Oneida is a respected name brand in dinnerware. I own two sets of Oneida dinnerware, one for formal and the other for everyday use. However, I didn't realize that they also market kitchenware under their brand name.
Did you know that there is an a line of Oneida Kitchen Gadgets? Yes! They have everything from knives and cutting boards, whisks, measuring spoons, potato mashers to peelers? Visit the Oneida.com website and you'll find out that they also carry cutlery, bakeware, roasters and serving tools. For branded items, the prices on their gadgets are quite reasonable and comparable to other brands.
I was astounded, when I was looking through their roasters, how affordable their prices are. Then I realized that they were all on sale! They are all discounted by about 30%, just in time for your holiday cooking or gift giving. I think the best deal I found on the site is a set of 3 graduated mixing bowls with lids, on sale for 11.99. That's a pretty good deal, don't you think? That's less that what you would pay at discount retailers.
Of course, the beautiful dinnerware and flatware are there too, they are after all, what brought Oneida to the forefront of kitchenware brands.
So what's the difference? Some will tell you that the taste is purer in sea salts compared to regular table salt. Really, that is the main reason foodies lean towards sea salts, the taste. But now some people are leaning towards a sea salt diet because of the claim that some sea salts have a lower amount of sodium than regular table salt; making it healthier for you. All you have to do is perform a quick search on the sea salt health benefits online and you will glean a ton of information, some you probably have never even heard of before. As one who has hyper-tension, I am repeatedly advised by my doctors to cut down on the salt; but aside from carbs, salt is my second largest addiction. I just can't do without it! So I reduce my salt intake, but I can never totally live without it.
So, I cut down on the amount of salt I use for cooking. But wouldn't it be great to not have to sacrifice the taste of salt if we are assured that it doesn't have as much of the health impairing component, sodium? Another quick online search will give you sea salt food recipes that will enhance and showcase the taste of food instead of overpowering them. I am surprised when I run across recipes that practically blanket food with sea salt only to learn that the salt used makes little difference in the amount of sodium in the dish. Some sea salts boast over 50% less sodium than regular table salt! That is surprising to me!
Here are a few of the Halloween goodies my daughters made last weekend for their friends. I didn't have to lift a finger! I did have to wash a few dishes they left behind though. But that's ok, they had a great time with their friends.
There's no secret recipe for these goodies. Just some boxed cake mix and cream cheese frosting. I offered to buy the canned frosting too, but that was pushing their limits. lol! They vehemently said "NO WAY!" they think the frosting in tubs that you buy at the store is too sweet.
So, they made their own cream cheese frosting: two bars of cream cheese, one stick of butter and just enough confectioner's sugar to suit your sweet tooth.
The great thing about making the cream cheese frosting is, they could then color batches of it with different colors to get the desired result. They also used some of those cookie decorating gels that come in small tubes. That's how they got the pretty spider web design. Cute, huh?
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A cook's wish list is always evolving and expanding so if you have a cook on your Christmas list, make sure to get them the latest gadget but you've got to get good quality. Most cooks are particular about the utensils they use in the kitchen. They want high quality stuff even if they have to wait for years to get them.
One place to get some of the best quality cooking utensils at discount prices is Cooking.com. They carry some of the best brands like the Calphalon pots and pans pictured above, Forschner Victorinox, Viking, Kitchen Aid, Cuisinart and Swiss Diamond to name a few. They carry everything a kitchen could need from cookware, silverware, china to just about every kitchen gadget imaginable.
When you shop online, you now can find all sorts of deals including Cooking.com coupons. So start shopping early and save even more by avoiding high shipping costs.
Ever since the Harry Potter hoopla hit our house, and it's been going on over five years now, my girls have been obsessed with anything to do with Harry Potter. They've had the Bertie Bott's every flavored beans, for example. So you know that the butter beer experiment is not far behind. Ever since we've tried it, this has become a tradition of sorts in our house. They just have to have butter beer the night before Christmas. Here's the best recipe we've found so far. It's a cholesterol attack waiting to happen, but what the heck, you only have it once a year! That is if they don't ask for it on New Year's Eve :)
Ingredients:
1 pint vanilla ice cream (softened)
1/2 stick butter (softened)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 quart apple cider
Directions:
Cream butter, sugar and spices together. Beat in the vanilla ice cream. Re-freeze the mixture. Scoop out the frozen mixture into a glass. Pour hot Apple cider over the ice cream mixture.
Optional: add an ounce of rum for an adult treat.
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If you're still looking for cool Halloween treats ideas, Check out these Halloween Recipes for Ghouls, Ghosts and Goblins on Friends Eat.
I think the finger cookies are cool but they are getting kind of old. Everyone has done them over and over again, same thing with the worm stuff. But these cute little tombstone brownies got my attention this time.
They look simple enough to make and who can resist brownies!
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Planning on an Asian Pacific vacation over the holidays? Accor, one of the leading hotel groups in the world is holding the Accor Hotels 3-Day Super Sale Asia Pacific for hotel stays between December 9, 2009 to April 10, 2010. This campaign will run run for only 3 days, from Oct 27, 2009 to Oct 29, 2009.
If you book online before October 30. 2009, you can book luxury hotel rooms for as low as $30 per night. Accor has hotels in Thailand, Korea, China, Japan, HK, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Fiji, Indonesia, Taiwan, India, and Bali. Some of the hotel names under the Accor umbrella and therefore are all offering this 3-day Super Sale Asia Pacific are: Sofitel, Pullman, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons and Ibis hotels.
Wondering what kamote (sweet potato) leaves is? It's the tender tops from a sweet potato plant. Not many people realize that sweet potato 'greens' are edible and are actually very good for you. They are full of antioxidants that are supposed to be good for combating heart disease, diabetes, infections and some types of cancer. Whatever their health benefits are, there is no denying that the unique flavor of sweet potato leaves is delicious.
Normally, we prepare sweet potato leaves by simply blanching them and making what we call a Kamote salad by adding tomatoes and onions. I think that's the optimal way to prepare kamote leaves, but just for a change, I decided to make something else with the sweet potato leaves.
You can cook sweet potato leaves in every way you normally cook other greens. You can use it in soups and you can also stirfry it. The later is what we did with the last batch of sweet potato leaves we got from our garden. It's almost time to dig up the tubers so we're harvesting as much of the tender greens while we can.
Click here for the recipe for this stir fried sweet potato leaves.
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And since we're big coffee drinkers at home, they've also taken to drinking OUR home brewed coffee. Yeah, they think they're grown...
Now they have a new obsession. Ever since we were sent samples of these POM iced coffees to try out, they have been getting a supply of them every time we go to the grocery store. At first, they thought it was pomegranate juice. When they saw it was iced coffee, their first reaction was, "Ewe, coffee and POMegranate juice?" Luckily, there's no juice in this POM, just coffee and other good-for-you stuff like milk and POMx an extract derived from pomegranates which contains caffeine and polyphenol antioxidants.
They liked these iced coffees so much that they've taken to carrying them for their lunch. The great thing about these is that they don't have to be refrigerated so they can just keep them in their lunch bag along with the usual ice block they take to cool stuff down. No refrigeration required.
POM iced coffees come in three flavors, cafe' au lait, chocolate and vanilla. My girls liked all of them and now get a variety each time we go to the market. They can be found in the same area as the POM juices, btw.
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Bruschetta is one of those recipes that sound fancy and complicated but turns out to be so simple, you're left wondering, "That's it?"
All you have to do to make good bruschetta is to have a good roll of French baguette or similar type of bread. Crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside. Slice up the bread and brush it with olive oil and lay on a cookie sheet. Toast in the oven until the edges are browned slightly.
In the meantime, in a bowl mix together: chopped tomatoes, basil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil. You can modify the seasoning to suit your taste but that's all there is to it, pretty much.
You can add a layer of hummus too, like we did here, but just the tomatoes alone, especially if they are fresh and sweet from your garden, will be enough of a flavor sensation.
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I'm Asian so I love Asian food! Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian, Filipino, Indian, you name it, we love it! I like cooking them at home too and I think I do a pretty good job if I do say so myself; but there are elements in Asian cooking that are just hard to duplicate at home.
While I do love to stirfry because you can put them together so quickly, I also have had the biggest problem with getting my wok to heat right. If your wok isn't hot enough, you sometimes end up with something soggy and soupy, very unlike the dishes you'd get at your favorite restaurant. Then there's the prep time. I have to plan ahead for my quick stir fries because most of the prep time is in the chopping and getting all your ingredients ready.
As I've said before, I'm not averse to using mixes or packaged foods so long as they are good. One of the brands I have used before is Sun-Bird. I am sure you've seen their seasoning packs on the grocery aisles before. These are time savers that provide you with a pack full of flavor. My favorite one to get is the sweet and sour pack because I never could get the balance between sweet and sour just right. When you use their seasoning pack, it's just right.
Next time you're at the store, look in the seasonings aisle and get a pack to try out. While you're there, also check out their Blu-RayTM Disc Players giveaway. Entry forms can be found at the grocery stores with the Sun-Bird seasoning packs. The contest runs through October 31, 2009 so make sure to get your entry in!
If you're like me, you probably have some last of the season cucumbers creeping out of your garden, right? Well, if you don't, this is a great salad to celebrate the waning of the summer months. This salad will make it pop right back up. Really!
I had a few pre-cooked shrimps left (the kind you get in a bag from the grocery store) that needed to be used up so I thought this would be a perfect way to use them up. Not only did we use cucumbers from the garden, all the herbs were too. It was delicious!
Click here for the recipe for Cucumber Shrimp Salad.
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I had the opportunity to review the cookbook, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms by Jane Doiron, on Cooked from the Heart and it is my pleasure to share a copy with you. Compliments of the author, I am giving away a copy of the cookbook to one lucky reader. So hurry on up over there and sign up!
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My Canadian friends, you are the luckiest bunch ever to have The Maple Leaf Market (www.mapleleaf.com) in your midst. Not only do they carry some awesome products, they also sound like very cool people. Imagine them holding an awesome sweepstakes just to celebrate the launching of their new site!
Make sure you go and check out the whole Maple Leaf Market experience online by visiting their website. They have fun sections like the Butcher, the baker and the pasta maker, featuring guess what in each section. :)
The site also offers valuable tips, recipes and coupons in addition to the contests like this one for a kitchen makeover. My favorite section on the site is the Meals Made Easy section where you can get tips and ideas on getting dinner on the table within minutes.
Residents of Canada, you just have to join this Sweepstakes. Here are some amazing prizes that you could win:
- Grand Prize: $32,000 Kitchen Makeover
- You could win 1 of 12 Frigidaire® fridges stocked with new Maple Leaf® Prime™ Premium frozen chicken*!
- As a bonus, every entrant into this contest will be eligible for a $500 rebate offer from Frigidaire®**
You can enter everyday until December 15, 2009. Entering is easy, all you have to do is submit your email address daily for a chance to win!
Samsung Appliances, via TwitterMoms, is having a contest where bloggers answer the question, "With Our Busy Schedules, What Are Your 3 Valid Tips for Getting Dinner Ready in a Flash?”
I am a mom to three teenage girls and I also work full time outside the home. On most days, we don't get home until way past six in the evening and it is usually up to me to get dinner ready in under an hour. That's why I love quick and easy meals and stir fried dishes are one of them. I can have dinner ready in under an hour and it is, for the most part, a healthy and balanced meal.
Here's a few tips that I've found to work for me.
1. Plan Ahead - when you plan your meals ahead of time, you can have elements of it prepared ahead and ready to go. For instance, you can cook a roast on the weekend and plan to make two or three dishes with it during the week. Whatever meat you cook on the weekend, you can plan on making a pasta dish with it one night, you can have a Mexican meal night with tacos, burritos or enchiladas another night, and on the third night, you can make soup with all the tidbits leftover.
2. With planning ahead, you can also prepare your ingredients ahead of time. I can't afford to buy pre-cut meats and vegetables so I try to do most of these myself. If you're planning on a stirfry meal, for instance, the largest bulk of work and time is in the preparation. What I do is, I chop up my vegetables and meats on the weekend, put them in ziploc bags and put them in the freezer. BTW, for added flavor, you can marinade your meats and put them in the freezer. Then when it's time to cook, just start tossing them in the wok and you'll have dinner ready in the time it takes to cook rice.
3. FROZEN MEALS. I'm not talking about the frozen meals in the box that you buy at the grocery store. I'm talking about freezing pre-cooked meals that you can just warm up. If you make chili, soups or spaghetti sauce, for instance, make a big batch and freeze half of it. You can freeze them either in family portions or in individual portions. This comes in handy when the kids come home from school hungry. Instead of snacking on sugary and unhealthy snacks, they can heat up a bowl of soup or chili. Sometimes, when my girls have a hearty 'snack' like this in the afternoon they are usually sated for the rest of the night. Having individual portions is also great for their lunches. They can either warm them up before packing them in their lunch boxes or they can warm them up at school if they have microwaves.
4. Have a repertoire of Quick & Easy Dishes. Learn a handful of quick and easy recipes that you can tweak every now and then, and you'll have a steady stream of ideas that will keep your meals varied and not boring for the family. That's why I love stir fried dishes, for instance, because it always involves lots of vegetables and it's quick to fix. I can alternate meats and types of vegetables so the it doesn't seem like the family is eating beef and broccoli all the time. Mexican dishes like burritos and tacos are also easily adaptable to the type of ingredients you have on hand and they're easy and quick to make.
5. Menu Collection. When all else fails, call for take out. Yep, as much as I like preparing healthy home cooked meals for my girls, there are days when you just don't feel like it, or don't have time or don't have anything prepared. I have a file folder full of places near our house that either deliver or make great tasting and healthy for you food. You can also save coupons in the folder so it's on hand when you call in your order.
Do you have any tips for getting dinner ready in a flash? Would you like to win a brand new refrigerator? Visit Twitter Moms for details on the Samsung Blogging Sweepstakes.
CONTEST DETAILS:
Entries must be received by October 16, 2009.
Prizes:
• One lucky blogger with a qualifying entry will win a free Samsung Refrigerator (RFG297AARS) http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/appliances/refrigerators/frenchd...
About Samsung Home Appliances:
"Need Home Appliances that help run your home? Bring It On. Whether it’s one of the largest French Door Refrigerators, or the quietest Washer in its class,* you’ll discover that Samsung Home Appliances bring the perfect balance of innovation, convenience, and savings to your home."
No purchase necessary to enter or win. You must be a legal resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia, have a personal blog and be a registered user of the www.twittermoms.com and www.twitter.com websites to enter and at least 18 years of age or older at time of entry. Entries must be received by 11:59 PM ET on 10/16/09. Click here for Official Rules.
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This is the last day to enter the Virgin Coconut Oil Giveaway on my review blog, Found Not Lost. I cooked up a couple of original recipes using the oil that you may enjoy. So make sure you check it out!
Coconut oil was not so foreign to me. I grew up in the Philippines with a grandmother who swore by the benefits of coconut oil and even made her own. She used it for everything from cooking to personal hygiene. It’s a great moisturizer, she used it as body oil and hair oil.Continue reading my review...
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Branson, Missouri has a lot to offer but I never thought that a Cooking School would be one of them. Sure, I've thought of going to Branson for a romantic getaway or a family vacation. They do after all have panoramic vistas, terrific sightseeing packages and a wide variety of activities are offered. But cooking school? Who knew!
On the weekend on October 16th and 17th, the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel will be hosting the a premier Cooking School Weekend. Guests will first be welcomed with a wine tasting reception then they will participate in a cooking demonstration by the hotel's own, Chef Nathan Read where he will prepare appetizers that are served at wine tastings. Guests will also be treated to a deluxe four-course dinner with wine pairings. The perfect weekend for anyone who loves food!
This Cooking School Weekend, which includes accommodations at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, costs only $398 for two people for two nights. That's an awesome deal! Considering there are also other activities and attractions around Branson that you can take advantage of. Branson is home to championship golf courses, lakes, museums and live entertainment theaters. You know, Branson has been called the new home of country music outside of Nashville!
If food and cooking is not your thing, check out the list of other packages offered by the Hilton Branson. They have packages such as: The Moon River, Silver Dollar City, and Romance.
Cardamom in cupcakes sounds so foreign and exotic that I just could not resist. They turned out to be great!
Now you all know how much I love to use up old bananas by making banana bread, banana cake and banana muffins. So when I saw cardamom as an ingredient for these cupcakes, I just had to try it out.
Click here to see the recipe for Cardamom Cupcakes...
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I was recently diagnosed with diabetes so I have been reading articles about Diabetes online. Here is a short and succinct article that gives a good overview of the disease. I thought you may find it interesting too, whether or not you have this disease.
Definition of Diabetes
Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism, the process by which the body uses digested food for energy and growth. Most of the foods we eat are broken down into glucose, a form of sugar in the bloodstream that is used as the body's main fuel source. Insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas, works together with glucose to help it enter the body's cells to be burned for energy. When people have diabetes, the pancreas either produces too little insulin, or the insulin produced cannot be used by the body. This prevents glucose from entering the cells, which ultimately denies the body of its main source of fuel.Two Main Types of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes occurs because the pancreas produces little or no insulin, which prevents glucose from entering the cells and causes high blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, but is most common among people younger than 20 years old and must be managed by taking daily injections of insulin.Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance, a condition in which the body cannot use the insulin produced by the pancreas. Type 2 diabetes is most common in people over age 45 and is usually associated with obesity (approximately 80% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight), a family history of diabetes, previous history of gestational diabetes, physical inactivity and ethnicity.
Signs and Symptoms
When the body isn't processing enough glucose, the buildup is secreted into the urine, which passes out of the body. As a result, a person with diabetes will experience the following symptoms:
- Excessive thirst and appetite
- Increased urination
- Dry mouth
- Unusual weight loss or gain
- Weak, tired feeling
- Frequent yeast infections
- Blurred vision
- Numbness or tingling of the hands or feet
- Irritability
- Nausea, perhaps vomiting
- Itchiness, especially around the groin
- Slow-healing sores or cuts
People with type 1 diabetes usually develop symptoms within days or weeks, while people with type 2 diabetes often don't experience symptoms for years. Signs of diabetes may seem harmless and are often overlooked, but studies show early detection and treatment can greatly reduce the chance of complications.
Risk Factors of Diabetes
Doctors do not know why people develop RA, but it is believed to be the body's immune system attacking the tissue that lines a person's joints. More than 2 million people in the U.S. have RA. It is two to three times more common in women than men and typically develops between the ages of 20 and 50.The following factors increase a person's chance of developing diabetes:
- Family history of diabetes
- Smoking
- Age (older than 45)
- Race or ethnic background
- Poor diet
- Diabetes during a previous pregnancy
- Being overweight, especially around the waist
- Years of heavy alcohol abuse
- History of hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Low activity level
- Abnormal blood cholesterol or triglyceride levels
- Certain drugs (these might increase blood sugar)
- History of gestational diabetes
- Delivery of a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
Managing Diabetes
While the cure for diabetes is still unknown, the goal of treatment is to keep blood sugars at a relatively even level. The main treatment for people with type 1 diabetes is exercise, a diabetic diet and daily injections of insulin. Insulin injections need to be balanced with meals and exercise, and blood sugar levels must be frequently tested.
When treating type 2 diabetes, doctors will first suggest lifestyle changes such as losing weight, following a diabetic diet and getting regular exercise. Once these measures become less effective in controlling glucose levels, oral medications are often prescribed. If oral medications are still unsuccessful, doctors may recommend insulin treatments.
Glucose levels that are excessively high or low can be extremely dangerous, even life-threatening. When blood sugar levels drop too low, a condition called hypoglycemia can occur, which causes a person to become nervous, shaky and confused. In severe cases the person may eventually lose consciousness. However, this condition can be reversed by eating or drinking something sugary, like a candy bar or glass of orange juice.
If you or someone you know has diabetes, making healthy lifestyle choices about diet, exercise and other health-related habits can improve glycemic (blood sugar) control and help prevent or minimize complications of diabetes.
Source: Community Health Talk
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One of the things we always plant in the garden is long beans or snake beans (sitaw). This year, we have been enjoying a steady harvest. Here's one recipe that I used them in. I cooked this on a weekday when time to get dinner on the table is short. I called this the lazy stirfry because I did away with various steps usually involved in stirfrying. This way, I got dinner on the table in less than an hour and still served up something healthy and delicious.
Click here for the recipe for my version of Pork and Sitaw (long beans) Stirfry - the lazy way
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When asked what is the most important feature in a kitchen, them most popular answer will most likely be the stove. Few will mention the kitchen sink. It is the step child of the kitchen, often taken for granted and ignored. But think about how often you use it and how important it is that you have just the right type of sink to accommodate your needs.
Me, I have always been partial to double sinks. I like the divided sink rather than the one wide tub. I also prefer porcelain to stainless steel; but I never thought to even consider a Granite Kitchen Sink. Who knew! It just seemed like such an extravagant idea to even consider.
That is, until I ran across the MR Direct website which sells kitchen sinks at affordable wholesale prices. They recently added granite sinks to their product line and they are serious about their claim of having 'affordable wholesale prices'. I could not believe you could buy a granite sink for under $300 dollars!
According to their website, the granite sinks are made using natural and environmentally friendly materials. They are manufactured so that they repel most bacteria on their surfaces, and as most granite fans know, granite is stain proof and scratch resistant. MR direct also offers a lifetime warranty and they can ship on the same day.
I think a feel a kitchen re-do coming on. Don't you?
“Photo credit: One Fork, One Spoon”
Earlier in the summer we had an abundant harvest of Swiss Chard from our spring planting and that was when I discovered this recipe for making them into the pie or to put it more fancy like, a tart :)
Now that the weather is getting cooler, it's time for the second round of Swiss chard. We expect to be able to get another bounty as the Swiss chard is starting to perk up again in our garden. We'll be making this again for sure. The girls all loved this for lunch in one sitting! Now you know it's gotta be good!
Click here for the recipe for Swiss Chard Tart.
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My youngest daughter started wearing prescription eye glasses this year. So that makes two of my kids wearing glasses. On top of it, I decided to cancel our vision plan this year. Duh! I thought I'd only be paying for one person's glasses. But now there's two of them and I may have to get them too. I have an appointment with an ophthalmologist in a couple of weeks.
Thank goodness I've known about Zenni Optical for a while. If you've never heard of them before, they are where you can order eyeglasses like the one below for $8.
I know, unbelievable, right? That was my first reaction too but more and more people that I know have tried their service and are very happy with it.
If you're still skeptical, just do a search of Zenni Optical and you will find that they have been investigated by news magazines on Fox and CBS and they've all given positive reviews of the glasses ordered from Zenni.
I've noticed that more and more bloggers are switching from free blogging platforms to one that is self hosted. They are slowly realizing the benefits of having your own domain and hosting, especially if they are really serious about blogging. It this is something that you are considering, getting your own domain and webhosting, then you should check out the Web Hosting Geeks.
Whether you know just a little or a lot about websites and domains, you will find useful information from the Web Hosting Geeks.
For instance, did you know that depending on the intended purpose of your website, there are also different hosting sites that would be best to provide you service? The Web Hosting Geeks have rated these sites according to your need: The Best Budget Hosting, The Best Forum Hosting, The Best Multiple Domain Hosting, The Best Blog Hosting, The Best PHP Hosting and many more.
I found the customer reviews most useful. I like hearing from people who have actually used the service rather than just the dry description from the company. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the pages to see the reviews.
Most importantly, do your homework. Check out the Web Hosting Geeks then go get a second opinion too. I'm sure you've heard that advice before, right?
Summer may be officially over but summer time treats are definitely out of the picture just yet. WIN this cool gift pack from Yoplait Whips! by simply leaving a comment on Cooked From the Heart.
For a great deal on Yoplait Whips!, download a coupon here and get $0.60 off your next purchase; OR get free Yoplait Whips coupon just by signing up to subscribe to the Betty Crocker’s Newsletter via email which is also free!
OR
Get this “Summer Cool Down” gift which includes two free coupons for Yoplait Whips!, cooler tote, popsicle molds and a set of 12 color-changing spoons (see image above)
Click here to sign up for the Yoplait Whips! Giveaway.
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While some, like my husband, can't understand why there's five different kinds of vinegar in our cupboard, any cook will tell you that you need all the different types of vinegar for varying purposes. One of the staples in our cupboard is rice vinegar. I use this mainly for making sushi rice and making the delicate types of salad dressings.
One of the best brands for rice vinegar is Nakano. NAKANO Seasoned Rice Vinegar is all natural, fat free, low calorie, gluten free and contains 50% less sodium than other rice vinegars. It is made from whole grain rice and naturally brewed in a traditional manufacturing process that began in Japan more than 200 years ago. Check their website for great information about the history and manufacture of rice vinegar. NAKANO’s web site also has recipes and fun to try splash tips.
As you'll see on the website, you can use seasoned vinegar for almost anything, not just salads. For a person like me who lives for the dipping sauce, rice vinegar is a must. Why I even dip green apples in rice vinegar when the mood strikes me!
Another great benefit for using Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar as your condiment of choice is that it is also healthy. For instance, see how it compares to mayonnaise:
1 Tablespoon of NAKANO Seasoned Rice Vinegar = 20 calories, 0 fat
1 Tablespoon of mayo = 90 calories, 10g of fat
0 grams of fat! You can't get any lower than than. Besides it being good tasting and good for you, Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegars are also available in a variety of flavors: Original Seasoned, Roasted Garlic, Basil & Oregano, Red Pepper, Balsamic Blend and Italian Herb.
If you're like me and just won't take someone's word for anything, I suggest giving Nakano rice vinegars a try yourself. Right now there is a $1.00 off coupon for NAKANO online. You can join the NAKANO Splash Recipe Club too. They send out really cool newsletters that have great cooking themes. The last one was all about Caribbean flavors.
My daughter said, "You can sell this!" And we probably can! It was so good, it was gone in no time at all. We all loved having curry over noodles for a change. Usually, we eat our curry dishes over rice but while bloghopping one day, I saw a post on curried noodles. Now why didn't I make that connection before!
Most of the vegetables we used when we made this were from our garden but any kind of vegetable of your choice would be fine too. Here's the recipe for Curried Chicken Over Rice Noodles.
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Our little backyard garden has been doing well and we've again been enjoying the bounties of summer but, even with us sharing our harvest with family and friends, we still end up with a welcomed surplus. I'm not that big on canning (I've exploded one or two jars before) so I tend to freeze a lot of vegetables. I want to share a few tips I've learned from experience and from the web on freezing vegetables and food in general.
Cool Before Freezing - This applies to cooked food and some vegetables that need to be blanched first before freezing. Make sure they are totally cool before sticking them in the freezer. As explained below, moisture causes ice to form on the outside of the food you're freezing that in turn causes freezer burn. It's that frozen taste you occasionally get when eating previously frozen food. Well when you don't cool your food down all the way before freezing, it causes it to sweat in the freezer thus creating the icy crystals. Plus, when you put warm things in the freezer, it works harder to stay cool and uses up more energy.
Packaging - to avoid ice crystals and thus freezer burn, try to use packaging that will eliminate as much air as possible. The thicker freezer bags work well in protecting your food from icing up. Another technique is to double up your wrappers. Wrapping up first in plastic, taking out as much air as you can, then wrapping again with foil really keeps out any moisture that can cause icing.
Some ziplok freezer bags now come with the gadget to suck all the air out.
Pack Thin - I used to cram as much food in a ziplok bag as I can thinking this would eliminate the extra space where air and moisture can form. But when it came time to use the food, it was either too much for my use or too hard to defrost. It's better to freeze your food in the servings that you're going to use. There's five of us so my portions are larger than for a household of 2 or 3. And rather than just throwing a lumpy bag in the freezer, lay them out in cookie sheets first then stick them in the freezer. After they harden, you can just stack them up in one corner, saving space and utilizing the space that you have more efficiently.
Label - You may think you'll remember that the green stuff is greens and you just might and that's all good and well. But what if you have collard greens, and mustard greens and kale and chard, and so on? How are you going to tell them apart then? The best way is to label all your packages. I usually write down what's in the bag and the date that I put it in the freezer. That way, I'll know to use the older ones first before the newer ones.
If you're organized enough (which I'm not), you can also keep a list outside of the freezer. Either taped to the front of it or in a notebook nearby, list the contents of your freezer that way you won't have to go riffling through the whole freezer looking for something you swear you froze but forgot that you already ate it. Not that it ever happened to me, mind you.
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Charter just keeps on coming up with these great online contest. Not too long ago, I blogged about their last giveaway which was for the HDTV-a-day Sweepstakes. Prior to that, they also gave away laptops, XBox 360 game systems and one grand prize, a 2009 Honday Civic Hybrid!
This time around, just in time for back-to-school, Charter is holding the Laptop-a-Day Sweepstakes. This sweepstakes will run from July 15 through September 15, just in time for students and/or businesspeople on the go. With two high schoolers, i could certainly use a new laptop! Well, more like they could use a new laptop. :)
Up for grabs on this sweepstakes is an HP 550 Notebook 15-inch with Windows Vista and a NeoTec Compu Backpack.
When you take advantage of the great bundle deals offered at Charter.com, you can also get a free gift card in addition to being entered in the Laptop-a-Day Sweepstakes. To qualify for the sweepstakes, visit charter.com/laptop to register and to view the contest rules, a list of winners and details on the notebook computer.
Make sure to add Charter on Facebook and follow Charter on Twitter to receive sweepstakes updates and notifications. They have great deals on bundles for your internet, cable and phone.
It's almost ridiculous how easy and delicious these pork chops are. I can't believe I hadn't done this before!
Well from now on, I am keeping buttermilk on my regular list. Before, whenever I fried some pork chops, I simply seasoned them with salt & pepper, floured them and fried them. Sometimes, when I get really good cuts of pork chops, they come out really good. But other times, when I get a tougher cut, they come out tough and dry. It's like a box of chocolates, ya know? You never know what you're going to get :)
Anyway, when you briefly marinade your chops in buttermilk before breading them and frying, something magical happens in the process and you end up with moist pork chops with a to-die-for, crunchy coating. I've tried it with different cuts of pork chops from different sources, and every time, the result is fantastically the same. If fried pork chops weren't so bad for us, my family would eat this everyday or at least every week. I'm not kidding!
Here's the recipe for buttermilk fried pork chops although you really don't need a recipe.
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When we were young, my mom shopped at Kmart. One of the treats I looked forward to every time we went shopping was beef taquitos. I know, weird, right? But strangely, that's where I first tasted the fried sticks with bits of beef inside it and they gave you that fake, canned guacamole sauce to dip it in. I thought it was delicious! I couldn't get enough of it! And as tiring as it was to tail my mom on her shopping sprees, when she said KMart, I was up and ready to go because I knew we would get some taquitos in the bargain. Of course now I won't touch those things with a ten foot pole. lol!
I actually hated going to KMart because they had those Kmart Bluelight specials that made everyone in the store insane. While browsing the store, you'll feel a change in the air. You'll see people start walking fast, some actually trotting, just a few seconds before the intercom announcement comes on about some item or other on the blue light special. For a kid, it was scary and exciting at the same time. One of my aunts used to go to KMart just for the blue light specials. She said she love the festive atmosphere. And I guess, looking back on it now it could have been fun rushing to the blue light and getting a great deal. No matter if you need the item or not, it's on sale! So you buy it. Marketing genius, right?
Sadly, by the time I was old enough to shop on my own, the blue light specials were gone and I realized that I kind of missed it. Well now, I hear they are back again. This Saturday ONLY, August 15, the blue light special returns with over 40 blue light specials all day. They have great deals on back to school items such as kids backpacks (Athletech, Route 66 and Licensed), regular price: $19.99, will sell for less than 50% off at $8! 70 count notebooks will also be on special at buy 2 get 1 free. These are amazing deals for back-to-school shoppers.
If you're not shopping for back-to-school, this is the time to buy summer items like patio furniture which, at the end of summer like now, usually go on sale for up to 70% off. Well during the blue light special weekend, you can get an extra 20% off! What a steal! That's practically free!
Don't miss out on the blue light special this weekend. Mark your calendars! To stay updated on sales and to make sure you're reminded of the blue light special, follow Kmart on Twitter and be first to know of great buys.
Here's the recipe for this Banana Cake with caramel sauce.
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Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms by Jane Doiron will soon be published by the end of August. This looks like a promising treasure trove of recipes for busy moms like me who seem to always be rushing through dinner. If this sounds like you too, then keep an eye out for this book. Maybe we can all learn something about planning ahead and reducing the weekday dinner crunch as I call it.
You can get a preview of the recipes that are going to be in the cookbook by visiting Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms and sign up for their newsletter. You will instantly be given four recipes from the book as a preview.
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Now my family, when it comes to chicken loves it fried or adobo and don't care for it much any other way. This is the first time that they finished up a stewed chicken dish! If you don't have the mix all you have to do is search for Chicken Caldereta on the web and you will get a long list of recipes. If you're like me, you'll browse through several then pick and choose the features you like in each recipe and come up with your own version. You can't go wrong.
If you'd like my version, here is the recipe I used for Mama Sita’s Spicy Chicken Caldereta.
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I found this fun quiz at Savory.tv which asked to prove your knowledge of celebrity chefs and your worth as a foodie expert. See how well you do. I did surprisingly well!
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I'm sure you've heard of celebrities spending hundreds even thousands of dollars on designer jeans. If you're like me you've probably thought them insane while secretly hoping you'd get to try on some really good jeans that fit you perfectly someday, before you die.
Well, maybe you won't have to wait quite so long. Armani Exchange (I know, it's sounding expensive already isn't it?) carries both men's and women's designer jeans for as low as $98. The Armani Exchange website and browsed through their selection of jeans. Of course you know I stayed on the $98 end of the price range, right?
Anyway, one of the first pages you land on will ask you to choose a category that best fits your figure. Unless you're 16 year old with a svelte figure, you'll know how important it is for jeans to mold your lumps and bumps and sort of move them in the right direction. The page says that I have an 'hour glass' figure. Hour glass is a flattering way to describe my figure; it is a term I would have never used to describe mine but I'll take it! The other choices, 'long and lean' and 'full chested' just did not fit me. The description for the hourglass figure said that the hips a just slightly wider than the shoulder and fullness in the hips and thigh area. Well that sounds closest to my actual built so I'll go with that. :)
The photo on the right, the pencil thin legs and frayed look would be fine on my teenagers but I don't think it would be suitable for me. For my mommy 'hour glass figure', I think the style on the left (it's called Potassium Straight) is more suited. It has straight legs rather than skinny but it is still very fashionable and sexy. Hott! as my daughters would describe it. There is also a classic boot cut and a skinny flare style that I wouldn't mind wearing.
There is also a text A|X contest going on where you can win a pair of denim jeans everyday during July by textig the keyword "DENIM2" to ARMANI (276264). As with most major companies now, Armani Exchange also has the A|X Blog which is full of not only celebrity sightings but other news about Armani style.
For a limited time only, between 7/7/09 – 7/19/09 you will receive a $20 gift card towards your next purchase ($100 or more, valid 7/30/09 through 8/15/09) when you buy a pair of jeans from Armani Exchange, in store or online.
Cornish hens are such a treat and they are just a perfect portion size. My girls love them! We baked these in the oven but they can also be grilled which makes them even more delicious! If you're going to grill them, just make the blueberry sauce and use it like you would barbecue sauce.
Here's the recipe for these Cornish hens with Blueberry Citrus Glaze.
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I've never been big on chips or sweets but I do like an occasional snack now and then. One of my favorites is ChexMix in all the flavors but I especially like the ones with nuts. Now they've come out with these convenient snack bars and this turtle flavor is a combination of chocolate pieces, pretzels and chex mix squares with caramel swirled on top. Doesn't that sound yummy? I just had lunch and I'm wanting one of these Chex Mix Turtle Bars already! Which, if I had one would be OK because they are only 130 calories per bar.
I just entered the Chex Mix Turtle Bars Giveaway at Connie's view for a chance to win two boxes of these delicious bars so if you'd like some too, get on over there and enter the contest!
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Here's a healthy pasta dish that uses up vegetables from the garden. It's also a fast dish to make so you know this ranks high in my book. :)
Here's the recipe for this Vegetable Pasta with Alfredo Sauce.
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Do you have a family ritual for dinner? Do you eat together or do you all just take your food in front of the TV? Maybe you eat in shifts and take your bowls to your desired corner to eat?
My family has done all those and more. While I'm not strict about having a 'sit down' meal everyday, those days that we do all sit down and eat together are precious. We've made a pact (my husband and I), a long time ago to never lecture while we're eating. One om my most horrible memories growing up is being lectured during dinner and having to force myself to swallow to keep from crying. I don't want my girls to ever feel that way. Worst, I don't want them associating dinner with unpleasantness.
There is a contest going on that asked this question: Tell me what you and your family love about dinner time. Do you carve out time in your busy day to eat together? Have you created any traditions around this last meal of the day?
By leaving your comment, you get a chance to win a Flip MinoHD, and a Family Dinner Box of Questions from LetsFixDinner.com and From Dates to Diaper and Beyond.
Here is how I answered:
What do we love about dinner time? MAKING IT! We (my daughters and I) love to cook and working in the kitchen preparing dinner is our way of catching up with each other and sharing our day. We especially like having a cookout because that’s when dad really jumps in with gusto.
Eating the meal afterwards is our reward for a job well done. But it’s the process the we value the most.
Do you want to share your dinner? Go on and enter the giveaway! If I win the FlipMinoHD maybe I'll even video one of our weekday dinners.
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When you love pasta, you love it in every possible way it could come. However, there are days when simplicity can also do you in. That was the case with this easy pasta carbonara recipe. I didn't feel like chopping up too many ingredients or cooking up a marinara or alfredo sauce. I wanted some simple and quick but also comforting. The answer was this easy carbonara pasta recipe. The only way it could have been simpler is a butter tossed pasta. This packs so much flavor though that you don't even realize how easy it was to put together.
Here's the recipe for Easy Carbonara Pasta.
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The site is funky and fun, just like the drink. They also have some amazing prizes that you can win. For you gamers out there there's the ultimate gaming package which includes an Xbox 360 Elite Gaming System with a Rock Band 2 bundle! As for me, I think I'd go for the New Year's Eve trip to New York. I have never been to New York, had only watched the apple drop on TV, so what a treat that would be to win this trip!
If you (or I) win, here's what's included in the package:
* Round Trip Air Fare for 2 from Major Gateway Airport
* Ground Transport to and from the Hotel
* Luxurious Hotel for 3 nights
* Helicopter Ride for 2 over New York
* Complimentary X-Shot
* Food and Beverages NOT included
Pretty cool package, huh? Now how do you win it?
There's no purchase necessary to enter. There are three ways to enter:
(1) Comment on the contest page (www.itsabluworld.com/contests), and tell them which prize you want to win and why.
(2) Use Twitter to tweet out why Blu Frog is better in 140 characters or less. You must include #bluworld and http://bit.ly/UiiJy in your tweet to be registered for the contest.
(3) Write a blog post about our contest and which experience or prize you would choose if you won. You must leave a comment on on the www.itsabluworld.com/contests page along with the URL of your post if the trackback doesn’t appear.
Each comment, tweet or post counts as one registration.
So go on to the It's a Blu World website and check out all the other prizes and enter!
With the weather getting warmer and there are more things to do outdoors, cooking just hasn't been a priority. I've been wanting to get in and out of the kitchen as fast as I can. Here are a few recipes that has allowed me to get in and out of the kitchen in about an hour. You're welcome to try any of them and get out of the kitchen quickly.
Easy Carbonara, Easy Wonton Soup & Chicken with Basil & String Beans
Baked Tilapia with Teriyaki Sauce & Onions, Fried Tilapia with Pasta and Asparagus & Pork Loin and Fried Rice
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