Barbecue Skewer Shish Kabob Set #ProductReview

I was inspired to do some BBQ today since I  have two products that I need.  The Hoisin Garlic Marinade and SAuce is a perk I received from  Klout.  Klout is a platform where you get rewarded if your social media posts get interaction from your viewers.   I love this marinating sauce, it is  a bit sweet and it really gives the meat a great flavor if you let it marinate for  a long period of time.

 I also got this Barbecue Skewer Shish Kabob set from   Cavetools.com for review.  This stainless steel kabib set is  pretty sleek.  I bought some  stainless steel  skewers before but it doesn't have a rack so I am  happy that I have it now.  

I love when I have new tools in the kitchen  because it really inspire me to cook.  Well, I cook everyday but having new tools to use, ump that desire to cook even more.  Just like when I received this set, my husband immediately said "Alright, we are having some BBQ!"

Now, when my husband is  craving for something, he would go to the refrigerator and asses what we have and what we do not have.  He knows that whatever is in the fridge that's what I cook.  So he went to the store and bought some beef and pork.   We seldom buy beef these days because of the prize but once in a while, he misses it.  Me and the ki-ds don't really care much for beef.

I cut the beef in cubes and  marinated it for an hour with the Hoisin Garlic sauce.

I also peeled one of the  acorn squash that I picked from the garden and seasoned it with salt and pepper and  whisk it in some coconut oik before  putting it in the skewers.

My daughter love onion when BBQed so I thought of adding  some.  I  also love the taste of tomatoes when  baked so I added that at the end of the meat.

I baked the squash on a top rack and the meat on the bottom rack for  for 30 minutes  on a 400 degrees oven.  Our grill ran out of gas so I couldn't do my grilling outside.  Oven is equally fine though.  

After 30 minuts, I turned off the oven.  I finished it with  BBQ sauce when it was done  cooking and put  all of it back inside the oven to keep it warm while waiting for my husband to arrive.  

I love how the  skewers  stayed in place and it's very easy to clean afterwards.  I thought for sure, I will have to soak it in water  but the dried up sauce came right off.  

We ate it with steamed rice and achara (pickled carrots and kohlrabi).

Oh before I forgot, there is a bunos when you buy this kabob set. You can download a free Barbecue recipe with 25 professional recipe with step by step instruction.   So, are you ready to make some kabobs at home?  You can get this  via Amazon, you can use this code LHWJZQMZ for a 15% discount.Check out  Cavetools.com for some awesome BBQ tools and recipes.  

Disclosure: The owner of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the product/s mentioned  to help me  facilitate this review but  opinions are my own.

Baked Tilapia and Asparagus

I am craving for some fish  but my kids are both feeling under the weather so I am making chicken soup instead to warm their body.  The photos below is  the  fish dish I made sometime ago.  I baked it  with tomatoes, onions and some herb. I also baked some asparagus with pepper and salt and olive oil.

 I can eat fish everyday but my husband and kids are not so much.  They can eat it once in a while but not so many times in a month.

On another note,  I have mentioned in my other blog that we have been looking for houses.  We bid on one but  the owner did not want to negotiate so we let it go.  There's one also that we like the interior but the location is not ideal for us.  I wish that finiding  a perfect house for your family is as easy as when you are looking for  a grant door hardware for lofts, it would have been  nice.  I told my jhusband that maybe  it's a sign that we should just stay where we are and be happy of what we have. 

Eco-Friendly Dissolvable Labels #ProductReview

I have been blessed with abundance  of fresh produce from the  garden in my backyard so I have been canning them and freezing them so I don't have to buy   stuff  during the  winter season.  I  mistly canned tomato sauce because I love using himemade sauce for my cooking.  

You can learn the process of canning in my post last year on how to properly can tomatoes.  I will also post later on how I freeze some of my  veggies.  

These photos were taken  on  the first batch of canning I did sometime in August.  I bought additional jars already because I ran out!

Wahing the tomatoes before I put the  boiling water in for the skin to tear off easy when peeling.  This year is my first time of canning roma tomatoes.  I usually just use it for  cooking but since there are so many of them this year, I decided to can them too.  

Here soaking in the hot water.

My kids really love  counting how many of the lids have popped already which means, it is sealed.  Right now, I have canned 42 quarts of tomato sauce, 8 pints of salsa, and freeze green beans and kale.  I still have many tomatoes to can, I think I will do one more and that's it.  I will just freeze  the remaining.

This is the first time I have canned so many  so I am labeling them  according to the dates so I know which one to use first.  I love this Maco dissolvable labels that I  got for review from Shoplet.  I received the amazing bundle of this eco friendly of  dissolvable labels.   They are easy biodegradable and no mess solution to temporarily label every day items.   This bundle comes with 3 different packs

• MACMDL1805PK3 -       1 pack of Maco XL labels 8.5” x 11”
• MACMDL1205PK3-       1 pack of Maco 2 1/3” x 3 3/8” rectangle labels
• MACM83403PK6-       1 pack of Maco 1.5 x 2.5” Oval labels

You know   those labels  in the commercial bottles, they are hard to peel off so  I love  the fact that these labels easuly dissolves once it comes in contact with water.  I am very happy with that because I re-use all  my canning jars every year so I don't have to worry about  sticky residue.  It easily sticks with  plastic, wood, or glass.  Since it is bidegradable, you can safely run them through dishwasher without  worrying about clogging it with paper.  

 

So this is  my canned tomato sauce and salsa. I stored them at our storage area in the basement.  

 Shoplet have everything that you need for your business and home including office supplies, office stationary, cleaning supplies,  and many others such as medical supplies .   Thank you once again Shoplet and Maco!

Disclosure: The owner of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review. I was provided with the products mentioned in exchange of my honest opinion which may differ from yours.

Double Wall Insulated Iced Tea and Coffee Glasses #ProductReview

I got this  set of 2 Ozeri Serafino Double Wall Insulated Iced Tea and Coffee Glasses for review.  Each glass holds  a 16-ounce  drink  which is great for  summer beverage when you are super thirty.  The  set is well-packaged, there is now way this could be damaged  during transit unless the  delivery guy would slam it on the ground, lol.

 I love that it is  heat and shatter resistant which explains why you can also use this for  hot coffee of tea.  The double wall design created  to keep your hands cool with hot drinks and free of condensation with chilled beverages.  Now, most  regular glass  is not  microwave safe but this is an exception.  Believe me, I  tried it in the mimicrowave.  I warmed a  glass of milk to see if it will damage it but it did not.  

 I also love that it is stronger and more durable than common glass.  I like the   wraparound contour that provides a natural grip and it also makes  it stylish.  

It said that it is  dishwasher safe but I don't want to take a chance, I'd rather wash it manually to   maintain it's  awesome condition.

 This set of two is perfect for hubby and I'd iced tea.  I have  the  short version of this so that's what the kids uses.   I love  how the double wall creates that  optical illusion, it's pretty neat.

I wish that the Bureau of Customs in the Philippines is not so greedy of taxing the  recipient of  balikbayan boxes.  I have so many things that I wan to send to my  sister who is just starting her new career and can't afford to buy all of the things that she need.  She would have love to have a cool glasses like this.  

But anyway, you can buy this  though this link via Amazon  for $24.95.  This would be great to have in your kitchen especially if you invite a friend of over and enjoy a chilled drink.

Not my photo

Disclosure: The owner of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the product/s mentioned  to help me  facilitate this review but  opinions are my own.

West African-Style Chicken with Asian Twist

This dish was inspired by Rachel Ray's West African-Style Chicken and  Fennel Stew.  I did not have fennel (in fact I have  never tried it yet) so I thought of using my own veggies that we got from the garden for this dish.  So here it goes, the West African Style Chicken with an Asian twist.  

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut in thirds lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large eggplant, cut  into 1/2-inch slices crosswise
• 1 roma tomotes. sliced
• 2 medium sized okra
• 1/2  medium sized bell peppers, sliced
• 1 pint homemade  tomato soup
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup green bean seeds
• 1/4 ctsp dried parsley 
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Direction:

• Stir the cumin, paprika and red pepper in a small bowl. Season the chicken with the cumin mixture.
• Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned, stirring occasionally. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
• Add the veggies to the skillet and cook for 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
• Stir the soup, lemon juice and beans in the skillet and heat to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the parsley and lemon zest just before serving.

 I am so happy when I can find a recipe that sounds doable to me, I try it  and then it turns out amazing.  This is one of those   recipes that I have never tried  coking before but  the kids and husband loves it for my first try so I will be including this recipe in our  meal roation.

You may try the original recipe with  fennel or you can try  mine, it's good!

September Gluten Free

Here are my gluten-free goodies for the month of  September.   Glutino  really makes healthy eating super delicious and I am very grateful to have  been working with them.  

Here is what my daughter make for the scandalous decadent chocolate cake mix that we have.  She even made homade icing for it.  If you want to indulge in a  delicious  choclate cake, you should try Glutino  mix.  You will be satisfied and  you don't have to worry about gluten.

I also tried their crunchy and delicious  breadcrumbs.  Their  breadcrumbs is made of  corn meal and sugar.  You can use this for  making the stuffing, or make  plaun chicken wings or legs into a crunchy and delicious chicken.

 The bread crumbs made  the chicken liver extra crunchy and tasty.  My husband did not complain about the texture of the liver, he said it made the liver so much better.  You can check out the recipe here.  

When the  package arrived on the porch, my kids immediately asked "Mom. is there  cookies?"  I told them that  I did not get it this time.  I wanted to surprise them  with their lunch at school so that's what I did.

So I packed each of them some for their dessert at school.  When they came home, they were giving me a hard time  because I tiold them that I did not get the cookies.  So I asked them if they did not like the surprise and they  both said that they loved it.  Now keeping th rest of the cookie away from them was  not possible, they ate the rest  when they got home lol.  Tha's hw good  these cookies are.

My husband  is getting addicted to these  breakfast bars.  Glutino have different variet flavors for this  so I got my husband the blueberry and the strawberry.

I put one  pack of this everyday when he goes to work.  He said, he eats it during his  break time.  My husband is really trying to eat healthy these days.  Although we  are guilty of buying  Dunkin Dinuts once in a while, we try   very hard to be healthy.

I also love their all purpose flour.  I challenged myself in making something that I have never done before using the gluten-free flour.  I baked some 

dinner rolls and yes, I did not fail although it wasn't as successful as I want it to be but it's okay. For the first time, I felt like I can bake, lol.

 The last but not the least is my new favorite  tortilla dippers.  I made some   salsa to eat with this dippers.  The kids  love the surprise snacks that they  had when they arrived home today from school.  We don't normally buy chips so this was a great treat for them.    

Thanks Glutino!

Disclosure: The owner of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the products mentioned  in exchange of my honest  opinion which may differ from yours.  

Disney's Frozen Healthy Fruit Snack #FruitCrisps #Frozen

As expensive fruits and veggies can be, we  try  our best to buy more and more of it each time we  do grocery shopping.  We are trying to instill  to our kids the importance of  healthy eating habit.  That's one main reason why I started gardening in our backyard.  I wanted to  grow as many veggies as I could for us to eat and I am happy to say that we eat homegrown veggies almost everyday this year.

Anyway, finding ways  to  make our children eat fruit in many other forms other than fresh is possible.  You can get it in the form of flavored  gummy vitamins, fruit cups,  dried fruit and ftrrese-dried fruits.  Two years ago, my family was  first inroduced to fruit crisp by  Brother's All Natural.  We liked their products so we buy their   snack  every once in a while when we want  a  different twist on fruit snacks.  

I was excited when they contacted me again this year for the launch of their new product, the Disney's Frozen Fruit Crisp.  They sent me two  cases of  it.  Each case has 4 boxes with 5 Junior size bags in each box.  

These freeze-dried real sliced Fuji apples are so good.  I think that incorporating the Frozen  movie to this new  product  launch is brilliant.  With all the hype that Frozen movie has, I am sure that  most kids  would love to try the fruit crisp snacks.  

Disney's Frozen Healthy Fruit Snacks  was launched on September 15.  It's expected release on the market is  September 22nd but you can pre-prder them online by visiting the website.

Brothers All Natural used their  magical powers to freeze dry these fuji apples and turn them from regular ans  ordinary apples to a special and unique snack!  The good thing about this is that, it is not messy and you can pretty much take it  with you anywhere for a healthy snacks on the go!

These fruit-crisps are delicious, healthy, and a very convenient fruit snack.  I love that it is perfect timing for  back to school.  I  pack  each of my kids  one  everyday for their snack and love it!  It is also a go-to snack  when they are doing their homework.

Believe me  when I say that the first box (20 packs) is already gone.  That's how good it is, it's so addicting.  It's not only my kids who ate most of it but ME. lol.  Eating this fruit crisp reminds me of the "Puto-Seko" that I used to eat when I was still in PI. The consistency is similar although this fruit crisp has a hint of tanginess to it.  

 

My daughter's class schedule has changed tremendously this year.  She chnages rooms for  several  subjects so she is constantly moving the whole day and carrying that big bag full of books makes her burn more calories, thius makes her hungry  when she comes home.  So this  fruit crisp are great altternative  to munch on when she comes home from school while I  am still cooking dinner.

My son is requesting me to put  another onefor his lunch tomorrow.  So I will be opening the last box.

Disclosure: The owner of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the product/s mentioned  to help me  facilitate this review but  opinions are my own.