Carma Spence has been experimenting in the kitchen since she was four years old and loves trying out new recipe ideas. She is the author of Bonkers for Bundt Cakes and Your Perfect Pie, as well as author and contributor to several more non-food-related books. With Carma's Cookery, she is taking her passion for empowering people and blending it with her passion for cooking, gift-giving and entertaining.
This is the second in a three-part series demonstrating and reviewing Ready to Bake’s liquid batter product line. In this post, I bake the brownies. In my last post, I baked blueberry muffins.
Ready to Bake Brownies Batter Overview
Summary
Inspired by a French recipe for brownies, this Ready to Bake Liquid Batter comes in a convenient pouch and can keep in your cupboard for up to a year. The Brownies batter makes about nine brownies in an 8″ x 8″ pan and requires no additional ingredients.
Price: $3.99 and is available on Amazon.com
Who is Ready to Bake Brownies Liquid Batter suitable for?
Not a baker? Not a problem! This brownie batter is ready to go. Just grease your pan, open the pouch and pour in the batter. Pop it in the oven and you’ve got fresh-baked brownies in under 30 minutes. This product is good for chocolate lovers who are uber-busy, don’t like or know how to bake, or have limited kitchen resources.
Video Demo & Review
Overall Thoughts
The initial taste of these brownies, as mentioned in the video, is very chocolate-y. However, I (and my fiance) found that there was a strange aftertaste not to our liking. However, the folks at my work didn’t seem to have a problem with them at all.
The product was quick and easy to use (even easier than the blueberry muffins), so if you like brownies, and don’t like to bake from scratch, you might want to give this batter a try to see if you like their flavor.
This is the first in a three-part series demonstrating and reviewing Ready to Bake’s liquid batter product line. In this post, I bake the blueberry muffins.
Ready to Bake Blueberry Muffin Batter Overview
Summary
Ready to Bake Liquid Batters use real ingredients and are inspired by actual French recipes. The batters come in convenient pouches and keep in your cupboard for up to a year. The Blueberry Muffin batter makes about six muffins and requires no additional ingredients.
Price: $3.99 and is available on Amazon.com
Who is Ready to Bake Blueberry Muffin Liquid Batter suitable for?
If you are uber-busy and even using a powdered mix requires too much time and effort, this product could be for you. Also, if you have very limited cooking and baking skills, this is about as easy a product to use as you can get. If you live somewhere that you don’t have access to a full oven, but just a toaster oven, this could be a boon to you, as well.
Video Demo & Review
Overall Thoughts
The batter is very thick and sticky, so it can be a little challenging to get out of the pouch.
Although my initial reaction, as see on the video above, was that it was very blueberry in flavor, I eventually found the muffins too sweet for my palate. That may not be a problem for you. I’ve been reducing my sugar intake and have lost much of my taste for sweets. Americans, in general, have a much higher taste for sweetness that Europeans and so products sold here often have a higher sugar content.
The product was quick and easy to use, so if you like a sweet blueberry muffin, and don’t like to bake from scratch, this is a good product for you to experience home-baked muffins without all the work.
Have you ever struggled with opening opening cans, bottles and caps? I know that I often have hurt myself opening a soda can … and those ubiquitous water bottles are sometimes quite stubborn to open.
Picture courtesy of Magic OpenerWell, I’ve happened upon a product that will make those difficulties a thing of the past. I received a free sample to review and was quite impressed.
Magic Opener Overview
Summary:
An easy-to-use, portable can, bottle and cap opener made from thick sturdy plastic and metal. It will help you open most water bottles from Costco, Walmart and convenience stores, as well as open plastic soda bottles, aluminum soda cans, pull-tab soup cans, traditional glass bottles and many more.
Price: Retails for $24.99, but you can often get it for less on Amazon.com.
Although anyone can use it, I think it would be especially useful for people with arthritis or limited wrist or arm strength. It uses the physics of leverage to make opening a variety of containers much easier. Watch my demo & review below.
Overall Thoughts
I really got a kick out of using this product and am impressed with the quality. I’m not crazy about the color choice … maybe the makers will eventually give people a variety of colors to choose from?
Not only is the product utilitarian, but it is convenient to store, as well. Just stick it to the side of your frig!
Would I recommend this product? Hell yes! Grab yours at Amazon.com.
One of the biggest problems I hear about from many households is their inability to avoid snacks. Many believe that in an ideal world we would never snack — and stick to our three meals a day. However, things are never that simple — and for many people, a little snack can help them get through a long day. In fact, for some, between-meal snacks are actually what they need to eat for their health! With this in mind, I thought I would go through a few ways you can snack in a healthier way. Let’s get started with some of the basics you need to know.
The first thing to say is that snacks aren’t inherently bad in themselves. However, the problems begin with the type of snacks you eat, and the amount of food you eat during your meals. In days gone by, when food was a lot less available, humans would snack all the time. In fact, that’s all they ever did; rarely having the luxuries of three-course dinners. So, there is an argument that if you snack all the time, you will help feed your body with the right nutrients, and burn off some calories as you go. If, of course, you always choose the healthier options. (And are exercising!)
Snack healthier
When most of us think about snacks, what springs to mind? In most cases, it’s candy bars, sweets, cakes, and delicious stuff that does little to our nutrition intake but adds a lot of weight. So, if you are going to take snacks between meals, make sure you are always (or at least most of the time) choosing the healthy option. There are some wonderful ideas out there — check out these sugar free recipes for some inspiration. Or, you could just go down the route of taking some fruit, raw veggies, or nuts into work. They will help keep you healthy and stop you from having so many sugar-crashes in the afternoon.
Better planning
If you aren’t planning your snacks and meals in advance, you are going to suffer from more temptation. Sketch out your meal plans for the week, buy your ingredients, and do a little cooking, chopping, and slicing. You can store plenty of healthy snacks in the fridge, and grab them as and when you need them. Not only will you avoid unhealthy foods, but you can also use your snacks to fill in any nutritional gaps from your meals.
Have you seen the astonishing amount of sugar in cereals these days? Even the ones that you think are healthy tend to have enormous piles of the stuff in there. Your best bet is some simple porridge oats, without any sugar at all. Your body will digest it slowly, meaning you should last until lunchtime without getting hunger pangs. And, of course, it gives you a lovely warm glow for many hours.
Keep a calorie diary
This could change your life in so many ways, so why not give it a go? If you keep track of your calorie intake, it won’t be long until you identify where your problem areas are. Let’s say you are eating healthy meals, but every other day you eat a large cream cake during your afternoon break. It’s going to add anything up to 500 calories to your daily intake. That’s almost a third of a small person’s recommended allowance! But, you won’t know until you have the evidence in front of you.
I hope this has helped you get some ideas for healthier snacking. We all do it, of course — but how you do it is more important than how often. Let me know if you have any great recipes to share!
Save
[divider]
[one_third] [/one_third]
[two_third_last]
Take Charge of Your Health!
Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.
This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.
When I was little, I learned to set the table with the spoons at the top, above the plate. This was not the way people set the table in America, but I grew up in East Africa, so I learned some very European dining habits. When my parents “threatened” to send me to St. Eugene’s Catholic School if I didn’t behave, I stared having nightmares about it. One of the themes of the nightmares was that I set the table wrong and was sent to my room without supper.
Because of this childhood “trauma,” I took note when the opportunity to review Which Fork Do I Use? came up. I wanted to see what the authors thought was the right way, and I’ll admit I was pleasantly surprised.
NOTE: I received a free copy of this book for review, however I am under no obligation to write about it positively or otherwise.
SUMMARY
This is a great guide for both prospective hosts and guests of any type of party. The book has instructions and illustrations that will help you create and understand almost any plate setting. There is additional information about invitations, save-the-dates, and more, too. If you’ve ever been confused by an extra fork or spoon, then this book will help you never embarrass yourself again at a party or restaurant!
WHAT WORKED FOR ME
There were a number of things about this book I liked:
Spiral bounding makes it easier to lie flat and really study the illustrations.
There is an explanation of American and Continental dining styles. I’ve eaten Continental style — I don’t switch my fork after cutting — since I was a little kid. It was fun to learn the history of the “switch.”
The book is really comprehensive: Whether you are hosting a small brunch or a large, fancy wedding, the content in this book has you covered.
Explanations of different kinds of cups, glasses, flatware, plates, etc. Don’t know what that odd strainer thingy is, you’ll find a picture of it in the back of the book!
The illustrations are clear and help you easily identify objects and and where to put them.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME
Frankly, the only thing I really didn’t like about the book was the size. It reminds me of those old spiral bound atlases that were always so ungainly to use. When closed, this book takes up 10.5 x 8 inches of table space … double that if opened. This is not a book that is easily read while commuting. That said, it probably is that size to mimic a place mat.
RECOMMENDATION
This is a great basic book for table manners and I think everyone who like to host — or go to — diner parties should have a copy. I’m glad I do!
RATING
SPECS
Format: Spiral bound, 10.5 x 8 x 0.5 inches Publisher: Manners Simply Language: English ISBN-10: 0615883184 ISBN-13: 978-0615883182
A colon detox is a necessary part of any diet or weight loss program. I try to do one at least once a year. A normal digestive system tract stores excess debris that needs to be removed. Detox Colon Total Body Cleanse’s proprietary formula claims to help remove this debris by restoring the “good” bacteria in the digestive tract. Their marketing claims that, overall, you will feel lighter, cleaner and less heavy after you take their product.
I received a promotional bottle of Detox Colon Total Body Cleanse to try out, in exchange for this review. So, I tried it out over the Thanksgiving holiday and here are my thoughts on the experience.
Detox Product Overview:
Summary:
Detox Colon Total Body Cleanse contains a proprietary blend that is rich in antioxidants and loaded with a variety of all natural ingredients. The blend is formulated to remove debris from the lower intestines, as well as eliminate toxins throughout the entire body.
Detoxing the body in this way helps eliminate damaging toxins, resulting in an increase in daily energy levels and a boost in your metabolism. It can also improve daily digestion and eliminate constipation.
Detox Colon Total Body Cleanse is formulated in a state-of-the-art, GMP-certified and FDA-registered certified facility. It is non-GMO and gluten-FREE with no lactose, soy, wheat, yeast or fish.
Size: The bottle comes with 60 caplets. This can last you several cleanses since you are not supposed to take them for longer than a week at a time.
Who Detox Colon Total Body Cleanse is Suitable For
In my opinion, Detox Colon Total Body Cleanse is good for who wants a gentle colon cleanse. I believe it can help people experiencing mild constipation, as well.
Overall Thoughts
I’ve been on a variety of cleanses and this one was the mildest, by far. In fact, it was so mild, I barely noticed it working! I had some change in my bowel movement frequency, but nothing extreme or unpleasant. Also, I had been experience some indigestion before I took the product and noticed a slight improvement. I can’t say this product was the cause of the improvement, but I believe it helped.
Would I recommend this product? I’m not sure. I don’t have anything bad to say about it, but I can’t say anything specifically good about it either. If you’d like to give it a try, you can grab it her on Amazon.
A little while ago, I went on one of my last shopping sprees at Fresh & Easy. They were closing, so prices were greatly slashed and I stocked up on a cornucopia of my favorite products. One of those was a box of Dancing Deer Vanilla Shortbread cookies. I was so disappointed when I opened the box and they reeked of plastic. They even tasted of plastic.
I couldn’t return them because with the store closing out, all sales were final. So contacted Dancing Deer to see if they could do anything. I only expected to get a coupon to buy some more cookies elsewhere. What I got was a lesson in customer service excellence.
They shipped me not one, not two, but four packages of cookies in four wonderful flavors! I got more than my money’s worth and a deeper sense of warm-fuzzy feeling toward Dancing Deer Baking company.
First, I’ve always been happy with the quality of their cookies. The vanilla shortbread cookies have, up until that last purchase, always been da bomb! And these four new flavors (to me) did not disappoint.
Four Dancing Deer Cookie Flavor Experiences
Sugar Cane Lime Cookies
These are your traditional sugar cookie with a twist … of lime that is. They are light and not too heavy on the lime. They would be perfect for a light spring or summer snack or dessert. In fact, a part of me would love to try making a cookie crumb crust for a citrus pie.
If you like sugar cookies and you like lemon/lime flavor, these cookies will delight you.
Molasses Clove Cookies
When I was growing up, one of the cookies I used to make were old-fashioned molasses cookies. This Dancing Deer version gives is a punch with a nice dose of cloves. They are strongly spicy and would go well with some pumpkin egg nog. I snarffed them up in no time!
Snicker Doodle Cookies
Another childhood favorite was the simple snicker doodle … basically a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon and sugar. No snicker doodle I’ve ever had in my life holds a candle to these Dancing Deer creations. They were light and chewy with a just-right amount of cinnamon goodness. I had to fight my fiancé for these!
Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
Normally, these would be my favorite. However, I found them to pale in comparison to the three cookies I’ve already mentioned. They were crispy on the outside, while a tad chewy on the inside … not my favorite texture combination. But you might like them.
Would I buy Dancing Deer cookies again. Yes. Would I go out of my way to find them … after these samples, I’m thinking I just might start keeping an eye out for them.
[/one_third]
