It’s not a day to help Mom be more Mom. It’s a day to celebrate. treat, take care of, and basically exalt Mom. Do it with food. Take away her chores and treat Mom to a home-cooked meal by someone other than herself. Or, if that task’s too daunting, find a great specialty store and carry in. Do not use paper plates–that’s so everyday. Go for the real plates. After all, you have a dishwasher–yourself! Or step up to the plate and hit a home run with a restaurant reservation (better hurry if this sounds appealing as you’ll be struggling to find a spot to accommodate)!

Maybe shower Mom with a whole day of fun, food-related items that will make the day extra special and help her relax. So many choices from Champagne to Baked Alaska and a myriad of delectable stops in between. It’s not about the what as much as the what not. Very few Moms want to be reminded of the everyday tasks and routines that are part of their purview. They would rather be transported to a special place for the day, as in Queen for the Day.

Anyway when you look at the working two-parent household, you must stand back a little and recognize that the Good Housekeeping Mom of photos may no longer exist. That reality of 6 o’clock dinner with smiling, scrubbed faces around a perfectly set table may be a holdover from a former, seemingly, mythological existence. Now you are more likely to find everyone hustling to put out food in between work, school, and activity schedules. This portrait more accurately describes the reality of a busy working Mom.

Sure, a Roomba, a Swiffer, a Miele or any number of “life-saving” tools and appliances would be lovely but save those items for another day. A day you surprise Mom with the latest tool or gadget. Do not confuse the concepts!

Just let Mom enjoy the day and celebrate the attention. Her projects will still be there tomorrow!

I wanted them to be wrong.

Stay warm. Time to practice your homemade marshmallow recipe. The hot chocolate beckons.

Happy New Year.

Thanx Chick-Fil-A–who knew how clever your name is, and how smart your service and tasty your food!

Score one. I’m smiling., too.

twitter.com/allbeforecoffee

Today would be a good day to get a boost from some other source. No matter how seductive the vials look or entice–NOT TODAY.

How about an extra espresso?

Maybe Starbucks is the real winner of the survey as it grabbed top honors in the Quick Refreshment Category as the most popular spot, and the company earned major bragging rights for Best Coffee even though they have been attacked by every barista and quick coffee shop within its sights.

McDonald’s, which is working hard to earn a coffee title, managed top numbers for Best French Fries, Best breakfast, Best Drive-Thru, and Best Value. The latter category is doubly important this year at all levels of food purchasing–everyone is looking for value.

Were there surprises? Not necessarily, but in the full-service category, I love the fact that the International House of Pancakes, IHOP, won Best Breakfast and Chuck E. Cheese still wins the Most Child-Friendly category.

The more things change; the more they stay the same!

Look at The Cheesecake Factory whose portions are so large that Weight Watchers could just set up a booth at each location. Why cater to our obesity problems? Their new solution is simple: the introduction of smaller plates and lower prices--the small plate and snack menu.

Neighborhood places are jumping on the bandwagon of small plates. Here’s a new one: a Washington, DC restaurant, Ardeo, has introduced “middle plates”.  Not that small but not as big nor as expensive as an entree portion.

Restaurants throughout the country are expanding their bar menus to offer more food options in a different setting at a lower price point. It works well in New York with some in the Tom Colicchio empire and seems to be a winning formula to fill a space with drinkers who also dine.

Bring it On.

Diners are ready.

We’ll no doubt need coffee. Seattle’s Best Coffee has a 39th birthday celebration which continues until the end of the month for any 39-year old coffee drinker. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro is matching the calendar date with a 15% off discount of the entire bill. Most McCormick & Schmick restaurants are turning the dreaded 1040 tax form into a $10.40 menu of specials with accompanying reduced priced tax-themed drink specials including a Deduction Draft , a pint of Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Diners will also receive a “Tax Relief Dining Certificate” for $10.40 off future dining at the restaurant.

Zola, a Washington, DC restaurant, is inviting diners to visits its bar that day for the IRS Raspberry, a specialty cocktail or any number of wines by the glass. Zola pays the taxes on the 15th. It plans to offer a fixed priced $10.15 lunch and a $35.15 dinner menu of appetizer, entree, and the all-important dessert. As a special act of kindness, the restaurant will have calculators and envelopes nearby to help last-minute filers. Guests who complete their forms at the bar by 11 PM can forego postage anxiety as the restaurant will mail the tax forms and pay the postage.

The Daily Grill plans to cover the sales tax for all guest checks on that fateful Wednesday. To calm nerves even further, the restaurant plans an all-day Happy Hour Menu with special appetizers and drinks.

Sweets cannot be ignored: Mall-based Cinnabon stores plan an evening (5-8 PM) giveaway: The Classic Bites.  Maggie Moo’s entices with a free scoop of ice cream as part of its e-cone-omic ice cream stimulus package.

Check out your local restaurants as the day draws near, and the reality of a good promotion adds up.

So many offers, so little time, the IRS is waiting.

Full-service chains do not want to be left out. T.G. I. Friday’s introduced “The Right Portion, the Right Price” menu with both lunch and dinner entrees from $5.99-9.99. Outback Steakhouse now has 15 items on a specialty menu starting at $9.95 and not exceeding $15. The menu even states the magic phrase, “lower prices.”

Look at The Palm, a very successful high-end restaurant, that has extended its lobster tail and steak dinner for $89. The program continues until April 12 either because it’s been so successful or because every night matters. It’s a lot of food; and a lot of money.

Sullivan’s Steakhouse, with locations throughout the country, has expanded its “affordable dining options.” There’s the John L. Prix Fixe,  a three-course $29 menu available daily until 6P and the Contender, a specialty menu with all items below $25.

This is not the world of a year ago and more problems seem to rear their ugly heads daily. Who else is playing today? Let’s see tonight (March 30) Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, a major restaurant group headquartered in Chicago with restaurants such as Big Bowl, Mon Ami Gabi, and Wildfire in their nationwide portfolio, is rewarding its frequent diners with triple points. The success of this promotion may prompt a repeat performance as the amount of money a guest spends can immediately be used to take money off the bottom line!

All types of restaurants. All price points. Remember no one is immune. Sign up for email alerts, join frequent dining clubs at your favorite spots, and take advantage of good deals. Promotions are just beginning as spring dining is critical. It’s about more than Mother’s Day.

Keep ‘em coming; we will, too.

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There is something about the world that seems all right while you read in front of cacophonous fire. Just as long as you read sections of the newspaper that have nothing to do with real world issues. Start with the Sunday Styles section of the New York Times and rush to the back, to the wedding stories. They are so much fun. Of course, there are the Bill Cunningham party photos. Skip over the real life, potentially sad articles, and  go for the morning fun and begin your day with a relaxing tone.

Then, you can ease into that splendiferous cup of espresso. Did I mention I made it to Wegmans. From earlier posts, you’ll know it’s not around the corner but worth the drive. I get less expensive gas in Virginia and then head over to the shopping mecca which somehow seems to do as much damage to my credit card as a trip to Costco. Bad financial week, hit both of ‘em in a matter of a few days.

Now it’s time to analyze what it is about their whole bean dark roast espresso that keeps me hankering for a true cup. Maybe it’s the price. Certainly doesn’t hurt that the 32-ounce bag of beans is under $10. Flavor wins from the bean’s oily richness that engulfs the coffee machine’s bean holder. It transcends any other coffee bean experience of late. Hit the buttons, grind, and punch up a double espresso.

Now the morning has promise, a crackling fire ,and a true cup of espresso. I haven’t even started the potatoes yet. More on that later.

Crackling sounds and a steaming cup of coffee. A perfect pairing.

It’s been so long since we had grocery wars. Now every brand is tripping over itself to talk about lowered prices, special promotions, and member benefits. My key chain is not this big. Everyone wants me to sign up so I can get the best price. Today Harris Teeter took the strategy up a notch and started a new level of higher order promotions, the e-VIC program which promises to make shopping easier with personalized emails that notify you not only store specials but help you with your shopping list.

I used to be really paranoid about all these frequent shopper cards, but hey, I figure somebody knows everything about me already so I might as well take advantage of an opportunity to save a few bucks. Anyway when was the last time you paid for something and someone didn’t tell you that today you saved “X amount”. Just heard it at Starbucks. That seemed a little bit of a stretch–think the person bought a gift card and came in with her own ginormous branded cup and ordered her usual oversize drink, and they told her she saved S3.59. Hmm. Starbucks!

Seems every grocer wants to give you $5 off $25–that’s almost become a basic standard. Whole Foods which used to be thought of as Whole Paycheck is working hard at increasing its private 365 label and having weekly specials that really are starting to look affordable. What is this world coming to? Commonsense?  What about a local chain telling us it’s okay to save money–”Cheap is Chic.”

That phrase works as long as quality matches price and product. Having just returned from the big box genius, Costco, I noticed their acquiescence to the reality of the times is that they had  fewer  hardbacks but  increased their paperback selections. That’s smart. Everybody is looking for a break. They also automatically took off savings coupons before you showed them the little clipped pieces of paper. Automatic savings. Interesting.

It’s as if everyone is shouting–join in. You can really save some money. Don’t be left out. Sounds like an infomercial, but it’s not.

What’s happening is real. Now we just have to find the money to save some money. Whatever changes we make, and whatever changes merchants make will help. It can’t hurt. What we’re doing now is all too painful.

Then, and not sure what really made me turn the corner, I decided enough. I had to change the household ways. I had to solve the world’s problems. Thus the paper box ensemble in my weekend garage where I am amazed how much “trash” was getting thrown away. Now it goes to a happier place after its short country drive and gets separated into its proper future life. Who knew you could become so proactive so quickly!

Where I live we put everything into one container and hope the recycle people don’t just toss it into the garbage can. Although neighborhood spies have suggested that not everything is what it seems. For years I have been amazed by neighbors who never  took out their blue recycling can. What were they thinking? Nothing to recycle? Did they not eat? Read? Get 7th class mail? I have shamed them into compliance as I smile when I see their blue container streetside on Sundays.

As for what has changed inside my house is my new purchase. I purchased a separate hands-free, wave trash can that enables everyone to put the recyclables into its feeder mouth. The iTouchless is truly a thing of beauty, a stainless steel wonder.  A single conveyance that helps eliminate the chaos of items that otherwise overflow their paper bags and beg someone to take them outside. Of course, I bought my new wonder toy online at Costco  and benefited  from free shipping and great pricing. They were begging me to elevate my societal contribution. It was a total mindless act of good will. Now after a few days of this holiday present for all of mankind, I notice how everyone in my family understands commitment. They’re not just trashing it.

Since we get three newspapers daily with an occasional one purchased for some arcane reason, we produce a lot of news print. Add to that all the containers, cans, and bottles, and you have a serious amount of material that should work its way into the blue can. You just wave and never have to get in there and touch.

Anyway we are hooked. Some day all of you will thank us for becoming recycling zealots.

Did I mention I bought two and can’t wait to try some of the other goodies from this company!

This was the house present a year ago. The idea was simple, two people working at home deserved great coffee and could pay for the machine by not having to run out and grab a Starbucks. The closest coffee shop to my house is Starbucks, actually there are two, each approximately two miles away. Not a bad walk; clearly an easy drive. Either way, at least a $3 investment per cup. Do the math– two people, 2 cups of  purchased coffee, 2 times a day. See it’s not hard to justify going  Deluxe. Full disclosure, Costco, of course, was running a special so the stars were totally aligned.

After all, this high-efficiency beauty grinds on an as-needed basis and lets you put in ground coffee for the necessary decaf experience. I should add it’s also the bossiest piece of equipment we’ve ever owned: empty dredge drawer, beans are empty, fill water tank. All displayed with such an authoritan voice, you obey. Anyway, it doesn’t work til you fulfill its commands.

Ok, back to my problem, the machine in its finery was at the ready. Only problem, I still did not have my precious beans. Remember it is a planned excursion to go to my Wegmans (see earlier post which details my love affair) and my trusty calendar implies that I cannot make that trip for two more days. I had Nicaraguan espresso beans that had been waiting for me to declare them worthy. No choice; they were all I had. Today was the day. They have a sentimental value as they were a gift from a friend, but they are no Wegmans espresso dark, rich, fragranty bean. They will have to work. I am happy to say, and my friend would be happy to hear, they run a very close 2nd. No other product has earned that accolade!

My mother used to say, it is the water. You can’t make a good cup of coffee without first having good water, she’d say. See coffee is in my genetic makeup. It is an important part of my constitution. I would add that we have owned many coffee makers, but never a machine of beauty that ranks up there with many a coffee shop’s efforts at a double espresso. We have the perfect trifecta: filtered water, high quality beans, and a streamlined beauty of a machine. Perfecto.

 The coffee maker did its best and demonstrated that a good machine with explicit built-in timing devices can elevate a bean far higher than a mediocre machine can take it. I had tried these Nicaraguan beans earlier with my vacation machine, and they truly flunked. So the combination of two quality products makes it work.

I’m on. A coffee junkie that can now begin the day and start the year in an appropriate manner.

More on Wegmans later. You probably wonder how I can be so supportive of such a big store. Or, Costco for that matter.  Just you wait.

Projects are an obvious form of the ritual. I doubt if the Container Store or Staples would even exist if there were not organizing rituals that get kicked into high gear at the new year. Somehow both stores make you feel guilty if you haven’t thought about reorganizing your life, yourself.

There are projects that have a beginning and an ending, and then there are my projects. They just go on and on and on. I mean the concept of throwing out items. It is an ongoing lifestyle project that creeps to the top of my “to do” list on a regular basis. The problem is quite simple. It cannot be solved, completed, finished, ended–you supply the word.

No matter how much mail I open and shred, the postman seems to think I want to see his next delivery. I cannot get ahead of the pile of solicitations, invoices, or just plain old junk. I shred. It helps. It just doesn’t end. I actually think I love the endless little bits of shredded paper.

Clothes. That’s another winner. I recognize I will never wear half of my possessions and that closet clean-outs are healthy and therapeutic. Yet no matter how much I give away to the various collection drives, I still am left with way too many items.

Papers or articles. Even with the instant touch of the Internet, I still clip, cut, and save paper and articles. I have folders for folders, some going back so many years that now they could be called” decades-old info”. That’s a scary thought.

So here we are, ready to promise ourselves we will get it together. Organize, throw out, and eliminate. It’s a simple enough pledge but an almost impossible concept to fulfill.

Now here’s a project we can do: Make no lists. Now we’re finished. Got you Staples. Coffee cures.

It is after all the night when too many people party too hard. I remember the one-way street in St Louis that an approaching driver thought was a 2-way. That may have marked the beginning of  “we can cook it better, be safer, and enjoy ourselves” without being crowded into a banquette  for two hours to eat, drink, and hurriedly vacate the table.

We are now masters of the beautiful meal, the great wine and accompanying champagne, the cheeseboard, and the scrumptious dessert. What will it be this year? There is the tenderloin that almost has no equal or the multi-pound lobster that comes cracked and ready to rip, or even the butterflied lamb. It almost doesn’t matter. They all work as fabulous entrees. It’s the dessert that has me fretting.

Of course, chocolate plays a major role. A dessert cup of beautiful, multi-flavored sorbets  surrounding the chocolates might work. Oh, how I wish I had a Paco Jet, that magic machine that lets you be a master of individual scoops. I just need a small loan…

As for the chocolates, there are so many to choose from. I could go to my everyday cache of Junior Mints, or Rittersport Marzipan Bars, but this is a special night. One that calls for at least 65 % cacao, something like Green &  Black’s Espresso Bar that can so easily be broken into mouth-watering bites of ecstasy.

You see it is about the food, not the resolutions. After all it was the year of so many bad headlines, it was hard to focus on the victory of our new president. Gloom and doom filled many a recycling bin. It was the year that made me skip the news and focus on the puzzles and food and wine news.

So it was not as wretched a year as some would have us believe. Time to move forward. Throw out the hard news. Read about the good life, do the puzzles, and raise your glass to what will be: a year of hope, a time of promise, and a future filled with multiple sections of  newspapers worth opening.

Cheers.

Good old Wegmans; their espresso is totally addictive. I know caffeine itself  is addictive, but, hey, their espresso brand rocks. They kill everybody’s. I recently tried Illy, which I used to love, and Peet’s. No, nada, didn’t work. Wegmans is worth the trip, and I mean the 20 miles. It’d probably be more cost effective if I just bought the coffee, but it is a shopping mecca. Everything in the ginormous store looks fabulous, and there actually are lots of good buys.

There’s something about big box retailers not being allowed close to my house. Seriously. Even with Montgomery County and its far out big boxers like Costco and Sam’s, no Wegmans. They obviously don’t understand what they’re missing. I personally have converted at least 6 people who confirm my fine taste buds and now make special country trips to the big W. Some might even buy coffee, but the whole point is they become W groupies like me.

There are whole departments I have barely surfed through. I get tired. I run for my beans and then do the necessities, you know the all-sorts licorice bin, some beautiful beef, some cheese, and the mezze bar. I somehow manage to cheer loudly if my total stays in the $100 range. After all, I came out for the beans.

Did I mention the wine department?