I like my radiators al dente!

I am not usually a great fan of pasta - I can take it or leave it if you know what I mean, but I recently had the chance to try a couple of items from the Garofalo pasta range so I thought I would have a go.

First of all I tried the spaghetti and made the obvious spaghetti bolognese and I have to say that I really enjoyed it! The spaghetti cooked easily and quickly and tasted really good.

I had intended to give the other packet to my husband, who is currently working away from home and so catering for himself, as he loves pasta, but I decided that I would try that one too.

The other one is called Radiatori - hubby said it was because it looked like little radiators and when I checked on the Internet I found he was right!

I cooked the pasta in boiling water and made a sauce with Quorn mince, tomatoes and mushrooms together with various flavourings and again it was a delicious meal!

So I started as one who wasn't bothered either way about pasta and now I am a convert - Garofalo is really tasty.

Is this rude or is it my dirty mind?

I got sent a Shake Weight to try, you see I’m on a health kick and had already gotten some Homedics Bathroom Scales and begun to lose weight, so seeing this I got sent a parcel and note saying “Shake Your Way to Summer Arms!”


Apparently it’s the Miracle Fitness Gadget that tones arms in only 6 minutes a day!

So summer is upon us, which means it’s time to come out from hiding and reveal what lies beneath my winter layers. The thought of short sleeves and even…eeek…strappy tops fills me with dread.... But now I hear there is no need to worry as the Shake Weight, especially designed for women, is the answer to my summer prayers!

The Shake Weight is a revolutionary new take on the dumbbell. The average dumbbell will build muscle in your arm but the Shake Weight is specifically designed to tone your arm as well as your upper body. The resistance movement creates up to 240 muscle contractions a minute which increases muscle activity by up to 300% ensuring you get a concentrated work out.

Due to the phenomenal increase in muscle activity, you only need to use your Shake Weight for six minutes a day. The new Dynamic Inertia technology enables the Shake Weight to move rapidly from side-to-side as the internal resistance and shaft bounce the weight back and forth.

Alex Gerrard is the new ‘face’ of Shake Weight according to the Daily Mail – also according to them, she giggled her way through the routine, as we did too.

Using the Shake Weight – feels well rather rude!! I’m saying no more, I’ll allow you to find out for yourselves, suffice to say my other half walked into the room whilst I was completing the six minute DVD and exclaimed “Oooh baby!!” with us both collapsing in heaps of laughter!

You too could get going and start to see visible results with toned arms that you will be proud to show off. My Shake Weight really does get arms toned, you can feel a good ache at the end of even the very first workout so long as you do it properly.

The Shake Weight™ retails at £29.95, does not require batteries and comes complete with a bonus workout DVD. Available from www.highstreettv.com and selected Tesco

Summer just got cooler with Extra® Chewy Mints

Caroline, a lovely PR lady sent us some mints to try, we liked them a lot.

Wrigley’s Extra Chewy Mints are a combination of sweet, chewy and minty to tantalise your taste-buds for the ultimate refreshing indulgence.

Each packet contains green and white coloured mints flavoured with - Peppermint, Spearmint, Sweetmint and Coolmint. They look like aqua coloured Skittles to be honest. A bit like when Pacers looked like aqua/minty Open Fruits or am I just showing my age now?

They were good for a hit of freshness after a meal, and very chic to have in a little bowl on the coffee table for guests to dip into.

Himself took some in the car with him and as we were quoted by the Wrigley’s PR “Extra® Chewy Mints are essential for every summer outing!” and yep we liked them on the move too

The PR also sent through some key dates where you can check out these lovely mints through the summer!
• National Picnic Day, 18 June – Grab your picnic basket and a bunch of friends
• Summer Solace, 21 June – Perfect excuse for a lazy Sunday in the beer garden
• Wimbledon Grand Final, 4 July – Join the crowds on Henman Hill
• National Kissing Day, 6 July – Get the girls together for speed dating with mints and lipstick at the ready
• Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 3 – 25 August – Get immersed in the largest arts festival in the world


RRP price in the UK 59p

Minty Facts of the Day...
Following last year’s Extra Ice Mints launch, the Mints Category saw growth for the first time in five years. The Extra mint brand delivered 67% of category growth in 2009 which equates to over £2.3m. In fact, Extra Ice Mints are up 31% YTD, which is double that of any other mint brand within the category.

Galloway Lodge - just right for a treat

A fridge well stocked

We’re on a bit of a, well not a healthy eating thang, but more of a GOOD eating thang… as you could see by the Simon’s Pie post we did a while back!

How I see it, a little of what you fancy does you good. Too much rich choccy or too many cakes and you’re fat, but just a little is OK.

Galloway Lodge Preserves is one such luxury.

They are a family run company in Gatehouse-of-Fleet in the heart of Galloway, devoted to making delicious marmalades, jams, chutneys, jellies and mustard for over 30 years and use only the finest ingredients and cook in small batches using traditional methods. This guarantees a quality product with an authentic taste.



We tried a Raspberry Jam made in very small batches of 18 jars using only the best quality fruit- Glen Ample Raspberries from Perthshire

We also sampled a marmalade too. A rich traditional marmalade made with medium cut peel. Pete liked this one best.

At £2.90 a jar they’re not the cheapest preserves on the market – but quite a good taste. We were impressed and loved our morning toast on the patio just a little touch more that week!

They’re nice as little gifts too, as the jars are very pretty.

For more information visit http://www.gallowaylodge.co.uk/home  

Well my nails are stronger!

I have recently tried a product called Vertese which was supposed to improve my hair, eyes and skin. It came in the form of a month's supply of tablets, one to be taken daily and the box of thirty tablets costs £4.25.

As I am a diabetic and already have to take a variety of tablets I was wary of taking any more but upon investigation I found that these were entirely natural so I decided to give them a go. Incidentally they are also suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.

The question is do they work? Well I have to say that I haven't noticed any difference in my hair, eyes or skin but I did notice an improvment in my nails!

I have a log burner and so I saw wood on a regular basis and my small garden is mainly rockery so when I have been working outside my nails are usually split and broken. However after I had worked out there yesterday for over two hours I noticed that my nails were still intact and looking better than usual.

Taking these tablets is the only thing that I can think of that I have been doing any differently so I can only put the added strength in my nails down to Vertese.

Mew the cat is being exhibited!

I thought you might like to know that Mew our handsome cat has had his portrait painted by Jan Keenan of http://www.jankeenandesigns.co.uk/ and the portrait has been accepted for the Summer Exhibition at The Public in West Bromwich.

Even better his picture has been chosen to grace the invite that are being sent out!

We have also submitted a photograph of Mew to the RNLI in the hope that he will be included in this year's cat calendar but we don't know whethger he has been sucessful yet - I will keep you posted!

Susan

Who ate all the pies????????????

The name of our blog is quite apt for this review!  Take a gander at http://www.simplesimonspies.co.uk/ and you could be in for a treat!

I like pies, which if you read yesterdays review - about the new bathroom scales, you'll know I like pies...... 

I'm not one for raving over a product just for effect, and I hope you know that my reviews are always unbiased, if these pies were mediocre...I'd say so.

BUT....  you have to taste one to believe just how good they are!  These are quite the most scrumptious pies I have ever tasted.  I wished there was a way for you to lick the screen you're reading just to try one little flavour, as words will not describe them adequately.

We tried a little selection.  Butter Bean and Brie - which hubby had to try and I have a strong dislike of cheese.  He said he would happily buy that again as it was lovely.  We had a Salmon and Broccoli, which was OK - hubby again liked it a lot but I would say "Hmmmm....quite pleasant".

I tried a Chicken and Tarragon - which quite frankly was delicious, and I am not happy to be writing about it so close to lunchtime today as its making me want another....(and we've run out now).    We also had an Aberdeen Angus and Mushroom - which was a delight - all the meat is just so tender!

But the absolute pinnacle of tastebud tingling gorgeousness was the Honeyed Venison Collops!  Oh my!! What a tender taste explosion!  I have no idea what a 'collop' is, but I knew what Venison was so banned any thoughts of Bambi whilst eating...

Each pie is made from a light pastry, enough for one person.  They have a little bed of potato at the bottom, which soaks up all the juices, and each pie is full to the brim of tender, high quality meat or veggies depending on the flavour chosen.

The only downside to the pies is the price, they're not cheap.  But you get what you pay for.  Quite frankly if they were cheap pies I would be living on them on a daily basis, as they taste so good, and I would weigh the same as a small elephant.  So to save me from this fate, they are a tad on the expensive side so they are kept for high days and holidays!!    As an example the Honey Venison Collop pie is one of the dearest at £5.30 - which is not a huge amount but then when I looked on the site they delivery charge was over £9 - so you'd need a big order to make the delivery worthwhile .... maybe club together with the neighbours!

The site http://www.simplesimonspies.co.uk/ is simple and easy to use, and introduces you to the lovely team that have made your tea!!