This week’s post is coming to you from Death Valley. Oh no, wait, I’m still in Western New York. The heat is scrambling my brain cells. You know if I wanted to sweat all day (I mean sweat as in when I put my glasses on they steam up) I would live in Florida or something. Actually, if I lived in Florida I would have central air like my friends, Shannon and Jeff. I’m just HOT people!
Well, enough of my self-pity. On to more cheery, cheap and cool things. I have a few for you this week that I hope will be of interest.
Before starting I want to apologize for the pictures of receipts that were in my last blog post. Once I published my post, the orientation of the images changed. In the staging area for my blog and in my final product on the admin page they are as they should be. I have emailed the host of my site to find out a fix for this and have not heard back.
TEST KITCHEN
If you had a chance to read last week’s post you saw that I tried Cloud Eggs. They were good. I would make them again. In any case, I am kind of a “theme girl”. My friends get gifts with a theme. I create little vignettes in my home around a theme. So, I couldn’t help but try Cloud Bread this week. Cloud bread is low-fat, low-carb, grain free and gluten free. It is supposed to be very good for a paleo diet which seems to be all the rage today according to Pinterest. Here’s the recipe;
Cloud Bread
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
2 ounces of low-fat cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 to 1/2 garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Separate your eggs. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the cream of tartar. Beat on high speed until the frothy mixture forms stiff peaks like when you make a meringue.
Then place the cream cheese in a stand mixer and beat on high until it is softened. Add the eggs to the cream cheese one at a time until they are incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure there are no lumps and that they are fully incorporated. To this mixture add the seasonings.
The final step is to fold the egg yolk mixture into the stiff egg whites. Do this gently so as not to deflate the meringue as little as possible.
Use a 1/3 cup measure to scoop the mixture onto the lined baking sheets. I was able to fit 8 such measures on one sheet with 5 for the second baking pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for up to 30 minutes. The bread should be lightly brown and not jiggly in the center. Allow to cool completely and store in a paper lunch sack. There is no preservative so they should be used rather quickly.
My daughter, Sara, and I did this together. We checked the oven every 5 to 10 minutes so that we wouldn’t over cook them. We cooked them for 15 minutes. However, keep in mind that all ovens vary and you might need longer should you try the recipe.
My review of these little breads would be that they would be best for a savory sandwich. The breads are very eggy tasting and I would add perhaps some ham, bacon, lettuce, etc. and have a little sandwich. The ones we made came out about the size of the Sandwich Thins that Arnold makes. Some people use recipes that make them more sweet than savory.
Let me know if you try them.
PRODUCT REVIEW
I wonder if any of you feel my pain. I struggle with thinning and very light eyebrows. THE STRUGGLE IS REALLY FOLKS! They weren’t always that way but they have been lately. I have tried gels, powders and pencils. I finally decided on using an eyebrow pencil but always felt like I didn’t do it that well.
When I went to my hair stylist this last time, as she waxed my eyebrows (ok, the chin too!) we were talking about my difficulty. She told me that she had another customer who she commented on the nice shape of her eyebrows. The woman told her she used a stamp to apply a powder! Apparently, the lady’s eyebrows were really on-point.
After I got over the little tingly feeling I got thinking about being able to use a stamp I went right to amazon. com. They have everything! Anything I desire and I am never let down. I searched for eyebrow stamp and several products came up. I read reviews and decided on ordering the 3 Second Brow! With the wonders of Amazon Prime I had my kit in 2 days.
The kit includes the powder and two types of eyebrow stamps (one more arched and defined and one softer and a little larger). Also included, is a styling wand with a brush at one end to smooth the powder out if needed and the opposite end has a different brush to comb the brows.
This is the top of the compact with the more defined stamps on the lid.
Of course, this is the powder inside the compact with a little mirror.
Below are one each of the two types of stamps to show you the difference.
As you can probably see, I have been using the more defined and arched eyebrow stamp.
I am still trying to perfect my technique. There is a knack to it. Having the product only about a week I feel that I am doing pretty well with it. All in all, I am happy I bought the kit. I think when I practice some more it will be just what I need. Don’t get me wrong, I have done them and worn them out in public. I am not having that much difficulty. However, as they say, practice makes perfect.
MONEY SAVERS!!!!!
I am a techy, geeky person and I LOVE my smartphone! How did I ever live without it? I am not sure but I bet everything was in black and white before I found the colorful world of the smartphone.
Consequently, I really do feel “there is an app for that”! Currently, as you know I love to save money, I have a lot of businesses’ apps on my phone. Now, only the ones that give me special offers! Today I used my McDonald’s app. It is Free French Fry Friday and I wanted to bring fries home for my son. I clicked on the offer and the cashier scanned the QR code with her wand. Viola! Free fries! There were also offers for buy a Big Mac and get one free, buy a breakfast sandwich and get one free and several other offers. You can only use one code per transaction. You know what comes next, right? Due to there being no line and I had a couple of extra minutes, I drove through the drive-thru again and got the Big Mac offer!!! Yep you heard me! Two Big Macs and a medium fry for a grand total of $3.99! I count it as a WIN! Jake was happy with the eats too!
I have apps for Burger King, Wendy’s, Subway (my personal favorite) and a few others. You have to pick and choose but it is relatively easy to save some money and come away feeling like you just “beat The Man at his own game”! It is the modern day version of “hunting and gathering” as far as I’m concerned.
Hey, have a happy weekend and enjoy your friends and family this holiday weekend. Please leave a comment and tell your friends about this blog. My short term goal is still 100 followers and I have 61. I am not too proud to beg! Help me get there.
