Saturday, August 21, 2010

Giant Portabella Mushrooms Invade Ottawa!

Giant Portabella mushrooms have been spotted and are invading the grocery store shelves!
Ok, maybe not invading-but these have to be the biggest mushrooms I have ever seen.
The one I bought, which was one of the smaller ones was 71/4" across and 1" height.
The size of a small dinner plate-my dinner plate was 7 1/2" and the mushroom fit exactly.
I saw another Portabella mushroom there that was over 12" in diameter and bigger than a typical dinner plate.
My sis took a pic and I am awaiting that.

The mushrooms were found at Cedars and Co grocery store on Bank St. and the price was also very good.
I paid $5.19 a lb and my mushroom was .57lb (costing $2.96).
I'm going to grill that with some hazelnut oil and stuff with goat and Parmesan cheese!
These would be great on the BBQ also.
I will surely be getting more of the Portabella mushrooms from here as they seem quite fresh too.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

My Pretty Pink Box July 2010 Beauty Loot!

I have enjoyed receiving the My Pretty Pink Box cosmetics samplers for the past few months and find they always have some interesting brands I have never heard of before.
The July 2010 box seemed to travel through the postal system much faster than the last boxes I have ordered.
Here is what was received in the July box:

*Sweet Libertine mineral makeup eye samples (2small plastic bagged samples, shades Filigree and Neptune).
*Moi Minerals blush sample (shade Berry)
*Wonder Curl Hair Jel (2oz size)
*NYX eye shadow (Cherry)
*Derma Pro skincare packets (2x cleanser,1x scrub,2x Gel Tox).
*Jesse's Girl Liquid Glass lip gloss (Coy, a nice shimmery shade).

I hope to have some reviews of these products up soon.
But one can only sample so many items in a day.....

The August box is out now,can't wait to see what will be in it!

Be fine Peel Off Mask: refreshing and fun to use!

This mask was in one of the Test Tubes I received a while back from their sampling program.
I thought today would be a good time to review this as I have not used any masks for the past week.
The mask is one you apply to clean skin and let dry before peeling off to reveal clearer skin.
The texture of the mask was kind of thick and sticky as expected and there was no noticeable scent.
On the back of the tube there was a warning not to use this near open flames or while smoking.
Guessing this contains alcohol or another flamable ingredient.
The tube I have here does not have the ingredients on it,as those are found on the actual packaging of the full retail product.

While applying the mask,it does feel cool and refreshing on your face. It takes at least 5 to 10 minutes to dry and then you are able to peel this off quite easily.
My pores looked much smaller and cleaner after using this and I think this would be great to use before going out as your skin looks clean and refreshed!
I usually have sensitive skin and using some masks sometimes leaves my skin a bit irritated and displeased.
There were no issues with my using this product and it is recommended for all skin types.
You can purchase this mask at many online sources and Ulta carries some of the line as well.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Cedar and Company Grocery Store Food Counter Meal Review!

Tonight I did not feel like cooking and really wanted something that was tasty and grilled for my dinner.
I had been the the new Cedar and Company grocery store earlier this week and noticed they have a prepared foods counter where you can get a meal and sit at some tables to enjoy your food.
It is not too obvious from the outside of the grocery store what foods the counter serves except Shawarma.
At the food counter there is a hand written board with the foods that you can order and that seems to change often.
A few days ago the special of the day was some Tilapia in a sauce (did not try it,but it looked good).
You can also order chicken or beef shawarma,falafel and a tasty poutine.
I tried the poutine earlier this week and the fries are fresh and made in store, cooked while I was waiting.
The french fries also came unsalted,which is nice for a change as you can always add your own salt if you wish.

One thing you should know (and that I was told a few days ago before ordering is to call ahead if you are getting a brochette-they take up to twenty minutes to cook).
I did not call ahead today,so did have to wait around twenty minutes for my brochettes to be cooked on the grill. It was not a huge problem to wait as I saw my food being cooked on the grill and I know it was very fresh.
You get 2 fairly large brochettes with your platter and that also comes with humus,eggplant dip,roasted potatoes,rice,salad and a piece of pita bread.
It was quite surprising the amount of food that there was in my container. I'd say there was enough food for two people or else one very hungry person.
The brochettes when they are stored in the fridge and being cooked they are on some metal skewers that look very similar to small swords.
On my brochette there was around 5 decent sized pieces of chicken and some red and yellow peppers.
The chicken was nicely seasoned and very well grilled. The peppers had a bit of charring that added to the taste.
The quality of the chicken was very good and was made up of chicken breast that was tender and not tough,the meat was also not greasy like in some other places I've eaten at.
One thing I really dislike in eating out is when certain places use chicken that is just too fatty.
I found the chicken here was great,very fresh and tender.
The roasted potatoes were good and had some garlic flavor to them. The rice was a bit seasoned and good.
My salad had some lettuce,tomato,green pepper,red onion and a homemade dressing-the vegetables were very fresh. There was also some garlic sauce included in my platter.
I took my brochette platter to go as I did not think I would be able to finish it all and that was a good idea for me as I only managed to eat half the platter.

You can also eat in the grocery store and there is a very nice seating area with tables and chairs and the store actually has some real plates and cutlery if you do happen to be eating in.
That is actually a nice touch as most places who have shawarma usually just have take out cartons and not real plates.
There is also baklava and pastries for sale at the food counter and in the Cedars and Co grocery store.
If after stuffing yourself with brochette or shawarma you want a healthier dessert,there are also fruit cups topped with Ashta-a type of custard that can be bought.
The fruit cups are $4 and are filled with many kinds of tropical fruits like strawberry,pineapple,mango,banana,blueberry and I'm sure I am forgetting some of the other tropical fruits.
The fruit cups are also quite large and the size on the bottom of my cup said 24oz, so it seems to be a good value.
I would definitely recommend this new grocery store and food counter for a fresh meal.
I'm sure I will be going there quite often as the food is fresh and tasty.
My brochette platter was $14.63 including tax.

Cedar and Company grocery store and food counter is open until 10pm every day and located at:
1255 Bank Street.
There is also a free parking lot beside the grocery store.
If anyone remembers the area,this is where the old Fresh Fruit Company store used to be.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Cadbury Creme Egg Twisted Bar! Easter is Early?

I was walking through my local drugstore and happen to see a display near the cash registers!
It was a large display bin with a poster advertising  Cadbury Creme Egg Twisted bar.
What is this?

Of course,I had to buy two as creme eggs are enjoyable once in a while and usually only around at springtime.
The Twisted bar is a different format of the familiar Cadbury Creme Egg.
Instead of being the egg shape, it is the similar chocolate in a filled bar form.
The cream inside the bar is still the same sugary stuff that is remembered by everyone.
Price for this bar was around $1. I have also seen these bars at a few smaller stores and am thinking they will be widely available for a limited time.


If you wait until spring every year just to get the Cadbury Creme Eggs, you will be happy to know you can get this new version right now.
Let me know if you happen to find these in your area,this bar was bought at a Pharmaplus in Ottawa.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

New Beauty Test Tube July 2010 A Jackpot of Beauty!

I just got my hands on the latest shipment of New Beauty magazine's Test Tube beauty program.
For those not familiar it is a cosmetics sampling program where you pay $29.95 US per month (plus $8.95 shipping) and you receive a "test tube" full of luxury cosmetics and samples-some full size and many deluxe goodies,as well as the latest issue of New Beauty magazine.

Here is what I received in the July 2010 shipment:

*Colgate Pro Clinical Toothpaste (full size 113 g)
*Brow Doctor Eyebrow Enhancing Gel (3.5ml)
*Dr Brandt Pores No More Anti-Aging Mattifying lotion (11g)
*Phyto hair balm (15ml)
*Jane Iredale lip gloss (5ml,full size, Rum Raisin shade)
*Murad Active Radiance Serum (5ml)
*Sensiclear Cleanser (60ml)
*Avene Eau Thermale Spray (50ml)
*Babor HSR Lifting Cream (deluxe sample 3ml? tube)
*Sothys First Wrinkles Revitalizing Serum, Grade 1 (10ml)
*Marc Jacobs perfume (4ml mini)
*Dr Brandt microdermabrasion body (15ml)
*John Frieda Root Awakening Smoothing lotion (21ml tube)
*Lumene firming daycream (15ml jar)
-New Beauty magazine.

That just about sums up everything that was in the latest tube. If you are not in the US (like me),but happen to have family there-it is worth it to have them send this to you or for you to pick this up when you happen to visit them.
New Beauty magazine is also packed full of great information on the latest products and is super informative to read. I'm going to try and post reviews of each item in the Test Tube as soon as I get around to trying these goodies.
If you've tried any of these products,let me know what you thought!