I keep apologizing for being behind on reviewing products I receive. It’s time to make some decisions about how I handle things going forward. In the meantime, I am getting toward empty shelves. Here are some of my latest favorite products.  This post contains affiliate links. If you are looking for more, check out these links. Not only will you find some unique things, but you’ll help me out as I get a commission on these. It’s always time for ice cream…                                          I love ice cream any time of year and I had a lot of fun making some with Hijinx . No ice cream machine is needed. Just use a blender to put your favorite ingredients together for your preferred flavor. The only requirement is milk and the best part of Hijinx is that you can use any milk you want. I put together low-fat milk (the mix does have a high 11-gram fat content), peanut ...

I have lots of healthy and plant-based selections for this month, but I couldn’t not mention tequila. After all, July 24 th  is National Tequila Day – a.k.a. my birthday! A tastier gluten-free option... I love sweet potatoes so I was more than happy to receive some Let’s Do Organic Sweet Potato Flour made from the vegetables from my friends at Edward & Sons. This flour is full of flavor and fiber. It also holds moisture better than a lot of other flours. I was excited to put this together with chocolate. My  Loaded Sweet Potato Brownies  were a big hit. Tip: sweet potato flour can burn at lower temperatures than other flours, so avoid it (or mix it) in recipes that cook at high temperatures.  Then there’s Casava… I didn’t know much about casava before the flour bag came along. It’s made from the cassava root so it is gluten and grain-free.  It’s also high in Vitamin C.  Casava flour can easily substitute 1:1 for regular flour. I haven’t h...

Life is continually changing in 2020 and I am going with the flow. I had already cut down on traveling for health issues, and Covid-19 has made that part of my life non-existent. With all the time I’ve spent at home, I’m glad the product reviews have increased. I’ve found some wonderful things I’d like to pass along. As always, I appreciate it if you purchase through my affiliate links below. Brunch cocktails for your picnic… What a great idea this is: your favorite brunch cocktails canned for takeout. There’s still time to enjoy the outdoors and we’ve all been doing a lot more takeout than restaurant dining this year. We Picnic Brunch has Mimosas and Bloody Mary’s canned for you to take wherever you’re going. I absolutely loved the Bloody Mary, full of flavor with a little spice. It’s 5.5% ABV. The Mimosa is not quite what you might be used to as it has some other fruit flavors (not specified) in addition to the usual orange juice, but it is good. It has a 6.9% abv. Oats, the ...

This is the first July in a long time where I’m not featuring tequila. With July 24 th officially National Tequila Day, as well as my birthday, it’s been a standard column. This year, I feel that I’ve been doing a lot of tequila year long and have been receiving a lot of other yummy products to try. I guarantee you’ll be thirsty and hungry by the time you are done reading this!   Speaking of my birthday… Baked Cravings is a bakery in New York City that is peanut and tree nut free. They ship some of their treats nationally, including their Cupcakes in a Jar. Their feature flavor is Cookies & Cream and it arrived at my door in time for my birthday breakfast. I am never one to turn down cake for breakfast and this one was utterly amazing. Although cookies & cream would not have been my first choice, this one was perfect. The chocolate cake was deep and rich and the cream was sweetened just enough. Baked Cravings has many other flavors of their Cupcakes in a Jar. Y...

Spring has sprung and it’s time to make things simpler so you can enjoy the weather. I’ve got some great options for you this month, and plenty to wash it down with. Spring Chicken… Moore’s Marinade sent me two of their popular sauces to try out: Asian Teriyaki Wing Sauce and Honey BBQ Wing Sauce . I invited some friends over and got cooking – without a sweat. For the  Asian Teriyaki Wing Sauce , I marinated wings in a Ziploc bag for the day. In the meantime, I put a family-sized package of drumsticks in my crockpot with the Honey BBQ. I cooked that on low for 6 hours. A friend through the wings on the grill (with a little extra sauce on top) just before the drumsticks were done. Both recipes were delicious – and so easy! I recommend picking up some from Amazon . Mangia Italiano… My Italian grandfather always pushed me to get better and better at my Italian cooking game. I’ve got my sauce down to a science, so I was a little hesitant to try Tuscani...

I have some really unique finds to suggest this month. I hope you like them as much as I did. Going wild for Beetology… This definitely qualifies as unique! When I was first approached by Beetology to test out their juices and make cocktails, I was a bit apprehensive. I love beets, but couldn’t imagine drinking them. Even borsht, a well-known Russian soup my father loved, was not my thing. I took the case of Beetology to my favorite bartender, Lionel, along with the recipes I was given. It was a cold night so there were just a half-dozen of us there. We did some experimenting with the juices, making the Beety Bloody Mary, Tropical Beet-a-colada, Berry-Beet-a-rita, Bourbon Beet-It, and the Beetology Zinger. A couple people liked the Berry-Beet-a-rita and Beetology Zinger, but we couldn’t say we’d go out of our way to make them again. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we all LOVED the juices on their own. They are very healthy, 100% natural juice with no add...

Nothing says a New Year like some bubbly. Here are three I like that are inexpensive and tasty. Bring out the bubbles… Côté Mas Jean-Claude Cremant de Limoux Brut is a fruity sparkling from France which you can pick up for around $10. It has a bit of sweetness, mixed with citrus. I would not take too much notice of the “Brut” (dry) on the label. For something very different, the Côté Mas Crémant de Limoux Rosé (also a sparkling) is delicious. It’s very light and filled with strawberry and raspberry notes. Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is a standard in restaurants. When people ask me about an easy to fine, inexpensive white wine in a restaurant, it’s a go-to. That’s why I was happy to try their sparkling, I quickly agreed. The Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore is also one you can count on, whether it’s at home. It has a bit of apple sweetness, and floral notes, that make it easy drinking. Straight up or in cocktails… With the Santa Margherita Prose...

It’s Halloween week, which means it’s time for parties – and partying. Here’s a few things you’ll want to check out. Let’s Get Monster Smashed… It’s the perfect title for this book: Let’s Get Monster Smashed, Horror Movie Drinks for a Killer Time . It’s put together by Jon and Marc Chait, and the book is as colorful as the drinks. It all starts with a great breakdown of liquors and liqueurs, everything from vodka to Lillet Blanc. You’ll also find a section listing all the tools you will need to make these deliciously monstrous drinks, as well as “Satanic Syrups” you need to know how to make. I highly recommend adding this book to your bar. Here’s a few of my favorites: Monkey Brain (peach brandy, cream liqueur and grenadine), to drink during Faces of Death; Pazuzu’s Puke (brandy, dark rum, milk, vanilla sugar, green food coloring and corn flakes), to go with a night watching The Exorcist; and Big Fishbowl Punch (white rum, blue curacao, lemon lime soda and shark gummies), ...