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FRN, gift worthy

Rummino Review

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Here at the NerdFamily House we are huge gamers. To the point that NerdDad and I spend some of our date nights playing board games;). So I was excited when we received our copy of Rummino to review. It is a rummy dominoes game. This game is great because people of all different skill can play it and it can become as easy or as hard as you can make it. So everyone in the family can play it!

The basic game play is just to put down tiles in order to get points. You can get points for a run or a group of the same number. Then the next player can add on to yours or just play off of it! With 1 tile you can change the whole game;). I really like the fact that you have an entirely new game each time you play so it doesn’t just become boring strategy.
I think that Rummino would be an awesome family Christmas gift or a gift for just that fun friend. Go check it out and let me know what you think!
(This was an FRN Review)

Food

Top Chef Vegas: Let the War Begin!!!

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Hey everyone! It is time for one of my favorite Top Chef challenges: Restaurant Wars!!! I think how the teams are broken down are going to make all the difference. If we were to end up with 1 team that had both brothers, Jennifer and Mike I that could totally make it a blow out. But let us see how it all plays out!

Quickfire Challenge:
As the chefs head into the quickfire challenge we see guest judge, Rick Moonen. There is a knife pull for a Tag Team Cook Off. Jennifer gets first choice. Michael gets second choice. Jennifer takes Kevin, Mike I and Laurine. Michael takes Bryan, Eli and Robin. They have to make 1 dish in 40 minutes. Each chef will take a turn cooking for 10 minutes and then the next chef will take over. They can’t talk and they are blindfolded until they cook. I have to say that I am surprised how smoothly everything seems to go in both teams. Jennifer explains the dish with the wrong type of fish. Both teams dishes were good but winning dish was the blue (Jennifer’s) team.
Elimination Challenge:
They will be using Moonen’s kitchen which is 2 floors and 2 kitchens. They will not be responsible of the decor. Who every is in charge of the front of house has to be responsible for 1 dish also. The blue team can decide to let their $10 grand prize, that was to be split, to let it ride and if they win they will each get $10 grand.
Laurine is going to be front of house for the blue team. The blue team has also decided to not do a dessert. The red team is planning on going modern American’ restaurant and doing a dessert. The brothers start fighting over what Bryan can do for dessert. Eli will be doing front of the house. The red team’s name is Revolt and the blue team is Mission. Mission chose the fine dining restaurant (vs the casual restaurant).
Mission Menu: Asparagus & 6 Minute Egg, Arctic Char Tartare, Bouillabaisse Consomme, Seared Trout, Pork 3 Ways, Lamb with Carrot Jam
Revolt Menu: Chicken & Calamari “Pasta”, Smoked Arctic Char, Duo of Beef, Cod & Billi-bi Sauce, Pear Pithivier, Chocolate Ganache
Laurine seems very interactive with the wait staff and Eli seems to also be very hands on. Mission seems really behind but you never know if that is just how they feel or the reality.
Service and Judging:
The judges are seated first at Revolt’s restaurant. The first knock is on the name. Revolt’s first course chicken was well received but the char is thought to be 1 dimensional. The cod was melt in your mouth but the beef wasn’t super impressive. They also wish it had been served hotter. Then Michael and Robin start fighting in the kitchen. Robin was cussing at him because Michael was trying to take to much plating control. Tobey really liked Robin’s dessert. The ganache was good and silky. Rick liked Eli as front of house.
Then the judges hop over to Mission. The judges seem a little shocked that there aren’t desserts on the menu. The char was lacking salt and the asparagus was a little boring. Then there was a lag on the second course. But it isn’t clear if it is a front of house problem. Laurine also doesn’t give any explanation of the dishes. The dishes are disappointed in consommé and the trout was not good. The sauce broke. I can’t believe that they had her do 2 dishes in the same course. There is also issues on getting the lamb cooked to the right temperatures. The judges think the lamb is to rare.
Based on what we saw, the Revolt team has to win. I think Laurine or Jennifer is on the chopping block. Kevin thinks he is going home.
First up the judges want to see the members of the Revolt restaurant. They won. Tobey made it clear that he wasn’t a fan of the name. The winner was Michael. He got $10 grand which he wants to split it with his team. Then the other team went in to the judges. As they are getting ready to go in Mike I says he wished he would have done front of house. The judges thought the asparagus was ok but the char was a bit inconsistent. Jennifer was steaming the mussels and clams to order which explains the wait and why they were under done. Tom told Jennifer the sauce on the trout was broken and she didn’t seem to know that. The trout itself was also a huge mess. The lamb was under done. Laurine didn’t seem to have any ownership of the lamb (should have sent it back) and she didn’t explain any of the food. Laurine had told Tom that she would send back any lamb that wasn’t right and then didn’t. They liked Kevin’s pork dish but he did send out that lamb dish. In the end the judges sent home Laurine. I think that was the right call. But Jennifer and Kevin seemed to both be ready to go. Jennifer was tearing up over the whole process.
So who will get cut next week? I hope Jennifer straightens up and flies right because I really think she has what it takes!

Food

Top Chef Recap 10/14

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So it took me a bit to get around to watching Top Chef this week so let us jump right in! We are really starting to thin the herd. I agree with a few of the cheftestants that I am also shocked that Robin is still here. Will she make it another week?

Quickfire Challenge:
As we head into the kitchen we see Padma with some funky white boots! We also find our guest judge is Charlie Palmer. Both Bryan and Michael have previously worked with him. The Quickfire Challenge is on pairings. They have to pair a snack food (that they have all been eating in the house) with a dish. The onion snack seemed to be very popular. Jennifer was really hard on herself that her pork chop was a little to done. Chef Parker’s least favorite were Robin, Ash, and Jennifer. The top were Eli, Bryan, and Kevin. The winner was Eli.
Elimination Challenge:
There is a knife pull! The knives have wild, cheeks, rib, tenderloin, butt, belly, center cut chops, shoulder, and leg with pigs on them. Jennifer got wild so she got to pick what she wanted. They had to pair pig and pinot noir. They had to eat make 150 tasting portions. They all go meet up with the wine guy! The all tasted 9 different ones. Then they had to choose a type. Then onto Whole Foods to shop.
Then back at the ranch;). Robin is driving quite a few people nuts. Eli and Robin get into a nice little yelling fight. Now back to the kitchen!
You see a definite competitiveness between the brothers, especially since they both worked for Parker. Ash decided to do a chilled pork loin so he doesn’t have to worry about it being over done by service. Mike I is making a Lebanese dish that is individual portions so we will see if he can get it all out. The 2 pork belly dishes with Jennifer and Eli will make this interesting. Michael is messing with his brother Bryan and trying to knock him off. And then we get to service.

Michael: Root Beer braised Pork Cheek
Ash: Chilled Pork Tenderloin
Eli: Braised Pork Belly
Kevin: Pork Leg Pate
Mike I: Stuffed Pork Shoulder
Bryan: Braised Pork Spare Rib
Jennifer: Braised Pork Belly
Laurine: Pork Butt Rillettes
Robin: Brined Center Cut Pork Chop
Service:
Ash’s pork was a bit over cooked and salty. They loved Michael’s dish. Eli’s pork was good along with his carrots that were also braised. Parker thought the dish was good but the pairing wasn’t. Tom thought that Kevin’s pate was smart. They thought the orange in Mike’s yogurt was over powering. Bryan’s was a bit hit. Jennifer’s pork belly was well seasoned and well pair with the wine. Laurine’s rillette was equated to cat food by one of the judges and no on really seemed to like it. Robin’s dish seemed to have been robbed of the pork flavor and had to much coffee.
Judges Table:
Going into judging it looks like Robin and Laurine are on the bottom. First up to judges table is Michael, Bryan, Kevin and Jennifer. They really liked the lightness of Jennifer’s pork belly. Tobey said that she had the first European pinot and it was the difference between a shaved arm pit and a hairy one. He said she had some of those hairy flavors in the sauce that brought out the earthy flavors. Tobey is an odd duck. They loved all of the flavor pairings. The winner was Kevin. Kevin got invited to be a guest chef at the 2010 pigs and pinot event. Then the judges wanted to see Ash, Laurine and Robin. Robin said she stood by her dish. Tobey said the meat was to thin and Tom said the sauce was weird and gummy. Ash was a little surprised to be there. Tom said that he didn’t develop the flavors. Ash said how he changed his dish. Everyone said his first dish sounded great. Tobey said Laurine’s tasted like a hash. Parker asked her how she did it and the first thing she said was chicken stock. Then Parker said that wasn’t how you make a rillette, you poach it in fat. I have to say that I have been shocked that all three of these have lasted this long. But in the end it was Ash’s turn to go home.
This week is Restaurant Wars!!!! This is going to be fun!!! See you all soon!

FRN, gift worthy, kids

Prima Princessa Review

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Last year I was so pleased to introduce my kids to the Nutcracker ballet. All 3 of my oldest watched it with rapt attention but my oldest daughter (now 6) was mesmorized. See she desires to be a ballet dancer but those lessons are pricey;). That is why I was delighted to have the opportunity to review Prima Princessa presents the Nutcracker.

This is a delightful presentation of the Nutcracker with the addition of some ballet lessons. The San Francisco Ballet performs the delightful ballet while a Narrator explains what it going on. That is perfect for the little ones so you don’t have to read the story to them before viewing. It also has young students from the School of American Ballet that actually dance in between acts and in the bonus features to teach a few ballet moves. Some of the things it teaches the kids are glisade and arm positions. On the web site they even have coloring pages to go along with the Nutcracker!
This is so delightful! This is going to be perfect for both all my kids (8-2). My kids are going to love it!!! I already do! This is Prima Princessa’s second dvd. Their previous offering is Swan Lake and for just $12.99 they are great investments. So go check out the Nutcracker and enjoy the early start to the Christmas season!!!
This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and Prima Princessa, who provided the DVD for review.

FRN, giveaway, household

Bed Bouquet Review and Giveaway

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I admit it, I like my bedroom to smell nice. The problem is that you can’t leave candles going all night and the pillow mists can stain your sheets and pillows. Also the mists can also have an alcohol after smell (which drives NerdDad nuts).

This is why I was very interested to try Secret Scentsation’s new Bed Bouquet product. It is really rather simple to use. It is a thin little packet that has little vent holes on one side and an adhesive strip on the other. You just place it in between the mattress pad and the sheet. Then stick it to the mattress pad. The amount of smell you desire will effect the placement: more smell put it under your pillow, less down by the foot of your bed. We used the linen scent and it was very nice! They come in 4 scents: Citrus, Lavender & Vanilla, Linen Fresh, Jasmine & White Rose.

Win it!
How would you like to win some of your own Bed Bouquets?
To enter:

* Just leave a comment telling me something you do in order to make your bedroom more relaxing and what 2 scents you would like to try.
* A random winner will be selected and notified on October 30th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed (if you already do, that counts).
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday

This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program from Bed Bouquet, who provided the product for review and giveaway.

Food

Hell’s Kitchen Finale!!!

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As you may or may not have noticed, I didn’t do a recap last week but to sum it up… We saw both the rise and fall of Tenille. So who will win this week? They have all been so up and down, I have no idea who will win. I think if Dave can physically make it I think he has a great shot at winning!

So the 3 finalists have to make cuisine from around the world. Ariel has to do China, Dave India and Kevin got Mexico. They got 45 minutes to make their entree. Dave was totally befuddled as to Indian cooking. Ramsay brought in Vikas Khanna, Thomas Ortega, and Eddie Wong to help judge. They are all big chefs in their area of cuisine. Ariel completely lost it when trying to present her food. Ariel’s food was not a big hit. Kevin forgot to put his sauce on the plate. That was the element that really made it Mexican because it was just a pork loin but with a mole sauce. I think the other Mexican element was tequila in the marinade. Ortega didn’t go for his dish but the other 2 liked it. Dave chose pork for his protein and that wasn’t good due to the Muslim population. But his food tasted good. Dave’s Indian dish won!
Dave’s reward was that each guest judge was going to cook their signature dish for Dave. Ramsay specifically said he should ask lots of questions. Dave’s sister and fiance also joined him for lunch. He also got a complete set of cookware. The punishment was prepping the kitchen, prepping the dining room and stocking the bar. Kevin was a little bitter because he believed that if he would have served the sauce he would have won.
They all get into the kitchen to start service. Ramsay let them know that they are all going to get a turn to run the pass. The night seems to start off very well. Then Kevin takes over at the pass. Ramsay is up to his normal tricks to check quality control. So Scott changes the type of fish he takes up to Kevin. Then Ariel started having issues with her lamb and Kevin wasn’t listening to her. So the kitchen hit a stall.
Then it was Dave’s turn at the hot plate. Dave went a little nuts. Scott told him to watch as he was telling Scott to use a wooden spoon. He was yelling and kicking the garbage can. Food started moving out of the kitchen. Then Scott substituted spinach for the asparagus in the risotto and Dave didn’t catch it. Then the second test came up with the tuna. It wasn’t seared nor did it have the seeds on it. Then Dave seemed to bounce back.
Next up was Ariel. Her first test was when Heather substituted parsnip puree for the mashed potatoes and she failed. Then Scott substituted salmon for the sea bass but she caught it. Ariel was reading out orders and gave Kevin to much. So Kevin lost where he was and it made Ariel look really bad. So Ramsay was yelling at everyone. Ariel thinks that Kevin was dragging on purpose.
I think Dave actually may have done the best at the pass but I am not sure. It was a bit hit and miss. Ramsay asked them at the end of service to each think of 1 person who shouldn’t be there any more. Kevin chose Ariel, Ariel chose Kevin, and Dave chose Ariel. Ramsay chose Dave and Kevin to advance to the final. Dave and Kevin will be designing menus for their own restaurant. Then Ramsay whisk them away in a limo. They go to the roof of a hotel where they see a ton of people who are cheering for them.
They have 45 minutes to make a dish and the crowd will be their judge. There are big screens up so the crowd can watch the cooking. So they go head to head with 5 judges to taste. Of course, since we have seen Hell’s Kitchen before we know they are playing for first pick for kitchen staff. Of course it comes down to a 2-2 split and all depends on the last vote. But Dave’s venison beat Kevin’s lobster.
Right off the bat, Kevin will get Heather and Dave will get Scott. Dave’s first selection for his crew was Ariel. Then Kevin chose Van. Dave chose Robert. Kevin chose Amanda. Dave’s last choice was Suzanne, to which I am a bit shocked. So Sabrina was on Kevin’s team. Then they go to change, prep and make sure everyone has the menu down. The problem is that Kevin’s menu is beautiful but really complicated while Dave’s is simple but really attainable.
Then we get started! First app order out of Kevin’s kitchen has to be redone. Amanda had an issue with the scallop dish. Dave has apps flowing out of his kitchen while Kevin’s kitchen weren’t putting out anything. I think Kevin needed to call someone else over to the fish station at least to help them dig out. It would have taken 2 plates and I would have had someone at least help her if not switch with her. They were 40 minutes in without a plate leaving Kevin’s kitchen. Then Kevin put Van on the scallops and moved Amanda to hot apps.
Then over at Dave’s kitchen there were mushroom issues in his risotto. Robert felt that Dave set him up so he was messing with him, making him drop risotto. Then Amanda’s risotto got sent back in Kevin’s kitchen. So Kevin had Van help Amanda with her risottos. Van was saving Kevin’s bacon. Over in Dave’s side, Ariel had to redo some venison but it was manageable. An hour 15 in and both sides are sending out entrees. Kevin had issues calling out the right orders, he changed on a couple of times. It just happened to be the chef from the restaurant looking to hire one of these boys. Kevin was about to lose it on Amanda and then he seemed to calm down a lot. Dave was down to 4 tables and Kevin was down to 6. Kevin’s crew was on the upswing while Dave seemed to be dipping a bit. But they seemed to end at the same time.
In the end they stepped up to their doors and the one that opens is the winner. I wasn’t surprised at all that the winner is Dave! If he was this good with one arm, just imagine how great he will be when he has both;).
So that brings us to the end of this season of Hell’s Kitchen. See ya’ll next time ’round!

Kinderbach columns

Kinderbach: And We Begin!

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I love music! I love the way that they notes interplay to compose the melody. I love how the rhythm can stir your soul and how singing a song can transport you into an awesome mood. But I have a problem that has given birth to another. I have no musical talent. So now you are wondering what my next problem is. Well, I homeschool my kids and can’t teach them music. And for those of you who don’t know, music lessons are expensive ($50 a month or more) and they don’t like to start lessons until 6 years old. Well, I found that frustrating! At the preschool age my kids seem to be little sponges about everything so it seemed to be a waste not to capitalize on it. Then Kinderbach came along.
Aimed at the ages 3-7, I am currently using the Kinderbach program with all 4 of my kids (8, 6, 4, 2). We are about 3 weeks into the program and we are all having a ball! My kids have been learning all about Dodi and don’t realize all the musical knowledge they are already acquiring.
In 3 short weeks my kids have sung, danced, waved their hands and played with the piano. In 3 short weeks they have learned about the piano keys, high/low pitches, rhythm, finger numbering, ¼ notes and even how to play a little song. Not bad for 15 minutes, 4 times a week. Now to be fair, the 2 year old isn’t quite learning it but cut her some slack she is 2;).
Seriously, I have been impressed that my 3 older kids are really learning this. I never had much doubt that the 8 year old could handle it but I see him taking the knowledge out side of just the Kinderbach lessons. I was also confident in the 6 year old but I wasn’t expecting it to help her so quickly in other musical areas. She has been in a choir for over a year but we still struggle with rhythm issues. But after just one lesson that used both walking and clapping to keep time, I am seeing great improvement everywhere! The 4 year old has also done better than I expected. One of the coloring pages was a worksheet on finger number. They had to match the number with the hand that had the correct nail black. I admit, I didn’t think he would be able to analyze it enough to do it but I was wrong. He matched them all.
I can’t wait to see what this next month will hold for us and our musical knowledge! Back to the music! Dodi, Dodi, where do you sleep? Dodi, Dodi, and rest your feet?,..

(KinderBach has graciously given us access in order to write these columns)