Product Placement Wednesday - Airwaves Gum

If you are like me, I love to pick up new food items when traveling. When in Europe, I found myself especially fascinated by the candy selection. While I try not to eat a lot of candy, I adore it. Maybe that's why I still love Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory so much? I would kill to be allowed in that room made of candy! Mmmm candy....

So this week's product - Airwaves (made by Wrigley) is actually considered a "wellness" gum (which I consider candy even though you don't eat it) so it is really more of a health food. I discovered it on a trip to the UK and have become a little obsessed. The gum has a menthol core which is extremely powerful. I love it because it knocks out bad breath and then the flavor shifts to become a delightful chewing gum. I will be honest though that some people find the menthol portion of the gum too intense and liken it to medicine. The Menthol & Eucalyptus is the most common and popular flavor though there are a variety of flavors that vary throughout Europe and Asia. My personal favorite - Spicy Cocktail - has unfortunately long been discontinued. Black Current and Honey & Lemon are other great ones and are currently available in Asia. There are a variety of other flavors I have not had the pleasure to try yet but would welcome feedback from anyone that has tried them!

How do you get this delicious gum? Personally I have anyone going to a country that carries Airwaves to pick me up a few packs. You can also order from Amazon.com or British Delights. I tried writing to Wrigley to see if they would start carrying it in the US and was told "This is a product specially formulated for our overseas consumers." or something like that. Stupid Wrigley.

Product Placement Wednesday - Keyboard Organizer

I hate clutter. The place I live is small so it is a constant battle. While I don't have a separate office, if I did I would want it to look perfectly organized. Something straight out of Martha Stewart. Something like this:

See? No clutter.

That brings me to this week's product - the Keyboard Organizer. While this little gem looks a little like a toy, it is an actual keyboard but with built in storage. This keyboard has 10+ separate storage compartments, multimedia quick keys and has a wireless option. Personally I prefer a "classic" styled keyboard (cleaner, less cluttered look) but if you prefer something more "you" they offer custom colors and graphics. This keyboard is the perfect way to keep important supplies close at hand but also out of sight.

10 Things That Make A Woman Undateable

In hopes of engaging a few of my male readers, I found this gem from Cosmo. They searched Twitter for #undateable posted by the best and the brightest in the male gene pool. And when I say best and brightest, I mean the same guys that likely are unable to get dates in the first place.

10 Things That Make A Woman Undateable

Of course I have to share a couple of my favorites....

"If you want to find 'your own Edward Cullen.'" —@Lord_Voldemort7

Hello pot? This is the kettle - you're black. Are vampires "not real" unlike wizards which are obviously very real?

"A girl that farts in her sleep." —@Zay_InkdUp

So I dated a guy a few years ago that actually farted so loud he woke himself up. I did the only appropriate thing - I laughed so hard I almost fell out of bed. Farts are funny. Chill out.

What are some of the things that make a girl/guy undateable? Personally, it's a guy that wears Ed Hardy, has bad teeth, or bigger boobs than me. Let me know some of your dealbreakers!

Product Placement Wednesday - Giant Silicone Ice Cube Tray

Sorry for the radio silence for the past week - travels do not allow much time for blogging! However I have found some interesting products to share with you and this week is a personal favorite!

At first glance, Giant Silicone Ice Cube Trays may seem like a summer only item but they are useful year round! The principle behind them is simple - the larger the ice cube the more slowly it will melt in your glass. Rather than fill your glass with a ton of small cubes, you just need one larger cube. I love using these giant cubes in cocktails as it eliminates the watered down drink issue. Also, because the cube is larger it allows additional space if you wish to make more festive ice cubes and freeze fruit or herbs inside the cubes. They are also great to freeze other items like stock or juice to have available to help save time in the kitchen. Though if you freeze leftover wine, keep it in the tray - trust me I have made this mistake before and had to clean a mess of wine up in my freezer!

There are a number of companies that make this type of ice cube tray but my personal favorites are from Crate & Barrel & Williams-Sonoma. I have tried other silicone ice cube trays and have had problems getting the cubes to release. Both of these particular trays are very simple to use.

Crate & Barrel - Jumbo Silicone Ice Cube Tray

Williams-Sonoma - King Cube Silicone Ice Cube Tray

Product Placement Wednesday - The Amber Special

I realize that I have been taking some liberties with the "products" lately and this week will be no different. This week's product is in honor of my dear friend Amber who sadly passed away a year ago.


Amber was the type of girl that would light up a room just by entering it. Her energy was infectious and her smile was naturally perfect. You would want to hate her for having been spared the agony of braces but she was too nice to hate. While I met Amber in 5th grade, our friendship grew over the years and we graduated high school as dear friends. It wasn't until 2007 that we had our "friendaissance" and started traveling together with our other fabulous friend Megan. Traveling with Amber is where I first learned of today's product - The Amber Special.


Amber actually called "The Amber Special" the "Airport Special" and swore that you could go into any airport bar and they would know what you were talking about. Turns out that was not true but it didn't matter. According to Amber if you asked for the "Airport Special" you would get a special price on a beer & shot combo. We started joking that it was really just "The Amber Special" and once she passed away a mission was determined. Megan and I decided that the beer & shot combo that Amber so fondly referred to as the "Airport Special" should be known across the world as "The Amber Special".


That leads us to how you can help keep her memory alive. If you find yourself having the opportunity to order a beer and a shot together, make sure to call it "The Amber Special" and explain to the bartender why. It is really amazing how things like this can become viral.


I encourage you to have "The Amber Special" in honor of Amber on September 3 which is the day she left us. But only this year! From then on the day to have them going forward is her birthday - November 11. If you want to make it extra "Amber" be sure to stick an already chewed piece of gum on the side of your glass to save for "later".

Another great way to honor her life would be to become an organ donor. Amber was an organ donor but the realities of actually donating your organs is very complicated. Thankfully she was able to give the gift of sight to one or two people. That being said, you do not have to wait until the end of your life to give. Almost everyone is eligible to be a bone marrow donor and it is a very simple proceedure to register. I encourage you to click here to find out more. Amber was a very selfless and generous person so this is an amazing way to honor her memory.


I miss you girl.

The Bachelorette Dinner, Part 5

Yes, the most recent season of The Bachelorette is over (thank goodness) but there are still some delightful dishes to share! This particular week we supplemented our homemade dishes with Trader Joe's Balsamic Rosemary Chicken. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it for a quick and delicious dinner.

Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing

3 cups kale, chopped

1/2 cup edamame, shelled

1/2 cup garbanzo beans

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

3/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced & pitted

1 green onion sliced

1/4 cup fennel seed

handful parsley, chopped

Tahini Dressing

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, roasted

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl.

2. Combine dressing ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. Just prior to serving, add a little water to dressing while stirring constantly to thin out.

3. Top with dressing and mix well.

Caprese Style Couscous

1 cup whole wheat couscous

20 mini heirloom tomatoes

1/3 cup fat free feta

6 large basil leaves, chiffonade

splash olive oil

sea salt

ground pepper

1. Cook couscous according to package instructions. Allow to cool.

2. Cut up heirloom tomatoes into small pieces.

3. Combine couscous, tomatoes, feta and basil.

4. Drizzle with olive oil and top with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Stir and serve.

Iron Chef West Hollywood, Part 3

As promised, here is the best in the recent "Iron Chef West Hollywood" series! The secret ingredients were: portobello mushroom, kale, chopped cucumber, roasted garlic, red grapes and almonds. Yes, these were a lot of items to work with but that don't really go together. Once I had the secret ingredients I did a quick scan of what I had and decided that kale and tomatoes went together. This brought me to Real Simple's Enhanced Recipe Search where I found the great pasta dish below! We made some changes (of course) so rather than write out the entire recipe, I have just noted our changes.

Whole-Grain Spaghetti with Garlicky Kale and Tomatoes

1. As we were only making two servings, we adjusted portions of ingredients accordingly.

2. Ingredient substitutions: baby heirloom tomatoes for grape tomatoes, roasted garlic for regular garlic, and parmesan for pecorino cheese.

3. Prep changes: Since the garlic was already roasted, we did not saute this at the beginning of the recipe. Instead it was added towards the end to heat through. Also, we did not combine everything with the pasta but rather place the kale/tomato/red onion/garlic mixture on top of the pasta. We then garnished with parmesan cheese, almonds, salt and pepper.

Cucumber & Grape Salad

Please note that measurements are approximate.

1 cup cucumber, chopped

1 cup red grapes

1/3 cup fat free feta

olive oil

2 tablespoons mint, chopped

sea salt

1. Combine cucumber, grapes, feta and mint.

2. Drizzle with olive oil and top with coarse sea salt.

3. Stir and serve.

This salad was so delicious and refreshing! It is a perfect warm weather salad and will keep well in the heat.

Portobello Mushroom with Balsamic Reduction

1 portobello mushroom top

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1. Place portobello mushroom and balsamic in a saute pan and cook over medium heat.

2. Turn the mushroom regularly to make sure it is cooked through.

3. Watch temperature and balsamic closely as the balsamic may reduce faster that you expect. Add additional balsamic if needed.

4. Once mushroom is cooked through, discard the remaining balsamic reduction or use for another purpose. The mushroom will have soaked up an adequate amount.