Last week, I was sent a Bellemain Heavy-Duty Pastry-Chef Quality Oven Safe Cooling Rack to test and review. The rack is designed with perfectly sized air pockets allows your baked goods optimal circulation for setting. The rack is light weight, made of steel, and covered I chrome plate. The size is 12x17, making it the perfect size for my crowded counter top. it easily fits without overhanging. I used it while getting my Christmas baking done. I was able to cool off a pan of brownies without the counter getting hot. I also placed over 2 dozen cookies (in batches) on it to cool. They cooled quickly and didn’t stick when I removed them. It also stood up to a heavy glass Pyrex dish, fresh from the oven, with Cornish hens in it. Overall, the rack is very nice. It’s sturdy and stands up to a variety of hot items being placed on it aside from cookies & other baked goods. It makes a great gift for anyone who enjoys cooking. I am definitely looking forward to using it when ...
food/drink
Product Review – Harvest Snaps
A few weeks ago, I was sent several bags of Harvest Snaps to try out and review. Harvest Snaps are flavored snapea crisps and lentil snaps. They are baked, high in fiber, and gluten free. There are a variety of flavors in both types. For the snapeas, there is Lightly Salted, Ceaser, Black Pepper, and Wasabi Ranch. For the lentils, there are Tomato Basil & Onion Thyme. I got to try them all. The snaps are a bit different than I expected. You would think that they are deep-fried or something when you first open the bag. They are…puffy, for lack of a better word. The first flavor I tried was the lightly salted. I wasn’t overly crazy for it, but my daughter loved them. In fact, she liked all the flavors. I think our favorite flavor was the Wasabi Ranch since we like spicy stuff. I’ve been mostly giving them to my daughter for snacks since she likes them so much. I also eat some so that I’m making sure to get some extra fiber. They are definitely something I will ...
Product Review – Zevia Soda
A few weeks ago, I was sent a huge case of assorted flavors of Zevia Soda to try out and review. Zevia is made with Stevia, making it a zero calorie soda. They have 15 flavors currently. I tried some last year that someone had picked up and it was okay, but I thought that the Stevia aftertaste was very strong. This time around, I had an assortment of flavors, so I was better able to judge how much the Stevia affected the taste of the flavors. All of the sodas are very good, and I liked most all of them. Some of the flavors, like cream soda & ginger root beer, have no aftertaste whatsoever. Most of the others have only a minor taste that isn’t all that noticeable once you take a few sips. I did find that the ginger ale & orange were very strong though, making it hard to taste the flavors at times. My favorite part is that since Stevia is all natural, I don’t feel as guilty drinking a lot of soda during the day. Granted, I don’t go crazy drinking it, but at least it is ...
Naturade VeganSmart Shakes Reivew
A few weeks back, I was sent some pouches of Naturade VeganSmart Shakes to review. Natureade VeganSmart is all natural and 100% vegan. The shakes can be used as a healthy meal replacement. It contains probiotics, fiber & omega, 22 vitamins & minerals, and more. To use, mix two scopes (or one pouch) with 9 to 11 ounces of water, juice, or any other non-dairy product. I was sent 4 pouches of Vanilla and 4 pouches of Chai. I ended up using a shaker bottle to mix it with 11 ounces of Vanilla Almond milk. It comes out a lot creamier mixing it that way, plus there aren’t any clumps of powder left. Both flavors taste really good. I may end up mixing the vanilla with plane unflavored Almont Milk in the future thought, since you get a bit of overload on the flavor. The Chai comes out perfect and is definitely my favorite out of the two. They have been working great as a meal replacement when I don’t have the time for breakfast or if I skip lunch. It's also been a great source of ...
Product Review – ManGrate
Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. Last week, I was sent a ManGrate starter set. ManGrate is a cast-iron cooking grate for your grill. Each grate weighs 8 pounds, is 15-inches long by 4 1/4 inches wide and measure 1 3/8 inches thick, & cooks using radiant heat. You place them sided by side, and can use lay them horizontally or vertically. The set I received had two grates and a cleaning brush. I was very interested in trying these out since we do so much cooking on our smoker grill. I surprised my husband with them as an early Father’s Day gift & he was very eager to use them right away. I picked up two inexpensive steaks at the store. They were medium thickness and usually end up a little tough no matter how you cook them. After seasoning the grates (which only took about 10 minutes), my husband seasoned the steaks and tossed them on. We normally cook steaks medium rare so they didn’t take too long. My husband said right away that the steaks ...
Have a Hassle-free Easter Dinner with HoneyBaked Ham (+ Giveaway!) [ENDED]
I received a gift card to HoneyBaked Ham to help facilitate my review. A few days ago, I got a chance to check out HoneyBaked Ham. HoneyBaked Ham offers smoked ham & turkey breast, as well as a large variety of sides and deserts. The hams are cured in a secret marinade, smoked over a blend of hardwood chips, coverd with a crunch sweet glaze, and them spiral cut. Everything is already fully cooked, saving you time. I visited my local store in Mesquite, Texas. I’ve never been there before, so I wasn’t familiar with what they had or how their prices were. There was a case full of deserts next to a deli counter where you could order sandwiches. There was also another case with side dishes, a few coolers with assorted items in them. There were also some stand racks with canned items, cookie & cake mixes, & dried beans. The main counter was at the back, and behind it were cases with the hams and turkey. After looking as the prices, my husband & I figured that a ...