Bucky Covington’s album came out today and I got to listen to the whole thing through clearchannelmusic.com. I was shocked and amazed. He sounded REALLY good on there. Not all the songs were great songs but he has a fantastic recording voice. His voice reminded me of a George Strait, maybe Tim McGraw-ish shound but it’s very distinct. It has this raw, authentic country sound that I think country fans will appreciate. He may not have proven to be the best performer/dancer on American Idol but I think he should get some good radio hits out of this one. Really impressed. Maybe because my expectations weren’t high, I’m not sure, but it’s worth checking out.

Growing up I've always referred to these as Toffee Apples and had them on Guy Fawkes day.. probably since it coincided with when apple's were harvested i guess?.. Im sure a lot of you are scratching your heads trying to figure that out.. but thats alright.
As of today, I now realize what a Caramel Apple should look and taste like. I was raised on plain toffee/caramel covered apples and realized that I've been missing out on having an extra layer of candy goodness cover the caramel coating. The extra layer I'm referring to are the small pecan pieces that gives you an initial crunch followed by the sourness of a crisp granny smith apple and finally the gooeyness of the caramel factor which just envelopes everything in your mouth to give it a wonderful taste. I love caramel and pecans, and they do just go really well with apples.
I did split the Pecan Candy Apple with my 10-year old daughter and enjoyed just seeing her bite her way though it. I did feel like she was missing out on the whole experience of building a bonfire and celebrating Guy Fawkes day; but, Im at least comforted at knowing that she's enjoying a unique treat that every kid loves and will reflect back on as notable memory. Funny how certain items make you reflect back on earlier times, apparently for me caramel apples are one of those items.
Caramel Apple Gift Company have done an amazing job with their apples, they have a lot of caramel apple varieties and beautifully decorated ones to match specific occaisions that might require them! Also a great gift to provide to a candy addict or to a family with kids (Caramel Apple 4 Pack Sampler) whom would enjoy a rememberable healthy candy snack.
I should also note that thankfully the Caramel Apple Gift Company provide a very helpful tag with their apples detailing serving instructions which made things much more efficient.

I tend to be a pretty loyal person. When I find something I like, I usually stick to it. Especially when it comes to food at restaurants. My family can usually order for me without me saying a word just because it's pretty predictable. But there is one menu item I'm almost psychotic about...ok maybe psychotic is a strong word...but I do not ever order anything but Flo's Filet at Longhorn Steakhouse. Juicy, tender and plenty of peppered taste cooked to perfection. Add in the salad, fries and bread and it's worthy of a last meal for me. You'd be crazy not to try it at least once. Well, unless of course you don't eat beef I guess you're excused. Otherwise, get you some Flo's Filet!

Nothing beats a nice bowl of lobster bisque.. I can't remember where I had the 'one' which made me a total convert.. but I know that any time I hit the coasts on vacation/business I always try and find a local restaurant that serves this dish up.
I was shocked to see this product, Phillips Lobster Bisque, in the frozen foods section of my grocery store. I should have backed off and made the generally true observation of how frozen food are usually a miss when it comes to taste/quality.
Unfortunately this too was a miss. I followed the directions pretty closely since I really wanted it to come out good, and the reason for it being classified as a miss is due to the lack of lobster meat. I wasn't expecting healthy chunks but I felt that to meet the $5 price they had to cut corners somewhere.
For the ones whom have never had this soup before, I highly recommend it.. it's a mix of sweet lobster meat with spices and veggies cooked in a nice rich cream base. If you are ever at a place that serves their lobster bisque with pride, you must try it!.

There has to be a California Pizza Kitchen by where you live.. it probably is packed therefore requiring a 30 minute wait to be seated.. but if you are lucky enough as we are in south Charlotte to have it located within the mall, then you can at least wander around the nearby stores and get paged when your table becomes available. The waiting was the only negative aspect of this review.
The Mango Tandoori Chicken has been pretty heavily pumped by the marketing folks once you step inside the place; and yes, marketing does work on me. I happen to love mango and indian food.. but to have it on a pizza all piled on each other? YES!!! The sweetness of the mango with the tangy taste of tandoori chicken was unbelievable. I really enjoyed this dish and was happy to report that they do offer flavored iced teas too.

Im the one who ALWAYS asks the waitor for flavored ice teas whenever I go out to eat.. ALWAYS. Folks who accompany me now even anticipate me asking and report back to me when restaurants do finally offer flavored ice teas! I dont quite get along with regular sweet iced teas anymore, Im not sure when that acquired taste left me but add a dash of flavoring and Im all about it! I do love the Snapple line of flavored teas (raspberry/peach) but was pleasantly surprised when I picked up a bottle of the new Liptons Peach Ice Tea product.
My father is a loyal hot tea drinker from as far back as I can remember so that is one of the very last few brand loyalties I have. The peach flavoring in this drink is not overwhelming as the Snapple version would be so it makes me feel like its a more genuine tea based product. It seems like Lipton is trying to rejuvenate itself with all the new white green tea product line its advertising which is great but do not forget to try this one out.

Summer is coming upon us and that means my lack of a tan is becoming more apparent as the days go by. My last attempt at a sunless tan was Neutrogena's MicroMist Sunless Tanning Spray. A couple good things...it was extremely easy to apply, even on your back. The results were not streaky and even. It dried quickly. That's about it for the good stuff. My complaints start at the application. In the past I have used sunless tanners that have a bronzer included and it was so nice to have an instant tan so I could walk out the door with results and also tell where I had applied it. The spray was completely clear and besides your skin looking "wet", there was no other way to make sure you had good coverage. But my biggest disappointment was the lack of tan! I am very pale and bought the Deep shade hoping for good results and the next day I honestly couldn't tell if I had applied it or not. And even after I applied it two days in a row, I still saw very little results on the 3rd day. Unfortunately, this one didn't make the cut.

OK, so I'm "Movin On" in my reviews of former American Idol contestants albums. Which, if you've checked out Elliott's new CD, "Movin' On" is his first song. Very catchy, pop tune that I happen to like. Another faster tempo song on this CD I love is "Alright". Probably my favorite on there. It has this addictive, make-you-want-to-move beat that works out great while sweating away on the elliptical. The other ballads that are easy to listen to although a bit repetitive in the lyrics and full of Elliott's sometimes excessive vibrato are "Wait For You", "One Word", "You Are the One", "I'm the Man", "Train Wreck", "Take My Breath Away". Other songs I haven't listed unfortunately I simply skip. They're just not good songs to me and I'm disappointed in those. As a whole, I would say this is a soulful, pop/smooth R&B type sound that is nice to listen to. Although there are some songs I can't recommend I think the good outweighs the bad and it's worth checking out.

A life-saver! Somehow some bubble-gum got into our dryer machine. I expect it was in one my trouser pockets but I'm blaming it on my daughter (haha).. unfortunately the inside drum of the dryer was completely smeared with a green plasticy substance (gum after been through a full drying cycle) and was not coming off easily using regular round the house cleaning products. I googled for a solution and saw a posting suggesting a product called 'Goo Gone' and the name instantly made sense to me. I rushed out to Harris Teeter (local grocery store) and luckily found that they carried Magic Goo Gone GG89ST.
It smells of orange, and I found it funny because now-a-days everything has an orange scent as opposed to the traditional citrus/lemon kind. I guess orange is the new scent of choice. Anyways, applying it to the drum and within 5 minutes of wiping it off the 'goo' sure enough did come off. It's also been amazing to get adhesive label stickers off of products and Ive heard it has a million other uses. Buy this and keep it around, a product like this is something you never anticipate using but constantly end up relying on.

Do you take vitamins daily? You should. Do you take flax seed oil daily? You should seriously consider it, and here is why. It has long been know that Omega-3 fatty acids are simply put, good for you, for a variety of reasons. Fish use to be the richest source of this, yet with a smell that killed and a taste that killed you again, there is great news, flax seed is officially natures richest source of alpha linolenic acid which is an omega-3 essential fatty acid. These fatty acids are converted to EPA and DHA which are the very same ones that are found in fish producing the amazing benefits that have been scientifically proven, like heart health, reduced inflammation and improved cellular integrity. Flaxseed is also the most concentrated source of SDG lignans that have antioxidant properties (which we all know is what can keep you young and healthy longer) along with a balancing effect on hormonal levels throughout the body.
Fatty Acids are a must and absolutely essential for healthy living thus taking this supplement is simply a no brainer. The next question would be which product to buy. The Spectrum brand is simply the best one out there from all the ones that I looked into. It is shipped refrigerated and is sold that way too, its from fresh seeds that have been sliced and the best tasting one by far from the ones I tried/tried. You can take it with any drink (since the after taste leaves much to be desired), I personally take a tablespoon in the morning and a tablespoon at bedtime along with my protein shake.

Instead of traditional pasta where one has to eyeball portions and beginners have no idea about pasta and end up cooking way too much or too little, there's now a solution! Colavita tagliatelle spinach pasta (approx $4/bag - 8 servings) is actually pasta loosely rolled up into little nest like balls and the general rule is 1 nest per person. How simple is that! I happen to love Pesto sauce so I love the two added together, but any thick/creamy sauce which clings to the pasta will do great. The pasta nests uncurl on cooking and the finished result is the same as regular long flat pasta. Tagliatelle comes in three varieties - plain, red (tomato) and green (spinach). I prefer the spinach version only because I've had the plain and red ones all my life and this is something new (to me).

I've recently had to re-evaluate my dietary habits.. for a variety of reasons.. and have realized that my snacking habits were the worst.. so I've now found a healthy snack which is cheap, extremely healthy and tastes good! Almonds are available everywhere and here are 5 quick reasons you need to start snacking on them:

1. Almonds - and all nuts - lower cholesterol.

2. They may help you lose weight.

3. They are full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and vitamin E (good for heart and disease prevention)

4. They contain loads of magnesium, a mineral of which most people don't get enough.

5. Almonds lower the rise in blood sugar and insulin that happens after eating, making them a good tool in the arsenal against diabetes.

6. Protein! Don't ever again ask a vegan how he or she gets enough protein. A quarter cup of almonds contains more protein than an egg

Next time you're at your local grocery store, hit the fresh produce section and grab a package of natural whole almonds and if anyone has ideas on how to incorporate them into other meals. post them below!

We've got a new Screener competition! It took almost 4 months for someone to correctly identify the last one! We were hoping to have this be a monthly feature.. so come on and give it a guess! Make sure to use IMDB.com and other websites for research purposes. Best of Luck!