Reviews – Page 11 – The Pajama Chef

Menu Plan + Old Factory Candles Review

November 9, 2014November 9, 2014 Sarah

Week of November 9

Sunday: beef stroganoff with egg noodles
Monday: mexican rice & black beans
Tuesday: leftovers
Wednesday: salad & baked potatoes
Thursday: out to eat
Friday: roast chicken
Saturday: some kind of pasta

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A few weeks ago I received an email from Old Factory Candles asking if I’d like to try their candle gift set for review. Ben is obsessed with candles so of course I said yes! They have a bunch of different scents–all sold in sets of three complementary scents on Amazon. They seemed like a great company, committed to natural ingredients and quality products. Their candles are made of soy wax and are hand poured. After much deliberation we chose the fall harvest gift set and quickly received three flavors in the mail: Pumpkin Spice, Cranberry, and Autumn Leaves. They arrived neatly packaged and they smelled wonderful! Nothing fake or headache-inducing. Just like fall in a box. 🙂

So, what did I think? Overall these were great candles. They claim to burn for 20 hours each–quite an accomplishment since each is only 2 ounces. I haven’t burned any of them for quite that long, but I’m guessing that’s fairly accurate based on the amount of wax left after burning for about 5 hours in one stretch. I have heard that candles in general burn better if you can let them go for a long stretch as opposed to short bursts [no idea if that’s true or not] and I could see that may be true here. The scents were perfect for fall and smelled good without being overpowering. Pumpkin spice seemed the strongest of the ones I tried, and that’s a-okay with me! The packaging is simple and attractive and would match any decor. I liked that the candles were just white instead of being some crazy color. No need to coordinate with decor. Now, the cost. Would I pay $25 for three small candles, even if they did burn 20 hours each? Well, that’s a toss up. Depends on the day, honestly, and how spendy I’m feeling. Most of the large jar candles are sold for over $20 so it may be a good deal after all. They giftwrap and are sold through Amazon so that’s a win right there! I’m glad I was able to try these candles. I think they’d be a great Christmas gift. Thanks for the opportunity!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary gift set of Old Factory Candles to try and review on my blog and on Amazon. I was not compensated for my time or to publish positive comments. My opinions are my own.

Reviews

Book Review: The River

October 27, 2014October 27, 2014 Sarah

Bethany House’s book review program is great. I love that it gives me the opportunity to read books that I normally wouldn’t choose on my own, like The River by Beverly Lewis. I hope you check it out!

Here’s a description of the book from the publisher:

She looked once more at the dreaded river. Since Anna’s death, it had been such a barrier…a place and a moment she could not seem to move past.

A line I can’t move beyond…

The River

Tilly and Ruth, two formerly Amish sisters, are plagued by unresolved relationships when they reluctantly return to Lancaster County for their parents’ landmark wedding anniversary. Since departing their Plain upbringing, Tilly has married an Englisher, but Ruth remains single and hasn’t entirely forgotten her failed courtship with her Amish beau.

Past meets present as Tilly and Ruth yearn for acceptance and redemption. Can they face the future in the light of a past they can’t undo?

My five point review as usual:

I know in the fiction world, the Christian fiction world especially, Amish novels get a bad rap. I know they aren’t REALLY representative of the Amish and I know they can pile on the cheese quite high at times, but I can’t help but like them. They’re great “escape” novels, for real. So why did I say that I probably wouldn’t have read this novel on my own? Well, because the author has written SO MANY novels… over 90, in fact. She’s an established author and has a lot of series, and sometimes with those sort of authors I get overwhelmed and lazy and don’t want to figure out where to start. Or I want to find THE BEST novel/series to start with and just get bogged down. But this standalone novel is totally worth the voyage to a new [to me] author and has encouraged me to seek out more of her work.
The best word I could come up with to describe this book is bittersweet. There’s so much love, yet so much tension in this family. So much good, yet so much bad. Isn’t that true of most/many families? The family is the main focus in this novel, and this family’s story is oh so bittersweet. So if you go into this novel looking for a happy-go-lucky novel with a bit of drama, change your expectations and then start reading. You’ll be sure to enjoy it.
I thought it was interesting that the story took place in 1977. It seems like most Amish novels are either timeless or present-day, so that was different. But since the author was so specific about when the story was set, I think it would have been helpful to have more dates in the story because it seemed a bit unrealistic all that took place over a period of a few weeks/months. Not a huge deal, but still worth mentioning.
The theme of forgiveness was quite prevalent throughout the story… and played a role in almost every character’s relationships with each other. The complex [and often conflict-filled] relationships were handled well, something that could have easily been confusing wasn’t.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It handled tough subjects tastefully, was well written, and was engaging. I could hardly put it down! I liked that the ending wasn’t [too] predictable. 🙂

What are you reading lately?

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book!

Reviews

Book Review: Captured by Love

October 3, 2014October 2, 2014 Sarah

Another book review! I have a stack to catch up on so bear with me. 🙂 Jody Hedlund’s newest book Captured by Love is awesome. I received it over the summer from Bethany House’s book review program and am glad for the chance to check out new books every month!

Here’s a description of the book from the publisher:

Michigan Territory, 1814. A voyageur and a young woman swept up in a time of upheaval and danger discover firsthand the high price of freedom.

The British Army has taken control of Michilimackinac Island and its fort, forcing the Americans to swear an oath of loyalty to the crown in order to retain their land. Pierre Durant is a fur trader who returns after being away from the island for years, only to find the family farm a shambles and those he cares about starving and at the mercy of British invaders.

Torn between the adventurous life of fur trading and guilt over neglecting his defenseless mother, Pierre is drawn deeper into the fight against the British–and into a relationship with Angelique MacKenzie, a childhood friend who’s grown into a beautiful woman. She now finds herself trapped by the circumstances of war and poverty, and the cruelty of her guardian, Ebenezer Whiley.

As tensions mount and the violence rages on, Pierre and Angelique must decide where their loyalties rest and how much they’ll risk for love.

My five point review as usual:

Though I’ve read Jody Hedlund’s books before and loved them, I was especially interested in this one because it’s set on Mackinac Island! I grew up visiting my grandparents in Midland, MI [where Jody is from] and going on vacation to their cottage on Higgins Lake. Our day trips, especially when it was raining, were to Mackinac Island. It was so fun thinking about those times as I read about the history of the island. Jody Hedlund’s writing is so descriptive and I wanted to be there on the island, even though the British occupation during the War of 1812 made life very difficult, especially during the long winter months.
I really enjoyed the storyline between Angelique and her guardian. If you read the description above, you might think that’s strange since he is so cruel. However, considering that this situation was probably a reality for many women throughout history makes me really sad…and I loved reading about her redemption from him by Pierre, as well as his brother, Jean.
There’s a love triangle in this book [when is there not?] between Angelique and Jean, who she promised herself to while Pierre is away and Angelique and Pierre, who she’s always been in love with but thought he’d never come home. Craziness, I tell ya. Though I like both men, I didn’t like the decision Angelique was forced to make. The relationship with Pierre was portrayed as fun and amusing, but I hate that Jean would have to be thrown under the bus for that relationship to succeed. I do appreciate that this relationship wasn’t determined by death as most wartime romances are. I won’t tell you what happens but it’s good!
In reading some reviews online I noticed that some people consider this book to be too racy or graphic. I thought it was fine, but you can judge for yourselves once you read it.
All in all, this was a great book. Intriguing, captivating, well written, and well researched. It was the location that drew me in and the characters that made me read it in two days. A great read! Check out this post if you want to hear more about why the author wanted to write the book. It’s fascinating!

What are you reading lately?

Reviews

Apothecary Extracts’ 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil

September 13, 2014September 13, 2014 Sarah

I recently was asked to to try and review Apothecary Extracts’ 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil. Now, I’ve heard a lot about essential oils over the past few years but I’ve always shied away from it because of the cost and because I am not the kinda girl to jump onto any old fad. But I’m always willing to try almost anything once, especially if it is free, so I said yes. I received my tea tree oil in the mail and then it sat on my baker’s rack, next to the mail tray, foreverrrrrr…

…until this past Wednesday when I got some weird bug bite on the back of my ankle that caused my entire ankle and foot to swell up like a balloon. Let me just say that it was not a pretty sight. I’ll spare you a picture. 🙂 But then I remembered the tea tree oil and all the ~~kookie~~ folks online who swear by treating their ailments with something a bit more natural than most medicines. I read in the informational e-cookbook that Apothecary Extracts sent me that tea tree oil has many healing properties, especially related to skin care and first aid. It’s a natural anti-microbial agent and can help with fungal, viral, and bacterial infections along with reducing inflammation [ewwwww]. So on Thursday, I mixed a dab of coconut oil and a few drops of tea tree oil in my hand and then rubbed the mixture over the bug bite and my ankle. It immediately provided a bit of cooling, therapeutic pain relief. I applied this mixture a couple times per day on Thursday and Friday, and the swelling definitely did go down–especially on Friday. Am I completely better? No, not yet. Did I use the oil alone? No, I also took some Benadryl, iced, and elevated. So while I can’t prove that the essential oil did anything on its own, I think it did help–even if it was just psychological [and sometimes, isn’t that half of it?]. Ben even tried the tea tree oil out to help with a few bug bites of his own and he said that he loved the smell and cooling sensation. In the past few days I’ve read online about tea tree oil and also have learned that it can help prevent lice. Since Ben is working as a teacher now, I don’t want him to bring any of those buggers home so I put a few drops in our shampoo to hopefully help with that. So all in all, I’m very pleased to have tried this tea tree oil. Apothecary Extracts is a great company to work with and I’m excited to try more uses for tea tree oil–a deep conditioner recipe is calling my name! I’m not sure I’ll ever become an essential oils junkie but since I am into eating well and using as many natural products as I can find and afford, the use of some essential oils in my daily life was probably going to happen at some point or another. Thanks to Apothecary Extracts for letting me try out your tea tree oil! It was a treat!

Disclosure: I received a complementary bottle of 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil to try and review on my blog and on Amazon. I was not compensated for my time or to publish positive comments. My opinions are my own.

Giveaways, Reviews

Healthy Solutions Spice Blends Review + Giveaway

September 5, 2014May 6, 2015 Sarah

I was recently contacted by Healthy Solutions Spice Blends about doing a review and giveaway of their products. I’m always a little hesitant to do reviews or giveaways of food products because I never want to feel obligated to promote something that I would not normally purchase or recipes I wouldn’t usually make. At first I thought I would turn Ethan down, nice as the request was since I usually don’t purchase seasoning mixes. But I clicked over to the website and quickly figured out that this company was nothing like what I wanted to avoid. The name should’ve clued me in, but it didn’t. Hahaha. Healthy Solutions is just as good as they sound, and they were founded by a mom so you know they’re legit! 🙂

Our line of 16 spice blends is made for today’s busy families that prefer having homemade meals over fast foods or frozen foods. Healthy Solutions Spice Blends offer families an affordable, but even more importantly, a healthy alternative in creating flavorful gourmet meals that can be prepared in minutes.

Their products are made only with high quality spices and no fillers, preservatives, or MSG. Most have no salt or sugar. When you open up the resealable packages, you can tell that this is the good stuff! They smell fresh and AMAZING, and each packet contains enough for multiple uses. I honestly was expecting to use a whole packet for one dish and was surprised that each can probably be used at least two or three times.

I got to try four varieties: Cajun Seafood, Salmon with Dill, Savory Meatloaf, and Authentic Chili/Tacos. Now, you guys know that I always make my own taco seasoning. I don’t know exactly what Healthy Solutions puts in theirs, but it is really great! I made a quick taco dinner on a recent Sunday night when we arrived home after a weekend away. As we reached Nashville, I was tempted to hit up some fast food since I knew there were slim pickings at home, but instead I asked Ben to stop at the grocery store. I purchased ground beef, tomatoes, and avocados, knowing I had tortillas, cheese, and lettuce at home, and within 20 minutes of arriving home after being away for three days, had a yummy taco dinner on the table. Having the seasonings already prepared is a huge time saver. Reading over this, I realize how contrived that sounds especially against that quote above. But I promise you, I didn’t set that situation up so I could have a nice little blog anecdote. Dinner was so much better than eating fast food! The other night, we also made some Cajun fish by sprinkling a little of the Cajun Seafood seasoning on some frozen white fish, then brushing with olive oil and baking for a bit. I forget what kind of fish it was, since Ben cooks the fish around here, but he LOVED it. To be perfectly honest with you, I didn’t. The seasoning was too spicy for me, but it smelled wonderful. I think I might try making some Cajun spiced chickpeas and seeing if I can handle that since I like chickpeas better than fish. So far, we haven’t tried the meatloaf or dill seasoning blends, though I plan to remedy that soon. Healthy Solutions includes tons of recipes and suggestions of how to use their products, both on the packages and online. I think for lunches next week I might make this dill egg salad… sounds delicious! I think that seasoning blend may also be great with tuna.

All in all, I’m now a HUGE fan of this company. They have affordable, high quality products that taste great and are healthy and convenient. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy their products myself in the future, and find it super convenient that they’re sold online with a flat shipping rate so you can stock up. 🙂 And I’m equally excited that one of YOU will get to try 4 varieties of their spices now too.

P.S. You should sign up for their Spice Healthy Eat Healthy Club to get a 20% off coupon for your next purchase!

You can enter this giveaway up to three [3] times by following the prompts below, and the winner will receive four [4] varieties of Healthy Solutions Spice Blends of their choice for free. Please be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry so it is properly counted.

Here’s how to enter:

Mandatory entry: go to Healthy Solution’s website and tell me in the comments what meat or seafood blend you would choose if you win.
Optional entry: Follow The Pajama Chef on at least one form of social media: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or Instagram and let me know which one you chose in the comments. Entries will be verified!
Optional entry: Follow Healthy Solutions on at least one form of social media: Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter and let me know which one you chose in a comment. Entries will be verified!

Entries will be accepted until Saturday, September 13, 2014 at midnight Central Time. One [1] winner will be selected randomly through Random.org and will be contacted via email soon after. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before an alternate winner will be chosen.

Giveaway open only to residents of the United States.

Thanks and good luck!