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

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!

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

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

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