When I got the offer to try these out, I wasn’t really sure what to expect to be honest. My first thought was, what’s so special about them – they are pretty trash bags that bio-degrade.  They are pretty, but are they useful?

Product Description:
Designerliners are stylish biodegradable trash bags that can beautify any room in the home. The bags come in ten different color/pattern combinations; Pink Polka Dot, Orange Polka Dot, Navy Blue Polka Dot, Red Gingham, Gold Gingham, Black Leopard, Blue Leopard, Red Toile, Blue Toile, and Black Tattersol.

When the bags arrived, I was happy I got the ones I did. They are the pretty Red Toile ones. Here’s a close up.

 They are definitely sturdy little bags. They remind me a bit of mall shopping bags, made of that thicker stronger plastic. They didn’t hold as much as the bags I’d been normally buying but there are different size options and I think a bigger bag would have been what I needed.

They are certainly pretty, but if you don’t purchase a package the coordinates with your decor, they stand out like a sore thumb.

The thing I didn’t like the most is that I cannot even imagine forking over $12.95 plus shipping for 12 bags. That’s like just over a week in our house. Even if it lasted me 2 or 3 weeks I wouldn’t be thrilled with it. They are however, available in bulk packages of 100 and you save quite a bit on those, so those might be worth it to some.

My ending thoughts on these bags, while pretty and sturdy and completely functional, I don’t think the cost is effective. I feel like it’s “trash”, so why would I want to spend so much money on something I am going to throw away at the end, and who cares what my trash bags look like. For the record, we tested two of them. I had a bunch left, so I actually had a birthday party to go to that weekend and I wrapped two presents in them. They turned out really pretty and once she undid the tape she had a pretty bag to carry all of her stuff in. I think we did use one of them for trash. I still have a few left, and I plan to use them for wrapping. Rolls of wrapping paper is expensive and these bags are cute enough to do the job.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Review: Designerliners Stylish Colorful Decorative Biodegradable Trash Bags originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on September 4, 2011.

Product Description

Review: Sand Gone Sand Remover originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on August 30, 2011.

For a really long time, I have been seeing bloggers talking about Skillet Bacon Jam. I wondered about it since the first time I saw it. I am a huge fan of bacon, so I really wanted to get my hands on a jar of the stuff and try it out.

I was ecstatic when I got chosen to receive a sample jar to try out, review and blog about. It arrived a couple of days later and I sat and stared at it mocking me, and begging me to try it for two days. I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do with it. It’s a sample size, so it was important to me that I didn’t waste it and I tried it on several things before deciding what I thought. It did say on the paper I could dip my spoon in and eat it plain if I wanted. But no, I really didn’t want to try it that way. Finally, I had an idea.

I decided I wanted to try it in something simple first. So I decided to make Bacon & Swiss Cheeseburgers. I thought the melted Swiss and Bacon-ey flavor would go well together, and who doesn’t love a good cheeseburger. So here’s what I did.

In a bowl, I put the ground beef, I added some salt, pepper, garlic powder and 2 heaping Tablespoons of Bacon Jam. I probably could have used more for a super bacon-ey flavor but I was worried about using too much.

Now, I’m going to be really honest. When I first peeled back the safety seal on the Skillet Jam, I thought the concoction inside actually looked pretty gross. In fact, I showed it to all five of my kids and my husband and we all agreed it seriously looked unappealing. However, what did happen, was the beautiful bacon-ey smell that wafted out of the jar took over all of our senses. It smelled absolutely amazing, just like home-cooked bacon. So seriously, ignore what it looks like when you open it up, because it’s deceiving.

Now you need to mix all that up and form four or five patties. Now I did sort of have an a-ha moment where I realized, that if I had planned a head, I probably could have premixed everything and let it sit and kind of “marinate” or a bit and it would have probably had a stronger flavor. Food for thought for next time.

Now, normally I would have taken them out to the grill to cook them up and I really wanted to, but it was super hot out there and my house was nice and cool, so on the stovetop they went. Obviously you can cook yours wherever you’d like, including the grill. One of the perks about cooking in the pan was that I could drop about a tsp. of the Skillet Bacon Jam into the frying pan while I was cooking the patty. I’m pretty happy I did. 

Cook both sides until browned and cooked all the way through. I cannot tell you how often a kid came by the pan while it was cooking and commented on how good it smelled. Mmm… Bacon. When the burger is finished cooking, grab your hamburger bun, top with the patty, top that with some swiss cheese and then dress your burger the way you like. I also brushed some garlic butter on both sides of the bun, spread some more of the Skillet Bacon Jam across the top and then broiled the buns for about 2 minutes.

Then it was time to take a bite. Wow. Talk about extremely savory, delicious, melty goodness. I have to say the Bacon Jam was absolutely amazing. It added a lot of flavor to the actual burger and smearing it across the buns was not a bad idea at all. It was a sort of smoky, rustic flavor. Others have described the bacon jam as slightly sweet, but I didn’t taste that in the burger at all. It is simply a must have in my kitchen now. There is no question.

I am already planning on using it with some omelets in the morning, which I will definitely share and post about and my mouth is watering at the thought. I highly recommend the Skillet Bacon Jam, and I can assure you, I will be purchasing a much larger jar of Skillet Bacon Jam this week.

For more information please visit (www.skilletbaconjam.com) or email for inquiries (eat@skilletstreetfood.com).

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Bacon & Swiss Cheeseburger Recipe originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on August 28, 2011.

On a quick glance, the company looks impressive, amazing… almost a little too good to be true.
They boast:

No Calories, Fat, Carbs, Gluten or Sugar of any kind!

It’s right there on their website for the world to see. Those words are truly a dieters dream, as well as a diabetics dream!  I mean, who doesn’t want to lose weight but still get to eat delicious foods at the same time. No calories? Wow!  But is it too good to be true?

In one word, yes.

But I will let you be the judge of that.

From the company website:

Walden Farms irresistibly sweet calorie free specialties are prepared with real fruit extracts, concentrated natural flavors, rich cocoa and other natural ingredients, all sweetened with Splenda. Our savory specialties are made with hundreds of freshly ground herbs and spices, concentrated natural flavors and the finest aged imported and domestic vinegars.

The good news is, they wrote it right on their website. Splenda. Splenda is so darn bad for you, I don’t even want to get into it you can google all about the horrors of Splenda. Go ahead, its awful.  I won’t lie, occasionally I do have something with Splenda in it – its in a lot of low cal, sugar free or no calorie products, but the more I read on it, the more I really do not wish to consume the product at all, and I’m working on that. But even if I overlook the fact that there is splenda in every single item they sell, there are other more problematic things to look at.

First they drag you in saying things like,

Save 330 calories a day, 10,000 calories a month and lose 34lbs a year!

That’s on their chocolate syrup they show dripping over a huge serving of vanilla ice cream. I’m pretty sure that ice cream is going to counteract that chocolate syrup  - but again, not as problematic as the ingredients in some of their products.

I mean honestly, why would you want to eat a peanut “spread” that doesn’t even have peanuts in it? It’s FLAVORED to taste just like natural peanut butter. Uhm. No thanks, because I’m pretty sure the other stuff you put in there is simply awful – check out this next one.

Their strawberry spread features “strawberry flavor”, “natural flavors”, and cellulose gel (this sounds so amazingly disgusting just reading it made me feel sick!) in addition to the ever-present Splenda. Wouldn’t you rather just have real strawberry preserves? The natural sugar in the REAL strawberry preserves might be higher, but its NATURAL sugar… not artificially concocted stuff.

Several of the products have maltodextrine, cellulose gel, several types of vegetable gums and one more little tidbit I learned along the way – only the suggested SERVING size contains no calories, so if you use more, you’re getting some calories you might not realize were there!

In addition, I did some research on the reviews of the companies products. I found more negative reviews than I did positive (though there are some). The majority of the people said the food tastes “gross”, “inedible” “disgusting”, “tastes like battery acid”, “the texture is like eating paste (and that was for marshmallow fluff) and a bunch more descriptions and adjectives – some not worthy to even be said on my blog. There were a few compliments on some of the products, but for the most part, they seem to generally not taste good at all. Good to know. I won’t be buying any. Hungry girl doesn’t even like it!

The saddest part about all of this, is that companies like Walden Farms give other good, solid, natural products a bad name. Obviously you’ll do what you want, but this serves as a warning to what WF thinks is okay for us all to eat. I’m still reeling from that disgusting description of strawberry spread!

Uncovering the TRUTH about Walden Farms originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on January 30, 2011.

The only thing I wanted besides to be able to read my weight, was the ability to see body fat. I got more than I wanted with this one, and I’m glad. I want to tell you the features because this might be the best scale I have ever owned. It is probably the most expensive. LOL It was a whopping $60 but I’m serious about getting the weight down a bit and keeping it off.

The stuff I love best about this scale:

• It measures my weight in 0.2-lb. increments, which is great because you can see when there is any difference at all. Of course I have to make sure I am weighing myself at the same time everyday. Unlike most people, I like to weigh myself in the evening before bed, because it motivates me more the next morning to start my whole day off right and I don’t get discouraged thinking about whatever it says that early in the morning. LOL
• It measures BMI (body mass index) which is nice to know. It basically takes your height/weight/age and sex and then lets you know if you are underweight, normal, overweight or obese. Really this helps only to know your target weight loss, and how much you should be aiming for. The better option is:
• Measuring Body Fat Percentage, which is does. Basically, when someone says they want to “lose weight” really what they mean is “I want to lose fat”. duh! Well, your body fat percentage is the percentage of fat your body contains. Example: If you are 150 pounds and 10% fat, it  means that your body consists of 15 pounds fat and 135 pounds lean body mass (bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood and everything else). Uhm. I wish the scale only said I was 10% fat. LOL Wonder what it would say if I had some tissue or an organ removed. (I know, not funny)
• It checks your hydration level. I like this simply because I know there are tons of days where I am not drinking as much water as I should. This helps me keep this in check. Drinking more water also keeps me from being so hungry all the time. Thus the whole process helps with weight loss.
• Lastly, it measures your bone mass which is the best way to check your bone health. Kinda keeps you in check for things like osteoporosis, bone fractures, etc. You shouldn’t rely on the scale only for this though – because I’m sure its not fool proof.

Anyway, the scale holds up to 400lbs (which I obviously do not need, but its nice to know anyway). It’s the same size as every other scale I’ve owned and its AWESOME.

If you want the same professional scale I got, it was at Target. Here’s the link.

Weight Loss: It Starts With the Scale originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on September 4, 2010.

Instead I see this COOK staring at me, (and even though its my last name, I knew it wasn’t a channel dedicated just to me) so I start going through the upcoming shows and I notice its all food related TV shows and now I am getting excited and almost hyperventilating. So how did I miss this? How long has this been around?

Give me tips on your favorite shows on this channel? (or on Food Network, if you prefer) Is there anything new, or is it just a roll-over of Food Network?

So far I’m really enjoying Foodcrafters, but I know there is more than just that. So tell me – what do you love? What are your favorite cooking shows? I need some more. (as if I have all this extra spare time… sure).

Even More Cooking TV? The Cooking Channel originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on July 18, 2010.

I acted as quickly as I could, and I went armed with very little information so I really did feel blind. I looked at every model, every setting, every perk, every look – it was overwhelming.

I only really had a few simple requests, because I was holding out hope that someday I would have my Keurig back again (haha!). I wanted one that did not require the use of those stupid paper white coffee filters, I wanted one that was programmable and that wouldn’t shut off after 30 minutes. And I wanted one that was easy to clean. That’s ALL I was really asking for.

I found the Black and Decker 12 cup Programmable Coffemaker and brought it home after thinking about it for about fifteen minutes while I finished shopping for other stuff. I’m so thankful I did. While I do still hold out a little hope that my Keurig will begin miraculously working at some point, or a newer model will land on my doorstep tomorrow, we all know that it isn’t going to happen.

I opened up my box and was thrilled to see that it was just a simple plug-in coffee maker and that it needed no assembly. Not only does it not need the stupid white paper coffee filters, the removable coffee filter it does come with, is perfect and very easy to use (and clean).

The coffeemaker is programmable (delayed brewing), allows for strength adjustment (regular/strong), allows you to brew between 1-4 cups of coffee OR an entire pot, keeps the coffee hot for up to 2 hours (this feature is VERY hard to find in coffee makers!), comes with a sneak a cup feature (it pauses momentarily for you to remove the carafe and pour yourself a cup of coffee while still brewing), and is truly simple to clean. I love this coffee maker and it is affordable and brews a delicious cup of coffee!

Updated: After using this coffee maker for a full month, daily – I still cannot say anything bad about the coffee maker. I have had no issues, it brews a delicious pot of coffee, and it so super easy to clean and use.

Product Review: Black & Decker Home – 12 Cup Programmable Coffeemaker – Model CM5050 originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on January 8, 2010.

If you have been following me for any length of time, one of the first things you learn, is how much I absolutely adore my coffee. I mean, LIVE for my coffee. Like, so much when the kids play Whoonu with me, they all pray they get the ‘coffee‘ card for me. Well, with that knowledge, then one may deduct that perhaps it is imperative that I have a coffee maker that works. Right?

Back on November 24, 2009, I proudly wrote a blog post and review on the brand new Keurig Elite Home Brewing System coffee maker I had just bought. It was NOT a bad review. Quite the opposite. I believe I raved about what an awesome cup of coffee the new gadget had brewed.

Well, today is January 5, 2010 and I hate the damn thing. Okay, so perhaps hate is a strong word, but I am a coffee addict. And when a coffee maker cannot even survive in my household for a month and a half, we have problems.

So here are my problems:

• The light on the ‘add water’ spot hardly ever lights up, even when clearly it needs water.
• The ‘descale’ light has not lit as of yet, which is good since it predicts about every six months.
• The problem with this, is that all of a sudden about a week ago, the water started coming out in a very slow trickle. I tried cleaning it. I tried running it with no coffee grounds, and then as a last resort, I tried descaling it. (two bottles of vinegar LATER)
• When I called Keurig, the gal that answered the phone was nice enough for the first minute or so as she insisted that it needed to be descaled. Once I told her I had already done it, she seemed to get edgy and frustrated with me. It was as if the only solution to ANY problem with the stupid machine, MUST be to descale. Yeah. Well I would be THRILLED if that had worked. Instead I have an expensive coffee maker that simply is unusable at this point, the extra extension pod to use any coffee but is useless without the Keurig, and two HUGE boxes full of coffee pods that I can do absolutely nothing with.

So I reverted back to using my ridiculous $20 Mr. Coffee maker that has been around for about 9 years now. I mean really. My $20 coffee maker lasted longer than my $130 one?

Sure, makes sense. Do you have any experience with the Keurig – good or bad? Please tell me about it, maybe you can make me hate the company a little less.

Keurig Elite Brewing System Review originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on January 5, 2010.

Well, tonight I was perusing around Youtube and happened to find a hilarious parody and I’m sitting there listening to it and then I favorited it because it made me laugh. Then I go to subscribe to the dude and realize I’m already subscribed and then I realize its Vince from the Bucket Boys! Vince we loved you that day, and you just made me adore you even more. I so wish you would record that because I would totally buy it! LOL

So here it is for those that haven’t seen it yet!

Taylor Swift and Kanye West Parody by Vince from the Bucket Boys originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on September 14, 2009.

Joanne Fluke writes the Hannah Swenson mystery series, and I’m totally hooked. I’ve devoured two of them in a couple of days and I really like them. They are really light reading, humorous and fun. I love a good mystery, but these have a little twist. They have recipes sprinkled throughout and tied into the book series. Interesting and I’ve already tried two recipes, and am making a third tonight. I’ll let you know how it goes.

So I picked up as many as I could find at two libraries and requested the rest. So now I have a HUGE stack of books sitting here, and a garage sale project and then my writing, and I am trying to divide everything up and still have a life. Ms. Fluke should be proud. LOL She has me totally hooked. If you are looking for something new to read, pick up one of Joanne Fluke’s books, (I liked Cherry Cheesecake Murder – it was the first I read) and grab a cup of coffee (and make sure you’ve eaten, because oh my goodness she talks about food a lot!) and enjoy the book. I’m so glad I found her. I know many of you might even know of her already, but she was new to me and I’m glad I went walking through the aisles.

Cute Book Series originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on September 3, 2009.