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Summer Gadgets
Written by: Margherita Miserandino
Summertime, and the living is easy
Summer is a great time to relax outdoors and have some great grilled meals. We found some great products to make summer activities like gardening and barbecuing much easier.
Gardening tasks such as sweeping and raking are much easier with are much easier with products from ReelSmart and Case Logic. We really loved The ReelSmart by Hydro-Industries that makes an annoying task like winding your garden hose an absolute breeze. I’ve always hated having to lift that heavy, often dirty, hose and attempt to wind it up neatly. The ReelSmart is a self winding water hose. It does not require any electricity or batteries; it works on water powered energy. All you need to do is put the handle in the rewind position. Case Logic has produced a line of storage products called Space Logic. They are perfect for keeping your garage, shed or basement clear of all those gardening tools as well as other supplies. They hang on the wall so they don’t take up much space. They are very durable and have many pockets to hold a variety of items.
Bionic has designed one of the best fitting gardening gloves around. The Bionic Glove is so well designed it has been recommended by the Arthritis Foundation. The gloves have pads strategically placed to decrease calluses and blisters. These gloves feel like a second skin.
DELTA ERGO has done lots of research to make sure that their tools are used efficiently. They have considered range of motion and ways to minimize bending, pushing, and pulling. Both their Adjustable Rake and Broom are very easy to use. The Adjustable Rake can spread from 8.5 to 22 inches to fit a variety of spaces. After an afternoon of gardening no one’s back hurt!
After some hard work in the garden you deserve a great meal without much effort. Sticky Fingers, the chain of barbecue restaurants found in the South, allows you to purchase their products online. We sampled one of their barbecue combinations called All the Best which includes a slab of their ribs, chicken wings, pulled pork and a couple of barbecue sauces. We were afraid that the meat would not taste as moist after heating but it was all delicious and easy to prepare. You would never think they were ever frozen. Both the Sticky Fingers Memphis Original Barbecue Sauce and Habanero Hot Barbecue Sauce are very tasty.
If you feel like having an authentic lobster or clambake right in your home, Legal Sea Foods will mail you all you need. We sampled the Lobster Clambake Supreme to see how easy this really was. It includes a live lobster per person, nine littleneck clams, one pint of New England clam chowder, ¼ pound of linguica sausage, corn on the cob and red bliss potatoes. Everything comes in a reusable lobster pot with precise and easy to understand cooking instructions and claw-crackers. I was always intimidated by cooking lobster but Legal Sea Foods makes it easy. As you might expect it is not a cheap meal, prices vary by the size of the lobster from $189.99 to 229.99 for two. If you are willing to share lobster, the dinner for two can practically feed three people. The meal was delicious especially the clam chowder. We felt this makes a great gift for the person who loves seafood and might not have access to lobster on a regular basis.
Cracker Barrel provides a variety of food items which can definitely add to making a quick and tasty meal. One of our favorites was the Sweet Pepper and Apple relish which tasted incredible with pork chops. Cracker Barrel also makes Fried Apples and Cherry Cobbler filling which are very easy to prepare and taste close to homemade.
While we are on the subject of desserts, TCBY makes some of the best frozen yogurt cakes we have eaten. They are low fat but they taste like you are splurging. We sampled the Strawberry Shortcake and Mint N’ Chips and they were delicious. The Strawberry Shortcake was full of strawberries and covered with a strawberry puree which made this cake full of flavor. The Mint N’ Chips had decadent fudge. These cakes are not only delicious but they are beautifully decorated.
If you are going out for a meal we came across an item definitely worth mentioning. Built NY has designed BYO (bring your own) Bag Coolers. Many restaurants have a BYO policy and now you can do it in style. These bags come in different colors and are collapsible for easy portability. They make bags for wine and six packs. They of course are well insulating because they are made of neoprene and are stain resistant as well.
There you have it- some great products to make summertime a little more relaxing. We hope you enjoy these products as much as we did.
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