24/Savvy Food and Travel

Sometimes Valentine's Day can be a thrill, filled with surprises, fun, love and maybe even a little bah-chicka-bah-bah (lucky you!).  Other times, you count the hours until it's over so you can forget the travesty that has become your love life.  Whether you slice it, dice it or serve it up with chocolate sauce, our Savvy Seven Valentine's Day ideas will ensure it's a fun, fabulous, frugal and memorable one.

We're PSYCHED for the Super Bowl because our team (not saying which one, natch) is in it!  To win it!  (At least we hope they are.)  If you'll be hosting a little fete this Sunday, you might as well make it a tasty fete.  And if you're going to make it a tasty fete, do yourself a favor, go easy and throw something in the crock pot that's simple, tasty and sure to please.  Here are seven of our favorite, tried-and-true, knock it out of the park (ahem, field?) crowd pleasers.

It's awfully nifty how Facebook, Twitter and the like have connected us to friends and family around the world, but the best part isn't all those ah-dorable kid-pics and pithy one-liners. Oh no, savvy sisters.  THE BEST part is the way they've motivated people to connect, share resources and live more frugally and savvily.

We all love the crisp, fruity effervescent party in the mouth that champagne gives, particularly during the holidays, but the $40+ price tag? Not so much.  Champagne is one of those rare alcoholic drinks we could sip at any time of day—breakfast, lunch, brunch, cocktail hour, dinner, nightcap—we need no excuses to pop open a bottle of that versatile bubbly, but why, oh why is it so expensive?  After a quickie info search, we found logical answers to sip on:

For all you savvies who are flying out of town this holiday good luck.  It's a mad, mad world out there with weather delays, extra baggage fees and tight quarters, so keep these Savvy Seven travel tips in mind and you'll be sure to have a smooth, safe and savvy ride, avoiding fees and obstacles like a pro.

Don't laugh at us for listening to talk radio, we know it's a little old school, but it's also a savvy way to fill long commutes with hours of smart tips. We recently heard a turkey tidbit from food scientist and chef Harold McGee, which clarified a lifetime of confusion about why it is exactly that we can never get the turkey cooked evenly all the way through. It's common sense, really, but turkey meat is completely uneven, and if cooked separately, would require totally different cooking times and temperatures.

With a web full of wonderful sites on ways to stuff your belly, one becomes partial to those that are most helpful, creative and are fun to read. Introducing a few faves:

Food Gawker:
Food Gawker is a foodie’s fantasty. Fabulous photos are posted daily, from healthy eats to sweet treats. Search for recipes visually by the latest post, most popular or your personal favorites. Submissions from across the globe are and carefully selected to be added to the gawkerverse.

If you've never indulged in a cup of real, homemade Belgian hot cocoa, you simply haven't lived.  Ok, you've lived, but you've deprived yourself of one of the great hot beverages known to mankind—even families as far back as the 17th and 18th centuries sipped it at dinner (those crazy old cats)—and we can't think of a perfect time to whip up a batch than holiday time.  It's a pretty rich treat, so we like to half the recipe below, because it will only keep a few days in the fridge.  For extra sass, we add a dash of orange liquor, creme de menthe, or just drink as is, but because it's so rich, we serve it in espresso cups or shot glasses.  This is not for your giant "I Hate Mondays" Garfield mug.