It's Nearly Christmas: Come Travel With Me

One of the Christmas trees at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Queen Elizabeth IIs official residence in Scotland. A painting of King Charles II looks on. For more about him go here. His father, King Charles I is the portrait on the right.

For our Christmas blog let's travel around the world, as well as, back in time a bit. On my bucket list is a return to Great Britain at Christmas time. With the numbers of the Omicron variant of COVID rising, it won't be anytime soon, so let us rely on the blog for our Christmas visits this year ...

The Royal Family's trees at Windsor Castile

How beautiful are Queen Elizabeth II's 2021 trees in Scotland and Windsor? Her Majesty's trees arrived and were decorated in early December.

On to the Middle East ...

 Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

One day perhaps tourists will again spend Christmas where it all began in Bethlehem. Maybe this December the locals can enjoy Bethlehem even more without the usual crowds, although sadly when people stay away the commerce won't be there for the town either.

Our next stop is New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art on December 9, 2021:

All photos at the Met: Carolyn C.

Here on the Upper East Side at the Met, my friend Carolyn invited me to see the new Walt Disney exhibit with her. She had an extra ticket for its opening. I had not visited the museum in 2+ years, and her company was the shot in the arm (no pun intended😊) I needed to go again. As it turns out, you do need your COVID shots in the arm, as well as, to show a state ID and wear a mask to get inside. Glad to oblige to keep everybody safe! 

We very much enjoyed the magic of Walt Disney consisting of footage of its animated films, movie posters, and various artifacts from the productions. As I mentioned to Carolyn, I didn't see Disney's Snow White (1938) or The Sleeping Beauty (1959) movies, but as a child, I had the records of the fairytales which I played over and over again; and the recordings came with Disney illustrated books so you could turn the pages as you listened to actors reading the parts, classical music, and dramatic sound effects. I remember the book images vividly as if I'd seen the films in theaters. Beauty And The Beast (1991) I also missed in theaters ... but I've seen enough Disney clips over the years to know all 3 animated films well.

Photo: Carolyn C. of The 17th Century Christmas tree at the Met

Naturally, we had to visit the 17th Century Christmas tree the Met always sets up at Christmas in the Medieval-Byzantine-Early Modern chamber complete with a soft Gregorian chant in the background. Every year it's become a Christmas tradition to walk over to see it. Like many other activities, I missed doing so in 2020.

Our last blog stop is a spot in my apartment. You get music in my home too.🙂

I tried to give this Nativity Scene away as I have another one but didn't find a taker, and so I'm displaying it myself this year. Hey, maybe I do need two.:) 

"Go Tell It On the Mountain" is from my favorite Christmas album of all time recorded by the Ames Brothers (1957), which I reviewed the year I began the blog here. As a young man, my father bought the vinyl album, and it played every Christmas on my parent's {Dad's stuff always became our stuff😀} stereo during my childhood, so when I moved to Manhattan, I bought a CD of it in a record store. Thus, the tradition continues! Unfortunately, record stores are another relic of the past.

Another glance at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland with Queen Elizabeth's decorating team.

I want to thank you, my lovely readers, for stopping by ... for your continued support ... and I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday in your own faith traditions. I'm happy to include you in mine by wishing you Peace, Love and, Joy. 

We may be from multi-cultures and traditions, but everyone is accepted and valued on THE SAVVY SHOPPER. Here we are united as one human global family. Free to be a little bit serious and a little bit frivolous ... and spread kindness continuously. On these restricted days apart people need it!😘💋

Merry Christmas Everyone!

xoxo

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New Shopping Dolly Cart

For decades I've had a 2-wheeler foldup grocery cart in my closet. While I seldom need it, the times I have a heavy load to carry I do! On one of those occasions just recently, the cart fell apart about 30 blocks away from home. Getting my groceries home that day was not fun!

While the steel body of the 2-wheeler dollies is strong enough to hold the weight of groceries, their plastic wheels are not ... something I didn't notice until a wheel broke off my dolly and rolled away. Why do the 2-wheeler grocery carts have plastic wheels so we can't use them for their intended purpose? Plastic wheels ARE on all the grocery carts sold that I see in Manhattan (including the brand Dolly Trolley). It makes zero sense! Another weakness of a 2-wheeler grocery cart is, when fully loaded, it TIPS OVER on unlevel sidewalks. What's with THAT failure?! It's the only time you ever notice how uneven or unlevel Manhattan sidewalks are.🍎🍑🍏🍇

Therefore, I replaced my 2-wheeler cart with a 4-wheeler cart, namely the VersaCart. Weighing 9 pounds, it holds up to 120 pounds. Unfolding and folding it up are simple. 

The front wheels pivot 360 degrees to easily maneuver around bumps, people, and pets, and the sturdy canvas is water-resistant. All of these strengths make the VersaCart attractive, but the main reason I bought it is: The VersaCart FITS in my closet, which is not true of the 4-wheeler, metal-grad carts. When folded up, the VersaCart has only a 9-inch footprint. SOLD!

The cart also comes in red and black canvas when you can find them. Overwhelmingly customers give the cart glowing reviews, and it's cute rolling down the street! 

As editors like to say, the subject isn't sexy, but for me, it makes a fantastic present, which I ended up buying for myself at Bed, Bath and Beyond using a 20% coupon. Nobody would have thought to buy it for me, and the price was cheaper than elsewhere. 

Great for groceries or mall shopping, plus for suburbanites, it folds up nicely to go in the trunk of a car. 🛍 

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Plum Crazy Desserts Part 2

Photo: the Spruce

Have you been following? I'm down to 2 1/2 pounds of dried plums and still figuring out ways to eat them. In fact, they are quite moist as is, yet tasteless if popped into your mouth ... lacking the sugar and heat of say, dried ginger. So if you want flavor, you have to turn them into desserts. Following are 2 plum desserts that look especially appealing to me. Eash sweet can be baked in a square baking pan, then cut into squares if you wish.

The 1st dessert is less work than traditional English plum pudding, its cousin across the pond (which surprisingly contains no plums). This one does --

Plum Pudding With Caramelized Sauce

Tweaked from Idaho's Prepared Pantry

Ingredients:

2 cups dried plums, chopped

1/2 cup of boiling hot water

1 stick soft butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup walnuts (or pecans), chopped

Start with 1/2 cup of milk -- up to 1 cup (Step 6 explains.)

Directions:

1) In a separate bowl, let the diced plums soak in boiling hot water for 1 hour. (My dried plums were very moist out of the bag so I didn't have to soak to rehydrate them.)

2) In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugars, and eggs.

3) Sprinkle in the flour, baking powder, and salt.

4) Add the flavors, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

5) Toss in the plums with water and walnuts. 

6) Starting with 1/2 cup milk, add to get a not too thick or too thin batter consistency. I used nearly 1 cup of milk. Stop before you arrive at runny.

7) Pour into a well-buttered square baking pan.

8) Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes or until done in the center. While baking you can make the sauce.

Caramelized Brown Sugar Sauce

Ingredients:

1 stick of softened butter

1 3/4 cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon good Kentucky bourbon

Directions:

1) Melt the butter in a saucepan.

2) Stir in the sugar and continue whisking.

3) Dissolve the cornstarch into the milk and add it to the mixture continuing to whisk while the sauce simmers and thickens. 

4) Finish off near the end by flavoring with the bourbon.

After cooling down a bit, pour the Caramelized Brown Sugar Sauce over the Plum Pudding. 

Note: I'll omit the sauce the next time I make this dessert. Everyone agreed the cake is moist and tasty without it. We put sauce on the side, and nobody ate it after a bite. We liked the sauce but it didn't improve the cake or pudding as it is called.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The 2nd dessert is a crumble ... crisp, crumble, cobbler, to know the difference go here.

Plum Berry Crumble

Ingredients:

Filling Ingredients --

💟 2 cups plums, soaked in 1 cup of boiled hot water for 1 hour. 

💟 Then pour the plumped-up plums with the water and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into a blender (or food processor) to puree.

💟 1 1/2 cups blueberries (or a mixture of berries) - leave whole

Batter Ingredients --

1 stick softened butter (Eyeball the consistency. It should be crumbly. You can add a 2nd stick of butter if needed. I try to cut back on the fat and sugar when possible without ruining the dessert.)

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cardamon

3 cups Quaker Oats (1 minute, or old fashioned works)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

A pinch of salt

Directions:

1) In a mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar.

2) Add the eggs and vanilla and mix together.

3) Toss in the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.

4) Divide the batter in half. 

5) Press half of the batter in the bottom of a well-buttered square baking pan.

6) Spread the filling of plum puree and toss some whole blueberries (or other berries) on top of the bottom batter.

7) Spoon the remaining batter on top of the filling.

8) Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Much maligned, who knew dried plums and prunes (which are Italian plums) make such tasty desserts? And, the healthy dried plums have a convenient no-rush self-life! We can always have a bag of dried fruit waiting in the pantry.💜

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Dried Plum Pudding/Fruit Spread

With 3 pounds of dried plums (don't ask😁) I'm looking at plum recipes. One for prune pudding from Southern Living looks promising. It's more of a topping or fruit spread than a pudding, and I used dried plums, not dried prunes ... but close enough! Prunes are dried Italian plums ... not as juicy or round as regular plums. You see both at the grocery store. Below is the tweaked recipe.

Dried Plum Fruit Spread (or pudding if you will:)

Ingredients:

1 cup dried plums, tightly packed

2/3 cup sugar (I used 1/3 cup of this Stevia mixture.)

1 star anise

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

3 tablespoon cornstarch

Juice of 1 lemon (I cheated with 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice.)

Directions:

1) Soak the cup of dried plums in a saucepan with 2 cups of boiled hot water for 1 hour. They plump up.

2) Next turn on the heat, bring to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes.

3) Let cool down and transfer to a food processor or blender, add another cup of boiled hot water and pulse a few times to break the plums down, leaving some chunks. Return to the saucepan.

4) Remove 1/3 of the mixture and put it into a separate bowl to make a cornstarch slurry. This step is to avoid cornstarch lumps in the sauce.

5) To 1/3 of the plum mixture, add the juice of one lemon and stir it together. Next add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and mix until smooth. Set aside.

6) To the main pot of plum mixture in the saucepan add 2/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise. Stir to combine. Turn the heat back on and simmer for 5 minutes.

7) While it's simmering, pour the cornstarch slurry into the main plum mixture in the pot and continue stirring. After it thickens, remove the star anise and let the pudding/fruit spread cool. 

Store in a canning jar and use it on toast or whatever else you like. The plums will give you fiber, vitamin C, and heart-healthy phytochemicals to lower inflammation.

Although not an English cake (which the Brits call pudding), plum pudding/fruit spread seems very European with subtle flavors! Stay tuned for other plum recipes as my kitchen becomes plum city for a while.💜

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POP Beauty

Nowadays you never have to venture beyond a drugstore to find quality beauty products. The aisles of many drugstores are starting to look like one big, expansive cosmetic counter because so much is there. At CVS recently I discovered a "new" to me fantastic UK beauty brand for less.

POP Beauty has the highest standards in skincare with rich pigmented makeup that is 100% vegan and cruelty-free made from responsibly sourced ingredients. The beauty brand offers the highest quality natural ingredients in uncomplicated products with simple packaging for less ~~~ a lot less, so why would you pay more?

Although the packaging is simple, it's fun and colorful, so practical items can liven up your bathroom, as well as, make attractive gifts! I think the best part of gifting beauty is the eye-opening introduction of a winning affordable brand to somebody else who can then start buying a new love for themselves. Over time, it saves them tons of money without compromise ... a great gift in and of itself!

Golly! Does this look like a CVS pharmacy to you?

POP Beauty is conveniently sold at drugstores, Walmart, some Targets, and Amazon.

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Introducing Saffron

In gourmet food stores, as well as T.J. Maxx, I see a spice that has intrigued me for years: Saffron, and yet I leave it on the shelf. As it turns out, saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, costing between $500 - $5,000 a pound. Unsurprisingly then that so little of it is always in the jar. The reason for its high price tag is the spice is very labor-intensive to harvest. Saffron derives from the Crocus sativus flower and the tiny thread-like flower blossoms (called stigmas) are each picked by hand. It takes 75,000 stigmas to make a pound of saffron.

Recently as I placed a Walmart order for spices Badia's Sazòn with Saffron (a salt) popped up on the screen, so I decided to put it in my online shopping cart (at $2.99!). Like the saffron flower blossoms, the salt is bright orange. 

After it arrived, I dicovered I've tasted this spice in Maxican cuisine and like its distinctive flavor in meat, rice, potatoes, stew, and soup. 

Saffron is thought to have several health benefits. It contains plant compounds that act as antioxidants to fight free radicals. It seems to reduce depression, PMS symptoms, and anxiety. There are claims the spice makes people more amorous. Not only can saffron alter mood in the brain, but it also reduces inflammation in the body. Research (that requires further studies) suggests it may have some cancer, heart attack, and Alzheimer's prevention properties also. And, it may reduce appetite to help with weight loss.

When eating a normal amount of the spice in food, saffron has no known side effects. Consuming too much of any good thing is bad, but with the cost of saffron, it's unlikely to be a practice in most households.

Next on my list of tastes to try is another expensive condiment I've never had, namely truffles. Several days ago, I saw dried truffle in the spices at our newly opened Trader Joe's for a few bucks. There's my chance!😁

What would you like to try?

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TruSkin Skincare

Nowadays you no longer need to spend a fortune on skincare as so many effective products are in the aisles at Target, Walmart, Amazon, and local drugstores, there's no need to look elsewhere! Selling at affordable prices -- with monthly promotions to boot -- making transformative skincare almost a steal!

TruSkin is a brand committed to producing advanced premium formulas with superior ingredients in the right combinations and potencies. It's made in the USA without fillers or animal testing. The elixirs treat all skin concerns, and they are budget-friendly, which is exactly what we want! After you know what you desire to be treated, you can select skin products that are right for you to do the job.

I will feature a few of the company's offerings:

1. Vitamin C Serum - To nourish the skin and fight free radicals. Creates a glow by treating dark spots, fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven skin tone. Use every morning.

2. Retinol Serum - Improves fine lines, wrinkles, skin tone, skin texture, color, pigmentation, as well as your skin's hydration levels. Clinical-strength retinol that is gentle enough for sensitive skin. Use nightly.

3. Hyaluronic Acid Serum - Supercharged with a powerful anti-aging complex that includes Vitamins C and E, Green Tea, Aloe Vera, and MSM to plump the skin with moisture. Use in winter, or as needed to soothe dry skin.

4. Tea Tree Super Serum+ - A blemish-bursting blend that includes tea tree essential oil, vitamin C, retinol, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid. Use 2 - 3 nights per week, or as a spot treatment.

5. Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer - Layer up with this ultra-hydrating vitamin C brightening cream containing Retinol, Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, and Salicylic Acid. It targets discoloration, firmness, fine lines, and blemishes. Use daily or as needed to "cocoon" the skin so it stays soft and supple.

6. Retinol Moisturizer - Provides a layer of moisturizing cream to your face that contains hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, B5 green tea, and propolis. Improve fine lines, wrinkles, skin tone, skin texture, color, pigmentation, as well as your skin's hydration levels. Use nightly.

TruSkin has a wide selection of affordable cleansers, toners, moisturizers, treatments, sizes, and skincare kits for every type of skin ... and it's so convenient to find. I found it at CVS. Next time you go to your local drugstore, check the beauty aisle.

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8 More Holiday Stocking Stuffers

The design comes in Morganite or Moissanite.

So what's this talk about a shortage of Christmas gifts due to supply-chain disruptions? #1 - Gifts don't define Christmas, and the best ones don't come from a store; #2 - Store shelves are stocked, not empty; and #3 - Thoughtful gifts come at every price point from cheap to pricey.

You will find inexpensive and/or good-value-for-the-money gifts at your figure tips sold online at Walmart, Kmart, and Amazon -- 3 retailers with winning gifts that won't empty your wallet. Talk about "pay less, live better," very often Walmart lowers costs further on already reasonably priced goods to get rid of old stock ... making many buys a steal!

The following are already good-value-for-the-money items that are further reduced at Walmart, but can also be found on Amazon or Target while supplies last:

1) 2 Carat Round Cut Real Moissanite Trio Wedding Ring in Silver Dipped In 18K Rose Gold by JeenJewels - The Art Deco style rings are dainty and delicate, and yet the bands feel strong. The vendor says they are handmade, and I love the attention to detail. The set of rings have a 1.5-carat center natural Moissanite with prevè Moissanites on all 3 bands crafted in silver (which is a precious metal) and dipped in 18k rose gold. No way would I buy them for an engagement/wedding ring set, but they are beautiful as a right hand or pinky ring. The ring sets (there are several designs to select) are sold at Walmart and Kmart, as well as, on Amazon. (Also listed as JeenMata here at Walmart). It's a nice piece of low-priced fine jewelry! I recommend buying them at one of these major well-known retailers for (a) the best price, as well as, (b) reliable customer service -- since I'm unfamiliar with dealing directly with the vendor, JeenJewels.

2) Necano Portable Bluetooth Speaker With Custom Bass Radiator - You get spectacular sound ... and yet it's tiny. Weighing 6.2 ounces, it is one "pair" of powerful Bluetooth speakers -- that's right the big sound of 2 speakers in one lightweight, small body. It's easy to carry and has 6 hours of playtime. Use it to play music on your smartphone, iPad, MacBook Pro, or other audio devices with Bluetooth. Wow, I didn't know I needed this until I got it.

3) Something Borrowed 2% BHA Toner - The toner has Beta Hydroxy Acid that lightens age spots and reduces the appearance of large pores, fine lines, and wrinkles. It contains green tea extract and orange blossom water. The toner is the only product in the brand I tried, but I now want to try some others. The company makes retinol serum, vitamin C serum, and moisturizers to treat hyperpigmentation, uneven skin tone, enlarged pores, acne, and aging. Everything is created to achieve VOW skin!

4) ArtNaturals A trio of Serums - 

• Hyaluronic serum for enhanced hydration - Use day or night.
•  2.5 Retinol to fight aging with cell turnover - Use at night.
• Vitamin C serum to moisturize and brighten the skin - Use in the morning.

This is the brand I currently use. You can't beat the prices of these gift sets! Buy direct (they offer good customer service), or from Walmart.

5) Sharper Image Closet Ionic Air Purifier - Hang in your closet to ionize the air to prevent mold. I recommend monitoring the websites of Sharper Image, Amazon, and Walmart to get the best price.

6) Ipad, Tablet or Bookholder - To read in bed. Books get very heavy, and devices can drop if you fell asleep. This frees your hands and keeps your reading material from getting damaged. Again check the prices between retailers: Amazon, Walmart, as well as, Bed, Bath and Beyond as they all carry pillow bookholders.

7) Black & Decker Toaster Oven/Air fryer - Frankly professional chefs tell us if we own an oven, air fryers are not much more convenient, nor do they cook better, just differently. Yet for various reasons, there are people who want them, so if I were to get an air fryer, I'd want this multi-tasker toaster oven. It's a compact size for a kitchen counter, yet not too small. And if you stop air frying you still have a toaster oven.

8) Container Store Purse Organizer Insert -  This last item is only sold at the Container Store ... it's a good example of how I shop ... keep checking elsewhere to find it at a lower price. I missed my chance to buy it for $19.99 last year when we had a brick-and-mortar Container Store on the Upper East Side. LITTLE did I know then the store would close; and now I'm too cheap to pay an $11 shipping charge. So I'll have to wait it out until I visit a store away from home ... or this Bag:In merchant sells on Amazon or Walmart. Plus at the Container Store, it now costs $26.99 + $11 for shipping. Yikes! All I want for Christmas is this purse organizer without shipping fees!! You would think another retailer sells it that offers free shipping. Where are you?!😁

These 8 gifts go to show you how many gift options we have at our fingertips (online) or in brick and mortar stores ... every kind of store! Nobody needs to worry about not having a great gift to put under the Christmas tree 4 weeks from now ... if you try, you will find them!

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