FOODIE FRIDAY PIZZA PICK OF THE WEEK REVIEW!

Amici Pizza Bar was our pick for the week.  I ordered the pizza for 5:00 pm.  When I walked in at 5:00 the pizza was ready and hot.  The pizza was a round thin crust plain pie.  We all really liked the pizza.  You could really taste the italian spices but they weren't over powering.  I am not sure what type of cheese(s) he used but it was yummy.  The crust was nice and thin and had just the right crunch to it.  It had a nice flavor possibly because they cook their pizzas on bricks.  The cheese to sauce ratio was good. Amici's is located across the street from B-Mets Stadium.

Follow our Pizza Pick circuit and try Amici's Pizza Bar pizza for yourself.

DAD'S EAT FREE ON FATHER'S DAY!

Get your dad out of the house and take a drive to Syracuse and go the Spaghetti Warehouse Restaurant where they will treat your father to a FREE meal.  I love the Spaghetti Warehouse!  The food is great and the restaurant is very unique.  You may be seated in a trolley car or a booth made out of a bed frame.

Spaghetti Warehouse is offering this great special offer for Father's Day:

Treat your Dad to a Free Incredible 15-Layer Lasagne or Original Recipe Spaghetti Entrée on Sunday, June 19.  Not valid with any other discount or coupon.  Dine in only.

Click here to visit their website.

Gardening with Mr. C. - Save money with DIY gardening.

Mr. C. "branches out" from vegetable gardening this week to discuss fruit trees.

If you have a sunny space* and are willing to make a long term investment of time, energy, initial cost (ex. Agway has six-eight foot trees in 12" tubs for $35 each or 3 for $90) etc, you can enjoy fruit tree blooms each spring and fruit for years.  When selecting trees, be sure to check with a knowledgeable salesperson and/or read the tags to determine which ones are "self pollenating" and which ones require a "pollenator".  All the trees that Agway sells are suited for our area (ie. zone 4/5 - 4 for the cooler valleys, 5 elsewhere. Note: the north pole would be zone "0"). All their peach and nectarine varieties are zone 5 except "Red Haven"  which is tagged zone 4/5.  Pear, apple, and cherry (the varieties I chose two of each of for my mini-orchard) are all for zone 4.

My oldest and largest two are "prune-plum" trees which grew from suckers from the roots of a doner tree**.   Two springs ago I added 6 semi-dwarf trees (spring is the best planting time). I planted in two staggered rows (to maximize space) about 10 feet apart in all directions. This is enough room for the trees* and for my riding mower. In spite of rocky soil, I dug the recommended size holes, about two feet deep and wide (with top five inches enlarged to three feet across with five inch edging to keep grass and lawn-mower away). I put the dirt in a wheelbarrow, removed the rocks, and mixed in compost (you can omit or use other organic matter peat moss, etc). Partially fill the hole and firm gently to eliminate air pockets. When properly planted, the soil line of the trunk should be at or slightly above ground level. Water before, during, and after you fill the hole.  Soak the soil often throughout the summer.

*For standard, semi-dwarf, and dwarf tree height and recommended spacing for different varieties click here.

**My non-grafted trees send up suckers from the roots that replicate their parents.  I have rescued some of them from the mower by digging them up, protecting them in my garden nursery until they were established, and given them away. If you are willing to wait several (8 to 10) years for them to mature, you may request rescued trees.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an expert on this or any other subject - but I'm glad to pass along what has worked for me over the years.

Mr. C.

If you have any questions or comments for Mr. C., please post a comment below or email him at savingandsharingit@yahoo.com.

FOODIE FRIDAY PIZZA PICK OF THE WEEK!

Amici Pizza Bar is the PIZZA PICK OF THE WEEK. On Friday, my family will have Amici Pizza Bar pizza for dinner and I will write a review. One of my lucky followers will win a FREE pizza from Amici Pizza Bar, 126 1/2 Henry Street, Binghamton (across from Mets Stadium) so they can also try the pizza. I will draw the FREE pizza winner June 17th at 8:00 pm EST.

Ride the Carousel Circuit!

Discover Greater Binghamton's unique collection of six Allan Herschell Carousels.  Collect all six "Ride" cards (one from each park) and then have your six cards validated at any of the carousel sites to receive a commemorative button.  The carousels are all FREE to ride.  You can ride as many times as you would like.

The carousel locations are:

Recreation Park, Binghamton - Blue card
Ross Park Zoo, Binghamton - Purple card
C. Fred Johnson Park, Johnson City - Gold card
Highland Park, Endwell - Pink Card
George W. Johnson Park, Endicott - Green card
West Endicott Park, Union - Yellow Card

Make a day of it and take your family on the Carousel Circuit.

Have fun!

Katie

Make Ahead Monday Dinner Review!

My family gave this dinner a 8 out of 10.  Tonight we had Slow Cooker Chops.  My family really liked it.  The pork chops fell off the bone and were juicy.  We really liked the flavor the potatoes soaked up from the gravy.  I decided not to add the green bean.  I definitely would put the potatoes in a little earlier so they could cook longer.  We will definitely make this again!

If you have a recipe you would like us to try, let me know.

HOW WE RATE THE DINNER FROM 1 - 10.

1 - PLEASE DON'T MAKE THAT AGAIN!
5 - IT WAS OKAY WE CAN TRY IT AGAIN!
10 - THAT WAS AWESOME CAN WE HAVE THAT AGAIN!

MAKE AHEAD MONDAY!

As a busy mom on the go having all or part of dinner ready when we get home is a huge time saver. 

Today's Make Ahead Monday dinner choice is Slow Cooker Chops.

Recipe:

1 large can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup water
1 teas. ground black pepper
4 - 6 boneless pork chops
1 can of green beans
3 to 4 large potatoes, cut into chunks

Add soup to slow cooker.  Stir in water to thin out soup slightly.  Season each pork chop with a dash of pepper and add chops to slow cooker.  Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.

Add green beans and potatoes and cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours longer.  Stir together, remove from heat and serve.

TIME SAVER:  Use a large crock pot liner in the crock pot for easy clean up.  Don't forget to get your coupon to purchase these liners from the Reynolds website. 

Stay tuned for our families review of this Make Ahead Monday dinner later today.

Get a FREE sample pack from Tub O'Towels.

Tub O'Towels is offering a FREE sample pack while supplies last on their website.  They are supposed to be bigger, tougher and soaked with a knock-your-socks-off cleaning solution that overpowers even the most onerous grime.  I can't wait to try them.  Lowe's on Upper Front Street, Binghamton carries Tub O'Towels.

Click here to go to their website.