While in search of Dasani's lemon flavored water and strawberry flavored water at the Columbia, Maryland Wegmans store, I discovered that Fuze puts out a honey & ginseng green iced tea. I decided to try it.
Taste wise, I could taste the honey in the tea but, I couldn't detect the ginseng. The tea came in a 20 ounce plastic bottle and has 120 calories. Price wise, Wegmans was selling it for $1.69 which seemed reasonable enough. The tea will earn you 3 My Coke Rewards points. At Wegmans, the tea may not be in the regular part of the store. I found the bottle I tried in their restaurant section like I did with the Dasani flavored waters I bought (and will review later).
Overall, I found I liked the tea and, I wish Fuze (Coca-Cola) would put it out in larger size bottles like they do with their strawberry red iced tea and lemon iced tea (will review later) which are available in 2 liter bottles. I would definitely recommend this if you like iced tea or ginseng tea even though the ginseng flavor was very weak. Happy Drinking all!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
Little Caesars Bacon Honey Mustard Wings
There's a Little Caesars pizza shop in the same strip mall that has a Shoppers Food Warehouse on Maryland 198 in Laurel, Maryland. I decided to treat myself to 1 of their already prepared pizzas. When I looked at their menu, I saw they offered various flavors of wings for sale. As I'd never tried any of their wings and, I haven't had any wings in a while, I decided to buy some. I bought their Bacon Honey Mustard wings as I like honey mustard. I got 8 wings for $6 plus tax.
I found Little Caesar's wings to be decent. I couldn't taste the bacon on them or in the sauce. The sauce itself was runny and a fair amount of it dropped off the wings into the container the wings are packaged in. The wings meat wise and size wise were average. I did like the fact Little Caesar's wings weren't breaded. I can't tell you how their price compares to other places that sell wings. The biggest plus for their wings in my opinion is that they are ready to go. You don't need to order them in advance. This can be a real convenience.
Overall, I wouldn't go out of my way to get some Little Caesars wings. They are average. In my opinion, Cluck U's wings are better. The biggest plus for Little Caesars is the convenience of being able to buy them on the spot and take them immediately with you i.e. no wait. I thought the price was alright though my readers who eat more wings may be able to tell me how the stack up against other shops that sell wings. Bon Appetit all!
I found Little Caesar's wings to be decent. I couldn't taste the bacon on them or in the sauce. The sauce itself was runny and a fair amount of it dropped off the wings into the container the wings are packaged in. The wings meat wise and size wise were average. I did like the fact Little Caesar's wings weren't breaded. I can't tell you how their price compares to other places that sell wings. The biggest plus for their wings in my opinion is that they are ready to go. You don't need to order them in advance. This can be a real convenience.
Overall, I wouldn't go out of my way to get some Little Caesars wings. They are average. In my opinion, Cluck U's wings are better. The biggest plus for Little Caesars is the convenience of being able to buy them on the spot and take them immediately with you i.e. no wait. I thought the price was alright though my readers who eat more wings may be able to tell me how the stack up against other shops that sell wings. Bon Appetit all!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Dead TMAX Battery
Today, I encountered a problem I wasn't expecting with my TMAX but, I was thankfully prepared for. The last couple days, the battery on my TMAX had been acting kind of strange. It seemed like it was low on power but, it would start the bike. However, this morning, the battery wouldn't kicked the engine over and quickly died.
Back in July 2012 (ref my July 12, 2011 post), I managed to kill the battery on my TMAX by leaving the power on for 10 minutes but not running the engine. I ended up having to get the bike towed to Heyser Cycle where the battery was replaced. While there, Heyser recommended I get a fused ring terminal with quick disconnect hooked up to my TMAX's battery so, if the battery ever died again, I could hook a battery charger up to the ring terminal and re-charge the battery. They apparently recommended having this done on all the motorbikes they sold. I agreed to have it done though it ended up costing me over $100.
Today, that money turned out to well spent. I remembered the terminal they hooked up to the battery as well as the Battery Tender Junior they sold me for $40 (lists for $39.95 on their website: http://batterytender.com/battery-tender-junior-12v-at-0-75a.html). I broke out the re-charger, hooked it up to my TMAX and waited to see if it would work. To my relief, it did.
The Battery Tender Junior has a light system that indicates what's going on with the re-charging. Flashing red light means the re-charger is receiving AC current, solid red means it is re-charging the bike's battery, flashing green means the battery is over 80% charged and solid green means the battery is fully charged. The re-charger went through the various stages as bike's battery was recharged. At 1 point, I tried to turn my TMAX on and, it came on which showed me the re-charger was working.
I don't know what caused the battery to start acting up. The only thing I can guess is the hand grip warmer I had installed on the bike. The warmer heats up the hand grips on the handle bars helping to keep my hands warm during winter riding. 1 down side to the warmer is that it doesn't automatically shut off when the bike is turned off. This means I have to make sure I turn the warmer off otherwise, it'll drain the battery. I can only guess I accidentally left the warmer on after I turned the bike off and later did turn the warmer off but not before it drained the battery down some. Thanks to the ring terminal I had hooked up to my TMAX's battery, this ended not being a disaster. I would recommend others have this done on their TMAX. Remember, the battery on the TMAX isn't easy to get to. You have to remove the mirrors, windshield and front plate in order to get to the bike's battery. Having that ring terminal installed can save you some major hassle if your TMAX dies on you battery wise. Happy riding all!
Back in July 2012 (ref my July 12, 2011 post), I managed to kill the battery on my TMAX by leaving the power on for 10 minutes but not running the engine. I ended up having to get the bike towed to Heyser Cycle where the battery was replaced. While there, Heyser recommended I get a fused ring terminal with quick disconnect hooked up to my TMAX's battery so, if the battery ever died again, I could hook a battery charger up to the ring terminal and re-charge the battery. They apparently recommended having this done on all the motorbikes they sold. I agreed to have it done though it ended up costing me over $100.
Today, that money turned out to well spent. I remembered the terminal they hooked up to the battery as well as the Battery Tender Junior they sold me for $40 (lists for $39.95 on their website: http://batterytender.com/battery-tender-junior-12v-at-0-75a.html). I broke out the re-charger, hooked it up to my TMAX and waited to see if it would work. To my relief, it did.
The Battery Tender Junior has a light system that indicates what's going on with the re-charging. Flashing red light means the re-charger is receiving AC current, solid red means it is re-charging the bike's battery, flashing green means the battery is over 80% charged and solid green means the battery is fully charged. The re-charger went through the various stages as bike's battery was recharged. At 1 point, I tried to turn my TMAX on and, it came on which showed me the re-charger was working.
I don't know what caused the battery to start acting up. The only thing I can guess is the hand grip warmer I had installed on the bike. The warmer heats up the hand grips on the handle bars helping to keep my hands warm during winter riding. 1 down side to the warmer is that it doesn't automatically shut off when the bike is turned off. This means I have to make sure I turn the warmer off otherwise, it'll drain the battery. I can only guess I accidentally left the warmer on after I turned the bike off and later did turn the warmer off but not before it drained the battery down some. Thanks to the ring terminal I had hooked up to my TMAX's battery, this ended not being a disaster. I would recommend others have this done on their TMAX. Remember, the battery on the TMAX isn't easy to get to. You have to remove the mirrors, windshield and front plate in order to get to the bike's battery. Having that ring terminal installed can save you some major hassle if your TMAX dies on you battery wise. Happy riding all!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Review Neil Finn's Song of the Lonely Mountain
At the end of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as the credits roll by a song called Song of the Lonely Mountain plays. The song is performed by Neil Finn. The song tells of the dwarves quest. Finn states in an interview with Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/neil-finn-reaches-epic-heights-on-song-of-the-lonely-mountain-song-premiere-20121112) that it was developed from the singing bit the dwarves sing in Bilbo Baggins home at Bag End. The song has excellent vocals, chants and someone pounding away at an anvil which goes well with the dwarven theme. Peter Jackson told Finn to get into "a dwarven state of mind" (Source: same Rolling Stones article referenced earlier in this post) and in my opinion, he succeeds.
Overall, I think Finn wrote and sings an excellent song that ties in well with the movie and, it's theme's. The only downside I see is the song isn't played till the credits start rolling. Would be listeners may be tempted to skip this fine tune in their rush to leave the movie theater. For those who want to listen to the tune, the referenced Rolling Stone article has a link that will bring up a Rolling Stone flash music player that will play the song for free. I've played the song a number of times on this flash player and, it works great. I would definitely recommend this song to Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fans. It goes really well with the first Hobbit movie. Happy listening all!
Overall, I think Finn wrote and sings an excellent song that ties in well with the movie and, it's theme's. The only downside I see is the song isn't played till the credits start rolling. Would be listeners may be tempted to skip this fine tune in their rush to leave the movie theater. For those who want to listen to the tune, the referenced Rolling Stone article has a link that will bring up a Rolling Stone flash music player that will play the song for free. I've played the song a number of times on this flash player and, it works great. I would definitely recommend this song to Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fans. It goes really well with the first Hobbit movie. Happy listening all!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Lantz Restaurant
1 of the businesses I've wanted to try out at the Laurel, Maryland Pennsylvania Dutch Market is the Lantz Restaurant. It's 1 of 4 eateries in the market (5 if you count Stoltzfus Bakery). The restaurant's decor isn't anything to get excited about and, it's real charm is the Amish who work there. The lady who worked the cash register and took orders for take out was incredibly sweet. The restaurant offers dining in and take out. I decided to do take out as I didn't feel like hanging around after a LONG day at work.
I'm particularly partial to Reuben sandwiches and, I checked the restaurant's menu to see if they offered 1. They do for $5.69 (I believe) and offer a side of fries for $1.79. I thought the prices reasonable. However, I wasn't wowed with the food. The fries were limp though adequate portion wise. The sandwich was decent but nothing to go out of your way for.
Overall, I wasn't impressed with food at Lantz Restaurant. I do hope to try some of their other items and see if they're better. The restaurant prides itself on its Lancaster County recipes and, the fact there aren't any preservatives in a number of its items (Per the restaurant webpage on the market website http://www.burtonsvilledutchmarket.com/default.asp). Stay tuned for another review on this restaurant at a later date.
I'm particularly partial to Reuben sandwiches and, I checked the restaurant's menu to see if they offered 1. They do for $5.69 (I believe) and offer a side of fries for $1.79. I thought the prices reasonable. However, I wasn't wowed with the food. The fries were limp though adequate portion wise. The sandwich was decent but nothing to go out of your way for.
Overall, I wasn't impressed with food at Lantz Restaurant. I do hope to try some of their other items and see if they're better. The restaurant prides itself on its Lancaster County recipes and, the fact there aren't any preservatives in a number of its items (Per the restaurant webpage on the market website http://www.burtonsvilledutchmarket.com/default.asp). Stay tuned for another review on this restaurant at a later date.
Maruchan Instant Lunch with Shrimp
One of handiest fast foods I can prepare at home is Maruchan's Instant Lunch with Shrimp. The instant lunch is composed of LOTS of noodles with a few very small shrimps, a few peas and a few pieces of carrot. The big pluses of this food item are the ease of preparation and the time it takes to be ready. Preparation wise, all you have to do is unwrap the noodle cup, open it, pour in boiling water and close it. In 3 minutes, your quick meal will be ready.
There are downsides to Maruchan's product. For starters, it has a LOT of sodium in it. 1 serving contains 1,120 milligrams of sodium or 47% of a person's daily requirement of sodium. Another downside in my opinion is their use of Monosodium Glutamate, a flavor enhancer that may also give you a false sense of being filled up. Last downside in my opinion is the fact you must pour boiling water into the noodle cup and wait for the food to cool off some before it's safe to eat. I would STRONGLY recommend parents be very careful with this food item when giving it to their kids. The noodle cup can be very hot initially and, there would be the risk of scalding oneself if you try to move the cup while it's still hot.
Another important note about this item is that it ISN'T microwavable according to markings on the package. People might think it is and, it's not. I would think there would be the risk of it overflowing if you tried to heat 1 of these up in a microwave oven.
Price wise, I can't quote you and exact price though I think they are very affordable (I think something like $5.70 for a box of them though don't quote me on that price) at discount clubs such as Costco and Sam's Club (the places where I buy mine) though you will have to buy a box of the cups if you buy them from such a club. Each box comes with 24 cups.
Calorie wise (quoting from the Maruchan lunch cup itself), each cup contains 290 calories with 110 of those being fat. For those who worry about trans fat, each cup has ZERO trans fats which is a good thing. However, there are apparently a fair amount of saturated fats in each cup as they provide 30% of the daily value of saturated fat.
Maruchan offers their instant lunches in 2 different flavors - chicken and shrimp. Personally, I prefer the shrimp because has actual shrimp in it whereas the chicken flavor only offers a chicken broth with the noodles and vegetables.
Overall, Maruchan's instant lunch is a handy and quick way to grab something to eat as long as you're CAREFUL when preparing it as well as giving it some time to cool off. Price wise, it can be a very affordable meal costing around 25 cents for a cup (based on a price of $5.60 divided by 24 cups in a box). Bon Appetit all!
Note: On my next trip to Costco or Sam's Club, I'll check the current price for a box of these cups and post it here.
There are downsides to Maruchan's product. For starters, it has a LOT of sodium in it. 1 serving contains 1,120 milligrams of sodium or 47% of a person's daily requirement of sodium. Another downside in my opinion is their use of Monosodium Glutamate, a flavor enhancer that may also give you a false sense of being filled up. Last downside in my opinion is the fact you must pour boiling water into the noodle cup and wait for the food to cool off some before it's safe to eat. I would STRONGLY recommend parents be very careful with this food item when giving it to their kids. The noodle cup can be very hot initially and, there would be the risk of scalding oneself if you try to move the cup while it's still hot.
Another important note about this item is that it ISN'T microwavable according to markings on the package. People might think it is and, it's not. I would think there would be the risk of it overflowing if you tried to heat 1 of these up in a microwave oven.
Price wise, I can't quote you and exact price though I think they are very affordable (I think something like $5.70 for a box of them though don't quote me on that price) at discount clubs such as Costco and Sam's Club (the places where I buy mine) though you will have to buy a box of the cups if you buy them from such a club. Each box comes with 24 cups.
Calorie wise (quoting from the Maruchan lunch cup itself), each cup contains 290 calories with 110 of those being fat. For those who worry about trans fat, each cup has ZERO trans fats which is a good thing. However, there are apparently a fair amount of saturated fats in each cup as they provide 30% of the daily value of saturated fat.
Maruchan offers their instant lunches in 2 different flavors - chicken and shrimp. Personally, I prefer the shrimp because has actual shrimp in it whereas the chicken flavor only offers a chicken broth with the noodles and vegetables.
Overall, Maruchan's instant lunch is a handy and quick way to grab something to eat as long as you're CAREFUL when preparing it as well as giving it some time to cool off. Price wise, it can be a very affordable meal costing around 25 cents for a cup (based on a price of $5.60 divided by 24 cups in a box). Bon Appetit all!
Note: On my next trip to Costco or Sam's Club, I'll check the current price for a box of these cups and post it here.
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