30% OFF at Gap, Banana Republic & Old Navy AND 5% Goes to TEACH FOR AMERICA!

From

Today, March 12, 2009 through Sunday, March 15, 2009

you can get

30% OFF

(Click on lick ABOVE for coupon)

any in-store purchase

at

Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy,

Gap Outlet and Banana Republic Factory Stores.

~

Best of all

5% of your TOTAL purchase

will be DONATED
to

Click here

for more information on Teach for America.

Barbie is 50!

So, I, the Cheap Chic, have a confession. I'm a recovering Barbie addict. When I was a girl (up until...) I was obsessed with Barbie. Of course, coming from two households, 1/2 of my Barbie stuff was new and 1/2 was Garage Sale Retro. Thousands of hours were spent dressing Barbie up, having her make out with 70's, bob-cut hair Ken and making her sass around in her blinding, neon pink limo (with jacuzzi of course, "oolala you, sassalicious Barbie, you").

Lately, Barbie has been getting around..in the news that is.

"Why?" you, my curious reader, may ask.

Well, because the 50th Anniversary of this American icon was this Monday, March 9th (Happy Belated Birthday, Barbie! You can now join AARP!). From Fashion Week to the Malibu Dream House to New Cars, Barbie is getting the celebrity treatment.

One place where Barbie is Queen right now is Bloomingdales at 59th St. Currently, on display (till March 15) for FREE, is 120 vintage Barbie Dolls for your viewing pleasure. Many of these vintage dolls have never been displayed outside of Collectors' homes. Bloomies also has an entire Barbie shop where you can buy Barbie shirts, handbags and accessories to rekindle your childhood spirit and lighten your wallet.

FUN FACT: Barbie's Full name is Miss Barbie Millicent Roberts and she hails from the land of beer, cheese, the Packers and the Cheap Chic youth- WISCONSIN! Willows, Wisconsin to be exact.

Belly Up to the Cheap Bar!

Economic woes got you down? Want to go to a place "where everybody knows your name and their always glad you came"? Well, this ain't Boston- Buddy, but there is one think New Yorkers have perfected: Happy Hour with Strangers.

That's right. At the end of a long workday, nothing is better than bellying up to the bar and kickin' back a few (or four or more) with the drunk and drunker of New York's working masses. However, also with these economic times may come the urge to save, save, save (even on drinking!)!

Well have I got the site for you.

Drink Deal is the real deal.

Separated by Neighborhood in Manhattan and including Brooklyn (sadly there are no drink deals for Queenies at this time), not only do they showcase Happy Hour deals, but also other Specials such as: All-You-Can-Drink/Open Bar Specials, Wine/Margaritas/Mojitos/Fancy Drink Specials, Entertainment Specials (can anyone say Karaoke?), and Food Specials (to vom up later). The site also directs you to Gay Bars, Hooka Bars, Ladies Night Bars, and Smoking Bars to name a few...

Searching the site itself is *intoxicating*. Imagine what will happen when you actually gallivant to one of these fine establishments.....

The Cheap Chic's Guide to Travel: Megabus

A British 'transportation on the cheap' import, Megabus is one of newest carriers to offer bus service from NYC to smAlbany, NY. While Megabus has limited service to Albany (4 departures & 4 arrivals per day) it beats out its competitors in many arenas.


First, Megabus has the fabled $1 fare on each bus. That means you could be the lucky individual who gets round trip transportation for only $2.50 (50c for a service fee). That's cheaper than a latte at Starbucks! Other fares start on a sliding scale from $5 all the way up to $30 (one way). Still with Amtrak's service to Albany averaging around $100 roundtrip, the $60 roundtrip Megabus fare ain't to shabby.

Second, Megabus has FREE WiFi on some of their buses, although on my trip, the WiFi was inconsistent at best (but it's the thought that counts). About an hour into my first leg of my roundtrip Albany ride, the WiFi vanished and on the way back to NYC, even though everyone on the bus could pick up the WiFi signal, no one could connect to it. However, some routes have no problem at all with connectability.

Third, in the Northeastern region, Megabus also services Boston, D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Niagara Falls, ON & Toronto. For the more traveled (or longer) routes you may be lucky enough to get one of their new double-decker buses which have electric plugs on the backs of the seats for electronics (such as your laptop).

Overall, its transportation and its cheap.

My recommendation is stay out of the bathroom (unless you want blue toilet water splashed on your bum and unsanitized hands from the empty Hand Sanitizer bottle, if it's even there) and you'll get there in one piece.

I mean, what do you want for nothing? A rubber biscuit?

WEEKEND GUIDE: Fountain Art Fair!

This weekend by the NYC Hudson River Piers is the annual Armory Show: International Fair of New Art. This art extravaganza showcases the best in contemporary art from all over the world. Of course, to view this high end art there comes a price. A single day ticket is $30 ($10 for students, how I wish I still were one) and a 4 day pass is $60! That's a pretty hefty price.

However, for those of you who still want to get their "art" on, but Cheap Chic style, check out The Fountain Art Fair. This fair "is a guerrilla-style art event – under the radar, independent and highly influential – where young, Brooklyn-based galleries showcase fresh work without official booth spaces or selection committee juries. Launched in New York March 2006, Fountain is designed to create leverage and support for independent galleries overlooked by the larger, corporate-sponsored art fairs." It sounds exactly like the sort of event a rabble-rouser like me would enjoy (that is if I am not overrun by Hipsters! Eek!). Best of all an ALL WEEKEND PASS is only a $5 suggested donation!

Also tonight you can party to your heart's content and meet the artists from 7pm-11pm. MC Chris will be performing at 11pm.

Fountain NY 2009
Pier 66 at 26th St in Hudson River Park NY, NY 10011
Telephone: 917.650.3760
Dates: March 5-8; 11am–7pm
Reception for public to meet the artists: Friday, March 6; 7pm–midnight
Cost: Suggested donation of $5 at the door for all weekend access

Art and the Sex Doll

Last year, I fell in love with an endearing movie about a man who had a relationship with...well...a sex doll. While, the film, Lars and the Real Girl, was one of fiction, I always wondered if there was someone in this world who fashioned their life in a such a way. Well, guess what? There is.

Now exhibiting at the hpgrp gallery in NYC is a new photography series by Becky Yee entitled More Than a Woman. This somewhat voyeuristic exhibition invites the viewer into the life of a technically single (albeit "married in his mind") computer engineer who lives outside of Tokyo with his harem of Dutch wives (e.g. sex dolls). The photographs invoke questions about society's conceptions on intimacy, loyalty and relationships.

Is is possible for an inanimate object to be loyal?
Does one need a human connection to form intimacy?
Are relationships about real interactions between people
or can they exist solely in one's own mind?

"My ladies are always there for me," he said. "They never talk back, they are completely loyal, and if I get bored, I can just change the head." (Being the NYC dating scene, this doesn't sound half bad to me!)

More Than a Woman-FREE at the hpgrp gallery through March 15, 2009.

hpgrp gallery

32-36 little west 12th street, 2nd floor, new york ny 10014

(between washington st. & ninth av.)

tel. 212.727-2491 / fax 212.727-7030

Subway:	A, C, E, L 14th street
Bus:	M14 (9th ave. at 14th street) M20 (8th ave. abington street) M11 (bethune / hudson street)

hours: Tue-Sat 11am - 6pm / Sun 12pm - 6pm

The Perils...of "Doing Your Own Damn Laundry"...The Conclusion

Last night, as I was finishing the last blog post, I remembered that I still needed to get the tempestuous laundry from the 4th Floor.

I trudged up to the laundry room and saw that my wet clothes had been put in my basket from by another tenant (Quite nicely, I might add.). As I heaved the basket to the dryer, I saw that there was a piece of paper stuck on the inside of my basket. I unfolded it and read, "You left valuables in the laundry. I didn't want to leave it here. 6K- Up all night."

And that's when I realized that I was listening to music before all this hulabaloo happened.....

Hence....I raced up to the 6th floor and retrieved the object I had mistakenly sent through the soap, suds, and spin cycle.

Surprisely, I figured my iTouch was gone for good, but after letting it dry on the radiator all night, I am now the owner of freshly laundered and cootie-free iTouch, albeit with a slightly waterlogged looking screen (but still touch-sensitive!).

The lessons learned from this are:

1. Doing your own laundry may be tedious, but it certainly is never boring.
2. Never do laundry when you not only ate Ditz Flakes for breakfast, but then consumed copious amounts of prescription medication to cure your swamp cold you acquired at Mardi Gras.
3. You can machine wash an iTouch.
   

The Perils of...."Doing Your Own Damn Laundry"

"After enlightenment, the laundry." - Zen Proverb

Tonight, I, The Cheap Chic, vowed to get my life back in order. First on the list, laundry.

"Why laundry?" you, my gentle reader, may inquire.

Well, I still hadn't unpacked by bag from Mardi Gras. I know, I know. It's a week since I've been back, but I actually was considering just handing over my rucksack to the Hazmat team, but I'm too cheap to replace all my clothes. Plus, then I would have to give up my precious, precious beads.....

Anyway, feeling like Karen Carpenter singing, "I'm on the top of the World, looking down on Creation...." for the first time since I got my swamp cold, I decided to start my laundry as soon as I got home from work. With my 1st laundry basket in hand, my iPod wailing Italian Baroque (I know. I'm such a laundry badass), I headed down to the first floor to begin. I added $20 to my laundry card, put in two loads, and headed back to my apartment on the second floor to pick up the 2nd basket. Then I headed up to the 4th floor with my 2nd basket to start two more loads (This is actually a Math word problem. What floor is The Cheap Chic actually on?).

Once in the 4th floor laundry room, I took out my laundry card and my two laundry detergents, tossed them on the top of the washers, and started loading my stuff into the washers. When I finished loading, I straightened back up and reached for my laundry card....but it wasn't there.

"Did I mistake having it in the first place?" I thought. "Did I drop it while talking to my Super in the elevator? Did I leave it in the apartment? Did I forget to clean out the lint trap the last time I did laundry and now I have bad laundry karma?" (It's funny how when you lose something, even though you swear you had it in the first place, you think of tons of different scenarios than the one that actually happen.) Thus, the search began.

I retraced my steps, gazing at the black and white checkerboard hallway tile floor (getting slightly dizzy) looking for my laundry card. Then I hit the elevator button, hoping maybe it was in the elevator. The left elevator opened and my Super stood there. "Did I drop my laundry card?" I queried. He just gazed at me like I was stupid. "You were in the other elevator," he said looking at me like I'm an idiot for forgetting what elevator I was in just 5 minutes ago. The doors closed and I hit the button again. The right elevator lifted, the doors opened, I looked down on the black non-skid mat and....nothing.

So I went for it. In my desperation, I had the audacity and tenacity to pick up the bottom of the mat and look underneath. Not only was this hazardous to my health (being that the mat had the streets of New York times 200 over all it), but it was ludicrous to believe that the laundry card could have managed to fall out of my basket and underneath the mat. But, what can I say? Desperate times called for desperate measures.

See, one downfall of being the Cheap Chic is that $20 is ALOT of money. It is 80 packages of Ramen, 10 trips to the bar for $1 Beers (tip included) at the Underground during Happy Hour and food cart lunches for a week. Plus, it was my last $20 and of course I didn't have any $5s or $10s, which are the only other bills the laundry card machine takes. Added to that, to buy a new laundry card from the machine is $5 itself. Its a freakin' laundry racket! Where are the RICO Laundry laws when you need them!!!

Alas, I dragged myself through the building for one last search. My apartment-nothing. Two different laundry rooms-nothing. All the checkerboard tiled hallways of three floors of my apartment building and....nothing.

At this point, I had already started washing clothes on the 2nd Floor and now had no way to dry them. However, there was nothing I could do about it. I guess that's what shower rods, backs of chairs, tops of doors and ledges are for. I said the Serenity Prayer and trudged up to the 4th floor where I was going to collect my 2nd basket of dirty laundry that started this whole debacle.

And that's when it hit me. In the laundry room, there are three large capacity washers side by side and what if......

Well! Wha'dYa Know? (Obviously, not much)

Afterall, it took me 20 minutes to figure out that my laundry card was stuck between two large-capacity washers. I was instantly elated and back to feeling like Karen Carpenter.

"No worries!" I thought. "I am the Cheap Chic. I can get my laundry card out between the two, 60lbs a piece, large-capacity washers lickitty split." (yeah, right.)

I thought back to my Girl Scout days (you know, camping, fire, nature stuff, etc...) and then I dismissed them (I was more Troop Beverly Hills. All we did is make Gingerbread houses and teach Brownies how to Polka. Seriously, the Polka. It was "West-con-sin" afterall).

Then I thought back to my Singleton Survival Training (Mandatory for all Singletons. It involves various covert activities I'm not at liberty to discuss, along with frequent viewings of Bridget Jones' Diary.).

I quickly ran back down to my apartment. I hurried into the kitchen and grabbed the biggest Chef's knife I could find (6 inches of pure steel) along with my Marie Callender Pie Cutter/TakerOutter thingy (You can tell I use it alot). Next, I went to the linen closet and grabbed a kitchen towel (Do you really think I'm stupid enough to run around my apartment building with a knife? I don't want to get evicted! Plus, a gun beats a knife any day and I don't want to find out which neighbor has one.). On my way out I grabbed the postcard my rents sent me from Hawaii, because afterall it was cardstock and I always found cardstock to be handy in any situation (However, in this one, it was not).

I gently scampered up to the 4th floor, via the stairs as I was less likely to run into any neighbors this way (Afterall, I did have a ginormous knife and a Pie Cutter/TakerOutter thingy in my hand). I knew I had to make it fast. If the Super found me trying to jimmy anything out around these washers there will be hell to pay, especially with my makeshift tools.

I got to the laundry room and laid out my surgery kit on top of the washers. The laundry card was about 3 inches down from the top of the washers. I gently caressed my chef's knife and my Pie Cutter/TakerOutter thingy in line with both sides of the laundry card and started to ever...so...gently pull the card up. It moved a half of an inch, then another half of an inch, yet another fourth of an inch and...SWISH! It fell down into the abyss between the washers.

Instantly, my mantra went off in my head (the one I usually use, along with the Serenity Prayer, for my Subway commute so I don't accidentally push one of the many jackasses on the tracks.). "Breathe deep, seek peace. Breathe deep, seek peace, Breathe deep, seek...." Another deep breath and on to plan B.

I bent down on my haunches and looked under the washer. There is only an eighth of an inch gap between the washer and the floor so I saw...nothing. I got up, bent over again and pulled the washer up. As I struggled to hold the washer up, I looked and what I saw was...the washer. I couldn't hold the washer and look under it at the same time (I can't be at two places at once). "DammnnniiiiittttalllllltoHellllllllll!" I growled and growled. "Where is a Ross when you need one!" (Or at least some East German laundry detergent. Did you really think I could make it through this story without a FRIENDS reference?). Having given up some of my two favorite stress relievers for Lent I knew I was on the verge of nervous breakdown.

Then I got an idea. An awful idea. The Cheap Chic got a wonderful, awful idea.

Sitting before me were two bottles of laundry detergent; one full and one I had just used up. I took the bottle that was full, thought better of it, then took the bottle that was empty and placed it side down next to the washer. Then I bent over again, lifted up the washer and managed to finagle my leg to kick the bottle under the washer and put the washer down. Eureka! The washer was now jacked up on the laundry bottle. Death to physics! Yippie to The Cheap Chic!

Then got down on the laundry floor and....there was my laundry card- fully intact with no scratches on it. Even the chip (which is the brains of the card that makes everything run) was pristine. I grabbed it and kissed it (Yes. Even though it had been underneath the washers.). And I am not discussing what else was underneath there. I've blocked that image from my memory.

When I put my laundry card in the slot to start the long awaited two loads of laundry, the 20 bucks was still on it. And all it took was 30 minutes, a Chef's knife, a Pie Cutter/TakerOutter thingy, a postcard, a mantra, the Serenity Prayer and a back ache for the rest of the week.

So, the moral of the story is this. Screw everything I said in Do Your Own Damn Laundry!. Doing your own laundry sucks, majorly. You live in New York. Send it out!

Okay. Just kidding.

The moral of the story actually is...Ingenuity, My Dear Watson. That is how The Cheap One survives in this City. Pure ingenuity and maybe..."Brother, could you spare 3 Bucks for a bottle of Chuck? After this, I think drinking the bottle and watching Abbott and Costello is the only movement I'm going to make the rest of the night (And maybe laying on a heating pad.).

The Cheap Chic's Guide to Travel: NOLA MARDI GRAS 2009

After a languid weekend trying not contract the VD blues, I now embark on a trip where the streets are amuck with streetcars, floats, drag queens, girls gone wicked and did you say....beads?


That's right folks. The Cheap Chic is headed to NOLA Mardi Gras 2009, albeit cheap chic style of course. This means if I ever get out of the perpetual Big Easy debauchery long enough, I will send you some notes on how you can live it up. From cheap drinks, free stuff and delicious food all with out having to flash your credit card or your other moneymakers. ;)

Art, Love and Tourists....

One of the City's most romantic institutions will probably be packed to the gills this weekend, not only because of the tourists, but because of VD. However, if you want to woo your lover (15th century style) then take them to the Met for the last weekend of the exhibition entitled:

Art and Love in Renaissance Italy

Click on this link for more information on visiting the Museum.

SATURDAY GUIDE: 'REJECTED' VALENTINE'S DAY HEARTBREAK HAVEN

Celebrating National Singles Awareness Day and want to laugh hysterically whilst getting pissed off of FREE BEER?


Well....then head over to the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre with all the rest of the rejects for Rejected Valentine's Day Heartbreak Haven, a night of comedy, live music, and FREE Beer (after the price of admission- $10). Its the cheapest date you could take yourself on in the City. And really, who needs Cupid when you have your beer goggles on!

Send some VD love!

Feel like sharing some VD love with your love ones but after browsing for hours in Hallmark you can't decide what ridiculously overpriced, musical, nonbiodegratable cards will express your sentiments in a way that will show your undying love and devotion (for Obama that is)?

Well then skip the lines and send an e-card. In fact, send a someecard.

Someecards.com pair vintage images with sentiments of all types and unlike Hallmark, browsing these cards can become quite addicting. Plus, you can find that e-card for any type of relationship from your galpal to your coworker to your "FB."

Slightly untoward and shockingly straightforward, these cheeky cards are not for the faint of heart. But for those who believe life is best served with sarcasm, wit and a bit of truth, you've hit the jackpot.

Gettin' in the VD mood....for romantic films

Looking to watch some romantic movies to get you in the mood for Valentine's Day?

Well, then log on to Hulu.com (FREE Streaming Feature Length Movies & Full Television Episodes) to watch some flicks and during the "limited commercial interruptions" maybe steal a kiss. ;)

Looking for a romantic comedy? Check out:

• Picture Perfect
• Someone Like You
  

In love with sports? Check out:

• For Love of the Game
• Wimbledon

I HEART the 80's (Big hair & all?)? Check out:

• St. Elmo's Fire
  

Want to "Snap out of it!" & fall in love with New York all over again? Check out:

• Moonstruck

Are you in love with man's best friend (of all forms)? Check out:

• Dragonheart
• Beethoven's 2nd
  

Do you lust after classic Britsh literature (and the accents, of course)? Check out:

• Nicholas Nickleby

Celebrating National Singles Awareness Day? Well don't you fret. I pulled out some classics that showcase the love between friends, guns and Mr. Miyagi.

• A League of Their Own
• Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
• The Karate Kid
  

Valentine's Day in the Park!

Hopefully Valentine's Day will be lovely for all you sweethearts, lovebirds, pookies, sugarbuns, etc...

If so, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation may have some activities in parks all over NYC which are sure to make the grow fonder and stronger with some exercise (either for your hunnybuns or the Big Apple)! Plus, what's more sexy than breakin' a sweat with your sweetie? (On a hike that is!!!)

From Valentine's Day hikes to Bird and Eagle Watching to walking tours of Central Park and Union Square to Poetry Reading. Best off all, ALL of these events are FREE! Click on this link for more information.

However, if really your just looking for a romantic spot to get close to your cutie then visit The Parks Department's webpage of Romantic Spots all over the five boroughs. My top picks are Battery Park looking out at the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge at night.

SUNDAY GUIDE: The Frick Collection

This is the place to see and be seen on Sunday midday. The Uppercrust of the Upper East Side loves a deal, especially on some of the best European Art in the World. And you can take part in this deal as well, with PAY-WHAT-YOU-WISH Sundays at The Frick Collection from 11AM-1PM, Every Sunday.

This stately mansion, built exclusively for Henry Clay Frick, is a true testament to the Gilded Age and all of its grandeur. If you would like, I would suggest dressing for the occasion as wandering through the galleries makes one feel quite stately and lends to the splendor of your visit. And don't forget your FREE Artphone that explains many of the paintings, sculptures and rooms of the mansion.

And for those of you looking for a great Valentine's Weekend activity, this is the romantic of all the Museums in NYC. It is also located right across the street from Central Park, so afterwards why not go on an afternoon stroll or a picnic with your sweetheart. I guarentee you, you will be in the mood for love.

For more information please visit http://www.frick.org/.

(Note: There are only two American artists featured in the whole Frick Collection. The first is Gilbert Stewart, whose portrait of George Washington was most likely acquired for patriotic reasons. However, it seemed as if Mr. Frick thought Whistler was esteemed enough to hang with the Old Masters and bought many of his works).

Want to celebrate VD instead of NSA Day?

Strike your arrow here!

Traditionally, I celebrate National Singles Awareness Day by going to a pub with a bunch of other single people, getting royally pissed, singing bawdy songs and eating falafel. It's a rip roarin' good time.

However, if this year you want to trade your NSA Day for some candy, flowers and romantic moments, albeit your budget doesn't want to spring for $34.99/month to get "matched" up, then let Cupid's arrow guide you to this FREE dating site.

OkCupid.com

Now, you only have 7 days to find your VD date, so join NOW!

And speaking of VD, remember this?

If you want to have some fun...JUST WEAR IT, so you don't end up like Mario.

SATURDAY GUIDE: Get Squared!

If you're like me you've just spent your week trapped behind a desk workin' for the proverbial "Man" and clockwatchin'. On Wednesday, when you heard it was going to be a beautiful weekend in the Big Apple and warm to boot (45F!), you were even more eager to stretch those stems and traverse this City when you weren't afraid of becoming a popsicle. If this is so, then have I got the perfect activity for you!

Get some FREE exercise and learn more about our fine City through a FREE walking tour of Union Square. Since Union Square is the third largest transportation hub in the City chances are after this tour you will have the chance to swing by The Square and dazzle your friends, lovers, significant others with an intelligent quip about how it got its name and much, much more.

Union Square: Crossroads of New York

Saturday February 7th, 2009

2:00pm-3:30pm

All ya have to do is be ON TIME
and
find the person holding the
"Union Square: Crossroads of New York" sign
by the Lincoln Statue by the 16th Street transverse

For more information click on this link.

WEEKEND GUIDE: Winter Jam 2009!

Miss the Red Bull Snowscrapers Snowboarding Invitational tonight

and still feelin' that outdoorsy, adventurous, Winter spirit?

Then stop by East River Park in the heart of Manhattan for
WINTER JAM 2009

Saturday February 7th, 2009
11:00AM-4:00PM

You can cross-country ski, snowshoe,
go ice climbing and sled down a 70 foot snow flume!

Feelin' like you need to warm up a bit, grab some viddles
and listen to some tunes?

Then head into the Pride of NY Warming Tent, browse the Winter Market
and hear some great snowtunes from Apollo Run, Dujeous and more!

Best of all this event is FREE!

For more information: Winter Jam's website

35c Movie! (Exact change-No Pennies from Heaven)

We are living in the neuvo Depression, so why not pretend it's 1933?

You can with Film Forum's
Breadlines and Champagne Depression Movie Series!

Starting with....

For one night only Friday February 6th, 2009
YOU can see
the Scandalous, the Salacious, the Sassalcious Pre-code Romp....
I'm No Angel
Starring Mae West and Cary Grant
For only 35c!!!

Now may have been the Winter of your discontent, but no more!
After Opening Night, all films in the series are
2 or 3 films for the price of ONE $11 admission.

Afraid of becoming depressed watching these films? Be more afraid of ruckus laughter, tears of joy and of course, woos of love towards some of Hollywood's finest (albeit, dead) leading ladies and gents! Sample a delightful assortment of films like My Man Godfrey, Platinum Blonde, Scarface, It Happened One Night, Bombshell, 42nd St, Gold Diggers of 1933 and much, much more! This is the ultimate escape from reality from the people who knew how to do it best!

The Film Forum is located at 209 West Houston Street, (btwn 6&7Ave)
(Go to filmforum.org for more information)

Liquid Dinner Party!

The Cheap Chic's Guide to your very own

Liquid Dinner Party

I love, love, love to socialize with my friends and entertain. However, a five course Dinner at Eight every/other week can be a little taxing on the budget. Thus, I came up with the idea of the Liquid Dinner Party.

To start, it is BYOW, B or L, 3 Buck Chuck is usually the drink of choice.

Second, appetizers (if you thus choose) should be anything that is on sale (usually stuffed grape leaves in my area- $6 for 4lbs!) or inexpensive to make (hummus with pita or feta mixed with freshly chopped basil and a dash of balsamic vinegar on top of Triskets) and don't go overboard! Think of your appets as an amuse-bouche just to show your guests that you aren't going to poison them with your cooking.

Next, the main course. After years of missing out on dinner parties, because I was stuck in the kitchen preparing the next course, I learned an important lesson (actually, it comes from the Boy Scouts)- BE PREPARED! Thus, I can have a dinner party at 6:30pm, when I get home at 6pm on a Friday. "How Cheap Chic?" you inquire. You make...SOUP! It can be prepared ahead of time, freezes easily and comes to a boil in less than 15 min, even when frozen. Thus, freeing you up from a hot stove and letting you enjoy being the HOST(ESS) with the MOST(ESS)!

Now, there are many soup recipes in cookbooks at the library, on the internet, or maybe that you have. From a basic Chicken Noodle to a New Orleans Gumbo to an Armenian Apricot Soup the variations are endless. However, I have two standbys that I swear by. The first is a Mexican Tomato Lime Soup from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home Cookbook (you can also find this recipe online, but I'm a big fan of cookbooks, so I'm linking you to the actual book). If you want to cheat or tomatoes are out of season, I've also made this recipe with 2 cups of canned tomatoes instead of fresh ones. The second one is a much heartier soup, actually a stew, perfect for winter. This one is a Groundnut Stew, which has many variations depending on the location in West Africa. Below is the Cheap Chic version which is a mixture of my friend Sam's version (Thanks Sam!) and of tried and true testing on unsuspecting guests.

Groundnut Stew
(Cheap Chic Style)

Ingredients:

• oil (peanut or vegetable)
  
• couscous
• pressed garlic cloves (I like at least 4)
• 1/2 tbsp pressed fresh ginger (optional)
  
• 2-cups chopped onion
• 2-16oz cans chopped tomatoes, undrained
  
• 2-16oz cans of black beans
• 2 cups hard veggie (carrots, okra, yams or all)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• cayenne pepper to taste
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Heat oil in a soup pot. Saute garlic (and ginger if chosen). Add onions and saute till slightly browned. Add both cans of chopped tomatoes, black beans and veggies. Once everything becomes hot and mixes together, add peanut butter and cayenne to taste. Soup is done. Cover and let cool. Put pot in fridge if serving within a day or in freezable tupperware if freezing. 15 minutes before entertaining: Cook couscous as directed. Put soup on to de-thaw or bring to warmth. Simmer. In a bowl, put the couscous in and top with the stew. Add salt and pepper to taste. The aroma of this stew is great and sure to bring your guests back for seconds. And really this soup is all about the personal touch so feel free to play around with the ingredients.

~o~o~o~

You always have that one friend that insists on bring something to help with the cooking. If you need no last minute "Oops, I forgot that" ingredient ask them to bring 1 or 2 loaves of French bread. It's cheap (maybe 3 bucks max and they've felt like they've done their part).

"What's the bread for?" you may ask. For making Homemade Garlic Bread (you have to have something to soak up all the liquid)! "But Cheap Chic, I usually buy Pre-made Garlic Bread." This is a big "Hell's No!" Making your own Garlic Bread is cheap and easy (just how I like it). Also you can make it as good (little butter) or as bad (lots of garlic-no kissing for you!) as you like.

Cheap Chic's Garlic Bread

Ingredients

• 2 loaves of French bread
• 1-2 sticks of Butter
• pressed garlic cloves (the more the better)
• oregano (optional)
  

Half the loaves of bread. Soften the butter. Add the pressed garlic to the soften butter and mix. Slather the spread onto the French bread loaves. Sprinkle as much oregano on as desired. Broil in the oven till browned (about 5-7 minutes, but make sure to check it frequently! Broiling can lead to blackening quite quickly!).

~o~o~o~

Now you have a full 4-Course Liquid dinner: appetizers, soup, garlic bread and of course, alcoholic liquid.

And for dessert? Well, I always keep a box of cake or brownie mix (when it goes on sale for 99c) in the house (just in case). Just make sure you have enough eggs and oil handy. It even is a great party activity. Who doesn't love licking the spatula clean or spilt wine flavored brownies?

One final thought- Make sure you have enough toilet paper for when everyone breaks the seal. After all, this is a liquid dinner party!

Enjoy!

Do Your Own Damn Laundry!

I'm not passing judgment on any New Yorker who supports the laundries and local economy of our fine City. However, stop whining about how much it costs to have someone else do your laundry (It's a typical New Yorker trait). It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it right? Well, let's talk economics.

On the one hand your time is money. However, your free time is suppose to be free, but if you work 16 hour days, then maybe your free time is for slipping all-night Diner food down your throat and sleeping off the vodka tonics, Mad Men style. But then you best be gettin' paid to have your laundry lifestyle where someone else toils over it.




For those of us who aren't as dashing as Don Draper and have a fair amount of free time, then doing our own laundry could save a bundle. For instance, top loading medium capacity washers can usually hold 7-8lbs of laundry. That's usually a little less or more than half of a standard laundry basket. Add a full basket and you have between 15-20lbs of laundry. At a dollar a lb (which is usually the standard in NYC, give or take 25c) that's around $20 a basket with detergent & folding included. The typical washer at a laundry mat (or in your own building) costs $2 and you supply your own detergent, dryer sheets and intuitive. Best of all, if anything comes out shrunk or covered in bleach, you have no one to blame, but yourself. For me to do a laundry basket costs $5.25 w/ detergent (which I recommend Arm & Hammer Dye & Perfume Free, $1 coupon at site). That's 75% off the price of having someone else do it and I burn calories walking up and down the stairs and folding. It's a win/win situation for me!

Now a lot of people have many excuses for not doing their own laundry, besides the time issue, I understand that (i.e. it's gross, it's boring, I'm lazy, etc...). But for those of you who want to venture out and need some encouragement, watch this clip from FRIENDS- The One with the East German Laundry Detergent.

List of Top Ten Things To Do at the Laundry Mat

1. Catch up with Mom, your bff, your ex, or your proctologist on your cell phone.
2. Start writing the great American Novel.
3. People watch.
4. Read one of the many great novels of British Literature.
5. Work on Monday's New York Times Crossword Puzzle or better yet, the TV Guide crossword.
6. Hit on someone or at least try to (I recommend Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog for guidance- Act 1)
7. Meditate
8. Read the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest (I once read an issue of People from 1972...it was 2005 at the time).
9. Knit or crochet.
10. Dream you're rich enough to have someone else do your damn laundry!

Bibliophiles Beware!

Ever have one of those days when you know you want to read that classic like The Hound of the Baskervilles, have a hankering to dive into an old issue of New York Magazine or when you promised your book club that you read The Da Vinci Code when in fact you didn't and you can't get a hold of a copy from the library in time?

Have no fear! Google Book Search is here. Now you can read full books and magazines from the Internet!


There are Fiction and Non-Fiction headings with categories or if you just want to read about a random subject like Fads or Courtship, you can browse their Random Subjects Categories as well! I will admit that I whiled away a few minutes reading the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists; Rules, Britannia: An Insider's Guide to Life in the United Kingdom, Blogging for Dummies and my personal favorite allegory on quantum physics which I haven't read since I was 17, Alice in Quantumland.

THIS WEEKEND: Chinese Lunar New Year Parade!

I know, I know. It's only hump day, but having suffered from a case of the "Mondays" all week I can't help but think about the weekend.

This weekend is the perfect weekend to put down those Netflixs and head to Chinatown. "Why Elle*?" you may ask. Because the 10th Annual Lunar New Year Parade is taking place. Best of all it is FREE!!! So grab your best buds and your camera. This is one of the reasons why living in NYC is so amazing.

10th Annual Lunar New Year Parade

Sunday February 1st, 2009

Noon-3pm

Parade route: Starts at Mott St, Chatham Square,

East Broadway, Allen St, Grand St, Chrystie St, NYC

Description: The spectacle features elaborate floats, marching bands, lion and dragon dances galore, Asian musicians, magicians, acrobats and procession by local organizations. Over 5,000 people are expected to march in the parade- From gonyc.com

There are a bunch of other events going on as well, so visit ExploreChinatown for more information on events and Chinatown itself.

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