Calphalon Electric 12-Cup Quick Coffee Maker Review

A year or so we were in need of a new coffee maker. Instead of using good judgement and buying something reasonably priced, I went all out and purchased a Calphalon Electric 12-Cup Quick Coffee Maker. My thinking was that it would be worth the money and would be a great addition to our morning routine. Boy, was I WRONG!

The Calphalon Electric 12-cup Quick Coffee maker has been a complete disappointment. 

First and foremost, it is not an exceptionally "quick" coffee maker. 

The basket for the coffee doesn't seem to be large enough. Even when only brewing 8 cups of coffee, the coffee grounds go beyond the basket and you end up with grounds in your coffee. 

And lastly, the coffee maker is supposed to let you pour your coffee in the middle of the brew cycle -  letting  you pour and then resume brewing. Yeah, that doesn't work either - coffee goes everywhere.

REALLY? What were you thinking, Calphalon?

The filters for the water tank are difficult to find. In fact, I ended up having to order them online.

All in all, I would NOT recommend the Calphalon Electric 12-cup Quick Coffeemaker. Don't spend the money. It's simply not worth it. Mr. Coffee, please accept my apologies and know that as soon as this crappy coffee maker dies, I'll be coming back and begging your forgiveness.

http://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Electric-12-Cup-Quick-Coffeemaker/dp/B005GNQ5PU

Chia - Novelty or Nutritional Powerhouse?

When traveling abroad, I love the opportunity to experience new and different foods. While on a trip to Central America, I had the pleasure of partaking in a delicious and very unique drink that was prepared for me by my host family. The drink was made with Chia seeds. I happened to see Chia seeds last night in a Kroger grocery store. I was surprised and reminded of this wonderful little kernel.

 

Yes, the very same Chia seeds found in your Cha-Cha-Cha-Chia Pet!

 

My favorite has to be Chia Homer Simpson. (Homer did always want a full head of hair, right?)

It turns out the tiny Chia seed has many health benefits. My host that prepared the drink for me, suffered from high blood pressure and was borderline diabetic. She drank Chia seeds in an effort to lower her blood pressure and help her control her metabolism. Chia slows down how fast we convert carbohydrates into simple sugars. It's thought that Chia has great potential benefits for diabetics.

 

Additionally, the seeds help to control cravings, helping in weight loss. This tiny powerhouse absorbs 10 times its weight in water, providing a feeling of fullness and hydration - great for both dieters and athletes.

 

And if that wasn't enough, Chia is the richest plant source of Omega-3, that crazy fat that is good for you and helps fight heart disease. Chia contains more Omega-3 than salmon! Chia is easier to digest than flax seeds and can be eaten as-is. I love them sprinkled on salads.

 

The drink my host swore by is a Chia seed fruit drink - here's the recipe.

 

Chia Fresca

Ingredients:

 

• 1/4 Cup fresh lime or lemon juice (2 large limes or 1 large lemon)
• 1/4 - 1/2 Cup sugar or 1/4 to 1/3 Cup of Agave Nectar
• 1/4-1/3 Cup Chia Seeds
• 10 Cups Water

 

Preparation:

 

1. Add all ingredients to a pitcher or a sealable container.2. Wisk ingredients well in pitcher or shake sealed container well. Wisk or shake well again after 10 - 15 minutes.3. Chill for 30 minutes or more.

 

Note: It will last in refrigerator for about 5 days. 

 

You can find lots of recipes to enjoy Chia seeds - just search for Chia +recipes. Here's a few links you might enjoy-

 

Chia Seeds
Chia Seed Recipes
Quick and Easy Chia Seed Recipes
Superfood: 10 Delicious Chia Recipe Ideas

Hay House Radio

For the most part, I don't consider myself much of a talk radio fan. My husband listens to primarily sports and politics pretty much non-stop, and on occasion it's been known to drive me to states of irritability I'd rather not reflect upon. However, when I am at work I find myself needing some inspiration. Because of this I've recently rejoined the listening audience at Hay House Radio.

I found Hay House Radio back around 2008 when I attended with my sister the first "I Can Do It" cruise. What an awesome week that was, surrounded by some of the most inspirational speakers on the planet - and for a whole week! That week in many ways changed my life, but that's a post for my EatOn This blog :-).

I've been blessed to find so many wonderful sources of inspiration and this one is my daily dose of spirit. Check it out - http://www.hayhouseradio.com/!

Furminator - DEAL!

Here it is - the best invention for pets since catnip and rawhides. Presenting....(drum roll) the FURMINATOR!

This gadget is just the absolute best. It will pull the excess hair off your dog or cat with little work. This little gem makes grooming an absolute joy. I can get probably 4x the hair off my dog with this tool than with other conventional dog brushes.

Give the Furminator a try - I promise, unless your pet is bald, you're going to love it!

http://www.furminator.com/

The Cork Project

The Cork Project is in full swing at your local Spec's.

“What's the Cork Project?”, you ask?
It's a way to reduce items put into landfills and at the same time donate money towards cancer research.

“How does it work?”
To put it simply, drink wine, return corks and you are done!

Spec's is working with Terracycle, a company responsible for making new products with recyclable materials, and is collecting corks to be used for recycling.

When given the opportunity to donate to any charity of our choice, our Spec's family chose the Stehlin Foundation here in Houston. The Stehlin Foundation is a local organization researching cancer, and they are on the cusp of finding some medications that will absolutely make a difference! Very few people have not been touched in some way by cancer, the Spec's family included. Both of our founders had cancer, and our namesake, Spec, died of pancreatic cancer.

Please join us in our fight to help cure cancer; bring in your corks (natural or synthetic) to any local Spec's and we'll do the rest. This is our small way to help save the earth and end cancer one cork at a time!


ATTENTION RESTAURANTS AND CLUBS:

You can help, too! Whenever you serve wine, save those corks and on your next delivery from Spec's we will pick them up and recycle them for you. We can even partner with a recycle bin at your events! Call Jessica Toner for arrangements. 713-526-8787

HOW MANY CORKS DO YOU HAVE?

http://www.specsonline.com/corkproject.pdf

Recycling Goes to School

Did you know that, at least in Austin, Texas, there are paper recycling bins/dumpsters in the parking lots of the primary public schools? I didn't until a friend told me, and sure enough he was right. I have yet to investigate to see if they are in ALL school parking lots, but I'm certainly looking to find out ifyou happen to know.

So if you're doing your early spring cleaning in the garage and wanting to get rid of all those old newspapers or product packaging you've broken down, the answer to your woes may be as close as your neighborhood school.

The receptacles in Austin (Williamson County) are green and yellow, and they don't appear to accept cardboard or phone books.  :-(  If you've got any information to add to this (like the color in your neighborhood), please feel free to leave a comment.

I thought this was worthwhile stuff to share because recycling...well, it's just smart. Maybe that's why they put receptacles at school? :-)


Please Help Keep America (and the world) Beautiful!

Recycle - Paper or Plastic?

I was sick awhile back with strep throat. The foods that felt best on my irritated throat were cold and wet as they went down the easiest. I was sitting at home drinking a yogurt smoothie (because it felts good on my throat) and I got to wondering. Why do we (Americans) insist on using so many plastics? I'm a big recycler, and every week my recycle bin is filled with plastic bottles, fruit boxes and the like. So, I'm wondering and thinking back to my days at school and the paper milk cartons - they're still used today but we also use plastic bottles. So why not put liquids like milk, yogurt and more I probably can't think of right now, in paper containers that can easily be recycled or at worst, will decompose. I would think that the paper containers could be made from recycled paper and are easily broken down for waste. I can visualize a landfill with all these plastic bottles, never to do anything but take up space. A paper container at least has a chance but plastic? no way.


I know, I know - paper comes from trees. We can, if motivated, replant a forest, but plastic just seems like a dead end...