Bialetti Cappuccino Makers Review

Yesterday I made a new lens on Squidoo. It has been a while since I did that. This one is all about Bialetti Cappuccino Makers Review. 

For me this is the best way to make cappuccino. You get to use all kinds of coffee beans for your coffee and you can experiment until you find the perfect cup of coffee. These coffee makers do not grind the coffee so you may want to have a look at coffee grinders. I have written a lens about Best Krups Coffee Grinders which you may find interesting. Krups are one of the leading producers of coffee grinders and people keep coming back to Krups after their old ones give up...I did too, lol.

The Bialetti cappuccino makers are used on the stove on a hot plate. Most of them you add the water and coffee and milk if you want cappuccino and the coffee maker does all the rest of the work for you. However, you do need to figure out the exact perfect temperature on the stove...which can be a little problematic. If it is too hot it froths over...if it is not hot enough it doesn't cook properly.

There is, however, a solution to the problem. Bialetti have a few of these units with their own electric heat source. The coffee maker sits on a plate like a kettle which you plug in and it gets the temperature right each time. Then you coffee is perfect...some say even better than Starbucks. And although the coffee maker is quite expensive initially, it will pay for itself many times over in the savings from drinking fewer take-away coffees.

You can read the lens here http://www.squidoo.com/bialetti-cappuccino-makers-review

Best Cheap Electric Coffee Grinders

 Image by Nate Steiner on Flickr

Who doesn't love the smell of coffee brewing in the morning? What about walking past a shop that sells coffee beans and smelling the newly ground coffee wafting out into the street.

Admit it coffee smells delightful. But not all coffee tastes as good as it smells. Getting the right coffee to suit your taste is a first step in having the right taste. However, there is another little trick you can do and that is to grind your own coffee before you use it so it is freshly ground.

There are different schools of thought when it comes to whether or not you should grind your beans just before you brew your coffee or not. My vote is on the school that says grind it just before. I love the smell of the coffee being ground nearly as much as the smell of the coffee being made :)

Many of the big commercial coffee machines grind the coffee just before it pours the hot water over the ground beans. So, this is the way a lot of coffee is made so there may be something in the school of thought that says grind your beans and brew the coffee.

Not all of us can afford the expensive coffee machines that grind and brew and do all sorts of other
 amazing things to make a delicious cup of coffee. So the alternative is to get a coffee grinder. And you can pick up one of these for under $50, actually you can get one for as little as $20.

I have gathered some information about coffee grinders which you can read here.
http://storify.com/katdrew/best-cheap-electric-coffee-grinders

And I bagged the story on bagtheweb.com here.
 http://www.bagtheweb.com/b/y90u64

I am sure you will never regret getting a coffee grinder. I hope these pages will help you make up your mind as to what one would be good for you!

Paderno World Cuisine A4982799 Tri Blade Plastic Slicer

I love kitchen gadgets and appliances that make my life in the kitchen easier or more enjoyable or both :)
I am sure you have heard of the Paderno World Cuisine that makes your veggies and fruits into spirals or strands making food more interesting. It is especially famous because it can make spaghetti out of zucchini. And will all the talk today of how you should cut down on carbs, this is a great way of eating a vegetable instead of a processed carbohydrate.

The appliance has three steel blades that are used for cutting different types of veggies into various types of strands.  It has a shredder that makes long spaghetti-like spiral strands, a chipper that makes long, thick spiral strands and a straight blade that makes ribbon-like  strands to fit the vegetable you are using or what you want to use it for.

There are many reviews on this product with nearly 1500 alone on Amazon about it. You can read some of the reviews here

Loads and Loads of Reviews

I have put together a List.ly page with a few ideas from people about the appliance here.

http://list.ly/list/8Ht-paderno-world-cuisine-a4982799-tri-blade-plastic-spiral-vegetable-slicer

I also made a Zeen about it which you may like to look at here.

http://zeen.com/edit/RkNH6B/paderno-world-cuisine-a4982799-tri-blade-plastic-s-the-wonder-worker-in-the-kitchen

Lastly, I have storiefied my whole research about the Paderno World Cuisine A4982799 Tri Blade Plastic Slicer in a Storify which you can see here.

http://storify.com/katdrew/paderno-world-cuisine-a4982799-tri-blade-plastic-s

I  hope you enjoy looking at my research as much as I did making it.

Under Counter Can Opener Hq

Do you have plenty of space on your kitchen counter? Would you rather it was less cluttered? I love it when my kitchen counter top is cleared of everything but I live with my family so that's not going to happen.

Still I have come up with some ways of making sure certain things stay in there place!

I have just written a new lens about one of my solutions on Squidoo. It is all about under counter can openers and there are some pretty nifty ones on the market that can do other things like open bottles and sharpen knives. Essentials all close by and not being left laying around. Nor do I have to hunt high and low in my draws for them!

Some of the openers can open the cans all by themselves while you get on with something else. And they just switch off when the can is opened and hold on to if for you...that I find pretty ok!

You can see the lens and all about these under counter can openers here.

Under Counter Can Opener Hq

I hope you enjoy reading about can openers as much as I enjoyed writing about them :)

Black & Decker EC950 Slimline Spacem...

Sierra Ultralight Tents

Buying an ultralight tent can be quite a mine-field and there are many things to remember before you make a purchase especially if it is the first time you are buying one. Getting it wrong can make for some disappointments, not to mention that it can be quite costly.

Sierra Ultralight Tents

I have just written a couple of lenses on Squidoo that talk about the check list so you get all the bases covered. One of the lenses is all about Sierra Ultralight Tents. It compares four different ultralight tents that have different goods and bads. I hope that the reviews can help you make a decision about getting the right tent, or going elsewhere to look!

Camping out is great fun but getting the wrong tent can spoil your outdoor adventures. Ultralight tents are a good idea if you are hiking but if you are cycling or have a small vehicle then a tent that takes up little space is a great asset. My job takes me all around southern Africa and having my tent with me gives me more freedom to stop where-ever. However, sometimes the car is full of spares so my tent cannot take up much space! For me, the important points are space and easy of pitching...also in the rain!

You can find the lens about Sierra Ultralight Tents here and the check-list for buying a tent here Best Ultralight Tents

Ultralight tents

Best Ultralight Tents

I have just written a lens on Squidoo.com about the things you need to think about before going out and buying a tent, especially if you are backpacking and need to think about weight and space and comfort.

Camping can be a great adventure and living so close to nature has a special charm to it. Star gazing by the camp fire. Smelling the early morning dew. Hearing the animals calling...and if you are lucky hearing a lion roar. 

But to make the trip better you must have the right equipment starting with the home you are carrying. There are a number of things that should not be neglected when buying an ultralight tent. Making sure these boxes are ticked may make or break your holiday. 

You can see this list of musts here on my Squidoo lens which you can find by clicking on the link below.

Best Ultralight Tents

Wheatgrass Juicing With Breville BJE820XL

I have just posted a new lens on Squidoo about using a Breville BJE820XL juicer to make wheatgrass juice.

The lens is all about whether you can juice wheatgrass in this juicer or whether you need a special one. Sometimes an allround appliance does some things well but somethings it just can't do well. The Breville juicer is an excellent allrounder! 

I have gathered some of the comments from other users to give you an idea of whether it will serve your purpose and you needs with juicing, especially if you want to juice wheatgrass.

And there are a few tips for getting more out of you wheartgrass if you would like to use this juicer.

You can find the article here 

http://www.squidoo.com/wheatgrass-juicing-with-breville

 

Breville BJE820XL Juice Fountain Duo...

Easy To Clean Juicer Breville BJE820XL

Yesterday I got going on a new lens about the Breville BJE820XL Juicer.

One of the main problems with any kitchen appliance is the cleaning of it. Either it must be dishwashable or it must be quick to wash by hand. The cleaning of it must really be one of the easiest parts of owning an appliance. If it is too much trouble to wash then it will not be used...simple.

So, when I was out looking for a new juicer this was one of my main points I looked at. How easy is it to clean the juicer. I came across several that were easy to clean, the Breville ones seemed to be some of the easiest. Then I needed to look at the other points on my list.

I wrote about the Breville BJE820XL and how to clean it and keep it looking new in my new post, although the cleaning applies to most of the Breville juicers.

You can read this lens here.

http://www.squidoo.com/easy-to-clean-juicer3

Breville BJE820XL Juice Fountain Duo...

Breville BJE820XL Review - Why invest in a juicer?

Yesterday I wrote a new lens on Squidoo all about the Breville Dual Disc Juicer and why you should invest in a juicer.

For some juicing may seem very expensive, and fruit is quite costly to buy and juice. You can easily buy juice in the shops but does the juice you buy offer your body anything good? In my lens I talk about whether making your own juice is worth the bother and the expense. And why I think it is worth every penny I spend on it.

I also outline some of the things you might want to consider when you buy a juicer. If you don't consider these things then you may find you go out and get the wrong juicer and will be disappointed and your juicer will end up on the shelf to gather dust and you won't get the joy that you could out of juicing.

You can find the lens that I have written here

 

 

Breville BJE820XL Review - Why invest in a juicer?

Best Citrus Juicers

How much do you love the taste of freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast? I definitely do. And I love to squeeze the juice myself because then I know what is in my glass. Much of the juice that you buy has preservative and added sugar, or maybe it is made from concentrate. How much goodness is there really in a glass of bought juice? As soon as you start to make the juice then the oxidization process begins and the value of the minerals and vitamins in the juice start to decrease.

So if you drink juice from a commercial bottle...chances are there is not so much good left...and to add to it, many of the more natural juices are pasteurized so again...little value in the drink. All it does is make you fat!

Anyway, all these reasons are, for me, enough that I squeeze my juice myself. I love to have grapefruit juice before at least one meal as this helps to turn up my metabolism and in this way I try to keep the extra pounds from creeping up on me.It has been proven that grapefruit juice before a meal helps to turn up your metabolism.

I needed to get a new juicer as my old one died suddenly so this article is a result of my research into a new juicer. It contains some of the findings I made when I went looking.

You can find the article here Best Citrus Juicers

Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker

As I mentioned in my last post I have been writing a little about pressure cookers over at Squidoo and my last lens was about the Presto Pressure Canner and Cooker.  You can see this lens, which is called Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner And Cooker, here.

In this lens I write a little about canning and using a pressure cooker. There are plenty of canned goods on the shelves in the super markets but have you ever read the labels? For some reason they seem to think it is necessary to add preservatives and stuff when they can food. The whole point of canning is to be able to preserve food naturally. This is one good reason to get a canner and start doing it yourself. And when you get the hang of it you will find your canned food tastes better than the bought stuff and you know you are not feeding your family rubbish!

I hope you enjoy reading about the Presto Canner and Pressure Cooker and have a moment to give the marmalade recipe a try :)

Best Pressure Cookers

I love cooking and one of my favourites in the kitchen is my pressure cooker because of its diversity. Yesterday, I wrote a couple of new lenses about cooking and canning with a pressure cooker and what to look for when you are thinking of getting one for the first time or getting a new one.

You can see the first lens here. It is all about getting an inexpensive pressure cooker. What you can use a pressure cooker for and how to go about choosing one. This is the article What Is The Best Inexpensive Pressure Cooker

Cooking with a pressure cooker is something that I am very used to as we always had one at home, and my grandparents also used a pressure cooker. It is such a time saver and of course because it cooks the food quickly and on low heat, and it even cooks when the heat is turned off, it is a great way to save on your electricity bill.
 

Stress Relief And Health Benefits Of Meditation

Yesterday, I added a new post to www.sirgo.com all about meditation, the Stress Relief And Benefits of Meditation which is a subject I find fascinating. Partly because it is held as something mysterious, partly because of the unexplained benefits of it and partly because it use to be a natural thing to do but no longer is.

Meditation - Image by Moyan_Brenn Be-back-in-september on Flickr

The benefits of meditation are endless so why are people not meditating. Why do we not learn how to do it at school. Surely, something that is going to help our health, well being, confidence, learning ability and so much more should be a priority?


Meditation is like having a power nap without sleeping. It rests your body and your mind, heals you and refreshes you so that you feel ready to take on the world again. Your mind is clearer and more aware and awake than normal. You seem to be able to do more, notice more, have more energy and can handle more problems.

Meditation - Image by Hape_Gera of Flickr

If you suffer from anger then you will find you get angry less. If you suffer from being down then you find you feel down less. Your emotions are easier to control and life does not get to you when you meditate daily.

You can read my post here. Stress Relief And Benefits of Meditation 

If you are interested in learning more about meditation the there is more information her at www.meditationforyou.co.uk

Iridium Satellite Phones

Iridium Extreme

Yesterday I wrote a new post on Sirgo.com all about Iridium Satellite Phones.

Living in Africa and traveling around a lot means that you are likely to be out of the range of normal cell phone signal...a lot! And not only that you can get caught with your car stuck in the sand or broken down and no signal...so a satellite phone is a life saver...literally.

But this is not only a problem if you live in Africa or any other far-out place. Losing cell phone signal is not fun... we are so used to being able to connect to our loved ones that we do not like being unable to. There are many places in the "civilized" world that the signal just does not reach. And if there is a disaster then only satellite phones will be working...

I spent some time investigating the different phones to see what one would suit me best and I started writing a series of posts about the different satellite phones available and what to look at when buying one. You can follow my post about Iridium Satellite Phones here.

Best Krups Coffee Grinders

Good morning from a cold windy Johannesburg. I have just spent a few days by the sea in Ballito near Durban enjoying the warmth that comes of the sea an now I am back to the cold. Being by the sea means wandering along beaches and sitting in cafes...drinking delicious lattes or cappuccinos...mmmm

Krups Coffee Grinder

Krups Coffee Grinder

Anyway, enough day dreaming and back to what I started out with in this blog. 

I have just written an new lens on Squidoo all about coffee grinders from Krups, called Best Krups Coffee Grinders 

Coffee helps to keep me warm in my African winter and I love coffee. But I was heart broken when my Krups grinder of 25 years gave up a couple of weeks ago.

I just had to get a new one.

The last one had been a present so this time I had to do my own research to find one. The lens shows you my findings that helped me make a decision of what one to buy :)

I hope it will help you when you go looking for a coffee grinder too.

You can read the lens here.
 http://www.squidoo.com/krups-coffee-grinder2

Juicers And Juicing

Having a juicer and making your own juice is a refreshing way of staying healthy. Not only do you avoid all the additives and sugar that is added to commercial juices, when you make it you can taste the pure goodness as it goes down.

I have been posting about juicers and juicing on Squidoo.com and wanted to let you know about my new board on Pintrest which can be found here http://pinterest.com/katdrewonline/juicers-and-juicing/. I am slowly gathering great pictures and recipes for juices and health.

You find more juice idea over at www.indulgy.com where I have a collection of some great juice stuff :) That collection you can find here: http://indulgy.com/Kat--Drew/Juicers--And--Juicing

I hope you enjoy the colourful appetizing pictures and will come back and revisit as I add more.

Water Filtration and Purification System

Yesterday I wrote another lens on the Squidoo site all about the Zen Water Systems Countertop Filtration and Purification System which is a wonderful say of having clean purified water that taste great.

I love drinking water, but it was not always so. I used to always want something mixed into the water or I would rather not have it. Then I read a book about water which got me interested and I have now read about ten books about the power of water and what it can do for you. How good it is for your health and how most of us are dehydrated most of the time.

I have written a couple of posts about water and how to win back your thirst and how water can contribute to weight loss. You can find these articles here http://www.weightlosssecretsonline.co.uk One of the articles is called 7 Reasons To Drink Water and the other is Will Drinking Water Help You Lose Weight

Water is the perfect beverage. I hope you enjoy reading these three posts and you move forward to a more healthy life of drinking purified water.

Meditation

Image by Hape Gera on Flickr

Something that has fascinated me for a long time now is meditation. This old art is tied up as being a very difficult thing to do when in reality it is the most simple of our natural talents, it is something that we have always been able to do and is a way that we heal our bodies naturally.

Image by Moyan Brenn on Flickr

Yesterday, I put together a new article on Squidoo that explains all about meditation and how it can help you heal and rest. You can also find a whole lot more information about meditation at http://www.meditationforyou.co.uk where you will also find out how to meditate in 9 minutes and what you can get out of meditation.

Sodastream Jet Starter Pack

Yesterday I made another lens on Squidoo all about the Sodastream Jet Starter Pack. Soda makers come into and out of fashion quite often. But why would you want a soda maker anyway?

I got one when my daughter was little so I could make healthy floats with homemade icecream. I could make sodas from fresh juice and she was getting a fun drink and a healthyish one at the same time.

Later on, as she grew older she was able to make the drinks herself and she has a vivid imagination and she is very, very creative! Now she has moved away from home and a soda machine is part of her cocktail parties :)

Soda makers are for all ages and sizes and there are many reasons to get one, and I guess many reasons not to. But read my review and get your questions answered before you go out and buy one.

Breville BSB530XL the All In One Processing Station

Yesterday I made another page on the Squidoo site, which is also about food processors and the Breville BSB530XL All In One Processing Station

I have had a normal, big, heavy food processor for years and have used it plenty! However, it broke so I hummed and harred about what to get now. I had a little hand-held blender but that is limited. My research took me to thi Breville All In One Processing Station.

When I started looking at all the food processors available I saw that there is one for every home and every pocket so I put together a lens to show others some of the processors I came across without them searching all over the internet. I have looked at reviews and prices and and checked out what other people have been saying about the Breville All In One Processing Station and others like it.

I hope you enjoy the review.

Oils, fats and the nonsense inbetween

Today I am on one of my high horses...and this one is about fats and oils...ugh...Oils, which ones are good for you?

We have been told for years how fat will make you fat and this fat is good and that fat is bad. This week butter is bad next week vegetable oils are good. And the more I hear and the more I research the  more nonsense it all makes!

Fat is good...period. It  does not make you fat and some fats are even essential, which means you cannot produce it in your body and you must have it for your health so you must get it from your food. These are the Omega fats that there is also a lot of "nonsense" about these too. They put extra omega fats in eggs and mild...but does this help or does it add to the imbalance of omegas that we get...yes we get far to much omega 6 and this is the problem.

I have written a post on the harmful fats and the myths surrounding eating fats on Squidoo. Go check it out here, Oils,which ones are good for you, and get more confused...no,only kidding. I hope it will help you a bit.

Breville BJE820XL Juice Fountain Duo Dual Disc Juicer

Yesterday I made another page on the Squidoo site, which is also about juice and juicing,  what juicers are available and especially about the Breville BJE820XL Juice Fountain Duo Dual Disc Juicer which is the top juicer from Breville.

Juice is so good for you and fresh morning juice is a really great start to the day. With this juicer you have the best of both worlds because you can juice all kinds of fruits and get juice or smoothies to suit your taste.

When I started looking at all the juicers available I saw that there is a juicer for every home and every pocket so I put together a lens to show others some of the best juicers and why juicing can be so good for you, without them searching all over the internet. I have looked at reviews and prices and and checked out what other people have been saying about this amazing juicer.

I hope you enjoy the review.

Breville BJE200XL Compact Juice Fountain

Yesterday I made a new page on the Squidoo site, or rather a lens as they call it there, and it is all about juice and juicing,  what juicers are available and especially about the Breville BJE200XL Compact Juice Fountain which is a really great juicer.


I love juice and find it gives me a great start to my day, it keeps me healthy and I get to fill up an all sorts of nutrient rich foods. I would be utterly lost without my juicer.

When I started looking at all the juicers available I saw that there is a juicer for every home and every pocket so I put together a lens to show others some of the best juicers and why juicing can be so good for you, without them searching all over the internet.

A Warm Welcome To My Blog

Hi, my name is Kat...welcome to my blog :)

I have just started this blog because I create loads of stuff online and I come across plenty of exciting and interesting sites. I wanted a place where I could share my finds and interests with everyone and a place that I could use to keep up with everything online.

Thanks for looking in, I hope you will come back and see new stuff soon.