Taste Republic Gluten-free pastas

            Disclosure: I received Taste Republic pasta from Tryazon in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

                Since quite a number of my friends have serious allergies, including gluten, I am always on the lookout for products they can eat when I host a hang out. My mom & I enjoy cooking together, and we like testing recipes prior to serving them to our guests. The following two pasta recipes are quick and easy to make taking 3 short minutes to boil, flavorful, and gluten free. Hence we are excited to add them to our menu list for our next soiree! We cannot wait to serve it to our guests and hear their reactions to not one but two gluten free filling & delicious pasta dishes.      

                The first recipe features a fragrant creamy burrata lemon sauce over frozen four cheese tortellini. The soft texture of the cheese infused with the tartness of lemon juice is one of our  favorite pasta sauce flavor combinations. We especially love the tortellini pasta shape as guests find it easy to pick up with a fork & take small bites while talking. One thing to note though is the noodles seemed a bit less firm than a pasta with gluten, but overall we give this pasta two thumbs as it made a tasty meal. Also, we are soup lovers, so we think these tortellini's would work best in a hearty broth or creamy base soup served as a starter or entree with crusty bread for dipping.

 

                The second recipe we made is a flavorful Brown butter miso Fuscilli with parmesan cheese. If we have to choose a runner up to tortellini, then fuscilli would come in as our close second  favorite pasta shape to serve guests. Similar to the tortellini, it is easy to pick up with a fork unlike long strands of spaghetti such as linguine or angel hair pasta. My mom & I like how the noodles held onto the sauce well and we noticed that the fuscilli are more al dente than the tortellini. This was the first time, cooking a sauce using miso as a flavor ingredient. As noted above, we usually choose lemon as to flavor our sauces so my mom & I are glad we choose to try something new! We enjoy miso soup so now we can also enjoy miso over pasta. We would definitely eat miso fuscilli again. Next brown butter, shredded parmesan cheese, and a little bit of freshly minced garlic were added to the pan which created the perfect consistency to mix into our pasta. After a long session of playing tennis, this pasta dish hit the spot! And we hope that you will try both these pastas with our recipes or served with your favorite sauce. Either way, your gluten free taste buds and these two pasta products are a guaranteed match made in pasta lover heaven.

Tortellini: https://link.amazon/B04Emvmou

Fuscilli: https://link.amazon/B0jjqM9ti

My fav tennis skirt brand: https://link.amazon/B0hVCLMQt

Pants: https://link.amazon/B0gADwbe7

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Gleem skincare

     Disclosure: I received Gleem products from Tryazon in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

    Since I am always searching for new beauty products to add to my skincare routine, I was happy to sample the following two moisturizers from Gleem beauty and skincare. The first one I sampled is called the One and done day moisturizer, and the second one I tried is the Soft immersion night moisturizer. Because clean & natural ingredients are important to me, I always check out the label first. What immediately impressed me is both products focus on aloe vera as a prime ingredient. Since, most people like to get their monies worth, I was happy to see that the jars contained a plentiful supply.

            Protecting my skin from sun damage is a major deciding factor on how I choose my makeup & moisturizer. Hence, What I liked most about the daytime skincare is that it offers SPF 30. As far as how the One & Done Moisturizer felt once applied to my face, I noticed that there were plenty of vitamin C beads dispersed throughout the product. However, I did not find these blue orbs to immediately rub into my skin. Therefore, I think it would be best to be mindful of potentially rubbing off on whatever you are wearing. I suggest putting on your full outfit for the day first then applying this cream on your face. Additionally, I recommend wearing darker clothing in case you plan on covering your hands with the moisturizer as well.

            Lastly, I tested out The night moisturizer which seemed to absorb well, and it had an overall pleasant scent. My skin can be sensitive, but it did not cause any irritation. I found that it felt hydrating, which made my skin feel smooth & silky.  

Additionally, I am wearing my own design. The Queenie4ever Vanity Queenie t-shirt. If you are interested in purchasing this item, please send us an e-mail at info@queenie4ever.com for pricing & size information.

Use code GLEEM98 for a discount & free extra goodies for Mother’s day.

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Disney games

Disclosure: I received Ravensburger games from Tryazon in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

If you’re a big Disney fan like I am, then I think that you will really enjoy playing the following three Disney themed games, as much I did. There definitely is something for all skill levels. Furthermore, these games are really exciting as they rely on luck just as much readiness. Since, the game play can go by pretty quickly. 

The first game I played was the Stitch version of Level 8. The card designs are very cute & colorful. I think the most difficult part was getting down to one card in my hand. I really like that it was a matching game that contained a lot of variety during each round. The object of the game is to group by different types. For instance, you match by color or number sequences over having to do complicated calculations. Since it is a card game, the deck of cards can easily be taken on the go to a beach themed party or played at home as a fun activity after watching any of the Stitch movies.

Next, I competed in Lotti karotti. If you don't have a lot of time, then this game is perfect, for it can go by really fast. It reminds me a lot of Candy land with the thrill of wondering if your game piece is going to get dropped into a hole. It is fun to turn the magic wand to see if any characters get eliminated from the game. The set-up is simple, and it does not take too long. I really like that there is a wide variety of Disney characters to choose from to make up your team because it allows you to pick your favorites from the Princesses to Mickey Mouse.   

Finally, I tried out Villainous unstoppable. I found this game to be the most challenging. Also, the board does take quite a bit of time to assemble. For this game, each participant plays as one of four quintessential Disney villains attempting to get their objectives completed first. Since it is an asymmetrical style game, each person has their own tasks and powers. Thus, this style made it seem like something I have not played before which made playing the game a bit more formidable. Yet, somehow the elevated level and newness made it even more exciting than games I am more familiar with.

No matter what level you want to play, from easy to challenging, I highly recommend the above three games for your next board game night, fun on the go, or post movie entertainment. Any person who loves Disney or just loves board games will appreciate the variety of styles and levels as much as I did playing all three.

Games: https://amzn.to/4ijXOQH

Additionally, I am wearing my own design. The Queenie4ever metallic bamboo leggings in beige. If you are interested in purchasing this item, please send us an e-mail at info@queenie4ever.com for pricing & size information.

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Cake-n-Bake Game: a Fun Cake Themed Birthday Party with Friends & Family

Disclosure: I received Cake-n-bake Challenge from Tryazon in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

                I celebrated my birthday by playing Hey Buddy Hey Pal's Cake-n-bake challenge game. It is so fun to play. I think a great additional to any birthday. Hence, I decided it would be really creative to make my birthday party a cake theme. To surprise my guests, I thought it would be clever to bake a cake and decorate it with the essence of the Cake-n-bake game in mind. Since the playing pieces are shaped like a round layer cake and the frosting is covered in sprinkles, I made a round 2-layer box cake from Dolly Parton's banana cake mix and added milk chocolate ganache filling. It was my first attempt at a ganache, so I am happy that it came out really delicious. Once it cooled, I covered the cake with a Dolly's white butter cream frosting and rainbow sprinkles. I kept the cake out of sight, saving it as a surprise, until we finished playing the Cake-bake game.

                The game is really interactive, hands on, and more competitive than I would have expected. The play time can be quick or long depending on how many and who the other contenders are. My mom played the role of show host calling out: ready set bake each time we set up another round after each player received a new card. The first player to complete their cake according to their card's instructions and ring the bell called out: cake done. The host then checks to make sure the player's cake slice is constructed according to that round's card instructions. If it is, then the host gives them a candle card. The object of the game is to acquire 6 candles. Because challengers are competing to be the first to ring the bell, you must have excellent concentration and hand eye coordination while doing the task at a fast pace. My friends and I giggled a lot trying to get our cake slices in the correct order according to each card we got. I was happy that I won the overall game. However, the real prize was watching my guests' eyes open wide with awe when I uncovered my Cake-n-bake looking birthday cake.

Game: https://amzn.to/4eoPSeh

Cake mix: https://amzn.to/4gFVulX

Frosting: https://amzn.to/3XJISS9

Additionally, I am wearing my own design. The Queenie4ever faux bow t-shirt in burn out white. If you are interested in purchasing one of these t-shirts, please send us an e-mail at info@queenie4ever.com for pricing & size information.

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Kisko Popsicles Party

 Disclosure: I received a packages of Kisko popsicles from Tryazon in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

          I hosted a Kisko Country orchard popsicle party to celebrate the 4th of July holiday. There were four tasty flavors for my guests to try. The Tropical passion fruit was very tart. The taste of passion fruit was more apparent than the pineapple. I also found it interesting that the Orange pineapple reminded me more of an apricot or a super frosty glass of orange juice than pineapple. The Berry blast tasted earthy to me. The popsicle reminded me of the flavor of the jelly in Fig Newton's. My favorite was the Strawberry mango. I thought it tasted a lot like a Snapple iced tea.

          I love that the ice is not as hard in texture compared to other popsicles. Since they are in a tube, these desserts are much easier to eat. Both the soft composition and the tube packaging ensures they are not as messy either. Even after shaking them, these popsicles take a while to freeze up. I had placed them with an ice pack inside a cooler bag to transport them, but the popsicles still melted very rapidly. Therefore, I recommend these to be consumed inside of your home or you could also just drink it like a juice.

          My friends got the tops of the popsicles to rip open, but I needed scissors. Since the weather was super-hot, we really appreciated a yummy cold sweet treat. Kisko Country orchard popsicles definitely made the perfect party food to serve my guests, so they could just relax and enjoy a snack, while cooling down in the summertime heat wave.

Berry blast & Tropical passion: https://amzn.to/3VWsPQ3

Strawberry mango & Orange Pineapple: https://amzn.to/4cA9YRO

Additionally, I am wearing my own design. The Queenie4ever Cap sleeve blue panda ice cream t-shirt in brown. There are still a few left in stock. If you are interested in purchasing one of these t-shirts, please send us an e-mail at info@queenie4ever.com for pricing & size information.

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Lattini Sunflower Milk

Disclosure: I received a carton of Lattini from Tryazon in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

    I am a big fan of sunflower butter, hence I was hoping that Lattini's unsweetened sunflower milk would be  the beverage equivalent. It does taste as I expected. The sunflower milk was slightly sweet and nutty like sunflower seeds. I also found the flavor to be light and mild when I added it to a cup of hot black tea. I think it would be really delicious in a hot chocolate or, perhaps it would enhance the flavor of your favorite baked goods recipes, such as cake. The consistency is not thick and creamy like dairy milk. Instead, it is most similar to the more watery texture of macadamia milk. I highly recommend the sunflower milk as a great tasting product that has a variety of uses and versatility in meal planning.

Milk: https://amzn.to/4e82JSl

Dress: https://amzn.to/3yQV8HJ

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Taste Testing Ritter Sport Colorful Chocolate Bar Varieties

Disclosure: I received Ritter Sport chocolates from Tryazon in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

         Chocolate is one of my favorite sweet treats. I often reach for some when I need a snack. I really like German chocolate, so I was delighted to try some Ritter Sport confections. They offer numerous varieties of distinct flavors. Since the chocolate comes in colorful chocolate squares, I decorated my dining table with this theme in mind. I set out the chocolate on top of a bright tablecloth to get ready for a rainbow-colored taste test.

            The dark chocolate with 50% cocoa, Whole almonds, and Hazelnuts began my sampling journey. Each of these 3 were not bitter tasting, like most dark chocolates tend to be. Also, these flavors had a hard texture that made them difficult to snap into perfect squares. On the other hand, the fourth dark chocolate was quite easy to break off into the perforated squares due to the interior's softer texture. The marzipan tasted as one would expect.

            Next on my chocolate tasting journey were 6 milk chocolates. The Alpine, Whole almonds and Hazelnut bars were similar in quality to the dark chocolates. That is, each reminded me of the standard higher in price chocolates that I have eaten before. The tastes were traditional with no surprise ingredients. However, I saved the more distinct flavors for last. Ending my chocolate tasting with a sampling of three unique milk chocolates. The Butter biscuit and cocoa creme reminded me of an inverted Petit ecolier biscuit. The Cornflakes reminded me of a crunchier and saltier version of ChocoFlakes. On the other hand, a surprise favorite to me was the Honey sea-salt almonds. This bar stood out to me as it was pretty sweet, and I could not detect a hint of salt. Overall, I had a good time taste testing Ritter Sports chocolates. From traditional flavors to more creative ones, the varieties offered are plentiful and delicious. In short, each inspires a colorful chocolate celebration for you to enjoy with every bite.

Chocolate: amzn.to/3ub2Ud1

Additionally, I am wearing my own design. The Queenie4ever classic cameo on a hot pink tank top. If you are interested in purchasing one of these t-shirts please send us an e-mail at info@queenie4ever.com for pricing, color, and sizing availability. 

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Saffron Road's Delicious Plant Based Meal Options

Disclosure: I acquired products from Saffron Road in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the link on this page if you decide to shop from it. 

      Saffron Road's offers a variety of vegetarian meal options that are easy to prepare, healthy, and delicious. Depending on how much prep time you have, you can choose to spend more time incorporating fresh ingredients into your meal or popping a frozen item in the microwave for a quick lunch.

      The first two Saffron Road Food product's I sampled were the lemon grass simmer sauce and the crunchy sea salt chickpeas. Since I eat  plant based dishes, I made a green curry with tofu, corn, and potatoes entree using the lemon grass simmer sauce. I served it over a bed of saffron rice. I was surprised at how mild and sweet the curry sauce tasted, as it seemed to have a lot of different peppers listed in the ingredients. As a garnish, I sprinkled a small handful of Saffron Road Crunchy sea salt chickpeas. They also make for a yummy savory snack.

      The third Saffron Road product I tried was the frozen Vegetable Pad Thai. The rice noodles are a good texture, the tofu is on the spongier side, and I liked the softness of the peanuts. This entree was fast and easy to prepare. Whenever I am craving Asian cuisine and I only have a bit of time to cook, I will definitely choose something from Saffron Road. Not only were the dishes simple to heat, but they were also made from healthy and quite flavorful ingredients.

Saffron Road: https://amzn.to/3FicSvv 

Additionally, I am wearing my own design. The Queenie4ever classic cameo in teal. If you are interested in purchasing one of these t-shirts, please send us an e-mail at info@queenie4ever.com for pricing, color, and sizing availability.

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Nutrient Survival Powdered Beverages to Power Your Brain

I received a package from Nutrient Survival in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

    Whether spending time in the great outdoors hiking or just hanging out at home, I try to keep my body hydrated by drinking healthy beverages. So, I decided to sample some of Nutrient Survival Braincare beverage line. Not only do they come in an easy to prepare powder form, but they are also packaged in portable and storable pouches that are small enough to fit in a backpack. Therefore, it makes the perfect disaster preparedness product to keep in your pantry.  All you need to serve it is water or whatever liquid, intended for human consumption, you have on hand. Preparing any of the Nutrient Survival flavored powdered drinks are quite easy. Just add an appropriate liquid such as tea or fruit juices to a container. Then, give it a good shake or stir and sip away.  

            As an added bonus to keeping your body well hydrated, the Nutrient Survival beverages contain ingredients that are good for your brain health. For example, the chocolate flavored Brain shake. To me, this beverage smells like Coco Pebbles breakfast cereal. However, it has a nutty flavor as well as a very prevalent monk fruit presence. Thus, I think it would be a good idea to add a nut butter for creaminess. I used whole milk, but water or non-dairy milks should work too. I was able to mix this shake with a spoon, but I think it might be best to prepare this in a blender.

            Nutrient Survival's Classic Roast Coffee is another drink from the Braincare line that I tried. I decided to make my cup an iced version. This drink did taste like a standard coffee. My overall favorite that I drank was the tropical lemonade. I added it to my favorite brand of orange juice. It reminds me of the fruit smoothies that can be ordered at Jamba Juice. The lemon flavor is more on the subtle side even though it did smell like pineapple. If these sound of interest to you, then click on the links below to stock up.

Shake:  https://alnk.to/44TYbYe

Spoons: https://amzn.to/3RGYWCz

Hat: https://amzn.to/3ZKuVUr

Coffee: alnk.to/31pycRP

Lemonade: alnk.to/8iSdjsA

Macadamia Milk: https://amzn.to/3POF2Do

OJ: https://amzn.to/46edFJS

Additionally, I am wearing my own designs. The Queenie4ever Camouflage peach tank and kid's blue panda ice cream t-shirt that was exclusive to CheatDayLand in LA. There are still a few left in stock, so if you are interested in purchasing one of these t-shirts, please send us an e-mail at info@queenie4ever.com for pricing and size information.

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Space Themed Party Featuring itCoinz

Disclosure: I received itCoinz from Tryazon in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

         ItCoinz are magnetic battle coins that are a super diverse toy.  Not only can you collect these cool looking coins, but you can also turn them into game pieces to challenge opponents with or play on your own. For example, spinning them on top of a spinner or flinging the coins onto a surface.  Since the back of the coins are magnetic, most metal backdrops can be turned into a makeshift game board. For instance, a metal locker at school would be a perfect place to set up an impromptu round of tossing the coins during recess. The set up and game play time can be pretty quick. The game board fits easily in a backpack, and it has a magnetic backing. Therefore, the set up on a locker is quite easy.  Just attach the magnetic side on the surface and have fun lobbing the coins at it. If you do not have a game board, then make a game out of throwing the coins directly onto the locker to have just as much fun.

            The itcoinz come in a mystery pack of five. Hence, this is just enough to engage in a rapid battle. If you love the collecting aspect, then there are currently sixty Itcoinz that make up the Series A collection. My favorite part is that This includes holographic ones that are rarer to find inside of a package.  

            There are several game boards to choose from. I got the planet game board, so I thought it would be fun to invite my friends over for a Space themed game night. Additionally, I decided to incorporate a circular theme as a homage to the round shaped Itcoinz.  Once my friends arrived, we watched the first episode of the space themed anime, Wandaba Style. I served a helping of homemade cheddar herb quiche, that I had baked the night before using a round cake pan, for dinner. After enjoying a relaxing movie and quiche meal, we switched to a livelier activity by engaging in several rounds of hurling the ItCoinz at the numbers on the game board. We found it to be a game of strategy because after throwing one ItCoinz on the magnetic game board, it can be repelled when another ItConiz is tossed. Since, two magnets do not typically stick together.  Although I had gained the highest score, I awarded the second-place winner a gift bag filled with Nutrient Survival packs as they are practical to take on a trip to outer space because they just require water. As a competitive closure to end our tournament, we participated in the Spaceland version in the Mario party video game. Overall, my friends and I had a blast playing with ItCoinz. as an added bonus, I gave them each a Starter Pack, so they can continue the fun we had together collecting and battling on their own.

itcoinz: https://www.itcoinz.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-itCoinz-Site/default/Stores-Find?showMap=true&horizontalView=true&isForm=true&fbclid=IwAR0LhWFmEAirte1CZnnmjTBXG4t-Du7et78rb9GpqZcZwh4m8TW2c-BVleA

Cheese: https://amzn.to/45RxqXa

Nutrient Survival: https://alnk.to/ge4m2n1

Additionally, I am wearing my own design. The Queenie4ever Wongwear Crest men's t-shirt. If you are interested in purchasing one of these t-shirts please send us an e-mail at info@queenie4ever.com for pricing and size information

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