Browsing Category

Gift Guides

Gift Guides

Cool Cocktails

May 27, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend may not be the official start of summer, but in our minds it rings in barbecue season, flip flop weather and many patio parties with ice-cold cocktails to come!

While the holiday weekend is just a couple of workdays away,  it isn’t too late to get everything you need for a festive summer. There’s still time to enter the UncommonGoods and Fresh Home Ideas Ultimate BBQ Giveaway for your chance to win a bundle of great BBQ goods. The entry deadline is June 19; so in the meantime why not cool off with a refreshing concoction? These recipes are sure to make your next gathering a summer sensation, and we’ve picked out the perfect accessories to make mixing them a breeze.

The Drink?
Looking for a grown-up twist on a summer favorite? Instead of lemonade, try a Lemon Drop Martini.

You’ll love:

Graffiti Cocktail Shaker

Graffiti Cocktail Shaker

Shake up your next party with this clever cocktail shaker. The cute spray-can design will get a laugh out of your guests, and when filled with liquid and ice it even sounds like the real thing when you give it a shake.

Continue Reading…

Gift Guides

Gift Lab: Summer Treats

May 23, 2011

Customer Service representative Meya made some colorful fruit and veggie mango pops with the new Quick Pop Maker, and a recipe she found in Perfect Pops. But will her teething daughter find them as tasty as they are healthy?

1) Product Name: Quick Pop Maker & Perfect Pops

2) Background Research:

Summer’s coming and as a parent to a teething infant, I know the best thing to help sooth them is something cold for them to crush on. So my goal was to find an ice pop recipe that I can make in a jiffy that my teething 8 month old could enjoy as well as the rest of the family.

3) Hypothesis:

I will no longer have to worry that I forgot to pop the teethers in the freezer when the moment hits.

4) Experiment:

My mission: Use the book to find a pop that my whole family will love and with the magic of the Quick Pop Maker create instant ice pops in a flash.

I unpacked, washed, dried and immediately stuck the quick pop maker in the freezer. Then I set out to find the perfect pop recipe. My criteria for my recipe was a pop made of fruits/vegetables, with no added sugar (natural sugars are okay) or salt. A recipe on page 60 caught my interest>: watermelon-beet juice and carrot-apple juice striped pops.

But going over the ingredients I thought, “I must have lost my mind.” Beet juice stains are no joke, and even with the small amount required (2 tbs) I wasn’t willing to risk it. I decided to omit it from the recipe. In the end I also omitted the agave nectar because I couldn’t find any that was pasteurized. I tasted the carrot and apple juice mixture and it really did need something to sweeten it up so I added some mango puree. While it succeeded in sweetening up the mix, it also really changed the color.

Here’s what I did next:

1. Remove Quick Pop Maker from the freezer. Insert sticks and pour about ¾ ounce of 1st mixture or Puree; allow layer to freeze completely.
2. Pour ½ ounce of next mixture or puree into each cavity directly on top of the 1st layer; allow layer to freeze completely.
3. Pour another layer, fill the base up to fill line in each cavity; allow layer to freeze completely.
4. Remove the pops with the Super Tool.

Pretty easy!

5) Results: From start to finish the whole process took about 20 min. I decided to juice or puree fresh fruit, so that added to my time. As did making the striped pops, because I had to wait for each layer to set.

6) Conclusion: I was surprised at Leya. She really loved these popsicles. I took this first picture thinking that I had sometime while she ate her way through the pop.

Little did I know! By the time I texted my mother a picture of Leya eating the pop, she was 2/3 done. As for her sore gums, I had a very happy baby on my hands. So much so that I decided to make her another the very next day (this time it was only an apple-carrot puree). Okay, so I guess I’m not that great at following a recipe but these pops were so good and were quick and easy to make. I can’t wait to try some of the other recipes. If you don’t think your infant can handle the pop stick or you just don’t want the mess, you can always cut a piece off and put it in a mesh feeder.

The Quick Pop Maker is $50 and comes with everything you need to make a batch of pops in just 9 minutes. Pick up a copy of Perfect Pops, $16, for some fun recipes to get you started.

Gift Guides

Our Top 10 Gifts for Mom!

April 29, 2011

Mother’s day is just a few days away, but there’s still time to get great last minute gifts that are sure to make your mom’s day!

Birth Month Flower Necklace

These birth month flower necklaces aren’t just for birthdays! Choose your mom’s birth flower or take the alternative route and go with her favorite color, her favorite flower or a month that has special meaning to her!

Continue Reading…

Gift Guides

Happy Tax Day!

April 15, 2011

Traditionally, tax day is April 15. Fortunately for those procrastinators out there, this year the IRS is giving us an extra weekend to prepare.

Since Emancipation Day falls on a Saturday this year, the holiday is being recognized today, April 15. That means that April 15 is a holiday, and tax day cannot fall on a holiday or weekend, according to Wallet Pop.

All of this tax talk has us thinking fiscally, so we’re sharing a few of our favorite ways to carry cash, cards and coins.

Double Your Money Clip

Double Your Money Clip

So true!

Continue Reading…

Gift Guides

Introducing the Blunt Umbrella

April 12, 2011

Our brand new blunt umbrella is the last umbrella you’ll ever need. Designed with rounded edges that eliminate sharp run-ins with passersby and a radial tension system that makes for easy handling in strong weather, this high-tech umbrella helps you take on rainy days with grace.

But you can see for yourself. (Warning: Turn down the volume. It was windy out there!):

I went out in an afternoon shower on the windiest pier I could find, just to make sure the blunt umbrella lives up to the hype. And as you can see, it does.

Want to hear what I was saying? Here I am, testing out the blunt umbrella before the storm really picked up:

If you ever had any doubts about how much we at UncommonGoods love our customers, know this. We don’t hesitate to run out into rainstorms to make sure you have the best possible rain accessories!