How Do You Keep Yourself Warm?

I am the warm kind of person, and I am not just talking about my personality. What I meant to say was, I prefer hot weather rather than cold. LOL. Unfortunately for me though, I do not have a choice (yet). We live in Maryland and as most, if not all, of you know, we have four (4) seasons here and at the moment, it's still winter.

It's a good thing spring is almost here, but the temperature is still not as warm as I want it to be. I checked Weather.com and I am still seeing low 30F's. That's the reason most of the time, I prefer to stay at home because I don't like the cold brrrrr-eeze! But we all know that's impossible. I am not a bear that hibernates. Haha. And since I have and need to get out at least twice a week even on a below zero temperature, I invest on good quality winter stuff - from top to bottom outfits, from boots to hat!
How about you, what do you do to keep yourself warm on cold days? Do you have any favorite brand?

With boots, there are several choices. I guess you know one of the most comfortable and warmest can be made by an Australian company. Buying it once a year will soon become a tradition for me.

And about the hat, I used to don't care whatever it is, but I now have a favorite - CacheAlaska. I got one as a sample and oh my! It feels so warm and it's size is generous enough that it can cover my ears too and still with the perfect fit. Actually weird because my husband tried it and it fits perfectly on him too, so I think this is a one-size-fits-most-hat. My husband also said he will "borrow" it from me. Borrow. Maybe I should just get him his own! What about that? Oh well, this is a unisex kind of beanie anyway so I might just let him do so. Then I'll get one for him as a present. LOL!

I wondered how this came at par with the other beanie knit cap and I wondered, well, this was designed in Alaska. Alaska, hello?! All I can think of is ice whenever that name is mentioned! Well, now maybe I'll think of Frozen, or Anna and Elsa. Haha. This should be great if that's the case. Anyway, I checked the material and found out it's made of a premium fiber blend 50% Wool and 50% Acrylic. I bet those two are a perfect blend because it provides great warmth, comfort and breathability. That also makes it machine-washable but only with cold water. Though most of the time with wool, I handwash them, better be safe than sorry. And by the way, they come in other nice colors too like pink, blue and purple! :)

How about you, what do you do to keep yourself warm? Do you have a favorite brand?

Classy, Strong, Eco-friendly and Made in USA Plates, Cups and more!

I love hosting parties but I haven't any compliment from using plates, cutlery, cups, etc. I guess not after using Chinet Square plates! These white square plates will surely catch the attention of your guests. Why? Besides the fact that they are eco-friendly, they are also made here in the USA! Guess that's the first time you've seen one 'eh? A premium product you just got to love! More reviews below...

1) Chinet Tablecover - It was actually a rectangular one but I just cut it to fit my 60-inch round table. As you can see, there's still an excess I can use for the next time. The tablecover looks like it was made of thick kind of paper towel or tissue that has a soft feel. The other side of it was has like a thin plastic for protection. We have a wooden table and I surely wouldn't want to get it wet so I thought that idea was brilliant. I have never seen a white disposable table cover this nice, though I wanted to have it ironed just so I won't see the fold-marks. ;) I have OCD sorry. LOL!

 2) Chinet Square Dinner and Dessert Plates - I heard lots of "nice" words from my guests. "This is a nice plate", "Oh they're nice!", "Nice one!". I have to say it again, they really are n-i-c-e! It doesn't just give that classy look on your table but they are also strong. So strong I can put a soup on it. Ha! Just exaggerating! But seriously though, they're one of the toughest plates I now trust. To those who are wondering about the lunch plates, I don't think they have a white square version of it. If they ever will produce it, the size will be smaller than the dinner plate but larger than the dessert plate of course.

3) Chinet Dinner Napkins - They are thick but not as strong as I expected. They are sure soft and perfect to wipe your mouth after eating or wipe your cutlery before using them, but if you are going to use it to dry your hands after washing, some of it will stick to your hands. It'll be easy to remove though.

4) Chinet Cut Crystal Cutlery - These are also strong, unlike others, they won't easily break if you try to cut some meat. As to the design, nothing extravagant.

5) Chinet Cut Crystal Cup - These plastic 14oz cups look so classy that they actually look better than some glass cups. Most of my guests thought it's a reusable plastic cup because it's something they can't easily squish (else it would break). I would have saved it for the next event if I chose to, but of course, I didn't. I just had an issue with a broken cup though (look at the photo on the right), these cups break like glass so some pieces of it were so small I had a hard time removing them from the affected cups. I had to washed and carefully check one of each if there's no residue of plastic which my guests might eat/drink. Else, it would have been perfect!

After testing the products above, I know now what to buy for my next event. My other set of friends will be thrilled with the premium products I use. :)

DISCLAIMER

I was not paid in anyway to do a review of the products mentioned above. I was given the opportunity to sample the products with my friends via HouseParty. Everything was based on my 100% honest opinion. 

Easy Breezy Oven-Ready Turkey

I hosted the recent Thanksgiving party at home and I should say it was easy breezy because I found Jennie-O turkey which can be prepared with no hassle! Why? Because it's oven-ready! I didn't really know how to cook a whole turkey so I thought of serving it in a different way.

 

I bought two kinds of turkey in "loaf" - one white and one white & dark. There's really not much when it comes to taste, both appeared to be soft but not saggy and you'll see the meat was processed perfectly because it's "full" or "packed", unlike the others where you'll see bubbles in the meat itself. One more thing, there's no need to buy gravy because it's already included in the pan (and by the way, the pan is included too!)! And the serving is generous! It is normally sold at $599 at Safeway but I bought it on sale for $4.99 each. Really not bad with everything in it.

 

 

In the box, there were recipe and serving suggestions. I didn't add anything so I'd know the real taste. Besides, there's really no need to put or mix it with anything because it was already good on it's own.

 

I tried to follow the instruction written on the box, and that is to bake it well-done at 165 F. It took me 3.5hrs to bake both because I wanted to make sure they are well well well done and since they were still frozen when I popped them in the oven! Tee-hee! I served it in a flower-like presentation and didn't tell my guests it's turkey until they put some on their plate. I just told them it was meatloaf, which was true, and they were surprised when I announced that it's turkey. Hahaha! This serving is one loaf, I had two of the same presentation. :)

 



So, having tried and tested it, am I going to get some! Yes, and I am going to try to put the meat in a salad, cubed! Or I can just try some other Jennie-O products.

DISCLOSURE

I was given free coupons to try Jennie-O Oven-Ready Turkey but ended up buying the products mentioned above. Everything was based on my 100% honest opinion.