Christmas Cookie Contest

It's that time of year again!  We're having our Christmas Cookie Contest at Mystery Lover's Kitchen.  We'll bake and taste (poor us!) and select ten finalists.  You get to vote for the overall winner! 

Send your recipes to KristaDavis at KristaDavis dot com.  You could win these!

Pastel Sanding Sugar

Primary Sanding Sugar

Powdered Food Colors

Cute Flower Cookie Stencils

Late July Multigrain Snack Chips

Not too long ago, I overheard someone in my grocery store say "Ugh.  Organic food.  Don't want that!"  She turned her cart quickly to avoid the organic food aisle.  The truth is that the days of shoe sole taste and cardboard box texture organic food are long gone. 

We all have our favorite brands, organic and not organic.  Late July is a brand that I've found to be consistently good.  They make delightful mini peanut butter sandwich crackers.  They even come in little bag sizes that are perfect for school lunches.

So when I saw that they were making chips, I was eager to give them a try.  Like their other products, the chips are organic.  The great news is that they're multigrain and made with non-genetically modified grains, which are hard to find in chip land.  But that's not all.  They're certified gluten-free, and don't contain synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

For those watching their weight, the news isn't too bad, either.  About 13 chips contain only 110 calories.

Now, with all that going for it, your expectations of something snackingly decadent are soaring downward, aren't they?  Yeah, mine, too.  I should admit here to an addiction to that orange powder on Doritos.  I'm not all that easy to please.

Late July knocked this one out of the park.  I love these chips!  I've tried the Dude Ranch Chips which have a slightly tangy, salty taste and the Mild Green Mojo chips which leave a little kick behind in your mouth.  I'll buy them both again.  And again and again.

Read more about this interesting company here -- LateJuly.com.

Five cupcakes to Late July for fabulous snack chips that we'll reach for every time!

Gourmet Cheese Crackers

So you have company coming for dinner and not enough time.  What's the easiest thing for them to nosh on before dinner?  A cheese platter, of course.  All you have to do is make it look pretty.  But instead of plain Jane crackers, add some daelia's Hazelnut Biscuits for Cheese and you'll instantly have an upscale, gourmet cheese platter. 

They have tiny bits of fig in them, which sets them apart from -- well, just about every cracker I can think of.  They're even good on their own.  I have a package stashed in the pantry, just in case someone drops by!

Read more about daelia's Biscuits for Cheese at their website.  http://www.daeliasbiscuitsforcheese.com/biscuits

Five cupcakes to daelia's Hazelnut Biscuits for Cheese!

Battery Operated Hedge Trimmer

Have you ever linked three long extension cords together to cut hedges?  Me, too.  The process of connecting everything was such a chore that I was always putting it off.  So, when the electric hedge trimmer died, I wasn't altogether too sad about it.

I'll admit that I had some reservations about buying a battery-powered hedge trimmer.  Would it have enough power to cut anything?  Would it weigh too much to lift? 

I took a chance on Black & Decker's 18 Volt Cordless Hedge Trimmer, which I found for about $100 at my local big box store.  It has a 22-inch long blade, which is plenty long for my purposes.  The battery is rechargeable.

So far, I have used it on forsythia, small tree branches, brush, young cedar trees, and garden bushes.  It cuts through almost anything the size of a pinky finger.  I'm neither towering nor brawny, but I find that I can use it easily.  The battery only runs for half an hour, but by that time my arms get a little weary, anyway.  I have walked my yard with it, trimming as I strolled.  Fabulous!  http://www.blackanddecker.com/outdoor/NHT518B.aspx

A perfect hedge trimmer for Harriet Homeowner.  And no more messing with extension cords!

Five cupcakes to Black & Decker's 18 Volt Cordless Hedge Trimmer!

Environmentally-Friendly Dishwashing Liquid

It seems like I'm obsessed with dishwashing!  My favorite dishwashing liquid (for hand-washing dishes) has become very hard to find.  I've churned through a slew of brands, some overly stinky, some that dry hands, some that just didn't work as well as I would have liked.  I use my dishwashing liquid a lot, so I'm very conscious of how my hands feel after using it.

I'm thrilled with Ecover's Grapefruit & Green Tea Dish Liquid.  It does have a light citrus scent, but I don't find it unpleasant or overwhelming.  It's gentle on my hands, too.  It's biodegradable, and made with plant-based and mineral ingredients.  You can read the complete ingredient list here.  http://www.ecover.com/us/en/Products/Dishes/Grapefruit.htm

The price came in lower than what I usually pay at a big box store.  One of my favorite things about it is that I don't have to rinse, and rinse, and rinse to get rid of it.  It bubbles nicely and then politely rinses off.

Five cupcakes to Ecover's Grapefruit and Green Tea Dish Liquid!

Cablanca

Teresa at my local health food store knows everything about cheese.  She's an expert on all kinds of other things, too, but I've never seen anyone who knows cheeses like she does.  (With the exception of Avery Aames, of course!)

One day when I was shopping, a woman was buying Cablanca.  She explained that her daughter had issues with dairy products, but not with items made from goat's milk.  I didn't go into details, but apparently goat's milk is much lower in lactose.  Teresa forced me (forced, I tell you!) to try the cheese.  It's now the favorite cheese around my house.

I confess that prior to trying Cablanca, I avoided goat cheeses because I associated them with feta.  Other people always get excited about feta, but while they exclaim over it, I quietly slink away thinking ewww.

So, if you're not a feta lover, do not be deterred!  Cablanca is a goat gouda.  Who knew such a thing even existed?  It's white, though.  The gouda taste is there, but it's mild and subtle.  So far all my tasters love this cheese.  I've used it on top of pizza and it melted beautifully.  Most of the time, we eat it on crackers and it's a wonderful treat.  It runs 110 calories for one ounce, which is great for cheese.

I haven't tried this cheese with children yet, but I suspect they'll like the gentle flavor.

Check out http://www.janafoods.com/products-windmill.shtml to learn more about Cablanca.

Five cupcakes to Cablanca Goat Gouda!

Environmentally-Friendly Dishwashing Detergent

Lately, I've been buying one automatic dishwasher detergent after another and getting the same horrible results.  Nothing gets clean.  Oh, the dishes are sort of clean, but that's because I've been washing them by hand before I put them into the dishwasher.  And let's not even get into glasses.  Ick!  I was beginning to think I would have to go back to hand-washing my dishes.

Since the day my dog licked the powder when I poured it into the cup, I've been looking for dishwashing detergents that are as natural and environmentally friendly as possible (though it's worth noting that even when I went back to my old well known brand I had the same terrible results).  So I bought a big name brand that was supposed to be good for the environment.  It was a liquid, and I didn't even fill the cup completely.  I actually had to open all the windows because the odor of chlorine was so overpowering that I couldn't breathe.  And the glasses still looked unappetizing.

Now, I will admit that I have very hard well water, and I've chalked up my dishwasher problems to that for a long time.  Because of the hard water, I always add vinegar.

And then, because I didn't want to use the chlorine nightmare again, I picked up a box of Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwasher Detergent.  I had extremely low expectations.  I was certain my glasses would still be foggy and the pots and pans would have an icky film on them.  NOT SO!

I love this stuff.  It's biodegradable, and phosphate and chlorine free.  My dishwasher is running with it right now and there's no horrendous smell driving me out of the room.  Even better, my glasses look clean again!  Really clean.  Love this stuff.  At first blush it looks pricy, but when compared to the prices on other non-environmentally friendly brands, it come out fairly close.  It might even be less expensive than some of those little packet thingies.  In addition, I'm always getting Seventh Generation coupons, and they're usually very good -- often $1 off. Check it out at http://www.seventhgeneration.com/Free-and-Clear/Dishwasher-Detergent .

Five cupcakes to Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwasher Detergent!