In the mood for dinner? How about a home-cooked meal for a family of four for less than $10? With many households on a budget these days, we decided to put to the test whether we could feed a handful of people without breaking the bank. So we asked a group of roommates in San Ramon to put together a "Dollar Store dinner." How did it taste? Did the cheap price leave a bad taste at the dinner table? Was this a dinner deal or a dinner disappointment? A trip to the Dollar Tree Store in Dublin revealed the store offers a wide selection of food products. From frozen pizza to hot dogs to popcorn to …

Lucky for several drivers out there, we're not cops. A couple of Patch editors visited area parking lots to see if we could spot what the California Highway Patrol called the most common vehicle violations. In the span of 20 minutes in the parking lot outside the Target in San Ramon, Patch spotted two. One, a Mazda coupe, had 2010 tags. It's the new year, so hopefully the driver will bring that up to date. The second would-be citation was for a hunter green Bimmer with tinted front-seat windows – a ticket-worthy violation, according to the state. In less than 15 minutes in the parking lot …

With your kids off from school for winter break soon, you might be looking for something fun and creative for them to do one afternoon. How about having them build a gingerbread house? These days, building your own gingerbread house doesn't need to be a multiday project. You can buy affordable kits with pre-baked gingerbread pieces designed to fit together. Some kits even come with the houses assembled. To varying degrees, these kits also contain the other main components for gingerbread houses: candy and the icing — or the ingredients for icing. But which store-bought house kits are the …

If you're looking for a Halloween adventure that doesn't include ghosts, goblins or trick-or-treaters, look no further than G & M Farms Cornfield Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Livermore. The six-acre maze has plenty of twists, turns and dead ends. And, it's certainly had its share of fame. The maze was featured twice on David Letterman's show. Owner John Gandolfo says the corn that's planted in July is a variety that grows quickly. Dan Marciel is in charge of growing the corn for the maze that's been around eight years. The maze is different each year and is done when the plants are two to three …