Find More Facts About Home & Food

Everything From Housewares to Personal Accessories - Check Out Our Great Selection of Items on eBay

2008-01-31T10:13:00.000-06:00

Bookmark this page and keep checking back. We're adding new items to our eBay listings all the time. Happy Shopping!

Burberry Sunglasses, Children's Software & More on our Ebay Site

2008-01-29T15:59:00.000-06:00

Check out our current eBay listings and watch for more great deals to come!

Getting Organized - How to Get Started Without Losing Your Mind

2008-01-10T08:39:00.000-06:00

It is a new year and many people resolve to get organized, so we thought we would talk about how to do just that. We encourage our readers to leave comments and share your organiztional tips too. Together, we will organize the world - one messy closet at a time!

Park-a-Purse - Purse Organizer

Have you ever felt like everything around you is in total disarray and you don't know where to begin to get organized? Of course, I have never had that problem (LOL) but I have come up with a way to de-stress while I declutter. You need to choose one spot in one room to begin. It sounds pretty obvious, but in reality that is why it is often so difficult to begin organizing. Here is what you need to do:

Choose one drawer or one cabinet or one shelf in a closet.

Pull everything out.

Clean the surfaces.

Throw away anything old, damaged, out of date, or things you have not used in the last six months.

If you have a bunch of small items, group them by category, put them in a clear plastic container and label them.

Put everything you are keeping back into the drawer/cabinet/closet and close the door!

Throw out the trash. Recycle or donate items when possible.

Walk away and give yourself a treat! You have just started on your way to being organized.

Repeat this process every couple of days and before you know it your closets and cabinets will be clean!

If you need some organizational items such as plastic containers, closet organizers, drawer organizers, etc. check out the following orgaznizational supply stores and you'll find some terrific sources of organizing tools at some really great prices.

Up to 75% off at StacksandStacks.com

10% off $100.00 or more purchase (Coupon Code: A9639) You must use the coupon code at checkout to get the discount.

Come on back to our site often for more tips and articles.
Don't forget to leave us some of your great tips. We look forward to hearing from you!

Karen

The Return of Finster, the Find More Facts Detective

2007-12-31T00:49:00.000-06:00

After a bit of a hiatus and several requests from regular readers, we have decided to bring back Finster, our Find More Facts Detective. You may have noticed him appearing in several of our holiday postings. We find Finster a way to a bit of extra fun to our blog, so we hope you will enjoy his return. He'll be sniffing out a lot of great deals for you in the near future. 2008 promises to be a great year and we look forward to bringing you many new features and helpful tips this year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Rick & Karen

Mashed Potatoe Casserole Recipe

2007-12-19T18:39:00.000-06:00

We frequently serve this delicious mashed potato recipe on the holidays. It is one of our favorites and you can make it ahead. Just let it come to room temperature, then warm it in the oven about 20-30 minutes, adding the cheese the last 5 minutes.

Mashed Potato Casserole

Serves 8

Ingredients:

6 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tsp. salt

Dash pepper

1 tsp. chopped chives

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Bring potatoes to a boil in lightly salted water in a covered sauce pan. Reduce heat, simmer until tender. Drain potatoes.

In a large bowl, mash the potatoes until most of the lumps are gone. Add the butter and continue mixing until smooth. Add the milk, sour, cream, salt, pepper, & chives, mixing until well blended. Place mixture in the prepared casserole dish and cover with the cheese. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

This recipe doubles well baked in a 3-4 quart casserole.

Happy Holidays!

Rick & Karen

Wine and Food Make Great Christmas Gifts!

2007-12-13T14:52:00.000-06:00

Adding to our holiday shopping deals - because who doesn't like to receive delicious food as a gift! :-)

THE ISLAND TREASURE'S COMBO

Omaha Steaks make an always appreciated gift and their steaks and side dishes are outstanding! I would order some for yourself as well. You will truly enjoy the quality and taste of the food.

Save up to 55% on the Ideal Gift Collection plus 2 FREE Gifts from Omaha Steaks!

BV Century Cellars Holiday Spirit Duet Gift Basket

If you have a wine lover on your list, this is the place to shop. Wine.com has an extensive collection of spectacular wines, with wine recommendations available. They also have some beautiful gift packages and wine club memberships.

Save 10% on a 6 month Wine Club Membership at Wine.com. Enter promo code: 10GIFTCLUB at checkout. Offer ends 12.31.07.

Wine Gift Sets – Why bother picking individual wines? We’ve done the work for you. Give premier wines grouped by theme, varietal or region.

Happy Shopping (and Eating)!

Karen & Rick

Our Annual Holiday Shopping Discounts and Deals List - Part One!

2007-12-12T07:26:00.001-06:00

Here are some more excellent deals just in time for the holidays. These discounts are in additional to already reduced prices on housewares, cookware, and more!

Extra 25% Off All Open Stock Dinnerware - Ends 12-12

Up to Extra 40% Off Home Accents: Furniture, Lighting & More - Ends 12-12

Up to Extra 30% Off Kitchen Essentials: Cookware, Cutlery, Appliances - Ends 12-12

Up to Extra 25% Off Towel Sets - Ends 12-12

Up to $150 Off Down Comforters, Mattress Pads & Pillows - Ends 12-12

Up to Extra 75% Off Bedding Essentials: Sheets Sets, Duvet Sets, Comforter Sets, Blankets & More - Ends 12-12

Don't miss out on these outstanding bargains and check back soon. We'll have more of our holiday savings list posted soon.

Happy Shopping!

Karen & Rick

Online Holiday Shopping Safety Tips

2007-12-05T19:07:00.000-06:00

While shopping online is a great time saver, very convenient, and can offer a better selection than local stores, there are precautions you need to take to safeguard your identity and your credit cards. Here are a few tips to help you shop safely and securely. Just take a few precautions and you can comfortably complete your holiday shopping from home while everyone else is out in the cold! :-)

Always check the security of the checkout pages of any online merchant you are purchasing from. This means that when you are on the checkout page you should see "https" in the web address, the "s"indicates "secure." Also at the bottom of the page, you will see a graphic of a closed lock or unbroken key indicating the site is secure.

Another way to check security when you are on the checkout page is to go to the top menu and click "File,"then "Properties." You will get a Properties pop-up screen that shows the Protocol as "HyperTextTransfer Protocol with Privacy" and the Connection will state "SSL with (at least) 128 bit encryption."You will also see a restatement of the https web address. Make sure it matches the address of the page you are supposed to be on. If all of these factors are in place, you can be relatively certain that you are on a secure site.

Read the return policy before you buy. If you don't like the policy, buy somewhere else.

Be sure you can locate the contact information for the merchant easily on the site.

Print a receipt of your purchase before logging off of the site. Don't just rely on an e-mailed copy of a receipt. Sometimes even e-mails get lost.

Follow these few simple guidelines and you'll have your holiday shopping done in no time! Check back soon for our annual listing of top online places to shop and special online offerings.

Happy Shopping!

Smartbargains Shopping and Calphalon One Cookware

2007-11-30T19:10:00.000-06:00

Smartbargains is one of our favorite places to shop for all kinds of items for the kitchen and home adn even for some extra personal goodies. :-) From now until December 10th you can Checkout with PayPal and earn 20% Cash Back on your order! This is an awesome deal as their prices are already quite low and the shipping charges are very reasonable.

For example, check out this fabulous Calphalon One Nonstick 8pc Cookware Set.

It consists of:

8-quart stockpot with lid

4.5-quart saucepan with lid

3-quart chef's pan with lid

10" and 12" omelette pans

It is a wonderful set to cook with and would make an awesome gift for that special cook in your life (even if that happens to be you!)

Keep checking back for more great finds and special reader discounts and deals!

Pumpkin Cake Recipe

2007-11-21T14:22:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for a little twist on the traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, here is a delicious recipe for a pumpkin layer cake. Even those who don't like pumpkin pie usually enjoy this moist and flavorful cake. Let us know what you think!

Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 pkg yellow cake mix with pudding

3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup oil

3 large eggs

Cinnamon Whipped Cream Frosting:

2 cups whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. In large bowl, combine all cake ingredients. Beat at low speed with mixer until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at high speed. Pour batter into pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pans. Cool completed on cooling rack.

In medium bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon; beat until stiff. Place 1 cake layer top side down on cake plate. Dust off loose crumbs. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Top frosted cake with remaining cake layer; top side up. Spread sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Karen and Rick

Interior Designers - A Great Asset for Your Home Improvement Project

2007-11-16T09:46:00.000-06:00

Sponsored Review

While we are on the subject of remodeling and redecorating, we wanted to discuss the point that using an interior designer for your home remodeling project is a great idea. Interior designers often have access to resources that the ordinary consumer does not. Additionally, interior home design is not always an easy proposition for some people and a bit of professional advice can go a long way.

Interior designers can be hired to do an entire project or you may be able to hire one for just an hour or two to get some advice and direction for your interior home design project. Look for a designer with American Society of Interior Designer credentials (ASID). You'll be sure you are getting a well qualified professional.

Bathroom Remodeling - Choosing Floor Tile and Wall Tile

2007-11-16T07:29:00.000-06:00

Thinking of starting a bathroom remodeling project or just looking for some new ideas. We are going to discuss various products available for freshening up one of the most used spaces in the house.

Rick and I have started looking at products to redo our master bath. We decided to start with the floor and wall tile and found that there are a myriad of choices now available. You can find marble tile, granite tile, porcelain tile, clay tile, ceramic tile, metal tile, and glass tile. The choices are almost as endless as your imagination. In our upcoming posts we will talk about some of the pros and cons of the different types of tiles and show you some great examples of each.

Stay tuned and have fun!

Beef Burgundy Recipe - Boeuf Bourguinon

2007-11-02T07:41:00.000-05:00

Here is a tasty beef burgundy recipe, perfect for a fall dinner. Serve with some warm, crusty bread, a tossed green salad and the remainder of the wine. Delicious!

BEEF BURGUNDY (BOEUF BOURGUINON)

3 slices bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
16 white mushrooms, medium in size, wiped with damp cloth to clean, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 cup frozen pearl onions, defrosted and drained
2 pounds lean sirloin, 1-inch thick, trimmed and cubed into 1 inch pieces
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup burgundy wine
1 1/2 cups beef stock
Bouquet of 3 or 4 sprigs each sage and fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string

Herbed Egg Noodles

12 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked to package directions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, 2 handfuls
12 blades fresh chives, snipped or finely chopped

Directions

Heat a large deep skillet with a heavy bottom and a lid over medium high heat. Add bacon to the pan and brown. Remove crisp bacon bits with slotted spoon. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons butter to the pan and melt into bacon drippings. Add mushrooms to the pan and turn to coat evenly with butter and bacon drippings. Season the mushroom slices with salt and pepper. Sauté mushrooms 2 to 3 minutes and add onions to the pan. Continue cooking onions and mushrooms 2 to 3 minutes longer, then transfer to a plate and return pan to the heat.

Add remaining butter to the pan and melt it. Add meat to the very hot pan and brown evenly on all sides, keeping the meat moving. Add flour to browned meat in the pan and cook the flour 2 minutes. Add wine to the pan slowly while stirring. When the wine comes up to a bubble and you have scraped up the pan drippings, add the stock and bouquet of fresh sage and thyme sprigs to the pot. Cover the pan. When the liquid boils, reduce heat to medium. Cook covered 5 minutes, remove lid and add mushrooms, onions and bacon back to the pot. Simmer with the cover off until sauce thickens a bit. Adjust seasoning and remove herb bouquet.

Toss hot egg noodles with butter and herbs. Place a bed of noodles in a shallow bowl and pour beef burgundy over the noodles and serve.

Mexican Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe

2007-10-11T07:12:00.000-05:00

Here is a great Mexican recipe to go along with our Spanish lessons as promised.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 chicken breasts (or 6 halves)
1 (10 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 (8 ounce) can diced green chilies (hot or mild, or a small can of each)
1 (10 ounce) package cheddar cheese, grated
1 small onion, diced
1-2 teaspoons oregano
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
8-12 corn tortillas (you can also use flour tortillas if desired) cut into strips or shredded
16 ounces sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

Place Chicken in large saucepan and cover with water. Sprinkle in a 1-2 teaspoons of oregano; add the garlic powder and salt. Boil about 20 minutes. Remove chicken from stock and shred the chicken off the bones, saving the stock.

Mix soups, sour cream & chilies in large saucepan adding only enough stock to slightly thin. You will need less stock if you are using low fat soups.

Taste the soup mixture and re-season as needed. You may wish to add a bit of cumin to enhance the flavor. Simmer on low 15 minutes.

Add the chicken and diced onion to the soup mixture.

In 9x13 casserole dish, arrange ½ the shredded tortillas across bottom, spoon in 1/2 the sauce and sprinkle 1/2 the cheese. Repeat with a second layer.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Variations:
If you want to add a bit more zest to the casserole, consider adding some fresh, diced jalapenos or salsa to the mix. You may also want to sprinkle in some chopped olives or diced tomatoes for extra flavor and texture.

Try low fat soups, cheese and sour cream to reduce fat and calories.

Notes:
This dish freezes well and is a good “make ahead” dish. Leftovers served the next day are even tastier.

Buen provecho! Enjoy your meal!

2007-10-06T13:10:00.000-05:00

I love to find great products at bargain prices, especially for the kitchen. Here is a set of Cuisinart Kitchen Knives that I really like and I think it's at a really great price:

The Cuisinart Continental 14pc Cutlery Set
includes an 8" chef's knife, 8" bread knife, 8" slicing knife, 4-1/2" utility knife, and 3-1/2" paring knife, plus six steak knives, 10 " sharpening steel, kitchen shears, and a storage block. All of this for only $99.98. That is a great deal! You can find it at SmartBargains and if you go through the following link you will get 12% off for New Customers - Ends 11-1-07.

If you are needing some new cutlery, this is a great set to try. You can also get October - Free Shipping on Orders of $75 or more - Ends 10-15-07

Happy cooking (and shopping!)

Learn Spanish While We Talk, Cook, & Eat

2007-09-05T15:26:00.000-05:00

¡Hola!

Hello Find More Facts readers. I am so excited right now because I am finally doing something I have always wanted to do...Learn to speak Spanish!

Actually, Rick and I are doing this together. After much searching and review, we found a great Spanish Language course that we really like and it is downloadable and easy to use right from your own computer.

I like this course because it presents Spanish in a conversational manner and then breaks it down word by word for you to practice speaking and learn the vocabulary and correct pronunciation. They have actually managed to make learning to speak Spanish fun!

To celebrate as we go along we will be posting some delicious Spanish/Latin/Mexcian recipes along with a few of our newly learned vocabulary words. Come on and join in the fun and take some Spanish lessons with us! You can even get the first 6 lessons free to try it out.

¡buena suerte! (Good luck!) Be sure to let us know how you like the Spanish lessons and the recipes.

P.S. You can access the Spanish Lessons site through this link.

Taco Salad Recipe

2007-08-20T15:47:00.000-05:00

Here is a nice taco salad recipe that doesn't include using the dried package taco seasoning mix.

Taco Salad

· 1−1/2 Pound Ground beef
· Bottled French dressing
· 1/4 Cup Onion, chopped
· 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
· 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
· 1/2 Teaspoon Dried oregano, crushed
· 1/2 Head iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
· 2 Tomatoes, cut in wedges
· 8 Ounce Can corn, drained
· 8 Ounce Can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
· 1/2 Cup Radish slices
· 1−6 1/2 oz Package Tortilla or corn chips or a taco salad tortilla bowl
· 1 Avocado, peeled and sliced
· 4 Ounce Cheddar cheese, shredded
· Pitted black olives, sliced
· Sour cream

Brown meat and drain off fat. Add 1/3 cup French dressing, onion, salt, pepper and oregano. Simmer 5 minutes.

Combine lettuce, tomatoes, corn, beans, radishes and enough dressing to moisten. Toss lightly.

For each salad, serve meat mixture over tortilla chips or in tortilla bowl. Top with lettuce mixture, avocado, cheese, olives and sour cream, as desired. You could also add some sliced jalapenos if you want to add a bit of heat to the salad.

Bon appetit (or Buen appetit)!

Decorating Using a Focal Wall & the Color Wheel

2007-08-10T10:12:00.000-05:00

You will often hear it recommended that you use a focal wall when decorating. What this means is that you take some architcetural element or important piece of furniture or artwork and draw attention to it by creating a focal area in the room. This is often accomplished by painting that wall a different color that the other walls in the room. It can also be accomplished by using wallpaper on just that one wall, or creating texture on that wall with fabric, wood, or other treatments.

A focal wall, while a useful decorating tool, should not be overused. Every room in the house does not require an outstanding focal wall. Also, be careful of how you use color when creating the focal wall. Consider complementary colors when using paint or fabric (colors opposite each other on the color wheel) or for a subtler effect, consider adjacent colors. This will give it enough differentiation to make the feature stand out without being overly aggressive.

What is an Eggplant - Answer to Food Word Game #6

2007-08-10T09:58:00.000-05:00

Here are the answers to our latest Food Word Game:

What is eggplant?

A vegetable 60%

A fruit 40%

A legume

An plant that grows egg shaped nuts

While 60% of our players thought eggplant is a vegetable, it is actually the fruit of an Indian plant. You will occasionally find a dictionary that calls eggplant a vegetable however, it is a berry related to tomatoes and potatoes. Amazing!

Burberry Sunglasses 9421 Grey Lens NEW & AUTHENTIC! eBay Auction

2007-08-07T15:04:00.000-05:00

We're clearing out some merchandise on eBay, so check out the fantastic merchandise we are offering at unbelievable prices! Here is our latest listing:

What is a Kitchen Mandolin - Food Word Game #5 Answer

2007-08-01T10:13:00.000-05:00

Here are the answers to our last Food Word Game:

What is a kitchen mandolin?

A cutting implement with interchangeable blades. 66%
An oval shaped sauce pan.
An Italian instrument used for playing dinner music. 34%
A device used for trussing poultry.

The correct answer is... A cutting implement with interchangeable blades.

Real Estate Investing - What is the Future?

2007-08-01T09:41:00.000-05:00

We were having a discussion about real estate investing, such as house flipping, vacation property rentals, and even home purchases. With the current real estate environment of dropping home values, increased interest rates, and more foreclosures and problems with sub-prime mortgage lending, we wondered if many people still consider real estate as a positive investment choice.

Of course real estate in general should be considered a long-term investment, unless you are in to flipping properties. However, with the loss of recent value in properties some investors are nervous they will be losing their large gains of the past several years. Is this a permanent correction that will cause large losses of revenue? Is the future of real estate investing in doubt?

We certainly hope not. Real estate has always been an up and down value but has generally been considered one of the safest places to invest your money. Where do you see the future of real estate as an investment? What types of real estate do you invest in and do you feel it is successful? We would love to hear what you think and what your experiences have been.

Getting Back on Track

2007-07-29T01:09:00.001-05:00

Well we are back from a wonderful family vacation and ready to get back to work. We will be covering topics from recipes to real estate, so stay tuned and be sure to share your thoughts and ideas as we go along.

A big thank you to our fellow blogger, Debbie, for filling in and providing the delicious sounding kabob recipe. We can't wait to give it a try!

We will be starting on our decluttering project this week as well, so come on and join us and start cleaning. Look for an upcoming contest for those who share their organizing ideas.

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your weekend and we will be back on Monday.

Back Next Week!

2007-07-28T23:29:00.000-05:00

Karen & Rick and family are on vacation having a terrific time. When they get back they will be ready to share all kinds of great ideas and start in on their decluttering project! Meanwhile, the rest of us might want to get a jump ahead by ordering the e-book they are going to follow so we can declutter alongside.

Karen & Rick also wanted to share this great kabob recipe while they were out -

Grilled Chicken Kabobs

1 Pineapple cut into chunks
2 green or red peppers, cut into cubes
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Olive Oil
Salt to taste

In a blender or food processer, combine the onion, garlic, lemon juice, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and thyme. Add the yogurt and mix.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Cut into 1-inch cubes and place in container. Pour the yogurt mixture over the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, reserving the marinade, and thread them onto skewers alternating with pineapple and green peppers. Brush the chicken with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the skewers on an oiled grill rack and grill, turning and basting once with the reserved marinade, about 4-5 minutes per side.

Quick Update on the Declutter Project

2007-07-20T07:36:00.000-05:00

I'm still going forward with my home declutter and get organized project but will be sidetracked for a few days due to taking some time off with the family. No, I'm not procrastinating. Yes, I know it sounds like I am.

I'll have another update on this in about a week. In the meantime, here is the original plan in case you missed it.

Stay tuned...

Roasted New Potatoes Recipe

2007-07-20T07:26:00.000-05:00

We were cooking some chicken on the grill and trying to think of a good side dish, so I pulled out my roasted new potato recipe. The directions call for you to bake them in the oven, but it works equally well in a foil pan on the grill. Give it a try, its delicious!

Roasted New Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste (use kosher salt for the best taste)

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a plastic bag and toss to coat. Place potatoes in ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan. I like to line my pan with foil for an easy clean up.

Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees F for 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove from the oven and cover with foil to keep warm.

If cooking on a grill, stir potatoes occasinally to ensure even cooking and prevent burning.

Bon appetit!

Haricot Verts Definition - Food Word Game #4

2007-07-18T01:36:00.000-05:00

Here are the Food Word Game #4 Results:

What are haricot verts?

Long green noodles

Slender green beans 50%

Thin, pale green asparagus 50%

Hairy green fruit

Haricot verts are actually slender French green beans. They are delicious steamed with a bit of butter, lemon, fresh cracked pepper and a sprinkle of thyme.

I Want to Declutter My Home & Get Organized!

2007-07-18T00:17:00.000-05:00

I've decided its time to do some more work around the house to get organized and get rid of all of the extra "stuff" that is just taking up space. Looking at all of that stuff laying around and tucked in closets and cabinets just makes me nutty sometimes! (Yes, I know I'm already nutty, so okay "nuttier").

The problem, as with most people, is where to begin. I decided to get some help with this task, as getting organized and decluttering is one of those things that can easily overwhelm you.

On that note, I have ordered and downloaded a copy of Declutter Fast, an e-book that promises to get things in order in an extremely easy way. Sounds good to me! I'll get started with the suggestions in the book and get back to you on how its working for me.

In the meantime, if you can't wait to get started decluttering your own life you can find a copy of the book here.

Color Splash with David Bromstad - A Work in Progress

2007-07-16T20:08:00.000-05:00

As bloggers who are interested in home and food, we are frequent viewers of television channels such and HGTV and the Food Network. As we were watching a recent episode of Color Splash with David Bromstad on HGTV, we were trying to decide whether or not we really liked the show. While we think David has a lot of talent, there is something about the show that strikes a bit of a negative chord.

David is charming, but maybe a bit too charming. His charisma can be a bit hard to handle at times. On the other hand, some of the other cast members come across a bit dull. It’s kind of a strange mix. Most of the rooms they do on the show are quite nice with a good balance of color and style, obviously done on a budget. It’s also kind of a neat idea that the homeowners’ always receive an original piece of art done by David.

Obviously our opinions are a bit mixed on Color Splash. We will probably continue to watch, however, because David is a talented designer and we hope the show will begin to flow a bit better as it matures. Time will tell.

What is your opinion?

Food Word of the Day Game #3

2007-07-13T12:19:00.000-05:00

Here is the correct answer to yesterday's Food Word Game question:

What is celeriac?

A small piece of celery.

An allergic reaction to celery.

The root of certain types of celery. 100% selected this answer

The leaves of the celery plant.

The correct answer is... The root of certain types of celery. Great job everyone!

Making Green Choices When Buying Dinnerware and Dishes

2007-07-12T11:31:00.000-05:00

Be Green and Save: Making Green Choices When Buying Dinnerware and Dishes

Here is an interesting post on bamboo dishes, a green choice when you are looking for dinnerware or serving pieces. They show some lovely pieces on the Be Green and Save site.

Here are a couple more bamboo pieces we found that we think would be a great addition to any kitchen.

Totally Bamboo 11.5x14.5 Hawaiian Collection Kauai Bamboo Cutting Board

This handcrafted board is made from flattened strips of bamboo that are bonded together. Its natural beauty comes from the natural sugars in the wood which caramelize to a beautiful honey color. Harder than maple and a gorgeous piece to have in your kitchen.

Wusthof 2-pc. Classic Black Asian Cook's Set in Bamboo Box

This is a beautiful knife set from Wusthof presented in a bamboo storage box. The santoku, similar to the chef's knife, can be used for slicing onions, cutting melon or mincing herbs; the paring knife removes skins from potatoes or apples. Both are from Wusthof's Classic line, offering high-carbon stainless steel blades that are hardened to maintain a sharp edge and full tangs that provide perfect balance. The precision forged knives also come with triple-riveted, high-impact composition handles that fit comfortably in the hand. Really a gorgeous set and knives that you will use on a regular basis.

Food Word of the Day Game #2

2007-07-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

Here are the results of our second Food Word of the Day Game:

What is an onglet?

1. A French cut of beef from the skirt and flank area. 0%

2. A French way of cooking eggs until set and then folded over. 0%

3. A South African fruit. 0%

4. A way to prepare fresh vegetables. 100%

The correct answer is... A French cut of beef from the skirt and flank area.

Play again and feel free to leave comments or tell us your guess.

Have fun!

Food Word of the Day Game #1

2007-07-11T10:39:00.000-05:00

Here are the results of our first Food Word of the Day Game:

What is bran?

1. Part of a raisin.

2. The thin papery skin covering a piece grain. 2 votes

3. The core of a piece of grain. 2 votes

4. A piece of cardboard.

The correct answer is...The thin papery skin covering a piece of grain!

Play again and feel free to leave comments or tell us your guess. Have fun!

Food Scales from QuickSupply.Net

2007-07-11T09:45:00.000-05:00

Food Word of the Day Game - Play & Learn New Cooking & Food Terms

2007-07-10T14:52:00.000-05:00

We are going to start a fun new feature today. It will be our Food Word of the Day Game. We will be running the game for fun and to encourage more reader interaction. We are going to post a food / cooking related word along with 3 or 4 possible definitions. Try to guess the correct definition and place your vote. The question will be answered in a post the next day and a new question will be posted. This is a great way to learn a lot of new culinary terms.

Feel free to leave your guess in a comment. We would love to hear what you really think. We’ll also make an effort to visit as many of your sites as possible. We encourage all of our readers to visit one another’s sites to support our Find More Facts Foodie Community.

Also, watch for our new contests coming soon with some great prize giveaways.

Have fun!

Chicken Salad With Apples, Grapes, & Spicy Pecans Recipe

2007-07-09T09:29:00.000-05:00

Chicken Salad Recipe

This is a great fruity and crunchy chicken salad for anytime of the year. Makes a great main course on its own or in a sandwich. Try it on pita bread or a croissant for an extra special treat.

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fruit chutney
5 chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces (about 6 cups)
2 chopped celery ribs (about 1 cup)
1 cup red seedless grapes, cut in half
1 peeled and chopped tart apple, such as Granny Smith or Pippin (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 cup red seedless grapes, cut in half
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I prefer the Italian flat leaf parsley)
Coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together mayo, Dijon mustard and chutney. Add remaining ingredients and toss together gently. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the recipe of spicy pecans (recipe shown below). Reserve remaining pecans for snacking (yum!)

Check out this gorgeous glass serving bowl from Joseph Abboud. What a fabulous way to serve this chicken salad, or a green salad, or fruit salad, or vegetables, or pasta salad or ...

Spicy Pecan Recipe

2 cups pecan halves
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking oil spray.

Combine pecans, vanilla, and olive oil in medium bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in small bowl, sprinkle on pecans and toss to coat.

Arrange pecans in a single layer on baking sheet. Stirring frequently, bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or until nuts are brown and crispy.

Cool on baking sheet, continuing to stir often to prevent sticking. Sprinkle 1/2 of nuts over the chicken salad. Remaining pecans may be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature. Makes a great snack with a good bottle of wine or a cool cocktail.

Home Remodeling and Interior Design – Should You Work With Professionals or Do It Yourself?

2007-07-06T16:35:00.000-05:00

If you are thinking of tackling that long awaited renovation or interior design project, the first question you need to answer is should I do it all myself or should I hire professionals? What is the answer? That depends on your skill and comfort level. If it is a sizable project that entails a fair amount of money or if it is something you have never done before, we recommend at least getting some bids from contractors and interior designers before you begin.

It should not cost anything to get an estimate and you will get a better idea of the amount of work that will actually be involved with your project. If a contractor charges you to come out and give a basic estimate, keep looking. There are plenty of reputable contractors who won’t charge for the initial estimate. If however, you are expecting to receive a significant amount of advice on the initial consultation, then it is not unreasonable for someone such as an interior designer to charge a consultation fee. Always ask if there is a fee before making the appointment.

A service such as Angie's List is a great way to determine the reputation and work ethic of any potential contractor. Make certain that you get multiple references for each contractor you are using to be certain they will complete the job in a timely manner, within budget and with a high quality of workmanship.

We’ll have more on the benefits of using decorating and remodeling professionals and how to get organized for a home remodeling project in our upcoming posts.

Pineapple Pistachio Cake Recipe - Great for 4th of July Parties

2007-06-29T17:37:00.000-05:00

I have been making this cake for years and it is definitely a family favorite. It's cool and moist, so it's really great for warm weather parties or even just as an everyday treat. Even though the cake is green, it is still a hit on the 4th of July. Enjoy!

Pineapple Pistachio Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

1 box Yellow Cake Mix without pudding

1 cup water

1/2 cup oil

4 eggs

1 box instant pistachio pudding

20 can crushed pineapple with juice

Topping:

1 package of Dream Whip (1 - 2.6 oz pkg, both envelopes)

1 box instant pistachio pudding

1-1/2 cups milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degree (F) oven.
Mix and then beat for 2 minutes the cake mix, water, oil, eggs, and 1 box of pudding. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until cthe cake springs back when touched in the center.

After removing cake from the oven, poke the cake all over the top with tines of a dinner fork. Pour the pineapple with juice over the top of the cake. Cool for 1 hour.

Beat the topping ingredients until stiff. Frost the cake. Refrigerate after frosting.

Cool and delicious!

Home Office Furniture Site Review - Saxen Business Furniture

2007-06-29T09:57:00.000-05:00

Sponsored Review

We’ve been looking for some new furniture for our home office and have found it a more difficult task than expected. Finally we found some online sites we thought looked promising, so we thought we would share some of our findings with you.

For those living in the UK, Saxen Business Furniture offers an excellent selection of Home Office Furniture. They offer everything from office desks, chairs, and cabinets to bistro furniture, screens & partitions, and even children’s desks and chairs. They even offer free delivery within the UK! Another rather neat item Saxen offers is what they call interior landscaping. This is a really great selection of artificial plants and trees ready to dress up your office or home. Some of their styles include topiaries, ferns, palms, and even birch trees. This is a super offering you don’t often find in online furniture stores.

Materials for the office furniture range from steel to wood to glass. They have a very attractive selection of all types of office furniture at quite reasonable prices. The Saxen website is easy to navigate and all policies are clearly stated on the site. Customer service is readily available via e-mail, telephone, or live chat. The site is really quite user friendly. I would certainly recommend making this site your first stop if you are looking for a great source to build your office, whether at home or in a traditional office setting.

How to Dispose of Trash Without Using Plastic Bags

2007-06-26T14:32:00.001-05:00

Here is a great post on better ways to eliminate your trash at home. It outlines some great alternatives to consider instead of adding more plastic encased trash to the landfills.

read more | digg story

Spinach, Lemon, & Ricotta Pasta

2007-06-22T18:53:00.000-05:00

Here is a delicious, fresh pasta recipe that is wonderful anytime of year.

Spinach, Lemon, & Ricotta Pasta

Ingredients:

16 ounces rigatoni, farfalle, or other favorite pasta shape

2 T. olive oil

¼ c. finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 c. chopped (chiffonade*) basil leaves or 1 T. dried basil

Salt & Pepper to taste

One 6 ounce bag or 6 cups of fresh baby spinach

8 ounces (1 cup) ricotta cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling, salted water according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.

Combine oil, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, basil, salt & pepper in a bowl. Add to pasta along with spinach. Toss well to coat.

Divide pasta into 4 bowls or plates and top each with a dollop of ricotta cheese.

Some great add-ins would be chicken breast sautéed in garlic and olive oil, kalamata or black olives, and/or cherry tomatoes.

*An easy way to slice basil is to stack the leaves and roll it up. Then slice across the roll forming thin ribbons. This technique is called chiffonade.

Here is a terrific pasta pot from Calphalon with a pasta / strainer insert to make removal and draining of pasta much easier. I find the Calphalon cookware to be very well made. It is heavy enough to generate even heating and very durable.

Calphalon 6.5-qt. One Infused Anodized Stockpot with Pasta Insert

This 6.5-qt. stockpot is ideal for boiling pasta, making chicken noodle soup or preparing a pot of jambalaya. It's from Calphalon One, the cookware with the new surface that lets you brown and deglaze like the professionals yet is easy to clean with its specially advanced polymer cooking surface, similar to nonstick. It comes with its own insert for boiling pasta. Infused anodized cookware is an exclusive breakthrough anodization process that infuses an advanced released polymer (similar to nonstick) into the aluminum surface penetrating and filling the metal pores and creating a hybrid surface of metal and nonstick that is stick- and stain-resistant, durable and versatile. It’s the perfect surface for classic cooking techniques with easy cleanup. It's safe with metal utensils, is oven- and broiler-safe, carries a lifetime guarantee and is made in the USA.

Be Green and Save Paper by the Ton

2007-06-22T07:48:00.001-05:00

Great ideas on how to save loads of paper we typically throw away or even recycle. This story gives some unique ideas to reuse the paper instead.

read more | digg story

What is Identity Theft and How to Prevent It

2007-06-18T15:19:00.000-05:00

We thought we would talk a bit about identity theft because it is becoming such a significant problem, not only on the internet but even via mail theft, stolen credit card numbers at the store, etc. This is an issue that everyone needs to be aware of and proactive about regarding prevention. We are presenting information on the LifeLock service because we use it and feel it is a valuable tool in the fight to maintain identity security. Over time, we will be writing more posts on how you can help secure your identity on a daily basis with simple actions you can take at home and at work. Be smart and take steps now to safeguard your identity and your financial security.

Identity theft occurs when someone gains access to your personal information such as name and address, date of birth, social security number, credit card numbers, and/or mother’s maiden name. Once the thief has any combination of these items, he may attempt to open credit accounts in your name (this can include your business name) or to use currently open accounts to make purchases or withdrawals. This can lead to overdrawn accounts, excess applications on your credit record, not to mention an extreme amount of debt that you may become responsible for. Once identity theft has occurred, repairing the damage to your credit can be a long and difficult process.

There are ways you can help prevent identity theft and we are going to outline a few of the ways here:

Don’t carry your social security card or number with you.

Don’t throw out bank statements, credit card statements or bills in the regular trash or recycling. Make sure these items are shredded first.

Don’t carry extra credit or debit cards. Only carry the cards you know you will need.

Don’t give out personal information over the phone or online unless you have initiated the call or transaction.

Do put all outgoing mail into an official postal receptacle (mail box or directly at the post office). Don’t put mail into an unsecured mailbox.

Do keep all personal and financial information in a safe and secure place, even at home. You want to keep information away from prying eyes of roommates or outside workers who come into your home. Investing in a safe deposit box or home safe is an excellent idea.

Do monitor your credit report on a regular basis.

Do use a service such as LifeLock to secure your credit and personal information. Relative to the hundreds of hours and many thousands of dollars lost when identity theft occurs, this service is a real bargain.

Do safeguard your children’s identity and your business identity the same way you would your personal identity.

If you have been a victim of identity theft, don’t panic but act quickly to repair the damage and prevent further spending by the thief. If you have a service such as LifeLock, all you need to do is contact them and they will quickly go to work for you to repair credit problems, remove unauthorized charges and accounts and inform the authorities. Using a service such as this, however, will usually prevent the identity theft from occurring in the first place. In our opinion, this service is well worth the small investment.

If you don’t have an identity theft prevention service and you are a victim of id theft, contact the FTC at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/ and follow the steps recommended to try to restore your credit. Be sure you contact all 3 credit reporting agencies to put a fraud alert on your credit report to prevent further attempts by the thief to open new lines of credit.

We recommend using a service such as LifeLock. They can prevent identity theft from ever occurring in the first place and that should be your goal. Here are a few of the services that come with your LifeLock account:

They Guarantee what they do.

They block your credit so that only you can use it.

They stop pre-approved credit offers (this is a huge time saver and stress reliever on it’s own!).

They drastically reduce the amount of junk mail you get (who wouldn’t like that?!).

They ensure that things go smoothly when you apply for credit.

They fix any problems that do occur.

LifeLock

One-Million Dollar Guarantee. Click here to get a 10% discount.

Custom Outdoor Cushions

2007-06-14T00:30:00.000-05:00

Sponsored Review

We have been working on fixing up our backyard for some time now and one sticking point has always been finding new chair cushions in the right sizes and in colors that we actually like. FINALLY, we have found a great source for actual custom outdoor cushions. Custom Cushions is a website that offers customized outdoor chair cushions, chaise lounge cushions, seat cushions, and even outdoor pillows. Yes, these folks actually make the cushions to the dimensions that you need. Imagine that! You can actually get cushions to fit your chairs and not have to settle for the oversized or undersized cushion types regularly carried at your local store

Custom Cushions has a neat “Cushion Designer” that allows you to input the shape of your desired cushion along with the sizes of the various edges and the thickness of the cushion. You then choose the fabric and the edge detail and you’re done! They also allow you to pick from various shapes and sizes for seat cushions and specialized chairs, etc. Check out the different pages on the “Cushions” page to view the type of cushion or pillow you are looking for.

The site also offers coordinating patio or market umbrellas. All fabrics are quality Sunbrella® fabrics so you know you will be getting a durable, UV resistant fabric.

Custom Cushions site is easy to navigate and offers a wide range of choices in custom outdoor cushions, bringing a great solution to an often difficult to find product.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Spiced Port Reduction Recipe

2007-06-12T10:45:00.000-05:00

Here is another spectacular pork tenderloin recipe. This one is courtesy of ironchef at the Discuss Cooking forum. If you are looking for something unique but not difficult, give this recipe a try. It is delicious!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with a Fennel and Green Apple Salad and Spiced Port Reduction

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients:
For the pork:4 lbs. Pork Tenderloin
4 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme, chopped
3 Tbsp. Italian Parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper

For the salad:
2 cups Granny Smith Apples, cut into 1/2" dice
1 cup Baby Fennel, thinly sliced
1/4 cup Chives, cut into 1" pieces
4 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

For the Port Reduction:
1 1/2 cups Ruby Port
1/2 cup Red Wine
1/4 cup Raspberry Vinegar
1/2 cup Sugar
6 ea. Cloves
1 ea. Cinnamon Stick
10 ea. Fennel Seeds
10 ea. Coriander Seeds
2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
Kosher Salt to taste

Method:

For the pork:
Combine all of the ingredients except for the salt and pepper in a ziplock bag or marinating dish. Let the tenderloin marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 3-4 Tbsp. of fresh olive oil in a large skillet until smoking. Liberally season the tenderloin with kosher salt and pepper. Sear the pork on all sides until golden brown (be sure to NOT move the pork for at least 1-2 minutes per side after it is given contact with the pan or else you won't get any browning). Transfer the pork to a roasting pan or baking sheet and cook until the internal temp. is 150 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes before slicing.

For the salad:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the apples, fennel, chives, olive oil, and lemon. Toss until mixed well. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper.

For the port reduction:
In a saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except for the butter and salt (you can bundle the spices up in cheesecloth if you wish as it makes it easier to remove). Bring to a boil and then gently reduce by 2/3 to 3/4. The sauce should be fairly thick and easily coat the back of a spoon. Remove the spices, and off the heat, whisk in the butter. Season to taste with salt and keep warm.

Serving:
Spoon the port reduction over the slice pork and serve along with the salad.

Outstanding!

Architectural Classics - Review of Site Offering Antique & Reproduction Hardware & Lighting Fixtures

2007-06-11T10:45:00.000-05:00

Sponsored Review

We came across a really interesting site this weekend called Architectural Classics. This site offers a huge range of both antique and reproduction lighting fixtures and door hardware. They have some absolutely beautiful items like this French Vintage Cast Brass Door Knob

And this lovely 2 Arm Rose Crystal Wall Light which is available in a variety of finishes. The site itself is easy to navigate and the photographs of the items are very well done. All can be enlarged to show quite a bit of detail for each fixture. The item descriptions offer useful measurement and color information. The site is organized into sections including Door Furniture Reproductions, Door Furniture Originals, Lighting Reproductions, Lighting Originals, and Miscellaneous Items. This makes it much easier to tell if you are getting a true antique or original fixture versus a reproduction. This is an important distinction as not all websites are great about letting you know when you are buying a reproduction item.

Plaudits:

Architetural Classics has a great selection of reproduction and original lighting and door/cabinet hardware.
Site is easy to navigate.
Good distinction on the site between original and reproduction items.
Great photography of each item giving you more confidence that you are buying an item you truly like.

Tweaks:

Shipping charges are not visible until you register for an account.

Overall Opinion:

Architectural Classics would be a great site to visit if you are looking to restore an old home or historic building or if you just want to add some period charm to any home. I really liked the selection of items available in both the antique and reproduction fixtures. An excellent resource to bookmark as you proceed with any period restoration.

Monday Madness

2007-06-04T08:23:00.000-05:00

We thought we would take part in some Monday Madness this week. Join in on the fun! While you are here be sure to check out the recipe for Pork Tenderloin Cubano we just posted. It's delicious!

1. When is the last time you planned for a party/social gathering at your house?
One week ago.

2. What type of event was it?
It was a small family gathering on the Memorial Day holiday. We cooked out hamburgers and hot dogs and all the fixin's and went swimming and played some games. It was a lot of fun.

3. Do you enjoy hosting parties at your house, or do you find the preparation stressful?
We do enjoy having parties at our house when we have enough time to prepare without getting exhausted. If time is short and the house is in need of some serious cleaning (which of course is never the case ;-) then it can be a bit stressful.

4. Do you tend to have a lot more food than needed for these events, or are you pretty good about estimating how much to serve?
Usually we have extras but that is because I like to have leftovers to skip cooking for the next day (or two) and I like to send goodies home with my guests.

5. Some people have gatherings at their homes on a regular basis because it forces them to really CLEAN. How do you feel about this?
I do a good cleaning when I have company coming, but I would never have a party just to force myself to clean. Yuck!

Have a great week everyone!

Pork Tenderloin Cubano Recipe

2007-06-04T07:34:00.000-05:00

Here's a delicious recipe from my friend cjs at the Discuss Cooking forum. Give it a try for a delicious new taste with pork tenderloin.

Here’s a tasty idea - you can either roast in oven or grill the pork.

PORK TENDERLOIN CUBANO
Serving Size: 4

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 T. fresh lime juice
2 T. dark rum
1/2 medium onion -- thinly sliced
3 each garlic clove -- minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 each bay leaf -- crumbled
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 12 oz. each pork tenderloin
Orange slices
Fresh cilantro sprigs

Mix first 10 ingredients (o.j. --> black pepper) in lg. resealable plastic bag.

Add pork to marinade, turn, and close bag.
Refrigerate overnight, turning pork once.
Preheat oven to 400° F. Transfer pork to baking pan; discard marinade.
Roast till ~150 degrees - about 25 min.

Let pork stand 5 min; cut crosswise into 1/2" thick slices.
Arrange on platter. Garnish w/orange slices and cilantro springs.

Thanks cjs!

Be sure to check out one of our favorite cookware stores if you are in need of a new baking pan or any other cookware and you will receive $10 off $75 shipments! Use coupon code C94832

Here are a couple of our favorite new pieces of cookware and right now they are available at unbelievably low prices for Le Creuset. You really need to check out these deals!

Le Creuset 14-in. Oval Baking Dish, Citrus

This non-porous, 14" oval enameled Casserole features high-fired stoneware that efficiently absorbs, holds and transfers heat. Excellent for baking, it can be brought to the table for serving as well. Freezer-, oven-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe. Made in France.

Le Creuset 10.75x8.5-in. Rectangular Deep Dish Baker, Cobalt Blue

In response to consumer requests, Le Creuset is introducing the new Deep Dish Bakers: baking pieces with greater capacity! Made of stoneware, the non-porous enameled pieces can be used in the oven, microwave, refrigerator and freezer allowing you to prepare, bake, serve and store in the same piece. Our new feature, the easy grip rim on all sides of the piece allows you to comfortably lift and carry the piece from the oven to the table.

Bon Appetit! Be sure to share any of your favorite recipes. We'd love to try them.J

Weekly Produce Tips - Corn, Garlic, Grapefruit, & Grapes

2007-05-31T08:45:00.000-05:00

Welcome to this week's Produce Tips. We hope you find some useful information today. Be sure to check back soon for some delicious recipes using some of these great ingredients and more!

Produce Item	Shelf Life	How to Store	Extra Tips
Corn	3-5 days	Store fresh corn in a loose plastic bag in the coldest part of the refrigerator.	Eat the corn as soon as possible after purchase. The sooner you eat corn, the sweeter it will be because the sugar in the corn kernels converts to starch with age.
Garlic	30 days	Store garlic in a cool, dark place.	You can store garlic in the refrigerator, however this will reduce the shelf life to 7-10 days. The longer you cook garlic, the milder it gets. Do not allow the garlic to take on any color though because it will become bitter.
Grapefruit	14-21 days	Store in the crisper.	The heavier a grapefruit is, the juicier it will be. You should also let grapefruit sit out at room temperature for a while before serving to increase the juiciness (is that a word?)
Grapes	5-7 days	Store unwashed in and open plastic bag in the coldest part of the refrigerator.	Water can promote mold growth, which grapes develop quite easily, so be sure to store them unwashed and wash just before serving.

My Fitness Pal – An Easy Way to Manage Your Fitness & Weight Loss Goals

2007-05-30T15:05:00.000-05:00

Sponsored Review

I recently joined a site to help me with my calorie counting because as much as I like to cook, I still need to monitor those calories ;-) My Fitness Pal offers a free calorie counter as a way to calculate the calories you have already consumed or to calculate the calories of foods before you eat them so that you can manage portions. They also have a free fitness monitor where you can input all of the activities of your day to calculate calories burned. It shows your totals of caloric intake, calories burned, and remaining calories for the day.

Another great feature as part of the calorie counter is the large database of foods they have on the site and you can input portion sizes in various formats such as weight, piece, etc. They also provide basic nutrition information for that food item. Here is an example of the information you get:

Plaudits:

The site is free.
Very interactive and intuitive site. It actually learns about you the more you use it.
Site is fairly easy to navigate.
Loads of useful information.
A great aid to manage not only a weight loss diet, but also as a way to manage good nutrition. This is something you won't get from a standard "diet" website. I really like this aspect of the site and will use it often.

Tweaks:

Some areas, like in the database of foods, you can't read the entire line of text. This makes choosing you selection a bit more difficult.
The forum is a bit outdated.

Overall Opinion:

There is a lot of great information to be had on this site and it is all for free! I'm not sure how they do it but I hope they keep it going! This is a site that I will be returning to on a regular basis not only to aid in a bit of weight loss, but even when I just want nutritional information on specific foods. I also really like the feature of calculating the calories burned with any daily activity, not just standard exercises. Overall, I think this is a great site that can help anyone manage their diet and fitness needs.

Be Green and Save: Pot Your Plants with Plastics and Save

2007-05-25T14:20:00.001-05:00

Great ideas to save money, potting soil, and keep plastics from going into the landfill all by planting some flowers!

read more | digg story

Be Green and Save: A Drip and a Drop Add Up!

2007-05-25T14:19:00.001-05:00

Lots of great tips to save water at home during everyday tasks. The typical family of 4 has an average indoor water use of 7600 gallons per month and about 4500 gallons per month outdoors. That's a lot of water. Take a look at the ways you can save water and keep money in your pocket!

read more | digg story

One thing I do to work at home is paid surveys

2007-05-25T12:31:00.001-05:00

I work from home on a variety of projects, one of which is taking paid surveys. I got some paid survey site directories at www.paidsurveysforanyone.com and was able to find several paid survey sites to register with. I am able to make some nice extra income without a big time committment. It’s great!

See more progress on: work from home

Friday's Feast One Hundred Forty Five

2007-05-25T10:23:00.000-05:00

Here it this week's Friday's Feast. Bon Appetit!

Appetizer
Name a sound you like to hear.
My kids laughter. Sounds corny but its true.

Soup
What is your favorite kind of cheese?
Melted!

Salad
Do you sleep late on Saturday mornings? Why or why not?
Whenever possible. I do it because I can.

Main Course
When was the last time you forgot something? What was it, and how long did it take to remember it?
I'm sorry, I don't remember.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I notice all the great colors when I walk out in my garden (one of my favorite places to be).

Site Review - The Vine Store Offering Wine Racks & Accessories

2007-05-24T15:20:00.000-05:00

The following is a Sponsored Review.

I have reviewed the site The Vine Store, an internet store specializing in Wine Racks. The selection of wine racks is really quite nice. They have racks available that are freestanding for tables or on the floor. They have racks that hang on cabinet shelves. The even have one wine rack that looks like a bug! Other offerings include wine tasting tables, wine cooler, and wine glasses. Prices appear reasonable and shipping costs appear within comparable norms.

The Bug Wine Rack

The Vine Store does have a privacy policy in place which appears fairly standard. They do accept returns on merchandise; however the 15 day time frame is a bit short. At least a 30 day return period would be an improvement.

Plaudits:

Great selection of specialized wine racks and wine related merchandise
Reasonable prices and shipping costs
Web site is easy to navigate
Privacy policy is in place
Secure checkout system
Some really fun and unique merchandise

Tweaks:
Return period is too short
Shipping costs are not visible until checkout is on the third screen

Overall Opinion:
I like this store and would recommend it for someone looking for a great selection of wine racks and wine related merchandise. Be sure to check your shipping costs before final checkout.

You can read our guidelines for sponsored reviews here.

Friday's Feast - Dig in for Some Friday Fun!

2007-05-18T08:05:00.000-05:00

Here is this week's Friday Feast

Appetizer
List 3 emotions you experienced this week.
I would have to say happiness, frustration (my internet cable connection was down most of the week :-( ), and relief (it's Friday!)

Soup
Name a car you’d love to have.

I would love a jaguar convertible!

Salad
Describe your typical morning routine.

Wake up tired, get the kids off to school, sit down at the computer to work and forget to eat breakfast :-D

Main Course
Have you ever emailed someone famous? If so, who, and what did you say to them? Did they reply?

Can't say that I have. MIght be fun to try though.

Dessert
Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which ones?

I have never listened to a podcast. I'm lucky if I get through all my e-mail in a day!

Have an awesome weekend everyone and while you're here check out some of our recipes and other goodies. I recomment trying the Shrimp, Mussel, and Scallop Seafood Boil - it's easy and delicious!

Weekly Produce Tips - Cantaloupe, Carrots, Baby Carrots, & Cauliflower

2007-05-17T11:51:00.000-05:00

We've got our next set of produce tips ripe and ready for picking, so get out and get yourself some fresh fruits and veggies today!

Be sure to leave a comment if you have any of your own special tips to add.

Here are the produce tips for this week:

Produce Item	Shelf Life	How to Store	Extra Tips
Cantaloupe	4-7 days	Put the melon directly (not bagged) in the coldest part of the refrigerator	You may want to leave the melon out at room temperature for a while. It will become softer & juicier, although not sweeter. Once you begin to smell the melon, place in the refrigerator to avoid over-ripening.
Carrots	7-14 days	Store in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Carrot greens should be removed to maintain maximum nutrition.	Carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene and vitamin A. I wonder why rabbits don’t have better vision… :-)
Baby Carrots	7-14 days	Store in the coldest part of the refrigerator.	Baby peeled carrots sometimes turn chalky white on the outside. This is a natural substance and is safe to eat.
Cauliflower	3-5 days	Store in the coldest part of the refrigerator	Cauliflower is easily overcooked resulting in a mushy, tasteless veggie. Cook cauliflower until it can just be pierced with a fork.

Roasted Red Pepper, Black Olive, & Artichoke Dip Recipe

2007-05-16T14:20:00.000-05:00

Here is a delicious dip for any occasion or party. It's always a big hit and one that everyone asks for the recipe.

ROASTED RED PEPPER, ARTICHOKE AND BLACK OLIVE DIP

Makes 6 appetizer servings

1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, well drained, coarsely chopped
1 cup drained roasted red peppers (from 15-ounce jar)

1 small garlic clove

1 ½ cups drained black olives (from 2 6-ounce cans)

2 green onions, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Finely chop artichoke hearts and garlic in processor. Add red peppers, olives, green onions and basil and blend until coarse paste forms. Add vinegar and blend until just combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Excellent served with crackers, crudite (fresh veggies), and crostini.

Shrimp, mussel, and scallop seafood boil - A quick and easy recipe

2007-05-15T14:13:00.000-05:00

This Mother's Day we decided to stay at home and cook out. We tried the recipe below for an easy to make shrimp boil. It was delicious and the hit of the party! The original recipe was from Food & Wine magazine, but we added a couple of tweaks of our own. Awesome!

Easy Seafood Boil

This recipe is a modified version of a shrimp/seafood boil. It's quick and easy and best of all it's really tasty.

Ingredients:

24 shelled and deveined large shrimp (about 1 1/4 pounds) - You can use other sizes of shrimp, depending on what you have available.

8-16 mussels, scrubbed - We were able to find pre-scrubbed, precooked mussels at Trader Joe's in a vacuum sealed pack. They worked great.

6 ounces kielbasa, sliced 1/2 inch thick - Slice them on an angle for a more attractive presentation. We used skinless kielbasa. The taste was good and there was no chewy texture that you sometimes have with the tough skin on kielbasa.

1 pound of cleaned scallops - Try frozen, pre-cleaned scallops, thaw before use. They work fine. Always follow the pakcage directions for safe thawing, especially with seafood.

2 large ears of corn, shucked and cut into 6 rounds

4 thyme sprigs

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, cut into 4 pieces

Old Bay seasoning

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup water

Directions:

Light a grill. Lay four 24-by-18-inch sheets of heavy-duty foil on a work surface. Fold each sheet in half crosswise. On the lower half of each sheet, arrange the seafood, kielbasa, corn, thyme and butter; season with Old Bay. Fold the top half of each sheet over the bottom half and seal tightly on 2 sides. Into each packet, pour 1 tablespoon each of wine and water; seal tightly.
Grill the packets on the grate over moderately high heat, turning once, until puffed, about 10 minutes. Cut open each packet, pour the contents into bowls and serve.

Serve with:

We served this with boiled new potatoes with butter, dill, kosher salt and pepper. We also had a salad of arugula, goat cheese, dried cranberries and toasted pine nuts with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Serve up some crusty bread and a nice chardonnay and you have an awesome meal!

Recipe serves 4 but can easily be doubled or tripled.

___________________________________________

You can find some outstanding seafood and other delectable gourmet gifts at Dean & Deluca.

GOURMET FOODS & INNOVATIVE GIFTS - DEAN & DELUCA
The Icon of the American Epicurean Experience

Bon Appetit!

Rick & Karen

A New Focus for Find More Facts

2007-05-11T07:19:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

We've decided to make some improvements to the Find More Facts blog in order to make it easier to read and more relevant for you, our most excellent readers. We are going to refocus the blog a bit to include only home and food related posts. Well okay, we'll probably throw a few other things in there just to keep it interesting, but for the most part that will be the focus. We will be moving the "business" parts of the blog to their own special blog and we will let you know when that is up and running.

We have changed the name a bit to "Find More Facts About Home & Food to reflects these changes. Our URL has not change, however. Also, we will be working to make the navigation around the site a bit easier through the use of targeted "Labels" for the posts that you can use as sort of a table of contents for the entire blog. Scroll down a bit to find this in the sidebar. It will be weeded out a bit to make it easier to navigate.

We have already started with some of the changes. You will notice more home and food related product reviews. We have added a weekly produce tips feature. Of course, we are still continuing all of our great home and food related tips and articles of interest. We'll do our best to keep everything light, informative, and fun.

We hope you like the changes. Let us know what you think and if there are any particular features you would like to see on the site.

As always, thanks for reading!

Rick & Karen

P.S. If you haven't done so already, why don't you sign up for our blog updates via e-mail at the top of the sidebar or subscribe to the rss feed (see the rss feed button in the sidebar) so you won't miss a single exciting post!

Pacific Coast Down & Feather Pillows - A Great Nights Sleep

2007-05-11T01:03:00.000-05:00

I took my sister to a hotel for an overnight getaway to celebrate her __th birthday (sorry, I still want my sister to like me) :-) We had an awesome time together taking in some theater and a nice dinner. The hotel we stayed at was very nice, but the best part was the bed. Stop laughing - yes, I am talking about a hotel bed. The pillows were the most comfortable pillows I have ever slept on.

When we got up in the morning, I had to know what kind of pillows they were, they were just too comfortable. Of course, since this was a nicer hotel, it had two pillow cases and a zippered pillow protector and the tag was at the non-zipper end of the pillow. I finally got it apart to find that the pillows were Pacific Coast Feather Company down and feather pillows.

These pilllows are wonderful. They come in 3 comfort levels: soft, medium, and firm, depending on your personal preference. I recommend the Double Down Around Pillows at Pacific Coast Feather for ultimate comfort. I also recommend getting the pillow covers to keep your pillow clean. The cover are washable and don't detract from the comfort of the pillow at all.

I have been looking for comfortable pillows for years and I am so happy I finally found some. I guess now that I'll be sleeping at night, I will have to start blogging during the day! LOL

If you check out the site through the links on this page, you will get ""Pacific Coast Feather Co - $3.99 Shipping"" on All Products for a Limited Time. Now there's a deal that will help you sleep at night.

Happy dreams!

Karen

Start Your Copper Cookware Collection With a Copper Saucepan

2007-05-09T00:52:00.000-05:00

On a previous post: Cookware - Why Choose Stainless Steel, Non-Stick, Anodized and More Rachel commented:

"My husband loves cooking. We have many of those non-stick cookware in the house but I know he wants those copper cookware. They just seem too expensive."

That's a good point, Rachel, but there are some advantages to copper cookware and there are some less expensive pots you can purchase. I would recommend starting with a copper saucepan as that is probably the most commonly used of the copper pots. With it you can make any type of sauce, small stews, soups, and casseroles and really almost anything you can think of that will fit into this workhorse of a pan.

Purchase a pan with a stainless steel interior so that acidic based sauces such as marinara or other tomato based items don't stain. The combination of the stainless steel and the copper present unbeatable performance as far as heat conduction and will heat up faster than anything.

Buying just a single saucepan is a great way to try copper cookware. Just remember it will cook faster so you (or your husband) need to pay attention while you're cooking. :)

I've put links for a couple of top performing copper 2.5 quart saucepans below so you can see the differences. The Calphalon pot is much less expensive and is a good performer, especially as an introductory copper pan. It is well weighted but needs a bit more cleaning than some of the most expensive pots to maintain it's copper luster.

The Mauviel pan is an excellent all around performer and is an even heavier pan. It is tops in the copper pot line of cookware and has a price to match. Either way you will be getting an excellent pan that should last for many years in a well-used kitchen.

Calphalon 2.5-qt. Tri-ply Copper Shallow Saucepan, Copper

Mauviel 2.4-qt. Cuprinox Pour La Table Sauce Pan

Bon Appetit!

Karen & Rick

Disclosure Policy

2007-05-08T16:02:00.000-05:00

This policy is valid from 08 May 2007

This blog is a collaborative blog written by a group of individuals. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Many of our posts are not advertising, however some product and sight reviews may be sponsored posts.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Weekly Produce Tips - How to Keep Apples, Asparagus, Avocados, & More

2007-05-08T14:09:00.000-05:00

We thought we would start a new feature entitled "Weekly Produce Tips." Aren't you always wondering the best way to keep those fruits and vegetables fresh so they last as long as possible? Well, we thought we would share a few tips with you and work our way through the list a few every week.

Be sure to check back often for more great produce tips. You can subscribe to our blog feed to get automatic updates.
Feel free to leave comments and let us know if you have any special tips!

Here are the tips for this week:

Produce Item	Shelf Life	How to Store	Extra Tips
Apple	14-28 days	Keep in an open plastic bag in the crisper at cold setting	Always keep apples refrigerated because they will become overly ripe and mealy within 2-3 days if left out of the refrigerator
Asparagus	3-4 days	Wrap the bottoms of the stalks in damp paper towel and store in an open plastic bag in the crisper	Asparagus is one of those produce items you want to use as soon as possible in order to get the maximum flavor. Look for buds (tips) that are tightly closed. The stalk should stand up straight when held upright from the bottom indicating freshness.
Avocados	5-7 days	Keep on the kitchen counter away from sunlight until ripe, then refrigerate.	Avocados are ripe when they yield to slight pressure applied near the stem. To keep guacamole green, place a piece of plastic wrap across the top and press down on to the guacamole to prevent exposure to air. Also, add some lime juice to the guacamole. Not only does it taste good but it preserves the color as well.
Bananas	3-5 days	Leave out a room temperature, away from sunlight	Bananas can be refrigerated once they are fully ripe. The skin will discolor (turn black) but the fruit will last for a week or more without loss of flavor or quality.
Cherries – Bing	4-7 days	Leave unwashed in an open plastic bag in refrigerator	Color ranges from red to deep red. Cherries are only 104 calories per cup. A healthy low calorie snack!
Broccoli	5-7 days	Store in a loose plastic bag in the coldest part of the refrigerator.	Microwaving is actually the healthiest way to prepare broccoli. Place a pound of cut broccoli on a micro-safe dish. Add ¼ cup of water. Cover with a paper towel and cook on high for 5-6 minutes. This will preserve the nutrition and flavor

Dog Training Site Review - Time to Make Your Home a Peaceful Place

2007-05-07T04:58:00.000-05:00

This is one of those extra finds we like to blog about on occasion. If you have a dog or puppy at home, you probably know what it's like when the dog won't follow basic commands, or jumps a lot, or eats things he shouldn't. Wouldn't you love to find an easy way to train him. Dog Training for Anyone has reviewed countless online dog training systems and come up with their top three choices. If you are looking to solve those dog behavior problems, then this site is well worth a look. None of the programs are very expensive either.

Don't worry, it won't be ruff for much longer! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself). Get your dog training program going today.

Friday's Feast - It's time for a bit of fun!

2007-05-04T11:16:00.000-05:00

We decided to try Friday's Feast to have a bit of fun at the end of the week. Please leave us a comment and join in on the fun!

Appetizer
Name something you would not want to own.

A pet snake.

Soup
Describe your hair (texture, color, length, etc.).

Thick, curly, brown and shoulder length

Salad
Finish this sentence: I’ll never forget ___________.

the day we adopted our 2 boys. It was the most wonderful experience we have ever had.

Main Course
Which famous person would you like to be for one day? Why?

This is a tough one. There are so many amazing people in the world. I would like to be Albert Einstein and experience what it is like to be so incredible intelligent.

Dessert
Write one sentence about yourself that includes one thing that is true and another thing that is not.

I am a mountain climber that loves to cook!

Have a nice weekend.

Karen

KitchenAid Architect Series II KSCS23FSMS Stainless Steel Side-by-Side Counter-Depth Refrigerator Product Review

2007-05-02T11:38:00.000-05:00

Due to the untimely demise of nearly all of our kitchen appliances at the same time, we have recently purchased a new suite of appliances by KitchenAid. In an effort to keep our readers informed about current items on the market, we have decided to do some specific product reviews. We will cover aspects such as ease of use, appearance, ease of maintenance, cost, and overall features. We will provide a summary of our findings and opinions and list out the pros and cons for each product. These pros and cons will be listed as “plaudits” and “tweaks” respectively. Why? Because it’s just more fun than saying “pros and cons!”

On that note, here is our first review:

Product: KitchenAid Architect Series II KSCS23FSMS Stainless Steel Side-by-Side Counter-Depth Refrigerator

Manufacturer Product Features:

· Through-the-door ice and water dispenser provides quick, easy access
· In-Door-Ice® bucket increases usable freezer space
· ExtendFresh™ Temperature management system helps ensure maximum taste and texture
· Refrigerator is ENERGY STAR® Qualified so it conserves energy without sacrificing performance
· Base-grille filtration system
· FreshSeal™ humidity-controlled crisper
· FreshChill™ -Chilled air from the freezer helps keep meat at appropriate temperatures
· Freezer Compartment Capacity - 9.1 Cubic foot
· Refrigerator Compartment Capacity - 14 Cubic foot
· Total Capacity - 23.1 Cubic foot
· 3 Freezer Baskets
· Wine Rack
· 4 Adjustable SpillClean™ Glass Shelves
· 4 Adjustable Door Bins
· Overhead Temperature Control
· Water Filter Indicator
· 1 year Limited Warranty

Ease of Use: Basically this is a very nice refrigerator. There are plenty of shelves and bins. Milk and juice bottles need to be kept on a main shelf of the refrigerator because there are too many bins on the door for them to fit height-wise. This is okay though because the beverages stay colder in the main compartment.

The Fresh Chill bin really keeps things cold when the lever is turned to maximum chill which is great for storing meats in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. You have to be careful with this feature however, as the lettuce we also put in this bin actually froze. We weren’t used to having a meat bin that actually kept things extra cold!

The drawers are a bit difficult to use. You have to pull them a bit to the left when you open them or they hit and mark-up the refrigerator door. A bit of an annoyance.

Ease of Maintenance:

Okay, here is where it gets interesting. We seriously hesitated about getting stainless appliances because of everything we heard about how hard it is to keep them clean. We were reassured many times by our appliance salesman that if we used a commercial stainless steel cleaner, maintenance of that polished stainless look would be no problem. Wrong!!

The finish itself is quite attractive but it DOES show every fingerprint and mark. We have been cleaning and polishing every day so far. Right now we are using a cleaner called “Zep” sprayed onto a cloth, not on the appliance as the can suggests. We clean the appliance and then rub it with a clean soft cloth. That has been the best and easiest method so far.

Other than the exterior, the interior is easy to clean and the replaceable water filter is easy to reach

Cost:

As with anything it pays to shop around. Prices range from $1,800 to $2,800.

Plaudits:
· This KitchenAid refrigerator is a beautiful appliance and really enhances the look of the kitchen.
· Very energy efficient
· Plenty of storage bins and shelves
· In the door ice maker takes up less room in the freezer
· Fresh Chill bin works great
· Easy to use water filtration system

Tweaks:

· Stainless steel finish is hard to keep clean
· Drawers don’t open fully without banging into refrigerator door
· It is expensive

Overall Opinion:

We like this refrigerator despite a few annoyances and would purchase it again. We would have to give some serious thought to the finish however.

Cookware - Why Choose Stainless Steel, Non-Stick, Anodized and More

2007-05-01T14:56:00.000-05:00

A good set of cookware is essential to any well functioning kitchen. There are currently several types of cookware materials on the market including stainless steel cookware, hard anodized aluminum cookware, non-stick cookware, cast iron cookware, copper cookware, and infused anodized cookware. With so many choices, you need to know the basics before making your buying decision.

Stainless steel cookware is like flatware in that it comes in varying grades of stainless. The heavier the pan, the better it will perform for you. Stainless cookware is not non-stick, but with preheating and proper use of fats (oils, butter) your foods will generally not stick if you do not turn them too soon. Stainless is great for cooking meats when you want to be able to deglaze the pan and get up all those wonderful cooked bits that stick to the bottom.

Hard anodized pans are made from heavy aluminum which conducts heat quickly and evenly. The anodized surface is stick resistant so food sticks enough to allow searing and browning but releases the food well when cooking is complete. This cookware is not dishwasher safe.

Infused anodized cookware is the newer version of anodized cookware and is what Calphalon One pots and pans are made of. The performance of this type of cookware is essentially the same as hard anodized cookware.

Non-stick cookware can be made of any material –copper, stainless steel, aluminum, or cast iron. Contemporary non-stick cookware has a fairly durable non-stick coating but is not dishwasher safe. Browning is difficult to achieve with this surface but foods release easily.

Copper cookware provides excellent heat conduction and is frequently lined with stainless steel that will not react with foods. It is easy to burn foods using copper cookware, sot you will need to be a bit more attentive to your cooking. Copper cookware makes a beautiful addition to a kitchen.

Cast iron cookware is the workhorse of the kitchen. It is terrific for long cooking items such as soups, stews, and roasts. Enameled cast iron cookware, such as LeCreuset, provides the benefits of cast iron with less sticking. It is also available in several beautiful colors.

As you can see, there are multiple choices for every taste and style of cooking. Our next post will discuss choosing the right type of cookware depending on your range style - gas, dual fuel, induction, or electric.

Rick & Karen

Be Green and Save - New Environmental Blog

2007-04-24T14:06:00.000-05:00

If you are looking for some great ways to help the environment and at the same time save yourself some money, check out the new environmental blog at http://begreenandsave.blogspot.com. The blog has some great information on products and services that are available such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, reusable shopping bags, and ways to recycle cell phones.

Check it out today and you can be green and save!

Karen and Rick

Happy Easter

2007-04-06T15:50:00.000-05:00

We just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter and a happy spring. This is a great time of year for renewal in many respects. Take some time to be thankful and make your plans for the spring. Maybe its time to freshen up your decor or plan a new garden. Do something to make yourself and those you love feel good.

Karen & Rick

Orman's five tips on personal finance for women

2007-03-13T00:52:00.000-05:00

Women need to become more aware of their personal financial situations and how they can be in control of it. Susie Orman provides some excellent tips in this article on how to start.

Orman's five tips on personal finance for women

You will find more great tips and advice at http://www.familyfriendlycreditcards.com. Try the calculators on the site to determine how much (or how little) you currently owe and the types of payments you should be making to pay down your debt in the amount of time that you would like. Go with what you can afford, but be sure to push yourself just a bit to make sure those debts get paid down.

Here's to your financial success!

Karen
www.findmorefacts.com

Monday Madnes - A Bit Late

2007-02-27T02:33:00.000-06:00

1. Do you ever use all caps when typing online messages?
NO, NO, NO!

2. Does it bother you when other people use all caps in their messages?
YES IT DOES!

3. Do you use abbreviations (i.e. lol, brb, etc.) when typing email messages or text messages?
I use very few because 1) I don't know that many of them and 2) most of the people I email know even less of them than I do

4. Do you ever receive faxes or other correspondence from a professional office that are typed in all caps? If so, what do you think of that?
Never had that happen

5. Do you rely on the computer program to catch your typing errors, or do you proofread your material before sending it out?
Eye hav neverr profred mi maetrial. Nver had a kneed too. :-) That was fun!

Business Credit Cards - Choosing the Best Card for Your Business

2007-02-21T11:25:00.000-06:00

There are a lot of credit card choices out there, whether for business or personal use. Choosing a business credit card is an important decision because there are many factors and features to consider. You may not just want to take the credit card that your bank offers you when you open a business checking or savings account. These cards often don’t have the benefits that other cards do. For instance, many cards will offer businesses significant rewards programs. Some of these are even better than the rewards offered on personal cards. Considering everything you use a business credit card for, a rewards card may offer significant savings to you.

There are also cash back programs for businesses. When you are just beginning your business, a cash back program may offer you that bit of extra cash to help with your day to day expenses.

Read more about this topic at www.familyfriendlycreditcards.com/businesscreditcards.html. This site has a variety of educational articles on credit cards, credit monitoring, and financial planning. You will also find some great information on personal credit cards at Family Friendly Credit Cards as well.

Monday Madness for Valentine's Day

2007-02-12T08:04:00.000-06:00

Thank you all for playing Monday Madness. With Valentine's Day coming up this week, I thought I'd use questions offered by one of our very faithful MM players, rach. Thank you, Rach! Look for YOUR questions to be used in the future! Have a great week, everyone! =)

1. How do you celebrate Valentine's Day?
We are not very big on Valentine's Day, we try to celebrate our relationship all year long. We do get each other a card and occasionally a gift. We usually give our boys a little something extra just to remind them that we love them.

2. Name a special gift you received during Valentine's Day.
A pendant heart necklace from my kids.

3. Define Love using each letter: L.O.V.E.

Living life to the fullest together
Obstacles bring us closer
Value one another
Express your affection on a daily basis

Have a lovely week everyone!

Karen

Getting Organized - Cleaning Closets

2007-02-12T06:51:00.000-06:00

This is where we will be posting some of our blog entires for now for our Find More Facts About Organizing Blog until either Google fixes their new system or we find another blog host. For now here are our current posts. Enjoy!

Well, we have been working on cleaning out all of our closets. It is a big project, but we are taking it one closet (and sometimes one-half of a closet) at a time. We have been pulling everything out, sorting out the items to keep, what to pitch, and what to donate. We have been able to come up with a large size donate pile and have pared things down quite a bit. It feels good!

We are starting to get more organized as well. We used to have a big shopping bag filled with all those packets of pictures that we had developed. Now they have a new organized home in a rolling plastic container like this one from Organize.com:

30-Quart Clear Storage Boxes with Wheels - Set of 2 by Iris®

The 30-Quart Clear Storage Boxes with Wheels by Iris® are resilient and provide ample storage space for your household supplies. This jumbo sized box can store heavy and large items because of its unique modular shape and size. This box comes equipped with sturdy wheel for easy portability. The clear design allows you to view the contents of these boxes for easy identification of the contents. Durable snap down buckles secure the lid and ensure that your items will remain safe. Features: Thick plastic body for extra stability Clear design for easy identification of contents Modular shape and size for more storage potential Secure wing lid Stackable Size: 12 3/4"tall x 17 3/4"wide x 12 1/4"deep

It’s great because when I want to work with the pictures –someday – I can just wheel the box out and get to work. Then it is easy to store them again when I am done. Perfect! I can think of a lot of things I will be using these boxes for.
We also started organizing the boys’ closets (yikes!) and their personal memorabilia. We bought a couple of storage boxes like the one shown below to place all of their special papers, awards, keepsake clothing, etc in. The clear plastic is great for all of these boxes because you always know what the content is. We also have one box for each child so that when it’s time for them to take their special things with them, they are already all together in one place. Really useful!

15-Gallon Winged Lid Storage Box by Iris®

The 15-Gallon Winged Lid Storage Box by Iris® is resilient and provides ample storage space for your household supplies. This jumbo sized box can store heavy and large items because of its unique modular shape and size. This box comes equipped with a sturdy reinforced lid design with super strong plastic hinges. The clear design allows you to view the contents of these boxes for easy identification of the contents. Features: Thick plastic body for extra stability Clear design for easy identification of contents Modular shape and size for more storage potential Secure wing lid Size: 14"tall x 19 3/8"wide x 8 1/2"deep

Let us know how your organizing is coming along. We love hearing from everyone!
If there are any special products you need, check out our organization page on our website at http://www.findmorefacts.com/html/home_organization.html. Or if there is something special we can help you find, let us know. We have some great resources.
Here is a discount offer from Organize.com to get you started:

7% off $85.00 or more purchase (Coupon Code: A9823)

Happy Organizing!

Karen & Rick

www.findmorefacts.com
www.wowekidsmag.com
www.familyfriendlycreditcards.com

Read our other posts at
http://findmorefactsaboutorganizing.blogspot.com

Monday Madness is Back!

2007-01-22T07:25:00.000-06:00

We are back with Monday Madness. Enjoy!

Well since I had missed the Dec. 11th blog, I didn't realize some of the questions were a repeat, so here are my answers to the revised question list. :-)

1. Did you make any resolutions this year?
No, I don't believe in making resolutions. I just make goals as I goal along throughout the year and work toward them one goal at a time.

2. If so, which one do you think you'll really stick to? If not, is there something you're going to try harder to accomplish?
I'm working on getting my business to be more profitable!

3. Do you have a fear of any small rodents/insects/etc? If so, please share.
Snakes!

4. Share something exciting that's going on in your life.
I'm taking my sister into Chicago for an overnight at a hotel this week to celebrate her __ birhtday [can't tell you which one ;_)]. We are going to a nice restaurant for dinner and going to see "Wicked". It should be loads of fun!

5. Did you wonder what happened to Monday Madness these past few weeks?
I sure did and I'm glad you're back.

1. What song gives you the most holiday cheer?
Any Christmas song by Harry Connick.

2. Who's the hardest person to shop for on your holiday list?
My 13 year old son. Too old for many toys now except video games. Kinda frustrating!

3. When do you start your holiday shopping?
Usually in October. This year, late November. Yikes!

4. What food or drink do you love when it's cold out? (Recipes and recommendations, please!)
I enjoy a nice warm chili. You can find the recipe here on Find More Facts.

5.What do you do to get rid of a cold or flu?
Go to bed if possible and drink plenty of fluids.

...and this question comes from another of our good friends, tricia:

Do you have a favorite gameshow announcer?
Not really, don't have much time to watch gameshows.

If you have some time, check out our new blog:
Find More Facts About Organizing. Leave us a comment or tip. We love hearing from you all.

Have a great week.

Karen

www.findmorefacts.com
You will find lots of great deals on cookware, flatware, cutlery, appliances, gourmet foods, and items and services to help run your business.

Our new blog: Find More Facts About Organizing

Check Out Our New Blog - Find More Facts About Organizing

2007-01-12T15:18:00.000-06:00

We've added a new blog to our line-up at http://findmorefactsaboutorganizing.blogspot.com. We have a great page on our Find More Facts website all about organizing your life, home, and work, so we thought we would start a blog on the topic and we hope many of you will join us. We will share organizing tips and stories, as well as provide some great resources for organizational items. We invite you to stop by and share your organizing tips because we know you all have some great ideas of your own. It's time to de-clutter and de-stress and get organized! Come join us!

Karen & Rick

www.findmorefacts.com

http://findmorefactsaboutorganizing.blogspot.com

Find More Facts About Organizing: Find More Facts About Organizing

2007-01-02T02:16:00.000-06:00

Find More Facts About Organizing: Find More Facts About Organizing

Monday Madness for December 4th

2006-12-04T08:26:00.000-06:00

1. I wish people would just pay attention when they drive.
2. My biggest pet peeve where other drivers are concerned, is thinking no one else on the road matters.
3. I will probably spend about not sure, but probably too much.
4. I really hope to have some time to relax by the end of this calendar year.
5. I make about _____ resolutions each year, and keep _____ of them. I don't make resolutions because I don't think that is a strategy that works. :-)

Online Shopping Tips From Find More Facts

2006-11-27T07:29:00.000-06:00

The holiday shopping season is upon us, ready or not, so we wanted to share some online shopping safety tips, tips to make your shopping fast and fun, as well as some great deals from some of our favorite merchants.

Online Shopping Safety Tips

We have a few great online shopping tips to make
your holiday shopping experience safe, successful,
and relatively quick (yes, you read that correctly -
quick!)

Always check the security of the checkout pages
of any online merchant you are purchasing from.
This means that when you are on the checkout page
you should see "https" in the web address, the "s"
indicates "secure." Also at the bottom of the page,
you will see a graphic of a closed lock or unbroken
key indicating the site is secure. One other way to
check security when you are on the checkout page.
Go to the top menu and click "File,"
then "Properties." You will get a Properties pop-up
screen that shows the Protocol as "HyperText
Transfer Protocol with Privacy" and the Connection
will state "SSL with (at least) 128 bit encryption."
You will also see a restatement of the https web
address. Make sure it matches the address of the
page you are supposed to be on. If all of these
factors are in place, you can be relatively certain
that you are on a secure site.

Read the return policy before you buy. If you
don't like the policy, buy somewhere else.

Be sure you can locate the contact information
for the merchant easily on the site.

Print a receipt of your purchase before logging off
of the site. Don't just rely on an e-mailed copy of a
receipt. Sometimes even e-mails get lost.

The Fun Part - How to Make Your Shopping Quick & Easy

Follow a few simple steps and you can have
your shopping done in a flash!

Make a list of everyone you need to buy for and
put an approximate amount you would like to spend
next to each name. Budgeting now will save you a lot
of money in the long run.
Next to the name, write down everything you
would like to buy that person, couple, or business,
etc.
Now here is the important part that will speed up
your shopping. Review your list and make a
separate list that has all of the categories of items you need
to buy (e.g. books, toys, clothes, kitchen and
dining items, gift baskets). Running back over your original
list put each item into the appropriate category.
This won't take as long as it sounds and it is going to
save you a bundle of time.
Now that your list is complete and organized go to our site, www.findmorefacts.com. Find the appropriate category that you need, review the available merchants, visit the
site of the merchants you choose, order all of the items you need for that category and you are done!

Repeat this process for each category and your
shopping will be done in a fraction of the time. You
may not even have to go to the mall or your local
superstore at all! Doesn't that sound peaceful?

At Find More Facts, you will find outstanding sources
for fruit baskets, chocolates, cookies, seafood gifts,
wine gifts, gourmet appetizers, a wide variety of gift
baskets, flatware, cutlery, cookware, glassware, dinnerware and more!

And here is some more exciting news - Find More Facts now has a Kitchen Store and a Business Store on our site! So in addition to all the other great merchants we have listed you can shop for hundreds of items right on our site. Both stores are powered by Amazon, so the shopping is secure the selection is outstanding.

Feel free to drop us a line or leave a comment and let us know
what you think of our new and improved site.

Go to FindMoreFacts.com Now!

Happy Shopping!

Karen & Rick
www.findmorefacts.com
www.wowekidsmag.com

Please note - All material in this blog is copyrighted Divine Finds, Inc. & Find More Facts. Permission must be obtained for copy and use on other sites or in other media.

Monday Madness on the Holidays

2006-11-27T07:23:00.000-06:00

Let's talk about holidays... Depending on where you live and what religion you are, you may celebrate different holidays and at different times of the year than others. But most of us do celebrate at least one holiday a year. Let's share! =)

1. Which of the holidays that you celebrate, do you feel is the most important?

Christmas and Easter

2. Which holiday do you most enjoy?

That is a tough one. Probably Christmas because I get to see all of our family and I really enjoy watching the excitement of the kids.

3. Is there one holiday that your family tries to get together every year? If so, which one?

Yes, usually Christmas. Sometimes it takes a couple of weeks for visits with people, but most of us manage to get together.

4. Share one special memory from a past holiday.

Christmas when my kids were around 2 years old. The amazement and excitement when they came down in the morning and realized Santa had been there. It was priceless.

5. Name one holiday coming up, that you're really looking forward to, and why.
I would have to say Christmas since it is just around the corner. We have plans for family to come in and stay with us for a few days, so it should be a great time.

Have a great week everyone!

Karen
www.findmorefacts.com
www.wowekids.com

Monday Madness, Find More Facts update

2006-11-13T12:54:00.000-06:00

1. From ch'i:
If you could only read one blog every day- which one blog would be on your daily list?

You mean other than my own? LOL. I don't really have one blog that would be on my daily list as most of the blogs I read aren't updated that frequently.

2. From kat:
What do you do to de-stress from a hectic day?

I kick back with my hubby and watch a little HGTV while I have some dessert. Not the healthiest way to unwind but it feels good! :-)

3. From paxil princess:
What is your favorite piece of clothing to wear in the winter?

A soft sweater.

4. From sherle:
Do you prefer discussing problems with a sibling, a parent, a significant other, a psychologist, or a total stranger?

I talk about everything with Rick (my husband).

5. From trista:
How long have you been blogging?

Only a few months.

6. From lisa e:
Which side of the bed?

Right

7. From elton:
How often do you pig out when you eat?

Not very often, but the holidays seem to be the time of most of my "pigging out"

8. From karen:
Do you watch the space shuttle launches?

I always try to watch the launches. I still find it amazing that we are able to travel into space.

9. From dawn:
What's your favorite leisure-time activity?

It varies. I like to go to the movies with Rick and my boys. We enjoy trying new restaurants. I like to cook when I have the time and try new recipes. I like to watch my family play in the swimming pool. It really depends on the day.

10. From sherle:
When is the last time you said, 'I love you' and to whom?
What about hugs? Who is the last person you hugged?

We say I love you many times a day in our family. I told Rick before he left for work and the boys before they left for school. That's also when I gave them hugs.

If you haven't had a chance to check out our new Find More Facts website, stop on by. We'd love to hear what you think of it. You might want to check out the gourmet foods and gift baskets page. We've got some great links for holiday shopping! While your there, if you sign up for our mailing list, we'll send you some great discounts and special deals that we've found.

Have a great week everyone!

Karen
www.findmorefacts.com
www.wowekidsmag.com

Monday Madness

2006-11-07T01:16:00.000-06:00

This is kind of a fun meme for this week from Monday Madness (and actually a bit harder than I thought it was going to be!)

Using the letters in your name (first, last, both, whatever), describe your life!
K-Knowledge seeking
A-Ambitious
R-Reliable
E-Excellent cook
N-Nice

If you need to do some holiday shopping, start your search at our gourmet food and wine page at findmorefacts.com. If you
Sign up for our Email Newsletter, I'll send you some special sales and offers not available to everyone.

Have a great week everyone!
Karen
www.findmorefacts.com
www.wowekidsmag.com

Monday Madness

2006-10-29T22:13:00.000-06:00

1. From bev:
Small town or big city?

We live in a medium size town, about 50,000 people.

2. From turtlemoonwave:
Do you have a favorite childhood memory, and if so, would you share it?

My favorite childhood memory is going every summer to spend a week at my grandmother's house. She lived in Chicago and it was always so exciting to be in the city. She also treated us great - fresh baked cookies, spoiling us rotten - all the typical grandma stuff! :-)

3. From cat:
How do you calm down when something has really upset and/or angered you? Do you swallow it? Call a friend and rant? Go in the bathroom and cry? Punch a wall? Walk around muttering to yourself, complete with scary hand gestures?

It depends on the situation. Once again referring to my kids, if they do something that makes me really angry [which of course they never do ;-)] I usually leave the room, try to take some deep breaths to calm down and figure out how I'm going to handle it. Occasionally I call someone to talk about it; walk around muttering to yourself, complete with scary hand gestures; or have a good cry.

4. From dna princess:
What attratcs you to memes?'

It's fun to get to know other people from a lot of different places. It's like making new friends.

5. From mads:
How reliant are you on computers to get through your day?

Very, especially since my entire business is based on computers and e-mail is how I communicate with many people.

6. From tizzie:
In a crisis, are you calm or do you panic?

I'm usually the calm one who keeps everybody else under control.

Have a great week everyone and be sure to check out our last 2 posts, 1 with a yummy recipe and 1 about the launch of our new site. Thanks for your support!

Karen
www.findmorefacts.com
www.wowekidsmag.com

Filet Mignon with Peppers and Olives Recipe

2006-10-27T13:03:00.000-05:00

Here is the recipe I promised earlier in the week :=) Enjoy and I will try to get the recipes out more often. Be sure to check out our previous post about the launching of our new website!

Filet Mignon with Peppers and Olives

¾ of a 12 oz. jar of roasted red peppers
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 1 1/4 inch thick 4-6 oz. filet mignon beef steaks
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2/3 cup low-fat chicken broth
1/3 cup pitted kalamata (greek) olives
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, (1/4 stick)

Remove peppers from jar and cut into thin strips. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Add steaks to skillet and sauté to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for rare. Transfer steaks to plates and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add roasted peppers and garlic to the same skillet and cook 30 seconds. Be careful not to let garlic brown or it will taste bitter. Add broth, olives and vinegar and boil until liquid is reduced to a glaze, scraping up browned bits, about 8 minutes. Mix in oregano and remove from heat. Add butter and whisk to melt. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over and around filets and serve.

Delicious!

Karen

http://findmorefacts.com

The new Find More Facts.com Site is Now Live!

2006-10-27T12:05:00.000-05:00

At last! The new and improved findmorefacts.com is now up and running. You'll find loads of useful information on kitchenware, including cutlery, flatware, cookware, and appliances. We've also got some great info on selecting a web hosting provider along with information and comparisons on many different providers. You will even find more facts on running a small business and where to get the supplies you'll need.

We also have information on home remodeling, especially in the kitchen and bath, lighting, appliances and more. And don't miss our recipe section which will be getting new additions on a regular basis. You'll find all of this and more on the new site, so check it out soon!

Thanks to everyone who has sent their good wishes for our new endeavor and we hope you will all find the site useful, informative, and fun!

Feel free to send feedback on the site either here on the blog or to us at info@findmorefacts.com

Karen & Rick

http://findmorefacts.com
http://wowekidsmag.com

Monday Madness & Find More Facts Update

2006-10-23T07:23:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone! I hope you are all doing well today. Here are my answers to the Monday Madness questions for the week.

1. From: cassie:
Dramas or comedies?

Definitely comedies.

2. From: nutmegnine:
Your neighbor has frequent noisy parties on nights before you need to get up early. Do you confront him directly, call the police, call your landlord, join in the debauchery, or seethe quietly and do nothing?

Usually we just wait it out. Probably not the best approach. If it were waking the kids, I'd call the police.

3. From sherle:
Are you more comfortable in big crowds or small groups?

Small groups. It's too hard to have a conversation when the group is large.

4. From zeno:
Do you prefer Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox?

I use Explorer, I've actually never tried Firefox.

5. From briar:
They say you learn something new every day. What new thing did you learn today?

I learned that a boy who is almost 13 years old can be very, very cranky in the morning. Actually, I already new this, he was just extra cranky today! :-)

Sorry I never got my new recipes posted last week. I definitely will this week.

Our new Find More Facts website is almost ready to launch (Yeah!) It is a lot of work building a new site (as many of you know) so I'm really looking forward to getting this one published.

Have a great week everybody!

Karen
www.topshoppingsources.net/findmorefacts
www.wowekidsmag.com

Monday Madness

2006-10-16T00:23:00.000-05:00

There is just one Monday Madness question this week but it's a good one:

Name 10 things you would do if you had more time.

1. I would cook more.

2. Play with my kids more

3. Spend more time relaxing with Rick

4. Learn to speak Spanish

5. Read more mystery books

6. Read any kind of books

7. Take cooking classes.

8. I would clean out all of my closets and cabinets (boring, but I would feel much more relaxed when it was done)

9. Spend more time with my friends

10. Absolutely nothing!

Have a great week everyone. Check back in a couple of days and we'll have some great new recipes posted!

Karen

www.wowekidsmag.com
www.topshoppingsources.net/findmorefacts
www.aquanovadesigns.com
Contact Us

Monday Madness; Discount for Reed A Lott Shirt

2006-10-09T10:37:00.000-05:00

Some great questions from fellow Monday Madness bloggers:

1. From amaranth:
Name three people you would pick (and why) if you could choose who to be stranded on a deserted island with.

My husband, Rick, because I love him and you might as well be stranded with someone you love. My two boys, Collin & Alex, for the same reason. Rick is also pretty resourceful and could probably find a way off the island1 :-)

2. From julie:
What is your favorite genre of film and what is your favorite movie from that genre?

I love a good mystery. It's not really a film in the sense of a big screen movie but I loved all of the Poirot movies with David Suchet and the Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett.

3. From tiffany:
Which country would you like to visit and why?

There are many, but I would probably say Ireland because it looks beautiful and my ancestors and from there.

4. From wil:
What are you driving these days? What's it's (their) good and bad points? Would you buy another one, and why or why not?

A good old Dodge Caravan Grand. With 2 boys and lots of activities, it serves us well. As long as the kids are at home, I would buy one again.

5. From cindy swanson:
"Lost," "24," or both?

Neither.

6. From lady starlight:
You've been very good this year. What should Santa bring you for Christmas? (the sky is the limit)

The end to the war. I've got a niece and nephew serving over there, and would like to see them able to be home and stay home.

Now for our discount news:

One of our websites, AquaNova Designs, carries shirts and other items with graphics I have designed to encourage kids to read, enjoy math and science and generally feel good about themselves. We have a special on our Reed A. Lott shirts right now. Enter the code october at checkout and get 10 percent off. These are the same characters that are in our free kids magazine. Check it out at www.wowekidsmag.com.

Feel free to send us questions or leave comments about the sites here on the blog.

Have a great week everyone!

Karen

www.wowekidsmag.com
www.aquanovadesigns.com
www.findmorefacts.com
Contact Us

Monday Madness & WOW! eKids Magazine Update

2006-10-02T07:48:00.000-05:00

. From amanda f:
What do you do when somebody complements you?
a. Smile and say Thanks
b. Ignore it and change the subject
c. Complement them back
d. Turn red in embarrasment at the attention and look around to see other people's reaction
e. Take it as your due!
Mostly A, sometimes c.

2. From shelly:
What color are your eyes?
You would think this would be an easy question! I have those weird eyes that never seem to be the same color-they're hazel, green, brown, or mixed.

3. From kia:
What do you like most about yourself?
I think I am a great mom.

4. From julie:
How do you spend Christmas?
We spend Christmas Eve with lots of family. Christmas Day is often Rick and I with the kids, then we might do a bit of visiting with friends or family.

5. From wide imagination:
When do you normally blog? Day or night?
Usually day.

6. From rach:
What song can you relate to your personal life? Share a line or two of that song.
I'm terrible at this kind of thing. I can't thing of the lines to any songs right now!

7. From sherle:
What is your favorite color for a sleeping environment?
Soothing green.

Those were fun questions.

We wanted to let everyone know that the next issue of our free online children's magazine will be published in the next couple of day. It has a new look, but still has the same great features. Check it out at http://wowekidsmag.com. The current issue will only be available for a couple more days, so if the kids haven't had a chance to see that issue, check it out soon. It really is a lot fun and educational too. The next issue will have lots of great info in the parent pages. Resources for education, travel, shopping, etc. You won't want to miss it.

Rick and I thank you for your support and thanks for reading our blog!

Have a great week everyone!

Karen

Monday Madness & WOW! eKids Magazine Info

2006-09-25T07:37:00.000-05:00

Hi, All! Here are the Monday Madness questions for this week.

1. From jstar: Holiday in Europe or Asia?
I would love to go to Ireland, Italy, & France someday.
2. From sherle: How do you try to change a behavior pattern you don't like about yourself... whether it's chewing fingernails, overeating, smoking, or picking your nose?
I just try to focus and give myself small goals with a little reward each time I meet a goal.
3. From tricia: Have you ever successfully completed a Sudoku puzzle?
No, I don't like them. Rick has done them though and one of our sons does them all the time.
4. From caylynn: What website do you visit the most often?
I hate to say it, but its our websites http://wowekidsmag.comand http://findmorefacts.com. We are always checking them to be sure everything is working okay.
5. From michael morgan: What was your favorite thing about high school or college?
My favorite thing about college was the independence.

Have a great week everyone. Check out our magazine at wowekds.com if you have kids. The magazine is now free and its lots of fun AND its educational!

Karen

www.findmorefacts.com
www.wowekidsmag.com
www.aquanovadesigns.com

Contacts us

Monday Madness

2006-09-18T13:34:00.000-05:00

1. How do you eat an oreo cookie? (from tricia
I'm one of the odd people who eats it whole.
2. How long does it take you to eat lunch?
When there is time for lunch, 10 minutes.
3. Caffeine or decaf?
Decaf
4. Chicken or beef?
Both, even though I know I should eat (and serve) more chicken and less beef.
5. Pen or pencil?
Pen.
6. Autumn or spring?
Autumn is my favorite time of year with the crisp air and the changing leaves - gorgeous!
7. Baseball or basketball?
Baseball
8. 'Survivor' or 'The Amazing Race?'
Neither.
9. Come up with one question I can ask our Monday Madness participants in the weeks to come. Do you watch the space shuttle launches?

Have a great week!

Monday Madness & an Exciting Announcement

2006-09-11T07:08:00.000-05:00

Here are the Q & A for Monday Madness for the week. Feel free to post a comment!

1. How long have you been blogging?
Since April of this year.

2. How many times have you taken a break from blogging?
Quite a few times. We would like to keep going this time around.

3. How long is the longest you've gone, so far, without posting on your blog?
Two Months - Yikes! We need to improve that.

4. How many fellow bloggers do you keep in touch with, through your blogs, on a regular basis?
None, so far. Does anybody else do this?

5. Have you ever met, in person, a blogger on your blogroll?
No.

6. How often do you update/change the 'extra' stuff on your blog?
Every few times we post.

7. Do you think you'll be blogging for years to come?
I hope so. It's fun and we like to talk about a variety of topics and share fun info we run across. Feel free to post comments on our blog. We'd love to hear from you!

Here is some great news if you have a child between 7 and 11 years old in your life. Our WOW! eKids magazine is now available online for FREE! We decided we wanted to make it more accessible to all kids, so we've removed the subscription fee. You can check it out at wowekidsmag.com. Let us know what you think of it!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Karen & Rick

www.wowekidsmag.com
www.findmorefacts.com
www.aquanovadesigns.com

Monday Madness on Tuesday

2006-09-05T07:46:00.000-05:00

Well I'm posting Monday Madness on Tuesday because of course I forgot yesterday was Monday with the holiday! Sorry about that!

1. Which holidays (if any) do you consider more as a day off from work, than anything else?
Labor Day & Columbus Day definitely fall into that category.
2. Which 3 holidays are most celebrated in your family?
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the 4th of July. Of course with the kids, Halloween is right in there too! :-)
3. Do you have an organized filing system at home?
Yes, I have a fairly organized filing system, although it could use a bit of purging about now.
4. Do you clip coupons for groceries? If so, do you remember to use them? If not, why?
I used to clip coupons all the time, but I would always leave them at home or forget they were in my purse. That's one of the reasons we started the Find More Facts website. I could come up with discounts on a lot of the items we buy and share them with others for online shopping, where the coupon is already built in!
5. How many magazines do you subscribe to?
Too many!
6. Do you play any computer games on a regular basis? If so, which is your favorite, and why?
I don't play computer games at all. Who has time?!!
7. Have you watched any movies worth recommending, lately?
I haven't seen anything worth writing about lately.

We'll be moving Find More Facts to a new web host soon with an updated look and some new features. It will still have the same great information on home remodeling, accessorizing, cooking, home office, and more along with some new merchants and discount buying information. We'll let you know when that's completed but be sure to check out our current site for some great buying information and deals. Be sure to join our mailing list if you want updates delivered right to your mailbox.

Here's a copy of the question list without the answers if you want to post them on your site. Join in on the fun.

1. Which holidays (if any) do you consider more as a day off from work, than anything else?
2. Which 3 holidays are most celebrated in your family?
3. Do you have an organized filing system at home?
4. Do you clip coupons for groceries? If so, do you remember to use them? If not, why?
5. How many magazines do you subscribe to?
6. Do you play any computer games on a regular basis? If so, which is your favorite, and why?
7. Have you watched any movies worth recommending, lately?

Have an awesome day!

Karen & Rick

http://findmorefacts.com
http://wowekids.com
http://aquanovadesigns.com

Contact Us

Introducing WOW! eKids Magazine, an online, interactive children's ezine.

2006-08-29T08:20:00.000-05:00

Rick & I have another company, AquaNova Designs, Inc. along with our partner, Debbie. AquaNova Designs has created a variety of amusing characters which we display on shirts, bags, hats, etc. Recently we launched a children’s magazine, WOW! eKids. It is an online, interactive magazine for kids ages 7 – 11. It’s filled with stories, activities, science and math projects and loads more fun and educational items.

Meet a few of the Just have fun! characters below. You can read all about it on our site at wowekids.com. You can see the full line of merchandise at aquanovadesigns.com.

This is Sue Pernova,
our space adventurer.

Feel free to contact us or leave a post if you have any questions.

Thanks and Just have fun!

Karen & Rick

www.wowekids.com
www.findmorefacts.com
www.aquanovadesigns.com

Monday Madness

2006-08-28T07:45:00.000-05:00

We've decided to add Monday Madness to the site just for some fun! Enjoy and feel free to post comments!

1. Do you do dishes by hand or do you use a dishwasher?
Dishwasher for sure!
2. How many people have your cell phone number?
Very few if I can help it.
3. Do you shower in the morning or at night?
In the morning or I would never wake up!
4. Do you ever have a song 'stuck' in your head?
Frequently. Especially when the kids sing a song over and over.
5. Do you pay your bills when they arrive, or do you wait until closer to the due date to pay them?
Unfortunately, I wait but they usually get paid on time.
6. Are you obsessive about anything in particular?
Trying to keep the kitchen counters clear of stuff. Note the word trying.
7. What one thing would you say you have a zero tolerance for?
Bad manners. Like when people let a door slam in your face rather than hold it open for 1 second. It makes me nuts!

P.S. Check out our cool new online kids magazine at wowekids.com. We'll write more about it later. It's awesome!

Have a great day!

Karen

findmorefacts.com
wowekids.com

Starting a Business - Some Things to Consider

2006-05-25T14:58:00.000-05:00

So you think you want to start a business and you're wondering if it will be worth your time. There are, of course, many factors to consider but we'll cover just a couple of them today. First, you get to work for yourself. No more boss telling you what to do and when. This can also be the downside of having your own business, so you need to know whether or not you are a self-motivator. If you think you are disciplined enough to get the work done that needs to be done when it needs to be done, then owning your own business may be right for you. It can be an enormous pleasure to wake up in the morning and know that you are in control of your day.

Next, you need to be sure you have a feasible business idea. This is such an enormous topic that it would be impossible to fully discuss it here but suffice it to say you have a lot of research to do. You need to determine how and where you will provide your goods or services. What are the start-up costs? Will you need employees or equipment? What is the market for your business? Do you have a lot of competition and is there room for another business in your field? Should you incorporate? You can read about reasons to incorporate and how to go about it at www.inctowealth.com. Do you have the time and talent needed to succeed or will you need training? This is a lot of questions but you can figure out many of the answers by preparing a business plan. This will help you get organized both for yourself and for any potential investors or loan services.

If you get organized and stay focused you can make it through the start-up phase, so don't be discouraged. Look for resources and ask others who have been through the process for advice. Then dig in and go for it! You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

In our next blog we'll discuss some of the financial benefits of owning a business.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rick & Karen

www.findmorefacts.com
www.inctowealth.com
contact us

Starting a Business - Why Are We Doing This??

2006-05-24T14:21:00.000-05:00

We have started 2 new businesses over the past 3 years and are working on our third. Starting a new business is both exciting and nerve-wracking. There are times you feel very motivated and its seems you work around the clock. Other times you wonder "Why in the world am I doing this?" and feel like chucking the whole project. I have come to realize this is a normal part of the process. Although there are times I really want to quit and just have a "normal" life, I know the excitement and challenge of starting a new business will inevitably pull me back in.

If you have ever thought about starting a business but have been afraid to take the plunge, be sure to read our upcoming blogs. We'll talk about some of the challenges and frustrations along with the excitement and opportunities. We'll also provide some great links for various resources and information to help you in your new business quest.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a comment or send us an e-mail.

Stay tuned!

Karen

www.findmorefacts.com
www.inctowealth.com
contact us

Closet Organization - What Are Your Hang-Ups?

2006-05-05T09:52:00.000-05:00

Closet organization can be a daunting task, particularly if it has been a few years since you have attempted a major reorganization. Before you invest in new shelving or a closet organization system, you will want to assess your needs. Start by removing everything from your closet (yes, everything!) and sort the items into piles. Put items you would like to keep in one pile. These items should be shoes or clothing that you have worn in the past 12 months and that are in good condition. Anything with holes, tears, snags, stains should be tossed. If you haven't worn it in the past 12 months, you are not going to wear it - get rid of it! Items that are in good condition but you do not wear any longer, consider donating to charity.

Once you have your items sorted, you can begin determining how you want to organize your closet. Take a look at your clothing and decide if you have more hanging or folded items. Do you need a lot of space for shoes? How about belts, purses, or ties. There are specialty hanging systems that can accommodate all of these items. There are shoe cubbies, shoe racks, shoe shelves and over the door shoe racks. There are some great belt and tie racks that can accommodate large numbers of these items in a small amount of space.

Next, you may want to check out sites that offer custom closet solutions. We have links to some of these below. Some of the sites even have a software program that you can use online to plan the layout of your closet and determine all of the parts you will need to install it. You can then order everything right from the site and not have to worry about running back to the store because you forgot a part or didn't plan correctly. It is a great service.

Once you have everything planned, give your closet a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint. Install your new closet system and you will be organized for years to come.

Here are some of our favorite sites for closet and home organization:

10% off all orders $35.00 or more (Coupon Code: A9849)
This sale is only good until May 15th, so check them out now!

Free shipping offer is valid until May 31st.

Now that you know what to do, the only hang-ups you should have are in your closet. Now go get organized!

Karen & Rick

www.findmorefacts.com
www.inctowealth.com
contact us

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