Le Creuset Update!

In addition to seeing our amazing friends get married in Oregon last weekend, A & I were also able to make a little stop at the Le Creuset outlet!

It was a little overwhelming, but as I was looking for the map to find the store there was a flier saying that Le Creuset was having a Buy More Save More sale and so the pieces I had picked out all ended up being an additional 35% off! I was pleased with my savings and ready to get cooking! This is what I got, and my savings:

5.5 qt. pot originally $315, priced at $196 (Sale price $68.60)

Skillet originally $190, priced at $112 (Sale price

$39.20)

Sauce Pan 2.75 qt. originally $170, priced at $161 (Sale price $56.35)

Stainless Steal Nob (for higher temp oven cooking) originally $10, priced at $10 (Sale price $3.50)

Cast Iron Cleaner (because they're so expensive that I am now terrified!) originally $12, priced at $12 (Sale price $4.20)

So, let's add that all up, if I had bought this all at a non outlet store it would have been a

whopping total of $697 (plus tax if it was here!)! Then, if it had been literally the day before (which was prior to the "Buy More Save More" sale) it still would have been $491! My grand total at the outlet, without sales tax and with the BMSM sale was only (yes, I know, not "only" but this was my grown-up present to myself!) $319.15!! Now, I just need to read the thirty page instruction booklet, search the net a bit for helpful hints and then you know, actually cook something and I'll be ready to enjoy my luxurious new gift!

FYI the pieces are now on our kitchen table much like a display, oh and I did get the "Carribean" color that I loved so much afterall! (These are the pieces I got as pictured).

Frugal Friday!

It's obvious that Le Creuset is a classic, elegant staple to anyones kitchen, but I'll admit that I thought that was only in the kitchens of "fancy people" and those lowly folks that cannot spend hundreds of dollars on a few pieces and aren't professional chefs would just have to do without...but wait, there is another option!

First let me say that I have been edging towards the switch to cast iron for awhile because of the impuritues and otherwise scary things in non-stick pots and pans. This summer when A & I were home in Oregon I picked up an adorable burnt orange cast iron frying pan to begin the collection. While I was in France my host cooked

everything in cast iron pans and it just added to the luxurious timeless feel of France, but that's another story. A few weeks ago a friend of mine from Oregon wrote on her blog that, bizarely

enough, she too was making the switch, AND she found out an

amazing thing...there are Le Creuset outlets!! You can find their locations here: http://www.lcstores.com/locations.asp and my BFF told me that they also sell them at TJ Maxx! Well, A & I are going up to Oregon for oh, about 30 hours, for one of our best friends weddings (Go J & A!) this weekend and on the way to the wedding I will be stopping at the Le Creuset outlet to see what I can see. So excited! Now, you too can be a "fancy person"! I think that I'll get a few key pieces and add vintage ones as I find them. I really want this color (it would match my kitchenaid perfectly) but I'm worried about staining and browning over time...I also like the idea of doing a mix of colors like a little rainbow collection, who says they have to match?!