MYdrap
MYdrap means “my cloth” in Catalan (the language spoken by most people who live in Barcelona, Spain) and includes napkins and placemats that look and act like a high quality cotton napkin or placemat but come perforated on a roll for easy tear-off convenience. Made of 100% cotton fibers, MYdrap is an exceptionally well constructed disposable textile that comes in five sizes and 48 colors and patterns. Biodegradable, combustible, and recyclable, MYdrap textiles are truly an innovative product that offers variety, quality, and convenience at a competitive price. Read more 
Nora Fleming Platters
Everyone loves a celebration and especially a table filled with platters of salads, desserts, side dishes and more. Some platters in my cabinet are single purpose – designed for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day or a birthday party – which means they take up a lot of space and don’t get used very often. So when my very thoughtful cousin, Nancy gave me a Nora Fleming platter this past week, I instantly fell in love with a serving piece described as “one platter….every occasion.” Read more
How To Make Cupcakes Meri Meri
Most cupcake bakers have two goals: to use the freshest and finest ingredients available to make the most delicious treats but there are also the bakers that have a third goal: to make their cupcakes especially pleasing to the eye by using liners and decorations. Presentation and packaging are very important and for the novice home baker, there is a company that provides a variety of unique baking products designed to add a touch of whimsy and beauty to your next cupcake project whether it be for a traditional birthday party or to celebrate the first day of summer. Read more
The Excalibur Fruit and Vegetable Dehydrator
My daughter turned 17 recently and when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she replied “an Excalibur” meaning a food dehydrator, not the sword (big sigh of relief). Dried fruit is a favorite snack in our home but finding dried fruit without additives, sugar, or preservatives is difficult and often expensive. An Excalibur Food Dehydrator is the Cadillac of home dehydrators with the three attributes every dried food enthusiast wants: sufficient cubic space, a timer, and accurate temperature control. Read more
Rethinking the Lunch Box and Thermos
Every so often, a product is redesigned in such an innovative way that people reconsider its use. There was the brown paper bag for lunch which led to the iconic lunch box and thermos – all of which were staples in our society for those who wanted to bring lunch from home. When my daughter announced she was going vegan and would be preparing her own lunch to bring to school, she quickly realized the challenges of not only making fresh tasting food but of transporting and storing it so that the food looked and tasted just as good as when she first made it. The preparation was relatively easy; the transporting wasn’t which is how we found Black + Blum – a company that makes innovative and functional soup carriers, salad boxes, and meal holders, bags, and utensils. Read more
Yonanas
This past Christmas, we surprised my daughter with a Yonana machine – an electric kitchen appliance that turns frozen fruit into a soft serve treat called Yonanas. My daughter is a vegan so fruit is a big part of her diet and although the majority of fruit she eats is fresh, more than a portion of our freezer is allocated to frozen fruit for her daily smoothies. Sometimes I open the freezer and think Carmen Miranda is looking back at me only to realize its a frozen fruit fest. There are piles of frozen mangos, blueberries, strawberries, pineapples, cantaloupes, raspberries, blackberries, and most popular of all – bananas. Read more
FAB
An artist friend of mine introduced me to a relatively new website last month called “FAB” – a design e-retailer that has four distinguishing characteristics: (1) the products are fabulous in design, taste, or use; (2) e-mails are sent daily alerting subscribers to new products offered; (3) the products are not widely available; and (4) the products are all offered at a discount. Founded in June, 2011, FAB was the brainchild of Jason Goldberg and Bradford Shellhammer – two West Villagers who believed they could build an e-commerce powerhouse through word of mouth, which is exactly how it’s grown (witness my introduction to the website by a friend who has an eye for design). Read more
The Right Gift: On-Line Resources
Giving a gift is easy but giving a gift that the recipient will truly enjoy takes time, thought and effort. Gifts are delivered with a message: Happy Birthday, Thank You, Congratulations, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah – and the message is best conveyed with a thoughtful gift. Read more
Zyliss: The Swiss Queen of Gadgets
In my home, I am known as the “Gadget Queen” – a nickname that was given to me a few years back by a friend who noted that every time he and his family visited, I had a new gadget. He would barrel in the front door and before putting his suitcases down would say “so, what’s the new gadget this year?” Read more
The Cuisinart, Circa 1981 and Cole Slaw
The summer of 1981, I was 20 years old and just finished my sophomore year in college. Prince Charles was going to marry Lady Diana Spencer that summer, MTV was launched, and the first woman (Sandra Day O’Connor) was nominated to the US Supreme Court. It was quite a year but I remember 1981 mostly because it was the year I discovered a kitchen appliance that transformed food preparation: The Cuisinart. Read more
Paddock Post 