what is, on its own, flavorless tofu.

The recipe featured on a 2022 episode of Milk Street was shared with Katu here. Check out both websites. I love watching Milk Street episodes. For our convenience, I’ll also put the recipe below. If only linking, it might disappear one day, and as a reader of online content myself, I appreciate not having to click, click, click just to see a recipe:

Milk Street’s Stir-Fried Cumin Tofu

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
14-ounce container firm OR extra-firm tofu, drained, patted dry, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick planks
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly crushed OR 2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

In a pie plate or shallow bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Add the tofu and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Pat the tofu dry in the pie plate. Sprinkle with the cornstarch and toss to coat, gently pressing to adhere.

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the tofu, distributing it in an even layer, and cook until golden brown and crisp on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the tofu and cook until golden brown on the second side, another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Wipe out the skillet.

In the same skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until barely smoking. Add the onion and cumin; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is charred in spots and slightly softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper flakes, then cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the tofu, remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of water. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Off heat, taste and season with salt and black pepper.

Debra’s Tweaks:

I’ll either tenderize broccoli florets or mixed vegetables (green beans, carrots, corn, and peas) to toss into the dish after the onions are charred. Perhaps I’d also make brown rice as a side for a complete dinner. This would also make a delicious dinner if you had a dinner guest over, by adding a glass of wine and a cheese platter while they wait for this main course to arrive on the table!

Fast food never has to be junk food!

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High Jewelry Sapphires & Diamonds

Chopard from the Red Carpet Collection

High jewelry is unaffordable to middle- and working-class consumers, but what gorgeous eye candy to behold! If you're a jewelry lover, you can’t help but think how magnificent Mother Nature, combined with the artistry of a jeweler, is! You may not be able to buy it, but you can take the style as inspiration when selecting more budget-friendly pieces. For example, I like cutting-edge design, but, as I must limit what I actually buy, I rarely buy cutting-edge and lean towards classic, timeless pieces. Also, while I appreciate ladylike jewelry, I avoid ornate and over-the-top femininity. Once you know your style, you can apply it to find jewelry that fits your budget.

Today, let’s take a look at High Jewelry Sapphire and Diamond Pieces, shall we? Peerless craftsmanship and elegance define Chopard’s Red Carpet Collection, a/k/a Haute Joaillerie.

The top👆Sapphire and Diamond Necklace, resembling a crown, features oval-shaped sapphires and round, pear, and marquise-cut diamonds set in 18-carat white gold. It is available in several carat sizes of sapphires and diamonds (e.g, there’s a 97.46-carat version with over 100 carats in diamonds). Oh, I’ll take that one! Dream big!!😝

A Chopard Red Carpet Collection ring has a 9.45 carat cushion cut sapphire framed by pear-shaped sapphires and round and pear-shaped diamonds. The collection’s drop earrings are set with 43.48 carats of pear-shaped sapphires and 2.53 carats of diamonds in white 18k gold. The drop earrings also come in emeralds.

Two sapphire-and-diamond watches from Chopard’s Red Carpet Collection are more like jeweled bracelets with timepieces at their centers. A customer has a choice between diamonds with sapphires or sapphires with diamonds. Which would you pick?

I’m tossing in two other pieces I love that are not designed by Chopard as I’m no slob!😉

A Madagascar cushion-cut sapphire ring, set in platinum, is 30.21 carats. The sapphire is flanked by 2 diamonds totaling 2.56 carats. Its price is listed as $525,000. The ring would go perfectly with the Harry Winston sapphire and diamond necklace on the right. The necklace’s 111.73-carat cushion-cut sapphire is detachable. 

When prices aren’t listed, you have to find out by walking into the jewelers’ shops. As the old saying goes, if you have to ask, you can’t afford them, which, sheesh, we already knew that, didn’t we!?!

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