Walmart's Cheap Thrill Dresses

I no longer buy high-end summer dresses. The pricey ones hang in my closet while I grab a swing dress from (1) Lands' End, (2) Uniqlo, or (3) Old Navy to go to the theater, ballet, or a restaurant. I call them my Cheap Thrill Dresses. No dry cleaning is needed!

A Cheap Thrill Dress is a dress that's cute, cozy, decent quality, and won't break the bank. Paired with ballet flats and some bling, the garment looks polished and suitable for a night out on the town. You can wear a Cheap Thrill Dress without fuss. If you sit on a park bench; in the open air on the fountain at Lincoln Center; or decide to ride the subway, you won't have to fret about ruining your dress. Cheap thrill dresses can be machine-washed and dried all summer long!

Let me introduce you to a 4th retailer carrying Cheap Thrill Dresses worth considering. Walmart has a reasonably good brand, PPYOUNG, which is getting tons of 5-star reviews from happy customers. The dresses feel as comfortable as wearing T-shirts, yet are much more stylish.

The knit fabric of 95% rayon with 5% spandex is a winning combination for a hot steamy summer to keep you cool and wrinkle-free. The adorable swing style is universally flattering on nearly every body type.

What a versatile dress ... going from a night out on the town, to a Saturday running errands frock, or an all-day beach coverup, to an easy-to-pack in-a-suitcase vacation dress.

If ordering clothing from Walmart (or Target known to collaborate with upscale designers), I recommend reading all the reviews. Customers usually mention when a dress runs large, true-to-size, or small, plus check the manufacturers' size chart. 

The PPYOUNG dresses from Walmart come in several styles, colors, and patterns, and the price points are a steal making owning a few a no-brainer! 

You may also enjoy:

Big Ticket Looks For Less

Dresses For A Senior Mother

6 Best Fabrics To Wear In Summer

Save On Summer Fashion Essentials

Summer Eats

Fresh summer tomatoes are the best! Photo: HuffPost 

I post more recipes in summer on THE SAVVY SHOPPER than at other times of the year. Why? I have more time to cook and play. In summer, real food -- not junk food -- that doesn't take hours to prepare or cook also catches my eye. I slap it up here if I wish to share or find it again myself.

Fresh food I don't have to cook is one of the many things I love about summer. Last night I cut up an avocado, tomato, and onion, tossed them into a bowl, and seasoned them with cider vinegar (a friend gave me cider vinegar with a "mother" in it), salt, pepper, garlic and parsley. Mmm!

If you mash the ingredients, you'll have guacamole, more traditionally made with lime, but I prefer good vinegar.

In summer I love a late-night dinner of red wine and extra-sharp cheddar cheese on grainy rye bread. It's umami tasty! I could eat it as a supper 7 days a week, but I don't let myself! Only one day a week is my rule. I add cruditès of raw vegetables and fruit to balance out the meal. Another summer love is it stays daylight until 9 PM!

When you don't cook a meal what is your favorite at-home summer dinner? If reading this blog, you're looking at mine.

You may also enjoy:

American Potato Salad

Barbecue Franks And Beans

Stove Top Roast Chicken With Gravy

Bean, Avocado, Corn, Onion And Tomato

Doan's White Chocolate Coconut Cake Is A Favorite of Tom Cruise

All photos courtesy of Spectrum 1 News

Doan's Bakery in Westland Hills, Los Angeles, CA, has been family-operated since 1983. Its White Chocolate Coconut Cake became famous after actor Tom Cruise began sending it to his celebrity friends each year for Christmas. It's a $50 cake that costs $130 to ship overnight via Goldbelly nationwide. Mentions on Jimmy Kimmel's and Jimmy Fellon's late-night shows put the cake and bakery on the map. Bakery co-owner, Karen Doan [who partners with her son, Eric and his wife, Carrie] says the secret to the cake's success is to add more, not less of the finest ingredients. This means more coconut and white chocolate. Below is a copycat recipe with the hands of creator Karen Doan in the images making the original cake:

White Chocolate Coconut Cake

Ingredients for the cake batter

1 cup softened butter

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

½ cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon coconut extract

5 ounces white chocolate, melted

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions for the batter:

1) Beat together the butter and sugar.

2) Next mix in the eggs one at a time.

3) Mix in the coconut milk, buttermilk, coconut extract, and melted white chocolate.

4) In a separate mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.

5) Fold in the dry ingredients, 1/4 at a time, into the wet ingredients. Mix just until incorporated. 

6) Pour into a large buttered bundt pan [or 2 buttered 9" cake pans if you wish].

7) Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 45 - 55 minutes or until the center of the cake produces a crumb when tested with a toothpick.

8) Cool for about 15 minutes before removing from the pan(s) while still warm. If you make the bundt cake, you'll flip it over. The bottom becomes the top.

Ingredients for the Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups of powdered sugar, more if needed
1 tablespoon coconut extract

14 ounces of flaked coconut (toasted if you wish to toast it) for the top and sides of the cake.

Directions for the Frosting:

1) Beat the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together until fluffy. Add the coconut extract and incorporate.

2) Spread it on the cake. Professional bakers put the cake in the refrigerator, then frost it a 2nd time.

3) Finish with the shredded coconut -- padding it on the sides and top of the cake.

Will you make a bundt or 2-layer cake?🎂

You may also enjoy:

Carla Hall's Caramel Cake

A Pretty Rainbow Almond Cake
Easy Homemade Strawberry Cake

Raspberry Cake With A Raspberry Filling

Are Almond Skins Bad For Us?

Photo: iStock

Almonds are a nutritional powerhouse. There are two varieties: editable sweet and noneditable bitter almonds. 

Sweet almonds are the variety we buy to eat.

Noneditable bitter almonds contain a toxin, called glycoside amygdalin that when eaten, gets broken down into hydrogen cyanide, a toxic compound that can cause accidental death in adults who consume 10 to 12 of them.

Photo: iStock

Editable sweet almonds are sold in supermarkets and specialty food shops. They are high in fiber and antioxidants like flavonoids and vitamin E, protecting us against free radicals that cause chronic disease and premature aging. Vitamin E reduces inflammation, boosts immunity;and helps widen blood vessels to improve blood flow. Almonds are a natural fighter against obesity, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, gut health, and Alzheimer's.

Compared to other nuts, sweet "almonds are one of the healthiest nuts to eat. They are higher in fiber, protein, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, magnesium, calcium, iron, folate acid, and other nutrients." Many of their nutrients like vitamin E are contained in their skin. Almond skins are not only good to eat, but they also provide additional antioxidants and fiber.

Some people like to soak their almonds in water for up to 8 hours. According to certain health nuts, it makes the almonds more digestible, enhances nutrient absorption, and adds prebiotic properties to promote a healthier gut microbiome. Whether soaking provides benefits is undetermined. Health nuts are not necessarily wrong, it just means there have not been scientific studies to back their claims. This could be because nobody has put up money to conduct the research, or the studies conducted can't establish cause-and-effect conclusions.

Dry almonds right out of the bag are a healthy snack too. Removing the skin of almonds is a taste or texture preference. Skinless almonds have fewer nutrients than almonds with skins. When people worry that the skins of almonds are poisonous, they confuse sweet with bitter almonds. Almonds sold in first-world countries are sweet almonds. They are wholesome, and 100% of an almond is safe to eat.

You may also enjoy:

All About Apples

Homemade Nut Bars

Avocados The Healthy Snack

Healthy Food Is Not Expensive

The Value Of A College Education

Photo: CUNY

I like Bill Maher but it always irritates me when a man who has the benefit of a college education devalues the importance of a college education.😳 He's not the only university-degreed public figure to do so. Mike Rowe, a TV personality who seems to lean conservative with a libertarian streak on his podcasts, goes as far as to fund a charity to steer young people towards training in blue-collar professions. He has said, a higher education is more worthless today than yesterday.

Mike Rowe (right) and Bill Maher (left)

IMHO, it couldn't be further from the truth. If you have the intellect and means, you cannot spend 4 years of your life in a more transforming way. Education changes you as a person. Once your mind has been stretched by new ideas and other cultures and learns critical thinking, it never returns to its original dimension. 

Do you know who'll believe these skeptics? Sadly (1) Parents without a college education who are anxious about the costs of sending their children to college. (2) Libertarian and right-wing politicians sitting in Congress who want to cut taxes to zero for multi-millionaires and billion-dollar corporations by defunding public education. (3) Young inexperienced people without guidance or encouragement or foresight.

A free public education was fundamental to our Founding Fathers at a time when only the well-to-do could afford an education. Education has long been valued in democratic countries as a bedrock for a strong democracy. Do we want an ignorant or an educated electorate? Because the zeitgeist seems to be turning.

Often a university degree is the one sure way out of poverty for a person who is born poor with no connections and few opportunities. If a person has the desire, brains, and work ethic to become a doctor, dentist, or accountant, it's in the country's interest to help them pay for their education. Society benefits when its members have access to higher learning. Getting it should not be determined by whether you are rich or poor. If someone from a lower-income family has the aptitude to be a scientist, educator, or engineer, it's in society's interest to use tax dollars to help educate a future scientist, educator, or engineer.

The middle and working classes pay the bulk of taxes in the USA. We can well afford to use some of it for Pell Grants and low-interest government loans to help defray the cost of tuition for the working and middle classes. 

We have a long history of striving to do better than our parents. These were the dreams of generations of immigrants. How do we benefit now by abandoning our aspirations to do so? Rather than thumbing down efforts to raise society's collective intelligence, let's continue to lift it up!

On average college graduates earn more money than high school graduates. A college education opens doors to higher-paying jobs you can't get without a university degree. After graduation, the country acquires a higher-earner taxpayer.

But aside from earning more money, the critical thinking you master in college helps you do nearly everything else in your life better. Moreover, how are you going to spend your paycheck if your vision is limited because you haven't learned about other countries and cultures? Or worthy subjects such as art, geography, history, economics, finance, etc., etc.🌍🌎🌏

In society, there are examples of people who are smart, or successful, or self-motivators without higher learning. Granted there are degree-less people who read books and are self-taught, yes, but it's a harder path to tread without structure, direction, and guidance which is what a university offers. More people are not self-motivators than those who are. It takes effort, dedication, and internships to acquire a level of expertise in a given field. Most accredited universities also require coursework outside of a major with the goal of turning a student into a well-rounded person. College is much more than just a pathway to a job.

I'll finish where I started. I like Bill Maher ... but would Bill Maher be Bill Maher if he had skipped college? His post-high school education is an important component that makes him the satirist he is. A show like Real Time with Bill Maher would be a different show, no? I would bet real money that Real Time is written and produced by people who went to college. I know of at least one staff member who did. The man at the top, Bill Maher!📚

You may also enjoy:

I Took The Colbert Questionert 

Self-Sufficiency Makes Life Better

When Time Marches On Without Us

John Prine's April Passing From COVID Hurt

Where Do Canadians Buy Clothes?

On my bucket list is visiting Canada, starting with Montreal or Quebec (so two trips) to familiarize myself with retailers where Canadians like to shop for clothes. I'm open to both luxury and affordable markets. It's fun to explore shopping districts away from home, and you never know where you'll find inspiration or a steal.

Below is a roundup of where a few Canadian women say they buy their clothes. Some explained why they favor them. The recommendations are 100% theirs. Perhaps one day I'll step foot in the following --

25 Popular Canadian Apparel Shops: 

Aritzia - Expensive but I have to say that they really hit the sweet spot of the modern trendy look. I would say Wilfred and Babaton are the house brands that make more sense for a 30-something - Talulah and TNA are more sporty, and casual, which reads younger. Also, check out the Sunday Best line.

Frank and Oak For basics - Women's clothes are online only but pretty well made. I avoid most of their poly stuff, but anything cotton, silk, merino, etc. is very nice and they have decent sales every other month or so.

Oak and Fort - For more unique and architectural looks. Their fabrics aren't great and are very rarely natural but they do some really neat outside-of-the-box clothes.

Simons - I mostly shop here for the access to other brands and their frequent sales. I'm not a huge fan of their house lines (Twik, Iconé, and Contemporaine). Pretty good loyalty program and easy shipping.

Gap - I buy here for the neverending sales on basics and the occasional really great deal. Also in the USA.

eBay - Especially doing searches and limiting it to Canada to avoid high shipping fees and duties. I like searching for pre-owned Aritzia brands, Theory, Eileen Fisher, Joie, Isabel Marant, Dusen Dusen, Nic and Zoe, and vintage.

Silver and Gold

Silver and Gold Boutique - Trendy and casual style.

Street and Saddle - Quality and fitted garments.

Seek Shelter - Clothes made to improve with wear.

Jeska Grue - Silk and linen fabrics.

Beaton Linen - Linen dresses, jumpers, and fabrics too.

Korinne Vader - Linen dresses, bottoms.

Nordstrom Rack - Also in the USA.

Winners - In the USA known as T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods.

Marshalls - Also in the USA. The sister company of T.J. Maxx or T.K. Maxx in UK countries. Canadians named it separately. Don't count the retailers and tell me there are 26 because I didn't count Marshalls twice. It's counted under the Winners corporation. :)

Holt Renfrew - Known for its exclusive designer collaborations and high-end fashion brands.

RW & Co - Classical Canadian clothing.

Reitmans - Good for work clothes.

Ricki's - Trendy and casual clothes

Cleo - Linen pants, blazers, and dresses.

Uniqlo - Also in the USA. Good quality basics and layering pieces that look expensive. 

Dynamite - A mix of dresses, tops, and jeans.

Laura's - Slightly pricy, but for clothes that will last for years. Classic Canadian clothing.

Mark's - Great bargains.

Hudson Bay

Hudson's Bay - Tons of options on their website. My note: The Bay and Hudson's Bay operate under the HBC portfolio. HBC is North America's oldest company, founded in 1670. HBC also acquired Saks Fifth Avenue in 2013. The Bay is like Macy's or Saks in the USA.

Blondie Boutique - Online shopping only except in Calgary, Canada.

Wow, most of these merchants have no stores in the US, so are new to me. How about you?

Click the links of the Canadian retailers to check them out!🇨🇦

You may also enjoy:

My Window Shopping Spree

The Sample Sales Of New York City

Macy's Herald Square We Love You As You Are

Leather Biker Jackets: Let's Discuss Business Models

Chef Geoffrey Zakarian's Half Sour Pickles And BBQ Sauce

      

These two recipes from Chef Geoffrey Zakarian are definitely keepers. Pickling cucumbers is too darn easy not to try it. I suggest following the instructions exactly the 1st time out. You can blanch the cucumbers thereafter if you like pickles less raw.

Directions:  

Toss all the ingredients in a canning jar, screw on its lid and store in the refrigerator for at least 5 days before eating.

🍅🥒🍊🍅🥒🍊🍅🥒🍊🍅🥒🍊🍅🥒🍊🍅🥒🍊🍅🥒🍊🍅🥒🍊🍅🥒🍊🍅🥒🍊

I love a scrumptious barbecue sauce. I have 2 recipes for you. For mine click here. The one below is extra special!

The BBQ Sauce for Burgers

The Barbecue Sauce Ingredients

Directions:

Toss all the ingredients (except for the bacon) into a stockpot and simmer on a stovetop for 40 minutes. You can save the bacon to top the burgers. Chef Geoffrey tosses them into his BBQ sauce at the end of the cooking time, but I prefer my sauce to be healthier with fewer calories. {I don't put bacon on burgers either. For me, it's too much of a good thing. I eat crispy bacon with eggs for a weekend breakfast. Moderation is ideal.}

Thank you, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, for sharing your restaurant recipes!

You may also enjoy:

Let The Barbecues Begin

Barbecue Franks And Beans

Homemade Chicken Fingers

Celebrate The 4th of July With The Everly Brothers

Lume or Native vs Homemade Body Deodorant

Recent advertisements selling all-over body deodorants have us convinced we all stink. It seems like the main reason to buy them is they work on areas outside of armpits that might be too sensitive for regular deodorant.

Sweating is the body's way of cooling itself therefore it's not good to completely disrupt this essential function. Unlike anti-perspirants which eliminate wetness by clogging sweat glands, deodorants stop odor (not perspirantion) with bacteria-fighting ingredients.

Bacteria naturally live on your skin. Antiperspirant-deodorant combinations can alter your body's ecosystem and actually make you sweat and stink more! The reason is traditional antiperspirant-deodorants also kill good bacteria (named Corynebacterium, Staphylococcus, Propionibacterium, and Micrococcus) leaving the way for bad bacteria to grow and cause stronger odors, not to mention disrupting your immune system leaving the door open for infections.

Switching from a traditional antiperspirant to a natural deodorant requires a transitional period of 1 to 4 weeks when you may sweat more while your body rebalances itself. Stick it out and you'll sweat less soon enough.

The new body deodorants on the market are much more expensive than most armpit deodorants (including organic varieties), ranging from about $12 - $22. 

I bought Lume deodorant in Lavender Sage to pamper my senior mother. Frankly, I see no difference in its effectiveness compared to what I use daily, Crystal™ Mineral Body Deodorant Stick, which is cheaper and lasts and lasts forever! The Crystal™ stick sometimes lands in the beauty aisles of T.J. Maxx for even less.

You may wonder what makes a deodorant natural? According to Healthline, "3 ingredients are common:

• ingredients with disinfectant or antibacterial properties, such as coconut oil and tea tree oil
• essential oils like lavender, sandalwood, or bergamot to provide a pleasant scent
• naturally, absorbent ingredients like baking soda, arrowroot, or cornstarch to combat moisture"

There are several homemade deodorant recipes on the web. An easy one is:

Photo: Treehugger

Ingredients:

1/3 cup coconut oil (Shea butter can be substituted)

1/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup arrowroot starch

10 drops of eucalyptus; lavender; or your favorite scented essential oils

Directions:

1) Spoon the coconut oil (or shea butter) in a cup to melt in a microwave or submerged in hot water.

2) Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until smooth and incorporated.

3) Pour into a cleaned recycled deodorant container or a recycled makeup pot container with a lid. Leave the lid off until the mixture solidifies. 

Although this alternative recipe is superb, I never buy beeswax, sunflower oil, or zinc oxide powder. I prefer simple!

Homemade natural deodorant, suitable for armpits and body is many times cheaper than 3 oz of Lume, Native, or their retail competitors. If you make your own deodorant (or buy, my brand, Crystal™, you can sit back and wait for Walmart, Target, or drugstore knockoffs to enter the market at lower prices. $12+ really adds up over time! BTW: My senior mom and I just treat our armpits. We don't need 72-hour entire body protection as we rely on bathing and after-shower baby powder with cornstarch to stay fresh. I suppose it exists if we ever were to need it.

You may also enjoy:

DIY Rich Soothing Hand Cream

Weleda Offers A Century of Skin Care

Crystal Body Deodorant Stick, A Review

Going Organic: Face, Body And Hair Essentials

5 Interior Design Styles Part IV

Vintage Interior Design (click photos to enlarge)

Today we'll conclude our series with 5 final popular interior design styles for a total of 20. What fun it has been learning about them. I'm surprised at how many of the 20 types I find very appealing! So without further ado, the last 5 popular interior design styles we'll cover are ...

16. Vintage - Vintage interior design combines the old and the new. The style was born after World War II (the 1940s - 1950s) when people had to use 2nd hand furniture and accessories to furnish their homes. Vintage is a nostalgia for the elegance of the past. For furniture to be vintage, it must be at least 20 years old but short of 100 years old, which would make it an antique. (BTW, the term retro describes new articles styled to look older.) Vintage style freely combines different colors, patterns, and designs. It could come from the same decade or a mix of decades to complement a spot in your home. Any color is a candidate layered with white, cream, and beige neutrals. Floral patterns are also typical along with birds, butterflies, or stripes. Often patterns are repetitive. Solid and well-made wood is one of the most common materials for floors and furniture in a vintage home. You'll also find leather, natural fabrics, and wool rugs (possibly oriental rugs). Originality and charm are qualities to strive for with this style.

17. Colorful - The rule for interior color design is 60, 30, and 10: Paint 60% of a room with your color of choice. Paint the next 30% of the room a color complementary to the first. The last 10% of the room should be painted a unique color, contrasting the other two. (A color wheel reveals complementary and contrasting colors.) Showing the same hue in different patterns and textures works well. Often ceilings are left white. This is because, without a neutral light shade somewhere, the room could feel too dark or atmospheric. 

18. Minimalism - is a style characterized by simplicity, clean lines, and neutral base tones such as white, cream, beige, or grey with possibly black or an accent color. Open floor plans with plenty of daylight and useful furniture are favored. The look is crisp clean and clutter-free with just a handful of shapes plus the essentials. The feel is calm. You'll usually see natural textiles like cotton, linen, and wool blankets and rugs. In a small living room, a big couch might take the place of 4 chairs. Minimalism is about curating basics and avoiding surplus.  

Another example of minimalism

Over the years I've leaned towards minimalism in styling my small New York City apartment (which has never had any clutter), but it's impossible to achieve 100% because I need the same amount of household items to live and entertain as more fortunate New Yorkers who reside in 3 bedroom co-oops. I'd be happy to go all in with minimalism if I could acquire more space. This girl would also have to get rid of her glam accents.

19. Rustic - Rustic interior design is defined as a natural, rough, aged, and casual style. The category can incorporate other design styles we covered earlier like Coastal, Cottage, and Modern. This design features rugged, natural beauty. Today, most rustic homes are not dark or heavy, but modern, fresh, and light. Weathered raw wood is the most common material used in furniture, as well as, in visible ceiling beams, light fixers, or trims around doors, windows, or fireplaces. A color palette includes whites and light earthy colors to brighten the room. Natural organic textiles such as canvas, burlap, jute, sisal, wool, and linen prevail too. Repurposed metal and industrial hardware bring an old-time feel into the home while stones and faux animal skins sometimes embellish the look.

Modern rustic

Nowadays old-time-inspired rustic decor appears fresh modern, warm, and inviting indeed!

20. Neo-Classicism - Neoclassical design, is based on Greek and Roman classicism. The decor focuses on symmetry, precision, and scale to achieve elegance and sophistication. The colors are mainly soft, gentle, and muted. Base colors are white, cream, and grey with a bolder color used as an accent. The furniture -- in fabrics of damask silk, brocade, linen, and velvet -- is simple and symmetrical and it can also feature exposed wood or metal outlines. Neoclassical furnishings emphasize quality and luxury without excess. Mirrors, paintings, or statues stand out yet are refined and graceful. According to DreamMarker, a remodeling company, "Nothing says neoclassical like an elaborate chandelier" in gold hardware.

Modern and Contemporary Neoclassicism share similar design elements with the latter using slim-lined furniture resulting in a more minimalist look while retaining the elements of luxury, as well as, balance, horizontal and vertical lines, high ceilings, and controlled, aka quiet luxury.

I've linked the other 3 blogs in this series below. Our decor tetralogy began because I was asked to check interior design styles I like ... which got me wondering about them. It turns out I like quite a few! Which are your favorites?

You may also enjoy:

5 Interior Design Styles Part I

5 Interior Design Styles Part II

5 Interior Design Styles Part III

Micro Apartments Are Coming To Manhattan