What A Slacker!

Do I Hold Grudges? Nah! LOL

Add comment August 10th, 2010

Okay so if you are a person and want to express your displeasure with a company how do you complain? I voice my opinion to my friends and family and that circle has grown to include my online friends and family too. I also avoid using those products and services ever again, if I can help it.

Some examples of this are Comcast….hate them, their customer service, their product — everything but I still use them because cable companies are a monopoly and I have no other choice (don’t get me started on satellite TV). Thanks to my complaints here on my blog they did finanly take notice and come out to fix both the DVR issues & the cable leading to my house.

Another example is the SCI FI Channel (now SyFy) for personal reasons I can not really spell out here, they did a great disservice to me back in 2000 & I have never gone back (only a few exceptions have occurred.

Then there is The Outback Restaurant. I some of the worst service by any waitress ever there, which was then followed up by the manager who only defended the waitress. I could not eat the food and was still charged. I actually had to take my complaint to RipOffReport.com to get the corporate office to notice my complaint and/or do anything about it. All they did was send me a gift card for a restaurant that I was never going to ever again (I have not been back in one in over 5 years). I gave the gift card to friend.

Latest example is BP. With this BIG problem in the Gulf I refuse to buy their gas (thank goodness there aren’t many around so I do not have to actively avoid them but I will drive by if there is one even if the gas is cheaper). Will I ever go back to BP? No.  I haven’tgone back to using Exxon gas for anything so why would I forgive BP?

That being said…I think you now know the answer to the question…do i hold grudges? YES.

Seems like companies these days are more about PR then they are about actual customer service. Shame, because those companies will never see my business again.

Guilty Pleasures

Add comment April 13th, 2010

One of my guilty little pleasures in life are Pringles. I know, I know they aren’t good for you. That’s is why it is called junk food after all! But I just really enjoy them every once in awhile.

But how’s a person to know when their junk food could potential be even more of a health risk?

I am talking about food recalls. Granted when it is a REALLY big and deadly food recall it will be all over the news, but what about when it is just a “this could make you sick maybe” recall?

You have to assume the stores are on top of these things and pull them from the shelves ASAP. But do they really? It could be a full time job just keeping up with all the recalls. I would never have known about the Pringles recall had I not stumbled on it by accident today. (Thank goodness it isn’t one of the flavors that I normally break down and buy, but it would be nice to know these things before you buy them and not after they have all been consumed.)

So where do all the recalled foods go? My hope is that they are pulled from the shelves and destroyed, but are they? I won’t even go into my theory on discount grocery stores.

Recalls McCormick Fajitas Seasoning Mix Due To Unlabeled Wheat And Milk Ingredients

Add comment April 7th, 2010

Okay so McCormick is recalling their fajita seasoning because it doesn’t list allergens like milk and wheat, but where is the soy allergen listing? Food companies really need to address that fact that people are allergic to all forms of soy and not just one protein in it.

Grant soy protein is the deadly form for me and why I carry my eppy pen, but every form of soy reacts in my body making me sick in different ways. So it would be nice if all ingredients were listed and soy warnings given, not just listed as natural ingredients.

Here’s the full recall announcement if you want to read it….

Mccormick & Company Recalls Mccormick Fajitas Seasoning Mix Due To Unlabeled Wheat And Milk Ingredients

Company Contact:
Christopher Stevenson
410-527-6935

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 07, 2010 – SPARKS, MD – McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) has announced a voluntary recall of McCormick Fajitas Seasoning Mix, with UPC Code 5210002121 and “BEST BY” dates of JAN 16 12 AH and JAN 16 12 CH. McCormick Fajitas Seasoning Mix packages with these date codes contain undeclared wheat and milk ingredients. People who have allergies to wheat or milk run the risk of serious or life threatening allergic reactions if they consume this product.

The McCormick Fajita Seasoning Mix packages were distributed to grocery stores nationally beginning on February 15, 2010. The product is available in 1.12 oz. pouches, and the date code is found printed in black on the back, at the bottom of the pouch. The “BEST BY” dates of JAN1612AH and CH are the only date codes affected by the recall.

The recall was initiated after it was discovered that product was mispackaged, and as a result, the ingredient statement on the package did not list wheat and milk as ingredients.

No illnesses or allergic reactions have been reported to date. No other McCormick products are involved in this recall.

All grocery outlets that sell McCormick Fajitas Seasoning Mix packages have been notified to remove the affected product (UPC Code 5210002121 and a “BEST BY” date of JAN1612AH and JAN1612CH) from their shelves immediately. Consumers do not need to return the product to the store where it was purchased. Instead, consumers are urged to contact McCormick’s Consumer Affairs team at 1-800-632-5847, weekdays from 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM, or weekends from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM (Eastern Time), for a replacement or full refund, as well as instructions on what to do with the product.

This recall is being made with the knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration. The company is also issuing an alert through the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

From the FDA

Tonys Pizza Rules Snack Time

Add comment March 16th, 2010

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Tony’s Pizza. All opinions are 100% mine.

OMG! Have you tried the new Tony’s Pizza yet? It’s the new Crispy Crust Pizza from Tony’s and it is yummy. We almost always have a bunch of Tony’s frozen pizzas in our freezer, but did not know about this new crust until we got a coupon in the mail to give them a try. So give them a try we did and I must say we were glad we did. The pizzas are very tasty and that new crisp crust gives it a little extra yum in every bite.

These pizzas have become the new favorite snack food for movie nights around here. Sorry popcorn you just don’t cut it any more. Pizza reigns supreme. Speaking of supreme, they have that flavor as well as the other two flavors, cheese and pepperoni that we have tried. The supreme is next on our list. Maybe we’ll pick some up for the next movie night.

Do you think we can schedule that for this weekend, maybe?

You know, renting a movie and serving up a few inexpensive Tony’s Pizzas to your friends will cost you less than the admission to the theater and theater popcorn for two people!

If that doesn’t convince you to give them a try, just remember they also make an awesome midnight snack too. Perfect for all those late night online gaming sessions I know you are having!

Yummy Stone Crab

Add comment February 22nd, 2010

I was watching the Food network the other day and they were talking about George Stone Crab in Florida. These great big crab claws looked so good! But when am I going to be in Florida? Guess what? They deliver anywhere in the good ole USA. Gotta get me some stone crab claws.

One of the coolest things about these crab claws is that they are harvested fresh every day and the crab is released. Their claws grow back. How cool is that?

Allergy Test Results

Add comment October 5th, 2008

I recently had additional tests for food allergies. I am getting worse. I had already known of my celery, carrot, and peanut allergies, but the list is a lot longer now. It now includes soy, hazelnuts (actually we can say all tree nuts), Brazil nuts, almonds (like I said we can just write off all nuts), seafood (shellfish and regular fish), apples (raw and cooked), celery (raw and cooked), carrots (raw and Cooked), bananas, cherries, mustard, and a slew of other things.

The things that will hurt me the most are soy, celery and carrots. All three of these already cause my throat to close. So now I have an eppy pen just in case. I am trying to stay away from everything because food allergies only get worse. There are no shots to get better from food allergies.

My biggest hurtle is the soy. It is in every thing, absolutely every thing. Supposedly some forms of soy are okay but they aren’t really. If someone tries to tell you that something doesn’t have the right kind of soy protein in it to be a problem don’t chance it. I recently read about 4 deaths in Sweden caused by hidden sources of soy. And I am personally affected by even small amounts of soy oil such as that found in soft drinks like Mountain Dew and Fanta (although Coke tells me it won’t hurt me and will not respond to my emails that it does). The reaction I get from this type of soy is in mild compared to when I drink soy milk (which I haven’t done since the first time I tried it), but it does affect me causing mucus in my throat and other throat irritation, too. Soy oil is in just about everything. It is proving to be very difficult to stay away from that’s for sure.

Is There a Soy Free Mayo? No Way-O.

1 comment September 26th, 2008

I cannot tell you how hard it is to live a soy free life. Even when your life depends on it.

Two years ago I discovered I was allergic to soy when my Dad gave me a glass of Silk Chocolate soy milk. I really liked the taste, but by the end of the glass my voice was changing and my throat was closing. That was the beginning of the end as far as being able to eat what I want or what I like. Soy is in just about everything from Mountain dew to bread.

At first I just stayed away from the obvious sources like soy milk, protein bars (well anything with protein in the name), tofu and anything in the SoyJoy line. But that wasn’t enough. This year when I was tested again my allergy to soy had increased. So I am now reading all labels (which makes grocery shopping take a very long time) in search of soy free foods. This is not an easy task. If I was a dog it would be easy to find soy free foods, but as a human nearly all food contains soy of some type.

All I ask is for a commercial mayonnaise to be made without any soybean oil or soy source at all. I thought I found one with Hellmann’s Canola Mayo, but unfortunately is has soy in it. The ingredients list on the product itself does not say is has soy, which is why I thought it was soy free (and apparently so do a lot of people – do a search). But Hellmanns.com list the complete ingredients and the natural flavors come from SOY! You have to be leery of those hidden forms of soy that manufacturers feel they don’t have to list on the product itself. I was so excited when I first discovered this product, which has since been replaced with even more disappointment.

Hellmann’s® Canola Cholesterol Free Mayonnaise ingredients as listed on their website:

INGREDIENTS: WATER, CANOLA OIL**, VINEGAR, MODIFIED CORN STARCH**, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS+, SUGAR, SALT, LEMON JUICE, XANTHAN GUM**, (SORBIC ACID**, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA) USED TO PROTECT QUALITY, DL ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE (VITAMIN E), PHOSPHORIC ACID**, NATURAL FLAVORS (SOY), BETA CAROTENE** (FOR COLOR), CITRIC ACID**, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA, PHYTONADIONE (VITAMIN K).
** INGREDIENT NOT IN MAYONNAISE
+ ADDS A TRIVIAL AMOUNT OF CHOLESTEROL

Guess I’ll have to try making my own soy free mayo. Problem with making my own is all the mayonnasie recipes I found have mustard in them. I am allergic to mustard as well.

Boy Did I Call That One

Add comment July 6th, 2008

As I said on the fourth I spent not only the day in bed but just about the entire weekend. If it weren’t for my friend pulling me out of thehouse on Saturday I would have spent the entire weekend in bed.

Saturday we went to the Tiki Bar with my friend and her husband. We had a good time. Good company, nice view (sat by the river), saw wild life (mating — sun fish, bullfrog, turtle and dragonflies). While we did not really want to cook our own meal and pay high prices of a served meal it was still fun. And still cheaper than therapy.

I Wanna Be Comfy In A Restaurant

Add comment June 4th, 2008

The other day we went into our favorite restaurant and they had redecorated. Before they had two different chair styles on either side of the restaurant. To be honest it did not look very good. That might be because one side had worn out wooden chairs and the other side had hard not very attractive metal chairs. Now they had matching seats on both sides. Unfortunately they did not get their restaurant chairs at Affordable Seating. The chairs look cheap and boy are they uncomfortable. I am afraid I am going to have to send them a link to this site so they can see what stylish, yet affordable restaurant chairs look like and maybe they will get something little better next time.

Sweetest Contest This Summer is at Cold Stone

Add comment May 31st, 2008

Cold Stone Creamery is holding a delicious contest. Before I get into how cool and wonderful this is let me tell you it is for young adults 13 to 19 (which sucks for me because I would have so been there). Okay, so now you know and if you are between those ages you can do this.

All you have to do is go a Cold Stone Creamery and create your best combination of ingredients. Once you have the ultimate yummy combo name it and head to the internet. Yep take your ice cream to the masses.

Sign up for the Awesome Cold Stone Contest online. Here’s where the fun part comes in get all your friends, both from the real world and the internet, to head to Cold Stone and taste your creation. Once they have given you two thumbs up have them vote online for you and your yummy ice cream concoction. In a competition kind of like those I have seen on the food network your entry will be judged first by the masses then if it passes the public opinion then you get to face the judges at Cold Stone.

I have not even mentioned that you are competing for over $30,000 in prizes! The iMix America contest has already started so get out there and create the ultimate ice cream mashup and get to promoting yourself online you only have until June 5th! Oh, and good luck.

My Bologna has a Middle Name It’s M-O-L-D-Y

Add comment April 23rd, 2008

My bologna has a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R. My bologna has a second name, it’s M-A-Y-E-R.  Oh, I love to eat it everyday, and if you ask me why, I’ll say, ‘Cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A.

Every once in I get a hankerin’ for a good old fashioned bologna sandwich. The other day was just such a day. So while at the store I grabbed a package of Oscar Mayer’s boloney of the rack. Got home all ready to make me a sammy when I spied a colony of freeloaders on the side of my tasty treat! Some how they worked their way into a sealed package. Needless to say I did not eat a bologna sandwich that night, nor will I for awhile.

Thank goodness the store [Redner’s Markets] took it back. They really shouldn’t have given me any problems any way since the expiration date was still a ways off and my receipt was only dated the day before.

I also called Kraft and they sent out a coupon for a replacement package of bologna. Good customer service from both places and thank goodness I did not each any of the meat.

Yummy Peanut Butter Meltaways

Add comment March 22nd, 2008

My all time favorite candy is the peanut butter meltaway. I try not to eat them very often because I am allergic to peanuts, but since the allergy is not a sever one yet I do indulge every once in a while.

Way back in the 80’s I used to love Gardner’s Candies PB Meltaway. They made a bar that was shorter and wider than half a Twix bar that was great. Then for years I could no longer find them. That’s where the Internet comes in handy, I found them online and ordered some, while they were no longer the bar I remembered, they were still good. Before I found the Gardner’s again all I had was the 1 × 1 square peanut butter meltaways from Asher’s Chocolates. While good they are just too small. They have too much chocolate and not enough peanut butter. But then there is the Asher’s peanut butter meltaway Easter eggs. These are good! Loads of creamy, smooth peanut butter covered it in their delicious chocolate. Other companies just don’t quite understand the meaning of the word meltaway. Asher’s gets it right.

Gertrude Hawk’s also makes a PB meltaway Easter egg that I had for the first time the other day. I have to say it really can’t hold a candle to the Asher’s egg. Neither the chocolate nor the peanut butter are as smooth and creamy as Asher’s. Shame they are only available around Easter.

So of the three peanut butter meltaway candies Asher’s wins first place, followed by Gardner’s and Gertrude Hawks Comes in last. Don’t take my word for it though try them for yourself.

Who Knew I Would Have a Hit Recipe

Add comment November 14th, 2007

I love good homemade food but I rarely cook and almost never bake. So last year when my family was putting together family cookbook / scrapbook I was having a really bad time coming up with a recipe to put on my page. We were each to create a page with our favorite recipe, photo and memories. Memories I have plenty of, photos a few and recipes next to none. Now, a year later, I think I have found that new family recipe to hand down. The only time I bake is when we make holiday cookies.

I made a Tres Leches or three milk cake for a party my niece was having and it was a hit. So I made one for my sister’s birthday the next week and both my nieces requested one for their birthdays too. Only one more to go on the request list at this point.

You might ask how did I come by a Mexican Cake recipe when I don’t bake nor am I Mexican. A girl I work with brought a piece in for me to try and I loved it. Normally, I am not a fan of cakes. When I do eat cake I soak it in milk before eating it so this sounded really good to me and it was.

It is very easy to make and you can find about 20 variations on the recipe by searching the web.

1 Box Moist Yellow Cake Mix [add an extra egg to the instructions]
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Can Evaporated Milk
1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
½ tsp Vanilla

Follow the cake mix instructions but add an extra egg to the mix. [If you have a stand alone mixer like the Hamilton Beach® Eclectrics® All-Metal Stand Mixer mixing the cake is a snap, especially if you choose a scratch recipe]. Once you bake the cake allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes. Then in a bowl mix the three milks and the vanilla. You want to poke holes with a fork throughout the cake about ¼ inch apart. Then pour the milk mixture over the cake. Cover. Allow to soak in refrigerator overnight. The next day ice the cake with whipped topping or a light icing, nothing too sweet. Decorate with fresh fruit, my choice is raspberries.

Now this has me thinking of those holiday cookies and how much I hate using our old mixer. I always make a mess with it. Making the Tres Leches was no exception to that rule either. Oh, how I wish Santa could drop by early with a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer so we could mix up all those cookies with ease.

Heck, if I had a good Hamilton Beach® Mixer I might actually bake more often with everything it can do. So, Santa see what you can do about bringing me a Eclectrics® Mixer this year.