This clever design by Animica Causa (From The Heart), an Israeli company that manufactures high quality modern furniture and products. (I’m really craving and need to find a spot of their their Feel Seating System)

I love these Cake Triangles. I would give this as a wedding gift or to a friend who entertains a lot. This is perfect for buffet style entertaining. Makes for a wonderful, modern presentation while preventing the mess of randomly chopped cake or pie.

You can get the Cake Triangles online for $89.95. They ship worldwide.

WE HAVE OUR WINNER! CONGRATULATIONS Beth!
You have won the Sample Loot of Margaret’s Artisan Bakery goodies. Lucky girl!

The winner was selected at random using the Random Integer Generator.
This giveaway contest is now closed but do subscribe via RSS or email
to get updates on new giveaways as they get posted. Thank you all for playing!

We  wrote about the irresistible Crisps made by MJ’s Fine Foods (you might better know the company as Margaret’s Artisan Bakery). If you haven’t yet found them in your local gourmet store, here’s your chance to try them out. Once a month, until the end of the year, MJ’s Fine Foods is sponsoring a giveaway for a sample pack of their Flatbreads and Crisps offering. It will include 5 packages of various types and flavors of the MJ’s flatbreads and crisps. They are amazing and are a surefire way to impress your guests.

To enter this contest: post a quick comment telling us how you would serve the flatbreads or crisps. MJ’s has heard some farfetched but deliciously successful ideas already: the flatbreads have been used instead of noodles in lasagna, and put in the blender to create a flavorful crumb coating. Personally, I’m a cheese and tapenade gal. Here are some ideas proposed by Margaret . One entry per person. The winner will be chosen at random using a random integer generator.  The contest is open until April 3 at 11:59am (noon) PST. Your information is confidential and used for this giveaway only. Multiple entries will be deleted. Valid in US or Canada.

I ran into Chris Sack’s Great Lakes Tea & Spice booth at a recent trade show. I was immediately stopped in my tracks as all my senses came alive as I neared his booth. It was scented of all the marvelous teas and spices that were on display in their elegant and colorful packaging. I’m a little crazed when it comes to exotic spices, finishing salts, fancy sugars and chichi imported teas. And I could tell that Chris was too.  I felt right at home.

For Chris and his wife, Heather, it all started with a love for foreign travel and with the flowering teas that Heather, brought back from China years before they ever became popular here. The Sacks translated their love for travel and for culinary spices into a – tasteful – business. They are on a mission to develop and expand the American palate:

Inspired by early trading companies that satisfied demand for exotic quality goods by shipping spices, incense, and other luxury items along ancient trade routes, we seek out unusual and exotic products that can be simply adapted into your everyday cuisine for a more sensorial and exciting flavor experience.  Add new flavors to your everyday recipes, explore a new culture through its local teas and spices.

Read the full story »

I don’t know about you, but as I’ve gotten older my “ick” factor for public places has grown exponentially. I’m not quite OCD just yet. And the day may not even come since I’ve just discovered this magnificent little tool that makes recommendations for location and cleanliness of public restrooms. You can use SitOrSquat.com online or more practical, download the app to use it on your iPhone or Blackberry. This wiki developed by Charmin, the toilet paper brand, enables users to locate public toilets, upload their own suggestions and rate the ones that are already listed. This app is still new and seems to be preloaded with all the Starbucks around the US. Well, could be worse choices than a Starbucks’ restroom… Ten countries have more than 50,000 public restrooms listed so far (US, Canada, France, UK and China…). If you are traveling with small children, you NEED this.

This is a brilliant bit of true contextual branding on Charmin’s part. I am grateful that a company has finally conceived a marketing “gimmick” that is more than a gimmick and an actual useful mobile application. And to know that Charmin is not even in the commercial end of the TP business just makes this even more interesting. They’ve got my business. I’ll be squeezing the Charmin for a long time.

For the older ones among us, still traumatized by the old fashioned mercury thermometers (do they even still sell those?) that could be inserted into any number of orifices, this is a big relief. For the rest of you who only remember as far as the ear thermometer, I have no sympathy, but you might still enjoy this new generation of non invasive thermometers, particularly useful for the littlest bundles of joy.

Homedics No-touch Thermometer

This just released thermometer is completely touch-free. You will never again have to wake a baby, or have to stick a thermometer in some already suffering child’s ear or mouth again. Simply point near the forehead and press the button to get an immediate (ok well, technically, one second) temperature reading. You can use it on objects too. Good for baby bottles, warmed foods and bath water. It seems all around perfect, except for the design that couldn’t be more 1999ish. You will soon be able to find it at your favorite store (Target) priced somewhere around $79.99. It’s already on Amazon.com.

Vicks Forehead Thermometer

Unfortunately, this one seems to not yet be available in the US but should be coming soon. The Vicks Thermometer scans the temperature from the temple to give you a quick color coded temperature gauge. Green is normal, red is a fever. This design is so much more appealing and in fact won the 2008 Silver International Design Excellence Awards. I hope that we will be able to find this in the US soon. Unless Amazon.UK delivers on this continent?

Seriously. Best. Chocolate. Cake Mix. Ever. And, as if anyone would ever know the difference, it’s gluten-free. No one in my family has celiac disease, but I do try to stay away from gluten whenever possible. In my case, it just makes me swell (ankles disappear) and for the kids, my homeopath trained me years ago to limit gluten products whenever any of us was sick or had a cold. Gluten is glue and makes everything in our insides stick.

So, all that to say that I’m always on the lookout for – tasty – gluten-free alternatives. I was shopping at Fresh & Easy when I first found the Sof’ella Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix. FA.BU.LOUS. You would never guess that it’s gluten-free (no dry, crumbly business here) with alllllllllll natural ingredients. It’s my kids’ favorite chocolate cake. And they’re bigger kids now, with more discerning taste buds, so that’s a real testimonial… The icing is perfect too, with just the right amount of sweetness and chocolaty-ness. I recommend it for ANY occasion, but it’s a must if you attend any event where there is anyone that is remotely gluten intolerant; they will finally get to eat their cake! (Here’s the Sof’ella press release on that)

The cake mix is presently available at Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets (in CA, NV and AZ for $3.99) and at select Costco stores ($6.97) in a double pack. You will also soon be able to find it online directly through the Sof’Ella website. In the meanwhile, Jennifer Black Dea, the genius R&D developer behind this product, mentioned to me that the best way to get your local Costco or grocery stores to carry the cake mix is to request it. Personally, I’d make a big fuss over this cause! Totally worth it.

PS: Be on the lookout for other Sof’ella products. I’ve tried their side dishes and other baking mixes. Très, très délicieux.

WE HAVE OUR WINNER! CONGRATULATIONS Jill Thomas!
You have won the Bamboo Charcoal Home Accessories. Woot!

The winner was selected at random using the Random Integer Generator.
This giveaway contest is now closed but do subscribe via RSS or email
to get updates on new giveaways as they get posted. Thank you all for playing!

Aren’t we the lucky ones! Following our article about their unique bamboo charcoal product line, the folks at C60 Bamboo have offered this wonderful panoply of bamboo charcoal products for one lucky winner to try.

• Box of 3 Black Therapy 9 Fine Quality Soap $24.95
• Decorative Bamboo Charcoal (the stalks) $19.95
• Multipurpose Decorative Air Freshener $14.95

The whole loot is valued at about $60. Plus you’ll love to know that the bamboo charcoal stalks will last for at least one whole year while the decorative air freshener box will last 6 months and will perform well no matter what environment you put it in (fridge, closet, etc…).

I’ve just tried the bamboo charcoal soap. Wonderful!!! The black soap and suds are interesting enough in themselves, but to know that bamboo charcoal is also a natural exfoliant and that it can absorb minerals, toxins, impurities, and other harmful substances from your skin… Priceless.

To enter this giveaway, all you need to do is post a comment to this blog article to let us know how you would use the bamboo charcoal air fresheners. Visit this page to get some ideas. Your comment qualifies as your entry. A winner will be chosen at random using a random integer generator. You must leave your full name and email address so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner. The contest is open until March 27 at 11:59am (noon) PST. Your information is confidential and used for this giveaway only. Multiple entries will be deleted. Valid in US or Canada.