reviews

Zoku Quick Pop Maker

At a recent blogging event I won a Zoku Quick Pop Maker. We love popsicles in our house and in our effort to eat less processed foods, I was so excited to try making our own out of fresh fruits and juices!

What they say:

• Makes up to nine 2 1/4" x 3 1/2" pops (three 2-oz. pops at a time) before refreezing is required.
• Nonstick cast-aluminum molds have a proprietary solution sealed inside their bases to enable rapid, uniform freezing.
• A specially designed tool helps to quickly release the frozen treats from their molds.
• Durable, reusable plastic pop sticks have unique ridged designs that allow pops to adhere securely.
• Special drip guards promote tidy eating.
• Includes base, remover tool, six reusable pop sticks and six reusable drip guards.

What I say:

It is so easy to use! And it really, actually does work really quickly. Its hard to believe, but it does! Promise! I love how easy it is to clean as well. (Believe me, if it wasn't it would be out the door!) It such a great tool for making healthy, summer treats for our family. If you are trying to eat healthy and naturally, this would be a great product for you! Just the other day, we mixed up fresh strawberries, a bit of water and sugar and they were FABULOUS! 

Zoku Quick Pop Maker is available exclusively at Williams Sonoma and on  Zoku's website. (Check out their way cool blog!)

And check out these amazing popsicle recipes from Self Magazine (One of my favorite magazines!) Talk about turning it up a notch!

Watermelon-Lime-Cilantro--62 Calories
Base: 3 Cups Cubed Seeded Watermelon
Sweetener: 6 tablespoons Sugar; 1 tbsp honey
Flavor: 3 tbsp fresh Lime juice
Booster: 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

Chunky Pineapple-Chile-- 61 Calories
Base: 2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
Sweetener: 3/4 cup pineapple juice; 3 tbsp sugar
Flavor: 2 tbsp fresh lime juice; 1 tsp ground ancho chile
Booster: 1 cup coarsely chopped pineapple

Crunchy Peanut Butter-Banana--165 Calories
Base: 3 medium bananas; 1 cup 1 percent milk
Sweetener: 3 tbsp honey
Flavor: 5 tbsp natural peanut butter
Booster: 1/4 cup lightly salted dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Avocado-Mango—93 Calories
Base: 3 cups cubed mango; 3/4 ripe avocado
Sweetener: 5 tbsp sugar
Flavor: 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
Booster: 1 tbsp grated orange zest

disclosure: i received the zoku as a door prize at a blogging event. recipes courtesy of self.com. i was not compensated financially for this post.

Cuisinart Grind-and-Brew Coffeemaker

Hovering at the top of my Christmas list this year was the Cuisinart Grind-and-Brew Coffeemaker. I needed a new coffeemaker in the worst way... I NEED coffee in the mornings and my old coffeemaker was on the fritz. I asked a few fellow coffee-lovin' friends and the response was practically unanimous: Cuisinart Grind-and-Brew.

What they say:

• this 10-cup automatic coffeemaker grinds whole beans right before brewing to produce a fresh and flavorful pot of coffee.
• 24-hour fully programmable unit works great for "wake-up" coffee or having coffee ready when it's time to serve dessert--without getting up from the table.
• Smaller amounts can be brewed without any loss of flavor thanks to the unit's 1- to 4-cup setting, and its grind-off feature allows for using pre-ground coffee.
• 10-cup (5 ounces each) thermal stainless-steel carafe with a generous stay-cool handle and drip-free pouring spout. 

What I say:

This coffee lover has died and gone to heaven. This coffeemaker has my coffee perfectly brewed, piping hot and waiting when I stumble down the stairs every morning. Unlike other pots I've had with a programmable feature - this one actually works. The thermal carafe keeps my coffee hot for hours without having to keep the coffeepot "on" which is fabulous: I'm saving electricity and I no longer have to worry about shutting of the coffee pot as I'm running out the door.
And the taste is phenomenal. Even my normal coffee tastes better (maybe its the charcoal water filter?) and - when I'm in the mood for a treat - I have fresh ground gourmet coffee at my fingertips. The grind feature is automatic, so if you always use pre-ground coffee, its a little annoying to have to remember to shut off the grinder. But for me its worth it to have to option when I want to brew some of my gourmet stash. (They do make a version without a built-in grinder.) Its quiet, its very easy to clean and it looks terrific on my countertop! I can't imagine ever buying another coffeemaker!!

disclosure: i was not compensated in any way for this review. the above links are affiliate links.

cuisinart rice plus multicooker

I have a teeny-tiny kitchen. Not as small as my old kitchen which had 2 square feet of counter space (literally) but still pretty small.

Why am I sharing this? Because I have to be  very picky about what I allow into my kitchen. And - believe me - this is very hard. I love to cook, I love to bake and I LOVE dishes.

So when I learned all about the Cuisinart Rice Plus Multi-Cooker, I was immediately interested. (I already have a rice cooker that is currently residing in my attic.) But this doesn't just cook rice. The Cuisinart Rice Plus Multi-Cooker has pre-programmed options instantly prepare white rice, sushi rice, brown rice, risotto, and oatmeal. It also has functions for slow cooking, steaming, and soup. And has a Quick Cooking and a Reheat function. 

What they say:

• Fuzzy logic technology adjusts operation to match fluctuations in cooking.
• Programmable timer lets you set the start time up to 24 hours in advance.
• Nonstick aluminum pot resists stains and odors, promising carefree cleanup.
• Removable parts are dishwasher safe.
• Automatically switches to Keep Warm after cooking is complete, for up to 24 hours.
• Programmable Finish Time allows user to set when dish will be ready.

What I say:

Now THIS can have a place on my counter. Amazing.
My favorite things are the simplest: being able to set the timer for when I want things to be done, not when I want it to turn on, everything being dishwasher safe, and being able to press a button and it will cook whatever I want perfectly.

The versatility of the Cuisinart Rice Plus Multicooker impressed me. It is perfect for those busy nights when I'm coming home from soccer practice with hungry kids and I need dinner ready and waiting. I ditched my old rice cooker mainly because the brown rice was never quite done - it drove me crazy! But this cooks my brown rice perfectly. I'm dying to make risotto (which I've been too intimidated to try until now!)  and I haven't tried to slow cook anything yet.

I'm loving the soup function to heat up soup I had in the freezer, I've steamed potstickers to perfection with the Steam function (much easier than bamboo steamers!) and think the Quick Cook function is an absolute lifesaver! (I always forget to start the rice for some reason.)

If you have a small kitchen like me and need to maximize every inch, you will LOVE the multifunctional Cuisinart Rice Plus Multi-Cooker. And busy families will see this as an absolute lifesaver!

disclosure: i received a cuisinart rice plus multi-cooker from cuisinart to review. i was not compensated financially for this post.