Giddyup: horsepower processor

Since my wedding in 2006, I have made some (long overdue) household purchases to equip my kitchen with the necessary basic kitchen tools and apparatuses. We did not have a wedding gift registry. We told our 15 guests, "no gifts please" as we did not plan to host a dinner reception afterwards. We went to a restaurant. Everyone paid for their own meal. As a result, no wedding gifts meant that we had to start from scratch. Well, almost. My husband and I had a couple of things from our own bachelor and bachelorette kitchens...nothing matched...a lot of it was getting old. We had to start anew.

One of the first things I longed for was a food processor. (And, just to digress - the second kitchen item I have been longing for is one of these.) Although not really a kitchen "must-have" I had been eyeing the Cuisinart and KitchenAid line of kitchen processors and admired them for their aesthetic appeal and selection of funky colours. It's their design that won me over. Of course, I expected the device to also kick ass in the kitchen! I trusted that Cuisinart or KitchenAid would make me a happy homemaker. It also had a good reputation to back it up.

I never did get my 'fancy-schmancy' Cuisinart or KitchenAid food processor because I could not afford the steep price. A few months ago, I purchased a Black & Decker 10-cup food processor in stainless steel and black - and I am enamoured by it's strength and power. Vrooom!! It has MEGA horsepower. It pulverizes food with its blade and creates the most amazing, smooth and creamy garlic hummus and black olive tapenade in the blink of an eye.

Granted - it's not as pretty as a Cuisinart or a KitchenAid and does not come in a choice of red, or pink or blue but aesthetics aside, I am very happy with this purchase. The good thing is that it only has 3 blades that you can use...not a lot of excess parts to fuss over which means, not a lot of washing afterwards. Hurray! The first blade slices and grates. The second blade minces and mixes and the third blade is a dough blade (!) That is all. I can certainly live with this simplicity. Like I always say: keep it simple and you can't go wrong.

Oh yeah, one more thing: the price was good to my bank account too!

My rating for this product: 4.5 out of 5

• Convenience (1)
• Durability (1)
• Functionality (1)
• Aesthetic (0.5)
• Safety (1)
  
  
  
  

Where is Bucky Fuller when you need him?

For the past month my husband and I have been attending open houses on the weekends with the intention of purchasing our first home.

To say that the quality of housing in our city is "pathetic" is an understatement.

We have seen houses for sale that are in very bad shape and in need major renovations. I do not like doing renovations. We also saw houses for sale that have been gutted and restored and are absolutely stunning, the price hovering around $499,000. Purchasing one of those latter homes would require us to fall into serious financial debt and probably eat Kraft dinner everyday for the next 20 years. I am not prepared to do that.

We have even toyed with the idea of purchasing a condo to keep the cost down ( I do not like condos) but with the added monthly condo maintenance fees hovering from between $300 to $800, you might as well buy a small starter home and have a small garden too!

It comes as no surprise that most young couples today have to move to the burbs (yech!) in order to get more bang for their buck but then spend 3 hours a day traveling to and from work.

We need to remain in the city because our jobs are here, as well as our friends, our fitness gym, our doctors and naturopaths, and as such it suits our lifestyle. We don't own a car nor do we want to. In the summer we bike or walk around the city. We enjoy having shops and markets within walking distance. We also like like to do our part for the environment. Living in the city enables us to do this.


Conceptually speaking, the Buckminister Fuller, energy-efficient and low-cost "Dymaxion House" is just what I need. Fuller designed several variations of the Dymaxion house, which was basically a home building kit which could be propped up on site. Made of aluminum sheeting and designed to resemble a 'flattened bell' - this pod-like structure would certainly be a welcome sight in today's quest for sustainable living. Equipped with a mist shower for water conservation and other energy saving amenities, Bucky's Dymaxion is a perfect match for my lifestyle. Unfortunately, it would never fly in my city.

Instead, my intelligence and my bank account have been insulted by the real estate market. $300, 000 gets you a starter home - what MLS likes to refer to as a "renovator's delight" (gag!). Many of these houses require a new roof, a new furnace and/or air conditioner, new electric wiring to replace the knob and tube, hardwood to replace the mite-infested broadloom, new tempered glass, double pane storm windows to keep the heat and the cold out, and what on earth does one do with a driveway if they don't plan on purchasing a car??

Cities around the world have already begun introducing a variety of alternative housing arrangements for the modern and environmentally aware home buyer, pod-like structures reminiscent of Buckminster Fuller's designs and futuristic, sci-fi movies.

The UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and many more countries around the world have woken up to the benefits of living small, and energy efficient. The UK has introduced an idea for new age housing called the ecological kit house. Even in Mexico, once considered an underdeveloped country ecological houses are sprouting up like jalapenos peppers.

I want a small, low cost ecological house. I would like my home to have energy efficient technology and a small garden so in the summer months I can grow my own tomatoes and peppers.

Instead, I get nonsense like this.

A friend indeed.

Okay! I have a confession to make. I do not like raw apples. I know what you are thinking. What an odd ball I am. I can explain. It’s the sour factor. I can’t handle sour fruit. On the rare occasion, when I have bitten into an apple, I shiver and cringe as the sour juices attack my palate. And the texture – it reminds me of a raw potato. Apples, in a pie or a strudel with cinnamon and brown sugar, on the other hand – bring it on!!

Despite my aversion to apples, I still challenge myself by eating them every now and then. I have tried many varieties of apples and my favourite has got to be the humble McIntosh apple: proudly Canadian!

Here’s why I like it: It’s small. Not too sour. Crispy on the outside. Juicy on the inside. Fresh flavour. Done in three bites.

My husband on the other hand, loves apples. We always have an abundance of them in the refrigerator. A couple of times while searching for a piece of fruit to take with me to work, I have reluctantly grabbed an apple. Very reluctantly. At work while eating an apple, I have often imagined and daydreamed about how this apple would taste better - dipped in caramel sauce or chocolate sauce. Hey – I’m always thinking…

This year, I am making a conscious effort to eat more apples. *gasp*

You know what they say: “An apple a day...”

But seriously now. What factor (or tool) made me change my apple aversion? Maybe, just maybe, I can change my aversion to apples by making it ‘effortless’ to eat an apple. You know, getting rid of the yuck factor, i.e. seeds, core, stem, slicing it into uniform pieces...Eureka!!!

One day - not too long ago, while I was browsing at Canadian Tire, I came to linger - somewhat obsessively - over this tool:

An apple cutter and corer. Now I ask you…who owns this tool? Does anyone actually feel the need to shell out $6 for this instrument?

Well, I did. And I love it! If you bake or cook with apples a lot, you too will enjoy this kitchen tool.

After washing the apple, I whip out this tool and ha-ching!! Apple cored and sectioned lickety-split. I throw the wedges into a small container pop it in the fridge and it’s ready for work the next day.

Yes - a knife can certainly do what this apple cutter/corer can - but it’s not the same. The safety issue is foremost in my mind. Knives cut fingers. The apple cutter/corer doesn’t. What about the efficiency of this tool? A flawless execution folks!! One downward movement with the apple cutter/corer takes care of several movements with a traditional knife. Brilliant!

Despite the use of this kitchen tool, the apple is still not my favourite fruit. Having this little "tool" however, brings an element of fun into the arena. It's clean and simple design makes it easy to use and to understand it's intended purpose. The symmetry of the apple cutter/corer and it's combination of simple curves and lines, combined with it's high chrome finish lends a simple, aesthetic appeal.

For more information about apple cutter/corers - follow this link:

http://recipes.suite101.com/blog.cfm/apple_corers_peelers_and_cutters


I'm giving this product a 5 out of 5 based on the following criteria:

• Convenience
• Easy to Use/Functional
• Durable
• Safe
• Aesthetic

This product review is based on the following criteria:
Usability/Functional
Safety/Comfort
Aesthetics
Convenience
Durability

A Good Product.

Well folks, it's that time of year again. Back to a fitness regime. I signed up at a local fitness club recently, really keen on getting back into an aqua fitness program, as I really came to enjoy it in the past. It's the perfect form of exercise for me and my ailing back.

While in the process of purchasing the required pool necessities: bathrobe, combination lock, mini shampoo/conditioner bottles and other fitness club regalia, I came across this product by Speedo.


It's basically a chamois and boy-o-boy does it soak up water. After my first swim class, I used the chamois to absorb the residual water from my hair and I was amazed at it's absorbent ability. It's better than a towel because you can actually wring it out and re-use it, whereas a bath towel remains wet and heavy until you throw it in the dryer.

I've also seen this chamois at MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op / www.mec.ca) and the great thing is that MEC carries these in various sizes and colours. I purchased my chamois from New Balance (www.newbalance.com) and it comes in a variety of colours: pink, yellow, white, green, purple and blue but alas, it was only available in one size: the size of a face towel (12.5" x 16.5").

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this product to those individuals that dread having to carry bulky towels to the gym and wet, heavy towels back home. And for those individuals - like myself - who do not want to pay an extra fee for towel service.

I'm giving this product 4 out of 5 based on the following: usability/functional, convenience, safety, and durability.

In terms of aesthetics I found this product lacking - which is totally okay. I don't feel that this product necessarily needs to be aesthetic. Despite the various colours avaliable - I found the appearance of this chamois reminiscent of an auto chamois and not a body towel.


Product review is based on the following criteria:

• Usability/Functional
• Safety/Comfort
• Aesthetics
• Convenience
• Durability

A Late Bloomer.

Well, I made it to Blogland. Not sure why it took me so long to set up a blog. Laziness? No, not really. Procrastination? Maybe. Feeling overwhelmed with the complexity of setting up this site? Sure. Being a perfectionist? Hmm, probably. Unsure about what topics to focus on? Of course. I've got too many things on my mind: The environment. Sustainable living. Product design. Shoes. Purses. Clothes. Films. Art. Books. Food. Jewellery (jewellery!). The list goes on. Well folks. I'm here now and that's all that matters. Better late than never. Stay tuned...