Xiaolin Mama Reviews

Cherry Raisinets - Chocolate Covered Sunshine

The folks at Nestle sent over two bags of their newest "better-for-you treat" Cherry Raisinets.  I like the classic Raisinets,  so much so that they are my go-to candy at the movie theater, so when they announced the newest version I was excited to try 'em out.  What is not to love with a combo of dark chocolate and tart dried cherries?  Two words= Dee-lish!  I liked them so much, I ate half the bag before I realized it. Doh!  Like they wrote on the bag, these little chocolates were like "chocolate covered sunshine".  I would usually write that off as a super exaggeration, but um, I kinda agree!  

Let's be clear, these are not healthy for you.  They are "better for you" than other chocolate treats laden with caramel and nuts, so I wouldn't classify these in the health food category.  But I would put these in my "guilty pleasure" category - along with creme brulee, mint chocolate chip ice cream and cheetos. heh.

I brought the other bag to my hair salon and shared it with Franc, my hair dresser, and all the other gals. (Cuz, I really couldn't be left with another bag by myself!)  Deena described them as "just like having cherries jubilee, but without the mess"!  I couldn't agree more.  We all agreed that the tanginess of the cherries really made these stand out. The entire crew couldn't stop at one and I left the rest of the bag.

You too can have a bag sent to you!  Just leave a comment below with valid email and tell me what your favorite fruit is. If you tweet the giveaway, you can have an extra chance to win!  Giveaway ends April 15, 2010. 

Tassimo Suprema Hot Beverage Machine by Bosch

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Tassimo.

I am a coffee lover!  Like many, my morning cuppa joe is part of my daily ritual. The sad thing is that I am such a loser that I just can't make it myself.  Too much water or too little coffee - you the get my drift, right?  

So my husband and I have gone on in our 12 year marriage happily with coffee making squarely in his domain (along with cleaning the gutters) until the Tassimo arrived at our door compliments of BlogHer and Bosch.

This little beauty does it all.   Makes coffee, cappuccino, hot chocolate and tea in a fool proof way.  You basically insert a T-disk into the machine and the Tassimo reads the bar code, which tells it what temperature and how much water to put in to make the perfect cappuccinos.   Lemme tell you as someone who loves her morning cap - this little machine does a great job.

What do I love about the Tassimo:

• Makes a great variety of hot beverages - lattes, cappuccinos, regular cups of coffee, tea and hot chocolate!
• Anyone can make coffee, caps or whatever you want whenever you want it.  Takes thinking outta making coffee which is good because I tend to be useless without caffeine.  It was so easy to use, my kids could make the hot chocolate by themselves.
• Easy clean up:  We had an espresso machine at our house, but I hated having to clean all the parts with every use.   The Tassimo eliminates the need for that pesky frothing attachment.
• Filtered water feature
• Flavor is good - the hot chocolate was excellent and so is the regular cup of coffee.
• Fits all sizes of cups from travel mugs to tea cups.  Perfect for when I need to take my latte on the road.
• Party worthy!  I had 20 guests at a party this past weekend and the Tassimo churned out drinks like a champ.  It was nice to offer an array of hot drinks without any waste - coffee, latte, tea or cap everyone could have their choice,
• Compact size fit nicely on already full counter.

Oroweat Wheat Bread-making a better BLT for the 9YO set

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Orowheat

Through BlogHer the folks at Oroweat were kind enough to send me a power sized party box of scrumptious bread - 8 loaves to be exact.  Thank goodness because sandwiches are BIG at our house - Tuna, PB&J or roast beef, doesn't matter.  Seems at our house put whatever you have between two slices of good bread and my kids will eat it.  (except for vegetables, that is...)  Regardless, the kids and I chatted about our favorite sandwiches and the convo went like this: 

Me: What are you favorite sandwiches?
6YO daughter:  PB&J - but without the Jelly
9YO son:  Well, then that is just a PB sandwich.
6YO:  Whatever... (rolls eyes and continues to talk to mom) I also like turkey.

Me: Well, there is nothing better than a BLT on wheat bread in my book.
9YO:  Um, a bacon and ham sandwich on white bread is WAY better.
Me: Ugh, white bread...like Wonder Bread?
9YO:  Yeah, it brings out the flavor of the Bacon.  I know it isn't as good for you as the wheat kind. yuk!
Me: (Rolling my eyes on the inside, but giving the "mom knows best" look)  Hmmm...  I don't know about that.

9YO:  I also like Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches.
6YO: Me too! I also love Meatloaf Sandwiches with ketchup and chips.
Me: Yum! That sounds good.
9YO: But only if it toasted and on good bread... that is key!

Inspired to teach my 9 year old that wheat bread can be as good as, if not better than white bread, I made BLTs for lunch.  I am partial to wheat bread with nuts, but the kids don't like it -so if a smoother texture gets 'em to eat wheat bread then so be it.   I used extra bacon, Virginia Ham, a touch of mayo, lettuce and the Oroweat Dutch Country 100% Wheat bread with the "smooth texture"  that came in my gift box.   The bread was super fresh, so smelled fabulous.   I asked him what he thought of it. "Not bad.  So glad that this bread didn't have the weird nuts you usually buy ...but the bacon was the best part."   No complaints about the bread? - that's a win in my book! (I know the sandwich is not the bastion of health.  I pick my battles.)

The box also included: potato bread and wheat with extra fiber.  We've never had potato bread.  It was an immediate hit with the under 9 set in the house. It made a pretty good french toast!  While the Extra Fiber loaf was a hit with the over 29 set:) The bread was soft and complimented the BLT well!

So thanks to my pals at Oroweat, you too can try out the new bread.  You can win an Oroweat prize pack featuring a selection of breads.  To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me  about your favorite sandwich - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below.  The contest will begin at 10/26/2009 and will end 11/26/2009.  Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:
    •    No duplicate comments.
    •    You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
    •    You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
    •    This giveaway is open to US-residents, aged 18 and over
    •    Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
    •    You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
    •    Please see the official rules here

You also have eight chances to win the Oroweat prize pack featuring a selection of breads and you can also enter to win a $500 grocery gift card at the roundup page on BlogHer.com.

Cowgirl Creamery

The family and I went to Point Reyes this weekend to celebrate the 4th of July weekend.  A trip to Marin/Tomales Bay and Point Reyes is never complete without visiting the mecca of cheese, Cowgirl Creamery. 

How much do I LOVE their products?  So much so that I tried to convince my entire party to make it to Point Reyes Station in time enough to take the Creamery tour/tasting.  What go on a hike instead??? No!  There is cheese to be tasted people!

Point Reyes Station is a quaint town, well worth the trip to hit the town and then a quick or not so quick hike.  The Cowgirl Creamery's tasting room is a key pitstop.  You can buy their cheese, visit their deli and sample artisan cheese's from around the world.  The kids and I compared the French and Danish cheese to the Californian and Wisconsin varieties. This being Independence Day weekend, we were feeling very patriotic, so deemed that that the domestic cheeses were winners that day.  They have won numerous awards, so I think our palatte was in good company.

We were camping, so much to my dismay we could not buy a crate or entire wheel of cheese.  We settled on one to serve as the evening's appetizers the St. Pat.  It was their special spring cheese (only available till September).  The kids chose it for its creamy taste, which surprised me since it was also nettle wrapped giving it an artichoke like/grassy like aftertaste.  I thought it was divine.  Made with fresh local organic milk, it transported you back the days when you ate real butter with everything (Um, we do that anyway now...), and where everything is rich and wholesome.

You can find their award winning cheeses at various fine grocery stores and if you are lucky enough to find yourself wandering around Point Reyes, do yourself a favor buy some of this amazing artisan cheese, pick up a baguette and revel in one of life's simple pleasures.   Can't make it there, check out the Creamery's Library of Cheese online.