A new Nicole's location

A recent Times Union article mentioned that Nicole's On The River will be closing soon. They will be opening a new restaurant in Lake Asbury. (Nicole's On The River is owned by the same people who run Nicole's Cafe In The Country in Middleburg.) The third location will be at 2808 Henley Avenue in Lake Asbury. That address is where the old Pulcinella Italian restaurant used to be. I've had great meals at both Nicole's Cafe In The Country and Nicole's On The River, so I'm expecting more good food at the Henley Road restaurant, too!

*8/27/13 update: The Lake Asbury location will not have a buffet like Nicole's On The River did.

*9/10/13: The plans for a Lake Asbury location have been scrapped.

*2/19/14: A new Nicole's location is officially open. Nicole's On The River / Nicole's In Orange Park is on Jefferson and Blanding, across from Wendy's & Burger King. Same menu as Nicole's In The Country in Middleburg (which is staying open).

Golden Corral raises prices

This little nugget was in my Pepsi e-newsletter today. Yeah, 

Golden Corral is seriously raising their weekend prices by $2 through September 8th. I almost choked on my ice cream laughing.  I don't think anyone would pay that much for a Golden Corral meal to begin with, even if the infamous Golden Corral dumpster food video hadn't gone viral this summer. The only place I'd pay $13 for a buffet is a Disney resort, a special holiday brunch at a fancy hotel or a dockside restaurant where I know the seafood was caught that same day. 

The Better Chip

The AMW family is big on snacking. Whether it's a car trip or an evening movie, somebody will be packing yummy food to take along. Our munchies of choice are usually sugar free drinks, dip, fruit or veggies and something with crunch (nuts, granola, crackers or chips). Snacker that I am, I was super excited when The Better Chip recently offered me the chance to taste two new flavors!

AMW readers may remember my previous taste test of The Better Chip's jalapeno & sea salt, sweet onion & cheddar and red pepper & salsa fresca flavors. So I'll be reviewing the corn chips with sea salt and the newest flavor, spinach & kale corn chips.

Corn With Sea Salt

"Made with fresh corn with sea salt"

               

       

  

I am a huge fan of fresh tortilla chips. Whenever I go out for Mexican food, I am the first one with my hand out for the hot, lightly salted chips and the spicy salsa. Which is why these corn chips tasted so good to me! They're crunchy, have a fresh corn taste and are sprinkled with just the right amount of salt. The only thing I need now is a lime drink and an enchilada to go along with the corn chips. Yum!   

On top of that, I am impressed with the simple ingredient list: corn masa flour, whole corn, sunflower and / or canola oil, sea salt. I don't need a dictionary to figure out those ingredients. Fresh corn off the cob and double thick corn masa are food I'll gladly eat or cook with. In contrast, I had bought a bag of candy the other day and choked at the number of mystery ingredients listed on the package. Eeek!  

Spinach And Kale Corn Chips

"Made from fresh spinach & kale with sea salt."

       

    

    

 

I am a life long spinach eater. Every from spinach alfredo pizza to spinach stuffed mushrooms, you can count me in. Kale, however, is a veggie I've only recently started consuming. I started out with a kale-ginger smoothie earlier this year. Then I bought a bagged kale salad. Call me a kale convert!

I was curious how those flavors would translate to The Better Chip's spinach and kale chips; because whenever I buy spinach tortilla wraps, I find myself thinking "These look green, but I really don't taste spinach." Not a problem with the spinach & kale corn chips, though. These hearty, crunchy snacks have light, distinctive, fresh from the garden flavors. I recommend pairing this flavor with hummus. It's an amazing combination!

The Better Chip's spinach & kale chips are available in 2 oz snack packs or 6.4 oz deli packs. In addition, they are gluten free, vegan, non-GMO and made in a "completely nut-free environment." Plus the green color comes from fresh kale and spinach, not food coloring. 

Red Pepper And Salsa Fresca
"Made with 40% fresh red pepper so the flavor is inside"

  

 

Jalapeno And Sea Salt

"Made with 40% fresh jalapeños so the flavor is inside"

 

Sweet Onion and White Cheddar

"Made with 40% fresh onion so the flavor is inside"

 

 

In addition to the samples above, The Better Chip also sent me a wicked cool t-shirt. I can't wait to wear this when I go hiking again next week. Y'all know I'll be bringing some tasty The Better Chip snacks in my pack, too : ) You can't go wrong with The Better Chip , whether you're throwing a party, looking for road trip snacks or shopping for a gluten free family member. 

 

Cheerios Crunchy Hot Dog Nuggets

I spotted this recipe for hot dog nuggets in a General Mills e-newsletter. They're coated in Cheerios. This is so many levels of wrong. Hot dog nuggets look like something Gordon Ramsay would force himself to try on Kitchen Nightmares. Yuck! 

Carmex Blog Squad: Carmex Healing & Hydrating

It's been a stressful month, dear readers. My computer had to be fixed after a melt down, winter lasted longer than usual and my work hours have been cut. On top of that, my skin dries out whenever I am this stressed. The bright note, though, is that I received a package from the Carmex Blog Squad. In the box was a beautiful, comfy yellow Carmex jacket and two full sized Carmex tubes.

Some of you may remember a previous post where I reviewed Carmex's healing cream and healing lotion. Both products now feature new packing and contain more lanolin (which is key to healing dry skin). Let's take a look at some of the other changes, too.

Carmex healing cream
- Then: Had a vanilla frosting scent that morphed into vanilla plus lemon or lime.
- Now: The new scent initially reminded me of vanilla (but not vanilla frosting)  and sunscreen. The smell changed to lemon, vanilla and sunscreen when placed on the skin.
- Then: Healing cream dried quickly. Hands became soft and smooth.
- Now: Healing cream dries quickly, but not as as fast as the healing lotion. Hands became even more soft and smooth.
- Then: Not greasy. Great on dry, rough skin
- Now: Still not greasy. Is concentrated and can be used in small amounts.

Carmex healing lotion
- Then: Smelled like honey and vanilla
- Now: A lighter lemon and sunscreen scent
- Then: Had a thick and waxy feeling, more so than the healing cream
- Now: No thick or waxy texture. Is much closer to a creamy texture
- Then: Dries quickly
- Now: Dries even faster
- Then: Contains aloe and vitamin E. Can be used daily
- Now: Has aloe and vitamin E, plus a patent pending new solution that  "delivers healing and moisturization without a greasy feel."

I feel that Carmex's healing lotion and cream have changed in positive ways. Both formulas helped bring my skin from stressed, dry and patchy back to nourished, healthy, hydrated and lovely. I also received repeated requests in the AMW house for "Can I borrow your new Carmex ? It works so good on me!" And with Mother's Day coming up, Carmex healing lotion and healing cream would be perfect in a gift basket for the ladies in your life.

Speaking of lucky ladies (or gentlemen. We're equally opportunity when it comes to skin care!): One AMW reader will receive a set of Carmex cream and lotion. Leave a comment below with your name, email address and what your Mother's Day plans are. One reader will be chose in a random drawing. Carmex will directly mail the prize to the winner. One entry per person, please. The contest will run from 11:30 PM EST on April 8, 2013 and end on April 18, 2013 at noon EST.