The World's Best Coffee Cake (Traditional and Gluten-Free Versions)

by Michelle



To quote Austin Powers, "Yeah, baby, yeah!"

   This cake is not limited to breakfast or as an accompaniment to afternoon coffee. It is so good that my daughter requested it as the crowning glory to celebrate her thirteenth birthday when we lived in Guerneville with Linda for a year. In fact, the gluten-free version is so delicious that if you don't disclose to people it is gluten-free, I don't think they will ever guess without being tipped off. Do not hesitate to serve the gluten-free version to a mixed crowd. The gluten eaters will be none the wiser, I assure you.

"I am so happy, it's my birthday and I love my new hat and scarf and mittens! 
Can't wait to eat my cake..."

"Yes, my wish is coming true! I blew every candle out..."

"Seriously Mom and Auntie Linda... trick candles are just not as funny 
as you both seem to think they are!"

   Sometimes I am tempted to drizzle the baked cake with a rum or amaretto glaze for a more dramatic presentation, but this "humble" coffee cake is always a thing of beauty whether plain or gussied up. For Father's Day brunch my husband seems to alternate between choosing coffee cake or Linda's famous cinnamon rolls. Honestly, you can't go wrong with either choice.
   Back in my Silicon Valley days, Hobee's was (and probably still is) the industry's breakfast spot of choice. The restaurant's pièce de résistance was Cinnamon-Streusel-Topped Blueberry Coffee Cake, made in a sheet pan and cut into perfect high-domed squares with a big ball of butter melting on each serving. Should you not have a Bundt pan handy, you can always use a couple of square cake pans to get the job done. Knowing me, because I always seem to be picking up specialty equipment along the way, if I were to go the sheet pan route, I would buy a rectangular springform cake pan for easier slicing and serving.

The World's Best Coffee Cake
(Traditional and Gluten-Free Versions)

Chicken Roulade with Sweet and Spicy Orange Sauce and Camellia Luncheon Recipes

The Memory Keepers by Linda

   For we Salvation Sisters, the origin of this recipe can be traced directly back to our maternal grandmother, Maxine, and the Camellia Luncheons that she used to attend in Redlands, California. Nana would save the recipe cards for me after each luncheon, because I was showing an early interest in cooking, particularly in my teen years. I hung on to these luncheon menus for years, and when I began cooking professionally some time later, I began trying some of the recipes for my catering clients. I remember serving this entrée for our family for the first time during the Christmas holidays of 1983. We sisters loved this dish way back then, and we love it now. Over the years it has undergone an update, but it still has the same delicious flavor that it had way back then, when my idea of elegance was to garnish the dish by spearing a canned mandarin orange slice to the top of each whole roulade with a toothpick.

Our maternal grandmother Maxine as a very young girl in the foreground on the far left standing
in front of our great grandmother Maude. She is standing beside her sister who has the big white
bow in her hair... our Aunt Dodie. Our great grandfather Daniel Rhea Igo stands behind Dodie.
The group is celebrating the wedding of Ben Igo, our great grandfathers's brother.

 
When preparing this dish for a catering gig, I would serve freshly baked and sliced
Orange Wheat and Nut Bread to go with the meal. The quick bread is also a gem discovered from the Camellia Luncheon recipe cards. It pairs beautifully with the roulade. A few years later, I began baking the bread for the Los Olivos Grand Hotel where I worked as the pastry chef. Guests clamored to buy loaves of the bread after trying it in the baskets that accompanied their meals. In those days the recipe was a carefully guarded secret. In fact, many of our recipes that we share in our posts were once shared just among we sisters. For years we have planned to write a cookbook together, and many of my recipes were professional secrets, helping to keep me gainfully employed until I was able to retire from the restaurant/catering scene. You can read about the creation of Salvation Sisters by clicking here. I like to read our sister's story again from time to time, because it never fails to remind and inspire me. We sisters weather dark times and tragedy by sticking together and supporting one another.

Chicken Roulade with Sweet and Spicy Orange Sauce
Photos and Recipe Introduction by Michelle

  Just after Jay and I became engaged, I invited my future in-laws over to my apartment for dinner. I slaved over the details, wanting the evening to be perfect. After consulting on a prospective menu with Linda, I ultimately chose to serve this recipe because it looks beautiful and tastes great. The dish looks restaurant-worthy when served. There is a wow appeal when the plated food is set in front of each guest. It is true that people taste first with their eyes. Then the taste buds kick in after the first bite. Beyond tasting great, the final deciding factor was that I could make the main course ahead of time whereby keeping my attention focused on my fiancé's parents and not on developments in the kitchen.
   At the end of dinner, Jay's dad gave his smiling mouth one final swoop with a napkin then declared, adopting an authoritative tone, "Son, you're going to get fat." He meant it as a compliment and there was a round of genuine laughter at the table. That declaration became a family joke. When a dinner is particularly good, Jay or I will mimic his dad's booming voice and blurt "the prediction", even though it never came to pass, which I suppose, is what keeps the joke humorous. Jay's as fit now as he has ever been.
   The original recipe calls for make the dressing with saltine crackers and canned mushrooms. Last year for Christmas I decided to make bread crumbs and cook fresh mushrooms to update the recipe. If you want to go retro style, simply blitz together in a food processor: one medium yellow onion, 16-ounces canned mushrooms (drained), 2 cups saltine crackers and 2 teaspoons tarragon (or the thyme and rosemary called for below).
   My favorite starch to serve with the roulade is Risotto Milanese, made with white wine and roasted mushrooms. In the fall, I like to add roasted butternut squash in with the mushrooms. Alternatively, you can sauté and caramelize the mushrooms as a tasty vegetable side dish. When in season, asparagus tastes great and adds beautiful color to the plate. Simply prepared carrots are also a nice addition. Sometimes, like last night, I went crazy and prepared all three to serve with the chicken.
   I made my own bread crumbs from a sourdough loaf weighing 1-3/4 pounds which yielded 5 cups of prepared bread crumbs. Leftover breadcrumbs store well in the freezer and come in handy for all sorts of dishes including Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Crab Cakes.
   My sources in Tucson for both Gruyère cheese and prosciutto are Whole Foods Market or Costco.

Making homemade bread crumbs is easy. (P.S. This is a sourdough 
loaf that I made... so proud of myself!)

Dressing, enough to fill 12 boneless chicken breasts:
4 cups bread crumbs
24-oz button, crimini or baby portabella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 to 2 Tbsps olive oil
5 Tbsps Tamari or soy sauce
3 Tbsps brandy
2 tsps freshly minced rosemary leaves
2 tsps fresh thyme leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sweet and Spicy Orange Sauce, for 12 servings:
1/4 cup minced shallot
1/2 tsp chili flakes
4 Tbsps butter
the zest and juice of 4 navel oranges, plus enough additional orange juice to make 3 cups total
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2-1/2 tsps nutmeg
3/4 tsp sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsps cornstarch combined with 2 Tbsps water
the juice of one freshly squeezed lemon

For the chicken:
12 boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
12-ounces thinly sliced prosciutto or 12 slices honey cured ham
12 slices Gruyère cheese
3 Tbsps melted butter

Garnishes:
minced parsley
toasted sliced almonds

Special equipment:
a mallet to flatten the chicken. If you don't have a mallet, use a rolling pin (or ask your butcher)
a food processor - handy, but not absolutely necessary

Crumbled thyme on the left and minced rosemary on the right.

I was out of ground nutmeg, so I quickly grated whole nutmeg on a rasp grater.

Procedure:
1. For the dressing: I prefer to use homemade bread crumbs rendered from a sourdough boule or batard. If sourdough is too strong for your taste, choose an artisan-style country or French loaf. Slice the bread into 1-inch cubes, removing the crust if it is too crusty. If you are using day old bread that has been stored in plastic the crust will be soft and will not need to be removed. In the desert, I let the bread sit out on a cookie sheet until dry. In more humid climates, the bread can be dehydrated in the oven at a low temperature, say 300°F for about 30 to 40 minutes, tossing the cubes every so often. Once the cubes are dry, remove from the oven and let cool. Transfer the cubes in batches to a food processor and whirl until the cubes become crumbs. Any leftover bread crumbs will freeze well in an airtight container.

Peeled shallots can easily be minced in the food processor.

From raw...

...to cooked. (Reminds me of the excellent Fine Young Cannibals album from 1989 
that I listen to time and again.)

2. Place a 12-inch skillet on the stove and preheat over medium heat until warm. Add the olive oil and then the shallots and rosemary. Sauté for one to two minutes and then add the sliced mushrooms. Drizzle the mushrooms with the tamari and brandy. Continue stirring now and then until the mushrooms are cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the heat and stir in the thyme leaves. Let cool.
3. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add the mushrooms (and all the liquid) and bread crumbs. Using on-off pulses, combine the mushrooms and the bread crumbs to a stuffing consistency. The dressing should be very moist (add water or chicken broth, if needed, until the stuffing holds together). The stuffing can be made a day in advance (store covered in the refrigerator).

Two medium navel oranges yielded one tablespoon of grated zest.

The prepared Sweet and Spicy Orange Sauce cooling in a bowl. 
I like to make the sauce a day in advance.

4. For the sauce: If you can, make the sauce a day ahead; cool and refrigerate, then gently reheat before serving. In a sauce pan over medium heat, sauté the shallots and chili flakes in a little butter for two minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the cornstarch and the lemon juice. Stir well. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and water; stir until smooth. Add the cornstarch slurry to the saucepan. Simmer over low heat until thick. Just before serving add the lemon juice and stir. If, by chance, the sauce becomes too thick, you can thin with a little water or additional orange juice.

The chicken breasts are ready to roll into cylinders.

Grandma's mallet is still put to good use.

5. For the chicken: Place each chicken breast boned side up. Using a mallet, flatten each chicken breast to a uniform 1/4-inch thickness. On each flattened breast, cover with prosciutto or ham, a slice of cheese, and a 1/4-cup of the dressing. Roll up and place seam side down in a butter coated baking dish. Repeat until all the chicken is added to the pan. Twelve chicken breasts will fit snugly in a 12"x14.5" rectangular pan. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. The chicken can be prepared in the morning, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
6. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 50 minutes. Half way through baking, baste the tops of the chicken with melted butter. Return to the oven, covered, and continue to bake until done.
7. While the chicken is baking, gently reheat the spicy orange sauce. To serve, place one-half or whole chicken breast on a plate, spoon over spicy orange sauce to cover, sprinkle with parsley and toasted sliced almonds.

P.S. For the featured photos, I sliced cold, leftover chicken roulades into thick slices. Oven-friendly dishes were sprayed with olive oil and coated with leftover spicy orange sauce. The slices of stuffed chicken were layered in each dish and then topped with additional orange sauce. Place the prepared dishes on a cookie sheet, loosely top with aluminum foil, then transfer to a cold oven. Turn on the oven to 350°F and reheat for about 30 minutes. Your nose will begin to recognize when the chicken is heated through because the kitchen will smell like dinner is about to be served!

The Accidental Thrifter and Michelle's Chicken Teriyaki

The Memory Keepers by Juliette

Looking through a jeweler's loop helps to magnify and identify a manufacturer's mark.

What you know about rocking a wolf on your noggin?

What you knowing about wearing a fur fox skin?

I'm digging, I'm digging, I'm searching right through that luggage

One man's trash, that's another man's come up

Thank your granddad for donating that plaid button-up shirt

Cause right now, I'm up in here stuntin'

I'm at the Goodwill, you can find me in the bins

I'm not, I'm not stuck on searchin' in that section (Mens)

Your grammy, your aunty, your momma, your mammy

I'll take those flannel zebra jammies, second hand and I'll rock that.

~Thrift Shop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Island inspired fashion is always in style.

My son Paul grew up going to thrift stores with me. Paul is all grown up now and has two little boys of his own, but back when Paul was a kid of about 10, he wrote this less than enthusiastic account of a typical outing for salvage finds with his "thrifty mom". This salvaging relates directly to why we call ourselves the Salvation Sisters. What follows is Paul's hilarious description (minus a 10-year-old's misspellings) of the seemingly endless day spent with me that he wrote for a school assignment:

   I was in paradise nothing but blue skies and shady palm trees. The sand nice and toasty against my stomach. A gentle breeze blowing overhead through my hair. Strangers having a conversation with me while I am wondering who they are and how they know my name. Then while I am listening to them in the middle of the sentence they just start saying, "Paul. Paul." I say back to them "What?" Then my voice gets louder and angrier. Then one of them says very harsh, "Paul!!!" I instantly wake from the paradise I've been in for the last nine hours. I find out it is my mom saying, "It's time to get up now, Paul."
   "But why mom? It's the weekend, " I say in a tired and whiney voice. She says back to me, "Because we're going to Sierra Vista today."
   I'm so depressed I cannot get back to sleep. Because when my Mom says Sierra Vista it's a code word used around my house meaning going to the thrift shops. My sisters are familiar with the code word Sierra Vista also. When they hear it they hide in fear.

The daily deal at the Salvation Army on Oracle in Tucson.

I have "Spidey-Senses" for fine wools from Scotland.

   As we get pulled in our brown '88 Aerostar my sisters and I begin to pray. I ask my mother about halfway to Sierra Vista, "Where are we going first?" But in the back of my head I know she's going to say the speech I hate the most. "Paul... you know this is my job. This is what puts the food on the table." Then in a whiney voice I say, "Then why can't you get a different one?"
   "There are not many jobs in Bisbee," she says. I try to beg her to not stay long. She says, "I'll try, Paul, I really will."



Vavoom! My daughter Sonora has me to thank for finding this hidden gem.

   As we park in the middle of the Salvation Army parking lot I take a glance at the hours "9 to 5". I say the hours out loud, in again a whiney voice. As we walk in through the glass windowed door the thrift shop smell washes over my body and enters my nose. Thrift shops all have the same smell it seems like. As I walk over to the TV, which is the only entertainment, my sisters zoom past me to take control of the TV. The station that catches their eye is of course the Disney channel. As they sit on the floor sucked in the TV I can see that they enjoy coming. When I try to sit down on a chair by the TV a worker comes up to me and says, "You can't sit on the furniture." As if my day has not gone bad enough now I can't sit on the furniture. Soon I find myself sitting on the floor along side my sisters.



The condiment set was scrutinized under the loop and underwent the sniff test.
We liked the insect motif, but it was a pass due to a small chip.

I suspect that this working mini spinning wheel is worth some money.

   Since I am not into Timon and Pumbaa, I start to watch my mom. She has not even gone through one row and it's been an hour. She mostly looks out for the flashy clothes that catches her eye. Once she finds a dress or shirt she looks at it very closely looking for the tiniest stains or holes. If she doesn't find it at the time she will when she double checks before she pays. When three hours have gone by she is almost done. I can see her in the last row arms and shoulders filled with brightly colored vintage clothing. She looks like a peacock.
   Finally she says, "Ok kids, time to go." I am so bored. I am not happy. Then as I walk through the door she says, "Paul, I could use some help here." When I turn around I see five big black trash bags laying at her feet. My mom picks up one of them, her purse and walks out the door. As I stand there looking at the four garbage bags laying beside my feet begin thinking should I carry all four on the same trip or take two. I'm standing there thinking like a zombie. I see my mom walking back in to  the store. But she didn't come back to help me with the bags but to get her receipt. So I am stuck there with the bags. As I walked through the parking lot with the bags all over me like I'm dressed up for Halloween as a black ghost, I notice the sun is going down. I throw the bags into the back of the car.


No more Disney Channel for Sonora and Avalon. They love "thrifting" 
now… stretches those college dollars.

   While we pull out of the parking lot we stop because of a red light. She says, "What do you want to do now?" Since being in the thrift shops for so long I worked up an appetite so we go to Taco Bell. After I order a number one with an extra soft taco, my mom says, "Paul, find a seat." Quickly my sisters race off to find a seat. When I look at the seat they found it is covered with beans, cheese, salsa and tomatoes. I say to my sisters, "Why don't you find one without food already on the table!" They run around Taco Bell trying to find a clean one. Finally they find one in the corner. When my mom comes to the table with the food she sits down and takes a look at the receipt.
   She asks me, "How many tacos do we have?"
   "Five."
   "They charged us for six."
   "It's only a sixty-five cents difference." But she is already at the counter trying to get a taco or her money back.

My daughters Avalon and Sonora in pursuit of  fashionable finds at an affordable price.



The girls follow my quick measuring tip - if the waist fits around the neck, go ahead and try them on.

   Once we are done eating we go over to Big 5 to get me some shoes. When we walk in I say, "Finally." When we walk to the back of the store where the shoes are kept I see the shoes I saw in the ad in the paper that I've been wanting to get. Quickly I grab them and ask the clerk if they have the shoes in a size ten. Then the clerk went into the back room and came out about thirty seconds later and said, "No. I'm sorry we don't have it in that size." Then my mom butts into the conversation with the clerk and I, and says to him, "Are you sure?"
   The clerk says he'll try again. This time he spent around two minutes in the back room and still came out with nothing. My mom asks me if there is any other shoe I would like. At this point I'm mad since I came up here for nothing but since I was there I would take a look at the shoes. So I strolled up and down the aisle looking for anything that catches my eye with bright colors. But the only shoes that did were for girls. I look to my mom and say, "There are no shoes here that I'm interested in."

Casa de los Niños is a department-style thrift store located at Mountain and Prince in Tucson.

   As we begin to leave the store my mom says, "Well I guess it's not your day, Paul."
   "I guess it's not," I mumble back.
   By now the time is around 8:30 and my mom says to me, "Paul the girls are getting cranky and sleepy. We should go home. I say, "OK."
   So me and my mom hop in the front while my sisters crowd into the back of the old brown van which is now trashed because of the fast food and snacks we had eaten in it through the boring day in beautiful Sierra Vista.

The End

P.S.: Paul received an "A" from his teacher.



It seemed as if this maker's marked violin should be priced for more than $80.00.

When flicked on its rim crystal will ring like a clear bell whereas glass does not.

The inertia of objects is deceptive. The inanimate world appears static, "dead," to humans only because of our neuromuscular chauvinism. We are so enamored of our own activity range that we blind ourselves to the fact that most of the action in the universe is unfolding outside our range, occurring at speeds so much slower or faster than our own that it is hidden from us as if by a... a veil. We regard the objects that polka-dot our daily lives as if they were rigid, totally predictable solids, frozen inferiorly in time and space. Yet, how can we be so sure that we know what things are doing when we aren't looking at them? When our eyesight is inadequate to truly look at them?
       ~ Tom Robbins, Skinny Legs And All

   I have a strange relationship with inanimate objects. I can feel them calling to me sometimes. I know this sounds crazy, but it has played out often enough to not be only coincidence. One morning I was drinking my coffee and felt the sudden need to go to the thrift shop in Douglas, which is nearly a thirty mile drive. I had other things on my agenda that day so I didn't pay it much attention. It persisted. Go to Douglas! Go to Douglas! So, since making a good part of my living at that time was dependent on things I bought and resold, I rescheduled my day and decided to follow my inner voice and make a quick trip to Douglas.

   I found a few things, but nothing to justify the Son of Sam voices in my head. I walked toward the front of the store to buy my goodies, a bit disappointed that I hadn't found anything to justify the trip. Then, I could almost hear something say, "Wait! I'm over here!"

   I decided to make another loop around the store to see if there was something I missed. I found them, in a corner, on a shelf, hidden behind a horrible fluffy prom gown: a pair of women's Tony Lama extra fancy cowboy boots. Two tone beauties with elaborate designs in black and white leather, red accents, and some fancy stitching. Some slight scuffing on the soles was the only evidence that they had ever been worn. They were a jaw dropping $15.00 dollars. I sold them three days later for $175.00, which was still a smoking deal for the buyer since these kick ass boots would have retailed new for around $800.00. Definitely worth the trip!  



We can probably all agree that sheep skin is more appropriate 
for a floor covering than a Yeti-inspired coat.

My niece Maddie searching for "appropriate attire" for her part-time hosting gig.

    Another day I was driving home and there was a yard sale sign in front of a little shack of a house. I normally stop at all yard sales and thrift shops, but this day I was tired and hungry. I drove past even though a little bell started ding-donging in my head. By the time I had turned the corner and was a few blocks from my house that bell in my head started sounding like an alarm. I'm here, I'm here, come find me!!! I do what I always do. I turned the van around and went back. Walking into the carport I was greeted by piles of well worn Rustler jeans, Tupperware that had seen better days, children's toys (dirty and broken), dollar store jewelry piled in a basket, plastic planters, and every other kind of undesirable junk imaginable.

Don't overlook the book section; you never know what 
author signed first edition might be hiding in the mix.

   I walked through slowly, but did not see anything I could to resell in my wildest dreams. I walked out but before I could get to the car it came upon me again... I'm here! I'm here! I turned around and went back through. This time I stopped to inspect the basket of dollar store jewelry more closely. There was a plastic bag of necklaces sitting on top of more junky looking jewelry that was loose on the bottom of the basket. I moved the bag to the side and there it was. A heavy, old, hand wrought sterling watchband set with Bisbee Blue turquoise. "How much?" I asked, trying to conceal my delight.

"Is two dollars too much?" the woman replied. "No, two dollars is great", I answered. I wore that watch band for many, many years but since I stopped wearing a watch several years ago, I recently sold it for $400.00.

   I can tell you a lot of stories like that. I sometimes just "feel" it when there is something good waiting to be discovered. Thank heaven for the gift, wherever it comes from, because it has helped me support my family over the past 20 years.

I have a myriad of uses for knitting needles including 
employing one as a makeshift hair pick.

    My thrift sop addiction started in the mid nineties after birthing two baby girls in less than one year. I lacked the energy, time, space and inspiration to create the art work that had supported me and my son Paul for years. I started shopping at the area thrift shops and yard sales because I could no longer afford even discount retailers such as Ross and Marshall's. While shopping for clothes I would often come across wonderful vintage clothing pieces that were too small for me. I would pull them off the rack, admire the tailoring, put them back reluctantly, and move on in search of something I could actually wear.
   When we became a bit more financially stable I started buying some of the gowns, gloves, scarves, hats, jewelry and other unique vintage pieces I cam across thinking that some day my girls might be able to wear them to a future prom or formal event. I stored everything in a large antique trunk. A few years later when the trunk was packed full to overflowing, a friend of mine suggested that we host a "beautiful clothing" sale at her home. She was an avid thrift shopper as well, but drawn to more contemporary clothing in linen, cotton, and silk.
   My friend thought our items would work well together. By then it was obvious that my girls, even at their tender ages, had their own ideas about fashion, and there was no guarantee that the clothes I had been saving would fit their future sizes of sensibilities. We had the sale and we made close to $4,000.00 in one afternoon. As Oprah would say, it was my "ah-ha" moment. I realized that there were not only money to be saved by shopping second-hand, but more importantly, there was money to be made.

In to the cart go favorite clothes hangers along with a hand 
painted plate made in Mexico.

Yes, I love my Dansko clogs, but no, I don't recognize a need for one wooden 
Heineken clog.... but wait... perhaps Michelle could use it to make a flower 
arrangement in it for the annual Oktoberfest party?

   I loved thrifting because I could take the children along with me while I searched for treasures. They did not share my enthusiasm. Understanding that a good defense requires a good offense I would often bribe my offspring with a trip to Dairy Queen or McDonald's in exchange for good behavior. Around this time I got a job working at a local antique store on the weekends when my then husband could be home with the children. My purchases rapidly expanded from clothing to any and all items antique, collectible, or vintage. I soon had a booth in the antique store and worked in exchange for my rent. It was fun, interesting, got me out of the house and more importantly it helped pay the bills.
   I was certain that my children would never set foot in a thrift shop after all their years of involuntary attendance. I am pleased to report that is not the case. I stopped into the local thrift shop a few weeks ago and turned a corner to see Paul and both of his boys sorting through the toy section. You could have knocked me over with a feather! Sonora and Avalon now shop for their clothes almost exclusively at the many thrift shops in Tucson, and we often go together when I am visiting. They have a good eye and look fabulous in their finds. You would never know their clothes, shoes, jewelry are second-hand, but when complimented, they are proud to point that out. Everything comes full circle.

Hmmmmm... the only use that sprang to mind was trying to incorporate into a Halloween costume.

Additional Tips:
   Feel free to negotiate the price of the item if it is damaged, or the price seems ridiculously high. The worst that can happen is that they will say no. Ask for a manager. Be polite. Smile. Use your kindest voice, and ask if it might be possible to get a discount on the item, and state why you feel that might be justified. This works about half the time.

   Inspect any item you might be interested in BRIEFLY for cracks, tears, or damage. Put it in your cart and move along. You can always put it back but chances are if you decide it is something that you want and go back for it, it will be gone. You snooze, you lose!


   At the end of my shopping I find a table or sofa near a window or in a well lit place where I can inspect all items more closely at leisure. For glassware and ceramics I visually inspect the items for cracks and nicks. Your fingers are more reliable than your eyes, so also run a finger around rims and bases. If you feel a rough place it usually indicates a chip or a place that has been repaired.


Really? Someone donated this collector's item? Quick check the value on Google.

   For clothing, I hold the item open to a window or a light. Holes and tears will show up much easier this way. Inspect wool items with extra care as they often have moth damage that can be hard to spot. I find many stains on the clothing are easy to remove. For oil and greasy stains I use Original Goop Hand Cleaner. For other stains a simple washing with a Mexican soap such as Corona, which has a higher lye content will do the trick! There are many web-sites devoted to stain removal if you have a stubborn one.



Record aficionados are able to search for great finds in vinyl at thrift stores.

   On vintage clothing check the seams for dry rot. I once had a vintage dress split wide open down my back side while I was wearing it... embarrassing. Yup, I'm pretty sure I know where that word originated from now!

   I do not like to use the dressing rooms as they are sometimes disgusting, and heaven knows what goes on in there. Goodwill dressing rooms (at least here) are generally clean, well lit, and have a nice mirror that does not distort to make me appear as Andre The Giant. Bring a tape measure - and know what the size of your clothing looks like on a hanger. Ask what the return policy is prior to purchase if you think you might need to bring it back.


Although this hand beaded sweater from the 1940s is adorable, it was 
begrudgingly rejected due to small moth holes.

  Watch your cart! Unfortunately in most thrift shops the isles are set-up ridiculously close together. There is barely room for two people to pass, let alone a cart so I usually leave it at the end of the isle. Because of this I have had items taken from my cart and after having to hot foot it after the thief I have learned the best way to deter this is to find a really awful piece of clothing and drape it across the top of the cart so the good stuff is concealed! One time, even though I had the "camouflage" item on top, I found a woman dumping the entire contents of my cart onto the floor under a rack of robes because she needed a cart and didn't want to be bothered with walking across the store to get her own. Sheesh! It bears repeating: watch your cart!


These items were a yes and a yes. The black embroidered 
sheer jacket was probably the find of the day.

Michelle and I both adored the 60's inspired handmade linen wedding dress with detachable train.

    Resist the temptation to buy something just because it is really inexpensive. I ask myself: is this something I actually need? Where will I put it? Will I actually wear it? Is there someone I know that can use it? I often find pristine children sized clothes (my favorite is Oshkosh overalls which I often find for $1 or less) or shoes that I will often buy for my friends with small children. Although I have reached maximum capacity at home with cast iron pans of all shapes and sizes, I still buy them for my children's growing collection. It helps to watch an episode of Hoarder's occasionally.... there is great stuff out there, but just because it is great doesn't mean you actually need it.

Whaddya know? Genuine Wedgewood made in England for the low, 
low price of five dollars. But, do I need it?

    As you wander through the thrift shop, try not to look at the big picture. Thrift shops can be daunting because there is so much junk everywhere. Usually there are only a few real gems hiding among the mountains of crap. Just take it one shelf, or rack at a time. It sometimes takes time to develop "the eye" as we in the trade call it, but practice makes perfect. I usually do my best to avoid eye contact with other shoppers as muttering screwballs abound. It is a good time to pop in the ear buds and listen to your iPod.


Additional Notes:

   Most thrift shops offer some sort of sale or discount on miscellaneous items each day. For example,    Goodwill offers half off on a certain tag color every day. There is a sign posted with the color of the day and if you can't find it then ask one of the clerks. A senior citizen discount applies one day a week. It is Tuesday in Southern Arizona but may vary in different areas.

   Salvation Army has a date on the tag of each item. Usually at two weeks past the date on the tag all items are 50% off. The discount date will be posted on a dry erase board as you enter. The stores usually offer other items that have been discounted for that day: linens, bric-à-brac , shoes, etc.

   The good news is senior citizens and military personnel receive discounts. The bad news is the half-off discount cannot be combined with the senior citizen or military discounts. It is a very good idea to sort your items by discount before check-out or it can really slow things down. For some reason the Salvation Army stores do not have the ability to sort items by discount in one transaction, at least not at my local store. Therefore, I have to pay twice. Once for items that are half off and again for items where a senior citizen discount is applied. I should note that I am not technically a senior citizen yet, but if they assume by my rapidly graying hair that I am, I do not correct them. Discount always supersedes vanity in my book!


Juliette gave this $150.00 Persian-style rug due consideration but determined, 
ruefully, that it's too big for her living room.

   One of the women who is regularly working the register at one of my regular haunts asked me once if I was a senior citizen and I said no. When I checked my receipt later I found that she gave me the discount anyway and continues to do so to this day. Being nice to the help is always a good idea! For those of you who can't make it to the store before the 5 p.m. closing, they have midnight sales once every couple of months with great discounts. Ask to be put on their e-mail list to get notifications of special sales and weekly discounts.
   St. Vincent de Paul also has selected discounts available on a daily basis, as do most of the other thrift shops. If there is no sign posted, just ask what discounts are available.

Reuniting with my puppy Val at the end of the day. Yes, that is a tongue slurping my nose.

At the end of the day, it is time for dinner with the family at Michelle's house...

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce keeps for nearly a month in the refrigerator.

Chicken Teriyaki (Traditional and Gluten-Free)