Deal of the Day: May The Force Be With You

If you have a little Jedi in your house, you must get this amazing book. Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary is almost 300 pages long and packed with amazing photos. Plus, it is being offered for 34% off right now at Amazon. Click here to bring a copy to your doorstep.

Favorite Things: Sarah + Abraham

So many cute things on this site ... Where do I begin? Perfect for picnics, these water bottles would make an adorable Spring treat for the whole family. Or check out these personalized art prints which are buy 2, get 1 free right now! Adorable and personalized is still my favorite combination.

Cheap and Cheerful wants to know: What is your favorite website for personalized gear?

Cheap and Cheerful Cooking: Rosemary White Bean Soup

Since the groundhog has predicted a longer winter, you'll have plenty of extra nights to cozy up with this easy and delicious soup. Ina Garten's soups are always simple, fresh, and tasty. This one might be my favorite. Be sure to have some crusty french bread and a green salad on hand.

Ingredients
1 pound dried white cannellini beans
4 cups sliced yellow onions (3 onions)
1/4 cup good olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large branch fresh rosemary (6 to 7 inches)
2 quarts chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1-inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.

In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft.

Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. (Or just use your stick blender!) Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot.

Deal of the Day: Go Fly a Kite for Valentine's Day

In addition to some sweets for your sweeties, here's a Cheap and Cheerful Valentine's Day treat.

Target has a nice selection of kites for kids for just $3.24! Take advantage of an upcoming sunny day and dash to the park. Bring along some snacks from home for a mini picnic and enjoy!

Cheap and Cheerful Challenge February 2010: Fall Back In Love

This month's challenge: Fall back in love with something you already own. Those brown flats in the back of your closet? The bracelet you wore every day in high school? That red lip gloss you've been ignoring? That crock pot begging to be used? Instead of buying new things, show some love to the things you already have. My goal: Give some attention to those lovely hand creams in my medicine cabinet. Who needs a new one when you've got mango, cake batter, and vanilla creme to choose from? Not me.

Cheap and Cheerful wants to know: What can you fall back in love with this month? How much money will you save by doing this?

Deal of the Day: Totally Free Photo Cards from SeeHere.com

SeeHere.com, a new photo site being launched by Fuji Film, is offering totally free 4X8 photocards! I took advantage of a similar deal just before Christmas and was pleased with the results. I made Christmas thank you notes and Valentine's Day Cards. Total cost to me: nada. Click here to see a link to the offer as posted on NeverPayRetailAgain.net.