MRLR May "Fab Foodie" Cookbook Contest (and April winners!)

I am so excited about this month's prize giveaway!

 I LOVE cookbooks and I'm thrilled to be able to offer this beautiful collection of 6 fabulous new cookbooks as this month's prize.

The winner will receive all 6 cookbooks, valued at over $120 !!!

To enter the contest, leave a comment below. And in keeping with the foodie theme, name your all-time favorite cookie with your comment, to be eligible to win.

No anonymous comments please. Please sign in with your blog account to enter if at all possible.

And check back the first week of June to find out if you are the winner! If you are the winner, you have two weeks to claim your prize.

Winner will be chosen by a random system.

Contest open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.



Here are my mini-reviews of the contest cookbooks:

Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking by Carla Kelly ($17.95 U.S./CDN $21.95) : If you are a vegan, vegetarian or wannabee for either, this is a new cookbook you'll definitely want to check out. Combining the ease and convenience of one-pot slow-cooking with a wide array of tempting, all-vegan recipes. The book also includes a handy "to serve with" section that offers 30 pages of side dishes, salads and breads to round out your slow-cooker dinner creations! An attractive, easy to use recipe format throughout. By the author of The Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale. Great for meat-eaters too, looking to add some new non-meat options to their recipe repertoire.

                     
The Mom 100 Cookbook by Katie Workman ($16.95 U.S./CDN $19.95): The sub-title for this book, 100 Recipes that Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket, says it all! A family-style cookbook with a definite "kid friendly" recipe emphasis. Would make a great gift for any mom on your list. Serving up the must -have comfort recipes including: Fudgy One-Pot Brownies, Lunchbox Wraps, Corn Chowder, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Variations, Caesar Salad and many more. Over 300 pages with tempting color photos throughout. Some good tips for "change-ups" and vegetarian options too. Also numerous suggestions for getting the kids involved with the cooking! A fun cookbook.

                          
Popcorn Treats by Hannah Miles ($15.95 U.S./CDN $18.95): What a fun and rather unique cookbook this is! A must-have for all popcorn lovers (and who isn't??). In addition to a variety of sweet and savory flavoured popcorn ideas, the book also includes recipes for: popcorn cookies, rocky road popcorn slice, popcorn pie, even popcorn lollipops! Tempting photos throughout this 64 page cookbook.

                 
Pop Party. 40 Fabulous Cake Pops, Props and Cakes by Clare O'Connell ($19.95 U.S./CDN $23.95) : If you are planning a special birthday or other celebration and are looking for some show-stopping handmade sweet treats to make; this is a cookbook you'll enjoy checking out. So what exactly is a Cake Pop? Moist, delectable cake "bites" decorated to match a party's theme, usually served on long sticks and embellished with all kinds of fanciful icings and decorations. There are: Turtle Pops, Tiger Pops, Crocodile Pops, Tiered Cake Pops....in addition to several gorgeous cakes including a Pink Ruffle Cake that would be a big hit at a baby shower or for your little princess' next birthday party. Instructions for other types of party decorations are also included: paper roses, pinwheels, cake bunting, pom-poms... A stunning and visually appealing presentation throughout.


The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl and Griffith Day ($24.95 U.S./CDN $29.95) : To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Back in the Day Bakery (a Savannah, Georgia landmark) authors/owners Cheryl and Griffith Day have put together a collection of some of their customers all time fav recipes. Down-home Southern treats that are tempting and sure to please. Recipes included many of the "baking basics/must-haves": Blueberry Muffins, Brown Sugar Banana Bread, 'Nana Cream Pie, Chocolate Chip Cookies....to the oh so decadent choices: Drunk Blondies, Red Velvet Cake, Chocolate Bread, Pecan Brittle...the list goes on and on. Over 200 pages of recipes, cooking tips and shared recipe origins and memorable moments. This is Southern-comfort cooking with stick-to-the ribs" appeal. Definitely not for diet days though LOL. A great gift idea for your favorite baker too.

American Bar by William Yeoward ($24.95 U.S./CDN $28.95): If you've always wanted an easy-to-follow home guide to making those amazing, upscale cocktails. The kind served in some of the finest hotels and bars in the world. Then this is a book you won't want to miss. The author takes his readers on a tour of 5 of his all time fav, iconic bars: The Connaght Bar, Annabel's, Berkeley Blue Bar, Beaufort Bar at the Savoy and The American Bar at the Savoy. From each of these places, Yeoward chooses his favorite cocktail recipes to share. Over 100 cocktail recipes are included: Amber Manhattan,Gin Lane, Absinthe Drip (oh, that sounds intriguing!), JF Julep, The Connaght Martini to name but a few. The book also includes some of the author's favorite personal recipes for canapes, suggestions for glassware and presentation and numerous tips and techniques. Would be a wonderful house-warming gift to accompany a bottle of the host's favorite spirits. Beautiful photos and presentation throughout.

Stop by the Thomas Allen website to read more about all of these fabulous cookbooks and browse  their other wonderful,top-quality book choices too. And if you can't wait to see if you've won the contest, there are ordering options for all of these books at Thomas Allen & Son.

***


And the April Earth Month winner's of the two Nature Clean Gift Sets are:

Brenda/Mullin Ave Workshop and Jessica/The Middle Class Mom.

Update June 1st. Jessica has not claimed her prize so a new winner has been chosen: Jen at Muddy Boot Dreams is the alternate winner.

Congrats Brenda and Jen!

Please email your mailing address to: MRLR at myway.com and I'll get your prizes sent out.

                               

Good luck in the Fab Foodie Contest and Happy Cooking! :<) 

Last Chance to Enter this Month's Nature Clean Giveaway

Last chance to enter this month's: Earth Month, Nature Clean Giveaway !

Contest closes April 30th.

             

And stay tuned for next month's contest, with a Foodie-Lover's theme. 

Also, the announcement of the two winners for the Nature Clean Gift Sets.

Coming up next week.

Good luck!!! :<)

A Mr. Cheddar Review: Crafting With Cat Hair by Kaori Tsutaya

Mr. Cheddar here.

Yes, I'm finally back to blogging. It's so hard to get Meowmie off this computer most days and the humans won't stretch to buying me one for my own personal use. The word "cheap" comes to mind, considering what the humans do spend money on. I think they could definitely cut down on their own oh so generous food portions. But that's a whole other story that I'll share at another time, sigh...

The "action" shot snort....above, is from a recent Sunday, during my weekly grooming session.

Of course, we all need a bit of "sprucing up" even for felines as oh so handsome as I. Meowmie ( I must admit) does a pretty darn good job of keeping me looking my best. With the help of my fav slicker brush of course.

Talk about a pleasure toy!!! ;<)

I love my slicker brush almost as much as I love my fav kibbles! 

Heaven, I'm in heaven.

Oh what a feeling, what a rush....

 

Anyhoo, to get to the review part of this post and past my oh so photogenic self; Meowmie wants me to share a new book with you.

My first book review, I'm just juiced about that too.

Crafting With Cat Hair

 

After I got through with checking out that babe on the cover  ( I'll be your puppet, anytime!!! ) Meowmie and I started to turn the pages. And wowsa, what a cool craft book this is indeedy.

Meowmie is quite a crafty human but one thing she has never used as a craft material before is feline hair/fur. That's about to change, now that she's got this book.

Kaori Tsutaya, the author of this book, makes all kinds of fun crafts, decorated with felted cat hair. The book is full of all sorts of projects including: finger puppets, coin purses, book covers, tote bags, jewelry pins...all embellished with cat-hair felting.

Stop by the Amazon page to "click inside the book" and see some of the goodies.

So you're probably wondering how cat hair can be transformed into stylish accents for all these projects? Easy peasy actually. The cat hair is applied to each project, using a felting needle. It's not as hard as it sounds. Even my Pawmie has done some felting in the past and it came out great.

Click here to read more about how needle felting is done.The only real caution it seems is to watch those paws when using the felting needle. Oueeey, if you miss and stab yourself, instead of your work!!! I don't want to even consider how that would feel. Definitely not for young kids to try.

So now Meowmie is not only giving me my weekly grooming as per usual, she is also collecting up my gorgeous "fur droppings" for later use to make some of the projects in this book.

Even my "left-overs" are gorgeous aren't they, snort!!!

Anyhoo, it's going to be a while before Meowmie actually gets to any of these catty projects. She has a gazillion projects on the go already. But I dare say, none will be finer than those craft projects embellished with my wonderful fur-droppings. Not possible!!!

So humans, when grooming time rolls around for the felines you share life with, get yourself a cookie tin or similar vessel and start filling it with the fur collected on the grooming comb/brush. And get a copy of this groovy book to get those creative juices flowing too.

Meowmie noted this book is on sale at Amazon right now so it's a good time/place to put down the $$$ and start planning your own catty craft adventures.

Here's one last pic of me and an itsy bitsy bit of Meowmie.

She didn't want too much of her thighs to show, snicker...

Sorry Meowmie, just joshin!!!

              

Get this book, you won't be sorry.

It's a cat-doozie!!! I definitely give it the Paws-UP!

 Chiao for now, The Chedster (groomed and looking oh so fine)

And Meowmie's final word on the subject:

Overall rating for this book: Very Good. 4 out of 5.

Clover Yarn Guide (knitting tool)

I recently knitted my first Fair Isle project (a cardigan) that I posted about here.  It was fun and challenging at the same time. And one of the biggest challenges of all, was trying to keep all the yarns from tangling up, when working on the colorworks section of this sweater. Not that it was a complicated design but even with two strands of yarn on the go, they did tend to tangle as I worked across the rows.

I found out about the Clover Yarn Guide over at YouTube.

The guy (yes guy) in this video (and it's a hoot watching this, love his accent. He's quite the accomplished knitter too!) was showing how to use this yarn guide.
                                                                                                                    

But this product looked rather small and flimsy in the video especially in terms of the adjustable ring that is worn on the index finger. I have rather slim fingers so I thought to myself; if that was the only concern it shouldn't be an issue for me personally. So I went ahead and ordered one with my last yarn order.

Well the reality is, it IS small. Really small. I can put it on but it fits quite snugly. I think I will be able to use it. But I don't know why they would make this so small. A very cheap and poor design.  For a lot of woman and of course men who knit who have large fingers;they would not even be able to get this yarn guide on, let alone use it!

The top part of this gadget has a slot with little sections in it, to place each color of yarn you are using, when doing Fair Isle knitting. Again, rather flimsy and poorly designed. If you had anything thicker than a worsted weight yarn, I don't think it would slide through these grooves easily.

It was only a couple of bucks so I am going to keep it. I will try it when I make another Fair Isle project. But it could have been designed so much better, if the company who makes these had thought about all shapes and sizes of knitters and yarns there are LOL.

I would gladly have paid a couple of extra dollars for a well-designed (in all respects) Fair Isle yarn guide/gadget. I'm sure there are lots of other potential customers that would have too! 

Overall rating for this product: Unsatisfactory. 1 out of 5.

Weider Daily Protein & Fibre Drink Mix

I've been making an effort since the beginning of the year to eat healthier and get into better shape. One of the best things for me, in terms of cutting down on calories but not nutrition, is to start the day with a protein drink/smoothie.

I recently tried Weider Daily Protein & Fibre drink mix in the Berry Blast flavour.

On the plus side, this product has a fairly good ingredient list:

"Whey Protein Isolate, Inulin, Erythritol, Stevia, Natural Flavour and Red Beet Powder"

Not bad. I checked out each ingredient and they were acceptable. Some protein mixes are packed with sugar, all kinds of additives and colors....this one isn't.

It also packed a fairly good punch when it came to protein per scoopful/serving. Mixed with water, a serving provides 14 Gr. of protein. It also provides 5 Gr. of dietary fibre. The mix also dissolved easily and completely, just in a shaker. No lumps and no blender to clean either.  Calories: 106 per serving, when mixed with water. That was all good.

                       

What I didn't like about this product?

Well the Berry Blast flavour was a bit weird. Rather artificial, not a nice fresh berry taste. It had a lingering after-taste too.

And as far as being filling, again it wasn't acceptable in this regard. A couple of hours after drinking one of these smoothies, I was starving! I ended up eating more that morning than I usually do, without a protein drink! So that certainly defeated the purpose of having one. I've used protein powders in the past that kept me satisfied and feeling alert for HOURS afterwards. Not the case with this product.

Weider Daily Protein & Fibre drink mix is not the worst protein powder I've used but it certainly isn't the best either. I won't be buying it again. I probably would have tried another flavour IF it had been filling and satisfying, but that wasn't the case.

                    

Overall rating for this product: Fair. 2 out of 5.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

I finally got around to reading :The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, last week. It is a novel I had heard so much about and had planned to read for a long time. I'm not usually interested or drawn to books with overtly sad or violent themes but as I said already, I had heard so much about this book, I decided to give it a try anyways.

On the plus side, the author has a fairly engaging style of writing. The title alone is such an attention-grabber. I was looking forward to a good story as I settled in on the sofa for an extended reading session.

But what came to my mind almost immediately was the sheer implausibility of the plot.

A 14 year old girl Susie Salmon is walking home through a deserted cornfield after school. It is December, already dark outside. She is stopped along the way by the neighbourhood "weirdo"  Mr. Harvey.  He appears seemingly out of nowhere and begins talking to Susie.

Yes, she was startled by him being there. But does she hurry along, run away, scream, tell him to get lost. None of those. No, Susie Salmon is (quite easily) talked into following Mr. Harvey to his "little hiding place" in the cornfield that he wants to share with her.

When they get to the location of the underground space that Mr. Harvey has "cleverly" disguised  with a wooden cover, Susie continues to stay with him, not at all concerned about her safety. No, she is curious and wants to see more!

Mr. Harvey opens the wooden cover to reveal the space in the ground below. Without any coaxing, Susie follows him down into the ground and to the obvious disastrous events that follow, leading to her death.

Right there, I was stopped on the page. COME ON Ms. Sebold!

 A 14 year old girl, following a strange man, in a cornfield, in the dark, going down in an underground cave because she was curious! No way. Maybe if the main character had been 6-7 years old, in the daylight, with a so-called family friend calling the shots. Maybe this kind of plot would have rung true. But no, not for a teenage girl, especially in the circumstances of how this happened.

After her death, the story takes a different twist and we are transported to Susie's heaven, where she continues watching her family and friends from the other side. I couldn't be bothered reading any further after that. If I'm not engaged by a believable plot from the get-go, I can't waste my time on reading further.

As is the case with so many books that hit the best-seller lists, it seems that the hype about this book has kept up the ongoing reader interest, year after year.

I've never been swayed much by popular opinion when it comes to books, movies, websites, blogs... I enjoy or not. I'm happily not a "sheep" following the crowd LOL.  

Some of the best books I've ever read have been by relatively unknown authors with the talent to write a great story but unfortunately not the media "engine" behind them to propel their work to the top of the page, when it comes to reviews, lists and popularity.

Here's a reader's comment on the Amazon product page for The Lovely Bones. I guess not everyone loved it. There are plenty more comments from readers, similar to this:

"This book is complete and utter drivel. It is poorly written and inconsistant. I don't understand how or why it is on the best-seller list. The author uses every overly dramatic movie-of-the-week cliche in this book. My theory as to why this book is so popular is that some marketing/advertising hot-shot remembered this piece of [junk] sitting on his or her shelf when the rash of missing girls occurred and decided to capitalize on these tragedies. A huge marketing campaign took place with this book when it first came out. There were even TV commercials for it. I find the whole timing of this book's popularity very disturbing."

I really was amazed how implausible this story was. And yes, I also agree with the comment above; it is disturbing to think people would be drawn to it (if that is the case) by the violence and sinister tone of the story.

 If you've read it, I'd love to hear your opinion of this book.

Overall rating for this book: BAD. 0 out of 5.

April Prize Draw at My Real Life Reviews (and March WINNER!)

It's time for another prize giveaway here at My Real Life Reviews!


For April (Earth Month) there are two prize packages to be won. 

To enter to win a Nature Clean gift set containing:
                          
Nature Clean Pure-Sensitive Shampoo, Conditioner and a Nature Clean Calm Bath Bar (retail price approximately: $28. for the set) leave a comment for this post/contest.

That's it. That's all. Easy peasy! :<)

One entry per person. Open to readers in Canada and the U.S.

Please, no anonymous comments/entries. A comment/entry via a blog account (Blogger, WP....) is preferred to keep this as fair as possible.

The winner will be chosen at the end of the month, by a random generated system.

                                 
*** I know a lot of people aren't comfortable sharing their email addresses on sites/blogs (me included!) so I'm just going to post the winner of each draw, the first week of the following month. Check back then and if you are a prize winner you will have one month to claim your prize. If not claimed, I'll pick another winner. ***




   You can read my full product review: Nature Clean Pure-Sensitive Shampoo and Conditioner.

***


And the winner of the March Giveaway for a CreaClip haircutting tool was: Brian Miller.

 Congrats Brian! I hope you and your family enjoy the CreaClip as much as I do.  

Please email your mailing address to: MRLR at myway.com and I'll get your prize sent out.


***


Good luck to everyone this month and Happy Earth Month!

Last Week to Enter the MRLR March Giveaway!

If you haven't already, there's still time to enter to win a free (click to enter) CreaClip haircutting tool  in the  March Prize Giveaway at My Real Life Reviews.

There will also be a new contest coming up the first week in April, with an Earth Month theme, so stay tuned!

Good luck! :<)

Giovanni L.A. Natural Styling Gel (for strong hold)

I've been searching for a better option when it comes to hair gel for a long time.

I recently tried: Giovanni L.A. Natural Styling Gel for Strong Hold and I'm so glad that I did!

Unlike the "chemical soup" that is the norm for most hair gel products, Giovanni L.A. Natural Styling Gel contains these ingredients:

Aqua(purified water),Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Rosemary(Rosemarinus Officinalis)Oil, Nettle(Urtica Dioica)oil,Thyme(Thymus Vulgaris) Oil, Salvia Sclarea (Clary)Leaf Extract, Chamomile anthemis nobilis flower)oil,Lavender(Lavandula Angustifolia), Coltsfoot leaf(tussilago fargara),Yarrow Achillea Millefolium)oil,Mallow(Malya Sylvestris),Horsetail(Equisetum arvense)oil, Soybean Protein(Glycine Soja),PVP/VA Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcelllulose(plant derived), Tocopherol(Vitamin E),Phenoxethanol,Citric Acid(corn), Grapefruit Seed(citrus derived), Fragrance (includes Essential Oil)

Note the first two main ingredients in particular: purified water and aloe vera leaf juice...followed by several organic source botanicals and plant-based preservatives. 

 Impressive!

Compare this to a mainstream popular "herbal" hair gel brand ingredient list:

Herbal Essence Totally Twisted Hair Scrunching Gel:

Water, PVP, Laureth 23, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract (Flower/Leaf/Stem), Crassula Argentea Leaf Extract, Fragrance, VP/Dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate Copolymer, Triisopropanolamine, Carbomer, PEG 12 Dimethicone, Methylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Propylparaben, Disodium EDTA

Yikes, I know what my preference is!

It's so gratifying to see that there are now companies who are tackling products like hair gel and other styling products and creating formulas that don't make a consumer cringe reading the ingredients; let alone applying them to our hair. I also wonder just how flammable some of these mainstream products could be! I'm guessing that could be a concern as well.

Of course, being a more natural product is great ingredient/health-wise but it still has to work! And Giovanni L.A. Natural Styling Gel works just as well, maybe even better than any other mainstream hair gel that I've used. And I've tried a lot of them over the years.

My hair looks smooth, not sticky or crunchy after applying a small amount of this product and allowing it to dry. It also washes out completely and doesn't seem to leave any build-up which can be a problem with similar products.

Giovanni is a cruelty-free company; again that's important to me. You can read more about their product standards and also check out their complete product line at their website. Yes, there is a little "sound-off icon" on their homepage if you prefer quiet browsing, like I do. LOL

I also found a great price for a 3 pk. of this hair gel over at Amazon. A little does go a long way, but if you want to stock up, this is a real bargain at less than $24. currently for 3 full- sized tubes (6.8 oz/200 ml each). Packaging (as photographed on Amazon) is different but this is the same product/ingedient list.

Overall rating for this product: Excellent. 5 out of 5.

Nature Clean Pure-Sensitive Shampoo and Conditioner

                                      

I've tried a lot of shampoos and conditioners over the years. I recently tested: Nature Clean: Pure-Sensitive Shampoo and Conditioner and I have been happy with the results.

My hair tends to be frizzy when the humid or rainy days arrive. With Nature Clean Pure-Sensitive it's been "behaving" a lot better, even when the weather isn't LOL. I've also noted that my hair tends to stay cleaner for a day or two longer now. Easy to style. And there is no scent (at all!) in these two products; I appreciate that too.

I switched to  "natural" types of shampoos and conditioners (whenever possible) many years ago. Some are better than others when it comes to ingredients, performance, scent...On all counts, I feel good about using Nature Clean Pure-Sensitive Shampoo and Conditioner. One addition I would like to see: a line of "organics" for their skin and hair care products.

The natural cosmetic/hair-care industry is growing by the day. Consumers ARE questioning not just what they are eating now but also what they are ingesting through their skin, hair, lungs...it all adds up. It all impacts our health.  At the same time, products still have to work well and get the job done!

In terms of ingredients for Nature Clean Pure-Sensitive Shampoo and Conditioner and the 99% plus claim of "natural"; I did some research online recently. One by one, I checked the ingredients in the shampoo. All acceptable (some very good) from what I read in terms of safety, biodegradability... and without the use of parabens,sulphates, fragrance, dyes and other questionable ingredients.

Stop by the Nature Clean website to read more about their complete product line that includes household cleaners, personal care, laundry care and much more.

I don't think there is such a thing as an absolutely "pure" shampoo or conditioner that would actually work. But from what I've found out about Nature Clean products, they are doing a good job of providing both. Products that are free of so many of the ingredients that consumers are being advised to avoid without compromising on how they perform.

By way of comparison, here's the ingredient list for:

 Nature Clean Pure-Sensitive Shampoo- "Ingredients: Water/Eau/Aqua, Cocoglucoside, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Sapindus Mukurossi Peel Extract, Chondrus Chrispus (Carageenan), Citric Acid, Beta-Glucan, Bisabolol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate."

                          

And for another popular and top-rated  "pure and natural" shampoo:

 

L'Oreal EverPure Smooth Shampoo Rosemary and Juniper-"Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycol Distearate, Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Glycereth 26, Decyl Glucoside, Parfum/Fragrance, Polyquaternium 7, PPG 5 Ceteth 20, Amodimethicone, Polyquaternium 10, Methylparaben, PEG 55 Propylene Glycol Oceate, Propylene Glycol, Carbomer, C11 15 Pareth 7, Benzophenone 3, Benzyl Salicylate, Hexylcinnamal, Glycerin Trideceth 12, Laureth 9, C12 13 Pareth 23, Linalool, Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), C12 13 Pareth 3, Limonene, Benzyl Alcohol, Juniperus Communis Fruit Oil, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Oil (Rosemary), Methylisothiazolinone, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid"

 

You be the judge.

Lovely name, L'Oreal but....I'm not impressed! 

 

This is just one of many examples of questionable "pure and natural" haircare products that I've checked out online. I'm so thankful for ingredient lists and the Internet too. Companies and their products have to be accountable now if they expect to survive and grow.

As is usually the case: Buyer beware. It's so worth it to be an informed, savvy shopper.

We send a clear message to companies with every dollar spent!

Overall rating for these products: Very Good. 4 out of 5.

Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt

Salt. The salt of the earth...

...and such a basic staple seasoning/food for most people.

But the types and quality of culinary salt varieties available is growing by the day. Salt in recent years has been taken to a whole new level for many "foodies" and food-lovers in general.

I recently found out about Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt. I've been using sea salt for many years. I gave up using regular commercial "table salt" a long time ago. Regular commercial table salt is often heavily processed/mined from land-based areas and has "free-flow" anti-caking ingredients added to it, so that it will...flows freely. LOL

Sea salt is the result of a water-evaporation method of extracting salt from sea water. But again, how that process is accomplished varies quite a bit. Some definitely better than others.

I was impressed with what Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt had to say about their own method of processing salt. Also the addition of alaea (an edible Hawaiian red clay) to their salt, results in a higher mineral content and adds a beautiful coral orange color. The photo above doesn't do the color justice but it was the one I found on the company's website.

You can read the background of Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt here and also check out the company's complete product line. I also want to try their Margarita Gold Salt! Wow, what a color boost that would add to any dish.

As far as taste Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt has a pleasant, mild flavour. I have it in a grinder set to medium-fine grind and a little goes a long way in terms of perking up the taste of various foods.

Yes, I know. Too much salt is not good for any of us. But when salt is part of a recipe or for enhancing the flavor of foods, I want to use a good quality salt that I can feel better about ingesting. And I feel good about using Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt!

Reasonably priced too. The 16 oz. bag shown above is available at the company's website for $ 7.99 . There are also sample sizes for all their products available. I like that! So it's possible to try several and taste-test before buying a larger bag. 

The 16 oz. bag lasts a long time even for a salt- lover like me! LOL

Another interesting site I found with a lot of information about various salt types is SaltWorks. Fascinating reading actually, especially if you love cooking as much as I do. Saltworks also sells Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt as part of their product line.

Overall rating for this product: Very Good. 4 out of 5.

Midnight in Paris DVD

I've been a fan of Woody Allen for a long time. He never fails to surprise and delight me with the range of talents and ideas that he brings to his work. And there are so many movies that he's directed, written and/or starred in to enjoy!  

                            

 Midnight in Paris is no exception. I loved (almost) everything about this movie.

It has a story with a timeless message. We can be happy wherever we are. Life is what we make of it, right here and right now. Seeking happiness in other places (and in the case of the main character in this story: other eras) never really lasts. But what a fun trip it was to go on, watching this story unfold.

Visually, this movie is such a treat. The beauty of Paris portrayed in the present and from the perspective of the 1920's is breathtaking. There is a dreamy quality to this film throughout.

Loved the costumes and the mesmerizing musical score too. My kind of music....classical jazz and Cole Porter, play on! 

Life is but a dream for the lead character Gil (Owen Wilson). Night after night... wishes granted. Visiting legendary haunts with some of his literary idols from the past, Gil is transported to another time and place. And a place in time that he doesn't really want to come back from to face the problems in his own 21st century life including a fiancee and in-laws that leave much to be desired.

There is also a sadness to this story. Not just the voice but also the heart and soul of Woody Allen come through the main character's thoughts and words. It is obvious that there are personal memories woven into many scenes of this film. Maybe some "could have beens" and perhaps regrets for him too. It made the movie even more memorable and touching for me. I teared up a time or two watching and considering Woody Allen's mindset as the final cut rolled. 

The only negative for me. Some of the acting was a bit "stilted" for lack of a better word when it came to present-day interactions between Owen Wilson and his fiancee in the movie Rachel McAdams. I found some of the dialogue and interaction between these two characters a bit over the top at times, tedious...I was always happy when the story slipped back into the world of the 1920's and Gil's vivid imagination.

This is an escape and "feel good" movie of the very best kind.

I could imagine seeing this movie in a big old theatre. The kind that still has chandeliers, velvet seats and heavy drapes on the stage. For a matinee performance, even better. Stopping in for a break from a busy city street and day. That would really enhance the experience. It's just that kind of film.

                          

From the Amazon product page:

"Paris is a city that lends itself to daydreaming, to walking the streets and imagining all sorts of magic, a quality that Woody Allen understands perfectly. Midnight in Paris is Allen's charming reverie about just that quality, with a screenwriter hero named Gil (Owen Wilson) who strolls the lanes of Paris with his head in the clouds and walks right into his own best fantasy. Gil is there with his materialistic fiancée (Rachel McAdams) and her unpleasant parents, taking a break from his financially rewarding but spiritually unfulfilling Hollywood career--and he can't stop thinking that all he wants to do is quit the movies, move to Paris, and write that novel he's been meaning to finish. You know, be like his heroes in the bohemian Paris of the 1920s. "

"At age 75--with more than 40 films under his belt--Allen has created a film that literally glows. Its dazzling cinematography, inventive plot, and Parisian score, combined with the top-notch acting and set-design, makes for an almost-perfect film, one that's not only clever and thought-provoking, but also entertaining and accessible--even to mainstream audiences."

"Refreshing break from melting buildings, crumbling sidewalks, 50 car pileups, crude, rude humor and stacks of shot up bad guys. A breath of fresh air."

Here, here on that last quote!!!

If you enjoy romance and nostalgia at it's best. Perhaps dream of Paris now and from days gone by? And if you love to be transported by a story (sans the guts and gore!) you won't want to miss: Midnight in Paris.

It is a departure from most stories/films created by Woody Allen, but in a good way.

And if you've never been a Woody Allen fan, this might be the one that changes your mind.

Overall rating for this DVD: Very Good. 4 out of 5.

Embraced by the Light by Betty J. Eadie

I was browsing over at Amazon the other day and happend to click my way to the product page for Embraced by the Light by Betty J. Eadie. I had written a review of this book at my poetry blog, a couple of years ago. You can read that post at My Poetic Path: Embraced by the Light.

What surprised me when I checked out this book again was the fact that it is still a very popular book (first published in 1994) and continues to be either "loved" or "highly suspect" when it comes to many readers/reviewers. At least that's seems to be the case, based on the 200 + reviews at Amazon. And some of those reviews written as recently as a few days ago, I noted.

I can't really add anything to what I've already written here in my previous review of this book. I still think it's "hogwash" of the very worst kind. And I still find it hard to believe that anyone would find the author of this book credible, after reading this book. And if they also researched the author's bio in more detail as I did at the time.

If you've already read this book, I'd be curious to know your opinion of it? Did it ring true in your opinion? Or did you also share my opinion that it was a work of fiction being touted as a near-death, true experience, by this author? And a very lucrative experience $$$- wise too.

Overall rating for this book: BAD. 0 out of 5.

March Prize Draw at My Real Life Reviews

For the March prize here at My Real Life Reviews; I am so pleased to be able to offer one of my absolute favorite products as my first prize in the monthly giveaways: the CreaClip!

The CreaClip has been very well-received by millions of fans from around the world and for good reasons.  This innovative hair-cutting tool can save you and your family hundreds of dollars every year! Visit the CreaClip site to see more testimonials and watch helpful instructional videos for dozens of hairstyles. Makes a wonderful gift too.

Speaking of gifts, I can only imagine what some parents "shell out" every month or so, for kid's haircuts, in addition to their own. The CreaClip can easily put an end to that "cash-drain". A savings of mega $$$, in no time at all!

And SO easy to use; the CreaClip actually makes cutting hair at home a fun experience. I know, because I've used it many times already!You can read my full review with photos of the CreaClip here. I'm not surprised that this review is in my top 5 read reviews, week after week.

                                                  

To enter to win a free CreaClip (retail price: $29.95 and includes free postage and handling ) leave a comment for this post.

That's it. That's all. Easy peasy!  :<)

One entry per person. Open to all readers, wherever you live!
                                

The winner will be chosen at the end of the month, by a random generated system.
                                 
                                     

**I know a lot of people aren't comfortable sharing their email addresses on sites/blogs (me included!) so I'm just going to post the winner of each draw, the first week of the following month.Check back then and if you are the winner, send along your mailing info. to my email address: MRLR at myway dot com and I will get your prize sent out! **

Winners will have one month to claim their prize. If not claimed, I'll pick another winner.

And DO spread the word on your blogs,Facebook, Twitter, site pages... Stay tuned for next month's prize draw too. Just in time for Earth Month!

Thank you for your continued support and readership, here at My Real Life Reviews. It's been very gratifying to see the continued increase in monthly visitors and from all over the world.

Good luck with the draw! G :<)