I'm Famished - Takes On New Meaning During 2010 96

The United States to outside eyes is one of the most extravagant, wasteful , "media-hore"- loving cultures in the world. But in reality what the media hugely magnifies and the general public readily eats up (mainly in a desperate need to placate humane curiosity or escape the mundane.), is a very small example , say a micro-percentage of what the other large percentage of regular people in the US really surmounts to.

However there is a problem creeping into the general population, American culture, which is fueled by the media. It is a shift, mainly a obtuse growth of false entitlement that leaves the act of daily, common courtesy let alone  important humanitarian causes, fall slowly to the wayside. Every generation now seems to edge toward a self-centered existence who feels a constant need for digital gratification.

Being a blogger I cannot help but get swept up in this culture cult. With the growing competition to set myself apart by showcasing my creativity through visual images (enter the digital camera and better tools for editing and special effects) and  social media being a driving force in the success of a blog or website (enter the smart phones to keep up with different sites), it seems that I am apart of this reality regardless of whether I choose to or not . But isn't that the clincher - technology offers society the tools to allow for further advancement in so many areas.

 I struggle sometimes to not over analyse food blogging  - there is quite a disparity between the opulence and indulgent manor that some popular food bloggers tout as food culture and the real problems that American's are facing - having to choose between groceries to feed their families, or, paying their utilities or rent to keep their families sheltered.

In 2006, 25 million Americans, including 9 million children¹ were being fed annually through the help of  Feeding America's network of Food Banks. Fast forward 4 years  to 2010 - present day America, and that number has grown 46 percent¹ ! Can you believe 37 million Americans, including 14 million children¹ are utilizing their local food banks across the US?  These aren't just homeless individuals, these are average people, maybe your neighbors. In fact 37 percent of this total have a full-time wage earner in their household¹.

If you live in the United States,  use the widget below, you can enter in your zip code and you will be taken to a page which give you statistics regarding your state on how Food Bank resources are utilized, and will give you the contact info for local food banks in your area.



As a food blogger I think it is important to get the word out about organizations that help to feed people in our neighborhoods. The is a non-profit doing just that - Share Our Strength.  They have been a driving force behind the hunger movement for 25 years. They have launched a campaign called No Kid Hungry, which has a goal to end childhood hunger by 2015. They have partnered with many food corporations that have pledged to give a percentage of their profits to the campaign.  When you are shopping this holiday season, I hope you will considered purchasing from corporations that are dedicated to helping end hunger.

On that note I wanted to review one of these companies' products - Hickory Farms, which is committed to donating $5 of every purchase of their Party Planner Gift Box to the No Kid Hungry campaign. Alternatively they encourage customers who aren't purchasing the above product,  to donate $1.00 of their order to the campaign, through 1/31/2011.

The product I received to review was the Home For The Holidays Gift Box.

Contents:

• 2 - 10 oz. Our Signature Beef Summer Sausages
• 1 - 10 oz. Italian Recipe Beef Summer Sausage
• 1 -  8 oz. Big Barn Cheddar®
• 1 -  7 oz. Cheddar & Havarti Blend
• 1 -  4 oz. Three Cheese & Onion Wedge
• 1 -  4 oz. Smooth N Sharp Wedge
• 1 -  2.25 oz. Sweet Hot Mustard
• 1 -  2.5 oz. Honey Pineapple Mustard
• 2 -  Boxes of  .5 oz. Cracked Wheat Crackers, "Sesame, Caraway & Sea Salt"
• 4 - Strawberry Candies 

Packaging:
The gift box arrived in a standard cardboard sheath. There was nothing between it and The gift box. The contents were positioned on a natural shredded paper filling in a heavy weight attractive cardboard box. This packaging gets a eco-friendly thumbs up. I was soo happy not to see excessive over packaging - no peanuts or plastic wrapping. You can even reuse the filling and box if needed.

Price: 
At $50.00 per Box, I would say this is a good idea if you have the budget to purchase this. I used some of the meats and cheeses to create a holiday tray, over Thanksgiving, to bring to a family members. People were nibbling pretty frequently and it didn't survive the whole evening. I still had meat and cheese that I hadn't cut up in the fridge. There is allot here to work with.

Taste:

• Sesame, Caraway and Sea Salt  Crackers: I must be honest, I am not a huge crackers-with-caraway fan, most crackers are so over powered with this potent spice that it is off-putting. I was leery of trying these crackers. But after some thought, I wanted to offer my opinion, so I moved out of my comfort zone. These crackers were great! They have a great cracker texture that holds up and doesn't crumble under the weight of cheese - they have snap. They are slightly buttery and the sesame gives a nice nutty after taste. The sea salt rounds out the flavor and the caraway adds a very distant earthy note. I especially enjoyed them with the Three Cheese & Onion Wedge,  and Smooth N Sharp Wedge.
• Beef Summer Sausages:  The Signature Beef Summer Sausages were full of hickory smokiness. There are notes of white wine vinegar and the peppercorns really accentuated the overall flavor. They have a nice mouth feel.  
• Italian Recipe Beef Summer Sausage,  To my surprise, however, I really enjoyed this. The flavor reminded me of my grandmother's meatballs. You take a bite and flavor notes of an Italian deli meat explodes in your mouth. Whites pepper gives it a kick on your tongue. It also reminded me of the whiff I took smelling my Great-Grand parents icebox , who would cure their own meats such as Cappacuolo. Very nice and pleasing to the palate.
• Sweet Hot Mustard - You can only go so far with mustard and honey. This mustard is a cross between the Chinese mustard you get with BBQ pork at restaurants and the horseradish condiment you would receive at a steak house with your prime rib. 
• Honey Pineapple Mustard: This mustard tasted to me like someone mixed mustard, honey and not yet solidified Jello Brand Orange Jello, I couldn't get past that jello after taste. Not my cup of tea.
  
• Three Cheese & Onion Wedge - This cheese had  a nice onion flavor. It reminded me of French onion soup. The onion notes were not of a spicy onion, more like one that has been roasted to release it's milder taste. There were bits of green onion throughout that added a freshness to the overall flavor.
• Big Barn Cheddar® - This cheese is what you would expect from a standard cheddar. Mild flavor, smooth texture.
• Cheddar & Havarti Blend - This cheese was really mild in flavor. It lacked the intensity that aged Havarti could have given it. White cheddar generally has a nice bite, but this cheese didn't have any of that. It was a bland cheese.
• Smooth N Sharp Wedge: The paprika gives this a nice tang. Out of all the cheddars in this box, I enjoyed this the most. The taste was reminiscent of a Cheese Ball .
  

Conclusion: 
If you are looking for a gift that is varied from a company that supports a good cause and that has limited packaging, the Home For The Holiday Gift Box has something for everyone. Although the mustards weren't spectacular, the majority of the contents were pretty tasty.

Source:
¹Hunger in America 2010 National Report. Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

The views expressed here are mine & mone alone. I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of  Hickory Farms. I received a "Home for the Holidays Gift Box" in exchange for providing my honest feedback. Please read more about Renaissance Culinaire's Disclosure Policy.

Not Your Mamma's Clorox - Now Eco-Friendly & Green 25

A growing trend for established trusted brands seems to be going green or at least trying to add some Eco-friendliness to their image. As more and more consumers become aware of ingredients and chemicals used to manufacture many of the products on grocers shelves, a new urgency to find natural based alternatives has moved from what was once considered a frivolous choice to a well thought-out lifestyle change.

Clorox, a well known manufacturer of household bleach and disinfecting wipes, heeded the cries from consumers for a laundry detergent and line of cleaning products that were natural, safe and effective. Their product line Green Works, with new formulations full of plant based derivatives helped to propel their brand  into the Eco-friendly arena.

Green Works Natural Laundry Detergent

Available in 3 different scents Original Scent, Lavender Scent and Free & Clear.
Green Works Laundry Detergent boasts an impressive list of why this detergent is eco-friendly.
 

Features:

• Made of plant based, biodegradable ingredients
• Never tested on animals.
• Container: made of 25% post-consumer recycled plastic, classified as #2 (HDPE)^W 
• Recognized by the EPA for safer chemistry.
• Safe for all machines including  High Efficiency.
• In partnership with Sierra Club, signifying Clorox's commitment to sustainability.

Green Works Natural Stain Remover

Available in Original Scent.Not only is this stain remover natural, it has earned the prestigious Good House Seal.


Features:

• Made of plant based, biodegradable ingredients
• Never tested on animals.
• 99% natural
• Container:  classified as #2 (HDPE)
• Recognized by the EPA for safer chemistry.
• In partnership with Sierra Club, signifying Clorox's commitment to sustainability.
  

Pros
Green Monster

Green Works product line is creating a green buzz - like something fierce. I liked that both the Laundry Detergent and the Stain Remover have plant based ingredients. Recyclable and recognized by the EPA as safe chemistry make for a product you can feel good about purchasing.

Cleaning Machines

Green Works Natural Laundry Detergent worked better than I expected. It loosened ground-in dirt and made the clothes feel soft - unlike some other eco detergents I have tried, which used heavy amounts of starch, and made the clothes have a stiff scratchy feel. It was extremely concentrated, which will save you money in the long run.

Green Works Natural Stain Remover rivaled one of my favorite enzyme based stain fighters - I was pretty impressed by it's ability to break up dried-on stains - and  remove them, without a second run through the wash cycle.  The scent was pleasant and subtle.

Skin Friendly

I have mentioned before in my posts about my eczema, which makes my skin sensitive to different chemicals, essential oils or perfumes. Both of these products did not cause my eczema to flair up - which usually happens if a product contains harsh ingredients. Even when I added too much to a load - it still didn't irritate my skin.

Cons

Concentrated Means Business

Read the directions carefully - Green Works Laundry Detergent is very concentrated - use the amount specified for the size of your load. The essential oils used to scent this product can become very strong, when cycling through the wash.

I found this out the hard way and accidentally used a full cap instead of half of the cap, and the overpowering smell gave me a headache.

Conclusion

Clorox Green Works Natural Laundry Detergent and Natural Stain Remover are products showcasing Clorox's commitment to sustainability and the needs of consumers. You can feel good about purchasing them and know that they are safe for your family and the environment. These products may be well suited for you or those in your family with skin sensitivities.

How sweet it is: The Skinny on Low Glycemic Sweeteners 73

The market for alternative sweeteners has started blossoming into quite the selection - no longer are consumers tied down to shopping at obscure health food stores or sending away bulk orders to specialty shops to find alternative ingredients, now super markets and even corner stores are following the trend which is shifting toward using natural whole ingredients.

While our quest for natural ingredients may have started as a trend, it may --- as a result of decades of digesting over processed, convenience type foods that saturate the market and whose establishments flood food courts and tend to cluster urban sprawl --- be a necessity to help reverse the ill-effects we have brought on ourselves through poor food choices.

There are many reasons to want an alternative sweetener, some include lifestyle choices - from Vegans who want to avoid bleached all-purpose sugar that may be processed using animal bones, to Raw Foodists who believe that all food they consume should be in the closest state to nature as possible (i.e minimally processed through heating), to those who are required to follow restricted diets such as those who suffer from Celiac Disease, or those who are diabetics^W. There is a great pdf document that you can download that touches on both Celiac Disease and Diabetes - outlining the connection between the two diseases and foods you consume.

In this post I want to concentrate on sweeteners that are suitable for diabetics. Those sweeteners that are low-glycemic. I will show some examples of each category of low glycemic sweeteners: unrefined, sugar alcohol, artificial, and herbal sweeteners.

There are many choices for alternative sweeteners. Natural, unrefined low-glycemic alternatives include:

• Brown Rice Syrup^W, which comes in different grades and gluten-free versions. It is normally used in cooking or baking ,by substituting a ratio of 1 1/4 times BRS to 1 amount of honey, molasses, or all-purpose (refined) sugar called for in a recipe [if using BRS to substitute for AP sugar - reduce liquids in your recipe by 1/4 cup for every cup of BRS used]. The main component of BRS is maltose and several complex carbohydrates - which are absorbed very slowly by our bodies, making it a good low glycemic ^W choice.
• Agave Nectar^W or Agave Syrup, is produced commercially in Mexico. Juice is expressed from the core of the agave, called the piña.^[1] The juice is filtered, then heated, to hydrolyze carbohydrates into sugars. Sources I have read say: "It is not manufactured from starch, but rather from fructans. ^[6] Due to its fructose content and the fact that the glycemic index only measures glucose levels, agave syrup is notable in that its glycemic index and glycemic load are lower than many other natural sweeteners on the market. ^[5] When using Agave, substitute 25% less for sweeteners called for in a recipe (ratio of 3/4 Agave to 1 cup refined sugar or other sweeteners), you will need to reduce your liquids by as much as 1/3. If using for baking make sure to reduce your oven temp by 25 F°.

Other low-glycemic Sweeteners options consist of Sugar derived alcohols such as:

• Maltitol^W It has 75-90% of the sweetness of sucrose (table sugar) and nearly identical properties, except for browning.
• Xylitol^W . This sugar alcohol is used as a naturally occurring sugar substitute found in the fibres of many fruits and vegetables, including various berries, corn husks, oats, and mushrooms.^[2] It can be extracted from corn fibre,^[3] birch, raspberries, plums, and corn. Xylitol is roughly as sweet as sucrose with only two-thirds the food energy.

There are many more sugar alcohol alternatives. Most are great because they actually prevent tooth decay, and they can be used in producing hard candies and confections. (seen allot in dental offices) The downside to these sweeteners is after a certain amount is eaten - it produces a laxative effect.

Another option and maybe the most well known category of low-glycemic sweeteners are those that are artificial. These artificial sweeteners have been largely used in commercialized products.

• Splenda^W , a.k.a Sucralose is approximately 600 times as sweet as sucrose (table sugar),^[4] twice as sweet as saccharin, and four times as sweet as aspartame and can be found in 4,500 products. Unlike aspartame, it is stable under heat and over a broad range of pH conditions and can be used in baking or in products that require a longer shelf life.
• Aspartame^W This sweetener is marketed under a number of trademark names, including Equal, NutraSweet, and Canderel, and is an ingredient of approximately 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide. It is commonly used in diet soft drinks, and is provided as a table condiment in some countries. However, aspartame is not always suitable for baking because it often breaks down when heated and loses much of its sweetness.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding artificial sweeteners. and the safety of longterm ingesting. For those who cannot have sugar otherwise, these artificial sweeteners bring hope. Artificial sweeteners tend to have an unwanted aftertaste after ingested, and like Sugar Alcohol based sweeteners , they too have a laxative effect if eaten in large quantities.



The last category of low-glycemic sweeteners are herbal based. These sweeteners generally come from the parts of different herb families:

• Stevia^W The species Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar. With its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives.

People have told me there is a learning curve with Stevia - you have to acclimate your tastebuds to the actual taste of stevia - it is sweet, but the ratio needs to be just right or you find a bitter after taste.


Recently the Food and Drug Administration (a.k.a FDA) approved 2 Stevia derived sweeteners, a first for the United States. One of the approved sweeteners Truvia, was developed by Cargil and The Coca-cola company.

Beverage brands such as Odwalla and Sprite's New "Green" line of sodas, all are planning to feature Truvia as the main sweetener in their products geared toward eco-friendly and diet soda buying consumers.







I got a chance to try Truvia. I was pretty interested because of what people had told me about Stevia, and that made it a challenge, plus the approval of this sweetener is pretty huge in the world of herbal ingredients.

Truvia comes in packets, much like Sweet 'n' Low, or regular table sugar you find at restaurants. Each packet is equal to 2 teaspoons of regular all purpose sugar. Truvia is also a Certified Kosher ingredient.

In the realm of eco-friendliness - The box and packets themselves are all recyclable paper and printed with Soy ink (big bonus there).

I tasted a few grains of Truvia by themselves, and noticed a very light vanilla note, and hints of tapioca. The aroma of Truvia is also similair to tapiocca custard. The look and texture is similair to fine sugar used in professional bakeries. I got a slight tingling, almost effervescence like sensation on my tongue once I tasted the Truvia grains.

Truvia did not pass my "coffee" test. I added it to my normal brewed coffee w/ half 'n' half and got a definite bitter aftertaste, similair to that of Dandelion greens. I would say that the ratio of one packet may be adjusted according to personal taste - I would use much less.

But maybe I need to acclimate my taste buds slowly to get used to the taste of Truvia in my coffee? I consider my morning coffee a sacred practice and I think I am not yet ready to change it. My favorite alternative to sugar in coffee is Agave Nectar - this stuff is great, I prefer the light colored agave syrup, as this has the least amount of flavor profile between Light Agave syrup and Amber Agave syrup varieties. If you taste the light agave syrup on your finger, it is very similair to normal sugar in taste.

Truvia preformed well however in my baking tests. I looked through the recipes found on the Truvia website. Some of the recipes include:

• Apple Berry Galette
• Pecan Pie
• Crunchy Apple Cinnamon & Pear Salad
• Zanna's Pumpkin Pancakes
• Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
• Shortbread Cookies
• Pumpkin Pie
• Cranberry Sauce
• Hot Cocoa Mix
• Classic Cheesecake
• Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Topping

I decided to try the Classic Cheesecake recipe. It was not that bad, the taste was not as different as I had expected - texture was slightly affected, not as firm as traditional cheesecake formulas, but overall if you were looking to cut out refined sugar and calories this version might be a good bet. This cheesecake recipe has 270 calories and 4 grams of sugar per serving as compared to regular cheesecake that has 310 calories and 20 grams of sugar per serving.

Overall I would say that Truvia is pretty pleasant to the palate when used in baking and is great when trying to use a natural low glycemic sugar substitute, similair to sugar in quality. The ratio of Truvia to sugar might need to be adjusted when substituting in recipes - but you can use a combination Truvia with Agave Syrup to cut the aftertaste of stevia, as they both are low-glycemic sweeteners.

You can visit the Truvia website for more info: http://truvia.com/index.html

On VerTerra: Can Your Eco-Friendly Disposable Do This?? 9

Sure you have probably heard of, or even used eco-friendly containers, such as those made from bio-plastic ^W a.k.a corn derivatives. But have you baked with them? VerTerra ,(which is Latin for "close to earth"), have these really nifty eco-friendly trays, and now bowls, that are really versatile.

Below if you click on the picture you can view a larger version of the eco-friendly disposables comparison chart . This chart compares VerTerra products against the more popular materials of earth friendly disposables: recycled paper , sugar cane, recycled plastic, bio-plastic corn, bamboo. The chart notes how product materials fair using these standards: price, oven safe, hot liquids, hot foods, compostable, sun resistance, renewable source.

Credit: VerTerra Brochure

Needless to say VerTerra 's product material wins hands down in functionality compared to the other eco-friendly materials . This line of eco-friendly disposables has so many great positives going for it, it is unbelievable. If you are looking for the ultimate in sustainable , well designed biodegradable plates, bowls and trays - then you can be rest assured VerTerra has something to offer you.


All of VerTerra's products in the line, are created from palm leaves that have naturally fallen of the palm. There is NO cutting of trees or other plants involved in the collection process. The next step is steaming the palm leavess - which , while still pliable, pressed into a mold ( the excess is trimmed) and the molds are heated , to set the palm materials and create each products shape. The final process is %100 percent natural - no binders, glues or chemicals are applied when creating VerTerra's products. This means there are no bleaches or waxes making the product line completely non-toxic.

Picture Credit: Theodore Samuels

VerTerra's Bowls come in two shapes:
"Classic" shown to the right, in a 7 inch size, and their newest addition to the VerTerra product line "Signature bowls", shown to the left - these will be available Dec. 22nd, 2008 ranging in sizes of 6x8 inches and 8x8 inches. The newest bowls are very sexy, and are obviously Classics' modern, stylish cousin.

Picture Credit: Theodore Samuels
VerTerra's plates are great too. There are many options.
From the Classic line, you can purchase 6 inch hexagon shaped plates, shown to the right. Or Classic 9 inch square plates.
The highlight of VerTerra's plate line is their newest addition "Signature Plates", shown to the left above, also debuting Dec. 22nd 2008. And like the "Signature Bowls", the Signature Plates have a streamlined, modern , low profile appeal. The Signature Plates range in sizes from 6 inches to 1o inches.

There will also be a nifty assortment of trays debuting in the Signature line on Dec. 22 2008. Available sizes of Signature Trays are: 7" x 8.5" , 10.5" x 12.5" ,12 inch Square Platters or the largest version in 14" x 16" Trays.



All VerTerra dinnerware is biodegradable and compostable after 2 months. As well as being able to accommodate hot liquids without the worry that the product will disintegrate .You can even bake in each piece at 350 F ° for up to 45 minutes, without any buckling or warping of the piece. This makes any of the VerTerra products perfect for home or on the go.

Picture Credit: Theodore Samuels
The bonus at home, is that you can reuse each piece up to 12 times - if hand washing with a mild eco-friendly detergent, such as Seventh Generation Dish Soap . However VerTerra dinnerware are NOT dishwasher safe.

Oven-safe, microwaveable and refrigerator friendly, VerTerra Dinnerware will bring a guilt free, versatile and stylish disposable experience right to your table.

Available in packages of 10 to bulk packs of up to 300 pieces , VerTerra dinnerware is a very easy and economical solution for both home users or culinary business professionals.

Ec0- Friendly Related Posts:

• From Bottles to Bags - Green is both Cool & Responsible
• Children's Toy Review: Counting Bunnies Puzzle
  
• When Shopping

Children's Toy Review: Counting Bunnies Puzzle 23

In this day and age store bought toys are a dime a dozen and their designs and novelty are temporary if not fleeting. Even the quality is not as it once was, with giant companies racing to cut over head by outsourcing to factories with shaky safety records, hoping to turn a lucrative profit.

But do toys really matter any more? When video games and electronic devices such as cell phones and ipods , have consumed the culture of most of the civilized world's daily existence, and become the most wanted items - echoed in the fashions and advertising campaigns that flood our televisions and printed media. Do seemingly "dull" toys of yesteryear have a needed place in our children's lives? I, among a growing movement of parents , educators and specialists, believe the answer is yes.

There have recently been many studies compiling findings that support the theory that moving our children into the digital age has not come without a price. People are cluing in to the fact that children are slowly loosing out on make believe play, which is critical for language and problem solving development within their growing brains. Articles such as The End Of Make Believe featured on Newsweek.com, site that technology and entertainment are NOT tools used to stimulate imaginative play, no matter what their clever advertisements may lead you to believe.

In order for a child's brain to be stimulated to encourage proper make believe play , the toys he or she plays with need to be very plain and basic in nature (always wondered why your children enjoy the box the toys came in, more than the toy it's self?) - without all the flashing- beeping- digital goodness that floods store shelves. Wooden blocks and other basic toys are open ended - meaning there is no set outcome or plot, these toys can be anything the child imagines and the potential for creativity is limitless.

One of the toys I am reviewing today falls into the category of those reminiscent of toys of yesteryear.

Counting Bunnies Puzzle is offered by Imagiplay.com, a company that believes in selling toys that are eco-friendly and that inspire the imagination.

Counting Bunnies Puzzle Specs:

• Hand-crafted & hand painted with child-safe paints. Made from plantation-grown rubberwood, an environmentally-friendly hardwood.
• Non-toxic, eco-friendly, educational puzzles that teaches numbers, colors, dexterity and fun!
• Fair Trade allows artisans a fair wage to support their families.
• 10 puzzle pieces (8 bunnies, 2 carrots) 1 wooden puzzle base.
• 
• Ages: 3+
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 4 x 14.5 inches ; 1 pounds
• ASIN: B0016HPLK0

Pros:

This puzzle is sized very nicely, perfect for a child's hands. The pieces are larger than other similar puzzles I have seen on the market, they also have rounded edges. It is nice to have a puzzle that offers a 2 dimensional feel instead of the typical one-dimensional, painted-on-one -side-only puzzles you find elsewhere.

The Counting Bunnies Puzzle's design is very sweet with momma bunny watching over her babies as they race to get to the large carrots, all numbered to encourage your little one's counting skills. The way the bunny pieces are positioned will help your child to learn about balance and sharpen his or her's dexterity. It is a nice feeling knowing that the designer used child safe paint when decorating the puzzle pieces, so many toys are made without forethought into the ingredients that will be used.

My 5 yr old daughter liked the way the pieces fit into the base and thought the carrot theme was "so cute!". Even my 18th month old little boy was drawn to the bright colors and different shapes.


I was happy to know that this purchase is supporting fair trade ^W artisans and that the wood used to create this puzzle is rubberwood - which can regenerate new growth that is usable fairly quickly, so the harvesting process is very eco-friendy.

Con's:

The only slightly negative thing I can say about Counting Bunnies Puzzle is that because it is eco-friendly the puzzle came wrapped in shrink wrap, so there is not actually a container to house the pieces - which was a little inconvenient. My kids had the pieces all over the place in no time.

Overall Impression:

The Counting Bunnies Puzzle is well constructed by hand out of environmentally sustainable wood and supports Fair trade workers in disadvantaged countries. Not only will your children love the cuteness factor of the puzzles design, but this puzzle is educational and something that will last for years to come, and would make a great toy to pass on to future generations.

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• Product Review: I-Spy Memory Game
• Product Review: See Me Read Kit - Complete
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Chocolate Landing on The Floor - Not In Your Mouth 97

When I am working with chocolate - be it chocolate sauce, tempered chocolate, ganache or chocolate buttercream I have a tendency to slob the stuff around. Somehow I end up with it all 0ver the sleeves of my chef jacket or apron. When you are in a time crunch to get a product prepped, there is a delicate balance between artfully creating and efficiently creating, and sometimes things get sloppy, better yourself and not the product.

As a mom I realize that the possibility of chocolate getting totally consumed is a dream in theory. When children get a a hold of anything remotely edible, watching them consume and having the high expectations that they will be good and not make a mess - well let's just say they cannot help themselves and right it off as a disaster in the making.When I was chosen by Mom Central to review WD40 Spot Shot Carpet Cleaner, I thought this would be something pretty useful to have in my household.




Product Specs:

• 22oz spray bottle

Can Remove:

• Old Stains
• Dirt/Grime
• Cola/Colored Soda
• Tracked in Mud, Dirt and Oil

Safe and Permanent Removal of

• All kinds of new and old stains
• Dual-odor eliminators absorb and neutralize odors
• Anti-Resoiling agents protect carpet
• Approved by the Carpet and Rug Institute for product performance

Safe for Pets, Kids and the Environment*

• Non-Toxic
• No Phosphates
• No Volatile Organic Compounds
• Recyclable Packaging
• Certified Biodegradable by Scientific Certification Systems

Official Website: http://www.spotshot.com/

Cleaner Characteristics: I am always worried with cleaners about fumes and their ingredients because I am very sensitive to everything and can have pretty major allergic reactions, plus I don't want my children exposed to toxic chemicals. When I read the back of the Spot Shot bottle I was amazed to see that there were no warnings about accidental ingestion or inhaling the fumes. The label states that Spot Shot is non-toxic in both instances. The spray is not over powering and similar to Febreze in scent.

How To Use Spot Shot: The directions on the bottle say to use on both new stains that are still damp and older stains that are dry. It says repeat as necessary.

While using on a fresh stain:

• Blot the stain with a dry cloth to wick up any moisture
• Spray the stain with Spot Shot Spray
• Wet a clean rag or sponge and start blotting the area to remove the stain.
• Rinse out the rag or sponge as needed and repeat the above steps.
• Allow carpet to air dry

While using on an old stain:

• Spray the stain with Spot Shot Spray, allow to soak in.
• Wet a clean rag or sponge and start rubbing the area to remove the stain.
• Rinse out the rag or sponge as needed and repeat the above steps.
• Allow carpet to air dry

The Performance:

My daughter had a spill with some chocolate sauce on the carpet.I used a rag to blot the remainder of the chocolate that hadn't quite soaked in. I followed the above noted steps for use with a fresh stain.

 The spray bubbled once it was applied. It worked better to blot at the stain as apposed to rubbing. The total cleaning process was repeated 3 times. I am able to say that Spot Shot did a pretty good job at removing the chocolate sauce, which tends to be a very hard stain to completely remove. Spot Shot is not an instant fix - it won't take all the work away for you, you will have to use a little elbow grease, but the time it takes to remove a stain is minimal. Compared to other spot cleaning products I have tried on previous carpets, I would say this does an excellent job. I wish I had had it when my daughter was a toddler, it might have saved my husband and I, hours of frustration. Overall I would say Spot Shot does what is advertised, with minimal effort and with a solution that is safe for kids and pets. It is biodegradable and has recyclable packaging. Eco-friendly solutions are always a plus.

The view expressed here are mine & mone alone. I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of WD40. In addition, I received an bottle of Spot Shot in exchange for my honest feedback.Please read more about Renaissance Culinaire's Disclosure Policy