The Super Bowl is but days away. Do you know what you’re bringing to the party? Why not be the hero and make something to make the vegetarian friends happy? And no one needs to tell the meat eaters that those are veggie crumbles and not beef. Make this chili…
Do you kow of a leftover hardware drawer, full of parts and pieces? Dig in! Those abandoned washers and such can turn into a super stylish piece of neck wear like the piece above we created while inspired by the DIY projects created over at P.S. I Made This. Learn…
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After a delicious introduction to locally-made Fleurt Butter, this Thrifty Cook wondered — can anyone make flavored butter at home? The answer is yes. It can be fun to mess around with flavors to infuse your butter with, too. For this recipe a traditional breakfast option was used: butter, maple syrup and…
Found at a recent clothing swap held at Blueberry Deluxe Boutique in the Melrose District: 1 Marimekko Dress. Dilemma: Short girls (i.e. The Thrifty Maker) can’t wear full body floral prints. Solution: Restyle it! Marimekko dress meet scissors because your are about to have a makeover. This Marimekko dress retails…
At this time of year, while half of the country is covered in snow and ice, those of us in Arizona are enjoying abundant gardens. The raised beds are providing us with an overflow of herbs and leafy greens. Wondering why you listened to the guy at the garden store…
The New Year always begs for an organization make-over, and taking baby steps can make this an easier process. How about starting with the office supplies drawer? Get the paperclips and rubber bands out of hiding and make them an accessory to your workspace. Gather ideas for re-styling your office…
Say you just worked to develop one of the most popular tech devices, ever. Whatcha gonna do now? Open a candy store on Mill Avenue, of course! Frank Ellis left Silicone Valley after working as part of the Amazon Kindle team. Exhausted and ready for a new adventure, he and…
Have you given up on your New Year’s resolutions yet? Let us help you get there a little quicker by making some cheater donuts. This way you can enjoy the crispy fried taste without the risk of being caught in a donut shop by your friends that you made the…
If you are like everyone else, you are spending this first week of the new year cleaning and organizing. This can be hard work and leave you feeling too tired to make dinner. This roast chicken recipe is even easier then ordering take out. It is also much cheaper when…
Serve New Year’s Day brunch in a mug — that’s right the whole thing. Clean up will be easy because all items in the dishwasher will be the same shape. This is all about economy of time. Ideas for a New Year’s Day brunch in a mug after the jump……
We hear a hot diet trend for 2011 is the Baby Food Diet. The idea is simple: Substitute two meals a day with baby food purees and you’ll have a slim, baby-sized waistline. Hollywood types most likely have their people mix up homemade concoctions of the mush to ensure organic mixes. Good…
Have you hit the after Christmas sales yet? We’re sure you saw plenty of wrapping paper marked down and abandoned for someone to horde away for next year. But instead of saving all of the paper goods for the next 12 months, why not put it to good use in…
Do something different this year for your holiday open house. Why cook in advance and do all the work? Just do the shopping and leave the action to occur during your event. Plan to buy bread, meat and cheese and grilling up some panini sandwiches on the spot. Pressure’s off…
Cranberry is good for more the just a string of garland on your Christmas tree and it is a holiday treat long after Thanksgiving. During this Christmas week cranberry is popping up on menus all around the Valley. Find out where to get your cranberry fix after the jump…
Wrapping paper is over-rated — why not use part of the gift as part of the wrap and waste no space, time or money on something that’ll end up in the trash? Instead of using paper this year, check out a few thrift stores and yard sales for artsy scarves,…
Cookie exchanges are a staple at every holiday office party, including the offices of Chow Bella. But the contributors to this blog are a cutthroat bunch, and with an inordinate amount of trash talk thrown about, our cookie exchange quickly became a cookie showdown. Check back here each day through…
While helping an elderly neighbor of mine to unpack all of her Christmas things I came across a vintage ornament printed with a recipe for Campbell’s tomato soup cake. She shared with me that this was a popular thing to do bake in the day when you were trying to…
From time to time, the Thrifty Maker will find, bargain, borrow, steal (not really) to create something a little different. She’ll rely on her own skills as a scout of treasures and will sometimes bring in a few experts to help. These gift tags aren’t about recycling, they’re about showing…
There are a lot of eggnog beverages available this time of year so we have to share where to get them plus what else around town has that Christmastime milky flavor? We’ll tell you. Just like the holiday that is celebrated alongside it, eggnog comes only one time a year…
On a balmy Sunday afternoon, the Icehouse in Phoenix played host to Thread, a traveling, curated indie fashion show. The set up was cool, the DJ was pumping, the snacks were free flowing, the vendors were buzzing around each others’ tables — but where were all the people?…
Editor’s Note: Crafting is bigger than ever, it seems, and the bug has certainly hit Phoenix. And yet we’ve been to far too many craft fairs and other events that, well, sucked. Poor attendance, crappy crafts — we’ve stopped believing the hype. Which is why, frankly, we skipped this thing…
