Given the Royal Treatment

(subtitled "This is why I shop at Kings")

I am a healthy-eating-conscious/label reading/scratch cook/as close to the source food consumer as you can get (no this doesn't conflict with the other side of me, the side that is starting to lose the battle of craving a banana-flavored Twinkie! Balance is my byword). Given that background, I have been buying a wonderful no salt/no filler turkey at my local Kings Supermarket (the Bedminster location). They were out of it the past 2 days. I called yesterday to inquire if they'd gotten in their shipment and got Joe, deli manager. He checked, they were still out, put me on hold for a few moments, got back to me and said, "I just called around. Mendham has the turkey. I will send a refrigerated van to pick up some. Come here after 4 and your turkey will be waiting." Sure enough, I did and it was. Customer service still exists. I repeat: This is why I shop at Kings.

May I have some more please

Reader Andy Potter points out...

More than Meals is one of ~1500 of these 'meal assembly kitchens' across the country. If you are outside of NJ, you can search for similar kitchens in your area at www.mealassembly.net.

The Meal Thing

Finally someone's come up with a solution for the most time-consuming least fun part of cooking, namely, the planning, shopping and prepping. And you still end up with a home-cooked meal! It's More than Meals,a new concept in meal preparation that's put the joy back in cooking.
Here's how it works: you choose entrees from a rotating monthly menu (October selections include Double Sauce Chicken Stuffed Shells, Fabulous Feta Fish, Beef with Gorgonzola, Orange Pecan French Toast). Each entree serves 4 to 6 people. Schedule a time that works for you; meal prep gatherings are held weeknights and weekends. Once you arrive at More than Meals you work your way through the entree stations--like a buffet line!--while following the recipes. All ingredients are prepped and ready for you to assemble, pack up, take home and serve.
Group sessions can be booked--it's a pretty neat different activity for ladies--or gents--night out, birthday parties and other get-togethers. Call for more information (732-271-1686). This is a concept whose Time Has Come! At 1966 Washington Valley Road in Martinsville.

Spahhhh continued

Again my thanks to reader Wildsnowflake who wrote,

Don't forget that SpaWeek is happening soon... Oct 15-21. You can get great facials and other treatments for $50 at various top-notch NJ spas (tip on what the treatment SHOULD have been).

http://spaweek.org/spa_listing.php?city_id=2

That's how I found Stress Solutions in Watchung a few years ago (not participating this year) but here's the link to a coupon http://www.stresssolutionsspa.com/coupon/

Spahhhh!

Well I can't get away to Canyon Ranch but I can get in my car and drive a couple of miles to a spa that's newly opening in Bernardsville. All the promise of a happy healthier and more relaxed me at Spa Rejuv: Grow Younger with Us. Nosy person that I am, I happened to stick my head inside after visiting the farmers market across the street at the train station this past Saturday (quick aside here: the weekends are rapidly vanishing so if you want to visit a farmers market now is the time--at Bernardsville I always make pitstops at Baker's Bounty, Picklelicious, Suemac Farms Herbary and my favorite--Valley Shepherd Creamery, those cheeses--mwah!). I was very sweetly greeted by master aesthetician and proprietess Bozena Polinska who gave me a tour of the facility. Beautiful immaculate and tranquil are the words that come to mind, from the welcome at the door to the treatments rooms to the change facilities. Services include a smorgasbord of facials, face and body treatments, massage therapy, hair removal, nails, make-up and more. In addition, a plastic surgery office has just been established on prem. What I also like is the brochure details very clearly what to expect if you first visit a spa (clothing on under robe? clothing off? what to bring, what to leave home, gratuities policy, etc). Anyway, this Thursday night are grand opening festivities; a more casual celebration takes place this Saturday. Spa Rejuv is at 59 Mine Brook Road, tel 908-630-0007.

Friday on my mind

I can now count it in weeks, yes weeks! (eight, to be exact.Plus a day.) til Black Friday 2007. Oh bliss! Oh joy! Oh set the alarm for 2am! Nothing short of labor would keep me away--days after eye surgery this past year I was happily #3 on line in sub-freezing weather at Electronics Expo with a group of newly-discovered warm close and personal friends, all of us united in a desire to score a fantastic doorbuster bar-goon(Oh, did I mention this encounter took place by 2:45am?!)
We take the day very seriously in my household. It starts weeks before: emails from sites like Black Friday Ads, builds up to the Wednesday-before circulars and, finally, Thanksgiving night strategizing of who goes where and what we are buying. Typically Herb goes to Best Buy, Circuit City and Staples, while I head for Borders, Target and anywhere else I can sleepwalk into before 12 Noon.
Oh the adventure of it all! The countdown Has Begun!

A Rose by any other name

And this one is sweet indeed. If you're invited to someone's home during the High Holidays (good new year's wishes by the way)--or for any other special occasion--of course you are bringing some kind of hostess gift (this is probably the one bit of "visiting etiquette" my daughters will say I drilled into them from early childhood!) Right next door to Gabriel's Fountain in Martinsville is The Purple Rose. Wonderful source for lovely gift items that you just don't see everywhere. Lynda also specializes in Judaica (she carries names like Rosenthal and Tamara Baskin) and the myriad of Vera Bradley fans cut a path to her door! Right now is especially fine time to shop here--a 25% sale is going on (and I hope my Amy and Jim are not reading this--I got your housewarming present here, a stunning contemporary etched art glass vase by Stephen Schlanser). The Purple Rose is at 1946 Washington Valley Road; 732-868-9000.