Blue Diamond Almonds - Little Gems of Tastiness!

Oh. My. Goodness.

Blue Diamond's Bold Habanero BBQ Almonds are freakishly good.

Seriously.

I'm positively addicted.

Ready To Stir Things Up? Stick Blenders!

I make a lot of things from scratch around here. In part, to save money...in part, for better health...and, in part, because it usually tastes much better. So, I have a lot of tools that help me do this.

After an ant invasion over this past weekend, we cleaned out & re-placed all my lower cabinet "stuff". There were a number of items that I decided that I could live without, seeing as how I hadn't used them in a year or more. But, there were some things I realized I use a lot. My Hamilton Beach 2 Speed Hand Blender is perhaps one of my most-used tools.

Spastic About Uncomfy Seams in Socks?

I belong to BzzAgent and recently was sent several pairs of socks to try out. I received Hanes Comfort Toe Seam Socks for ladies in several different varieties.

Now, I'm a little demanding of my socks...I like them to be thicker, with good cushion-factor. I want them to hold up well to a lot of washing. I prefer they not cost a small fortune, either.

My husband and my youngest son, however, are spastic about uncomfy socks. They have to fit just-so, can't stretch out too quickly, can't have bothersome seams, or "seam nipples" (I have no idea how else to describe those little pointy parts at the sides of the toe seams...sorry). I'm not real crazy for socks that have seam nipples, either, come to think of it.

The Sweet Taste of Fall?

Can autumn have a taste? Sure! Lots of them, too, no doubt.

One of my favorites is caramel apple. Clean the drool from your mouth and stop fretting over whether to indulge or not. If you are careful about what you eat, like me, then I have a guilt-free option for you: Werther's Original Sugar Free Caramel Apple Hard Candies.

I live the low-carb life, and as such, a caramel apple would NOT be on my "approved" list. But with these little gems, I get my caramel apple and get to eat it too! You can have 5 pieces for only 40 total calories. There are 14g of carbs, but all 14g are from sugar alcohols, so they *shouldn't* have much of an effect on your blood sugars. However, if you are sensitive to sugar alcohols, as some are, you can just have 1 or 2 candies, instead of the whole 5, and you should be safe. Usually, 1 or 2 is satisfying for me anyhow.

They have a nice balance of tart green apple flavor and caramel (a Werther's classic!). It's done very well. To me, the sweetness is just right. And, I may be partial because I haven't had real sugar in a really, really long time, but I don't get the "fake sweetener" taste, nor any after taste. But, as I said, I haven't had real sugar in ages, and when you don't have it, you kinda forget what it used to taste like. So, your experience could be different from mine...especially if you're still having sugar, or you've only been sugar-free for a short time.

I'm very happy with these little pieces of fall flavor. No, it's not a real caramel apple, but I couldn't go there. At least this way, I get the taste, even if I don't get the "chew action". Oh, the chewy-gooey-goodness of caramel. If only...