Review/Giveaway: Old Trapper Beef Jerky

Out here in the hills of Western Maryland and South Central Pennsylvania, dried meat is a ubiquitous staple in every convenience store or gas station one encounters. Not just your token Slim Jim at the register—you usually get a “meat aisle” that rivals the candy aisle in variety, and you’d be surprised at some of the quality available at your average Sheetz.

As a kid, my dad used to go on a lot of hunting trips. My mom expressly forbid him to hang deer carcasses in the garage or process his own conquests, so he would take them to the butcher and return with various goodies. The jerky and the dried chipped venison were always the best.

Maybe I have been spoiled, but store-bought jerky has always sort of been a consolation prize.  It’s usually sort of shoe-leathery and has that distinct MSG flavor—something that a lot of people (who are not me) actually enjoy.  So, when I do eat it, I want the ingredients to be as close to that childhood jerky as possible.

I recently had the opportunity to try Old Trapper Beef Jerky for review.  Old Trapper is an Oregon-based company that has been in the bee jerky business for over forty years, using, as they say on their site, "the best lean strips of beef, freshest seasoning ingredients, and real wood-fired smoke".  

They sent me a generous bag (10 oz) of their Traditional Style Old Fashioned Beef Jerky, as well as a smaller bag of their teriyaki flavor.

The ingredients in the Traditional Style are thus: Beef, Brown Sugar, Water, Salt, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Vinegar, Flavorings, Sodium Nitrite.

Okay, not too bad in terms of jerky. “Hydrolyzed corn protein” is essentially a natural source of MSG, while Sodium Nitrate is contained in practically all cured meats.

I was slightly disappointed with this discovery, because I was somehow under the impression that “naturally wood smoked” meant “absence of nitrates”.

Old Trapper makes its jerky using quality sliced steak, and bits of gristle and fat were pleasantly absent.

The texture is notably more moist and tender, and chewy without being tough. The brown sugar gives it a slightly sweeter flavor than most, and the vinegar a little bit of tanginess. It is fairly highly seasoned, in my opinion—it could have been a bit more subtle, but that’s just personal taste.

The Teriyaki flavor punched this up to the next level.  The ingredients here are:

Beef, Soy Sauce [Water, Soy Sauce Powder (Wheat, Soybeans, Salt, Maltodextrin) Sodium Benzoate], Brown Sugar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Salt, Flavorings, Sodium Nitrite.

Nothing personal to Old Trapper, I just don’t particularly care for teriyaki. It’s a flavor profile that I find kind of “meh” in general, on anything.

For people who love that super-sweet and salty flavor, this will be a good choice, and  proved to be very popular with people I shared it with.

Of course, venison and beef are two distinctly different flavors, but I would say that Old Trapper is the closest to the butcher-shop quality that I’ve tasted in a store-bought beef jerky, and it should appeal to jerky connoisseurs anywhere.

In addition to Old-Fashioned and Teriyaki, they also currently carry Peppered Jerky, Hot & Spicy, and Original Beefsteak, which is cut into thick strips so that it retains a chewy, meaty quality.

They also offer a number of other snacks, including snack sticks and deli-style sausages in a variety of flavors, as well as snack boxes and an option to make a subscription-style recurring order.

Aside from their products, the website itself is a fun place to visit - the "Old Trapper" himself has his own biography, as well as a series of entertaining video commercials sure to make you laugh.

Old Trapper is generously offering a sample pack of at least 6 of their most popular snacks to one lucky winner in the US. Keep reading to see how you can enter to win!

http://oldtrapper.com/
https://www.facebook.com/oldtrapper
https://twitter.com/old_trapper
https://www.instagram.com/old_trapper/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLd2nihEzChwm0uhFAba3Jw

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning. (If you don't leave a comment, any additional entries will be void.)

This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY and will end just before midnight ET on 2/24. 

The winners will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Good luck!

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Review/Giveaway: Joanne's Cocoon Bar Soaps

I have hair and skin that dries out significantly, then explodes into an oily mess if I use body products that contain sulfates. Artificial fragrances tend to make me itchy as well, so I try to stick to products that include as little nonsense as possible. Bar soaps usually contain fewer ingredients, and often times fewer ingredients equals less irritation.

People are attracted to liquid body washes because they tend to have more lather (which they associate with “clean”—not necessarily the case) and the scent tends to last longer because the perfumes used have more staying power, but are also more irritating to the skin.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) as well as other sulfates are what are responsible for the lather in your body wash, shampoo, and even toothpaste. Unfortunately for those who are sensitive, they can also be harsh and drying to the skin.

Bar soap is nice in that it doesn’t generally contain SLS or any other sulfates to produce lather. The problem with most bar soaps, however, is the “tightness” feeling you get from the strength of the soap.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the soap from Joanne’s Cocoon has none of those issues.

I received a generous supply of 14 bars of soap to try out, two of each scent. So for this, I gave some to my mom to try, who does not have explosively sensitive skin, but who is somewhat picky in her scent preferences.

One thing in particular that I noticed about all of the soaps is that they last, without softening into a squishy mass that splats and goes down the drain if you accidentally step on it (oddly specific, yes, but this is a thing that I have experienced).

All of the soaps are organic, made with goat’s milk, natural essential oils and tinctures. Most of them actually contain bits of plant matter in them as well, which I think is extremely cool. I used each with a bath puff and they lathered well without having to go back for more, and they didn’t have that drying, tight feeling that most bar soaps have.

Each bar has it's own personality and purpose.

Espresso Enfold— an exfoliating bar with coffee, vanilla, and cacao: This one smells like creamy coffee and the most like food. I’m not a big fan of dessert-type scents as a personal preference, but would be good for someone who likes that sort of thing.

Orange Cloak—Orange, French red clay, calendula: Fresh orange scent with a slight hint of cloves. Calendula leaves are pressed into the soap.  These ingredients work together to encourage skin elasticity and hydration, making for an excellent anti-aging soap.

Mint Wrap—Spearmint, rosemary, peppermint: In the words of my mom, “this smells like chewing gum”. Astringent, minty and kind of tingly, but not for everyone. Dried mint leaves are pressed into the soap.

Swathe of Herbs –Patchouli, juniper berry, and tobacco tincture: This one probably sounds the weirdest, but is a great combination. I suppose this could be considered the most “rustic” of all of the scents, but all temper each other. Definitely one of my favorites, this bar is excellent for soothing combination to oily skin.

Citrus Case—Lemon, lime, and tangerine: This is mom’s favorite. Light and refreshing, it’s supposed to be the skin-clearing bar. I haven’t used it long enough to determine how well it clears the skin, but it smells great.

Lavendula Cover—Lavender, Benzoin, and bergamot: Mom doesn’t like the scent of lavender as a personal preference, too English-teacher-old-ladyish for her. I like it the best, though, and the bergamot gives it a floral-but-not-too-sweet balance.  This soap is designed to treat dry skin and excema.

Honey, I’m Home—Honey and Oatmeal: This one doesn’t have much of a scent, but was noticeably more moisturizing than the others. Actual oats are pressed into the soap. This would probably be good for someone with skin irritation or dry skin issues.

The scents of each of the bars are great, but don’t have staying power for very long after the shower. Such is the nature of natural scents, however. You get to enjoy them in the bath and then they’re done. If you want something that will stay in your pores for any length of time, you’re going to have to buy a liquid detergent, and your skin doesn't want you to do that.

Each bar of Joanne's Cocoon soap costs $4.75, and is available on either their website or on Etsy. Joanne's also sells 3 two-pack sets of bars that go well together for $9.99:

~ Enrich / Even Tone Set (Lavendula Cover & Honey, I'm Home)
~ Exfoliate / Anti-Aging Set (Espresso Enfold & Orange Cloak)
~ Refresh / Rejuvenate (Mint Wrap & Swathe of Herbs)

Joanne’s Cocoon has generously offered to give away one (1) two-pack of your choice to three lucky readers in the US. Keep reading to see how you can enter to win!

https://www.joannescocoon.com/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/JoannesCocoon/
https://www.facebook.com/JoannesCocoon/
https://www.instagram.com/joannescocoon/

To enter the giveaway, you must leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY and will end just before midnight ET on 7/27. 

The winners will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Once the winners have responded and confirmed, their first names will be posted on our Giveaways  page.

Good luck!

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Review and Giveaway: Old School Favorites

I have always been an avid label-reader. This is a habit that was ingrained into me since childhood by my mother, who read the ingredients on every single package that she considered purchasing to check for various evils. Her pet loathed substances were BHT and aspartame; to this day she actually expresses guilt for buying my brother and I the occasional Lunchables as children, unwittingly exposing us to nitrates and other additive horrors. (I routinely assure her that I survived the ordeal without too much trauma, to little effect.)

Anyway. Once you start, it is impossible to kick the habit of being aware of the garbage you are putting into your body. While healthier and more organic choices are becoming more readily available these days, there is still So. Much. Crap.

I mean, think about it. There is stuff out there in boxes and bags that is saturated so heavily in chemical preservatives that even bugs refuse to eat it. That’s pretty gross. I will not cram that fake stuff in my facehole. (On a side note: once you start eating actual food, eating junk food will taste gross. And possibly make you feel ill.)

You don’t have to worry about any of that with Old SchoolFavorites. The concept behind Old School Favorites’ gourmet nuts and chocolate sauces is one of taking it slow, using fresh, quality ingredients in small batches, “the old school way”. The ingredients are pretty simple: fresh cream, butter, Madagascar vanilla, sea salt, cocoa, stoneground Taza chocolate. No artificial additives or preservatives. And, most of all, you can actually taste how exponentially better the real thing is.

I received a package that included one bag of the Nutsz Maple Walnuts, an 8 oz jar of original Chocolate Szauce, and a 4 oz jar of each the Peppermint Chocolate Szauce and Cayenne Chocolate Szauce. (The also carry a Caramel Chocolate Szauce)

The chocolate is dark and very “real”. If you’re accustomed to Hershey’s chocolate flavored corn syrup, this blows it right out of the water. The flavor was very subtle in the peppermint variety, and the cayenne had a kick, but wasn’t too spicy, for me, anyway. If you’re an absolute wuss in the spice department, consider the other flavors.

The Nutsz are maple-walnut crack. Sweet and slightly salty, you can sprinkle them on ice cream, eat them in yogurt, or shovel them down right out of the bag.

 The Szauce itself is very thick and frosting-like in texture, so if you intend to serve it over ice cream or use it to a pourable effect, you should heat it briefly in the microwave -- not too long or it may burn. However, if you’re going to shamelessly eat it out of the jar like myself, dig right in.

One warning: the products will disappear quickly, so it’s perhaps better suited to gifting purposes unless you intend on buying it by thecase. Old School Favorites makes custom gift baskets and personalized labeling.

My package arrived right before the big East Coast snow storm a couple of weeks ago, and between members of the household and guests, the Szauce(s) and Nutsz disappeared literally overnight, save for a bit of the cayenne that I saved for a delicious cup of my Winter Warmer:

Winter Warmer -- 
Cayenne Hot Chocolate

1 heaping tablespoon of Old School Favorites Cayenne Chocolate Szauce

6 oz milk

1.5 oz brandy or cognac

.5 oz chocolate liqueur

whipped cream

chili flakes

Heat milk. Stir in Szauce until thoroughly mixed. Add booze, and top with whipped cream and chili flakes. More chocolate and/or booze may be added to taste.

I do realize that by this point, oh readership, it’s closing in on springtime. But there are probably a few cold nights left in the Midatlantic, and no reasons not to drink booze-laden cayenne hot chocolate. I think my logic is sound, and once you try it, you'll agree.

Old School Favorites is generously offering one of our US readers a gift basket that includes one of each of their products, plus an apron or hat (your choice) as a giveaway for you, Dear Readers. You won’t be disappointed!  Read on to see how you can enter.

http://oldschoolfavorites.com

https://www.facebook.com/oldschoolfavorites/

https://www.pinterest.com/oldschoolfavs/

https://www.instagram.com/oldschoolfavorites/

https://twitter.com/oldschoolfavs

One winner in the US will win one gift set from Old School Favorites to include 1 each of their 4 Chocolate Szauce flavors, 1 package Nutz Maple Walnuts, and winners choice of either an Old School Favorites hat or apron.

To enter the giveaway, you must leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY and will end just before midnight ET on 3-21. 

The winner will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Once the winner has responded and confirmed, their first name will be posted on our Giveaways  page.

Good luck!

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How To Make Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise Sauce is made from butter and lemon juice held in creamy suspension by egg yolks, and usually relegated to the “horrible pain in the butt” culinary category. It’s often regarded as “kinda fancy” and the real stuff is something you only get in restaurants.

You can get the envelopes of awful powdered stuff in the chili-seasoning-and-powdered-gravy section of the grocery store, but that’s a poor substitute for the real deal.  I won’t fault anyone who knows it simply as, “that yellow stuff that goes on Eggs Benedict.”

I’ll let you in on why it’s dreaded: it’s easy to over-cook the egg yolks if you’re not careful, resulting in a clumpy, separated sauce that will not thicken. Also, it’s difficult to “hold” (keep warm without ruining) for long periods of time. Hollandaise should be served warm, not hot, and will separate if over-heated, therefore, even the stuff in restaurants is often (gasp!) bought pre-made.

There are a few techniques that can be used to hold the sauce or “bring it back” if it begins to curdle, and I’ll disclose them to you after we make our hollandaise.

And I think you'll want to make it - it is delicious and takes about 5 minutes to make once you get your technique down—no longer than making regular ol’ gravy. It is best served on asparagus, poached eggs (or eggs benedict) and fish. There are variants, such as béarnaise sauce, that are also delicious on red meat. I think you’ll find it’s well worth the trouble to learn how to do this.

Hollandaise Sauce
This recipe makes 1-1/2 cups of sauce.

You Need:

-A double boiler or (my favorite) an aluminum bowl over a simmering pot of water
-A wire whisk
-A pan of ice water*
-1 1/2 sticks melted butter
-2 tbsp cold butter, divided
-3 egg yolks
-1 tbsp lemon juice
-1 tbsp water
-Generous pinch of salt
-A little extra lemon juice, to taste
-Salt and white pepper, to taste

*The ice water is kept to the side. If the egg yolks start to over cook, plunge the bowl or top pot into the ice water to stop the cooking immediately.

Whip the egg yolks in the bowl off-heat for about 60 seconds until they become sticky. Add the 1 tbsp of lemon juice, water, and salt and beat for 30 seconds more.

Add 1 tbsp of cold butter and place the bowl over the pan of simmering water. Beat in the butter with the whisk until the butter melts and the contents thicken into a light cream. They will be done once you start seeing the bottom of the bowl or pan between strokes and the cream coats the wires of the whisk.  This should take 1-2 minutes.

Note: If the yolks start thickening too quickly or begin to suggest turning lumpy, plunge the bottom of the bowl or pan into the ice water, then put them back over the heat and beat a little more until they reach the proper consistency.

Add the last tbsp. of cold butter and remove from heat, beating the butter into the mixture. Beat in the melted butter by droplets, slowly at first, then a bit more rapidly until the sauce becomes a thick cream.

Season the sauce to taste with drops of extra lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Holding the sauce:

The sauce will hold nicely for about an hour if you keep the bowl or pan in a bowl of hot water once the sauce is done. If the sauce starts to separate, beating it a little bit should bring it back. You can also beat in 1 tsp. cornstarch into the yolks at the beginning.

If the sauce is too thick:

Add a tablespoon or so of heavy cream, milk, hot water, or stock to thin it out.

If the sauce will not thicken:

This method will always work. Rinse out a mixing bowl with hot water. Beat a teaspoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of sauce in the bowl with the whisk, then add the sauce a little bit at a time (half-tablespoons), beating in after each addition.

If the sauce breaks (separates):

Beating in about a tablespoon of cold water should bring it back, otherwise use the previous technique.

How to store and reheat:

Hollandaise will keep in the fridge for a couple of days or can be frozen. To reheat it, beat about 2 tbsp over hot water in a double boiler, adding the rest of the sauce gradually.

Variations:

Stirring in some fresh herbs such as dill or chives is good for fish.

To make a béarnaise sauce (which is basically a differently-flavored hollandaise that is suitable for red meats), use ¼ c of tarragon vinegar and ¼ c of white wine plus 1 tbsp. of chopped fresh tarragon (or ½ tbsp. dried) and 1 tbsp of minced shallots.

Boil and reduce to make 2 tbsp of liquid. Substitute the reduced liquid in place of the lemon juice in the hollandaise recipe. Sprinkle a little bit of tarragon on top. Adding 2-4 tbsp of tomato paste to a finished béarnaise sauce makes it “choron sauce”. These are great for steaks and red meat.

Enjoy!

Review & Giveaway: Savannah Bee Company

If you drop by Savannah Bee Company’s website, the first thing you’ll notice is that they’re certainly passionate about bees and all things bee-related. They have everything under the sun, from artisanal honey, raw honeycomb, soaps, gifts, and body products made from honey, propolis, royal jelly and beeswax, along with bee education materials and more.

You’ll definitely want to check out the Bee Blog, which includes all kinds of information about bees, beekeeping, honey and honeybee-produced ingredients, recipes—even mead-making!

One of the great things about all of Savannah Bee Company’s body care products is that they use 100% natural and organic ingredients when possible, and don’t use any of the “dirty dozen” cosmetic chemicals to avoid in personal hygiene products.

I was given one of their new arrivals to try out --Tupelo Honey Royal Jelly Body Butter. The body butter is made with royal jelly, a highly nutritious bee-superfood made by worker bees and eaten by the queen.

A little goes a long way with the body butter, and though the texture is thick and rich, it’s in no way greasy and absorbs into the skin well. I have rather oily skin and I didn’t find this to be obtrusive. The Tupelo Honey fragrance is probably best described as a natural, light, lemony, frosting-y smell. I confess I had a really hard time not eating it. It just smells like you want to put it in your mouth.

Savannah Bee Company also has their Original and Sensitive Skin Royal Jelly Body Butter formulas in addition to the Tupelo Honey, each available in the regular 6.7 oz size for $26.90, or you can get a 1.65 oz mini for $14.90.

I’m definitely going to check out some of their other stuff, including their Honey Crafting book and the mead series on the blog. (Sadly, while they do sell mead in their store in Savannah, GA, it’s not available online.)

There’s also a little product locator on their homepage, so you can just pop your zip code in and it will tell you of all the locations nearby that sell Savannah Bee Company products. Of course, you can always order online as well.

Savannah Bee Company has generously offered one large jar of Royal Jelly Body Butter as a Giveaway for you, dear readers.  Read on to see how you can enter - Good luck!

http://savannahbee.com
http://savannahbee.com/blog
https://www.facebook.com/savannahbeecompany/
https://twitter.com/savannahbeeco

To enter the giveaway, you must leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Rafflecopter below, then leave the name you commented under and your email in the box in the Rafflecopter entry. (This allows us to contact you if you win!) This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY and will end just before midnight ET on 1-27. 

The winner will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Once the winner has responded and confirmed, their first name will be posted on our Giveaways  page.

Good luck everyone!

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Review and Giveaway: Heskier's OneTool

“Everyone experiences pain, tenderness and tension in their bodies sometimes. We intrinsically know and can identify where in our bodies we hurt.” ~ About Heskiers One Tool.

I am in a line of work that has me on my feet for 6-8 hours at a time, often lifting and carrying things around, so I have plenty of painful, tense spots in my muscles upon which to test this product and, like many people, not a whole lot of extra time and/or cash lying around for professional treatments as often as I’d like.  

The Heskiers OneTool is an ergonomic massage tool designed not only for professionals to use in therapeutic massage and myofascial release treatments, but also for laypeople to use in self-treatment. This little doo-dad is designed to mimic the shape of the hand in order to more effectively apply pressure to the body with less effort and strain on your hands, and can help you reach places you wouldn’t physically be capable of doing yourself for self-treatment.

Upon opening the box, I found a very informative pamphlet (as well as a diagram in the lid!) explaining how the various shapes made by the tool correspond to hand positions to use on the muscle groups, as well as sample self-treatments.

There is also a wealth of information on the website about how to use it, including instructional videos. I highly recommend visiting the Heskiers YouTube channel and viewing their instructional videos.

I found the “How to Use” video especially helpful to view before rubbing yourself down; despite my best efforts with the diagrams, I wasn’t quite getting it at first:

Using the instrument takes a little practice, but I found it very effective for pain relief very quickly.

The (ok, oversimplified) process for a muscle knot is as follows:

1) find the crunchy spot in your muscle that’s giving you trouble.
2) press it down with the part of the implement that is easiest to get at the crunchy spot effectively and hold it for a count of 99 (approximately a minute and a half).
3) rotate the tool to a less pointy side and sort of lightly swipe it back and forth over the freshly pressed spot for a count of 99 (also approximately a minute and a half).

It’s important to hold/swipe for the proper amount of time for the treatment to be effective, and Martin Heskier explains the reasons for this in the aforementioned instructional video (so watch it, folks).

The only problem I found with this tool for myself is that I often lose focus and get bored counting to 99, so combating this meant setting a timer for a minute and a half while I glazed over and paid attention to something more interesting to my brain.

A rousing chorus of “99 Bottles Of Beer On The Wall”, while hilariously irritating to those around you, is unfortunately significantly longer than a minute and a half.

(In case you are curious, you can get to about 87 bottles of beer in the timespan of a minute in a half, but you absolutely cannot do so without bobbing from side to side, because it is physically impossible.)

Other treatments, such as those for the face and head, are a little more delicate and require a lighter touch. I watched the instructional videos for jaw tension and facial massage, not realizing that my jaw pain was actually an oncoming sinus issue (this happens to me sometimes).

So I followed the techniques shown in the video and felt better afterwards, then my sinuses just gushed a surprise post-nasal goo that did not sit well in my stomach. I don’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was an unexpected thing.

For the pro bodyworkers out there (or those thinking of becoming one) who are interested in learning more about the OneTool and the Heskier’s Method and possibly integrating these into their practice, the Heskier’s Academy is starting this spring, in April 2016.

A book on the Heskier’s Method is also being published at the same time. For more info on either of these, click here: Heskiers Academy.  

If you'd like to try one of these handy little tools, you can purchase directly from their site for $69.99 (free shipping within the US) in your choice of white, black or orange.  In addition, Heskiers is generously offering one tool to each of THREE of our readers in the US!  Read on to see how you can enter to win.

http://heskiers.com
https://www.facebook.com/heskiers/

https://twitter.com/@HeskiersOneTool

To enter the giveaway, you must leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Rafflecopter below, then leave the name you commented under and your email in the box in the Rafflecopter entry. (This allows us to contact you if you win!) This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY and will end just before midnight ET on 1-18. 

The winner will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Once the winner has responded and confirmed, their first name will be posted on our Giveaways page.

Good luck everyone!

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