Remington iCoffee Maker Review

We received this product free from Remington to facilitate this review.

Sometimes a girl just gotta have her coffee. My days get super crazy with 4 kids, 2 llamas, 3 horses, a bunny, mini pony, and a large dog! I am not a huge coffee drinker, but I tend to need some coffee to keep me sane some days. Most of the time though I don't care for coffee because of the bitter and acidic taste it leaves in my mouth.

Since I received the iCoffee Maker from Remington though, the bitter and acidic coffee has become a thing of the past in my home. This coffee maker is different from any other coffee maker since it uses rotational steam to brew to unlock the full flavor. The grounds never compact and instead are being stirred and steamed so you will get the rich full body and coffee crèma. Since it filters the coffee through a reusable Premium Goldtone filter the iCoffee will also save you money since there is no need for paper filters. The brew basket lifts out easily with its own handle and rinses clean simply (Don't forget to compost the coffee grounds!! They are great to add nitrogen to your garden.) While it is brewing you can watch the action of the steam and 6 rotational hot water jets as it stirs and rotates the coffee in a clockwise manner through the lit viewing window.

The carafe and water reservoir holds 12 cups total and both have fill lines on them to indicate how much water is being added and where the max fill line is. The carafe is glass and has a plastic flip up lid that is easy to maneuver while also holding the carafe handle. The carafe also has a clip on reusable optional filter that helps strain less of the finely extracted coffee essence (sediment) from the coffee grounds through that were extracted through the Premium Goldtone filter with the coffee. If you see sediment in the bottom of your cup after brewing, this is very natural, but the optional filter will help send less through.

There is a display panel on the front of the base where you can set the time and also tell that it is in brewing mode. iCoffee plays music to let you know that the brewing is done. From the display panel you have the option of turning the music off. It also has a warming plate that warms for up to 2 hours to make sure that your coffee doesn't get cold while sitting idol in the carafe. You can also program the brewer to delay the brewing and auto-start at a pre-selected time. After selecting a time you can press the auto start button on the display panel each day to have the brewer start at exactly the same time every day. It also has a pause and serve and an automatic shut-off feature.

iCoffee is very efficient and releases more flavor from the same amount of coffee, allowing you to use less coffee to achieve the same boldness. iCoffee drinkers report using less coffee to achieve desired strength and exquisite flavor.

The coffee that was brewed with iCoffee was smooth and rich tasting. It had exquisite flavor and full body. It tasted better than the coffee from my french press. I am so happy that I don't have any more bitter or acidic cups at home.

After 7 years and 1,257 prototypes you can rest assured that the makers of iCoffee didn't settle until they had perfection. This coffee maker is BPA and Lead free!

iCoffee is the cream of the crop crèma of the cup! :)

You can follow iCoffee on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received products for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Dog and Little Table Wins, Oven 0!

I have blogged about my very large dog that has neurotic behavior before. He loves to chase lights and shadows and it drives me and himself completely bonkers. He barks, whines and tries to scratch the floor or nip at the light. I have tried to stop him from doing this, but my husband and kids think it is funny and try to get him to engage in the behavior. He also does this with camera flashes, camera lights, flashlights, rainbow/sun catchers, sunbeams, laser pens, mirror balls, etc. I have yet to figure out a way to rid him of this habit.

Anyway, Sunday he was being his usual neurotic self and was scooting around a little table back and forth that we have set up in the kitchen for the girls to eat at. He was doing so to chase a light beam coming from my skylight in my kitchen. He can do this for hours on end and yes it does get annoying!

I didn't think anything of it because he's done this before and I was just trying to ignore him...wishing someone, ANYONE, would stop him. However; my kids were outside playing, the youngest napping and my husband at work. Where was I? I was sick from an awful head cold and lying down in my bedroom with a bunch of blankets over top of me in the dark trying to get some shut-eye. Even though I had taken pain medication and a whole slew of other things my sinuses still hurt, my body was still aching and I really didn't feel like moving. In the end I had to anyway.

All of a sudden I heard a crash. It sounded like an entire bag of rice was just emptied onto my kitchen linoleum floor. I flung off the covers to go see what had happened and to my astonishment the whole glass front of my oven door was in little pieces all over the floor. I saw the corner of little table close by and my dog, Prince, cowering on the opposite side. I blinked and put two and two together. My dog with the help of the little table he was scooting across the floor had broken my oven!!

I was shocked and even though I felt like I was on my death bed I immediately got to work. My poor dog...It probably scared the life out of him and then I scolded him and sent him outside. I did have to clean up all the mess though without him getting in the kitchen. 5-6 dust pans full later the mess was cleared. Glass was all over...you really don't see half of it from the angles I took in the pictures. The oven was toast.

On the bright side my good friends did remind me that grilling/barbequing season is right around the corner and I still have the use of my cook top on the stove and slow cooker/crock pot. My mom is also going to bring me a roaster to use in the meantime that apparently is large enough to hold a chicken too. So, we'll see how my cooking and baking gets interesting as I get accustomed to cooking and baking without an oven since we definitely can't afford a replacement right now.

So, what do I ask of my readers? I need recipes that do not take the oven. Yes I have a crock pot, but I need more recipes to use with it, so, give me ideas! Links or pins to recipes would be great! I am thinking that baking is going to become tricky. If y'all have any baking recipes that don't call for an oven I would be very appreciative! I will have to become super creative with that. Also, if any of you know of giveaways happening now for new ovens I would love to know about them! Thanks!

A Visit From the Fairy Hobmother

I received a visit in my email box from the Fairy Hobmother on June 21, 2012. Here is what was written:

Hi there!

I'm the Fairy Hobmother, spreading light and joy across the blogosphere with the help of talented bloggers like you! I stumbled across your comment on a post about me today and it was enough to entice me to take a look at your blog
http://finamoon.blogspot.co.uk

In recognition of your bloggish efforts I'd like to send you a gift in the form of a $50 voucher for Amazon!

All that I'd ask is that you mention me, and a little about what I do, in one of your blog posts. I don't need a whole post to myself, just a small note, and as an added bonus if any other bloggers comment on the post I may well be paying them a visit before long as well!

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in please let me know and I'll get things moving this end. In the mean time take care, and keep up the good work!

Matthew Mitchell

So, who is this Fairy Hobmother? He is a guy...yep who knew? He also works for Appliances Online, and loves to spread the word by giving gifts.

So if you have a blog of your own, be sure to leave a comment here on this post and with luck the Fairy Hobmother might visit you too! Just make sure you leave a way to be contacted (email or blog url). Check out these cool fridge freezers while you are online also so that he may share the love some more.

You can also follow him on Twitter.

Thank you so much Fairy Hobmother! I truly appreciate everything that you do for us bloggers!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: In sharing about the Fairy Hobmother and writing this blog post I am receiving $50 Amazon Gift Code. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this post.

CSN Stores KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Mixer Attachment Review

Since I am a CSN Preferred Blogger I received a $65 Gift Code free to use at their stores and review the item I got with it. Since I already had a KitchenAid stand mixer I decided to get the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Mixer Attachment. I was looking forward to making my own ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet and sherbet in the comfort of my own home. This attachment converts any* KitchenAid stand mixer into an ice cream maker. It creates up to 2 quarts in about 25 minutes. The dasher is powered by the KitchenAid and once you freeze the bowl in the freezer for at least 15 hours (18 hours or longer is better for less of a soft serve consistency) it is ready for you to add the mixture, mix it, then freeze it in the freeze bowl some more to get the thickness desired.

Using this attachment and making frozen desserts with it does take quite a bit of preparation too in advance. I have used a Rival motorized ice cream maker before that needed rock salt and ice. The Rival machine actually took less time (20-40 minutes) to make ice cream because you don't have to wait for the freeze bowl to freeze in the freezer. After the first batch is done & eaten and the bowl components are washed it is best to just leave the freeze bowl in the freezer so you are ready to use it again right away. Also, if you like to make more than one batch at a time a second freeze bowl is great to have around so you can alternate between them. If you don't mind the wait of freezing time in between batches and already have a KitchenAid stand mixer then this is an excellent choice for an ice cream maker. I made vanilla ice cream from the recipe in the booklet that came with it and it turned out fantastic. Very simple and easy to use. Just read the instructions in the booklet and follow them.

You will need to hand-wash the freeze bowl so no damage becomes of it, but the dasher, drive assembly, and adapter ring are all dishwasher-safe. It also comes with a 1-year hassle-free replacement warranty.

*US or Canadian mixers only. However if you have a machine from somewhere else you can call KitchenAid to possibly get some extra parts for this to make it work for you...or so I am told.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to CSN Stores for providing me with the $65 Gift Code free to use at their stores so that I could review the item I got with it. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this review.

Kitchenaid Rescue My Appliances Contest

 Win new appliances from KitchenAid^® (worth $7,000), Service Live Credits toward remodeling (worth $1,000), and a phone consultation with Susan Serra, their kitchen design expert (worth $200)! All you have to do is submit a photo of your old kitchen appliances HERE! Entries can be submitted from 10/5/10 to 11/2/10. From November 3rd to November 17th there will be public voting so rally your friends, family and readers to vote for your submission. Also, for each vote someone casts, you have a chance to win other great KitchenAid prizes. There is no purchase necessary. Click here for Official Rules.