Save Time in the Kitchen

Save time but still get quality results.

The Pyramid of Luxuries

The Bespoke - $1,000 Grocery Gift Card

The Ultra High End - $100 Andretti Gift Card

The Superpremium - SomChai

The Premium Core - Rubber Bands

The Accessible Core - Save Time in the Kitchen

The Affordable Luxury - Did You Achieve Your Resolution?

The Everyday Luxury - Food Pantry Charity Postponed

BBQ SOCIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

What: Ducky Tran BBQ Social

When: Saturday, December 14, 2024 @ 11:00am

Where: Hutchins BBQ in Frisco, Texas - 9225 Preston Rd, Frisco, TX 75033

Why: To hang out and socialize

Who: Everyone is welcome. Members will have a serving of BBQ meats and side provided by Ducky Tran. Invite your family and friends, come to socialize and eat BBQ.

BESPOKE WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

The winner of November 2024 Bespoke Contest is…

KEVIN from ARLINGTON, TEXAS! Congratulations on winning the $1,000 Grocery Gift Card for November! Here is his submission for “one of your talents”:

Let’s take a look at some of the other talented members:

I was surprised that nearly every submission was a unique talent. Cooking was the only overlap, which is understandable. I am impressed and very glad to see the hidden talents everyone had. I didn’t see shopping though; I know that takes skills. I get tired after 5 minutes with my wife at a store.

The Bespoke

Click on the banner to enter The Bespoke Photo Contest. Click here for the Official Contest Rules.

• Prize: $1,000 Grocery Gift Card [ARV $1,000]

• Odds: For every 130 Ducky Tran premium member by the time of judging, I will give out one (1) Grocery gift card

• Contest Period: December 4, 2024 at 10 AM CST to December 31, 2024 at 10 PM CST

Through popular demand, I am renewing the groceries gift card as the Bespoke Prize. However, I will change it up for the new year, so look forward to an experience as the next prize.

The Ultra High End

Previous Contest Winner

The winner of Issue 54 Ultra High End Contest is STACY from MCKINNEY, TEXAS! Here’s her submission for “something that you have fixed”:

Congratulations to STACY, you just won $100 gift card to Lowe's to help you on your next repair! Let’s see some other “once broken, but now fixed” submissions:

Voting for the next prize isn't perfect, but I have a way to fix this! The second most voted for prize was some sort of experience, so I have included it in this week's prize pool!

This Week’s Contest

Click on the banner to enter The Ultra High End Photo Contest. Click here for the Official Contest Rules.

• Prize: $100 Andretti’s Gift Card [ARV $100]

• Odds: For every 70 Ducky Tran premium members that submit a valid entry, I will give out one (1) gift card

• Contest Period: December 4, 2024 at 10 AM CST to December 10, 2024 at 10 PM CST

Andretti’s Indoor Karting and Games is an indoor facility that houses many different modern experiences, from go-karting to virtual reality experiences. It may seem like it is only catered to children like many arcades; however, Andretti’s experience targets a wider range. Having varying levels of go-karting to allow adults and kids their only speed and time on the track as well as VR experiences that would amuse people of all ages. There’s also bowling and an arcade if that fits your family or friends better.

It really is a step-up from your typical arcade and restaurant experience by adding a more adult-inclusive aspect to their activities. Plus being indoor, weather is a non-issue like traditional karting. Like most indoor adventures, there isn’t an awe of nature or animal encounters; however, it is a safe place to bring your family or friends to enjoy their company. Plus, if you win, you’ll be a $100 further in karting funds.

Andretti has an online deal if you’ve never been that will cover 2 adults to enjoy multiple experiences under $100. If you don’t have an Andretti near you, we can talk about sending you to another karting/arcade location close by.

The Superpremium

This week’s Superpremium topic is SomChai. This is a Thai restaurant located near Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, Japan. As you know by now, I love many restaurants in Japan; however, Japanese cuisine is known for being milder than most other Asian cuisine. For me, a salty and spicy eater, Thai food has the food profile that I enjoy the most.

SomChai displays the best aspects of Thai cuisine in their dishes. The produce is extremely fresh, the flavors are savory, and the spice hits hard. Every dish combines a main ingredient with some fresh veggies or fruits, creating vibrant colors and depth of flavor. There was true balance in each dish.

Every time I ate at SomChai, I got at least 3 items. The textures, spices, and flavors were so clean and didn't have the extra add sweetness that most Thai restaurants in the US has. The store was small and I would watch them make every dish in their open kitchen. This is a must visit, especially on a long trip to Japan, the contrast to the local cuisine will enhance your trip.

The Premium Core

Going through my kitchen to decide what is a useful tool to make a deal for you. Through the process of elimination, the most useful tool isn't common in most kitchens, the rubber band.

Here are just some ways I use them:

• Keeping doors locked from toddlers

• Secure bags

• Cord management

• Keep pot lids on which transporting food

Notice that many of these carry over to other parts of your household that's why I picked it. If you're running low, or need a new way you keep your kids from getting into your cabinets here's the deal.

Deal #1: You can an assortment of rubber bands for just $2 at shop.duckytran.com! 10 bags will be available!

The Accessible Core

Save Time in the Kitchen

The kitchen is a place we spend a huge amount of our day, if you want to or not. As a father of four young daughters, I spend half of my time awake in the kitchen. Let me share some things I do that help me save time so I can spend it with my children:

• Freezing Veggies: Frozen vegetables are normal, there’s frozen veggies everywhere you may say. But not just broccoli and carrots, I’m talking about all veggies. I never need 2 bushels of green onions or parsley, but it’s on sale! So, I buy it, wash it, dice it, and freeze it. They were still good two months later after a smack to loosen them up. The aromas that I wanted in the pho was still vibrant.

• Freezing fruits: My family loves fruits, but like most people, we eat with our eyes. I used to watch as bananas mold away over a week’s time because we didn’t eat them or hung them properly. Now, if fruits sit longer than normal, I cut them up, freeze them, and I got myself smoothie ingredients.

• Freezing rice: Rice was voted our favorite starch a few months ago so I know many can relate. I just make as much as I can, let it cool, and freeze it in a gallon bag. When I need rice, I loosen them in a bowl, cover with wet paper towel, and microwave for 3-4 minutes. Voilà, brand new rice! Or I will loosen right into a hot pan for fried rice.

• Plastic wrap tools: The silicone spatula is an amazing tool to scrap off the last of your food scraps. But when I need to transfer non-food items, I just wrap the end in plastic wrap and no sacrificing the spatula and no worry about contaminating the silicone. This works with other tools too, and it’s cheap.

• Grocery delivery: Like mentioned in recent issues, getting your groceries delivered through a grocery store subscription can not only be cost-efficient but save a lot of time, especially if you tend to roam around the store.

• Repurpose jars: No one likes to do dishes. When I make pasta, I reuse the glass jars the base sauce comes in as storage for future pasta meals. Now, I have ready-made pasta sauce for my girls all week.

• Instant pot: Like meal prep, I have to serve a family of six. I’m normally making large batches already. Using an instant pot to make pho, congee, and other soups allow me to cook faster and without worry about watching the stove. Plus, it’s wonderful at extracting the flavors into the soups in record time.

There are just some ways I found to help me make a lot of time back for my girls. I hope they may have inspired you or valid your time-saving hacks in the kitchen.

The Affordable Luxury

Issue 54 Community Poll Results

Here’s results from last week’s poll:

1. It was nearly 50/50 between those that meal prep and those that cooked when needed, with a small percentage that does not cook.

2. About 50% takes 10-20 minutes to get ready each morning, 30% takes 20-30 minutes, and the remaining 20% varied outside 10-30 minutes.

3. The majority voted for groceries to be the next Bespoke prize, with an experience coming second.

This Week’s Community Poll

Here are this week’s poll questions:

The Everyday Luxury

Unfortunately, the food drive I wanted to combine with the BBQ Social will have to be postponed due to restrictions with the facility. Once I figure it out, I will try to incorporate it in another event to make it convenient.

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