27 Jan 2016
by linettefm
in Baking, Coffee, Cooking, Drinks, Family, Food, Gadgets, Home, Ozeri, Product Samples, Review, Tech, Tools
Tags: Almond Milk, Amazon, amazon kitchen products, Amazon Products, Amazon Promos, ASIN: B00BISKPMG, Battery Operated Milk Frother, blend, blenders, blending, Cappuccino, chai teas, Coconut Milk, coffee, cold drinks, Creamers, creams, drinks, easy to clean, electronic whisk, Food, frothing, Handheld, Handheld Mixer, Health, home products, hot chocolate, housewares, Item model number: OZMF1, kitchen, kitchen tools, Lattes, milk, milk frother, Mixers, rich and smooth foam, stainless steel, Tea, teas, warm drinks, whisk

I have been disappointed time and time again by frothers, because they’re made so shoddily and don’t last. I’ve bought several, from big national brands to smaller, lesser-known brands and to a one, they’ve all failed. I think, finally, I’ve found a frother that will be with me for the long haul. And I have Ozeri to thank.

Most frothers seem to made to be uni-taskers, as well as disposable. Use it to froth milk and then put it away, hoping it works the next time you need it. Ozeri, however, made their Deluxe Stainless Steel Frother to be used all over the kitchen , for multiple jobs, and to last and look good doing it. The frother comes with 3 different attachments, and a spare frothing head. The beater and whisk heads seem dainty, but the whisk held up to a couple of eggs in a cup for an egg wash, and the beater did just fine for a small amount of ganache for a cake. Ozeri refers to it as a “cocktail mixer”, but I’ve retasked it in this house since we don’t drink cocktails. It was dynamite, however, for a vinaigrette for my salad. Yay. Powered by two AA batteries, it has two settings (low and high, up to 15,000 RPM’s!!) to meet the needs of whatever task you throw at it. And the stainless steel body is a cinch to clean and feels solid in your hands. The top mounted clicker to turn it off and on is easy to use and reach as well. It comes with a matching stainless steel stand, but it’s a little finicky about placement and because there’s heft to the frother can become unbalanced easily, so I don’t always use it. But that’s a minor quibble about what I consider a bulletproof product. After a soild 2 weeks of use, this frother has had nary a hiccup and I foresee it becoming a long standing member of our little family. Ozeri even included the batteries this time (How I love that!) so you’re good to go right out of the box.
Frothers come and frothers go, and anyone who’s had one can attest to that. Nothing’s more frustrating than a product you come to depend on and it fails you. Ozeri understands this and makes their products top-notch and made to last. But I know that Ozeri would stand behind their products 100% if for some reason it failed you, and for that, as well as the above reasons, I recommend this product highly!

Get in touch with Ozeri’s family of products:
I received the above product(s) free of charge from Ozeri. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.
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12 Nov 2015
by linettefm
in Baking, Cooking, Food, Product Samples, Product testing, Review, Uncategorized
Tags: #TRYAZON, algin or sodium alginate, ammonium chloride, and seeds. Rhodes does not use any tree nuts, Ascorbic Acid, Baking, Beta-Carotene, BROWN SUGAR, carob bean gum, cheese culture, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Rolls, Citric Acid, Corn Syrup Solids, cream cheese (pasteurized milk and cream, DAIRY Individuals with food allergies: This product is manufactured in a facility that processes foods containing wheat, DATEM, desserts, Easy Baking, enzyme (for improved baking). Cream Cheese Frosting: powdered sugar, ferrous sulfate or reduced iron, Fish, folic acid, Freezer aisle, Frozen Cinnamon Rolls, Frozen Desserts, Frozen Foods, high fructose corn syrup, malt, margarine, margarine (palm oil, meat, milk, mono & diglycerides, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Neighborhood Walmart Store, Niacin, Nonfat Dry Milk, or shellfish., Peanuts, Rhodes Bake-N-Serv™, Rhodes Breads, Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls, Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls Review, Rhodes Rhodes Bake-N-Serv™ Review, riboflavin, Salt, sodium benzoate (to preserve freshness), sodium phosphate). CONTAINS: WHEAT, sodium stearoyl lactylate, Soy, soy flour, Soy Lecithin, SOYBEAN OIL, soybean oil and/or canola oil, thiamin mononitrate, Unbleached enriched white flour (wheat flour, Vitamin A Palmitate, Walmart, Water, wheat gluten, Yeast, yeast nutrients (calcium sulfate

I have always been a fan of frozen foods, like vegetables and fruit that go out of season but are readily available all year round. Sometimes even perfectly frozen blueberries will cost less that fresh ones and be in better shape, so the freezer aisle to me is not something I completely avoid. Even companies offer organic meals nowadays from the freezer aisle. I have picked up many “artisan style” breads that come frozen from a local bakery because you just pop them in the oven, bake and have fresh baked bread in 20 minute’s time! Simple ingredients I am fan of and being a cook and baker makes you become familiar as to what goes in what you are making/eating. The freezer aisle is only bad if you purchase ready made meals to baked goods that are more chemicals than real ingredients! This is where we get lost and it’s disappointing because convenience comes at a price and sometimes it’s not even that convenient in the first place.
I tried the microwaved cinnamon rolls before from Rhodes and reviewed them here. Not bad for a microwaved baked good. On the same trip I picked up a bag of the bread loaves, and a bag of the cinnamon (individual) rolls. Two items I bake at home from scratch, so I was looking forward in using them on a busy week. This week, was a very busy week!
Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls (Bake-N-Serv™) with Cream Cheese Frosting
Preparation-
I open up the bag and notice that the individual cinnamon rolls are really partnered in twos and threes. I had a hard time at the store feeling the bags and was hoping I picked well enough because I noticed some were more blobs than others. I travel with two coolers (one for frozen goods and one for fresh), so things defrosting in the truck just does not happen. I can buy ice cream and still shop for 2 to 3 hours without it even it defrosting on the top! I try my best to seperate the rolls, but they seem very attached to their companion, so I do my best.
The directions were simple and opted to go by the one that resembled closest to the time it takes to bake them from scratch. My cinnamon rolls take 1 hour for the dough to rise, you make the roll and cut, then another 30 to 40 minutes for them to rise again, plus bake for 20 minutes! Simple and easy. I put the frozen cinnamon rolls from Rhodes in the oven, which was pre-warmed to 170 degrees. The directions stated it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes for the rolls to proof and double in size. I’m 2 hours in and watching these frozen rolls more than I do those made from scratch and they are oozing larger in size but not rising. My oven is less than a year old and I check the temperature. Holding at 95 degrees and no change when it comes to rising…..just oozing bigger. I take them out and they are technically double in size (flat wise), so I warm the oven to bake the rolls.
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Baking-
In they go and use convection mode and set the oven to 325 degrees. Directions are clear about not over baking and leaving them in for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are light brown in color.
My house smells bread-y but not that yeast dough you associate with cinnamon rolls. I look in the oven and the rolls look like they are swimming in yellow oil, so I go and look at the ingredients. I shouldn’t have! You have a chemical concoction that makes the cinnamon rolls out of tubes look like saints. You have everything from oils, corn syrups, sugars in every way they can be made down to margarine and so forth. I just don’t see the waiting time worth it when I saw what was in these rolls. I remind myself I ate onion flavored puffy ring chips yesterday, so sometimes chemicals taste good 🙂 . I allow the cinnamon rolls to bake 25 minutes to get a light brown color and notice the dough has pockets that resemble bread, not the ribbon texture you associate with yeast dough, but I’m committed and now it’s too late to bake anything since I have to start dinner.

This is after “incorporating” the bag’s contents more, as they like to separate.
Frosting-
I allow the cinnamon rolls to cool and get a baggy of the frosting. It’s yellow in color and not just a faint hue, it’s yellow. I turn over the bag and I recalled right, it states cream cheese but this is not like any cream cheese frosting I have ever seen. The directions state to incorporate the icing and I do the “smashy thing” but it still looks undesirable. I cut the tip off the bag and I taste it……..it’s so sweet and the texture of cupcake icing, not at all like what you put on a roll. Also, cream cheese is there in words but your taste buds just does not pick it up.
Taste Test-
I serve us each a roll and even my Husband says the icing is just so wrong. I take a bite and this is one oily roll that is dry at the same time and you see and smell cinnamon, but you really don’t taste it. I did not finish my roll. Not worth the calories and my Husband does not either. I use to buy the cinnamon rolls in the refrigerated section when we dated. They were fine but never like the bakery, so I began learning to bake and trying recipe after recipe. My Husband will at times even pick-up a tray from the grocery store’s bakery and they are edible and a nice treat for those days I was too tired or busy to bake. The Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls were not unfortunately, not worth the effort and I just don’t get why they are frozen to just be a disappointment. I also don’t understand the amount of poor ingredients that I can respect chemicals to produce let’s say a Spicy chip that tastes like a taco or something. You get your junk food fix and you will crave a bag in 3 to 6 months time again. These cinnamon rolls did not even satisfy a craving as such! Sad…….very sad because in this house we do think sweet goods are worth the calories and fat, but rule #1, it needs to taste good!
I dislike having to give a negative review but honesty comes first and when the cinnamon rolls in a tube taste better and you can find better (i.e. real butter, ect.) ingredients in brands like Trader Joe’s to even the giggling doughy guy, I just can’t say at least these were easy to bake, so you should get them. Taste matters and I don’t expect to get nutrition out of cinnamon rolls, but my taste buds need to be happy and cinnamon rolls are the type of food you eat with a smile. These=no smiles :(. The Rhodes microwave variety were passable and I would have never imagined since these required more time and came from an oven.
Connect with Rhodes at:
I received the above product(s) free of charge from Tryazon and Rhodes. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.
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11 Nov 2015
by linettefm
in All Natural, Baking, Coffee, Cooking, Drinks, Food, Fruits and Veggies, Health and Beauty, Living, Natural, Non-GMO, Nutrition, Product Samples, Product testing, Recipe, Review, Samples, Seasonings
Tags: #BetterBodyFoods, #PBFit, #TRYAZON, 1/3 less calories than traditional Peanut Butter, Almond Cake, almond extract, almond paste, Almonds, ASIN: B00KDCCYEA, ASIN: B00OAV9HW2, Baked Goods, Baking, Baking Soda, Butter, cake flour, Candied Fruits, chocolate, Chocolate Chips, Christmas Baking, Crystallized Ginger, Eggs, gluten free, GMO free, Good Source of Fiber, Good source of protein, ground hazelnuts, hazelnut flour, Hazelnuts, healthy baking, healthy eating, Holiday Baking, holiday baking. Christmas, Kosher, Kosher Salt, legumes, lemon extract, less calories, lower in fat, milk, No artificial colors, No artificial dyes, NO GMO, Nut, nut butters, orange zest, Panettone, Panettone Marble Pound Cake, Panettone Marble Pound Cake recipe, Panettone Pound Cake, Panettone Pound Cake recipe, PB Fit Chocolate, PB Fit Chocolate Review, PB Fit Original, PB Fit Review, peanut, peanut butter, Peanuts, Pistachios, powder nuts, Preservative free, Recipe, slivered almonds, smoothie mixes, Smoothies, sugar, Unsalted Butter, UPC: 897900222317, Vanilla Extract, white sugar
I have looked at powdered peanut butter but never actually purchased it. I sort of walked around it and wondered how it was when it reconstituted, how it baked when used in recipes, to even how it was when sprinkled over my morning breakfasts. I even imagined mixing the powder with peanut butter, creating a grilled PB Nutty &J sandwich that would make everyone stand in lines to get their fix. The BetterBody Foods PB fit is a brand that I saw was preferred mostly and touted as being the “must try” when it came to venturing into Peanut Butter powders.
Powdered Peanut Butter is not just one of those products that is made just so you can see if you can be done! It has it’s applications because I myself sometimes wish I could up the “peanut flavor” without having to add more nuts or even the butter itself. Formulations have doomed me when I cooked recipes or was experimenting and added too much peanut butter that created an unpleasant texture. From too much oil to even producing bake goods that baked up more like a crunchy paste than a bread or a cookie dough. Thankfully, our dog saves us when my PB creations have failed.
The BetterBody Foods PB fit is also a different product all together than what comes out of a jar and no butter knife required. You can easily add flavor and not sacrifice texture. You also have health benefits that come in to play that I had overlooked. The BetterBody Foods company powder offers:
- A Gluten Free Peanut Butter Powder
- Lower in Fats, which depending on the variety you buy that can be from 75% to 85% lower
- 1/3 less calories per serving compared to standard peanut butter
- Good source of protein and also fiber
- The Peanut Butter powder is also natural with no artificial ingredients, dyes, or preservatives.
- Simply Peanuts, Salt and Sugar made from non-GMO ingredients
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Okay, this Peanut Butter is a different nut all together in my book. It’s a cleaner and a more intense tasting peanut, so I opted to make a recipe and using the PB Fit powder because of the lower fat content but not lowered peanut tasting! With the holidays approaching, almond cakes and pound cakes are some of my favorite baked goods. They just go with anything from the seasonal fruits and berries, to just plain with a dollop of whipped cream or a warm sauce. I figured since I was being adventurous, why not make an Panettone Pound Cake and use a combination of products that are nut based.
Let’s Begin….
- 7 ounces of Almond Paste (grated)
- 2 sticks of Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 3/4 cups of White Sugar
- 4 Eggs (room temperature)
- 1 drop of Lemon
- 2 drops of Almond Extract
- 1 tablespoon of Vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
- 4 tablespoons of PB Fit Powder (you can use plain or even the chocolate variety. You can also divide the batch to make a marble cake by using both varieties)
- 1 cup of Cake Flour
- 1 cup of All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup of Hazelnut Flour (ground hazelnuts)
- Zest of one Orange (any variety you desire)
- 1/2 cup of Milk (room temperature)
- Optional 1/2 a cup to a cup of nuts like Pistachios to even mini chocolate chips. You can even add candied fruits, dry fruits (imagine figs) and crystallized ginger in lower amounts. You can also add slivered almonds on top when 1/4 baked through, and then make sure to cover (with foil) to avoid burning when they have toasted.
Set oven to warm at 325 degrees
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I start by grating 7 ounces of Almond Paste and added it to the butter and white sugar. Blend until creamy. Add eggs to the butter mixture and blend again until smooth and combined.
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In a separate bowl, add zest of the orange to your dry ingredients (flours, Salt, PB Fit Powder, and Baking Soda) whisk, and set aside.
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Add extracts. You then grab your dry ingredients bowl and in shifts add some of the dry ingredients and then some of the milk until all ingredients are combined. Do not over mix, as this produces a dry cake. You can then fold in the optional ingredients if desired.

I use a large pound cake pan, but you can even use a cake pan and make two layers with the cake batter. No rules here because I can imagine making a custard/pudding that would be divine with this cake. You bake the cake for 60 minutes and if it starts to brown too much on top, cover with foil. At the 1 hour mark, raise the temperature to 350 degrees and bake until done. Cool for 5 minutes and then flip the cake on to a wire rack to cool an additional 1 to 2 hours before slicing.
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This cake is like a Panettone in flavor but with a heavier texture to resemble a pound cake, which has a crumb that can withstand more than the airiness you get from a Panettone batter. You bake it slow to allow the flavors to build, the butter to brown, and to yield a moist pound cake. Enjoy!
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Verdict:
So, it’s a product with the name PB fit and I made cake (I know)! Well, I’m a girl that thinks even fit focused products can create magic with what is seen as naughty. They talk about clean eating, well I think that applies to baking too. Alienating a product because it carries the word “fit” would just be silly and the BetterBody food company is about making products better for the consumer, and I always say when you use top quality ingredients, you can never go wrong and this cake proves it! It’s a little of naughty and nice to go with the holiday season. The holidays are about experiencing flavors from pumpkin to dark chocolates, and peanut butter is no longer seen as just the “poor man’s nut”. Many companies make exceptional peanut butters that are even considered gourmet creations. BetterBody Foods, allows the consumer to take a known product that is just not like any peanut butter I ever tasted. There is that cleaner taste that is more intense and closer to the nut’s true flavor because of the simple process they use that equates to just less processing in the first place! I can make the powder into a butter by adding water, so don’t think your sandwiches are in jeopardy. I can’t wait to make a peanut butter cookie because this is the product I have been waiting for! On Halloween, I added the PB Fit Chocolate powder to crispy rice (cereal) treats and they were different and gone before the evening was over. It was one of those moments where I was about to add peanut butter and thought I already add mini chocolate chips to the top of the treats when they are cooling, so why not add the powder to the marshmallow and butter mix. It took just 4 tablespoons to create a flavor that made my treats vanish, and any cook and baker loves that!
Topped with whipped cream
Or Custard or Enjoy as-is.
Connect with BetterBody Foods and get your PB Fit fix at:
I received the above product(s) free of charge from PB Fit and Tryazon. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.
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29 Sep 2015
by linettefm
in All Natural, Food, Fruits and Veggies, Grilling, Living, Natural, Non-GMO, Nutrition, Organic, Product testing, Recipe, Review, Samples, Seasonings, Uncategorized
Tags: #MeatlessMonday, #MomsMeet, 15 minutes or less Meals, All Natural, Amazon, bean-based pasta, Beans, better eating in 2015, black bean, Broccoli Flour), Broccoli Noodle (Semolina, Buttermilk, Calcium Sulfate, Calcuim Sulfate, Carrot, Chili Pepper, Chipotle Pepper, Chives, Citric Acid, Confetti Bean Pasta, cooking, Cooking Simple, Corn, Corn Starch, cream, Dinner, Dry (Cane Sugar, Dry (Corn Maltodextrin, Dry (Sugar, Dry (Tomato, family, family meals, Food, garlic, Green Lentil Rotini (Green Lentil Flour, Green Moms Meet, Ground Rice, healthy eating, healthy meals, Homestyle Mac & Cheese, Italian Red Lentil Penne, Jalapeño Pepper), lactic acid, Leek, Lemon Flavor, Lemon Peel, Lentil Pasta, lunches, Meals, MeatlessMondays, Mediterranean Green Lentil Rotini, milk, Mixed lentil Pasta, Modern Table Bean Pastas, Modern Table Homestyle Mac & Cheese Meal Kit, Modern Table Meals, Modern Table Meals Review, Modern Table Pesto Meal Kit, ModernTable Meals, Moms Meet, Natural Basil And Butter Type Flavors, Natural Flavors (Caramelized Onion, Natural Garlic Flavor), Natural Parsley And Cheddar Flavor), Natural Roasted Tomato And Mirepoix Flavors, Natural Sesame Flavor And Silicone Dioxide), Nice Dinners, No artificial colors, No artificial flavors, Oat Fiber, Onion, Parmesan And Romano), Parmesan Cheese Powder, Pasta, Product testing, protein packed meals, Red Bell Pepper, Red Lentil Rotini (Red Lentil Flour, Review, Salt, sauce Mix, Sea Salt, Seasoning, Seasoning (Black And White Sesame Seed, Seasoning (Natural Lime Flavor, Seasoning (Sea Salt, Seasoning (Spice, Seasonings, Shallot, Side Dishes, Silicon Dioxide), Simple Dinner Ideas, Southwest Red Lentil Rotini, Soybean Miso, SOYBEAN OIL, Spice, Spices, Spinach, sugar, Tamari Soy Sauce, Target, Teriyaki White Bean & Broccoli Noodles, Tomato, Tomato Suace, Uncategorized #MeatlessMonday, Vinegar, White Bean Noodle (Navy Bean Flour, Xanthan Gum, YEAST EXTRACT, Yeast Extract And Parmesan Flavor)

Modern Table has been a guest on my blog before and it’s one of those products I tried and still continue to purchase today. We all eat them both in cold and warm dishes because it’s a great alternative to pasta that I really don’t see it as just a substitute. The noodles have flavor because they are bean based. I admit there are even times I make a pasta salad and add the Modern Table noodles along with semolina flour based pasta! Yes, that is how good they are.
I was sent another sampling of the newest products released by Modern Table:
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I have at times deconstructed the meal kits to just get to the bean pasta, so this was a welcoming site. Finally, the pasta alone will be sold. There is a lot of benefits when it comes to Modern Table’s meal kits and bean pastas. For starters:
- Modern Table does not use GMO based ingredients (non-gmo)
- Their products are Gluten Free (except for the Teriyaki Meal kit)
- Dairy Free (Southwest and Teriyaki Meal kits, plus the Bean Pastas)
- Vegetarian Friendly
- Packing a protein punch like no other pasta because they are bean based, so you also have an excellent source of fiber.
- No artificial colors or preservatives
- This is real food with no gimmicks!

Verdict-
Taste means everything in this home because I don’t believe eating healthy means you should sacrifice flavor. It’s actually the opposite! Fresh meals that provide a good source of protein and vegetables should be packed with flavor and enjoyable to consume. Modern Table shares this same theory because we find their products amazing. You are also not limited! You can add fresh vegetables to even meats to the meals and customize them to fit your needs and/or cravings. I have over time learned to not boil the pasta as long as listed in the directions because we prefer a more al dente’ texture. The bean pastas lend themselves to many creations. Many times I have been in a hurry and need a filling meal that is also quick to make. I add a handful of the pasta to a roasted Red Bell pepper and Tomato soap and it creates one delicious meal in less than 12 minutes. I think it takes me more time to make the accompanying sides like toasting a slice of bread for dunking. There are times where I want a Pasta Primavera and use everything from eggplants, frozen organic veggies, to kale to bump up the flavors and I’m also a veggie junkie.
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The possibilities are endless with Modern Table and their new bean pasta bags mean I can just pour from the bag versus picking the pasta out from the kits. The Pesto meal kit goes great with grilled shrimp. The new Mac & Cheese meal kit is my ultimate favorite from the meal kits. It’s cheesy and has real white cheddar…….it just takes Mac & Cheese to whole another level! I added pancetta to mine and I don’t think I can go back to Mac from a box again.

Find the Modern Table Kit that fits your Cravings or Pick-up a Bean Pasta Bag at:
I received the above product(s) free of charge from Modern Table Meals. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.
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06 Feb 2015
by linettefm
in Coffee, Food, Home, Living, Product testing, Review
Tags: #MatchaDNAmilkfrother, 100% Money Back Guarantee, Almond Milk, Amazon, amazon kitchen products, Amazon Products, Amazon Promos, ASIN: B00MJFH9KS, Battery Operated Milk Frother, blend, blenders, blending, Cappuccino, chai teas, Coconut Milk, coffee, cold drinks, Creamers, creams, drinks, easy to clean, electronic whisk, Food, frothing, Green Tea, Handheld, Handheld Mixer, Health, home products, hot chocolate, housewares, kitchen, kitchen tools, Lattes, Matcha, Matcha DNA< Review, Matcha Green Tea, MatchaDNA, milk, milk frother, Mixers, rich and smooth foam, stainless steel, Tea, teas, warm drinks, whisk, Wiireless Mixer, wireless milk frother


I’ve been fortunate enough to review a couple of types of Matcha green tea here on my blog, and until now I was content using a whisk to mix it up nice and frothy. A couple of downsides to that is, as I’ve mentioned before, the tea stains things almost instantly and fairly permanently. The other is beating up my poor mugs with the whisk. That’s a thing of the past now thanks to MatchaDNA’s frother. For those unfamiliar with a frother, let me tell you it’s a kitchen tool you don’t know you need until you have it. And once you have it, you don’t know how you got along without it.
Mine is a no frills, simple frother. I use it for sweet drinks, savory drinks, for teas, milks and coffees, hot products or cold. It was a stainless steel whisk and shaft meaning it shouldn’t stain, rust, discolor or be affected by whatever drink or sauce you use it for. Yes, you can use this frother with a bechamel sauce or a vegetable puree. It’s small and compact which means it won’t take up a ton of precious counter space, and lightweight and maneuverable enough to not be a burden when you need it, like some hand mixers. Also, unlike hand mixers, this little dynamo is powered by by 2 “AA” batteries (sadly, not included), so no worries of dragging a cord through a sauce, or the sink, or a hot stove-top. When I’m done with it, I put a couple of drops of dish soap and turn it on in some hot water, wipe and it’s ready to go again or go back in the drawer. It feels well made enough to last me many years, too. Sounds like a winner to me.
A little tip for those of us who love whipped cream but hate the calories and overly creamy texture: A few tablespoons of milk in a small sauce pot, over a medium heat for a couple minutes, and then froth to create a light and airy foam. Spoon over hot tea or milk, with a little grind of cinnamon sugar, and Starbucks ain’t got nothin’ on this. With 1/3 of the calories and fat too.
Connect with MatchaDNA:
I received the above product(s) free of charge from MatchaDNA. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

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23 Jan 2015
by linettefm
in All Natural, Family, Food, Product testing, Review, Seasonings, Uncategorized
Tags: #MeatlessMonday, 15 minutes or less Meals, Amazon, bean-based pasta, Beans, better eating in 2015, black bean, Broccoli Flour), Broccoli Noodle (Semolina, Buttermilk, Calcium Sulfate, Calcuim Sulfate, Carrot, Chili Pepper, Chipotle Pepper, Chives, Citric Acid, cooking, Cooking Simple, Corn, Corn Starch, cream, Dinner, Dry (Cane Sugar, Dry (Corn Maltodextrin, Dry (Sugar, Dry (Tomato, garlic, Green Lentil Rotini (Green Lentil Flour, Ground Rice, healthy eating, healthy meals, Italian Red Lentil Penne, Jalapeño Pepper), lactic acid, Leek, Lemon Flavor, Lemon Peel, lunches, Meals, MeatlessMondays, Mediterranean Green Lentil Rotini, milk, Modern Table Meals, Modern Table Meals Review, ModernTable Meals, Moms Meet, Natural Basil And Butter Type Flavors, Natural Flavors (Caramelized Onion, Natural Garlic Flavor), Natural Parsley And Cheddar Flavor), Natural Roasted Tomato And Mirepoix Flavors, Natural Sesame Flavor And Silicone Dioxide), Nice Dinners, No artificial colors, No artificial flavors, Oat Fiber, Onion, Parmesan And Romano), Parmesan Cheese Powder, Pasta, protein packed meals, Red Bell Pepper, Red Lentil Rotini (Red Lentil Flour, Salt, sauce Mix, Sea Salt, Seasoning, Seasoning (Black And White Sesame Seed, Seasoning (Natural Lime Flavor, Seasoning (Sea Salt, Seasoning (Spice, Shallot, Side Dishes, Silicon Dioxide), Simple Dinner Ideas, Southwest Red Lentil Rotini, Soybean Miso, SOYBEAN OIL, Spice, Spices, Spinach, sugar, Tamari Soy Sauce, Target, Teriyaki White Bean & Broccoli Noodles, Tomato, Tomato Suace, Vinegar, White Bean Noodle (Navy Bean Flour, Xanthan Gum, YEAST EXTRACT, Yeast Extract And Parmesan Flavor)

I rarely cook out of a box or canned goods, and I consider that a good thing. If I need to open anything canned, it’s usually to make quick bean based side dishes, like black beans for Cuban meals, pinto for Mexican night, and so forth. I even making a kicking Italian salad with Quinoa, white kidney beans and garbanzos! I just try to make everything from scratch so I can control how much sodium, protein, to just avoiding preservatives and dyes when possible. Yes, it drives me crazy knowing I could sometimes really appreciate making a quick meal in 20 minutes or less and not have to dedicate the weekend to making meals for the week. I just tell myself….we are worth the hassle of eating better.
When I saw Modern Table Meals at Target, I just walked away and never thought about them again. It’s just another pasta dish with fake-o ingredients I thought to myself. The next week I saw them again and saw the bubble with the protein count listed (17 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber, per serving!). I stopped. Again, thinking I know everything, I imagined some soy or whey protein mixed in with whole grains and more corn based products, to make a meal. Again, I was so wrong so before I dug this hole any deeper…..I decided to just read, absorb and see what Modern Table Meals is all about,
My parcel arrives with 4 beautiful bags, a bag to store everything in, a wooden spoon with some serious nice weight and quality, oh and coupons galore! I’m starting to love them even though I wrongly judged a book by it’s cover here (insert foot in mouth).
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Modern Table has 4 delicious Meals to satisfy every craving:
See, what makes the magic? Beans!! Legumes!! Whatever you call them, the **sparkle** of protein and real food comes from gorgeous pastas and noodles that are bean based.
I’m all for eating healthy and practice Meatless Mondays that get moved around during the week (rarely is it on an actual Monday), but the point is it takes place at least once a week and if not two. So, good only goes so far in my book. I eat kale but I like the flavor, so when kale became the “It Food to Eat”, I had to hit a few stores to find 2 great stalks because everyone was juicing and pulverizing the heck out of them. My point is, I have to enjoy the meal beyond the numbers and healthy is not a reason alone food should not taste spectacular.
I started by making the Mediterranean Green Lentil Rotini. I open the bag and notice the veggies are dehydrated but retained shape and their beautiful color. Best looking dehydrated green onion I ever saw! It was just perfect in shape (not just turned into green dust) that I found myself squeezing the veggies to see how they looked and felt. Yes, I’m “that girl” that touches the produce before bagging it and I admit I sniff Pineapple bottoms too! 🙂
I read the instructions and everything is so easy to do. You just boil the bean pasta, whisk the sauces with water and/or oils, then toss and add the topping included. Everything in the bag contains no artificial colors or preservatives. Modern Table Meals took a shelf-stable product (i.e. beans) and just made it better and something a long time coming.
Cooking the Meal: As with everything, I made the product as instructed to see how it performs just out of the bag. I followed the directions and noticed that just 10 minutes had lapsed and I’m 75% done with cooking dinner. I felt like I forgot or missed something. You know like when you went out on a shopping trip and made it out of the store with good timing……yeah, I knew I forgot something. Retraced my steps and nope! This is too easy! Five minutes later and I try to make my insanity justifiable by noticing I forgot to cut open the topping bag (see, I did forget something). I top the dish and begin plating. I took out “insurance” on this meal by making it a side dish. I figured it’s better being safe than sorry and paired it with veggies and Naan Herb bread that I topped with left-over roasted chicken, goat cheese and an olive medley. It was Mediterranean enough and the chicken needed eating.
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Pasta and Veggies boiling
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Sauce (so goooood!).
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Everything combined, along with the topper sprinkled on top
Taste Test: Just by the sniff-test, I am starting to regret having made other food but then sometimes things smell better than they taste. I taste the pesto sauce and I am already wanting to save some for later separately because it’s so good. I can believe I just added water to make this! Then comes tasting the pasta alone because if it tastes bad, I’m saving the sauce for another meal. I forgot the pasta was bean based because the texture is desirable. I expected a floppy noodle or one that just disintegrates into odd pieces even though you never bit. Not this guy! It tasted like a flavored pasta shape, sort of like it belonged with the three color pastas you find at the market. So far, so good! I toss everything and then sprinkle. I have a taste before serving because why dirty the dish if I won’t be eating it…….I serve myself more than what a side dish called for! I must admit at one point I mixed my veggies into the pasta because I wanted everything to have that wonderful flavor. The sauce tastes real and the package tells me there is all this good stuff and none of the bad, but this tastes real like in homemade fresh. It does not taste like anything I ever had out of a box. I tell myself that I was always right about Modern Table Meals because things out of box are horrible, but these come out of b-a-g! See, I was right all along 😉

I can’t wait to try and share all the other ones!
Connect with Modern Table Meals at:
I received the above product(s) free of charge from Modern Table Meals. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.
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07 Jun 2014
by linettefm
in Food, Home, Product Samples, Product testing, Review
Tags: Almond, Almond Flour, Almond Meal, Bake, Baking, baking made easy, Banana, better for you foods, Bifidobacterium sp., Blueberries, Blueberry, blueberry bread, blueberry quick bread, breakfast, Cane Sugar, Dairy, Drinkable yogurt, drinks, Easy Baking, easy recipe, Filmjölk, Food, Frozen yogurt, fruit, Fruit Pectin, Granola, healthy eating, Healthy Eating Habits, Healthy Snacks, Honey, hormones free, Icelandic yogurt, kefir, kid's snacks, L. Acidophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Casei, L. casei + B. lactis 1billion, L. lactis subsp. cremoris, L. lactis subsp. lactis, L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis, L. rhamnosus, Leuconostoc subsp. cremoris, Live Active Cultures, Live Cultures, low sugar, low sugar breads, Maple Syrup, milk, Molasses, molasses breads, No artificial colors, No artificial flavors, no artificial sweeteners, non-fat yogurt, not treated with rBGh, one-bowl-baking, Pasteurized Skim Milk, Peach, Plain, Product testing, Protein, Protein Sources, quick breads, quickbreads, Raspberry, Recipe, Recipes, Review, s. thermophilus, Scandinavian dairy, seasonal fruits, Siggi Yogurt, Siggi's, Siggi's Review, Siggi's Yogurt, Siggi's Yogurt Review, skyr, Sprout's Market, Strained yogurt, Stubes, Summer Baking, Target, traditional Icelandic yogurt, Turbinado Sugar, Uncategorized Tags: All-Purpose Flour, Uncategorized Tags: Baking, Vanilla, Von's, whole wheat flour, whole white wheat flour, yogurt, yogurt based breads, Yogurt Drinks, yogurt tubes

I’ve been fortunate enough to get to try a whole host of yogurts, Greek style, European style, Australian style…the list goes on and on. Some have been great. Some, not so much. A few are now in my regular rotation. Siggi’s falls into that last category. You might not have heard of Siggi’s, but you really should make a point of finding yourself some.
Siggi’s is truly a different kind of yogurt. In fact, it called Icelandic Skyr, a protein-dense low sugar form of yogurt. Truthfully, they

My local Target carries the Siggi’s Yogurt Tubes in Blueberry & Strawberry
had me at “low sugar”. In the U.S.A., almost everything you can buy in the markets is salty or sweet. Overly so at that. Don’t believe me? Take a look at almost everything in the middle of the market. Sometimes I think the FDA has revamped the 4 major food groups as salt, sugar, corn and soy. So when Siggi’s skyr says it’s not too sweet, I jumped in with both feet. It’s got all the probiotics and active cultures of the best Greek-style yogurts, but the yogurt here is the star, not some syrup on the bottom or some packets of stuff in a sidecar either.
Here’s another bone to pick: the tubed yogurt marketed mostly to kids is loaded with sugar. It’s practically syrup itself . Yuck.
But not Siggi’s. The yogurt you get in the cups is almost identical to the yogurt in the tube! Nice. And while it’s not as thick as the cups, I’d assume to promote viscosity and ease of eating, it’s not some runny mess either. Finally, something you and the kids can share, and not have them hopped up on a sugar rush later! I’m in love with a tubed yogurt? I am, and I have no shame admitting it. It’s so good hubby made a tube or two a part of his morning breakfast routine.
I have tried only the blueberry tubes from Siggi’s so far, but I’m a big enough fan that I have plans to immediately go and get the other flavor as well. You can also freeze them and have a healthy frozen yogurt treat!
This is a product unlike any on the market today in the U.S., and if you’re like me a day you’re fed up with all the sugar in everything, get some Siggi’s today. You’ll wonder how you ever ate yogurt any other way before.

Connect with Siggi’s:
I received the above product(s) free of charge from Siggi’s. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.
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05 Jun 2014
by linettefm
in Food, Recipe, Uncategorized
Tags: All-Purpose Flour, Almond, Almond Flour, Almond Meal, Bake, Baking, baking made easy, Banana, better for you foods, Bifidobacterium sp., Blueberries, Blueberry, blueberry bread, blueberry quick bread, breakfast, Cane Sugar, Dairy, Drinkable yogurt, drinks, Easy Baking, easy recipe, Filmjölk, Food, fruit, Fruit Pectin, Granola, healthy eating, Healthy Eating Habits, Honey, hormones free, Icelandic yogurt, kefir, L. Acidophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Casei, L. casei + B. lactis 1billion, L. lactis subsp. cremoris, L. lactis subsp. lactis, L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis, L. rhamnosus, Leuconostoc subsp. cremoris, Live Active Cultures, Live Cultures, low sugar breads, Maple Syrup, milk, Molasses, molasses breads, No artificial colors, No artificial flavors, no artificial sweeteners, non-fat yogurt, not treated with rBGh, one-bowl-baking, Pasteurized Skim Milk, Peach, Plain, Product testing, quick breads, quickbreads, Raspberry, Recipe, Recipes, Review, s. thermophilus, Scandinavian dairy, seasonal fruits, Siggi Yogurt, Siggi's, Siggi's Review, Siggi's Yogurt, Siggi's Yogurt Review, skyr, Sprout's Market, Summer Baking, Target, traditional Icelandic yogurt, Turbinado Sugar, Uncategorized Tags: Baking, Vanilla, Von's, whole wheat flour, whole white wheat flour, yogurt, yogurt based breads, Yogurt Drinks


This is a bread that uses very little sugar and delivers a wonderful texture derived from the combination of flours and the moisture from Siggi’s Filmjolk yogurt. At 0% fat with Siggi’s drinkable yogurt and the little amount of sweetener used, this is a great bread you can enjoy with less guilt! I am able to enjoy it as a breakfast bread or even a dessert bread. Goes great with seasonal fruit and you can adjust this recipe easily by using any of Siggi’s yogurts. Very versatile and best of all…..very tasty!
Let’s get started……
Ingredients:
1 cup of Whole White Wheat Flour
1 1/2 cups of All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup of Almond Flour/Meal
1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
1 1/2 cups of Siggi’s Blueberry Filmjolk or any flavor you desire
You have your choice when it comes to sweeteners in this recipe and the goal is just to use 1/2 cup to get there and I used:
1/4 cup of Dark Molasses
1/4 cup of Maple Syrup & Orange Blossom Honey
1/4 Unsweetened Dried Blueberries and make sure to plump them before adding by using hot water and waiting 20 minutes for them to re-hydrate. You can get creative and warm a fruit drink (i.e. blueberry juice) to hydrate them and I have used the microwave method where I add the blueberries to a bowl, add water and then microwave to warm.
1/2 cup of fresh Blueberries
Optional- Sprinkling the top with Turbinado Sugar
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
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1/4 cup of Unsweetened Dried Blueberries
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Soak in warm water to add moisture and “plump up” the fruit
Start by re-hydrating your dried fruit and I went with blueberries but you can use whatever fruit or combination of fruits you desire.

Grab a bowl and mix your flour with a whisk.
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Add 1 teaspoon of Salt and teaspoon of Baking Soda
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Whisk to combine
Then add the Salt and Baking Soda, and whisk again.
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Siggi’s Blueberry but you can use any flavor you desire
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You need 1 1/2 cups of the Yogurt drink
Measure out your Siggi’s Filmjolk and set aside.
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You need 1/2 cup of sweeteners (liquid form) that can be derived from several sources.
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I went with a combination of 1/4 cup of Dark Molasses and then added the rest from Maple Syrup and Honey to reach the 1/2 cup quantity
Make 1/2 cup of any sweetener mix you desire.
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Rinse out the water from your blueberries
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Then add the fruit to your dry mix and incorporate
Add the re-hydrated fruit to your dry mix and fold until well mixed.
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Add the Siggi’s Yogurt
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Also the 1/2 cup of sweeteners to your mix
Then take the wet ingredients (Siggi’s Filmjolk and the liquid sweeteners) and add them to your dry ingredients.

Fold all ingredients making sure everything is well incorporated and mixed. You want to make sure there is no dry mix lurking and everything is mixed nicely and wet.

Grab a loaf pan, spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Add the mixed batter to your pan and spread evenly.

Take the 1/2 cup of fresh berries and start studding the top of the bread.
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I went with rows
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Not perfect
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Just making sure everyone gets at least 3 with every slice
Then, you can sprinkle with sugar to create a nice flaky crust (crisp top) and also sweeten the fresh fruit. I went with Turbinado sugar because I love the texture and how it makes a loaf just glisten!
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The sugar and especially Turbinado really makes a great crust.
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The larger crystals also create a crunch and helps sweeten the fruit just a touch
Bake the bread at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. My Blueberry loaf took 47 minutes and I did not need to cover the pan with foil at anytime but if yours starts to over brown, so ahead and cover loosely (tent) with foil.
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Give it 15 to 20 minutes to set before flipping the loaf out
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I use a toothpick or cake tester to loosen any caught edges before flipping
The loaf is cooled for 20 minutes and I use a cake tester to loosen any stuck edges before flipping and allowing it to fully cool.

I start slicing always after 1 hour or more of cooling to allow everything to rest and not lose any moisture.

I served mine with more fresh Blueberries and a nice smothering of whipped topping. The whipped topping was a cinch to make, just softened cream cheese, a little powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream. You just then let the mixer do the work until it’s nice and fluffy. You want an airy topping, not very stiff peaks……just a cloud for the berries to float on when served. Enjoy!

I highly suggest using Siggi’s Filmjolk yogurt and you can get your Siggi’s fix at:

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Siggi’s. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.
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30 May 2014
by linettefm
in Drinks, Food, Product testing, Recipe, Review, Uncategorized
Tags: Baking, Banana, better for you foods, Bifidobacterium sp., Blueberries, Blueberry, breakfast, Cane Sugar, Dairy, Drinkable yogurt, Filmjölk, fruit, Fruit Pectin, Granola, healthy eating, Healthy Eating Habits, hormones free, Icelandic yogurt, kefir, L. Acidophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Casei, L. casei + B. lactis 1billion, L. lactis subsp. cremoris, L. lactis subsp. lactis, L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis, L. rhamnosus, Leuconostoc subsp. cremoris, Live Active Cultures, Live Cultures, milk, No artificial colors, No artificial flavors, no artificial sweeteners, not treated with rBGh, Pasteurized Skim Milk, Peach, Plain, Raspberry, Review, s. thermophilus, Scandinavian dairy, Siggi Yogurt, Siggi's, Siggi's Review, Siggi's Yogurt, Siggi's Yogurt Review, skyr, Sprout's Market, Target, traditional Icelandic yogurt, Vanilla, Von's, yogurt, Yogurt Drinks

In my continuous effort to try every yogurt out there, I found Siggi. What is a Siggi’s yogurt? Well, I first was drawn in by their very clean and low-key look. Then I saw their motto of, ” simple ingredients and not a lot of sugar”, on the packaging. That is how I eat, cook, well practically live. Yes, I bake and often but I don’t enjoy very sugary or very salty foods. I like to taste the flavors nature provides in their simplicity. As I always do, I went over to Sprout’s market and got lost in the yogurt aisle. I even blocked some people while I reached as far as I could to get the blueberry bottle of Siggi’s Filmjolk. I was fortunate to have the company send me coupons because I wanted to feature them on my site after my husband and I shared just one cup of Siggi’s Blueberry yogurt. Yes, one cup is all it took for me to get on the “Siggi’s……oh, dear goodness I love you”, wagon! It’s not greek and it’s a texture and recipe that’s all it’s own. It’s rich but not super milky in taste, just creamy and whatever the flavor on the package shows, that is all you get with a touch of sweetness. That is all! Simple, good and now we always with a high tone say, “Seeeee-ggy”, when we reach for it. I do wonder what people think of us! 🙂

I did not get a coupon for the Filmjolk but you know when you have tried something from a company and it surpassed all your expectations? Well, Siggi’s did this so I just took the plunge and grabbed the last bottle of Filmjolk Sprout’s had in stock. I get home and I can’t wait for breakfast and sort of regret I had dinner already because a “dinfast” or “Breakinner” would have been perfect but off I go to get my beauty sleep.

The next morning, I wake-up tired and you know it went away once I knew my curiosity of what Siggi’s drinkable yogurt version was going to be like. Being that blueberries are at a reasonable price, plus I had just shopped for fruit, and I had granola in hand…….well, it was the breakfast of champions I created. Siggi makes a yogurt that leaves a zero film in your mouth or throat, but remains creamy in texture when eaten. I love it and not only did I fall in love when I took the “sniff” test, I knew right there and then to pour it over my banana, peach, blueberries, and granola breakfast……more what my husband calls my morning “scatter”. The yogurt is not bitter or sour, just think of being left with a clean palette and whatever fruit you picked as the after-taste. Refreshing and also fills you.
Ingredients as listed from the site:
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14 May 2014
by linettefm
in Food, Recipe, Review, Sweepstakes & Giveaway, Uncategorized
Tags: 2-in-1 recipe, 2-in-1 recipes, Almond Flour, Almond Meal, Available on Amazon, Baking, Berries, Cane Sugar, chocolate, Chocolate spread, Cocoa, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Powder, cookies, Dairy, desserts, Easy Baking, Egg, Enter to Win, Filbert Paste, Filbert Spread, filberts, Fior di Frutta, Food, Free Stuff, Freebie, Frozen Raspberries, Fruit Spreads, gifts, Giveaway, Giveaways, gluten free, Hazelnut, Hazelnut & Cocoa spread, Hazelnut and Chocolate spread, Hazelnut Paste, Hazelnuts, home, Italian, Italian hazelnuts, Italy, kids, Kosher, Kosher Certified, milk, Mother's Day Desserts, Mother's Day Ideas, No Gluten, Nocciolata, Nocciolata Organic Hazelnut Spread with Cocoa and Milk, Non GMO, Nut, Nut Pastes, Nut Spreads, nuts, organic, Organic Certified, Pastries, Pastry, Powder Sugar, Product Samples, Product testing, Puff Pastry, Raspberries, Recipe, Recipe Tags: Food, Review, Rigoni di Asiago, samples, Skim Milk Powder, Spreads, Squirrel, Squirrel Approved, Sugars, Sunflower Lecithin, sunflower oil, Sweepstake, sweepstakes, Sweepstakes & Giveaway, Turnover, Uncategorized Tags: Amazon, Vanilla, Vanilla Extract

Starting today and until June 1’st, you can enter to win the above package, which I received from Rigoni di Asiago. The box came filled with goodies that you can taste and some that you can wear, to the hazelnut bag you can shop with! Entering is super easy too:
Please, kindly just:
- Follow Rigoni di Asiago on Facebook here- https://www.facebook.com/RigonidiAsiagoUSA
- And also here on Facebook–https://www.facebook.com/NocciolataUSA
- Then on Twitter– https://twitter.com/NocciolataUSA
- and lastly leave me a comment on any of the reviews and/or recipes I shared.

4 easy small steps and this gorgeous box could be yours……..the hazelnut shopping bag melts your heart while you munch on the Nocciolata. Good luck!

Winner will be notified via the contact connected to your account. I will then forward the address to the company, which will then send the box to your home address, minus the squirrel of course 🙂

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