Here are a few shopping list items for which you won't need to wake up at 3 a.m. and fight crowds to buy. Happy Thanksgiving and be safe out there on Black Friday.
Bear Creek Soup Mixes -- I could eat soup all day, every day and even though I pride myself on being able to make one of the best, from-scratch chicken soups on the planet, there are times that I just don’t feel like putting forth the effort. I picked up a few of these packets while on sale at Pick ‘N Save a few weeks back and, while fighting off the onset of a cold and feeling lazy, I gave it a shot and was quite surprised. Plenty of flavor, good filling-to-broth ratio and with some added-in chopped chicken breasts, just what the doctor ordered on a cold and buggy day. -- Andrew Wagner
Qwik Shower Gym Class Wipes -- These super big (10x12), super moist, super heavy duty kid wipes are meant for more than mopping up a little milk from baby's chin. Qwik Shower wipes are for the toddler just out of the sandbox, or the grade schooler with no shower time after gym class or for everyone on that sauna of a summer visit to the zoo. I keep some in the diaper bag and some in the car and I use them myself sometimes after a messy oil check or gas tank fill-up or, egads, an in-car food spill. Really, they're great for mopping up sweaty, dirty kids or adults and although you wouldn't use and toss away one for something a smaller, cheaper single wipe could handle, these are unbeatable for bigger stink issues on the run. They're about 49 cents each, with free shipping, from Qwikshower.com. -- Bobby Tanzilo
"The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life," by Fr. James Martin -- I'm a Marquette guy. You probably know this by know. So, a Jesuit book makes sense. But, I also love exploring the questions of life and the constant quest for clarity. Religious reads can be tough, not to mention long, but this one is simple, easy and fun. It's not a guide, but an outline and exploration of the tenets of life. It's for all faiths, and even for those who don't believe. It's the Christmas and holiday season, so why not dig a bit deeper into faith with Fr. Martin? -- Jeff Sherman
Sleeping in -- As someone who can speak from experience, waking up early after a day of turkey and catching up with the fam is not a worthwhile adventure. Typically, lines start forming while you're still tucking away your extra helping of pumpkin pie, and most stores have limited quantities of their "must have" ad items. Even if you get to the store insanely early, it's cold, it's boring and it's incredibly easy to regress into primal hunter mode -- not very conducive to the "holiday spirit." Trust me: the deals will be back, the crowds will wait and your kids will forgive you if you don't get your hands on a Sing-a-ma-jig...eventually. -- Renee Lorenz
Ashley's Barbecue -- I love barbecue and I especially love great barbecue. There's a new place in my barbecue rotation, Ashley's on 15th and Center. The outside shoulder dinner is just about the best I've ever had in this city. And it's a rare place that serves meaty beef ribs.Their slab of ribs, under $18 by the way, are chewy and gnaw off the bone delicious. Ashley's has been there forever, but recently underwent an ownership change and is starting to market a little bit. They actually have printed menus for the first time in history. This place screams authentic. -- Dave Begel
