I have been reluctant to write this postā¦ I have started it multiple times since November, but just couldnāt bring myself to publicly make myself look like a nut job. Oh wait! I think Iāve already done that so what the heckā¦ here I go againā¦
Please bare with me as I layout my insanity defenseā¦ š
Flashback to way back whenā¦ forever agoā¦ OK, it was only last April (seems like an eternity itās only been seven months) my friend Rafael convinced me that I needed a Le Creuset French Ovenā¦ not the cheap knock-off Iād been eyeing at Costcoā¦ not the Martha Stewart oneā¦ but the real dealā¦ Rafael told me that when he moved to Colorado that he bought one of their ovens at the nearby outlet store on sale for around $150-160 and that even though it was from the outlet, Le Creuset still honors the lifetime warranty. I pausedā¦ The one at Costco didnāt have that kind of warrantyā¦ So for about $100 more I could have a really great pot with a lifetime warranty?!? COOL!
I had been in the store before but just couldnāt justify spending the money. Thenā¦ trouble hitā¦
In late April I was fortunate to meet the-one-and-only Pioneer Woman when she was on her cookbook tour. Remember this? It is from my first official blog
post?!
In our ever-so-brief conversation, I asked her āWhat is the best size for a Dutch/French Oven?ā Ā Her reply, āI can never keep the quarts straight. Ā Just get a big one.ā Ā āRound or oval?ā I asked. Ā āRound, they fit better on the burner.ā
I decided thatād Iād get 7.25 quart oven. When I called our outlet store to find out if they had the 7.25 quart on sale. NOPE. I decided to wait.
May 1st rolled around and I checked the outlet storesā web site. And they had a special going on that if you spent more than $200 you got 25% off and if you spend more than $300 you would get 35% off.
I knew that with the pot and stainless handle I would be over $200. Soā¦ as I mentioned in my Something Iāve wanted for a long timeā¦
post I talked about how I was able to get 35% off and bought the red 7.25 quart oven and 2 quart multi-function pan which I ended up getting for $10.00 (yes, ten dollars). They added me to their
preferred customer mailing listā¦ š THIS event changed my kitchen F-O-R-E-V-E-R! Preferred customers get extra discounts from the normal sale prices! š
Then I received the June coupon! I couldnāt resist
the sale for the new Caribbean color and bought the Dijon 5.25 quart oven and Caribbean 10 inch skilletā¦
In July on our way back from Colorado I stopped in the outlet mall and wouldnāt you knowā¦ another Le Creuset
store! I didnāt have my coupon, but because I was in the computer, I was able to buy product in Colorado at the
preferred customer discount and they would ship it to Oregon tax-free and free-shipping! At that point, in my
Kitchen Equipment Vices
post I admitted I was a Le Creuset Addict.
At that point I thought I was doneā¦ I even said so in that Vices postā¦ I said, āā¦until the pretty purple colored one shows up at the Le Creuset Outlet!!ā
In October, as I discussed in my Ooops, I did it again
I was looking through my Cast Iron Way to Cook cookbook and saw that there was a 1 quart multifunction pan. I called the store and they didnāt have it. So I hit the internet and low and behold I found one on eBay.
Wellā¦ the pretty purple one still hasnāt shown upā¦ donāt expect it for a couple of years (at least thatās what our Outlet said)ā¦ So why am I writing?
In November ,we went to the outlet mall for some Christmas shoppingā¦ (for my faithful readers, you know where this is goingā¦ donāt you????!!!) For those who are new followers, the problem with going to the outlet mall is that there is a geometric force which tugs at meā¦ The Mother Ship as a Hubby likes to call it (wait, no NOW he calls it āMy Crack Storeā)ā¦ I prefer The Mother Shipā¦ To ānormalā people, itās The Le Creuset Outlet Store, but for meā¦ an addiction!
Where am I going with this??? I had a couponā¦ OH YIPPEE!!! I went to The Mother Ship for a grill pan and panini pressā¦ The didnāt have the panini press, but I did get theseā¦ š
The Citron grill skillet for 40% off!
ā¦and Dijon and Caribbean warming trivets also for 40% off!ā¦ (yes, those are tea light candles)
Then Hubby and The Offspring surprised me at Christmas with a gift certificate toā¦ you guessed itā¦ The Mother Ship! š The January coupon talked about a limited edition Azure color. OH NO! A color I didnāt have!!
They had $29.99 Azure tea kettle (regularly about $100). My tea kettle needed to be replacedā¦ so for about $30ā¦ I was sick the week following Christmas and the beginning of January so I wasnāt able to get down there. I called the store two weeks ago and they were out. š We drove down there this past weekend. It was my first big outing since my fall. It was difficult to walk, but I went to only one storeā¦
They had the tea kettleā¦
ā¦and these cute pink sparkly mini spatulas. The spatulas are heat resistant to 800 degrees Fahrenheit! š®
I forgot my gift certificates! UGH! Itās OK though, I got a 40% off coupon because I purchased the tea kettle. So, I could go back for another tripā¦ they had the panini press so I was enticed to come back. Wellā¦ thanks to
Hubby taking me down there I got the panini pressā¦
That night I fixed tenderloin steaks we received from Ma and Pa. OHHHHHH!!!! They cooked GREAT in the grill skillet with the press! š Thanks, Ma and Pa!
I almost bought a wokā¦ but didnāt! Are you proud of me for my restraint? š
What do you think? Do I need to be committed?