Classy and Opinionated Lifestyle Mom Blog
A kitchen trash can. It’s something we all need and something that we all use. Usually when I need a new one…I head to the local department or discount store and pick up an ugly plastic can for a few bucks. Those cans don’t last …
For the past 25+ years I’ve been doing home canning. Luckily for me…I’ve had 2 great teachers in my life…my grandmother and my father-in-law who both taught me the basics & then I took that knowledge and expanded it by attending some local classes and …
I’m a coffee addict and I’m not afraid to admit it. Matter of fact, I can’t start my day without a good cup of coffee. I love to drink coffee throughout the morning hot and then during the afternoon hours I love a good iced flavored coffee to tantalize my taste buds.
With 3 adults living in my household it’s important to have a good coffee maker that can deliver individual hot drinks whenever we want them and the types of hot beverages that each of us desire. Hubby and I typically go for coffee and hot cocoa while my mother is a big hot tea drinker.
The OPUS brewer features SpinBrew spinning jets technology for a noticeable smoother tasting coffee plus the exclusive Dial-A-Brew control to customize the strength and size from 4 ounces up to 12 ounces in size. The OPUS has a 75 ounce water reservoir, removable drip tray for easy cleaning, energy-saver feature and automatic shut-off. It’s the industry’s only 2 step SafetyLock system to protect consumers.
One of the things I absolutely love about this machine is the large LED display screen. I can easily see it and I don’t have to put my glasses on. Second, I LOVE that SpinBrew Technology which is their patent-pending needle that uses jets to spin, steam and stir inside every K-compatible cup, creating a mini french press life effect that virtually eliminates any bitter or acidic aftertaste. This technology ensures beverages will always taste rich and impossibly smooth. No other K-Cup brewer can do that!
If you love a certain brand of coffee or don’t want the expense of always buying K-Cups you can use their exclusive iCup Reusable which is the only reusable coffee filter that works with the SpinBrew needle in the OPUS brewer. What this means is that if you love a certain ground coffee you don’t have to switch over to pre-packaged K-cups. You simply put your favorite ground coffee into the iCup and brew your favorite cup of Joe.
Over the past 4 years or so I’ve owned several different models of Keurig machines, a Tassimo and now this OPUS Dial-A-Brew Single Serve Brewer. Out of all of the machines that I’ve owned I can honestly 100% tell you that this brewer is the BEST one that I’ve ever used!!! This coffee brewer has all of the bells and whistles that you would want in a high-quality coffee brewing machine and then some! It’s really top-notch in my book!
You can learn more about iCoffee by visiting their site online. If you are looking to buy a single serve brewer I highly recommend the OPUS Dial-A-Brew! Looking to buy? Use their store locator on their site to find a retailer near you or buy online.
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site.
Disclaimer: Shelly H. has personally reviewed the product listed above. Shelly has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Shelly did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ. Thanks!
Since I was 14 years old I’ve been in-love with cooking and baking, although baking is my real passion. Every day I look forward to getting into my kitchen and whipping up something delicious for my family to enjoy. It can be something really simple …
It seems like we create more and more reasons to enjoy a glass of wine with our friends and family (or maybe I just do). Let’s see—there’s Wine Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday, and The Friday Wine Down to name a few. I have a new one …
I was first introduced to food preservation 35 years ago by my grandmother. That very first year I remember sitting on a chair in her kitchen and watching her can hundreds of different jars of food. On top of canning, she was really big into freezing and dehydrating various foods for later use.
As I got older…grandma would let me help her during the process. I remember slicing, dicing and cutting up various fruits and veggies so that you could prepare them for the process. I spent a lot of time with grandma in the kitchen and I treasure all of those memories that I have.
Once I got married I was determined to utilize the skills that my grandmother taught me. At first…I only can a few different things. Over the years…I’ve become an intermediate canner but by no means am I an expert. Matter of fact, I am still learning new things!
One of the most trust brands when it comes to home canning & food preservation happens to be Ball. It’s a brand that I’ve been using for many years and it’s a brand that I turn to when I need advice or new supplies.
Recently the company sent me a Ball canning kit to try out for all of you. Here is what I received:
(1) Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving: The new 37th edition of the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving is the most trusted resource in home canning for over 100 years and this new 2015 release is its largest update since the first edition in 1909. Expanding 56% from the previous edition, the 37th edition of the Ball Blue Book includes 75 new recipes, pictorial step by step guides for beginners and more! I love that it includes home canning recipes, recipes for freezing foods and recipes for dehydrating foods too! It’s a comprehensive book that everyone needs to own!
(1) Design Series Lids (red + purple): Great not only for home canning, the Ball® Brand Design Series Lids With Bands are also a great option for unique crafting creations, gifts and home décor with endless mixing and matching possibilities. I love having the colored lid options!
(1) case Heritage Collection Pint jars and (1) case Heritage Collection Quart jars – These new limited edition Regular Mouth pint and Wide Mouth quart jars are a celebration of the 1915 heritage featuring a vintage-inspired purple color and embossed logos on front and back.
(1) Pkg. of each new regular mouth Sip & Straw Lid (red, blue + purple): Fitting perfectly atop any Wide Mouth and Regular Mouth Ball® Jar, you can enjoy every drop of your favorite cold drinks, smoothies or summer tea with a splash of color.
Right now my backyard garden is kicking out cucumbers at me left & right. I decided that with my new canning kit one of the first things I was going to make was the Cucumber Rings from the Ball Guide to Preserving Blue Book on page 75. For this recipe you only need 8 different ingredients and some basic home canning supplies.
The book gives you an exact ingredient list and step-by-step easy to understand directions. You do NOT have to be a rock scientist or professional chef to learn how to can foods at home! This book is for everyone…beginners to the pro’s!
I followed all of the steps and within a few hours I had perfectly canned & sealed Cucumber Rings (we call them pickles here). Every single jar that I used sealed properly and no disasters occurred. Everyone is afraid to learn how to preserve food at home because they think it’s a difficult process to learn or that kitchen disasters can occur. Well, that simply isn’t true! Anyone can learn to do this at home and it’s easy once you get the basics down. I used the dark purple Heritage Collection Jars…so that is why you can’t see the contents in there very well but trust me…those are some delicious cucumber rings hiding in there!
In addition, several days ago I followed their recipe and step-by-step instructions and made several jars of homemade seasoned tomato sauce. I published the recipe over on my foodie blog and you can check that out.
I’ve read the Ball Blue Book – Guide to Preserving cover-to-cover twice now. I’ve got several pages/recipes marked and will be utilizing many of them as the gardening season continues. On my list: canning raspberry jam, blueberry jam, applesauce, pears and peaches. In addition, I will be utilizing the freezing section to make pineapple jam and strawberry freezer jam which both look delicious! Oh I almost forgot…a few days ago I canned 3 jars of homemade basil tomato sauce which is shown in the first picture in this post. YUMMY and super easy to make!
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!
Disclaimer: Shelly H. has personally reviewed the product listed above. Shelly has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Shelly did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ. Two Classy Chics is not responsible for delivery of any giveaway items won from this blog. We are not responsible for injury or mis-use of any products won from the Two Classy Chics Blog. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering our giveaways. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook or Google+ in any way. Thanks!
Looking for a healthy meal, but don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to the stove? Pressure cookers are the solution! The opposite of slow cookers, they create healthy and delicious time consuming meals, in just a fraction of the time they normally take …
*The post is brought to you by More Water* Summer is here and More Water are launching the newest infuser bottle on the market to help you kick start your health habit, assisting you to hydrate yourself the healthy and fun way using fruit, vegetables …