Homemade Chicken Fingers

Deceptive photo, they weren't burnt or dry.

My senior mom has become a very picky eater. The supermarkets where I shop don't carry Tyson's Chicken Tenders, meat in a form she'll eat, so I bought 2 huge chicken breasts (nearly 3 pounds at $1.99 per pound = $5.49), cut them into pieces with my trusty meat shears, and made homemade chicken fingers for the 1st time ever in my life. How hard could it be? Not hard at all as it turns out. So crispy, tender and delicious, I'll post my easy-breezy recipe below (so I too can make it again):

Debbie's Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts - I had 2.76 pounds.

For the crust:

1 cup oatmeal

3/4 cup dried parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon homemade saltless creole seasoning (I now made it without salt and add salt or bouillion cubes in recipes.)

1  1/2 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt (It's what I had.)

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons dried garlic

1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1) Cut the chicken breasts into chunks or thick strips.

 

2) Into a food processor add the oatmeal flakes, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic, and creole seasoning. Pulse until finely ground and pour into a mixing bowl.

3) Spray an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray or grease lightly with butter.

4) Wet the chicken pieces with drops of milk and drop them into the dry oatmeal mixture. You need about 1/2 cup of milk to sprinkle on the chicken pieces.

5) Arrange the coated chicken fingers on a greased or sprayed baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400-degree F oven until brown. The chicken meat will turn from pink to white in about 20 minutes.

Chicken fingers (the whole breast) or tenders (the pectoralis minor part of the chicken) are about the only way my mom will eat chicken nowadays. She ate them, so tonight we got the job done.

Freeze the leftovers. 

A side dish: Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

3 potatoes, unpeeled and cubed

1 small onion, diced

olive oil

garlic powder

parsley 

tarragon

1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun or steak mix seasoning

A few turns of the peppermill

Directions:

1) Wash, slice or cube unpeeled potatoes (any variety) and onions.  

2) Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the seasonings.

3) Transfer to an olive oiled, foil-lined baking tray.

Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 25 - 30 minutes.

Another side: BBQ Beans

Bon Appètit!

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Should You Pay $10,200 For a Chanel Bag?

Chanel - cow's (caviar) leather. Also comes in lambskin.

The Chanel classic flap bag increased another 16% in 2023. The medium flap bag now sells for $10,200, up from $8,800 earlier this year.

1) Karl Lagerfeld

Chanel's business model now seems to be to jack up its prices 3 - 4 times each year without giving consumers anything in return for it, such as improving the craftsmanship of its bags. As many customers have noted, the bag's quality has slipped over time. The 2023 Chanel flap bag is not as well-made as the designer's older flap bags, and its hardware is no longer gold-plated. The newer flap bag's hardware is even known to tarnish. Some say the leather quality has sunk too. 

2) Karl Lagerfeld; 3) Coach -- unlinked but easy to google by name. Oh, the Coach is gorgeous!

Although I still love the style of Chanel's classic flap bag, I won't be spending $10,200 to own one. That sum is insane and absolutely not a good investment! IMHO, Chanel's unrelenting, frequent price raises are gauging its customers, and I no longer can judge anyone for buying Chanel illegal replicas. But if you, like me, are of the mind that two wrongs don't make a right, there are many legally inspired classic Chanel flap leather bags on the market, and it's where personally, I'd turn. We can find a similar effect at a fair and reasonable price. {Plus there are many faux leather-inspired Chanel flap bags for even less money. They'll wear out sooner than real leather but are cheap enough to get your money's worth if you have to rebuy them.}

4) Tori Baurch; 5) Kate Spade

Throughout today's blog are Chanel-inspired leather flap bags. While they are not replicas -- fakes designed to fool people into thinking they are real Chanel bags, they are inspired and legal to give you a classic Chanel vibe for at least $9,700 less. Unlike Chanel, these inspired bags periodically go on sale for further reductions. You keep "the insane" difference of your own money for your benefit instead of forking it over to Chanel. Here's one I bought from Coach Outlet.

DHGate.com

Yes, there's a degree of compromise in looks; and depending on price (over $100, or under $100), the interior lining of an inspired bag may or may not be leather. But golly, consider this: With the latest price hike, an authentic Chanel flap bag buys 3 - 11 live dairy cows!

Isn't it time to say no to retailers you love, who don't love you back? Plus reports are leaking that Chanel isn't passing its HUGE profits on to its factory workers, who also must get permission to talk to one another while they work and don't get paid when they show up for work on a day Chanel experiences a supply problem.

As longtime readers know 99% of my blogs are positive with tips on what to buy, in lieu of what not to buy, or panning retailers, but when pricing gets ridiculous with no regard for customers or employees, we must speak up! When business practices aren't fair for EVERYONE involved, buyers can just say no. 

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Pond Los Angeles 4-Way Transform Tote

Pond Los Angeles makes luxury leather bags and accessories at fair prices for the modern woman. It uses the same high-end materials as the haute couture brands without the latter's excessive markups. The independent retailer focuses on innovative design, expert craftsmanship, and attention to detail, all the features we want without the shocking markup! It's a label for consumers who want timeless well-made essentials but can't justify spending thousands of dollars more for a status name.

The brand's 4-Way Transform Tote is clever. Compact yet spacious with smartly placed organizing pockets, it fits a 13" or 15" laptop in a padded section, a water bottle, and everything else you need for work when on the run. The structured tote is produced from American Saffiano leather that is waterproof and scratch resistant. The tote's leather won't show wear and tear. And you have to admire the tote's versatility. A true multi-tasker!

Carry the tote by its handles, use it as a shoulder or crossover bag, or transform its straps into a backpack. Additionally, at the airport, the shoulder straps can convert into luggage straps using a built-in converter.

The Pond Los Angeles Transform Tote is the perfect, well-thought-out, travel bag with zippers and slots, and pockets, oh my! There's also an interior leather key leash with a D-ring. Not dirt cheap yet reasonably priced, plus it goes on sale, and it sometimes lands on the pre-loved market deeply discounted! This is the kind of leather bag, worth splurging on because you get a lot for it -- quality, functionality, and durability! You're not paying for a name. Be on the lookout for a deal!👀

On Thursday, I'll discuss a famously popular bag, and I've already written the blog. Please keep this bag in mind to understand how you might sometimes save for a worthwhile splurge verses one that perhaps isn't worth spending the money on.

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Weekend Eats: Bread Toppers

Photo: Serious Eats

Sometimes my favorite meals are the easiest. You can open a bottle of merlot wine, buy a wedge of brie and a fresh loaf of grainy bread, and voilà, you have the makings of a delicious feast!

It's almost blueberry season! Make ahead a jar of blueberry jam to top brie cheese on bread or toast.

Blueberry Jam

Ingredients: 

2 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 cup of honey or maple syrup

Directions:

Dump the blueberries, chia seeds, and honey or maple syrup
 into a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or so. I use a potato masher to smash the blueberries (leaving chunks). Remove from the heat and pour into a jar. It thickens as it cools. Refrigerate until needed.

Serve on grainy bread (or multigrain toast) on top of a spread of brie cheese.

🍏🥄🍽🍴🧅🥄🍽🍴🍋🥄🍽🍴🍏🥄🍽🍴🧅🥄🍽🍴🍋🥄 🍽🍴🥄🍽🍴🍏

Another topper for your slices of grainy bread is chilled chicken salad. It's also a chance to use leftovers -- chicken and/or vegetables! If you don't have fresh leftover vegetables, frozen vegetables work too.

Dijon Chicken Salad With Vegetables 

Ingredients:

16 oz cooked white chicken breast, diced

Select one: 10 oz frozen, cooked and cooled California Mix vegetables, diced; cooked asparagus, diced; or raw onions, celery, and carrots, diced

Photo: Christy Denny

1/2 - 1 cup low-fat mayonnaise (Don't use tasteless fat-free.)

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons lemon juice (Often I use vinegar.)

Salt and pepper to taste (Began with a teaspoon of salt, and go from there.)

Optional: 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

Variation: Often I use a chopped green apple and 2 - 4 chopped baby carrots in my chicken salad for a satisfying crunch. We enjoy food due to its texture and flavor.

Directions:

Toss all your chosen ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well. Chill for one hour before serving on your fresh (or toasted) grainy bread.

Add some fresh fruit (grapes, strawberries, orange and peach slices, whatever is in season) and you're consuming all the major food groups - protein, whole grains, fruit and vegetables. Bon Appetite! 🍷

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#Shorts: A Red Wine Boldness Chart

Although red wine is my alcoholic beverage of choice, I only drink a glass occasionally if I host a dinner or join friends at a restaurant. The exception is during the summer, I will sometimes have a glass of wine with a cheese and fruit platter as Sunday dinner. Unfortunately, as we grow older we have to watch our calories, and I'd rather eat than drink.

But when I do have a glass of wine, I enjoy it. I tend to drink Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Melbac and I try to avoid wines too rich in tannins - organic substances in grape skins and seeds that can make wine taste bitter or acidic, perhaps also described as sharp or bold. The tannins in wine give it health benefits, but if you don't enjoy the wine, what's the point of consuming it?

Another consideration, a bolder wine tastes delicious paired with heavy food such as a big thick steak, while lighter wines, sometimes called drinking wines, are perfect with appetizers.🧀

The above Wine Boldness Chart by Wine Folly is a handy-dandy guide when selecting wine. In my decades of life, I've tasted at least 9 on the chart ... plus whatever mystery wines I've sampled at wine tastings and can't remember.

I hope you find the chart useful!🍷

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J. Crew Factory's Summer Dresses

Cotton is a popular summertime fabric that tends to be cool and comfortable. A cotton dress is a good investment because not only is it easy to wear and easy to machine wash and dry, it lasts for years before showing signs of wear and tear.

The following are cute dresses from J. Crew Factory, the same quality as in the J Crew retail stores:

J. Crew Factory is less pricey than J. Crew's retail stores. The factory offers discounts along with special promotions as high as 50% off. It also carries stylish accessories to complete the look. Although the footwear is adorable it tends to lack arch support, which is ok for the suburbs, but not for walking miles on city blocks.

J. Crew Factory is where costly budget-buster dresses at J. Crew morph into budget-friendly ones. I especially love the top👆sleeveless dress. You?

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Happy Easter 2023

Photo: The altar of Westminister Abbey, London England 

Once again we celebrate hope, optimism, and human perseverance. 

A belief that ultimate good can overcome challenges, evil, and the limitations of life. Existence is layered and multifaceted. There will be trails, and yet everything has an opposite. Up - down, hot - cold, bad - good, despair - hope. Death - eternal life? It's a leap of faith.

Photo: Trading News

We also celebrate all the goodness life has to offer both in nature and manmade ... from flowers (nature) and colored eggs (art!) to human kindness (generosity of spirit).

Photo: David Attenborough's Facebook post.

Every year there's a new cycle of life. Welcome to the world little lamb. My lovely Readers make the most of your time here on earth!

🐣🐇🌷

A flashback photo of my mom and me on Easter Sunday. Dad was taking the picture. Unlike Christmas or Thanksgiving, it was the one holiday we sometimes treated ourselves to eating out and after our dinner hobnobbing around town.

Happy Easter from THE SAVVY SHOPPER!🐥

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Supergoop Dupe: Trader Joe's Daily Facial Sunscreen SPF 40

Supergoop, featured here on THE SAVVY SHOPPER is the legendary sunscreen known for its ultra-effective sun-shielding ingredients and hailed for its oil-free non-greasy, invisible application. Although it isn't chemical-free, dermatologists universally love and recommend it. Selling for $36 for a 1.7-ounce tube -- cheap it isn't, which matters when you should use sun protection generously every day of the year.

Universally dermatologists are also loving and praising Trader Joe's Daily Facial Sunscreen SPF 40 as an excellent dupe costing much less at $9 for 1.7 ounces. Both sunscreens pass the invisibility test. Both are SPF 40. Both are water-resistant for up to 40 minutes. There is a slight texture difference -- Supergoop is more matt, yet perhaps not significantly so to pay the difference. Trader Joe's dupe is creamier, a tad heavier which some people in side-by-side face comparisons like -- therefore it boils down to personal preferences and what you want to pay.

A few YouTube dermatologists describe Trader Joe's dupe as shockingly similar and the best dupe to the original product they've ever tried. The consensus is to run to Trader Joe's before it sells out.

A legitimate question to ask is why do skin doctors approve of the chemical ingredient sunscreens? Because chemical sunscreens tend to be lighter, silkier, and disappear into the skin better than mineral-based sunscreens. They reason the best sunscreen is the one people will use daily because they like its lightness. 

Conclusion: Save, don't splurge. Buy Trader Joe's dupe for this everyday sunscreen essential.

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Portland Leather Goods Are About Quality

Portland Leather goods are designed to be simple, durable, and affordable. It's genuine leather people don't have to save 6 months of salary to buy! The inventory is understated and basic, yet well-crafted and pragmatic. In your possession, the well-priced pieces will endure for decades.

My favorite articles are the backpacks, totes, and Chelsea boots. A selection of small leather goods (again note, they're real leather, not synthetic!) is a good value even before applying a 25% discount code or perusing the Amost Perfect Sales section.

The wallets do everything we need them to do, and for simple basic designs, the above Chelsea boots (available in several colors) and matching tote bag are a smashing duo!

What Portland Leather items tempt you? Do the fair prices compared to their French competitors surprise you, or make you wonder why you'd ever pay 1000s more for a designer name?

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