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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