OXO Pop Containers
One of my dreams is to design my own house with five rooms on the first floor: a mud room with a dog bath/shower, a laundry room, a massive kitchen with a casual dining area connected to a family room, and a walk-in pantry with adjustable shelves lined with nearly everything a cook or baker needs to make scrumptious meals.
The pantry of my dreams will have a section for flours, sugars, beans, rice, pasta, grains, snacks, cereals, jams, sauces, chocolate, nuts, dried fruits, baking and cooking supplies – all organized for easy access. Until then, I’ve focused on organizing my limited cabinet space to maximize every square inch by using OXO Pop Containers: BPA-free containers made of clear heavy-duty plastic that are airtight, stackable, and space efficient. Read more 
“What You’ve Been Missing”
Never judge a book by its cover…..
The cover art of What You’ve Been Missing is a painting by Roger Brown called It’s a Wonderful Lie and is as telling as the short story collection written by Janet Desaulniers. A rectangular piece of art divided into eight sections, It’s a Wonderful Lie depicts life as we live and the impending disaster ahead: we come together and marry; we divorce and part; we enjoy a drive in a convertible and unexpectedly get hit by a truck; we run our businesses and we go to jail; and finally, we exercise and strengthen our bodies only to succumb to death. Read more
Vega Savi Seed
The Savi Seed is the trademarked name of the Sacha Inchi Seed – the richest, plant-based source of Omega 3 on the planet (17 times more per ounce than Sockeye salmon). Grown in the Amazon Rainforest in Peru, the Sacha Inchi plant bears a star-shaped inedible fruit (as illustrated below) that darkens from green to brown, with an edible seed (once roasted) within a dark brown shell.
Light brown and oval in shape, the Sacha Inchi Seeds look similar to a marcona almond, and are known for their high protein, essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and 6), Omega 9, and iodine. A complete protein, Sacha Inchi Seeds have 9 grams of protein per ounce – more than most nuts and seeds – and 5 grams of fiber. Read more
Freshii
In the vast landscape of fast foods, Freshii has emerged as one of the newest and fastest growing chains offering fresh, affordable, and great tasting food quickly. A restaurant known for its farm fresh ingredients and eco-friendly practices (i.e. real bowls when eating in), Freshii aims to provide nutritious meal choices to energize busy people. Take out or eat in at a table in the bright airy space decorated with a “Table of Food Elements” on the wall prominently displaying all the ingredients Freshii has to offer. Read more
WeatherTech Cargo Liners
Cars don’t generally excite me and I barely know the difference between makes and models but there is one product for automobiles that makes me smile: cargo liners made by WeatherTech, an Illinois-based company specializing in floor mats and liners for cars, trucks, minivans, and SUV’s. WeatherTech cargo liners are custom designed, laser-measured liners made of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) – a mix of plastic and rubber – which is wear resistant but flexible even under temperature extremes. Read more
“Vegan Chocolate”
If someone told you a chocolate dessert could be unapologetically luscious, decadent and dairy-free, would you believe her? Fran Costigan, author, baking instructor, and vegan chocolate extraordinaire said just that and I really wanted to believe her but I had my doubts because most vegan chocolate desserts don’t taste as rich and scrumptious as those made with butter, cream, and eggs. How could they? Butter, like chocolate makes nearly everything taste better. But they can, and they do in a new cookbook called Vegan Chocolate. Read more
My Neck Obsession
A few weeks ago, I was watching the last season of Dexter and couldn’t stop staring at Hannah McKay, Dexter’s murderous psychopath girlfriend. The actress, Yvonne Strahovski is young, thin, and beautiful but it was her neck that had me mesmerized…she was wearing a spaghetti-strapped tee which showcased a beautiful silken neck that looked smooth as cream even when her hair was limp and frizzy from the Miami heat and humidity. Read more
The Better Bean Company
The Better Bean Company of Portland, Oregon (why are there so many cool food companies based out of Portland?) considers beans an essential part of fine and healthy cuisines but also realizes that most people don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen cooking beans and adding just the right amount of spices to take the beans from bland to delicious. So, they do it for you by making freshly prepared beans that rival the quality and flavor of the best home cooked or restaurant made beans. Read more
Five Specialty Food Stores to Visit
Whenever I travel, I make a point of finding and visiting specialty food stores, farmer’s markets, or independent grocery stores because these stores carry regional and high quality food products that are otherwise unavailable locally. Usually in a downtown area and typically limited to medium to large-sized cities, specialty food stores are like good bookstores: a relaxing place to spend a few hours and take away a special something to enjoy later. The following specialty food stores are worth visiting: Read more
“Model Home”
What an odd thing a family was,…The permutations, like the patterns of a chess game, seemed endless.
The Ziller family – Warren and Camille and their three children: Dustin, Delilah (“Lyle”), and Justin, and Mr. Leonard, an old and arthritic dog – left their hometown of Nashotah, Wisconsin in 1982 to move to a suburban development outside of Los Angeles, California. In pursuit of success and wealth, Warren Ziller invests everything in a real estate development – Auburn Fields – that ends up being adjacent to a dump. Three years later (1985) Warren has lost everything but is afraid to tell his family who all seem to be completely unaware of what is going on around them. Read more
Paddock Post 