Wednesday, February 28, 2018

48 Blade Stainless Steel Meat Tenderizer Review

Disclosure:  We received a free meat tenderizer to facilitate our honest and unbiased review.  No monetary compensation was received.

Kitchen gadgets are a must when you are married to a chef.  Our kitchen is full of all different kinds.  One gadget we were missing was a meat tenderizer.  Chefy uses a meat mallet sometimes, but we didn't have a multi-blade meat tenderizer.


We received a 48 blade, stainless steel meat tenderizer from Cave Tools and I decided to put it into use.  I am not the one who usually chooses the meat for our household.  Chefy has a better idea what he is looking for and what are the best cuts.  I decided that I wanted to see if using this meat tenderizer would actually make a cheaper cut of meat more palatable.  I pulled out the pieces of beef and placed them on a cutting mat and used the meat tenderizer.  I could not believe how much I enjoyed using it.  Chefy said I got my frustrations out pounding on the steaks, and I think he was right.  My hands did not get tired because when I would push down the blades, they would basically spring back. It was quick and easy.  I was really surprised how much larger the pieces of meat became once they had been tenderized.  The blades opened tiny holes and the meat stretched.



After tenderizing, I placed the beef into a marinade and let it sit for a few hours.  When we cooked the steaks, they were a lot more tender than I expected.  All the connective tissues had been punctured and it was certainly not tough.  When meats are punctured with the multi-blade tenderizer, they cook more evenly and the marinades are absorbed deeper.  YAY!!  Win Win!


Clean up was a breeze too because this tool is dishwasher safe!  We love our new 48 blade stainless steel meat tenderizer from Cave Tools.  Although I don't foresee any problems with it, I can rest easier because I know that Cave Tools stands behind their products with a lifetime satisfaction guarantee!  Buy this Blade Tenderizer at Cave Tools and use the code TENDER15 and save 15%!  You can also find this awesome kitchen tool on Amazon.com!

What do you think about this kitchen gadget?  Do you own one?  Let me know your thoughts below!


Friday, February 23, 2018

Win $10,000 on Monday playing Swag IQ! (US & Canada Only) #ad

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  We receive SB for sharing.



On Monday, February 26th, Swagbucks is putting up over $10,000 that you can win playing fun trivia games! SwagIQ (available for iPhone and. Android) is a live, multiplayer trivia game show you play from your phone!

Each weekday, Swag IQ broadcasts a live game. Simply tune-in at the appointed time by launching the SwagIQ app and log-in with your Swagbucks account credentials. If you don't have a Swagbucks account, you can sign up for one here and then download the app!


In celebration of Swagbucks's 10th Birthday, they're going to broadcast 4 shows throughout the day and give away at least $10,000! It will likely be more since the more people who sign-up via SwagIQ prior to each game, the bigger the grand prize!

1st Game Show: 1:00 PM Eastern Time/10:00 AM Pacific Time. Grand Prize: at least $1500.
2nd Game Show: 4:00 PM Eastern Time/1:00 PM Pacific Time. Grand Prize: at least $2000.
3rd Game Show: 7:00 PM Eastern Time/4:00 PM Pacific Time. Grand Prize: at least $2500
4th Game Show: 10:00 PM Eastern Time/7:00 PM Pacific Time. Grand Prize: at least $4000

To play SwagIQ, download the app to your iPhone and Android today. 


It's really easy to play, too:
The game show host will ask a series of multiple-choice trivia questions. You’ll have 10 seconds to answer each one. Get it right; you get SB and move on. Answer them all correctly and you can win a grand prize! If more than one player wins, the winners split the grand prize. 

Get it wrong; still play along. Some questions have a bonus SB award attached to them. If you answer those questions correctly, you get those SB, even if you’re out of the running for the big money. And, if you’re in a groove but miss a question, you’ll have the option to rejoin a game by redeeming a few SB.  When you get to the end of the game, you can claim all of the SB that you've earned.

You can use all the SB points you earn playing SwagIQ to get PayPal cash or gift cards to places like Amazon, Target, Starbucks, and more!

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Introducing Swag IQ! (US Only) - Earn More SB #ad

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  I receive SB for sharing.



Want to earn money while answering fun trivia questions? SwagIQ (available for iPhone and. Android) is a live, multiplayer trivia game show you play from your phone! 

Each weekday, Swag IQ broadcasts a live game. Simply tune-in at the appointed time by launching the SwagIQ app and log-in with your Swagbucks account credentials. If you don't have a Swagbucks account, you can sign up for one here and then download the app!

Our game show host will then ask a series of multiple-choice trivia questions. You’ll have 10 seconds to answer each one. Get it right; you get SB and move on. Answer them all correctly and you can win a grand prize! If more than one player wins, the winners split the grand prize.  

Get it wrong; still play along. Some questions have an SB award attached to them. If you answer those questions correctly, you get those SB, even if you’re out of the running for the big money. And, if you’re in a groove but miss a question, you’ll have the option to rejoin a game by redeeming a few SB.  

The first public game is today at 4PM Eastern Time/1PM Pacific Time. So, tune-in then win up to $1000 playing SwagIQ. The host will review how to play before the game starts!

Monday, February 5, 2018

Napping Princess Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Review and Giveaway (2 Winners)

Disclosure:  We received a free copy of this DVD to facilitate our honest and unbiased review.  All thoughts and opinions are those of the Shelly's Bits and Pieces Giveaway.  Please note that the sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment.


From visionary director Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Eden of the East) comes a sci-fi fantasy that effortlessly weaves together the rapidly evolving technology of today’s world with the fantastic imagination of the next generation, which was nominated for Best Animated Feature – Independent, at this year’s Annie Awards.

The year is 2020, three days before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. While she should be studying for her exams, Kokone Morikawa often dozes off, entering a dream-world called Heartland full of fantastic motorized contraptions. But when her father, a talented but mysterious mechanic, is kidnapped for stealing technology from a powerful corporation, it’s up to Kokone and her childhood friend Morio to save him. Together they realize that Kokone’s dream-world holds the answers to the mystery behind the stolen tech, uncovering a trail of clues to her father’s disappearance and ultimately a surprising revelation about Kokone’s family.

With an ambitious mix of multilayered action, whimsical characters and inventive machines, Napping Princess is a genre- and universe-blending film that shows that following your dreams is sometimes the best way to discover your past.

My kids have never watched any anime, so I was not sure exactly what to expect when we received Napping Princess to review.  The DVD is targeted to kids ages 9+, and when you watch it for a little while, you understand why.  The story is a complex one and you have to pay attention to follow it.  It goes back and forth between Kokone's dreamworld and reality until almost the end of the movie.  Our main kid viewers were a 9 year old male, 8 year old female, followed by a 13 year old female, 19 year old female, and me.  Since my kids were not familiar with the genre, it took them a few minutes to get used to the ways the characters looked and their clothes.  They had no real problems following the movie, and they liked the sci-fi aspect of it.  Our 13 year old guest seemed to enjoy the movie the most and she actually borrowed it to share with some of her 11-14 year old friends.

Are you interested in checking this movie out for yourself?  Do you like Anime, Sci-fi, or have an older child or teen who does?  Simply enter on the rafflecopter form below and you could win!  Two lucky Shelly's Bits and Pieces readers will be randomly chosen, from the rafflecopter entries!

Friday, February 2, 2018

Get $3 when you sign up for Swagbucks in February (US) #ad

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  We receive SB for sharing.



Want an extra boost to your budget in February??

If you haven't tried Swagbucks before, you can get a bonus $3 for signing up as my referral this month. Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching, watching videos, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash.

When you sign up through me this month, you can earn a $3 bonus! Here's how:

1. Sign up using this link

2. Earn 300 SB total before 3/1/18. You'll get a $3 (300 SB) bonus for it!

3. If you want even more bonuses, you'll get a $10 (1000 SB rebate) bonus for making your first shop purchase! That's in addition to the SB you earn for every dollar you spend. 

That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real. I use it myself, and I've earned over $1500 which I have redeemed for Amazon and Delta Airlines gift cards!