Isaplan
Member Since: March 2, 2017Reviews
California Delicious Golden State Gourmet Foods Gift Basket
There is nothing more exciting for me than food. I love to cook, but more importantly, I love to eat. I can't say that I love anything more than trying new foods. Even better is when I don't have to make them. Although I do love to cook... +
There is nothing more exciting for me than food. I love to cook, but more importantly, I love to eat. I can't say that I love anything more than trying new foods. Even better is when I don't have to make them. Although I do love to cook, sometimes a gift basket of snacks is just the best gift you could get. Today I was gifted a California Delicious Golden State Gourmet Foods Gift Basket. I was able to try out the 8 pound box.
It has so many amazing goodies in it. It was hard for me to stop and get pictures before eating it up. It was also rather hard to fight off the family. I did end up sharing it though. Small confession. I opened these when only the 1 and 2 year olds were awake. The other 6 were asleep. That ended up with me not sharing too much. Shhhhhh!
So, what was in this gift box?
In this box I got to snack on:
Sonoma Cheese Straws
California Pistachios
Sonoma Jacks Parmesan Peppercorn Cheese Wedges
Almond Roca
Ghirardelli Creamy Milk and Caramel Chocolate Squares
Rustic Bakery Crackers
Chocolate chip cookies
California Dried Fruits and Nuts
Santa Barbara Pimento Martini Olives
Premium Chocolate Rolled Wafers
and Sparkling Apple Cider
I had never tried some of these snacks. I had never heard of a cheese straw or Almond Roca before. I had tried cheese wedges, but never the parmesan peppercorn wedges. I guess I'm sheltered, or maybe I have just missed out on a huge piece of snack food heaven. I'm not sure, but I was thrilled to open this California Delicious gift box!
The first thing I tried were the California Pistachios. Well, I tried a few of them and lost them to my husband. Ha ha ha ha! He LOVES pistachios. They were just amazing too. There's something about pistachios where they MUST be in their shell before you eat them. These were perfect.
Next I tried the cheese straws. As I said, I hadn't heard of these before, so I was kind of thinking they would be straw shaped. I was wrong! They are cute little cheese biscuits. They were a little dry, but they had a lovely cheese flavor. I thought at the end I noticed a spice. My throat started to have just a tiny burn. I checked the ingredients, and at the end was Cayenne Pepper, so I was right! It's not spicy hot. It just has a tiny bit of heat. Come to find out, my 1 year old loves these. I shared a few, but I might have to hide the rest.
As I'm eating the cheese straws, hubby decides to try out the olives. He really liked them. I'm not an olive fan. Especially green olives, so I'll leave that for him. However, he found them very good. He did discover to not try the cheese straws when you still have the olive flavor in your mouth. It wasn't a good mixture. It was funny though.
My next snack was the fruit and nut mixture. Ok, so I'm in love with fruit and nut mixtures. I even went and put it in my own little bowl to savor it... while giving part of it to my two littles who seem to love them too. It was full of dried cranberries, raisins - golden seeded, pineapple, papaya, almonds, and my favorite of the surprises was the dried blueberries. This was amazing and I could have easily eaten a pound of it.
I then gave the chocolate chip cookies a try. These are the crunchy type of chocolate chip cookie. They are super sweet and perfect for that sweet craving. It was a great little cookie snack and I love the tiny little chocolate chips in them. There weren't too many, so I didn't get melted chocolate on me. However, there were enough to have the chocolate flavor in the cookie. Mmmmmmm.
The chocolate rolled wafers and my favorite of the sweet snacks. I've always had a place in my heart for these. The box had 3 wafers. The house was a little warm tonight, so the chocolate inside was melted and creamy. The cookie wafer was crunchy and chocolaty. I was sad as I was writing this because I had just been eating one. I reached out and realized I had already eaten it. **sad face**
The Ghirardelli chocolate and caramel candy. What more can you say but that it is elegant. I love the creamy chocolate and the delicious caramel inside. I love to just let it mix in my mouth for that mixture of the perfect combination of flavors. One of the best chocolate candies.
I got to the almond roca. The box had 2 in it, and I pulled one out and opened the wrapper. I chucked for a moment. Inside that wrapper was another wrapper. So, I opened that wrapper and saw something familiar! I had tried these before! It's a toffee candy covered in chocolate and crushed nuts. These are wonderful if you like toffee. I'm a big toffee fan. Covering it in chocolate and nuts is just icing on the cake.
The parmesan peppercorn cheese and sourdough crackers. I'm going to do these together because, well, cheese and crackers. They must go together. The cheese is the soft style spreadable cheese. It is very mild in flavor, but has a lovely parmesan flavor that I can definitely find easily. The peppercorn gives it just a little of that peppery kick of flavor that match perfectly with one another. The crackers are great. They are hard crunchy flat bread pieces. Some are still together in the sheet of bread, unbroken from their original baked form. My husband didn't care much for them, but I actually preferred to just snack on them like little crackers or bread "chips".
The last is the Organic Sparkling Apple Cider. Unfortunately for me I loved this a little too much. It was delicious, and I'm going to have to start buying this or finding a way to replicate it. It was like fresh apple cider, only carbonated. It was my absolute favorite of the entire basket. Seriously, it was just delicious.
If you can't finish it, or want to keep some for later, it has a plastic resealable cap over the pop cap. That way it keep it fresh and ready for next time. It was hard to take off again, so I just used a bottle opener again and popped it right off.
I really did enjoy this gift basket. It was full of sweet and salty. It's a perfect gift for friends, family, employees, teachers, or anyone that loves to try a variety of foods.
I received this gift basket in exchange for my review. All thoughts and experiences were my own (as well as the help of my family for optional opinions).
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Amore di Mona Connoisseur Collection Dark Chocolate & Caramella Gift Box
I love trying different types of chocolates. However, this is one type of chocolate that I hadn't tried before. The big thing that made these chocolates different is that these are vegan chocolates. They are GMO free, and Non-GMO Project... +
I love trying different types of chocolates. However, this is one type of chocolate that I hadn't tried before. The big thing that made these chocolates different is that these are vegan chocolates. They are GMO free, and Non-GMO Project Verified. They are also free of gluten, sesame seeds, wheat, soy, eggs, corn, peanuts and tree nuts, as is the facility they are made in. They are organic, all natural, kosher, Fair Trade, preservative and artificial coloring free, and sweetened with raw, organic, Fair Trade Madhava agave nectar.
I must say that I really love the boxes that these chocolates came in. They are very elegant and beautifully packaged. They come wrapped very securely and sealed with a wax seal (which I'm pretty sure is actually rubber as it doesn't break when bent). The chocolates, when removed from their main box, are wrapped in paper and with the gold seal, and the Amore di Mona Connoisseur Collection Dark Chocolate & Caramella Gift Box was also wrapped with gold foil.
The Amore di Mona Connoisseur Collection Dark Chocolate & Caramella Gift Box is lovely. The candies in them are very tasty. I was actually very surprised at how much I liked these, as I wasn't sure what to expect with vegan chocolate. The chocolates are very different in flavor from one another. In the gift box I received 4 heart dark chocolate, 2 heart dark chocolate with currants, and 2 heart dark chocolate with coffee beans. I also received the rectangular chocolates in the flavors of caramela, caramela with cranberries, caramela with cherries, and caramela with coffee beans.
The caramela with coffee beans were my favorite. I am a huge coffee fan, and these hit the spot. They are a little chewy, with coffee bean pieces that gave it a really nice coffee flavor. The cranberry and cherry flavors give the caramela a nice extra bit of sweetness to the dark chocolate. The hearts with the coffee and currants were also very good. The coffee was perfectly balanced with the dark chocolate, and the currants added a nice touch of sweetness to the bitter of the chocolate. The regular chocolate chocolates and caramela were good, but probably my least favorite. Only because they were more of an unsweetend flavor than I am generally used to. I love dark and extra dark chocolates, but they needed just a little more sweet added to them for me.
I also discovered that I liked these partially soft. I usually freeze or refrigerate my chocolates. I tried that with these, and they tasted almost grainy. When I left them out on my counter in the warmer room, they were soft and the texture was completely different. The softness of the chocolate made it more creamy and a much better feel in my mouth.
The box came with a tag that showed all the different flavors of the chocolates, so you can easily distinguish between the flavors and pick out the ones you want to try first.
The 3 Piece Party Favor Gift Box was one that I enjoyed quite a bit. There were 3 different flavors in there. One I picked out immediately was the chocolate with coffee bean. The nice flavor of the coffee was distinct and I was able to pick it out quickly. The others were the caramela and the caramela with cranberries. Both were very good. The caramela was a good chewy texture, and the caramela with cranberries was a little sweeter than the other 2 in the box, making it a nice finish.
I received these free in exchange for my review.
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Hall's Candies
The Assorted Fudge gifted from Hall's Candies was really amazing. I have made fudge, and I have purchased all kinds of fudge. Making fudge is a little tedious, and the kind I make requires it to stay cold. Otherwise it melts. Some of my more... +
The Assorted Fudge gifted from Hall's Candies was really amazing. I have made fudge, and I have purchased all kinds of fudge. Making fudge is a little tedious, and the kind I make requires it to stay cold. Otherwise it melts. Some of my more recent experiences with the fudge I've purchased has been a fudge that was more of a strange chewy texture. When I opened the box of Hall's Assorted Fudge, I was wondering what type of fudge I was going to eat.
I will say that I was more than pleasantly surprised by the taste, texture, and quality of this fudge. This was right up there with the high quality fudge I had purchased in expensive fudge shops. The fudge was delicious. I had to try the Chocolate Walnut first. That is my all time favorite flavor. The fudge was moist, yet it broke apart when I bit it. It wasn't chewy like caramel, as I had with other brands. The walnuts were good sized and spread throughout the large piece of fudge.
There were 8 varieties of fudge in the box. I had 2 pieces of Chocolate, Vanilla, Chocolate Walnut, Maple Walnut, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Layered Peanut Butter (chocolate on bottom and peanut butter on top). Then I had 1 piece of the Panuche Walnut.
I loved each one of these. The Chocolate was perfectly chocolaty. The Maple Walnut had a good maple flavor that reminded me of breakfast and maple syrup. The Peanut Butter flavors were a lovely surprise, as they were not overly peanut buttery in flavor. They were the perfect strength for me. Overall, these are my top favorite fudge I've had.
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Graco Fit4Me 65 Car Seat
As a mother of 10, I have been through a lot of car seats. I've tried many out over the 18 years of being a mother, and I've learned a lot about car seat safety. I've learned about the straps and how tight they should be, and how you shouldn't... +
As a mother of 10, I have been through a lot of car seats. I've tried many out over the 18 years of being a mother, and I've learned a lot about car seat safety. I've learned about the straps and how tight they should be, and how you shouldn't wash them. I've learned about not using the head cushions you purchase in stores. I've learned about the chest clip height. I also discovered over the years that my car seats have expiration dates. There is so much more, but those are the basics.
I was able to try out a new car seat with my son, Zechariah back in September of 2015. The car seat is over a year old, and my thoughts are the same now as when I first got it. It is still his favorite car seat. It is so comfortable for him, and he loves to go places so he can be in his Graco Fit4Me 65 car seat.
I am really impressed with the Fit4Me 65 Convertible Car Seat. The first thing I noticed when I pulled it out of the box was how cushioned it was for my baby. He was 17 months old, and 22 pounds. It fits babies and kids rear facing from 4 to 40 pounds, and 20 to 65 pounds forward facing, so I knew it will last him a long time. It is so comfortable feeling, and the head cushion is really nice, but very easily removable by just sliding it out from behind the headrest. I debated taking it out, but my little guy really liked it, so it stayed in. He was so excited to get this seat. Before we put it in our van, if his bigger sister or brother tried to get in it he would cry.
I absolutely love that the height is easily adjusted with the handle on the top. I don't have to take the seat completely apart and move the straps. This is a huge plus for this seat. I did have a little trouble figuring out how to move the buckle by his legs that the other belts click into. I finally figured it out and got it quickly changed to the correct spot for him. The belts are easy to loosen and tighten, but they don't move unless you push the button by baby's feet where the belt adjustment is located to loosen or pull to tighten the belt for him.
The ability to recline the seat with the pull of a handle is great. I have to have it reclined when in the rear facing position in my van. I put him in it, and was able to adjust the the correct position in seconds.
The cup holder is just too cute. It's perfect for holding a bottle, sippy cup, snacks, spit up rag, or even toys or a pacifier. It's nice to have that extra spot where something can be held within reach of baby or of someone sitting next to baby. The pattern is just lovely. I really like the blue of this seat. It's not too bright, and very pleasing to the eye.
Last, but not least, is the easy to remove cover. It is made so that you can easily take the cover off to clean it in the situations that always happen with sick kids, diaper blow outs, spilled drinks or snacks, or just gets dirty from normal use. The seat is attached in different areas with touch tape, and can be removed and reattached without the huge hassle that other seats have always had. This is the easiest car seat I've ever owned when it comes to getting it all adjusted for correct positioning. Everything is so simple and very user friendly.
I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to try this car seat. I received it free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. All opinions and experiences expressed are my own.
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Ozeri 5-Piece Stainless Steel Knife and Sharpener Set, with Japanese Slotted Blades
I've been using my new 5 piece knife set from Ozeri, that I was able to test and review, for a few weeks. This box set comes with a 8" Chef Knife, 8" Slicing Knife, 7" Santoku Knife, and a 3.5" Utility Knife. The wooden knife case also comes with... +
I've been using my new 5 piece knife set from Ozeri, that I was able to test and review, for a few weeks. This box set comes with a 8" Chef Knife, 8" Slicing Knife, 7" Santoku Knife, and a 3.5" Utility Knife. The wooden knife case also comes with a knife sharpener on the top corner.
Now, I'm going to start out saying that I had low expectations for these knives. So far, I have tested multiple knives. Only 1 has been a quality knife. When I pulled these knives out, I'm going to say that I was more than impressed. I was very surprised. These are very sharp knives. I easily cut through my completely frozen filet mignon. My other knives would have serious issues, even after sharpening them. These slice right through.
When cutting onions, it's just like on tv when the chef is slicing quickly with ease. So far, these are holding up wonderfully.
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