I’ve been needing to add a reusable coffee mug to my beverage cup line-up for a few months now. I only had one and I’ll admit that there were times when I got lazy and just didn’t want to wash the mug for the next morning’s ‘Bucks run. I’m a huge fan of using reusable mugs – not only for the $0.10 discount but also for the reduced impact on the environment. If I had to be picky, one of my complains would be that the temperature of my chai tea never seemed to be the right temperature when I wanted to drink it – or it’s only the perfect temperature for just a few moments before it becomes too cold.

Brugo has introduced a new line of reusable mugs to help address that problem. Available in 13 different colors, from the outside, the Brugo mug looks like a geared up reusable coffee mug – from the pretty stainless steel and chrome accents to the rubberized non-slip base. Each mug holds 16 ounces (a ‘Bucks Grande) and has double wall insulation, so there are two layers of plastic insulating the mug. But what really sets the Brugo mug apart from the rest is its patented “Temperature Control Chamber.”

The idea behind the chamber is that you can isolate a small amount of your beverage, allowing it to cool in the chamber while the rest of your drink stays hot. There are two critical aspects to the chamber: first, the chamber itself and the second is the unique 3-function dial on the mug’s lid.

To use the Temperature Control Chamber, you first turn the 3-function dial on the lid to “Tip & Cool.” This will open up the back slot of the chamber, allowing you to tip your cup back (away from you), pouring hot drink into the chamber. That’s where your drink will cool while the rest of your beverage stays hot in the base of the mug. Each full chamber holds  2 oz., the perfect amount for a sip. Once you’re ready to sip, just drink from the mug as usual.

If your drink is already the perfect temperature, then you can simply turn the dial to “Sip” and use it like any other mug, since it will then use the smaller hole in the chamber to pour the drink out straight into your mouth. If you want to save your drink for a later time, then you can also turn the dial to “Lock” which will prevent spillage and seal up the cup.

If I had to change anything, it would be to make it dishwasher safe. I have yet to find a single reusable coffee mug that is dishwasher safe. I’m told that it’s because the temperature in the dishwasher reaches a level that is too high for the mugs to withstand. So until someone invents a dishwasher safe, reusable coffee mug, I simply wash my mugs by hand. I usually soak my Brugo mug overnight in warm soapy water, with a dash of baking soda to remove the smell. If you have one of those wand sponges, those are useful to help wash inside the mug and if you have a bottle bristle brush, that will help you clean inside the chamber.

Overall, I think that the Brugo mug is very innovative. The Brugo Mug has everything that a reusable coffee mug needs plus the Temperature Controlled Chamber. I loved that I didn’t have to wait for the entire drink to cool off in order to start drinking. I didn’t have to make several trips to the microwave in order to re-heat my chai through the morning. Being able to lock the top was great for my walk from the ‘Bucks to the office and the sip feature was very handy when I needed lots of caffeine NOW.

WARNING: Using this mug may delay your order from the coffee shop. The Brugo Mug was so intriguing, that when I passed it to the baristas my drink actually took a little longer to get back to me because they were checking out the design!

For more information about the Brugo mug, please visit their website at www.brugomug.com. You can also buy your own mug through their online store, where they are currently offering free shipping for orders of $50 or more!

Disclaimer: This post consists of my (and/or fellow tester) opinions only. Your experiences may be different. No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive a free Brugo Mug from the manufacturer or their representing PR agency to use and test for the purposes of this review. This did not affect the outcome of this review.

Yesterday, I uttered words that I never thought I would say before, “Where is Lucky Leaf when you need it?” I was at the grocery store stocking up for the snowstorm of the year, planning on making a pie. Unfortunately, the local grocery store doesn’t carry Lucky Leaf and sadly didn’t have any strawberry pie filling. What will it take to bring Lucky Leaf to my Safeway? Fortunately, I had a back-up dessert plan – a wonderful Sweetheart Cherry Cake made with Lucky Leaf Premium Cherry Pie Filling.

I was first introduced to Lucky Leaf Pie Filling a few months ago when they gave me the opportunity to try out the Premium Apple and Strawberry Pie Fillings. Yesterday, I was able to taste and bake with Lucky Leaf Premium Cherry Pie Filling when I baked the delicious and easy-to-make Sweetheart Cherry Cake.

I’ll start off by mentioning that I’m not the hugest cherry fan. Sure, I’ll eat a cherry Lifesaver here and there, but a real cherry? I’ll pass. I think I had a traumatic experience with a sour cherry as a child. So Lucky Leaf had a little bit of a challenge with me – 1) Get me to eat a cherry and 2) Get me to like eating a cherry.

Out of the can, the cherries actually looked quite good.

You can see that most of the cherries are whole and that there is a good fruit to syrup ratio, meaning the cherries aren’t dripping in the syrup. When I tasted the syrup, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the taste. It wasn’t too sour but also wasn’t so sweet to make them taste artificial. Also, I found that the cherry flavor of the syrup wasn’t too overwhelming. I thought it had more of a hint of sweet cherries than in in-your-face flavor.

To bake the cake, we first added half of the can and blended it into the cake mixture, mushing up the cherries and ensuring that every bite of cake would have cherry in it, then folding in the second half of the can which provided the whole cherry pieces.

Once the cake was baked and the slice was cut, that was where the true test would be for me. The cake itself had only a mild cherry flavor and the real “pow” came when you ate the pieces of whole cherry, which gave you a mild tartness. The texture was very nice – slightly thicker than a normal cake but still very moist. (Pause while I go grab another bite of cake.) The buttercream icing really complements the cherry flavor very well, adding an extra sweetness with a hint of almond (from the almond extract I added.) Ultimately, I enjoyed the cake – cherries and all!

I think Lucky Leaf was able to overcome my cherry-obstacles. This cake succeeded in getting me to eat cherries as well as to enjoy them! I don’t know that I’ll be sitting around eating cherries for fun, but I’d definitely have another slice of this Lucky Leaf cake.

For more information about Lucky Leaf, to find additional recipes, or to download a coupon to save $1.00 on any 2 Lucky Leaf Pie Fillings, please visit www.luckyleaf.com.

Lucky Leaf is also hosting a recipe contest! Held in partnership with Better Homes and Gardens, the Lucky Leaf Blue Ribbon Recipe Challenge winner will receive $1000 and over $50 in Lucky Leaf Products! To enter, simply submit your original recipe that uses at least one full can of Lucky Leaf Pie filling. Visit their recipe contest page to learn more details and to enter the recipe contest.

If you would like to bake up your own Lucky Leaf Sweetheart Cherry Cake, then you can enter to win the WCatDD Lucky Leaf Sweetheart Cherry Cake Giveaway! (Giveaway info is after the recipe.

Sweetheart Cherry Cake
Ingredients:
1 (18.25 oz.) dry white cake mix (or your favorite flavor)
2 large eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract (optional)
1 (21 oz.) can LUCKY LEAF PREMIUM CHERRY PIE FILLING

Buttercream Icing Ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract (optional)
4 c. (1lb.) confectioners sugar, sifted
2-4 Tbsp. milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
2. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch.
3. Mix together on medium speed; dry cake mix, eggs, baking powder, both extracts and ½ can of LUCKY LEAF Premium Cherry Pie Filling until moistened.
4. Fold in the remaining ½ can of cherry pie filling by hand until blended. Batter should appear thick.
5. Pour batter into pan and level with a spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
6. Remove cake from oven, and allow to cool completely in the pan before icing.

Icing Directions:
1. Cream together butter and both extracts.
2. Slowly add sifted confectioners sugar, beating well.
3. Add 2 Tbsp. milk. Mix well. If needed, continue adding milk 1 Tbsp. at a time, until icing is smooth and spreadable.

Recipe courtesy of Lucky Leaf – www.luckyleaf.com.

What’s Cooking at DD Lucky Leaf Sweetheart Cherry Cake Giveaway!

The Prize:

10 winners will receive a Wilton Excelle Elite 9-Inch Heart Baking Pan and a copy of the Sweetheart Cherry Cake recipe.

To Enter:

Make sure you follow the directions carefully. All giveaway entries should use the ENTRY FORM. You only need to fill out the ENTRY FORM once, unless you decide to additional earn extra entries at a later time. You can earn up to 15 entries into the WCatDD Lucky Leaf Sweetheart Cherry Cake Giveaway by doing one, some or all of the following:

Ways to Earn Entries:

Make sure you use this ENTRY FORM for your extra entries to count!

1. THIS ENTRY IS REQUIRED FOR ALL OTHER ENTRIES TO BE VALID (+1): Visit www.luckyleaf.com and tell me which recipe you’d like to try to make.
2. Follow Lucky Leaf on Facebook (+1)
3. Post this giveaway on your blog (+3)
4. Tweet about this giveaway using the “retweet” link at the top of this post or by tweeting “I want to bake a cake with love and cherries from the @WCatDD Lucky Leaf Sweetheart Cherry Cake Giveaway! http://bit.ly/aYhvCQ” (+1)
5. Subscribe to WCatDD (+1)
6. Follow WCatDD on Twitter (+1)
7. Fan our WCatDD Facebook Page (+1)
8. Follow us on Google Friend Connect (+1)
9. Follow us using Network Blogs (+1)
10. Add the WCatDD button to Your Site (+2)
11. ONE TIME BONUS: Vote for us for the Web’s Top Giveaway Blogs (+2). After voting, don’t forget to comment on this post as well for your chance to win $100 if we win!

The Rules:

Ten winners will be selected at random for this prize.

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EST, February 12, 2010.

Visit our Giveaway Rules page for general giveaway rules that also apply to this giveaway.

Disclaimer: This post consists of my (and/or fellow tester) opinions only. Your experiences may be different. No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive free Lucky Leaf Pie Filling and a baking tin from the manufacturer or their representing PR agency to use and test for the purposes of this review. This did not affect the outcome of this review.

Here are the current Amazon.com Grocery Deals for February 2010. Now is a great time to stock up on their candy products (gearing up for Valentine’s Day) as well as Popchips, Skippy Peanut Butter, and Nestle. If you view all of the Amazon Grocery deals, you’ll also find deals on Lipton Tea, Tassimo, and Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Mixes. Enjoy!

	Save $10 when you spend $49 or more on these eligible candy products (including Ghirardelli) sold by Amazon.com. Please enter code VALCANDY at checkout. SHOP NOW Expires February 15, 2010. Click for more info.
	Save up to 35% on select Popchips products sold by Amazon.com. Save 20% when you enter code PCFEB2IO at checkout. Plus, save an additional 15% when you combine the instant rebate with your Subscribe & Save order–bringing your total savings to 35%. SHOP NOW Expires February 28, 2010. Click for more info.
	Save up to 30% on select Unliver brands including Lipton Soups & Spices, Lipton Tea, Skippy, and more sold by Amazon.com. Save 15% when you enter code UNLEV454 at checkout. SHOP NOW Expires February 28, 2010. Click for more info.
	Save 20% when you buy any eligible cake decorating products sold by Amazon.com. SHOP NOW Expires February 28, 2010. Click for more info.
	Save up to 35% on select Chicken of the Sea products sold by Amazon.com. Save 20% when you enter code CHKNSEA5 at checkout. SHOP NOW Expires February 28, 2010. Click for more info.
	Save up to 30% on select Annie Chun’s products sold by Amazon.com. Save 15% when you enter code ANNIEC27 at checkout. SHOP NOW Expires February 28, 2010. Click for more info.
	Save 15% when you buy any eligible Nestle products sold by Amazon.com. SHOP NOW Expires February 28, 2010. Click for more info.
	Buy any Mighty Leaf Tea product sold by Amazon.com and receive a free mug when you enter code VALGIFT4 at checkout. SHOP NOW Save up to 20% on select Mighty Leaf Tea products sold by Amazon.com. Save 5% when you enter code LEAFMG44 at checkout. SHOP NOW Expires February 28, 2010. Click for more info.

View all Amazon Grocery Specials

We’ve got a bunch of special affiliate discounts and coupon codes this week!

ULTA

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Restaurant.com

Save 60% off Restaurant.com $25 Gift Cert. orders and receive a $15 FTD® Floral Reward. Use code BLOOM and Pay $4 thru 2/8/10. SHOP NOW

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Receive a FREE Character Call with your purchase of $49 or more at DisneyStore.com with Coupon Code: DISNEYCALL. SHOP NOW

I love Listerine. Ever since I was a teenager and took my first swish of that odd golden mouthwash, I was convinced that the unbelievable burning sensation that made my eyes water was killing every single icky germ in my mouth. Fortunately, there have been advances in mouthwash flavoring technology since then and there are now other colors and flavors of Listerine that you can use, while still keeping their great germ-killing power. I haven’t had an opportunity to try Listerine Cinnamint Mouthwash, but one of YOU will be lucky enough to win one and will hopefully let me know how you like it!

Get a bright and fresh smile this Valentine’s Day with products from Listerine^®.  A recent survey showed that bad breath is the number one reason why women over 25 turn down a date.  Cupid can finally take a break because LISTERINE^® has the secret to get you and your smile romance-ready.

The Little Things Do Matter! If you want to keep your romance alive, use small romantic gestures to celebrate your love everyday -not just Valentine’s Day.  Write spontaneous love notes, enjoy random date nights or simply say “I love you” out of the blue.  Avoiding common turnoffs is also key.  You never know when you could meet “the one,” so try rinsing in the morning and at night with NEW LISTERINE^® TOTAL CARE Cinnamint Mouthwash.  It delivers six health benefits, including killing bad breath germs.

On the Go Quick Fixes: Ever have something at dinner on a date and are afraid to even think about that goodnight kiss?  A true beauty trick is to always carry a product like LISTERINE^® Cinnamon POCKETPAKS^® in your purse, for a convenient on-the-go solution to unwanted bad breath.

For more information visit www.listerine.com.

WCatDD Listerine Cinnamint Giveaway!

The Prize:

One winner will receive Listerine^® Total Care Cinnamint Mouthwash and 3-pack of Listerine^® Cinnamon PocketPaks^®

To Enter:

Make sure you follow the directions carefully. All giveaway entries should use the ENTRY FORM. You only need to fill out the ENTRY FORM once, unless you decide to additional earn extra entries at a later time. You can earn up to 14 entries into the WCatDD Listerine Cinnamint Giveaway by doing one, some or all of the following:

Ways to Earn Entries:

Make sure you use this ENTRY FORM for your entries to count!

1. THIS ENTRY IS REQUIRED FOR ALL OTHER ENTRIES TO BE VALID (+1): Visit www.listerine.com and then tell me which of the two products you would like to try the most – the Listerine Total Care Cinnamint Mouthwash or the Listerine Cinnamon PocketPaks.
2. Post this giveaway on your blog (+3)
3. Tweet about this giveaway using the “retweet” link at the top of this post or by tweeting “Killing all the germs and keeping my breath cinnaminty fresh with the @WCatDD Listerine Cinnamint Giveaway! http://bit.ly/9mtAMe” (+1)
4. Subscribe to WCatDD (+1)
5. Follow WCatDD on Twitter (+1)
6. Fan our WCatDD Facebook Page (+1)
7. Follow us on Google Friend Connect (+1)
8. Follow us using Network Blogs (+1)
9. Add the WCatDD button to Your Site (+2)
10. ONE TIME BONUS: Vote for us for the Web’s Top Giveaway Blogs (+2). After voting, don’t forget to comment on this post as well for your chance to win $100 if we win!

The Rules:

One winner will be selected at random for this prize.

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EST, February 10, 2010.

Visit our Giveaway Rules page for general giveaway rules that also apply to this giveaway.

Disclaimer: This post consists of my (and/or fellow tester) opinions only. Your experiences may be different. No compensation was given for this review/giveaway.