Crack pudding

Run, don't walk, to your nearest supermarket and pick up a 4-pack of Hunt's Snack Pack Pudding Cups in Chocolate Caramel. If eaten cold they taste just like cake batter! If you prefer to eat them at room temp, they taste like a Java Chip Frappucino!

Heart shaped tea from SBS Teas

I've recently fallen in love with a unique concept from SBS Teas, an online company that specializes in custom blended loose leaf teas, coffee, and accessories. Introducing the heart formed tea, a loose leaf tea pressed into the shape of a heart. These tiny hearts are adorable and each one makes enough for one delicious cup of your choice of green or black tea. They would make an excellent gift for a tea lover, and could even serve as adorable favors for a wedding or bridal/baby shower. Try these little hearts out today! $2.95/5 hearts.

Hot Rock - would you like some volcano to go with your steak?

Yesterday was our second wedding anniversary! Mr. Bean snuck out of class a bit early and we went to dinner at a place called Rok Bistro (near San Jose, CA for you locals). It was so much fun! Think of a fondue restaurant but with a twist. You get a salad to start with and then a cheese fondue to share. But then your main entree comes out on a square volcanic rock that has been heated to 700 degrees. You cut your meat into small pieces and let it cook to your liking on the rock, then move it to your plate and enjoy. Mr. Bean had lamb and I had a buffalo steak (I'd only ever had a buffalo burger). Both were delicious!

Today I found out that you can get a consumer/at-home version of these rocks to use on your own! They are made a company called Hot Rock (Rok Bistro gets the commercial version of these from there, too). As the website says:

Discover the speed, ease, sensational taste, uniqueness and healthy aspects of Hot Rock meals. Any meat tastes better when cooked on a Hot Rock. Cater to the health conscious by creating low-fat, low-carb meals with “sizzle.“ Amaze your family and guests with fun, festive, and delicious meals they will never forget. Preparation time is minimal. Simply heat a rock for several minutes on the stove and take it to the table where the diner grills their own meat on a volcanic rock—an unbelievable experience. Side dishes can be prepared in advance or simply purchased ready-made from your local delicatessen. Preparing and enjoying meals has never been easier or more fun. Hot Rock gets hotter and retains its heat longer than other products and does not require messy or dangerous heating sources at the table. The rock maintains effective cooking temperature for approximately 25 minutes.

Hot Rock is the perfect solution for …..

• Health conscious diners who don’t want to sacrifice time, taste or quality


• People who entertain but don’t have time to prepare fancy meals


• People on the go who don’t have time to cook


• Children who complain about dinner—they won’t complain about Hot Rock!


• Year round dining—Hot Rock can be served in the dining room or on the patio The home, office or dormitory—all you need is a Hot Rock cooking set and portable stovetop

Hot Rocks for the home come in two price levels: the $49.99 rock and the $79.99 rock. You'd need one for each person eating, so Mr. Bean and I would have to get two. This is actually a pretty good idea for us to buy (if it weren't for that pesky recession) because he likes his steak one way and I like mine a totally different way.

Not related to the volcanic rock components, but I love chocolate and have to share: we concluded the meal with a to-die-for dark chocolate coconut almond dessert fondue with lots of little treats to dip. It was spectacular! We had a great time, and hadn't eaten outside of the house for 10 days to save money, so this was a real treat!

Real Simple's 9 Essential Spices

If you're like many people I know (Mr. Bean and me included), you've been trying to eat away from home less. Looking for a few new ways to spice up your supper? Try this list of 9 Essential Spices, courtesy of a back issue of Real Simple:

1. Garlic Powder: Unlike fresh garlic, powder will not burn. Season flour with garlic powder for fried chicken.

2. Red Pepper Flakes (Crushed Red Pepper): Get the great taste of New York pizza by sprinkling red pepper flakes on your slice.

3. Rosemary: Pair rosemary and garlic to create a flavorful leg of lamb (or pork if you're like me and lamb freaks you out). For a side dish, combine potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper, and roast in the oven.

4. Paprika: It has a subtle smoky flavor, which is great for seasoning meats and chicken before searing or grilling, and gives meat a beautiful color when cooked.

5. Bay Leaves: Create a base flavor in soups, stocks, and savory dishes by using bay leaves. Add one when sauteing onions too. Never leave them in when serving.

6. Oregano: Widely present in Mediterranean cooking, use oregano in tomato sauces and Greek salads with olives, tomatoes, and feta cheese.

7. Dry Mustard: Put a pinch of dry mustard into vinaigrettes or mix it with paprika to season beef. It packs a little bit of heat, so use it sparingly.

8. Cumin Seeds: Taste them in Middle Eastern and Mexican dishes. Add cumin powder and a drizzle of olive oil to spike up hummus.

9. Chili Powder: Season ground beef with chili powder when making Mexican food. Spicy alert: Add a little bit at a time.

The Bean's Pick: Patina

Sorry I haven't posted yet today. I saw this 1/2 vintage, 1/2 mod glass vase in a magazine and had to hunt down the website behind it: Patina. Unfortunately I got sucked into their vortex of product goodness and forgot all about sharing this store with you!

Patina has a little bit of everything. They have more than 30 shopping categories ranging from standards like "At Home" and "Necklaces" to more unique areas such as "Ticky Tacky Fun" and "Momiji." Some of my favorite things I found:

1. Bohemian Tea Towel, $6.95
2. Salt and "Peeper" Shaker, $10.95
3. Dream Journal, $16.95
4. Fringe Dot Vase, $48.00

Okay, off to go drool over their goods some more.

Tea time

Yesterday afternoon the book club I'm in had its monthly book club meeting. Each month we try to pick somewhere new (many of us have tiny apartments that aren't large enough to host large groups), and this time we chose a tea room. There were over 100 teas to choose from and they actually had crummpets! We all had a great time, and the afternoon inspired me to tell you a little bit about one of my favorite tea shop, Teavana.

Since it's a national chain of stores, you may have seen one in your local mall (there are currently over 80 locations across the United States). Teavana specializes in loose leaf teas available in practically any variety you can think of: white, green, black, oolong, herbal, and more. Their philosophy is that you get a better tea from allowing the leaves to actually have contact with the hot water rather than just bleeding flavor through a tea bag. I was never really a fan of loose leaf teas until I found this place. I thought that they were too hard to use, strain, etc. Teavana offers a number of products, including their signature Perfect Tea Maker, that allow you to create heavenly tea from fresh leaves.


Teavana's real stars, however, are the teas themselves. My current two favorite varieties are Almond Biscotti black tea ("with the scrumptious "cookie-like" flavor of almonds and cinnamon bits, especially tempting sweetened with rock cane sugar and a splash of milk") and Snow Geisha, a delicate white tea. Not only can you get delicious teas in dozens of varieties, but Teavana also specializes in custom blends. When summer comes, for example, I might want to brighten up my Snow Geisha with a bit of fruity flavor, so I might try their Snowy Peach Geisha Tea Blend, a combination Geisha and Rooibos Peach. Yum!

I am no tea snob - for example, I'm drinking a green tea this morning that costs $1.49 for 20 bags. However, if I'm in the mood to splurge, I visit my nearby Teavana or their website (they ship across the world). Next time you're in the mood for a "spot" of tea, I recommend that you pop over to Teavana and give them a try.

Java Juice Extract - coffee concentrate

Here’s something I hadn’t seen before: a liquid coffee extract.

Java Juice is a triple coffee concentrate that is extracted straight from the bean and combined with a bit of triple filtered water. It was created in Venice, California to solve the problem of weakening espresso by icing it. It’s coffee extract that to me resembles mud and comes in quart-sized bottles and a more portable 0.5 ounce package. For people who don’t want to brew coffee, Java Juice is a single serving coffee miracle and comes in Original, Decaf, French Vanilla, and Hazelnut. You can find these packets on Amazon.com - each serving ends up costing about $2.20.

I like their slogan: Simply Rip it, Drip it, and Sip it. And I was also highly entertained (and shocked) by the following info I found in their media kit:

Java Juice could save you money. Consider this:
If you spend $3.75 per day (the average cost of a commercially produced espresso drink)
Multiply that times 7 days = $26.25 per week
$ 26.25 per week = $105.00 per month.

Check out the savings over the course of a coffee drinking career.

$105.00 x per month invested at a rate of 10% annual return =
1 year = $ 1,260.00
2 years = $2,526.00
5 years = $ 6,300
10 years = $12,600
15 years = $ 18,900
30 years = $37,800
40 years = $50,400

Wow, now I will feel VERY ashamed of my meager savings account when I next run to Starbucks for their oh-so-delicious chai lattes!

New items in my Etsy shop!

Hi everyone! Things are much better now that I've had a couple of days to recover from my wisdom teeth surgery on Friday. I still can't go chow down on chips and salsa, but I'm staying full on lots of yummy foods (egg drop soup and milkshakes) and have had lots of down time to work up new products for my Etsy shop. Now that Valentine's Day is over, I'd like to premiere two of my own chocolate covered Oreo designs here: Dirt and Worms and Under the Sea!

I came up with the Dirt and Worms design after eating a cake with a similar theme over the holidays. My version includes a chocolate covered Oreo cookie topped with crushed Oreo crumbles to simulate dirt and a neon sour gummy worm. I officially got the thumbs up on this one from some kids in my neighborhood!


My other new design is called Under the Sea. It starts out with a chocolate covered Oreo and is then topped with azure blue sugar and 2 red Swedish fish.

I've also introduced several new toppings for my chocolate covered Oreos including St. Patrick's day sprinkles and spring pastels, so please stop by my Etsy shop and check things out! Mention that you read this blog post and I'll include a free gift with your order!

I've Been Tagged

I’ve been tagged by Vintage Inspired Jewelry and now must name seven things you may not know about me. Since I’m not really the main focus of this blog, I’ll try to make these seven things more about things I think you’ll like.

1. I would go out to eat every night if I could. It’s not that I don’t know how to cook. I actually love to bake and make sweets (hence my Etsy shop), but I love the idea of going out and having food prepared for me, being waited on, and not having to do dirty dishes. Restaurant.com has done wonders to support this obsession – they offer $25 gift cards to restaurants everywhere for huge discounts!

2. I am in love with sampler boxes. In the last week I have received one from Out of the Box Sampler (I’m one of this month’s sellers and had to buy one for myself!), Get Eurofied, and a pet-themed sampler box from Pets Jubilee. If you know of other places to get sampler boxes, please let me know!

3. I tend to get sucked into almost buying a lot of those cheesy “not available in stores” products advertised on TV, but then I go read reviews at this site and almost always come to my senses.

4. My parents first got dial-up in December 1995 when I was 13, so I’ve been online for a while. If I Google my original email address, there are still traces of me out there. Spooky!

5. Mr. Bean and I got married in March 2007, and Bridal Bargains was our Godsend. My parents paid for the majority of the wedding and although I think they would have given me more if I had asked for it, I was determined not to go over budget. With the help of this book, I didn’t. Check it out – a new edition was recently published.

6. I would end up spending…oh, about a million dollars on all of the things that I almost must have. It amazes me what’s available online!

7. I am easily entertained, including by sites such as Where's George, where you enter the serial number off of the cash you’re carrying to see where it’s been.

And now for mis victimas!!:

A Wrestling Addicted Mommy

Blue-Eyed Bride

All Things Fluffy...Fashionable...& Famous

Spoiled Pretty

Lou Lou in Lilly

Misadventures of a Newlywed

Pumpkin Pink Cottage

Good luck!

V-Day Alternative: Bittersweets

Although I consider myself to be a cheesy person full of cheesy sentiments for Mr. Bean (and equally cheesy tastes for the ways he spoils me), I also have a great appreciation for all things sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek. In celebration of this streak and of anti-Valentine's Day, I give you Bittersweets, a new product from Depair, Inc. Their description was so on the mark that I have shared it word-for-word below. Enjoy (and click the photos to enlarge)!

For most, there is no crueler day of the calendar year than that of Valentine's Day. While a tiny fraction of the population can look forward to a holiday of wine and roses, poetry and song, the vast majority of us can anticipate a day of nausea and grimacing, trauma and grief. A day in which minutes seem like hours, and hours like days, as we reflect sorrowfully on yesteryear's romantic indignities, today's loneliness, and the unknowable but certain heartbreak that will be visited upon us repeatedly in the years to come.

When cruelty and holidays collide, the weak-willed find solace in self-pity and comfort foods. And now, Despair Inc. is pleased to announce that we've combined BOTH into a radical new offering.

Introducing Bittersweets® - The Valentine's Candy for the Rest of Us.Like the ubiquitous candy conversation hearts, Bittersweets® are made of flavored, chalky-tasting sugar and sport a message on their face. But unlike other candy hearts, ours are stamped with bitter musings and mockeries perfectly suited to the dejected spirits of those who will spend the holiday alone, or wishing they were.

Messages recalling an almost forgotten, unbearably painful memory of being dumped. Or perhaps of a dysfunctional, psychotic ex-girlfriend or boyfriend. Or of that cruel-hearted girl (or boy) in elementary school who rejected your valentine solicitations, informing you that Jake (or Holly) was "so totally way hotter."Now available in THREE unique collections- "Dejected," "Dysfunctional," and "Dumped"- with each featuring up to 37 unique sayings each!

"Dejected" sayings include: I MISS MY EX PEAKED AT 17 MAIL ORDER TABLE FOR 1I CRY ON Q U C MY BLOG? LOSS LEADER A FINE WHINE MOMMY ISSUES DIGNITY FREE DORK MAGNET PURE NAUSEA WE HAD PLANS MAIL ORDER SETTLE 4LESS I'M HOT INSIDE

"Dysfunctional" sayings include: ANNULMENT I BEEN CREEPIN HE CAN LISTEN GAME ON TV CALL A 900# P.S. I LUV ME DO MY DISHES BOOTY INFL8N PAROLE IS UP! AWFUL INLAWS SUB PRIME I WANT HALFRETURN 2 PIT NO FIX 4 DUMB RATHER DRINK MUTUAL DISGUST

"Dumped" sayings include: I GOT SOBER HE FIT U FAT U LEFT SEATUP USED U 4 FUN JUST A FRIEND BACK 2 KENNEL DORKA PHOBIC U HAVE A BLOGRUSSIAN BRIDE CELEB8 THX2U DOG IS CUTER TRADIN YOU INFORGET WE MET KISS A FROG SHE IS 22! HE HAS A JOB

Truly, Bittersweets® are the perfect gift for you OR for someone you love, especially if that special someone is one who doesn't want to hurt your feelings but just doesn't feel that way about you but still wants to be friends so they can torment you with stories about their crushes on someone who doesn't appreciate them like you do, can't love them like you can, and actually takes pleasure in corralling a herd of fawning "just friends" behind themselves as they indulge in one self-destructive relationship after another, with no hope of ever finding true love, despite an army of souls eager to lavish it upon them. (You know what we're talking about.)

Supplies are limited. But the pain that accompanies them may not be.

Available in six different flavors, including: Banana Chalk, Grape Dust, Nappy-Citric, You-Call-This-Lime?, Pink Sand and Fossilized Antacid.

These little jewels are available for $9.95 each, or buy the set and enjoy them all for $19.95!

Shopping Pick: FredFlare.com

If you are looking for a single store that carries several trinkets you never knew you wanted until now, visit Fred Flare, a New York-based store that started in 1998 when the creators started selling a single product off the back of a bike in SoHo. Their products have been featured in magazines like Elle, Marie Claire, and People, and include everything from accessories to clothing to things that are...well, kind of out there. A few things that caught my eye:

Who doesn't need a toast shaped wallet? $15

Frozen Smiles Ice Cube Tray, $10 - My question: Whose teeth did they use as a model?

Pickle Bandages, $9 - also available in steak, pirate flags, and more!

Pet's Eye View Camera, $50 - I am a total pet nut and am actually intrigued by this gizmo! You attach it to your pet's collar when you leave for work and it will take pictures every 1, 5, or 15 minutes for up to 40 images. So you can stalk your pet! Excellent!

Bacon Floss, $9 - YUM?

They also have a few pseudo-normal items that are worth taking a look at, including an extensively quirky gift selection. This weekend Fred Flare is having a free shipping sale on any size purchase (normally $7.95 unless you're spending $75+), so stop by their store and check it out!

Chocolate with an Attitude

C-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e. Sugar, fat, and decadent goodness. Who doesn't love it? Add in a little attitude and witty packaging and you've got Bloomsbery and Co., a chocolatier originally based in New Zealand that specializes in 1) fantastic chocolate and 2) tongue-in-cheek packaging. Visit their interactive website to check out all of their designs - some of my favorites are below - and find a store that carries Bloomsbery near you!

Cupcakes

There is something really great about cupcakes. No matter what sort of bad mood I’m in, they make me happy (and that’s not just when I’m gobbling them up two at a time). If I walk past a display of them in supermarket bakery, they bring a smile to my face! In my opinion, cupcakes are the cheerleaders of the pastry and sweet treats world. In celebration of these little num nums, I’ve created a collage of all things cupcake using one of my favorite online toys, Polyvore:

Don't call me cupcake - by thesweetjellybean on Polyvore.com

My favorite product from this collage (aside from the horribly overpriced Tiffany charm)? The Cupcake-themed dish gloves made by a store called Carolyn’s Kitchen. Somehow I don’t think I’d mind scrubbing burnt chicken char off the dollar store cookie sheet I forgot to Pam if I were wearing these! They’re also available in a lighter blue and even have a matching apron. Talk about domestic bliss!

Visit my Etsy shop for chocolate covered Oreos and more

WARNING: Shameless self promotion in 3...2...1...

Do you dream in chocolate? Does the term "ooey gooey, soft and chewy" make your mouth water? In addition to blogging, I also run a new shop over at Etsy called The Sweet Jelly Bean (go figure!) that features chocolate covered Oreos with your choice of topping, snickerdoodle cookies made the way God intended, Southern Pecan Praline Cookies, and more! If you're shopping for Valentine's Day, any of my shop items can be purchased in advance and shipped on a day of your choosing (we have a strict "no frozen dough in the freezer" policy at my house, so I guarantee your treats will arrive fresh). Please visit The Sweet Jelly Bean on Etsy today!

4 lunch totes to keep your diet on track (New Year's Resolution I: eat out less)

I am at work eating my lunch. As in I actually had the foresight to make something at home and bring it to work. This is harder than it sounds as I probably have a medically sound condition called Fastfoodadia or some such illness when I crave fast food, be it Taco Bell, Subway, or the like. As a New Year's resolution, I vowed to eat out less, especially when it would be when I was alone and couldn't turn the meal into a social occasion.

So while sitting here eating my grilled chicken salad (I ACTUALLY cooked this..in a pan..on the stove!) and 100 calorie Twinkie, I thought, "what better time to blog about interesting meal totes? I've been dragging along the same pink Igloo lunch bag for years - could it be the reason I hate bringing my lunch? Let's step things up a bit and go on the hunt for a new lunch sack (paper free, of course!). Here are 4 picks:

#1: Chinese Take-Out Lunch Box

#2: Built NY Gourmet Getaway Tote

#3: Bento Box

#4: Neiman Marcus Lunch Tote

So if I get one of these pretties, do you think it'll inspire me to bring a Lean Cuisine to work? I'm not sold, but it might help spur me on.