The Running Man loves the chopped salad.  I love all things Oxo, and since I have everything else, it was a nice excuse to bring something new home.  What is it with the Oxo Engineers that they can make the mundane so exciting??  Works like a dream and now we eat more salads around here.  I’d love to tell you I’ve lost 5 pounds, but that hasn’t happened yet.

You can find it here:
OXO Good Grips Salad Chopper and Bowl

The Smart Stick Hand Blender by Cuisinart

She writes: “This is my favorite winter thing ever and one of my essential kitchen items!  It keeps me happy because I make soup all winter long and it’s so, so easy to use and to clean -soup in the winter is my survival food! I have a few favorite recipes for butternut squash soup & cauliflower soup, and it’s all a one pot deal thanks to this little blender.  I just saw one at Costco for around $30 (Heidi here: Amazon’s price is $44; love that Costco!).  It’s great for smoothies in the summer too and I use it in the place of a regular blender all the time.”

And she shared her favorite soup recipe for fall and winter:

Butternut Squash Soup (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

2 TB butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

2 medium potatoes, cubed

1 medium butternut squash- peeled, seeded, and cubed

1 (32 oz) container of chicken (or vegetable) stock

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, & squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 mins or until all veggies are tender.

2.  Use stick blender (carefully as liquid is hot) and blend until smooth.  (can also transfer to a regular blender)  Season with salt & pepper.

Sounds super yummy!!

Many thanks to Laurie for sharing – do you have any soups for winter that keep you going?

If you have a great idea to share, email heidi@thegoodstuffguide.com!

Welcome to Day 1 of the Father’s Day Week of Giveaways – that happy week when we celebrate the daddios in our lives with amazing giveaways one after the other.

And today’s will surely get you revved for the week:

Meet the SodaStream Fizz:

A home fountain soda machine that will rock your world.

*It sure does rock mine!

I’ve had mine SodaStream for about 1.5 years (mine is an older version not nearly as cool as this, but it’s still LOVE!), and since then I haven’t bought a single can or 2-liter of soda.

Look at all these gorgeous colors the Fizz comes in:

I’m an avid Caffiene-free Diet Cola drinker, so every day for 1.5 years I take 90 seconds (I timed it) to make myself a fresh liter to get my fix.

The new Fizz machine has a special gauge that alerts you when your CO2 canister is about to expire:

And you can win all of this…

Your SodaStream Fizz comes with the Fizz machine, 1 carbonating bottle, 1 60L of Co2, and 2 flavors of the your choice.

You’re going to love it!

Oops, I mean the Daddio in your life will love it.  Of course, of course this is all for the Daddios….  Silly me for the slip.

Giveaway

You can win a SodaStream Fizz set just by leaving a comment by Tuesday, June 21st and I’ll choose the winners using Random.org on Wednesday, the 22nd.

Here’s how to gain extra entries (please leave them as separate entries to get counted!):

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!
2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is.  We’d love to have them join us!
3. Tweet about this Father’s Day Week of Giveaways (Just cut and paste): It’s a whole week of Rockin’ #Giveaways for Father’s Day at The Good Stuff Guide @GoodStuffGuide http://su.pr/2TJPO2
4. Share the news of this giveaway on your Facebook status (Just cut and paste): It’s a whole week of Giveaways for Father’s Day @The Good Stuff Guide http://su.pr/2TJPO2
5. “Like” The Good Stuff Guide on Facebook and receive the latest news. (I LIKE you too!)

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 6 entries friends!  Please leave them as separate entries.)

Good luck!

P.S. I’ve thought of a way you can *test* SodaStream before buying the set to make sure you will love it.  Visit any of the following stores that carry SodaStream:

You can purchase 1 Sodamix for $4.99 in your choice of flavors and buy 1 liter of seltzer water at your grocery store.  Follow the directions to mix your soda and give it a try!  1 Sodamix bottle will make the equivalent of 33 cans – so you’ll get more than just the 1 liter to try it.  Let me know what you think!!

Remember to check back every day this week for outstanding giveaways – there’s so much more to come!

Today, 360 Cookware…

Made of the highest quality stainless steel in our own USA (hooray!), this cookware is built to last and comes with a lifetime warranty.

Now this is not your standard cookware.  360 Cookware utilizes their own Vapor Technology – a revolutionary cooking method created by the design and high quality of the metals used. Vapor Technology allows cooks to utilize a low to medium heat because the design and metal are so efficient that food permeates evenly from all sides.  This allows food to cook in its own natural juices without the excess water or grease other skillets and saucepans require.

And did I mention 360 Cookware is made in the USA?

When you hold this saucepan, you can feel the solid, well-made construction.  And the unique technology means less oils and fats for far more healthy yields.

It’s a win – win!

And you can win…

Giveaway

You can win a 1 quart saucepan from 360 Cookware just by leaving a comment by Tuesday, May 3rd and I’ll choose the winner using Random.org on Wednesday, the 4th.

Here’s how to gain extra entries:

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!
2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is.  We’d love to have them join us!
3. Tweet about this Mother’s Day Week of Giveaways (Just cut and paste): It’s a whole week of #Giveaways for Mother’s Day at The Good Stuff Guide @GoodStuffGuide http://su.pr/2TJPO2
4. Share the news of this giveaway on your Facebook status (Just cut and paste): It’s a whole week of Giveaways for Mother’s Day @The Good Stuff Guide http://www.thegoodstuffguide.com/moms-flip-2hr-minohd-giveaway/
5. Become a Facebook fan of The Good Stuff Guide and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways.

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 6 entries friends!  Please leave them as separate entries.)

Good luck!

If you’re just joining us, don’t miss the Flip 2Hr MinoHD Giveaway

or the Teleflora Collection by Faith Hill Bouquet Giveaway

or the $100 Stella & Dot Shopping Spree Giveaway

or the Monogrammed Basket Handbag from Queen Bea Studios

and the $100 Shopping Spree from Christophe Chocolatier

What a week!!

I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

I know there are some delicious, inexpensive cookies available for purchase from fine stores; Eileen’s Colossal Cookies (www.eileenscookies.com)  is one such store in my town and I do love their cookies!

Part of cookie enjoyment for me, however, is cookie making.

I hope that this basic, time-honored ritual between parent and child is more alive than the presence of Nestle dough packages in the refrigerated section of the grocery store indicates.  It is so easy, doesn’t take much time and every batch reinforces that a little work earns you the sweet things in life.

I am a soft cookie girl and my boys lean that way too.  My secret to lightening up the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll-House Morsels bag is to add a quarter cup of vanilla Jello pudding powder to my dry ingredients.  I don’t subtract the amount of flour or anything else.  I just make that little addition and use the Silpat liner in my cookie sheet and the uniformly golden, delicious, melt-in-your-mouth cookies that come out of the oven never last long on our counter!   If you do not have one of these cookie sheet liners, get one, they are worth the investment!

Do you still make cookies with your kids?  Any tips or tricks for the rest of us?

These are Honeycrisp apples  – a newish variety that’s a cross between the Macoun and the Honeygold.  They are deee-lish and the adorables, the Running Man, and I have been eating them like candy.

So our contraption that peels, cores, and slices them has been getting a real workout lately.

Looks a little scary, doesn’t it?

Start by sliding the lever (with the black rubber tip) over and the unit is completely secure on any surface.

Then you prong the apple right in the center of the core.

Next you call over your adorable to turn the handle.  The apple is peeled into teeny strips like this.

While you are cranking, there’s something traveling through the center that is slicing and coring the apple at the same time.

So, with a 1-minute investment, you end up with an apple peeled, cored, and sliced.  Thanks to the Running Man for the demonstration.

And then we eat it all up and repeat the process.

Can’t tell you how handy this little thing is come pie-making time. 6-8 apples peeled, cored and sliced in about 7 minutes, or 15 with “help” from the adorables.

1. There are corn holders… and then there are these:

The ends fit together, so no more bleeding fingers when you go hunting for them. And no they aren’t Oxo – I have those too – but these are better. Shhh. It’s my own version of two-timing. Except mine involves kitchen utensils – I know I’m strange already, thank you. You can find them here:
Zyliss Interlocking Corn Holders, Assorted Colors

2. If you pit as many strawberries as we do around here, you’ll find this Oxo tool useful:

The Running Man thought me ridiculous (he wonders at my fascination with all things Oxo), but this little tool won him over. It is really handy and speeds up our food prep work with the adorables. You can find it by clicking the link below:
Oxo Good Grips Strawberry Huller

3. Shocker: another Oxo.

If you’ve ever tried to de-pit a cherry with a knife, you’ll know how invaluable this tool is. The adorables love cherries and olives, and they’re too small to de-pit themselves. I’m the dork who brings this along to the Greek restaurant to save myself greasy hands.
Oxo Good Grips Cherry Pitter

What are your kitchen life-savers for summer?

To celebrate Earth Day this Thursday and because you loved it so much the first time around, the sweet folks at SodaStream are letting us do another giveaway of their terrific home soda system.

So please take a seat and get comfy so you can fully appreciate its awesomeness.  It is AWESOME.

__________________________________

Meet the SodaStream:

It’s a home soda maker that will save you so much money, lugging, and trash.  And best part: no aspartame and no high fructose corn syrup!

You twist the CO2 Carbonator into the rear of the unit.

Then twist the plastic bottle you’ve filled with cold water into the front of the unit.

Then press the button on top of the machine and the CO2 shoots into the water bottle.  Sorry I cut off the button, it was tricky to take photos while I was pushing it, (and I was talking on the phone with my mom so I had to cradle the phone with my shoulder – multitasking).  You push the button 3 times.  I usually unscrew it and give it a quick taste to make sure it has enough “juice”.  If you were over and we were going to share, I would refrain from doing this, scout’s honor.

Then you pick your flavor, caffeine-free Diet Cola for me, and pour 1 cap full into the carbonated bottle.  One of these little bottles ($4.99) makes the equivalent of 33 cans of soda.  In addition to the expense, I’ve just saved several trips to the recycling center.

Voila!  A little drink treat for me!

Lots of fizz, just like a soda fountain should be.  I’m telling you dee-lish! – I can’t tell the difference.

These are just some of the many flavors offered.  You can see the full list here.

In the 2 months I’ve had the SodaStream, I haven’t bought a single bottle or can of soda for our home.  I think this is perfect, especially when you entertain and everyone can pick their own flavor.

Giveaway

You can win one SodaStream machine, one CO2 Canister, 2 soda bottles and 2 flavors just by leaving a comment by Friday, April 23rd and I’ll choose the winner using Random.org on Saturday, the 24th.  Because of the complexities of shipping the included CO2 Canister, this giveaway is only open to residents of the 48 continental states.

You can get an extra entry by emailing 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide (or tweeting or leaving something about TGSG as your status update on Facebook).  As always, I trust ya!

Good luck!

You can also find more info (and to buy it) at www.SodaStreamUSA.com.

****UPDATE**** #31 Jennifer won the SodaStream.  Congrats!

Today’s Giveaway is a really, really good one!  So please take a seat and get comfy so you can fully appreciate its awesomeness.

Meet the SodaStream:

It’s a home soda maker that will save you so much money, lugging, and trash.  And best part: no aspartame and no high fructose corn syrup!

You twist the CO2 Carbonator into the rear of the unit.

Then twist the plastic bottle you’ve filled with cold water into the front of the unit.

Then press the button on top of the machine and the CO2 shoots into the water bottle.  Sorry I cut off the button, it was tricky to take photos while I was pushing it, (and I was talking on the phone with my mom so I had to cradle the phone with my shoulder – multitasking).  You push the button 3 times.  I usually unscrew it and give it a quick taste to make sure it has enough “juice”.  If you were over and we were going to share, I would refrain from doing this, scout’s honor.

Then you pick your flavor, caffeine-free Diet Cola for me, and pour 1 cap full into the carbonated bottle.  One of these little bottles ($4.99) makes the equivalent of 33 cans of soda.  In addition to the expense, I’ve just saved several trips to the recycling center.

Voila!  A little drink treat for me!

Lots of fizz, just like a soda fountain should be.  I’m telling you dee-lish! – I can’t tell the difference.

These are just some of the many flavors offered.  You can see the full list here.

Giveaway

You can win one SodaStream machine, one CO2 Canister, 2 soda bottles and a sampling of flavors just by leaving a comment by Friday, March 12th and I’ll choose the winner using Random.org on Saturday, the 13th.  Because of the complexities of shipping the included CO2 Canister, this giveaway is only open to residents of the 48 continental states.

You can get an extra entry by emailing 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide (or tweeting or leaving something about TGSG as your status update on Facebook).  As always, I trust ya!

Good luck!

***UPDATE*** #15: Kim won the SodaStream!  Congrats!

Also, SodaStream has offered you great readers $10 off a new machine purchased at SodaStreamUSA.com.  Use coupon code “GOODSTUFF”.

This isn’t me, but here’s a video where you can see the whole thing performed for you.

*Heaven*

It’s just 45 minutes away, but it’s not on the way to any of my usual haunts, so it feels like a trek.

Here’s my rule I repeat to myself as I walk through the door (while focusing on my deep breaths): I need to have a place for it at home before I buy it.

None of this, “I’ll just figure out where to put it.”

It needs to have a place and fit there perfectly.

This saves The Running Man large credit card bills. (Boy, does he love the small ones the best.)

Okay, so here some of my favorites to check out next time you’re there:

1) Dristans food storage containers – $1.99 for 3

I’m using them for drawer organizers for Bakugan, Pokeman the multitude of other little pieces that the adorables find priceless.

2) Legitim Cutting Boards – $2.99 for one large and one small

I have 4 sets of these and we use them several times a day.  I love the small ones for cutting up fruit snacks for the adorables.

3) Trojka Scissors – $1.99

These are the best scissors, even better than the $15 kitchen shears I registered for that are too good to use and throw into the dishwasher.  So they sit on the shelf while I beat the heck out of these.  I bought several sets thinking I would just replace them when they gave out from all of my abuse.  And as always happens, after 6 years,  I’m still using the original pair.  But now I’ve stowed the rest around the house (up above the adorables reach because these are wicked sharp): in the bathroom, at my mail area, in my wrapping area, in my toolbox, and I replenish every year at IKEA *just in case*.

4) Akut Kitchen Utensil set – $.79 for 3, yes that was 79 cents

These make a trip through the dishwasher every day.  These very small utensils are the perfect size for my one-man scrambled eggs in the morning, Ramen noodles or Mac & Cheese at lunch for the adorables.  I bought an extra set because the spatula is worth it alone.

5) Sortera Recycling Bin – $18.99

This is the best recycling station ever.  They stack, so I use one for my paper recycling and one for my bottles and cans to return for my coveted 5 cents (oh to be back in Michigan where I could really make the big bucks with this endeavor!).

5) I drooled over this kitchen for the adorables, but I haven’t bitten yet.  – $138 for the top and bottom.

I’m still thinking… and talking to the Running Man, so we’ll see, but I had to share.

What are your IKEA wonders?  Do you have one nearby?  Do you make a big trip out of it?  Can’t wait to hear!