Reviews Written By: A3RQMPIT3WLZ2Nprovided by Amazon.com |
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 | Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries) | |
 | "delicious easy read for fun" | 2009-09-15 |
| I will admit that I am more into non fiction but I kept hearing rave reviews about these books so I had to borrow the first of the series to see if it lived up to the buzz. For the most part, I have to agree with my trashy love novel loving friends. This book was like eating chocolate truffles while sitting in a hot tub and getting a neck massage from your fantasy partner of choice: pure decadent delight.
You already know, I'm sure, that the books vary from the tv series by a lot. Well the books came first so I guess it's really the tv series that deviates, but please keep that in mind before you start reading. I liked the book quite a lot and I think in some ways it is much better than what is on tv, especially the romance part. It's awfully easy to imagine chemistry between partners that you picture in your head vs onscreen and I liked the ease of the story without the drama of Tara (though I confess she's my favorite female character on the tv series). So what can I add to the fray that the other 250934875123 reviews already covered? Probably not a lot so I will keep it simple. Read this. It is easy to read, it won't take you very long, and you will be able to decide quickly whether these books are for you. That's about as low an investment as you can make these days. PS I don't normally respond to other reviewers but I'm going to this time. I can understand how some readers might dislike Sookie's character because she seems bossy and conceited and full of herself. But I like those things. I like the flawed Sookie, especially in the written portrayal. It's fun and real that she's self-absorbed and quick to jump to conclusions. It is part of her charm, and the seeming reality of those flaws helps the supernatural bits of the story go down a lot more easily. | ||
 | Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, ISBN 1564559149 | |
 | "good reading, great production" | 2009-08-15 |
| Siddhartha is one of my favorite books from the "list of books I was forced to read in junior high." With subsequent reading as an adult it has risen to my list of favorite books, period. But sometimes when I read it I get interrupted and can't focus which causes the beautiful story to become broken. With audio and with headphones the story becomes so lyrical, so clear, so lovely.
Those who can tell the difference between translations have felt this is a substandard version. The original was written in German and has been translated into many languages. But I don't feel the story loses any of its quality here and if it did, I am not sure I would notice the difference since I myself cannot read German nor understand it when it is spoken. However I understand that someone who can tell the difference would be annoyed. If that's you, you may want to investigate other editions before purchasing. The audio is very clear with great management of levels. It is never too sharp or flat nor does the volume fluctuate which is wonderful if you are driving or if the remote is across the room. If you are into audio books I very much recommend this one. However it is more expensive than the book, which is not a difficult read. If you are pressed for cash: get the paperback. | ||
 | Siddhartha | |
| "good reading, great production" | 2009-08-15 |
| Siddhartha is one of my favorite books from the "list of books I was forced to read in junior high." With subsequent reading as an adult it has risen to my list of favorite books, period. But sometimes when I read it I get interrupted and can't focus which causes the beautiful story to become broken. With audio and with headphones the story becomes so lyrical, so clear, so lovely.
Those who can tell the difference between translations have felt this is a substandard version. The original was written in German and has been translated into many languages. But I don't feel the story loses any of its quality here and if it did, I am not sure I would notice the difference since I myself cannot read German nor understand it when it is spoken. However I understand that someone who can tell the difference would be annoyed. If that's you, you may want to investigate other editions before purchasing. The audio is very clear with great management of levels. It is never too sharp or flat nor does the volume fluctuate which is wonderful if you are driving or if the remote is across the room. If you are into audio books I very much recommend this one. However it is more expensive than the book, which is not a difficult read. If you are pressed for cash: get the paperback. | ||
 | Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, ISBN 0486406539 | |
| "good reading, great production" | 2009-08-15 |
| Siddhartha is one of my favorite books from the "list of books I was forced to read in junior high." With subsequent reading as an adult it has risen to my list of favorite books, period. But sometimes when I read it I get interrupted and can't focus which causes the beautiful story to become broken. With audio and with headphones the story becomes so lyrical, so clear, so lovely.
Those who can tell the difference between translations have felt this is a substandard version. The original was written in German and has been translated into many languages. But I don't feel the story loses any of its quality here and if it did, I am not sure I would notice the difference since I myself cannot read German nor understand it when it is spoken. However I understand that someone who can tell the difference would be annoyed. If that's you, you may want to investigate other editions before purchasing. The audio is very clear with great management of levels. It is never too sharp or flat nor does the volume fluctuate which is wonderful if you are driving or if the remote is across the room. If you are into audio books I very much recommend this one. However it is more expensive than the book, which is not a difficult read. If you are pressed for cash: get the paperback. | ||
 | The Great Gatsby CD | |
 | "tragic story, bizarre reading" | 2009-08-15 |
| Embarrassingly, I have never read The Great Gatsby. Listening to this audio book was my introduction to the story and I really enjoyed it. The cold casual demeanor of those born into wealth contrasted against the desperate grasping of a man who wasn't and the sarcastic disdain from the narrator for the whole of it is one of the finest collection of emotions and characters I have come to know from a book in a long time.
As for the reading by Tim Robbins, it was bizarre. He has a lovely voice and the prose was beautiful when read by him from time to time. But his character voices were weird and inconsistent. He stumbled, mispronounced, stuttered. I was just surprised by that since I expected something different. The audio quality is superb, no feedback, no background noise or saliva sounds (if you listen to a lot of audio books you know how distracting the smacking can be). the volume is consistent. Tim Robbins and Robert Sean Leonard's voices are well recorded and natural sounding. Robert Sean Leonard is the cancer doctor on the TV show House if you ever watch that. He is not a voice actor for the story but does read some of Fitzgerald's letters after the story concludes. His reading is very good and his voice is great. If you enjoyed the book I think you might be disappointed by the voice acting by Robbins. Despite his performance I really did enjoy listening to this so I still give it a more positive review than a negative one, hence 3 stars. | ||
 | The Princess Diaries | |
| "Anne Hathaway" | 2009-08-06 |
| I will not review the story here because I think most people already have a very good idea of what it is about. So instead I'd like to review the quality of the audio - the reading, recording, and production.
The reading: Anne Hathaway is an obvious choice because she portrays the character in the film version of the story. Please note that there are significant differences between the story in the film and the book. But Anne's voice remains constant. Anne's version of a geeky 9th grader is annoying, whiny, perky, sweet, and at times exasperating. That is a good thing. Because as far as my memory of 9th grade goes and for the two 9th graders I know - their voices have all of those characteristics. The only awkward moments are part of the voice acting, and never due to pronunciation, pauses, etc. And about pronunciation: her French sounds believable - in the story her character has been speaking French since she was a very young girl. The recording: mostly very good. The audio is crisp and clear, there is no hint of hiss, feedback, etc. I took a star off for the volume which is a bit inconsistent for the first hour or so. It would be OK on a speaker but with headphones it was annoying to adjust the volume level. After an hour or so it leveled off and became consistent. The production: excellent. Overall I very much recommend this audio book. I know audio books seem expensive but they are so wonderful for long commutes and entertaining kids in the car and for that reason they are worth every penny. | ||
 | The Princess Diaries | |
| "Anne Hathaway" | 2009-08-06 |
| I will not review the story here because I think most people already have a very good idea of what it is about. So instead I'd like to review the quality of the audio - the reading, recording, and production.
The reading: Anne Hathaway is an obvious choice because she portrays the character in the film version of the story. Please note that there are significant differences between the story in the film and the book. But Anne's voice remains constant. Anne's version of a geeky 9th grader is annoying, whiny, perky, sweet, and at times exasperating. That is a good thing. Because as far as my memory of 9th grade goes and for the two 9th graders I know - their voices have all of those characteristics. The only awkward moments are part of the voice acting, and never due to pronunciation, pauses, etc. And about pronunciation: her French sounds believable - in the story her character has been speaking French since she was a very young girl. The recording: mostly very good. The audio is crisp and clear, there is no hint of hiss, feedback, etc. I took a star off for the volume which is a bit inconsistent for the first hour or so. It would be OK on a speaker but with headphones it was annoying to adjust the volume level. After an hour or so it leveled off and became consistent. The production: excellent. Overall I very much recommend this audio book. I know audio books seem expensive but they are so wonderful for long commutes and entertaining kids in the car and for that reason they are worth every penny. | ||
 | Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator | |
| "Get Some Air In There" | 2009-07-28 |
| The Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator for red wine is a small device that introduces air into the wine which helps to bring out the aromas and bouquet and intensify the flavors. The same end result can be obtained by swirling wine around the glass a lot or by decanting. These two methods take a bit more time than the Vinturi, but rest assured you don't absolutely HAVE to spend money on an aerator to get the best aromas and flavors out of your wines. The Vinturi Aerator absolutely does work. We performed blind comparisons of aerated and not aerated wine from the same bottle on various wines in my collection. In most cases the difference was overwhelming, in some cases it was more subtle, but there was always a detectable difference between the two glasses. I don't care for pouring the wine into the Vinturi - perhaps it is just me but I found it difficult to get the pour just right. That may explain why some of the blind tasting results were more subtle than others. I also found it a bit awkward to try to get just the right amount of wine into the glass with the Vinturi and most often tended to over pour. Perhaps that will change with more frequent use. The bottom line is that I am not disappointed in the product at all. I do not think it is perfect, but it is quite good and therefore worth the $ in my opinion. | ||
 | Lenox Tuscany Classics Stainless Steel Ice Bucket | |
| "Beautiful and Functional" | 2009-07-25 |
| This is a fantastic ice bucket and the Amazon price is the best I have seen anywhere. It holds about 12 cups of ice (depending on the size of the cube) and keeps the ice cold for hours and hours. The bucket looks lovely on the table or bar, and the insulation is great - no condensation builds up so your table will be safe from a condensation ring. This would be a nice gift for anyone, or just for yourself. Cleaning is easy, just use mild dish washing detergent, warm water, and a non abrasive cloth or sponge. Towel dry to avoid water spots. I recommend buying a nice set of tongs and a service tray for either the tongs or the bucket and tongs together to complete your set. | ||
 | Oster 4207 Electric Wine Opener - Silver and Black | |
| "Easy To Use" | 2009-07-24 |
| The Oster Electric Wine Opener is the latest fad gift that gets exchanged between my little wine drinking clique. Everyone loves it so if you're looking for just the right gift for a wine drinker who doesn't already have one: go for it. I found it easy to use - just one button to get the cork out of the bottle and another button to get the cork out of the opener. It is a cordless rechargeable product so you don't have to do the pulling yourself, just let the opener do all the work. The downsides are similar with most cordless rechargeable products: the power is weak so it isn't great on a stuck cork and it can be difficult to center the corkscrew which can result in a lot of broken corks when used for the first few times or when your friends want to have a turn with it at a party. There are lots of wine openers in this price range. Of the many, I would not choose this for myself but I think many people love the simplicity and novelty of it which I totally respect. | ||
 | MIU France Zinc Alloy Wine Opener - Black/Silver | |
 | "Long In The Tooth" | 2009-07-24 |
| This is a sturdy but awkward opener. I've used plenty of lever type openers and something about this one is off. But that is not my main complaint. The problem I find with this opener is that the actual screw is too long and extends through every cork I use it on. If it's a faux material there is no problem. But with real cork it causes bits to crumble into the wine. If the lever is not fully articulated there is no issue, but I think most people would not be able to find the sweet spot where the screw does not break through. The foil cutter is useless, again not the main complaint. Just don't be tempted by this product because it comes with an accessory. And a lot of the time you don't need a foil cutter on many wine bottles because a good percentage of foil can simply be pulled right off the top. Maybe it's a no no in the wine world, but I do that at home all the time. There are plenty of other openers in this price range, I'd recommend you try to purchase a different one if you have a choice. | ||
 | Canon PIXMA MP600 All-in-One Photo Printer | |
| "another one of my famous non technical reviews" | 2009-06-27 |
| I bought this primarily to be a photo printer and to handle the occasional document. The positive: Print wise, it's great. The photos I print come out with crisp borders and clean images. For documents it is ok though it tends to be an ink hog, even in gray scale - but I suppose any printer is guilty of that. The negative: I bought it back in the days of XP. But now I have Vista Ultimate 64. I know I know, Vista [enter your Vista gripe here]. But it's what I have and there is no USB driver for 64 based Windows OS which means in order to use this printer I have to use another device as a server. I have a wireless print server which does not work because that needs the client to have a virtual USB for 64 bit driver and Canon does not have one available. Does anyone? I don't know the answer to that. Anyway. So I print through another computer in the house via the network. What I mean is I print from my Vista 64 bit computer and the print service goes through an XP machine on my home network and prints out on the Canon. I dislike how much ink refills cost - the non OEM cartridges suck, they don't last very long and can be messy so I only buy the Canon cartridges any more. I can almost always find the multi color pack but the big black refill can be difficult to find. Overall - it is like any Canon which is to say superior when it comes to imaging. But I'm ready to get a non USB printer hooked up to the print server so I don't need to rely on another computer being online. | ||
 | Obagi Nu Derm Exfoderm Forte | |
| "great product - I recommend using it under the care of a doctor" | 2009-06-11 |
| This is a VERY effective chemical exfoliant. I use the Obagi line and have gone through a full cycle of Nu-Derm. Exfoderm Forte was the exfoliant recommended for me. What it does is strip off some of the dead layers of the skin which leaves shiny new skin at the surface. I used this product for about 3 months and it did a great job. One thing, and this is why you should get your first Obagi products from a doctor because they are very strong: you may look like the Crypt Keeper for a couple of weeks. My first two weeks were okay and then at weeks 3-5 I had so much skin flaking off I looked like I should have been in a horror film. This is normal and I was prepared for that to happen but man, if you didn't know that was coming you might stop using the product. Once I got through week 5 the skin underneath was just beautiful. Follow the directions, don't use too much, and rub it into your skin thoroughly. Don't pat it on or it will not remove the old layers of skin evenly. | ||
 | Universal Floor Stands for Bose Cube Speakers (pair) - Black - UFS-20B | |
| "clean and attractive" | 2009-05-24 |
| Easy to unpack and assemble, these stands work with many Bose model speakers. The directions came on a fold out map sized paper but that's only because there is a different set of instructions depending on the model of speaker used for the stand - so don't be frightened when you unpack the box! My only concern with the stands is the plastic bracket that is used to create the leverage to hold the speaker in place. They're fine right now, but I can imagine that if we had to disassemble and reassemble a few times due to moving that the little brackets would fail at some point. I'm sure they are easily replaced, but why not use a stronger part in the first place? A hint for assembly: those little brackets are not in the parts packet. They are already attached to the assembly where you screw into the speaker back. You invert that bracket 180 degrees and everything will fit properly - just like on the instructions. | ||
 | Breville The Smart Oven ( BOV800XL ) | |
| "really really good but not perfect" | 2009-05-24 |
| I loves me a shiny new appliance so of course I wanted one of these after reading the amazing reviews. The other reviews really cover most of the things you need to know so I'll give you a quick summary: 1. It is a true convection oven and it does cook things evenly for the most part. 2. The settings are good but I'd like for them to revert to the original settings after use. For example: the default setting for a pizza is 22 minutes starting at 450 degrees F. But if I make a smaller or thinner pizza I will set the temperature lower and / or the time shorter. Then when I put another pizza in later it defaults to the last settings I used. I'd prefer for them to stay at the defaults. 3. Yes the cord is short. Also this thing will affect other appliances on the circuit so you want a good power strip to filter and protect, especially in an older home. 4. This is very very easy to clean. The rack and the included pans and the crumb tray just wipe off. I have melted a lot of cheese and pizza toppings all over the darned place inside and outside the oven. It wipes away with ease. 5. The magnets that pull out the rack: I hate them. Here's why: the rack is slippery and so are the included trays. When I go to take something out of the oven it slips to the back with just a teeny nudge from a potholder or a spatula. I've lost a few open faced sandwiches this way. I went to take them out and they slid through the back on to the element. Sad face. Fortunately they were easy to clean up after the oven cooled. Yeah it's a lot of money for a toaster. But it's the best frozen pizza oven I've ever had and I eat frozen pizza a lot. Worth the $ for me, if not for the pizza than for the ease of cleanup. | ||
 | Chrome Microwave Cart | |
| "inexpensive, small scaled, simple" | 2009-05-24 |
| If you ever move into an older home that hasn't had it's kitchen makeover then you don't have an over oven microwave. So you probably need to buy a microwave stand...or choose to locate the microwave on some prime counter top real estate. I chose a microwave stand. I actually have two of these, one for the microwave, one for the convection oven. I'm surprised at how pleased I am with this purchase. I expected them to be flimsy. They aren't. Assembly was a breeze. You screw the legs together. Add the casters if you want. Put the brackets for the lower shelf on the legs. Add the lower shelf. Then put on the brackets for the middle shelf. Add the middle shelf. Then add the hooks (if you want). Then add the top. They both went together in less than the amount of time it took my boyfriend to drink a beer. The microwave and convection oven are both pretty large sized and they fit okay. We're using the bottom shelves for wine at the moment. My only complaints are that there are screws that go through the rubber on the top of the legs. Seems kind of cheap - but hey, $49.99 is pretty cheap anyway. The other complaint is I'm not that fond of wire shelves but again, at this price who am I to complain? | ||
 | BOSE 321 GS Series II DVD Home Entertainment System - Silver | |
| "a good and simple entry level system" | 2009-05-14 |
| I am not an audiophile / videophile so this will not be a technical review. All I can say about this is if you want a simple and clean home theater system and you don't already own a bunch of components this is a good route to take. This was chosen on the basis of simplicity. One remote, one component, three speakers, one speaker cable, one power cord. It doesn't get any easier and considering how simple it is: it looks and sounds great for our requirements which were that it had to produce a good image for our projector (1080p) and it had to sound good. Sounding good for us means that when we watch movies the dialogue sounds good and the effects have a decent left to right going on. That's it. And that's what we got and I'm happy with it. I'm not a huge Bose fan, but I'm not a hater either. I can't give it 5 stars because I'm disappointed that the speaker cable was so short. If you have a room bigger than 10x10 or if you use a projector you will need to order a special proprietary cable. They are available up to 40 feet and the cost at the moment for the 40 FT cable was $19.99. We also bought the speaker stands to keep the cables nice and neat and to avoid mounting the speakers to the wall since we are renting. The stands were $100 - ouch. | ||
 | Urban Decay Ammo Shadow Box Palette 1 set | |
| "worth every penny" | 2009-03-02 |
| This is one of the most fantastic palettes I've ever purchased. $36 gets you 10 wearable colors that, while not full sized, will last you a long long time. I have some full sized versions of these colors from Urban Decay but I find myself reaching for the palette because it's small and gives me access to so many colors at once. The colors all have quite a bit of glitter and will fall out. This is normal for glittery products. If you set your foundation with powder you can easily brush the fallout away without getting pigment streaks on your face. The palette is quite slim and travels well. It DOES let some product dust fall out when closed though so if you are putting this into a nice purse you should put it into another bag to prevent shadow dust getting mashed into the purse lining. My favorite color combo is Sin as an allover color with Chopper on the outer half of the lid and in the crease and then Last Call in the outer v. Another combo I use a lot is Maui Wowie all over the lid, then Mildew on the outer half of the lid and in the crease, then Smog in the outer v. I don't use Shattered that much. Polyester bride is nice in the inner corner or as a brow highlight for party look (it's a bit too shimmery for an every day brow highlighter. Well for me anyway). Oil slick is nice as a liner along the lash line. Grifter is really pretty but I don't use it that often. Here is something amazing: I've had this palette for 2 years and the shadows are still in good shape. I mean it's wearing out and I've used so much of them that I can see the bottom of the pans but the shadow hasn't crumbled or flaked away. That's impressive! | ||
 | WMF Profi-Plus 11-Inch Stainless Steel Ball Whisk | |
| "Beautiful form, just OK function" | 2009-02-16 |
| This is a beautiful whisk, isn't it? I think it's so pretty displayed in a kitchen tools crock or hanging from a rack. It's fairly easy to clean and I like that bits of food don't get stuck in it in the way ingredients get trapped in a balloon whisk. As for performance, it's great with thin liquids like raw eggs, juices, gravies, and sauces. Once you start to get into batters - forget it. It just can't power through the way a balloon whisk can get through the more heavyweight tasks. There is a place for this whisk in most kitchens, but it can't exist by itself. You'll need a traditional whisk to round out the tools team. | ||
 | The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) | |
| "CFT - Classic Fairy Tales" | 2009-02-16 |
| I don't have kids, nor am I a fan of Disney. I wanted to read fairy tales in their more original context. And this book is perfect for that purpose. It's inexpensive and not much too look at. If you're looking for a gift I'd recommend finding a nicer edition. This one is solely for content. Inside you'll find some very very basic line drawings and the stories are all mashed together to save space because there are so many. I won't go into the content other than to say this: if you think you know how the story Cinderella goes, think again. | ||
 | Curried Favors: Family Recipes for South India | |
| "A great introduction to South Indian cooking" | 2009-02-09 |
| Curried Favors is a smallish softcover cookbook for people in North America wanting to learn how to cook South Indian food. If you've never cooked any Indian recipes at all this cookbook will be the one to get you started off on a solid footing. The ingredients don't get too exotic. Most things you'll be able to find at a regular shop or maybe a community market. Only a few ingredients will cause you to visit an Indian market or order via the Internet such as: atta flour, curry leaves, tamarind concentrate, and asafetida. Required equipment is fairly common as well. You may want a wok for deep frying, cheesecloth for making paneer, and if you plan to make idli, you'll need an idli stand for steaming, a mortar and pestle is highly recommended, and I also suggest having one of those small food processors like the Cuisinart Mini Prep. Indian cooks frequently use a blender to make batters and chutneys but the recipes are often too small for Western sized blenders, which is when that mini prep will come in handy. There is no pressure cooking in this cookbook - one difference that you'll find between this book and other Indian cookbooks. That and all the measurements are US standard, not metric :) So how are the recipes? They're pretty good. I've not made everything from cover to cover, but I have made Sambar, Coconut Chutney, Raita, Cilantro and Mint Chutney, Dhal with Coconut, Stir Fried Okra, Eggplant and Tomatoes, and Coconut Rice. You'll notice that I've used the English translations for the recipes because that is how they are presented in the cookbook, which is fine except if you're trying to make something you ate at a restaurant you'll need a general idea of what was in it. If you cook a lot you'll have no problem with that. But if you're a novice you might find that frustrating. There are many recipes with fish and shrimp, eggs and chicken, and some beef and lamb recipes, too. If you think of Southern India as solely vegetarian, well that isn't exactly the case. Personally though, I think these recipes were included to make the book more American friendly. I'm all for it, I'll eat just about anything. I simply haven't gotten around to those recipes...yet. If you buy this book but need a little inspiration before making something new I'd like to recommend a YouTube channel I found called ShowMeTheCurry. Some of my friends from work are from India and they recommended this to me and it was great to see some of the cooking methods before I got started. It really helped with the flow of things on the first couple recipes. Have fun cooking and enjoy! | ||
 | Curried Favors: Family Recipes from South India | |
| "A great introduction to South Indian cooking" | 2009-02-09 |
| Curried Favors is a smallish softcover cookbook for people in North America wanting to learn how to cook South Indian food. If you've never cooked any Indian recipes at all this cookbook will be the one to get you started off on a solid footing.
The ingredients don't get too exotic. Most things you'll be able to find at a regular shop or maybe a community market. Only a few ingredients will cause you to visit an Indian market or order via the Internet such as: atta flour, curry leaves, tamarind concentrate, and asafetida. Required equipment is fairly common as well. You may want a wok for deep frying, cheesecloth for making paneer, and if you plan to make idli, you'll need an idli stand for steaming, a mortar and pestle is highly recommended, and I also suggest having one of those small food processors like the Cuisinart Mini Prep. Indian cooks frequently use a blender to make batters and chutneys but the recipes are often too small for Western sized blenders, which is when that mini prep will come in handy. There is no pressure cooking in this cookbook - one difference that you'll find between this book and other Indian cookbooks. That and all the measurements are US standard, not metric :) So how are the recipes? They're pretty good. I've not made everything from cover to cover, but I have made Sambar, Coconut Chutney, Raita, Cilantro and Mint Chutney, Dhal with Coconut, Stir Fried Okra, Eggplant and Tomatoes, and Coconut Rice. You'll notice that I've used the English translations for the recipes because that is how they are presented in the cookbook, which is fine except if you're trying to make something you ate at a restaurant you'll need a general idea of what was in it. If you cook a lot you'll have no problem with that. But if you're a novice you might find that frustrating. There are many recipes with fish and shrimp, eggs and chicken, and some beef and lamb recipes, too. If you think of Southern India as solely vegetarian, well that isn't exactly the case. Personally though, I think these recipes were included to make the book more American friendly. I'm all for it, I'll eat just about anything. I simply haven't gotten around to those recipes...yet. If you buy this book but need a little inspiration before making something new I'd like to recommend a YouTube channel I found called ShowMeTheCurry. Some of my friends from work are from India and they recommended this to me and it was great to see some of the cooking methods before I got started. It really helped with the flow of things on the first couple recipes. Have fun cooking and enjoy! | ||
 | Mexico One Plate At A Time | |
| "Mexico's food at its finest, whether traditional or contemporary" | 2009-01-13 |
| This is one of the first international cookbooks I ever bought and it's still a favorite. I picked it up after a trip to Mexico - I wanted to recreate the simple, flavorful staples. I didn't want nasty dried out store bought corn tortillas. I wanted the fresh ones from Mexico. I didn't want insipid, salty black beans from a can. I wanted smoky homemade beans. I wanted to know how to make fresh salsa because I did not like that nasty mush that was sold in a jar. And the fish. How could I make that fish dish I ate at the cute restaurant with no floor...just a tent on a sandy beach? This book taught me how. To this day I still make fresh corn tortillas. They are so easy and so tasty. Everyone loves them. We eat black beans by the kettle along with those yummy tortillas. Mexican fondue with cheese and peppers and sausage has been a popular dish to serve to guests. And the fish a la veracruzana is identical in flavor to the dish I had on my first trip to Mexico. The book has a very easy format. You start with the basics: antojitos which are little starter dishes like guacamole, sopes, tacos, etc. Then the book moves into soups and stews, sides, entrees, and desserts. Each dish is presented with the traditional recipe, followed by a contemporary recipe. I'll be honest: I've never made a single one of the contemporary recipes because I just love the simple, clean, traditional flavors that this book helped me to make. But the contemporary recipes do serve to illustrate how to take something basic and put your own spin on it. I like that. Mexican cooking seems to have fallen out of style lately, which is too bad. It's wholesome, inexpensive, and wonderful stuff. There are tons of Mexican food cookbooks out there. I think that this book is a great place to start for anyone. And maybe, like for me, it will be the only Mexican cookbook you'll need. | ||
 | Great Cookies : Secrets to Sensational Sweets | |
| "Better Than Betty Crocker" | 2009-01-13 |
| I have a couple cookie cookbooks and lots of general cookbooks that have cookie recipes. If cookies are on the menu, Carole Walter's book is the one I reach for first. Real French macaroons are the reason I bought the book in the first place. After having those wonderful, light and chewy, texture roller coaster ride cookies I had to learn how to make them myself. And I did using Carole's book. I don't have to pay $1.50 each for a quarter sized cookie at Miette anymore. But I figured since I bought the book I should try some other recipes. Over the past few years I've made a bunch of the cookies. The following are my favorites: Walnut Orange Meringue Mounds - just amazing. If you're a texture person this book is full of your kind of recipes. Mississippi Bayou Bars - Pecans and butter. These are fantastic cookies to bring to a bake sale or to a potluck because nobody else will bring them and everybody wants one. Sam's Glazed Lavish Lemon Cookies - these are divine. Big plate sized chewy cookies with a tangy lemon glaze. Boyfriend and I can eat these in place of dinner. They're just all out addictive. Black Beauties - again, it's all about texture and these almost beat out my beloved macaroons. Almost. So what's up with the missing star? Well I don't like that the recipes are written in the "classic" way, which is to say they sometimes ignore modern shortcuts. I don't need to melt chocolate in a double-boiler when I can use the microwave. And why does the recipe tell me to preheat the oven in step 1 if I'm going to be chilling the dough for an hour? That's just silly. But if you take the time to read through the entire recipe a couple times before you start baking you'll be fine. With lots of inspirational photos and good descriptions I think just about any home cook would be enticed to go outside his or her Nestle chips comfort zone recipe. | ||
 | The Great Scandinavian Baking Book | |
| "a wonderful baking resource" | 2009-01-13 |
| The Great Scandinavian Baking Book is something I wanted to add to my cookbook collection for two reasons: 1) I'm from Minnesota and my Mom and her side of the family are all of Norwegian descent. The thought that I could recreate some items from my Mom's childhood excited me. 2) I wanted a collection of baking recipes that yielded results appropriate for "company." Also I really like the flavor of cardamom :) This book served both purposes. I've made some great items with wonderful results. I'll be honest, some of them sounded quite difficult and I didn't have a lot of confidence in my abilities. I'm a great cook (if I do say so myself) but baking - following directions really - is not my forte. But Beatrice Ojakangas' instructions are so precise, yet natural that I got things right the first time. The first thing I made was an Icelandic coffee wreath. No, it's not Norweigan like my Mom. But it did make a great and beautiful pastry fit for serving at a holiday potluck at work. Everyone was impressed. It was so simple to make but it looked like a million bucks. That's the impression I want to make with my food at work, you know? Then I made Norweigian butter cookies. Oh my gosh. How can a 6 ingredient recipe turn out something so lovely and melt-in-your-mouth good? The real payoff was Crispy Krumkake. My Mom still has Grandma's Krumkake iron, but doesn't ever make the cookies because, well Mom is into lots of domestic arts, but cooking isn't one of them. So I gave Krumkake a shot and the recipe was fantastic. Light delicate cookies, made pretty by the iron's design, they were a hit! Unfortunately the German side of my family filled them with Cool Whip which made me cringe, but they liked it so I guess it's okay. So why did I remove a star? Well the book has this gorgeous photo on the cover but no photos inside. There are some line drawings where appropriate (like explaining how to slice and shape that coffee wreath), but no inspirational photos. And the book isn't bound so as to be very useful in the kitchen. It's a paperback that isn't heavy enough to stay open. Not that format is everything, but transcribing or photocopying recipes isn't my idea of a good time. Overall it is a minor thing, but still worthy of comment. If you like the flavors of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, butter, almonds - you'll love this book whether you have a Scandinavian history or not. | ||
 | Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini: The Essential Reference: 500 Recipes, 275 Photographs | |
| "one of my 3 most often used kitchen books" | 2007-11-30 |
| This is a beautiful and functional and useful book. I refer to it at least once a week, sometimes more often. Most people will use this book in at least one of the following four ways:
1) coffee table book and conversation starter - this is the least valuable way to utilize such a brilliant tome but if food books appeal to your coffe table senses you can't go wrong with this one, the photographs are lovely 2) "what the heck did I just buy at the farmers market?" reference. I frequent farmers markets and sometimes I buy a lovely vegetable that I honestly don't know what to do with when I get it home. This book tells me how to clean, store, cook, and serve those farmers market goodies 3) "how the heck do I pick a good [enter vegetable here]?" reference. Sometimes the best squash is not always the one with the hardest shell. Can a perfectly good artichoke have brown spots? Should I select leeks with fat bulbs or slender bulbs? This book tells you how to make the best selection and what time of year is prime for each item, including varietals. 4) Should I bake or steam or boil or braise or roast or gril or...? This book tells you how the flavor and texture of your selected vegetable will differ based upon cooking technique. Another reviewer indicated that this book does not cover common vegetables in some cases. That is correct. You won't find an entry for traditional carrots, but you will find several entries for non traditional carrots. You won't find green asparagus described (though it is referenced) but you will find white and purple asparagus entries. The author clearly indicates omissions and her reasoning is that even basic home cooks already have that knowledge. I can understand why some reviewers would omit a star for that but to be honest I use this book so often that it is still a five star product in my opinion. | ||
 | Sony MDR-V600 Studio Monitor Series Headphones with Circum-Aural Earcup Design | |
| "Love these!" | 2007-11-29 |
| These are the most comfortable headphones I have ever owned. I keep a set at work and at home and I've had both sets for at least 4 or 5 years. The oversized ear cups are soft and padded. There's just enough grip for me to slide them off of one hear to hear conversations and speak or just listen for ambient sounds without having the set fall off. I have kind of a small skull so usually big headphones fall off of me. The sound is rich and full, not cheap and think like a lot of small form factor headphones. One star lost for the coiled cord. I know a lot of people like that but I don't care for the "telephone cord" style. It gets hooked and twisted on itself and if I lean away from the output jack the weight of the cord is enough to make the headphones fall off. | ||
 | Nukkles effective hand massage tools, easy to use | |
| "Like 'em a lot." | 2007-04-08 |
| I bought these at a kiosk at the Mall of America a few years back. I think they're great and can be used with light or medium pressure. These aren't for deep pressure massage because they aren't strong enough. This is what you use at home, not the type of accessory you'll find when you get a massage from a professional.
Here's how you use them: put them in the palms of your hands and use your weight (not your hands) to create the pressure. Do not put your fingers in the holes. The holes aren't for your fingers. They are just the shape of the knobs for massage. You'll find they are much more comfortable to use if held correctly and you won't have any fatigue. Obviously they feel great when used on the back and shoulders but they are also great for use on the legs, especially after sports to release tension in the quads and calves. | ||
 | Canon Powershot SD10 4MP Digital Camera (Black) | |
| "a review for the non pictophiles" | 2005-05-04 |
| I'm not really involved in the digital photo scene so this won't be a super technical review.
I purchased this camera because of the size. It's about the size of a mobile phone, smaller than some, larger than others. It fits perfectly in the phone sized pocket of my shoulder bag. Operation is mostly simple. Power it on with one button, focus and shoot with a different button. The location of these two buttons is pretty ergonomic - they make sense. I haven't taken a single picture with part of my hand shadowing the flash or found any fingers in the shot. In the past 14 months, I've taken over 2500 pictures with this unit and had no fingers in the pictures, so I think that's pretty ergonomic for a small camera. The zoom is digital which makes it useless - if you zoom in, you can just see bigger pixels, so don't buy it for the zoom, ok? Manual operation is hit and miss. Some of the settings I've found to be superior to the default point and shoot mode but for the most part I think you're better off using it in automatic mode. For one thing, it's really hard to find a setting where you can turn the flash off without leaving the shutter open forever. That means I can't use the camera in many museums because most restrict the use of a flash. Of course, a DIY fix for that would be to cover the flash securely with something like electrical tape, but I really don't like the idea of that. Battery life is long, if you use the actual Canon batteries. I purchased a couple of aftermarket batteries and they only last for a couple hours of turn on, take a couple photos, turn off and repeat. So for vacation when you really need to rely on a spare, buy an actual Canon battery. It's worth the extra dough. The case that comes with the unit is quite nice. You shouldn't need to spend more $ to buy another one. I don't like the velcro on the case so much because it gets stuck on the little camera strap and makes the strap look all scuzzy, but maybe you can find a better strap. Any cell phone strap could be used. Try to find one that will fit around your hand for security. I've dropped the unit once and it's okay so far but I wouldn't want to risk any damage. The battery charger is small - no cord. On the US model it plugs into any two prong outlet. Doesn't work well on a power strip because it has a large footprint. But on a regular double outlet with a normal plug in one, this charger will fit just fine in the other outlet. On a totally dead battery it takes about 35 minutes to fully charge it. The manual is descriptive. Keep it handy when you're getting started. Don't just use the quick start guide. You'll want to know how to use those manual settings from time to time. Take it with you on vacation. Video mode is okay. The mic is quite sensitive - better than I had suspected. You won't get a particularly large image but you can find video editing programs that will enable you to enhance the video you record. For fun little snippets to send to friends via e-mail, which is what I wanted, it's great. Sorting through the images and videos is extra simple. Deleting unwanted images is just as simple. Be careful, or you might delete something you meant to keep. The unit does come with a 16mb SD card but that's too small for use in reality. Go to the store and buy a 256 or a 512 MB card and you'll be able to take way more pictures than your battery will allow. You should not need more than one 512 for a 10 day vacation. Seriously. I like that it uses SD cards because they're still quite easy to find. And unlike other camera brands, you can buy any brand SD card. I can tell you that some SD cards are faster than others, which will affect your between snapshot time more than the camera itself. I'm using a PNY card and it's much faster than the card that came with the camera. Unfortunately, most of those cards are made by 2 or 3 manufacturers and then rebranded by the sellers. If you feel that it takes too long to take one photo after another, try a different card. Don't blame the camera. There is a cable included to directly connect the camera to a device. You could use that but honestly I think it's easier to take the card out and insert into a card reader. Many computers have them built in. If yours doesn't, you can buy a reader at any electronics retailer for about $9-30 depending on how many types of cards it can read. All you need is SD reader. Would I buy this camera again? Yes I think so. It's not everything I wanted but almost everything. 4MP is still nothing to sneeze at - the images are quite good. Usually the only modifications I have to make are to orient the photos 90 degrees(I take a lot of portrait shaped pictures, which default to view sideways when you look at them on your computer.) Buy with confidence and enjoy this little thing. Every time I use it people still say "wow it's such a small camera!" If that's important to you, you'll really like it. | ||
 | Canon Powershot SD10 4MP Digital Camera (Bronze) | |
| "a review for the non pictophiles" | 2005-05-04 |
| I'm not really involved in the digital photo scene so this won't be a super technical review.
I purchased this camera because of the size. It's about the size of a mobile phone, smaller than some, larger than others. It fits perfectly in the phone sized pocket of my shoulder bag. Operation is mostly simple. Power it on with one button, focus and shoot with a different button. The location of these two buttons is pretty ergonomic - they make sense. I haven't taken a single picture with part of my hand shadowing the flash or found any fingers in the shot. In the past 14 months, I've taken over 2500 pictures with this unit and had no fingers in the pictures, so I think that's pretty ergonomic for a small camera. The zoom is digital which makes it useless - if you zoom in, you can just see bigger pixels, so don't buy it for the zoom, ok? Manual operation is hit and miss. Some of the settings I've found to be superior to the default point and shoot mode but for the most part I think you're better off using it in automatic mode. For one thing, it's really hard to find a setting where you can turn the flash off without leaving the shutter open forever. That means I can't use the camera in many museums because most restrict the use of a flash. Of course, a DIY fix for that would be to cover the flash securely with something like electrical tape, but I really don't like the idea of that. Battery life is long, if you use the actual Canon batteries. I purchased a couple of aftermarket batteries and they only last for a couple hours of turn on, take a couple photos, turn off and repeat. So for vacation when you really need to rely on a spare, buy an actual Canon battery. It's worth the extra dough. The case that comes with the unit is quite nice. You shouldn't need to spend more $ to buy another one. I don't like the velcro on the case so much because it gets stuck on the little camera strap and makes the strap look all scuzzy, but maybe you can find a better strap. Any cell phone strap could be used. Try to find one that will fit around your hand for security. I've dropped the unit once and it's okay so far but I wouldn't want to risk any damage. The battery charger is small - no cord. On the US model it plugs into any two prong outlet. Doesn't work well on a power strip because it has a large footprint. But on a regular double outlet with a normal plug in one, this charger will fit just fine in the other outlet. On a totally dead battery it takes about 35 minutes to fully charge it. The manual is descriptive. Keep it handy when you're getting started. Don't just use the quick start guide. You'll want to know how to use those manual settings from time to time. Take it with you on vacation. Video mode is okay. The mic is quite sensitive - better than I had suspected. You won't get a particularly large image but you can find video editing programs that will enable you to enhance the video you record. For fun little snippets to send to friends via e-mail, which is what I wanted, it's great. Sorting through the images and videos is extra simple. Deleting unwanted images is just as simple. Be careful, or you might delete something you meant to keep. The unit does come with a 16mb SD card but that's too small for use in reality. Go to the store and buy a 256 or a 512 MB card and you'll be able to take way more pictures than your battery will allow. You should not need more than one 512 for a 10 day vacation. Seriously. I like that it uses SD cards because they're still quite easy to find. And unlike other camera brands, you can buy any brand SD card. I can tell you that some SD cards are faster than others, which will affect your between snapshot time more than the camera itself. I'm using a PNY card and it's much faster than the card that came with the camera. Unfortunately, most of those cards are made by 2 or 3 manufacturers and then rebranded by the sellers. If you feel that it takes too long to take one photo after another, try a different card. Don't blame the camera. There is a cable included to directly connect the camera to a device. You could use that but honestly I think it's easier to take the card out and insert into a card reader. Many computers have them built in. If yours doesn't, you can buy a reader at any electronics retailer for about $9-30 depending on how many types of cards it can read. All you need is SD reader. Would I buy this camera again? Yes I think so. It's not everything I wanted but almost everything. 4MP is still nothing to sneeze at - the images are quite good. Usually the only modifications I have to make are to orient the photos 90 degrees(I take a lot of portrait shaped pictures, which default to view sideways when you look at them on your computer.) Buy with confidence and enjoy this little thing. Every time I use it people still say "wow it's such a small camera!" If that's important to you, you'll really like it. | ||
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