Next to Newsletter: Next to Newsletter - Monday, February 14, 2011

What's on Sale?

On Monday, Valentine's Day, it's 30% off anything mostly RED.

And anything with HEARTS on it.

The rest of the week, we'll do the Wild Card Sale.
Pick a card to see where your 30% discount is!

My husband, Arthur, and I each write twice-a-month columns for The Times here in Gainesville. His deal with computing and technology issues. Mine deal with whatever strikes my fancy.

Arthur's latest was published on January 22nd. Click here to read "Beware of malware, other threats hiding in Facebook"

My column, published February 4th, is about WalMart's new line of makeup that's targeting elementary school-aged girls. Click here to read it.

Breath-taking

DP Shots has collected over 70 majestic photographs that are simply too good to miss. Perfect timing, perfect place and perfect situation is what makes these photographs so remarkable. Click here to take a look.

Gmail Labs

If you use Gmail, here are 10 labs that will quickly become indispensable- like "undo send" and "inserting images." If you don't use Gmail, this might be a good reason to give it a try.

If Kids Can Hear Promises, They Can Hear Requests

This is some of the best parenting advice I've read in a long time. Just wish I'd read it 20 years ago...

Just close your eyes...

Need to chill? Click here to hear the sounds of the forest. That's all it does. But that's enough.

What? You mean herrings aren't red?

I love learning about the origins of words and phrases- Rachel says it's called etymology. Click here to learn the etymology of 10 food phrases. First, there's "apple of my eye"...

Whatcha eatin' ?

This is the most extravagant and rich chocolate dessert you’ll come across thisValentine's Day. The best part is, this chocolate pie is easier to assemble than store-bought cookie dough.

All it takes is a little microwave action, some stirring, a light toasting in the oven and a resting period. That’s it. The secret lies in the fact that the chocolate filling is actually just a pillowy, silky chocolate truffle. The ganache you make to fill the crust could easily be rolled into balls, dipped in chocolate and then viola! A million truffles. But there’s something so charming about a slice of chocolate truffle pie. It’s disarmingly rich. Top it with ice cream or homemade whipped cream to lighten the pie. Yes, lighten, because nothing lightens a layer of chocolate truffle more than a peak of whipped, sweetened cream.

Decadent Chocolate Ganache Pie

Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 8 hours, 15 minutes (pie needs to set at room temperature)

Crust

1 9-inch graham cracker crust
or
9 graham crackers, finely ground (1 cup)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup white sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375. If using a store-bought crust, bake crust for 5 minutes until lightly toasted and remove from heat. Set aside.

2. If preparing your own crust, stir together 1 cup of the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Press mixture into a 9-inch pie dish. Bake crust for 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside.

Filling
10 oz. high-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped (Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips are a fine choice)
1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream

Toppings
Ice cream
Homemade whipped cream
Chocolate shavings

1. Bring cream to a boil in the microwave, about 2 minutes, making sure not to boil the cream for more than a couple seconds. Pour over chocolate in a microwavable bowl and let stand two minutes. Stir chocolate and cream together until the mixture is thick, smooth and uniform. Microwave in 20 second intervals, whisking in between, if there are remaining chunks. Do not microwave the filling for more than 20 seconds at a time, or the ganache might break.

2. Pour the hot filling into the prepared crust and let stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours before serving, allowing the filling to set. Serve with homemade whipped cream, ice cream, and chocolate shavings.

BTW

Be sure to look for the great N2N coupon in the February edition of Gainesville's Little Coupon Book!

Wise Words

True love is when you put someone on a pedestal, and they fall--but you are there to catch them. ~ Anonymous

Weekly this 'n' that

N2N wants you to like us...on Facebook! Click here to go to our fan page and click "like" to join up. We post great deals when we find them during the week and link to other great frugal sites. We have the Deal of the Day and Hot Flashes...you sure don't want to miss out on that!

We'll be doing more drawings for credits and other goodies on a regular basis, so be sure to get in on the action!

Get a $5.00 store credit any time you bring us a new shopper. It's easy. Just bring in your friends who've never tried N2N shopping. When they check out at the register, we'll give YOU a $5.00 credit to use on your next visit.

Let's work to get the word out: friends don't let friends shop retail!

...and remember Senior Discount Day- each Monday, everyone 55 and over gets 30% off their cash purchases.

Computer Problems?

Arthur says that if you have an old computer- whether a desktop or laptop- and you have data on it that you'd like to have removed or copied, he can do that for you.

If you've recently changed computers or plan to soon, he can extract those photos and documents you may have thought were lost for good. Well, they are not lost and your computer may even be salvageable. Let him take a look at it. He can also replace a small or defective hard drive or add a second one if you've run out of storage space.

He reminds you that just as with your car, your computer requires periodic tune-ups, usually twice a year. He can clean the junk from your system, check it for viruses and malware and make it run faster. Even if you think yours is running fine, he can make it run faster. His rates are reasonable and he stands behind his work.

Call Computer House Calls at 770-540-5100 or email him at

arthur@glazerthepctech.com. Your computer will thank you.