Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Skin Therapy Lotion, Aloe

As we endure the dead of winter, let us remind ourselves of some tried and true laws of nature: 1) buying cheap toilet paper and even paper towels just causes you to use more; and 2) don't skimp on the crappy, non-creamy lotion in the dead of winter. You will look like sandpaper. This is what I did this winter in the process of trying to save a buck. This lotion works--hands down. I have eczema, which really only surfaces in the winter. If I use this daily, I don't have the itchy dry patches and don't even have to resort to Rx topical medication. It's really thick, so a little bit goes a long way, but you'll have a hard time getting all of it out of the bottle. I love the convenience of a pump, but perhaps the squeeze bottle would be better.

The Cuisinart Griddler®

I had been browsing these for several months, hoping in short that the grill function would suffice for not grilling in the winter (we ran out of propane on the last nice day of fall, so it was probably kismet that we get this).

Their description is so good, I won't try to replicate: The Cuisinart™ Griddler® makes "multifunctional" an understatement! Make perfect panini... plus! With four separate cooking options, it can handle everything from pancakes to sausages to grilled cheese to steaks, hamburgers and panini. It helps you prepare more servings of more kinds of food in less time, so you can cook for a crowd -- no one has to wait!

Simply change the cooking plates and adjust the floating hinge to use the Griddler as a Contact Grill, a Panini Press, or your choice of an extra-large double Open Grill or Griddle.

I don't put the grilling plates in the dishwasher; I just wash them by hand. It's flat, so you really don't have a use for the juice "catchers" they provide, but the skinny scraper is essential to get food out of the grill plates. So far we've made some delicious paninis with some fresh mozzarella and spinach (yes, my husband ate spinach), and the grill works really well. I spray some cooking spray beforehand, esp. with fish. But the grill marks even show up on the food. It's been a great item in the kitchen! We use it at least 3 times a week.