Reviews by Friends of thedabostic

njchicaa says "I'm very happy with my Sigg Aluminum Water Bottle!!" about Sigg Water Bottle

njchicaa — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:37:53 GMT

I've been wanting a Sigg Water Bottle for several months now, but I kept balking at the $30 price tag at the local Target. Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled when I received one as a gift last month and have been using it faithfully almost every day since then.

The Sigg Water Bottle is an aluminum bottle that can be used (and reused) to hold water, iced coffee, iced tea, juice, and other drinks. It has a special coating on the inside to both prevent the absorption of the flavors of the liquids contained and to prevent the liquids from acquiring a metallic taste from the bottle itself. This Aluminum Water Bottle is not dishwasher safe which is inconvenient. It also has a plastic mouth, plastic top, and plastic threads to connect the two. If you aren't careful, you can very quickly strip the threads if you don't pay close attention to how you put the top on.

I drink at least one liter of water at work each day between 7 and 2pm. I used to just hit up the local convenience...

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njchicaa says "I LOVE Natural Balance Ultra Dry Cat Food." about Natural Balance Ultra Dry Cat Food

njchicaa — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:34:40 GMT

Over the years I've become very picky about the ingredients in cat food and cat food in general. I've tried basically all of the so-called "premium" and "super premium" foods out there, but the one I keep coming back to is Natural Balance Ultra Dry Cat Food

Natural Balance Ultra Dry Cat Food is formulated to be a complete diet for both cats and kittens. The pieces are about the size of Skittles (but flattened) so they are suitable for cats of all sizes. It contains high-quality ingredients like chicken meal, chicken, brown rice, salmon, barley, chicken fat, potatoes, carrots, lamb meal, duck, ground flaxseed, etc. It contains no corn, wheat, by-products, gluten, or carcinogenic preservatives which is one of the major reasons that I love this Natural Balance Cat Food.

Another reason that I really like this cat food is the fact that the cats absolutely love it. They happily eat it and only need to consume small amounts because it doesn't contain cheap fillers so they are getting...

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njchicaa says "Weber Gourmet Burger Seasoning adds lots of flavor!" about Weber Grind-n-Grill Gourmet Burger Seasoning

njchicaa — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:17:25 GMT

We love to try different seasonings and spices, so when my husband saw a giant 8 ounce grinder jar of Weber Grind N Grill Gourmet Burger Seasoning at the local wholesale club last year, he immediately decided to add it to the cart. We were hosting our annual 4th of July barbeque, so he figured that this would be the perfect seasoning to add to our homemade burgers.

The Weber Gourmet Burger Seasoning contains ingredients like sea salt, "spices", sugar, dehydrated onion, dehydrated grlic, brown sugar, dehydrated red/green bell pepper, dehydrated tomato, parsley, and natural smoke flavor. To use it you simply remove the top, invert the bottle, and then twist the bottom part to grind the seasonings and apply them to your burgers, steaks, meatloaf mix, etc. The grinder has a little lever that you can move to supposedly change the grind setting from coarse to fine, but ours has never worked and the grinder seems to be stuck on "coarse".

Despite the permanently-coarse grind setting, we still...

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njchicaa says "I've only used this blackhead treatment once, but I'm impressed!" about Dr. Brandt Skincare Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner Blackhead Extractor

njchicaa — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:08:02 GMT

I had never heard of the Dr. Brandt line of skin care products until I was completing an order at Sephora.com and was asked which 3 product samples I'd like to try. On a whim, I chose Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner Blackhead Extractor because I currently do have issues with clogged pores and figured it was worth checking out.

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner Blackhead Extractor is formulated with alpha and beta hydroxy acids, silicone dioxide, and something called "eijitsu rose". This product is designed to exfoliate and soften skin while also absorbing excess oil and unclogging pores, loosening/removing blackheads, and tightening pores again. You simply apply a thin layer of this product to your "problem areas", let it dry for 5-10 minutes (it will turn white when dry), and then rinse with warm water and dry skin.

I received a 0.068 fluid ounce (2 mL) sample of Vacuum Cleaner Blackhead Extractor for free with my Sephora order. I was leery about the small sample...

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njchicaa says "Eh, McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning is just okay." about McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning

njchicaa — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:51:13 GMT

I'm a sucker for trying new spices and seasonings. In all honesty, I have three full shelves in one of my cabinets completely filled with spices, herbs, and various blends. When I saw the McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning in the local grocery store, I had to toss it into the cart and give it a whirl.

According to the label, McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning "gives your chicken a slow-roasted flavor and golden appearance without using a rotisserie." The ingredients listing is vague with salt, onion, "spices", paprika, garlic, citric acid, and silicon dioxide. My guess is that it also contains some kind of chicken broth powder to give food that "slow roasted chicken" flavor. McCormick suggests using this stuff on whole chickens, chicken parts, turkey burgers, and even in breading for fried chicken.

I've used McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning on both Purdue Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs and a skinless turkey "london broil". It did add flavor to the poultry,...

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njchicaa says "Kill off the worms in your dog or puppy's intestinal tract." about Safe-Guard 4 Canine Dewormer

njchicaa — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:41:32 GMT

One of the constants of animal rescue is that kittens and puppies have worms. I always deworm them with Pyrantel Pamoate four times in order to remove the common roundworms that they always have. With the last foster puppy, though, I was still finding worms in his poop which meant I was dealing with tapeworms--something Pyrantel cannot kill.

I bought a box of four 3-gram pouches of Safeguard 4 Canine Dewormer at the local PetCo for about $10 I believe. The main ingredient in Safeguard 4 Canine Dewormer is fenbendazole which kills tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. To use it you simply add the appropriate amount of deworming granules to canned food (there is a chart on the back of the box which bases treatment amounts on weight), mix well, and then feed to your dog or puppy. You must repeat the treatment for 3 days in a row to consider the dog fully-dewormed. That's it!

I've been very happy with Safeguard 4 Canine Dewormer. It was effective in eliminating...

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njchicaa says "If you like cooking and/or the Food Network, buy this magazine!" about Food Network Magazine

njchicaa — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:13:01 GMT

I'm not the best cook in the world, but I've been buying cookbooks over the years and trying to make new appetizers and dinners. I've gone from the greenest, most clueless person in the kitchen to someone who can whip up fairly impressive meals given enough notice. I recently discovered the Food Network and have become addicted to watching several hours of their programming each evening. When I saw that there was a Food Network Magazine, I decided to pay the full news-stand price and check it out.

Unlike other most other magazines, Food Network Magazine focuses on cooking. They feature new trends, quick tips, fresh ideas for using ingredients or updating dishes, Food Network stars at home/giving parties, and many new recipes and meal ideas. I used to really like Martha Stewart Living for the cooking information but over the years the focus has changed and now includes makeup spotlights, wine lessons, health information, etc. I don't want to read a magazine for health or makeup...

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pitcherday says "How do you screw up raw vegetables?" about Okoboji Grill - Ames, IA

pitcherday — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:46:40 GMT

I got a restaurant.com gift card for $10. I had heard good things about the Okoboji Grill in Ames, IA, so I decided to use it there.

I went in on a Saturday night about 6pm. Their special was prime rib. My husband loves prime rib which is why we were excited to be able to use a gift card for it. My husband ordered the prime rib special (which included a choice of potato and piece of garlic bread), and a dinner salad with Ranch Dressing. I ordered the Gyro Sandwich (it's beef, not lamb) with the "rabbit side" instead of fries. The rabbit side is raw vegetables (baby carrots, cucumber slices, broccoli, and celery) with a side of Ranch Dressing to dip them in. I also got a cup of the vegetable meatball soup.

The salad was fine. The soup was average. It tasted (and looked) like canned vegetable soup with prepackaged meatballs cut in half in it. It was fine. Then we got our main courses.

That prime rib looked nasty. It was brown. Brown like boiled meat, or the color beef turns when it goes bad...

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njchicaa says "This classic mix is a must-have in your kitchen pantry." about Lipton Onion Recipe Soup & Dip Mix

njchicaa — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:51:21 GMT

Lipton Onion Soup Mix is just one of those things that I always keep in my kitchen cabinets. It is supposed to be a dry soup mix but, in all honesty, I don't know of anyone who has ever actually used it to make onion soup. You can find it in every grocery store on the planet for less than $2 for two packges.

Everyone seems to have their own special use for Lipton Onion Soup Mix, including onion dip, meatloaf seasoning, hamburger seasoning, potato seasoning, marinades, etc. Personally, I use it for onion dip and mealoaf seasoning.

To me, there is nothing better than the lovely blend of sour cream and salty Lipton Onion Soup Mix. I actually get angry when I go to family and friend's houses and they serve the pre-made and completely white French Onion Dip with green specks scattered throughout. It is nowhere even close to how yummy the traditional onion dip made with this soup mix.

I've also used this soup mix to make meatloaf. I normally make my meatloaf like a giant meatball:...

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njchicaa says "Yummy appetizers that you simply heat and serve. " about Pillsbury Savorings Artichoke and Spinach Bread Bowl Bites

njchicaa — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:03:05 GMT

I'm becoming quite the foodie and can be really snobby when I go to a friend or family member's house and am served all pre-prepared appetizers, sides, desserts, etc. My mother-in-law is infamous for using that kind of stuff which is how I first encountered Pillsbury Savorings Artichoke and Spinach Bread Bowl Bites. I enjoyed them enough on Thanksgiving to buy and serve them myself last night when we had friends over for dinner.

As the name implies, Pillsbury Artichoke & Spinach Bread Bowl Bites are bite-sized bits of spinach/artichoke dip in miniature bread bowls that can be served as appetizers or snacks. You simply preheat the oven or toaster oven to 400 F, spread them out on a baking sheet, and then bake for 14-16 minutes until golden brown. You don't have to thaw them before heating them which makes them a perfect thing to keep in the freezer for unexpected or extra guests and you are scrambling to make sure you have enough food for everyone.

There are good artichoke and spinach...

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njchicaa says "My Sister's Keeper is a mostly-faithful version of the book. " about My Sister's Keeper (2009)

njchicaa — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:58:44 GMT

My Sister's Keeper was the first of many Jodi Picoult books that I've read over the years. Reading it blew my mind and cemented the book up in my Top 10 Books Ever. I had heard that the movie adaptaion of the book was simply awful, but I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised by it.

Of course, the movie follows the main plot of the book. A daughter had leukemia and couldn't find a bone marrow match, so her parents went to a fertility clinic to create a "perfect match" child that would be able to give blood cells, bone marrow, etc. as the older daughter needed it. By the time she is 11 years old, her older sister is in kidney failure and her parents are trying to force her to donate one of her kidneys to her sister. Anna has decided that she is DONE donating body parts to save her sister's life, and both hires a lawyer and files a suit for medical emancipation from her parents to ensure that she won't have to unwillingly donate a vital organ. As the case winds through the...

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njchicaa says "Pillsbury Pizza Crust is good for a quick meal, but that's it." about Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust

njchicaa — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:59:34 GMT

Friday nights between October and March are pizza nights in this house. I always make homemade dough the old-fashioned way with yeast, hours for letting it rise, etc. Still, there are some evenings when I'm tired, I just want to relax, and I won't want to have to deal with making homemade dough. When I saw Pillsbury Pizza Crust available in the refrigerated cases next to the crescent rolls and hot dogs, I figured it was worth trying out.

This Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust is a pre-made roll of refrigerated dough that you simply spread out onto a greased baking sheet. You are supposed to "pre-bake" it (just the dough on the baking sheet) for 5 minutes, remove it, add your sauce and toppings, and then bake the whole pizza for another 6-10 minutes.

I made our Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza tonight with a thin layer of bruschetta instead of sauce, a blend of shredded mozzerella and sharp provolone, and some chopped fresh basil sprinkled on top of everything. It made a decent "quick" pizza,...

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njchicaa says "This organic chicken broth is a great addition to many meals!" about College Inn Organic Chicken Broth

njchicaa — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:16:44 GMT

The more I cook, the more recipes I try, which means the more chicken broth that I need to buy and use in my cooking. I have tried to buy organic foods for the past two years or so, but with the current state of the economy, I've had to cut back in the food budget and switch back to many non-organic products just to save money.

I've been using plain old College Inn Chicken Broth for the past several months, so I was excited to find a 32 ounce cardboard box of their Organic Chicken Broth shoved into the back of a cabinet. It costs about $3.50 per box compared to a same-size box of non-organic chicken broth for $1.79, which is why I had to stop buying it for the time being.

College Inn Organic Chicken Broth is 99% fat free and USDA certified organic. According to the information on the box, it is made by simmering free-range (but no mention of organic) chicken, organic veggies, and spices. A 1-cup serving contains only 15 calories but a whopping 510 milligrams of sodium.

I use this...

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Jolie says "buyuggsboot.net is a scam! Ugg Boots from China that are fake." about www.buyuggsboot.net

Jolie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:22:46 GMT

Background on Buyuggsboot.net

A friend of mine at Viewpoints recently passed along a site called www.buyuggsboot.net. She found it online. www.buyuggsboot.net is a web site that sells all styles of Ugg Boots at discounted prices.

We werent certain if www.buyuggsboot.net were the real or not. But after a thorough review of the site, we thought it was legit. Buyuggsboot.net looks like a reasonable reseller of Ugg Boots. The page is designed well, the pictures look authentic and they make claim to having the real deal. They also consistently site throughout the web site having customer satisfaction commitments.

To add to the thought it was authentic, the pricing seemed good but not amazing. As you probably know a typical pair of Ugg Boots cost about $110. On Buyuggsboot.net the cost was $89.00- approximately a $20 savings. Seemed like a good deal, but they werent so cheap that I thought it could be scam. As an aside, last year Nordstrom had a similiar sale on Ugg boots so the pricing seemed...

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njchicaa says "A faithful and great adaptation of the 4th Harry Potter book." about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

njchicaa — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:00:18 GMT

I've been a fan of the Harry Potter series of books (and movies) ever since J.K Rowling started releasing them. For some reason, I missed seeing the fourth movie in the series, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, many years ago so I added it to my Netflix list and recently watched it for the very first time.

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire follows Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione as they work their way through their fourth year at Hogwarts, the school for the magical education of wizards and witches. Aside from the usual classes, struggles with Slytherins and Professor Snape, this movie also includes the Tri-Wizard Tournament. This tournament is between the 3 magical schools (Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons), is held every 5 years, and is designed to test school champions in their magical powers, courage, intelligence, etc. Witches and wizards over the age of 17 are eligible to place their names into The Goblet of Fire and the cup selects one champion from each...

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njchicaa says "I really enjoyed Half Broke Horses." about Half Broke Horses

njchicaa — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:22:06 GMT

Half Broke Horses is written by Jeannette Walls, a former entertainment reporter who wrote a gripping memoir of her childhood called The Glass Castle. This book tells the story of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith, and her life from childhood through adulthood and even up until she became a grandmother for the first time.

Lily Casey Smith had a challenging life. She grew up in poverty, eventually escaped Texas ranch life for Chicago, marries a man who is already married, divorces, and then moves to Arizona to start over again. She is a strong and confident woman who takes life as it comes, learns the lessons she can from it, and carries on as best she can in any given situation. It is very reminiscent of The Glass Castle in that both of the main characters refuse to be broken by what life throws at them and still manage to improve their circumstances as best they can.

I've long considered Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle to be one of the very best books I've ever read and I...

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njchicaa says "This is delicious and really inexpensive Extra Virgin Olive Oil!" about Trader Joe's Extra Virgin Olive Oil

njchicaa — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:59:36 GMT

As someone who is interested in cooking and always attempting to improve, I've been cooking more often with extra virgin olive oil. The problem is that it is so expensive at the local grocery store--$20 for a 1 quart bottle. I had been reluctantly buying it and sparingly using it due to the cost. When I saw 1 quart bottles of Trader Joe's Extra Virgin Olive Oil for just $5.99 each during a recent visit to the store, I picked up two and now wish I had bought several more.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made from the first pressing of the olives which means that it has the most color and flavor of all of the various types of olive oils. EVOO, as it is sometimes called, is full of heart-healthy unsaturated fats and lots of fruity flavor. Due to the strong flavor and expense, Extra Virgin Olive Oil is usually used for sauteeing, marinades, salad dressings, etc. You don't want to use it for baking due to the strong flavor or for frying due to the low smoke point. I use Trader Joe's...

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njchicaa says "Add flavor to steaks and burgers with the Steakhouse Grinder!" about McCormick Steakhouse Seasoning Grinder

njchicaa — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:59:05 GMT

My husband loves to try different seasonings and rubs that he finds in the spice section of the local grocery store which is how we wound up with the McCormick Steakhouse Seasoning Grinder. It is sold in a 1.3 ounce glass bottle with a grinding apparatus at the top.

This McCormick Steakhouse Seasoning Grinder contains a blend of spices and herbs including black/pink/green peppercorns, red pepper, sea salt, garlic, onion, parsley, and paprika. I've always liked the various McCormick steak and burger seasonings that I've tried in the past, so I figured that I'd like this Steakhouse Seasoning as well... and I was correct.

The big selling point of this Steakhouse Seasoning is the fact that the jar has a built-in grinder so you can add freshly-ground spices to your beef, chicken, etc. To dispense them, you simply remove the top, turn the jar upside-down, and then twist the "base" to grind and sprinkle the seasonings onto the food.

I've used the McCormick Steakhouse Seasoning Grinder...

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njchicaa says "Omaha Steaks Burgers are mediocre pre-made hamburger patties. " about Omaha Steaks Burgers

njchicaa — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:17:29 GMT

We recently placed a couple of Omaha Steaks orders and wound up with a package of 6 free Omaha Steaks Hamburgers as a "free gift" with purchase. We've had them for dinner twice now and, while they aren't horrible, they aren't something that I'd go out of my way to buy in the future.

These Omaha Steaks Burgers are four ounces each and contain North American beef. Each one contains about 290 calories and a whopping 23 grams of fat. There are no seasonings mixed into the ground beef which means that, although the Omaha Steaks Burgers are very juicy, they don't have any real flavor.

A package of six of these 4-ounce hamburgers costs $21 plus shipping. Seriously, I can buy twice as much ground beef at less than half of the cost at the local grocery store, add some seasonings, and make a much tastier (and leaner) burger. Omaha Steaks Burgers aren't totally awful, in fact they are pretty juicy though without much flavor. In fact, they are probably better than your typical pre-made...

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njchicaa says "Ziploc Evolve Gallon Bags: kind of the Earth but very thin." about Ziploc Evolve Gallon Food Storage Bags

njchicaa — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:42:45 GMT

I'm always looking for environmentally-friendly alternatives for the products that I usually use. When I saw Ziploc's Evolve series of plastic storage bags, I decided to try them out despite the fact that they were more expensive than the regular ones. Ziploc claims that their Evolve Food Storage Bags are "better for the environment" because they are ultra-light bags that use 25% less plastic and are made with wind energy.

I typically use gallon-size food storage bags for two things: marinating meat in the fridge and storing meats in the freezer. Ziploc Evolve Gallon Storage Bags work well for soaking beef, chicken, pork, and even fish in a marinade for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. They hold in the food and liquid marinades without the leaks that I've experienced when using other brands of plastic storage bags.

As for long-term use in the freezer, the jury is still out on that one. There are only 2 of us in the house and I usually buy meat (chicken breasts/thighs,...

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