Our favorite frugal place for breakfast

Oh, IKEA, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.

My husband has had IKEA in close proximity to him for most of his life; I, on the other hand, had never been to one until I was 19 years old.  So he thinks I am fascinated with the place because it is still somewhat of a novelty for me.  Regardless, there are so many things I love about this store.

There's the endless inspiration attained from walking through the perfectly styled showroom.  There's the classic fresh/modern/functional/simple Swedish design.  There's the affordable furniture, which is why about 75% of the furniture we have purchased came from there.  There's the inexpensive housewares which are much cooler than other big box stores, and cost way less (49 cents for a coffee mug!  $3.99 for a kitchen rug! just about any frame you'd want for under $10!)

And then, there's the restaurant.  It's not fine dining, but it's cheap, good, not terribly unhealthy, and European.  It's basically a cafeteria, but that's what keeps the cost down.  They have specials every day of the week, and a Swedish food section should you want to take home a bag of Swedish meatballs, lingonberry preserves, muesli, caviar, or salmon paste in a tube (cue vomit sounds).

Lucky for us, Monday is Rob's day off, and it's also free breakfast day.  From 9:30 to 11:00 you can simply show up and get a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and potatoes.  For us, we get 2 regular plates, ask for a smaller third plate for Liam, then I get a free cup of coffee with my Ikea family card, so we only pay $1.61 for Rob's lingonberry juice.  It's not the most gourmet breakfast ever (powdered eggs, thin bacon, frozen potatoes), but it's tasty and most important, free. Also, the same breakfast is only 99 cents any other day of the week.

If you live near an Ikea, check out their restaurant specials for a cheap meal out!

A special treat: Cheese fondue!

So, I turned 27 yesterday.  I am still trying to get over the fact that I am ALMOST 30.  I can't complain about this to my husband because he is over 30 and has no sympathy, so I will complain instead on here.  :)  Anyway, it was a lovely day spend having breakfast with my little boy, shopping in Pittsburgh's Strip District, having a special dinner at home, followed by a coffee and Scrabble date with my husband at one of our favorite coffeeshops.  Perfect!

Speaking of dinner, we decided to eat at home instead of going out because this was a fairly expensive month for us, plus we are saving up for Liam's first birthday party in a little over a month (sob!).  I still wanted to do something fun, so I made cheese fondue.  We love fondue, but haven't had it in a long time.  I'm also very happy to say that I kind of invented the recipe.  I looked at lots of recipes but had a specific taste in mind, which I successfully ended up creating.  Yay!  Here's my recipe:

Cheese Fondue
8 oz. (1/2 pound) each of Emmentaler and Sharp White Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 cup dry white wine
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch of nutmeg

Toss the shredded cheeses with the cornstarch.  Rub the inside of the fondue pot (or a saucepan) with the garlic, then discard.  Bring lemon juice and wine to a simmer, reduce heat and slowly stir in the cheese a little at a time, stirring until smooth with each addition.  Before serving, top with nutmeg if desired.  Serve with your choice of dippers (we had fresh baguette pieces, mini sausages, peppers, and carrots) and enjoy!

Note: Emmentaler is an imported Swiss cheese which I got in the Strip district but I'm guessing it isn't widely available.  It was also $5 for half a pound.  You could probably use any Swiss cheese.