Reviews by lbeckley

lbeckley says "It's a boy!" about Frederick Memorial Hospital - Frederick, MD

lbeckley — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 13:50:05 GMT

My 19 year old daughter, Anna was pregnant and her due date was October 31, 2007. She had a wonderful pregnancy with no complications and no morning sickness. However, she was 6 months pregnant when she confirmed her pregnancy.
On the 29th, the health nurse stopped by for a visit. Anna kept going to the bathroom and complaining because she could not control her bladder. The nurse thought it was a normal thing because of the baby pushing on everything in side and left us with that thought.
On the 30th Anna had an appointment with her OB/GYN. Her control at this point was non-existent. We went to the doctor and he told us her water was broke and we should take her to the hospital.
As usual, the hospital staff was extremely kind and polite. Anna had pre-registered, so check-in was very quick, and soon she was settled in the birthing room in the birth section of the hospital. We had gone for a visit the Saturday before and I couldn't believe how things had changed in......

lbeckley says "WOW. I can order all this from my computer." about Amazon.com

lbeckley — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:17:12 GMT

    I had known about Amazon for quite some time, but was really reluctant to order online from anybody. Last Christmas our daughter and her family (consisting of 7) were coming up for the holidays and their mini van was full. I gave them small presents while they were here, but decided to have the bigger packages delivered to her Georgia home.
    I received her Christmas list in late October-early November and began shopping. The kids wanted scooters and Walmart had the best price, ordered them online and shipped. Some of the items were hard to find and I had to go with whoever had them. But, when I started shopping amazon.com I was amazed by the volume of merchandise they have. They have everything for about every room in the house and then some.
    Amazon allows me to split orders and send to different addresses. They also offer gift wrapping (for a fee of course), and will include a note free of charge to tell why the present was sent. If you can't decide on a gift......

lbeckley says "Gizmo is great to have around" about Black & Decker Gizmo

lbeckley — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:19:31 GMT

    I would like to take a moment to introduce you to my friend, Gizmo. He helps me out in the kitchen by opening all my cans for me, from the tiny 9-lives cat food can, to the big #10 size. Most of his time he is in the drawer and out of sight, but he makes a big appearance when I need him or when he needs to be energized by electric. If you prefer Gizmo to stay out of the way, but within sight and reach, he does come with a holder to be mounted under the cabinets. He will lay quiet and still on the counter while he is being charged.
    When he opens the tiny cat food cans, I have to hold him in my hand while he does all of the work. Larger cans just sit on the counter while Gizmo makes his way around them. If you install the rack you open small cans while it sits in the rack. The only time he failed was when I failed to realized that he needed to be charged.
    One of the greatest things about Gizmo is cleaning (that's in addition to his charged personality and charm).......

lbeckley says "Been eating them since 1967" about Utz Quality Foods - Potato Chips

lbeckley — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 19:11:03 GMT

    Utz, one of the best chips I ever tasted. They have been around since 1921, when Bill and Salie Utz were trying for a fresher potato chip. They started making them in their summer kitchen at 50 pounds per hour under the name of "Hanover Brand Potato Chips", in Hanover, Pennsylvania. As they out grew and could afford to enlarge their facility or build on a new site. The quality continued to be their main goal and still is the companies interest today.
    Salie passed away in 1965 and Bill followed in 1968. The company is run by their son-in-law, F.X. Rice and continues to make chips with the freshest ingredients. Utz is the largest independent privately held snack companies out there today and produces more than one million pounds of chips per week for distribution from Maine to North Carolina. The line changed to suit the tastes of a changing society, adding pretzels, corn chips and snack mixes to their full line of chips.
    If you visit there 600,000 square foot facility......

lbeckley says "It isn't just hot, it also has flavor" about Baumer Foods Crystal Hot Sauce

lbeckley — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:45:43 GMT

    I grew up with a bottle of hot sauce sitting on the dinner table and watched as my father doused it on everything he ate, except maybe dessert (but, even that would not have surprised me). Then I would watch as beads of sweat broke out on his brow. That's how I learned to appreciate hot sauce.
    There are many hot sauces on the market and some claim to be hotter than the rest. I like hot sauce, don't get me wrong, and some things have to have just a little to be good. I find that most of them don't have much flavor, they're just hot and I'm not the macho type trying to show just how much heat I can stand in my mouth.
    Crystal Hot Sauce does have flavor from the peppers that is put into it, and it is hot. I use hot sauce to add flavor, not heat.
    Crystal is made by Baumer Foods in Louisiana, and has been around since 1923. Alvin and Mildred Baumer founded the company and their son, Alvin A. Baumer, Jr. runs it today, and carrying on the family tradition of......

lbeckley says "Vegetables that are easy to prepare." about Green Giant Simply Steam Seasoned Garden Vegetable Medley

lbeckley — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:08:11 GMT

I had a coupon so I thought I would give it a whirl. I purchased Green Giant Simply Steam Seasoned Garden Vegetable Medley. I thought it was pretty good. Our picky daughter didn't care too much for them and my husband said the ones I make are better. This was different from the way I cook and since our household had gotten smaller, I thought it might be good for a change. The basic ingredients are: sugar snap peas, roasted potatoes, red peppers & garden herbs. When I finally read the label and found out that there are some preservatives added to protect the color, as well as water, salt, margarine, and a whole bunch of other things that I couldn't quite identify, I decided it wasn't that good for us. The sodium content was also high, a whopping 280mg and 11g carbohydrates, only 1g from dietary fiber. Milk and soy were also among the listed ingredients.
There are two servings per container. Now we are talking expensive as well as not really good for you. The best thing about......

lbeckley says "Gotta have it every time we go to Eastern NC" about Smithfield's Chicken 'N Barbeque - Henderson, NC

lbeckley — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 15:49:25 GMT

Traveling through the South is a treat. The people are friendly and the food is excellent. Since my folks came from Franklin and Vance Counties of North Carolina we visit there a lot. Generally we stay in Henderson and visit from there to all the relatives. One night we struck upon a new restaurant opened in Henderson in October of 2004, called Smithfield's. Being from the South I know good barbeque made with vinegar and spices as is made in Eastern North Carolina. That's the kind Smithfield's makes.
Smithfield's is a chain, but only in North Carolina to the East. They have been in business since 1964, a chain for 25 years and lays claim to being the largest BBQ chain in the state.
The first time we went to Smithfield's, I ordered the combo platter. Although, the food was incredible, it was much more than I could handle, as it came with fried chicken, barbeque pork, hushpuppies and 2 sides, for which I had cole slaw and French fries. I prefer my barbeque on a......

lbeckley says "Have a Taste Bud Celebration" about Carrabba's Italian Grill - Frederick, MD

lbeckley — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 19:03:40 GMT

    Last night my husband of 39 years took me out to dinner at Carrabba's. Since we had reason to celebrate, we ordered full dinners instead of appetizers. But, of course, anytime you go to Carrabba's, it gives your taste buds a reason to celebrate. Since I try to stay away from pasta, Italian food is general hard for me. Not so at Carrabba's. The food is delicious, including the vegetables.
    First, Heather, our server came by the table to take our drink order. After giving us time to peruse the menu, she return with water w/lemon for me and ice tea for my husband and warm delicious homemade bread for us to share. She had a plate with Italian herbs and garlic to which she added some of the olive oil, that is present at all the tables, to dip the bread for our first taste treat.
    I decided on Spiedino di Mare--shrimp and scallops coated with Italian breadcrumbs and grilled, then topped with a wonderful lemon sauce. With it I asked for a Caesar salad and the vegetable......

lbeckley says "Mom knew it was good for us. We thought it was candy." about Sunmaid - Raisins

lbeckley — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 22:12:02 GMT

    Remember when you were little and helping you mother or grandmother in the kitchen cook up some delicious taste treat? If it included raisins, it was probably Sunmaid. You know the one with the girl on the front with a big basket of grapes that would be turned in to a sweet natural treat. The trademark was inspired by Lorraine Collett Petersen. She lived in Fresno, California in 1917 and was discovered drying her dark curls in the backyard. Even though the package changed over the years Lorraine's picture is still Sunmaid's trademark. The product itself has been around since 1912 when the California Associated Raisin Co. proclaimed 6,000 California raisin growers.
    Mom didn't mind if we snitched a handful or two. She knew they were good for us even if we thought they were candy. This dried fruit is a great source of energy, natural sugars, potassium and fiber.
    Fresh raisins from Sunmaid. I can't think of a better snack or additive to a recipe. We used them......

lbeckley says "a taste I remember from my child hood." about Manning's Hominy

lbeckley — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:18:59 GMT

Being born in the South brings good rewards. One being that you find out early in life what good home cooking tastes like. One dish I remember from childhood that I really enjoyed was hominy. My husband of 39 years, shares this memory with me. He did not grow up in the South, but still grew up on Mannings Hominy. Since the product is already cooked, it is easy to prepare.
Fry bacon. Remove bacon from the skillet, but leave the drippings. Drain the can of hominy to remove excess water. Put the hominy into the skillet and let heat through. Be careful of splattering because of the moisture connecting with the grease. A little salt and pepper. Serve along side the bacon and a couple of eggs. What a taste treat.
Hominy is made from cracked white corn. It has no additives. Manning's Hominy has been around since 1904, when it was first canned in Baltimore, Maryland in the kitchen of Margaret Manning and sold door to door. At that time it was called Mrs. Manning's Hominy.......

lbeckley says "I love the Fall, but I have allergies" about Claritin D-12

lbeckley — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 19:49:43 GMT

    This is the time of year when my allergies act up the most. It is virtually dry outside right now, but we are into the fall. When the leaves come off the trees the spores start getting into the air. It will only get worst when the moisture is added to the decaying leaves and the mold starts to grow.
    When I get up in the morning I can feel the stuffiness in my head, along with the drainage at the back of my throat. Not a very pleasant feeling when you can't get a good breath.
    About 4-5 times a week I reach for my allergy medication, Claritin-D 12 hour. I have tried many prescription and over-the-counter products, but this one seems to work the best for me. I tried the 24 hour, but it just dries me out too much. Make sure you drink plenty of water while taking this medication. Check out the web site at www.claritin.com
    The product does contain pseudoephedrine sulfate, a nasal decongestant; as well as Lorotadine, an antihistamine. You may want to check......

lbeckley says "MMMMM Chocolate and Raspberries" about Mars - M & M's Raspberry

lbeckley — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:40:24 GMT

    Chocolate usually goes with almost everything. My favorites with chocolate are peanut butter (like Reese's, or a homemade candy called buckeyes), cherries (the chocolate covered kind are best), orange (like orange cream chocolate), strawberries (fresh sweet and dipped in chocolate), and raspberries.
    Raspberry M & Ms come in a candy bag much like regular M & Ms, but the bag is sort of pinky-purple. The M & Ms inside are a rosy pink and are larger than the plain chocolate. The best way to eat them is slow. Real slow. There is not enough raspberry in them to stick with the chocolate taste. The first couple you eat taste more of raspberries than the later ones. If you eat them slow enough, you will taste the raspberries a lot longer.
    Unfortunately for me, an open bag is one that is gone. I try to savor the flavor as long as I can, but the next thing I know, they're gone. Raspberry M & Ms do satisfy the sweet tooth and I really do love them.
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lbeckley says "They are soooo gooood " about Nabisco - Oreo Cakester

lbeckley — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:03:18 GMT

While shopping for groceries, we somehow got down the cookie aisle. That's not my favorite aisle in the stores as everything looks delicious and cost not only more dollars than I want to spend, but also more carbs and calories than I can rightfully budget. I spied a package of Nabisco's new "Cakester". My husband walked up behind me and started to telling me about the commercial. Since I don't get out much and don't watch much TV, I had not seen it. Evidently it was a summer camp and the kids sent a message down the line (similar to the old game of gossip we used to play), about this one kid (his name could have been Billy?) having a Cakester. By the time it reached the other end, it was that this kid, Billy (?) having a chest hair. I'm sure it was cute.
But, whether you have a chest hair or not the Cakester's are really good. The design is similar to the Oreo except the outside cookie is soft and a bit chewy, but not gummy. The cream inside is just like the cream used in the......

lbeckley says "Cleans practically anything" about Savogran Dirtex Spray Cleaner

lbeckley — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:27:20 GMT

When we ran our motel and needed cleaning supplies, we would go off to town and shop Sam's Club, Costco, WalMart, Lowe's or maybe Home Depot. Depending on what we were looking for, know which one carried which brand. One day one of us picked up a can of Dirtex (could have been the maintenance man). We had never heard of it. But, okay. It's worth a try. That's how we had developed our supply of cleaners anyway.

The first mirror I cleaned, I was hooked. The mirror shined the way it should've always shone. It wasn't streaked or smudged. All of the dirt was gone. The smell was clean, a bit of ammonia. We started using it on other things that were washable. Walls, painted surfaces, plastic coated surfaces, counter tops, windows, tile, bath tubs and sinks. Everything we used Dirtex on was sparkling clean. The rooms took on a fresh clean scent.

We found that the price was a bit higher than general cleaning supplies and it seemed to be harder to find. Usually at upscale hardware stores...

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lbeckley says "Best butters, preserves and jellies ever" about McCutcheon's Black Raspberry Preserves

lbeckley — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:26:18 GMT

The best applebutter I have ever had is made right here in Frederick, Maryland. The company has been around since 1938, started by William O. McCutcheon after he retired from a local canning company at the age of 80. The business is still family run by fourth generation sons and daughters. It is located at 13 S. Wisner Street. They sell wholesale to stores and retail in the store and mail order. Their web address is http://www.mccutcheons.com.

Applebutter is only one of the many items they carry. They have a full line of jams, jellies, fruit butters, and preserves; as well as salad dressings, relishes, pickles, hot sauce, mustard, and barbeque sauce. Then of course, let's not forget the delicious cider and juices.

I sold most of their products when we had our store, as well as used them in our home. Some of my favorites in addition to the applebutter, are the preserves-blackberry, blueberry, red raspberry, black raspberry, cherry, strawberry rhubarb and my very favorite orange...

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lbeckley says "Who can resist White Chocolate and Raspberries? Not me!" about Duncan Hines Signature Desserts

lbeckley — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 15:28:48 GMT

As I walked through the local Wal-Mart one day, I saw a display of cake mixes. Well, the picture on the box did look really good, but the price was higher than I usually spend on cake mixes. But, wait a minute! Everything you need is in the box-cake mix, frosting, filling. If I bought them all separate I would pay more. It's worth a try and who can really resist White Chocolate Raspberry? Not me!

I took it home and made the cake. The extra ingredients were about the same as go into a regular cake mix-water, eggs, and oil. Directions were normal-blend cake mix, eggs, water, and oil on low speed for 30 seconds, then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Bake in preheated oven 24-28 minutes for (2) 9-inch layers. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, you will need 1 cup of softened butter. Beat butter in bowl at medium speed for 1 minute, scrape sides, add frosting mix labeled...

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lbeckley says "Helps the digestive system and tastes good" about Dannon Activia Yogurt

lbeckley — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 14:51:36 GMT

One night when I was half reading half watching TV, a commercial caught my ear. It said the product would help your digestive system by eating it for as little as two weeks. They backed this up by saying-eat it for 14 days and they would give you up to $12 if you didn't think your digestive system had improved.

The product is Activia, made by Dannon, maker of one of top yogurt lines. I decided to check out the product called Activia online at www.activia.com. Activia contains "Bifidus Regularis," a natural probiotic culture that can helps regulate your digestive system by helping reduce long intestinal transit time." Bifidus Regularis is a ‘friendly' bacteria that's beneficial when eaten. Well, I knew that yogurt was supposed to be good for you any way and I have IBS, so I decided I would give it a try.

I found it a little more expensive than regular yogurt and does not appear to go on sale. Activia comes in a variety of flavors like-vanilla (my favorite), peach, strawberry, blueberry,...

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lbeckley says "the flavor that reminds me of my sweetheart" about Hershey - Cherry Cordial Kisses

lbeckley — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 12:45:25 GMT

When we were dating my sweetheart (now husband as well) would bring me boxes of chocolate covered cherries, as he knew that was my very favorite of all candy. When we moved I finally got rid of the last of the empty candy boxes that I saved.

Hershey has revived that flavor for me in their Cherry Cordial Kisses. When you unwrap the kiss it looks just like their regular chocolate kisses. But, when you bite into it you get a small gush of cherry juice. There are no cherries, but the cherry flavor is still in there.

The kisses come in milk or dark chocolate. My husband bought both, milk for himself and the dark for me. I haven't decided which I like. The wrappers are still the little pieces of foil twisted around each kiss with a tag sticking out to tell you it's Hershey Cherry Cordial. The milk chocolate is wrapped with red swirled with brown and the dark chocolate is wrapped with red swirled with purple.

Hershey makes a lot of different kisses, such as, Almond, Milk, Caramel, Cherry......

lbeckley says "I love my Bunn" about Bunn B10 Coffee Maker

lbeckley — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:26:53 GMT

Being in foodservice, you become familiar with commercial brands. I always loved the coffee in our restaurant and wanted the same quality at home. I purchased my first Bunn Coffeemaker made for home use about 15 years ago, and I have never been sorry. I always get a great cup of coffee and find the Bunn is faster than most other makers.
Bunn heats and maintains the water at 200 degrees, where most other coffee makers bring the water to a boil. Water is distributed evenly over the ground coffee and restaurant quality coffee is brewed in 3 minutes.
To set up the Bunn, place the coffee pot on the burner, fill plastic pitcher with water, pour into the coffee maker until it starts to run into the pot, then plug it in and turn it on. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to heat the water. Place the filter and coffee in the basket pour water through the top and in 3 minutes you will have restaurant quality coffee. Since I am the only one in the house drinking coffee right now,......

lbeckley says "My Purple Machine" about Dyson DC14 Animal Vacuum

lbeckley — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:02:19 GMT

Cleaning has never been something I liked to do, but if I have to do it, I want it done right. (A job worth doing is worth doing right). Dyson makes it happen. I was skeptical about all the plastic on this machine, but found it was worth a second look. We saw a demonstration and tried it out. It was easy to maneuver around the furniture and the dial to switch from carpet to bare floor was easy to turn. Best of all, the attachments were right on the machine. Even though it is an upright, it can do all my cleaning, such as baseboards, cracks, crevasses, ceiling fans, corners, mattresses, furniture, and stairs. With the click of a lever, the hose comes off for overhead cleaning, another click and the wand comes off, convenient for cleaning furniture. The only attachment that does not ride onboard is the one for stairs. The hose stretches so that you can clean your stairs without having the machine on the stairs. Just sit it at the bottom, turn it on, and walk to the top of the stairs......