I'm not a big fan of the DVD format. Beyond the interactive capability, which I do appreciate when I can find the remote, I am all too often transported back to a time when I laboriously dusted off my vinyl LPs, trying to remove whatever offending matter was completely undoing my "media experience". VHS does eventually get old -- but it takes a whole lot of playing, or the grilled-cheese-in-the-VCR, didn't-supervise-the-toddler circumstance, to truly screw up a videotape playback, even if you don't keep it especially sterile. And exercise videos don't really require the exquisite resolution of DVD, especially if you're exercising in front of the "second" TV, not the widescreen in the living room situated between the expensive objets d'art.

Here's a sample of the hundreds of exercise videos in glorious, GUARANTEED to play, VHS format that are offered at my eCrater and BluJay stores. These four happen to be shrink-wrap-NEW, which adds much to their collectibility. But most of the videos I offer are of the very-gently-used variety, with lower prices and even higher value for the person who just needs some motivation and guidance in getting or staying in great physical shape.

Reebok Winning Body Workout Exercise Video - Nancy Kerrigan - NEW VHS Stay motivated with a variety of winning exercises designed to improve overall fitness, led by Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan, professional hockey goalie Manon Rheaume, pro volleyball great Liz Masakayan, and Reebok University trainer Petra Kolber...

Tony Little Target Training Total Body Shape Up & Maintenance Exercise Video VHS Non-impact exercise, one-on-one training to increase overall muscle tone, for all fitness levels. Tony Little, "America's Personal Trainer", enthusiastically demonstrates proper technique for this series of exercises, giving beginner, intermediate, and advanced versions...

Leslie Sansone You Can Do Pilates VHS Exercise Workout Video NEW The creator of Walk Away the Pounds shows how to perform Pilates exercises to strengthen abdomen and back muscles, tone the lower body, and achieve more balance and flexiblity. The video contains 3 progressive learning segments...

Jane Fonda Lower Body Solution VHS Exercise Workout Video Tape NEW Fun and effective 35-minute low-impact bench step aerobic exercise program for burning off fat, followed by 27 minutes of floor exercises for toning and shaping those bulges to the South...

There are more than just exercise videos in my store. I have a nice collection of cooking shows, classic movies, and children's videos, too. And, yes, even a couple in DVD format. And a whole lot more...books, including cookbooks and craft patterns, antique and vintage pottery and glass, and a whole range of collectibles. Browse through them all at yesteryearsgoodies.com, my one-stop shopping website with links to great deals at free-to-list (so valuable-savings-for-you) BluJay.com, eCrater.com, Half.com, and Amazon.com, as well as my recommendations for other great online shops.

June is busting out all over, and so is my home warehouse. Time to clear some inventory! With FREE USPS SHIPPING on up to 3 pounds' worth of books and videos, along with my everyday LOW prices, you'll save BIG, and I'll have more room for my future shopping excursions!

This June Free Shipping Sale applies to up to a 3-pound package filled with books, patterns, and videos from either of my BluJay stores --

http://yesteryearsgoodies.blujay.com

http://yesteryearscrafts.blujay.com


-- and also my eCrater store --

http://yesteryearsgoodies.ecrater.com.


Let me know by email if you order from more than one store -- the FREE SHIPPING and multiple-item discounts apply then, too!

Media mail or first class USPS shipping will be used, whichever is cheaper. Heavier loads or expedited shipping will be discounted by at least $3.50. International sales will also receive a break on shipping, on a case by case basis.

The usual multiple item discount (up to 25%) also applies. I'll adjust your invoice if you give me a chance to, do a partial charge if you choose to pay with Google Checkout, or refund the excess if you pay with Paypal before I have a chance to adjust your invoice.

** You can contact me before you commit to purchasing your items and I'll let you know exactly what your savings will be. **


Happy Shopping!

Dawn in Michigan
http://yesteryearsgoodies.com

YesterYearsGoodies Shopping Index to Big Savings on Great Goodies!

Resurrecting an old favorite -- do I hear an Easter theme? It's a stretch. Maybe it's better to say "recycling an old favorite" instead, and that segues into Earth Day rather nicely! Plus, the version of an Old St Patrick's Day favorite recipe hiding in the old cookbook offers a moral about finding gems in the least likely places (the end of the rainbow?), and adds yet another relevant holiday to this week's blog!



A few days ago, while on my weekly thrift shop rounds, I twice ran across a copy of an old favorite of mine. The Reader's Digest Creative Cooking, 1977, was given to me new as a wedding gift by a dear church lady, now long departed. My copy is stained and dog-eared, so I'm keeping one of the copies I bought and putting the other one in my online store (http://yesteryearsgoodies.com).

Creative Cooking wasn't always one of my favorites. For one thing, it's organized by month, and my Michigan March is different from much of the U.S. (Easter dresses have never made sense here). But if you're at a loss as to what to serve, you've got a few menus to decide upon each month and all the recipes at hand.

Also, the typeface is a little small and light for my taste, given that they had the extra wide pages (8.5 X 10, landscape format) to work with. There's an elegance to it, though, that adds to the presentation of each recipe, as do the lack of abbreviations ("teaspoon" is always spelled out), and the artfulness of the color photos. Come to think of it, I had a subscription for Gourmet magazine when I first married, and believe this book is modeled off it, with less concern for quick and easy readability.

But the recipes are wonderful -- just this side of gourmet, not too demanding, perfect for someone who knows how to do the basics already and wants to add a little something special to the meal. Since it's nearing St Patrick's Day, an obvious example of this extra-something is the substitution of carrots for cabbage, and the addition of cinnamon, in the corned beef recipe:

"Corned beef and carrots.

This version of corned beef omits the customary cabbage, but you may add it if you wish.

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes
SOAKING TIME: 3 hours
COOKING TIME: 3-4 hours
INGREDIENTS (for 6):


• 4 pounds corned beef
• 1 large onion
• 4 cloves
• Bouquet garni (p. 410)
• 6 peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 slice bacon
• 10 small carrots
• 12 small onions
• 2 small turnips
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon



Soak the corned beef in cold water for 3 hours. Remove and wash well in cold water.

Put the corned beef in a large saucepan. Peel the large onion, stud it with the cloves, and add to the beef, together with the bouquet garni, peppercorns, bay leaves, and bacon. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and after a few minutes remove the scum with a large spoon; keep the meat on the boil and continue skimming for about 10 minutes.

Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and reduce the heat, then simmer for 1 3/4 hours. Remove the pan from the heat and lift out the meat with a slotted spoon; strain the liquid into a bowl.

When the liquid has cooled, remove the congealed fat from the surface. Peel the carrots and onions, and peel and coarsely slice the turnips. Arrange the vegetables in a deep pan, with the beef on top. Pour over the wine and enough strained liquid to cover. Sprinkle in the mustard and cinnamon and cover the pan with a lid. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 1-2 hours more, or until meat is tender when tested with a fork.

Arrange the corned beef in the center of a large serving dish and surround with the vegetables. Cabbage, cut into large chunks, may be added to the simmering meat for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Serve piping hot, with plain boiled potatoes or buttered noodles and a crisp green salad."

One year, early in my homecooking career, I used fresh pearl onions for the "small" onions in the recipe, and spent a long, impatient time peeling the little things. It was a few days later that I discovered the trick was to cook them first in the peel and then pinch them out after they'd cooled a little. Now, though, I just chop up yellow Spanish onions, and don't concern myself with how small they started out!

The orange-glazed sweet potato recipe is a tradition at Thanksgiving, And others we've loved include the jambalaya, ratatouille, crepes suzette, chicken in red wine, and dinner rolls in the "Baking with Yeast" section near the end.

Which brings to mind the thing that saves this book from being too difficult for the beginner. It's actually two books in one -- with the first 300 pages organized by month, and the last 100 or so, called "Basic Cooking Methods," by type of food - stocks and soups, sauces, gravies and dressings, fish, meats, poultry, vegetables, eggs, rice and pasta, fats and oils, desserts, batters, fruit, preserving, pastry, baking with yeast, quick breads, cake making, cookies, cake fillings and toppings, confectionery, garnishes, wine with food, kitchen planning and equipment, freezing, and a glossary of cooking terms. I'd have preferred to have this more basic section at the beginning of the book, but that may have lessened its appeal to a gourmet collection.

This book will please those of us who like to sit down and spend some time pondering what to do for a special meal, and who are willing to try some new ways with old favorites. I still look up now and then and say "thank you" to the church lady for having the confidence in my cooking to buy it for me!

It's a Leap Year, so you get an extra day to get into shape with a selection from the nearly 200 VHS exercise videos at http://yesteryearsgoodies.com! Here's a sample of tapes that will help you to make that "leap into fitness" ...

. Weight Watchers Get Moving! The 30 minute Moderate Intensity workout. VHS, 35 min. Total body workout designed exclusively for Weight Watchers members, includes aerobic, resistance, and flexibility exercises at the moderate intensity level for maximum fat burning.
Jenny Craig Personal Fitness Videos (3): Let's Get Started (60 min), Let's Get Moving (40 min), Let's Tone Up (50 min) Motivating, effective, fun - this trio of videos will help you stick to your resolutions this year.
FIRM Basics Sculpting with Weights Total Body Workout, VHS, 1997, BMG Video, 45 min. Intervals of short and sweet aerobic exercises alternate with muscle toning with weights to provide "3 times the fat loss of aerobics" alone. Abdominal routine and stretches are also included in this 43-minute workout.
Fitness Made Simple - 45-Minute Fat Burning Workout, with John Basedow, VHS, Manta Communications, Described as follows from the fitnessmadesimple website - "Reshape your body in record time with Fitness Made Simple?s 45Min FAT BURNING WORKOUT. Workout at home with Fitness Celebrity John Basedow doing specifically targeted exercises to sculpt your chest, back, shoulders arms, legs, and abs. ..."
Aerobics with Soul - African Rhythms, Maria Bergh, VHS, 1987, 60 min. A creative aerobic exercise workout which incorporates traditional dance of Bergh's native Tanzania. Designed to work the entire body, promoting flexibility, endurance, coordination, and cardiovascular strength.
Boxout - The New Way to Exercise with Sugar Ray Leonard, VHS, 1993, DiToro Films, 60 min (approx). You'll want to burn calories with Sugar Ray as he leads you through the paces of his entertaining and easy to follow exercise video. It's easy to motivate yourself when you've got a contender for a teacher!
The Original Buns of Steel, Intense Target Toning with Less Aerobics, Greg Smithey, VHS, 1987, 52min A proven way to maintain or increase your fitness level. And an out-of-print, hard-to-find 1980s vintage collectible in its own right!
Tamilee Presents For Women Only! Lower Body Workout with Staffan Perman, BodyVision, 1995,VHS, 30 min (approx). Join Tamilee and Steffan Perman in effective lower body toning exercises. Because of the "superhunk" factor, you'll enjoy your preview of the tape (before you start exercising to it) as much as the results you get from active participation in the exercises!
Reebok Rhythmic Power, Coordination and Power Dance Program, VHS, 50 min. In another great video from Reebok University, Petra Kolber uses dance to exercise so that you almost forget you're getting a great aerobic workout!

Check out the wide variety of fitness videos in VHS format at my Videos Shopping Index. You'll feel great and save money, too!