Black Crows…Counting Crows…A LOT of Crows.

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“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary…”
crows7I did not intentionally trick you into thinking I was referring to the musical groups,  OR DID I?

OK, yes I did, hee hee. Sorry. 

And sorry for the uninspired Poe reference.

I don’t know about other parts of the country, but we here in Carlsbad are being INUNDATED with crows.

Actually, I think they’re really ravens, but I’m not sure.

There are SO many that it’s now a topic of conversation and everyone stops to take pics when they fly back to wherever they roost in the late afternoon just before sundown.

It’s like an end-of-the-world scenario. Or a Hitchcock movie.

Yesterday, I heard an amazingly loud cacophony, ran upstairs, and took a series of photos.

Some people, like my aunt, used to call them, “miserable crows” but I like them.

I know crows/ravens/whatever they are, are highly intelligent creatures.

Wolves and ravens have a social and mutually beneficial relationship.

Can you count the crows? Or ravens? 

crows6In all the trees as far as the eye can see, a murder of crows or a congress of ravens. Whatever. All I know for sure is that there are a shitload of birds here.crows8 A little after school learning going on.crows1 The birds are coming, the birds are coming!crows3 Who’s up for a soccer game?crows4

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Learn What “Eat Small” Means From Scientific American

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Mexico-Property of Enchanted Seashells, Confessions of a Tugboat Captain's Wife

Mexico-Property of Enchanted Seashells, Confessions of a Tugboat Captain’s Wife

I think we can all agree that it’s important to eat healthy and it’s equally imperative that we become better stewards of our world, especially our oceans.

My Yale prof son asked me to share this interesting and informative  Scientific American video and article produced and written by his friend, Patrick Mustain.

Patrick Mustain is a Communications Manager at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. He is interested in how environmental factors (built, social, media, economic, etc.) affect health behaviors and outcomes, especially those places where media and public health intersect. You can find more of his work at his website, patrickmustain.com. Follow on Twitter@patrickmustain.

*As you watch the video, look for the wooden bowl used to make a salad. I gave it to my son a while back and it’s now starring in a film! It’s famous!
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clickhere_button_redwhite_10Eat Small: Why our Big Fish Problem is leading to big fish problems. (VIDEO)

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P.S. I’d appreciate shares on his behalf. Thank you!

Ring, Ring! #Hing is the Key to Cosmic Flavor Success

Quote

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I’ve been on a journey of sorts attempting to replicate the taste of authentic Indian cuisine, specifically Red Lentil Daal.

I’ve tried it a handful of times and it’s always fallen short of the mark.

But I think I’ve found the missing puzzle piece!

One day, I heard #Aarti Sequeira, Season 6 #FoodNetworkStar winner, talk about hing, and I knew right away that I needed to find it and try again to master the art of daal.

Hing is also known as Asafoetida —  have you ever heard of it? You might remember reading about a foul smelling old herbal remedy used to ward off the flu by wearing an asafoetida bag around one’s neck. It’s folk name is Devil Dung, and that’s about how bad it smells. In its uncooked raw state, it STINKS.

But you shouldn’t judge this herb before trying it.

When cooked, hing becomes fragrant and has a flavor reminiscent of fried onions.

There’s an Indian store, Bharat Bazaar in San Marcos, not too far away from where we live, and I picked up a jar of hing.

This time my Red Lentil Daal was absolutely mouth-watering.

Hing proved to be the missing link, providing an eloquent essence to the other spices: cumin, chili, coriander, ginger, fennel, mustard seed, and cinnamon.

We paired our meal with Truett Hurst 2010 Bewitched Chardonnay from California’s Russian River Valley, a bewitching harmony of fruit and oak.

Hing really is the key to cosmic flavor success. 

Photo courtesy of gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com

Photo courtesy of gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com

But…who was the first person with that light bulb thought about stinky hing transforming itself into something tasty? I mean, it could have been toxic and poisoned everyone, but there was that very first time someone  –probably a woman — plucked it, held their nose, tossed it into a pan, and served it to their family. I like that kind of creativity and imagination.

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I did a little more research and leaned a lot about hing (asafoetida) from The Health Site http://health.india.com/diseases-conditions/health-benefits-of-hing/

It enjoys a unique place in Indian cuisine. When cooked with other spices, the strong pungent smell of hing adds a mysterious flavour to dishes. It is used most commonly in dals (lentils), sambars, and various other spicy vegetarian dishes.

In Ayurveda, hing is used to aid digestion, cure colic, and stagnation in the GI tract. Hing burns ama. It is a primary herb for Vata.

It is known to be anti-flatulent, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial; works as a laxative, nerve stimulant, expectorant, and sedative.

Here are the few reported health benefits of hing:

Indigestion– Hing has been used since ancient times as a home remedy for indigestion, the reason why it is routinely used in most day to day Indian cuisine. Its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties help alleviate digestion problems like upset stomach, intestinal gas, intestinal worms, flatulence,  irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), etc. Drinking a few small pieces of asafoetida dissolved in half a cup of water gives quick relief from indigestion. Hing is an excellent laxative and prevents constipation. A pinch of asafoetida taken with butter milk provides quick relief from flatulence. It is also considered an excellent remedy for colic in babies. Many Ayurvedic preparations available in the market for gastric problems use hing as an ingredient.

Menstrual Problem: Hing can be a powerful against a host of women’s menstrual problems like pain, cramps, irregular periods and dysmenorrhoea. The herb is also useful in the treatment of candida infection and leucorrhoea (thick white/yellow coloured discharge from the vagina).

Impotency: This culinary herb has been used to cure impotency in men. It is also known to increase libido and can be used as an aphrodisiac.

Respiratory Disorders: Hing, one of the oldest remedies to be used for treating respiratory tract infections, acts as a respiratory stimulant and expectorant to release phlegm and relieve chest congestion. Hing mixed with honey and ginger is used for respiratory disorders such as chronically dry cough, whooping cough, bronchitis, asthma, etc. It has also been successfully used to fight influenza. Studies have shown that antiviral drug compounds produced by the roots of the hing plant can kill H1N1, the swine flu virus and can be used for new drug development against the virus.

Diabetes: Hing is used in the treatment of diabetes because it helps pancreatic cells to secrete more insulin thereby decreasing blood sugar levels.  To lower blood sugar levels, eat bitter gourd cooked with hing.

High blood pressure: Coumarins present in the herb aid in thinning of blood and prevent blood clotting. The anticoagulant property along with the healing effect of hing protects against high triglycerides and cholesterol and helps lower blood pressure.

Pain: Taking hing dissolved in water alleviates migraines and headaches. A piece of hing mixed with lemon juice can work wonders for an aching tooth.

Navarre The Wolf, Shot, Paralyzed, Rescued From Freezing Waters

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Howling For Justice tells the story of Navarre The Wolf: Shot, Paralyzed, Rescued From Freezing Waters. If you don’t know this story, please read and SHARE.

Nabeki's avatarHowling For Justice

January 8, 2014

Revisiting Navarre’s story is a renewal of faith.  There are good people in this world who care deeply for animals like this sweet, little wolf. I hope you find comfort in this, even though it wasn’t a happy ending.

We love you Navarre!!

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Kindness and love in action, saving a wolf from certain death. This beautiful video is narrated in Italian but really needs no translation. It’s heartfelt, moving and incredibly uplifting to watch  wonderful people working so hard to save a wolf’s life. To them I say:

“May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day. May songbirds serenade you every step along the way. May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that’s always blue. And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.”…..Irish Blessing

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Saving Navarre: The Dramatic Rescue of a Paralyzed Shot Wolf

Good news:…

View original post 387 more words

The Humble, Beatific Biscuit

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Not out of a can.

Not out of a box.

Just a few modest ingredients, mixed and mashed and melded together to create blissful, aromatic, crusty-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside rounds of simple decadence.

Plain, buttered, or drizzled with agave, these are so satisfying with a bowl of Veggie-Lentil Soup, especially for those of you suffering from the #polarvortex with subzero Arctic temps.

biscuit7We don’t have gluten problems, so I used regular old white flour.

I don’t often bake items that are not 1000% nutritious, but we were totes craving the real thing.

It’s OK to indulge once in a great while, don’t you agree?

Here we start. You only need five ingredients; I’m sure everyone has milk, flour, shortening, salt, and baking powder in the pantry, right? #baking

biscuit2Next, it’s time to cut the shortening into the dry ingredients. I use a fork. Simple!

biscuit3 Add milk, mix, and let it rest for a few minutes to develop the gluten.
Then, roll it out and use a biscuit cutter or a glass if you’re cool like me. 

biscuit5

I always use parchment paper. Bake until they’re golden brown. You’ll be able to smell them as they rise and attain perfection. Don’t over bake or you’ll be able to use them as hockey pucks LOL.

biscuit6

Display on a pretty and fancy plate!. YUM!

biscuit1

Simple But Special #BiscuitRecipe

This recipe makes 8 to 12 biscuits

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 3/4 cup milk
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
  2. In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Pour milk into flour mixture while stirring with a fork. Mix in milk until dough is soft, moist and pulls away from the side of the bowl.
  4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and toss with flour until no longer sticky. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick sheet and cut with a floured biscuit or cookie cutter. Press together unused dough and repeat rolling and cutting procedure.
  5. Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheets and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes.#baking

Dripping Caves Hike: Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park #SoCal

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alisosignA few days before Christmas, we picked up Angel Boy (my son– and yes, we still call him Angel Boy even though he’s thirty-two-years old!) from the John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

We drove RIGHT BY South Coast Plaza but my mind was too excited to see my baby to care about stopping at Chanel or Valentino or Cartier or Gucci or Harry Winston….HARRY WINSTON!!

Crap, did I just miss an opportunity to check out Chanel???

Sigh, a mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do.

Aliso hike

Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park is a jewel of solitude and natural beauty in hectic Orange County.

It comprises approximately 4,500 acres of wilderness and natural open space land. Originally, part of the Juaneno or Acajchemem tribal land, it later was owned by Don Juan Avila, Louis Moulton, the Mission Viejo Company, and now is under the jurisdiction of OC Parks.

Within the park lands are mature oaks, sycamores, and elderberry trees, two year-round streams, and over thirty miles of official trails. Many rare and endangered plants and animals make this park their home. This park is designated as a wildlife sanctuary.

To get to the main trailhead for Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, exit the 5 freeway at Alicia Parkway and head towards the ocean.

Of course it was imperative that we feed the child. Whether they’re four or thirty-two, the first thing they think about is FOOD! I had prepared a huge amount of food for the hungry traveler and we ate it at a picnic table near the entrance to the trailhead, under a canopy of old shade trees. He ate a couple of his favorite sandwiches: tuna with celery, apples, nuts, avocado, tomatoes, cheese, and lettuce — along with Lentil Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Veggie Chips, Persimmon Bread, and an apple and an orange. We never fail to marvel at the AMOUNT of food Angel Boy can pack away…and that doesn’t include the nuts and raisins for the hike.

What’s up with that kind of metabolism?

He eats so much and burns it all and needs to eat again every couple of hours or so. This is just his normal — I once took him to an endocrinologist to make sure his levels were OK, and we learned that he’s just an extremely efficient food user. All I can say is that he didn’t get that from me.

After almost eight miles, we drove home — exhausted –but in a good way, and restored by the fragrance of Southern California buckwheat and sage.

Of course it was time for dinner and another feast of epic proportions: the stuff of mom-joy, that’s for sure.

Great blue heron.

aliisobirdA hidden pocket of water.

Aliso1

More water, rushing over rocks.

Aliso2

A gorgeous meadow and hills, but look at the houses on the hill.
So close to civilization!

aliso4Fairy-like foot bridge.
alisobridge

alisodrippingcave

alisocave

Another cool cave.

alisocave1

Some leaves DO change color in SoCal!alisotree

A happy mom ‘cos my Angel Boy was home,
even if only for a few days.

alisome

Yummy Black Bean Brownies and Lentil Cookies

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These recipes were originally requested by my good friend at TheFurFiles.

My Angel Boy is coming tomorrow, yay!!!! (That’s what I call my son, in case you’re a new reader/follower.)

Now all is right in my little corner of the universe which means that today I’m baking. A lot.

Lentil Cookies, Persimmon Bread (recipe coming soon), Snickerdoodles, and Corn Bread to go with Veggie Chili for tonight’s dinner. Oh, and a Pumpkin Pie, cos Angel Boy requested it.

These are not vegan ‘cos of the eggs and butter (in lentil cookies) but I think it’d be simple to create a version without them.

Black Bean Brownies

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 9-inch square baking pan. In a blender, puree the beans with the oil. Add the eggs, cocoa, sugar, coffee, and vanilla. Melt half the chocolate chips and add to the blender. Blend on medium-high until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the blender and pulse until just incorporated. Stir in the remaining chocolate. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake until the surface looks somewhat matte around the edges and still a bit shiny in the middle, about 20 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting and removing from the pan. My family thinks they taste better the longer you let them sit, so the beany texture dissipates.

Lentil Cookies (Alton Brown‘s version)

  • 9 1/2 ounces whole-wheat pastry flour, approximately 2 cups*
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 8 ounces sugar, approximately 1 cup (1/2 white, 1/2 brown)
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature, approximately 1/2 cup***Sometimes I use half oil, half butter, or all oil. Depends on my mood and my pantry.
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups lentil puree, recipe follows
  • 3 1/2 ounces rolled oats, approximately 1 cup
  • 4 ounces dried fruit, approximately 1 cup
  • 2 1/4 ounces unsweetened dried shredded coconut, approximately 1 cup

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice. In the bowl of a stand-mixer with a whisk attachment, cream together the sugar and butter on medium speed. Add the egg and mix until just incorporated. Add the vanilla and lentil puree and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture and blend on low speed until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the oats, dried fruit and coconut. Form the dough into balls about 2 teaspoons in size and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving about 1-inch of room in between. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes.

Lentil Puree:

  • 4 ounces lentils, approximately 2/3 cup, picked over and rinsed
  • 2 cups water

In a small pot over medium heat, combine the lentils and the water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Remove from the heat and puree. If using immediately, let cool. The puree may be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for 2 to 3 months. Yield: 1 1/2 cups lentil puree.

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Princess Rosebud’s Fashion Forward Protest Garb

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I joined more than forty dedicated angels with San Diego Animal Defense Team and Protest Oceanside Puppy on Saturday in a protest at the Oceanside location of a pet store owned by David Salinas.

Salinas owned a similar business in San Diego called San Diego Puppies before it was forced to close under an ordinance passed by the San Diego City Council earlier this year banning the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits at retail stores.

Animal rights groups want to end the practice of breeding and selling puppies bred in commercial facilities called “puppy mills.”

Quote from Protest Oceanside Puppy:

The owner of this store is busy churning out Christmas puppies and trying to make a profit off of the backs of the mother dogs. We have pictures of the inspections done at his breeders and it’s horrifying how these puppy mill dogs live their short tormented lives! These mother dogs never leave their cages, stand on wire their entire lives with no fresh air, little or no veterinary care and no socialization. Please help educate the public that THIS IS WRONG. This store owner was already shut down in San Diego! We must stand up against animal abuse!

About a dozen cities in California have adopted ordinances placing restrictions on the sale of animals from commercial breeders, including Chula Vista, Los Angeles, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Beach and Dana Point.

Under the ordinance passed in San Diego on July 9, no store can display, sell, deliver, offer for sale, auction, or give away animal pets in the city. Existing pet stores, including San Diego Puppy, were given up to six months to stop those practices.

Pet stores can (and should) offer adoptions of dogs, cats, and rabbits in partnership with a shelter or rescue groups.

If you’ve ever seen a photos or a video of the living conditions of the breeding dogs and puppies, you’d be as horrified as I was.

I am continually disappointed by the inhumane treatment we inflict upon other living creatures.

Sometimes we have to be assaulted by the ugly truth before we can make a compassionate decision.

SHAME ON CARLSBAD!

My city continues to allow California Pets to sell animals obtained from puppy mills.

Please take a few minutes to email or call your elected officials to let them know that you support any decision to shut down stores that sell factory farmed pets.

How can we, as civilized and caring people, continue to allow this to occur?
…   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …
But…being me, that is, being Princess Rosebud, I had to adorn myself in the appropriate fashion forward outfit to stand on the street holding a protest sign.

As much as I love to defend and protect animals, I also love to dress properly for any and all occasions.

I chose a sparkly Dior Not War t-shirt over Joe’s skinny jeans, brown knee-high boots, a butterfly scarf from Nordstrom, pulling it all together with a lovely gray sweater from Anthropologie.

Since it was sunny, I topped the look off with a lively turquoise straw hat, Chanel sunglasses, and my Chanel Grand Shopper Tote, which was, upon reflection, not the most politically correct handbag to carry that day, but I can’t be perfect all the time…My bad. Ooops.diornotwr graysweater

If you live in North County or you’d like to take a drive up the coast on Saturday, please spend a few hours supporting these amazing and dedicated animal defenders.

For more info: http://sdanimaldefenseteam.blogspot.com

Oceanside Puppy
1906 Oceanside Blvd., east of the 5.
Saturdays 12-3

More pix of the day:

puppyprotest3 puppyprotest2 puppyprotest1 puppyprotest

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Remembering: When I Got Up Close With Peter O’Toole

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Peter O'Toole The Stunt ManFor a brief moment in time, I lived my life’s dream of being an actress.

I had an agent.

I even combined my love for writing with my desire to become the next Oscar winner and wrangled a real live Press Pass from the Theater Arts Guild (which I saved all these years and take out to weep on every so often as just another unrealized dream.)

One time, I interviewed Bob Hope and Connie Francis. By the way, funny as you think he was on stage, he was an absolute JERK behind the scenes. At least that’s what I observed as he demanded that his white Rolls Royce be driven underground at the Sports Arena where he was to appear with Connie Francis in a tribute to the military. There was such a small crowd that a near-panic ensued and busloads of Marines drove in to fill up the seats and save the day.

Anyhoo, I get that I was a nobody with a freshly minted press pass, but I did write for a legitimate publication and he didn’t have to be so rude and dismissive. I wrote an honest, authentic, and genuine piece, not a speck of fluff anywhere. I still have the article somewhere along with my press pass. One day I’ll rummage around in my box of broken dreams and post it.

From tiny on-screen moments on the beach in a bathing suit in Harry- O with David Janssen to my last shoot as a Costa Rican hooker in Deadly Desire with Jack Scalia, it seemed as if I had a calling. I even had a few bit parts with lines, although most of them ended up on the proverbial cutting room floor, so there’s nothing to be found on YouTube to document my star’s brief rise and fall.

Upon reflection, I’m not quite sure why I was typecast as a prostitute? Bimbo in a bikini? Oh well, another fantasy died, thanks to an abundance of wrinkles and hundreds of pockets of cellulite. Time marches on, right?

There was a time I had auditioned for a film that was shooting in San Diego, “Stuntman”, starring the great Peter O’Toole.

Stuntman

Me with Alex Rocco.Photo property of Enchanted Seashells

There I was, once again, a girl in a bikini, on the beach in La Jolla. (Nice abs, if I do say so myself.)

That’s where I met Peter O’Toole. Because we were right on the beach, it was a fairly egalitarian scene. It was fascinating for me to watch actors as they rehearsed their script outdoors — like Steve Railsback who kept going over his lines; “We’re losing the light, Chuck.” “Chuck, we’re losing the light” “We’re losing the damn light, Chuck!”

Photo courtesy of sandiegohistory.org

Photo courtesy of sandiegohistory.org

And then there was Mr. O’Toole as he was called, pretzeling his tall, extremely skinny body onto his special chair, one leg laconically tossed onto the arm as he half-sat, half-reclined — star power all the way —  and he raised his voice, knowing that he’d command attention in less than two syllables, ” Where’s my coffee?  I want my coffee HOT!” to all of the hovering assistants.

He was so thin that he showed us how he wore layers and layers of clothing — even in the summer — to give his body a little padding. (I heard Frank Sinatra did the same thing.)

I was way too cool to ask for an autograph; I wanted him to think of me as an equal; a fellow “actor”, not as a fawning sycophant.

All of us cute young barely clothed girls had an easy time as desired accessories around the set; we had more access to the celebrities, we watched them play chess or checkers or were even invited to eat lunch with them.

At the time, I thought that I was being singled out for my “specialness” and my acting skills; now I see that there was a darker and more exploitative side to what goes on behind the scenes. Trust me, the casting couch is alive and well in Hollywood.

But for me, it was all innocent, all good, all wholesome. I didn’t get drawn into any of the after-hours partying, didn’t make any bad choices in life or follow a destructive path.

My acting pursuits ended with the birth of the Angel Boy except for an inspiring portrayal of that Costa Rican hooker.

My very last line…”Te gusta, señor?” (“You like, Mister?”)

Act on, Mr. O’Toole. Break a leg. You are remembered and missed.

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Cleaning Naturally — An Honest Review of Earth Brite

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2023 UPDATE: I wrote this post a few years ago and it seems to be one of the most popular on my blog. I’m always on the lookout for green cleaning products.

Flipping though the stations, this product caught my eye on HSN — ShopHQ, as it’s now called. A little name change, a branding re-do — to confuse the armchair consumer and blur the lines with another shopping network, QVC. Is that playing fair? What do you think? I’m not sure how I feel about it, or if I even really care — but as a marketing professional, I’m always fascinated by branding and new directions in marketing from an established company.

I don’t often purchase from these TV shopping shows: first and foremost, I’m a natural skeptic, and unless it’s a VERY GOOD DEAL, I normally bypass this method of shopping as I’m a touchy-feely kinda gal; I want to see it, touch it, smell it–before I buy it.

However, on this day, two very excited and animated hosts were scrubbing and smiling, telling me all about how Earth Brite’s natural, clay-based all-purpose product cleans, polishes, and protects everything from silverware to tile to boats and RVs, while the XR51 degreaser helps remove grease and grime.

Intrigued by the spiel; I thought I’d spend twenty dollars to test it out myself. I checked out the product information online and this is what I learned:

Earth Brite’s natural, clay-based all-purpose product cleans, polishes and protects everything from silverware to tile to boats and RVs, while the XR51 degreaser helps remove grease and grime.

When it arrived, I put on my trusty yellow rubber gloves to see first-hand if those claims are true.

  • I used it instead of Comet on my porcelain sink. Earth Brite did indeed work, but I had to scrub a lot harder to get the same results.
  • In the bathroom, I scrubbed the shower floor and glass doors, which is a big test here in SoCal where we have SUCH hard water that it sometimes takes a chisel to get the shower clean.
  • The results were OK but not “earth” shatteringly better than plain vinegar or any of the other array of products I have around Casa de Enchanted Seashells.
  • The final test was an old Revere copper-bottomed saucepan. Again, Earth Brite shined and polished the copper, but with additional elbow grease, and it wasn’t as easy to shine as the TV hosts told me it would be.
earthbritepan

Not a spectacular shine, right?

To be completely honest, the best results for pots and pans came from good old elbow grease and SOS steel wool soap pads.

Product Review:
In the final analysis, I was hoping that this all-natural product would replace most or all of my chemical-laden cleaning supplies, and it has not done that. I’m happy that it contains ingredients that are healthier for my family and for the environment, but I was disappointed that it did not live up to the live on-air demonstrations that initially compelled me to make the purchase. However, the companion product, XR51 Power Cleaner & Degreaser Concentrate turned out to be a wonderful surprise and it’s become part of my daily cleaning — and it smells great, too.