Product Review: The Bona Mop

When we moved into our house 2.5 years ago we decided to pretty much gut it and start from scratch. One of the most important things for us was hardwood floors. I cannot stand carpet or cleaning the carpet. Once we saw our beautiful brand new oak floors, we knew that it was worth every penny. They were perfectly shiny and beautiful! I was thrilled that I would never have to carry a vacuum cleaner around the house!

Never having had hard wood floors, I was not quite sure how to best clean them. So I researched several products and found that many people swore by Murphey's Oil. I decided to try it out. Immediately I loved the smell...my floors sure smelled clean...but after drying they were streaked. "Maybe I am not cleaning them right," I thought. So I went to my usual Internet resource and looked at what other people were doing. Apparently, hard wood hates water, so it is best to use a spray and a micro fibre cloth on a mop. And so I did...I mixed the Murpheys Oil with the appropriate amount of water and poured it into a spray bottle. It sure took longer but at least I knew my floors were not going to warp from the excess water and I certainly liked not dragging a bucket around with me. However, even this did not give me the result I wanted...as soon as the sun set on the floors there were those darn streaks again! About a year in a half into using the Murphey's Oil I noticed my floors looking extremely dull. I ran across an article that said any cleaner that had a detergent as the active ingredient was the WORST thing for your floors! Essentially, once the water evaporates all that is left is the detergent and that is what makes the streaks. It was not until I read into this a little bit further that I got really upset...Murphey's Oil makes floors look dull! I freaked out and threw every bottle into the garbage immediately!

Angry and hopeless, I began yet another search for a good floor cleaner. A friend of mine said that his cleaning lady used the Swiffer Wet Jet and loved it for his floors. So I ran to my nearest target and bought the Swiffer for $29.95. I liked not having to carry a bucket or a spray bottle around with me and it was great to be able to pull it out for quick clean-ups like shoe marks and spills. It worked great on my tile in the laundry room, but that's where the good news ended. Those streaks were back! It honestly seemed that I was losing the battle.

I spoke to a number of cleaning ladies and they all recommended good ole' Windex and a terry cloth. "Just get down on your knees and wipe down after each spray, making sure to clean in the direction the wood planks are laid." Well I followed their advice...and my floors were looking better. I had given up hope of them ever looking like they used to because I knew that Murphey's Oil had ruined them for good! However, they were looking better, at least those darn streaks were gone. Nonetheless, this was exhausting...working a 60-80 hour week and still having to take care of cooking and up keeping the rest of the house, this method was just way too time consuming.

On a recent trip to my favorite store, Bed Bath and Beyond, I went into the mop aisle to try and see if I can find a better micro fibre mop. Then I noticed a line of products that I really never paid much attention to : The Bona Products. I went home to read up on them and they came very highly recommended by consumers and professionals alike! They just came out with a brand new mop that had the spray bottle already attached to it! The best part was there was no need for batteries because it has a special ergonomic design!

I went and bought the mop immediately. I knew that Bed Bath and Beyond had a great return policy and if this product was not all it was cracked out to be, I could return it. Fortunately, I will not need to to return this :) It is amazing! The pad is removable and can be washed in your regular laundry machine. The spray is more of a fine mist that covers an area evenly. It is also completely safe for pets and children. But most of all...my floors are looking clean and rejuvenated! No more streaks or back pain from the cleaning on my hands and knees! I clean my kitchen floors every night now and my living room every other day. It is so easy and rewarding to see my floors coming back to life!

Here is the link for The Bona Mop...I would recommend this product to anyone who is just plain sick and tired of the old methods. This product also comes in a special formula for tile and stone floors so almost anyone will be able to use it!

A New Section Added to My Blog

Hello Everyone!
Yes I am actually back and this time I hope to stay for awhile :)
I decided to add a new portion to my blog discussing some of my favorite products. Personally, before I buy any product I research it for days, sometimes weeks. Nowadays it is so hard to find a really informative and honest review. I used to depend on Consumer Reports with just about everything, but sometimes they do not have specific products that I am looking for. So I will spend a lot of time on the internet looking at multiple websites trying to come up with an educated decision based on facts and other people's experiences with them. If I find that the product is not all I thought it would be, I will definitley update the review!

I can honestly say that any review that I give is based on my own personal experience with the products and I am not in any way paid to endorse these products. Hopefully, I can help someone find the review they were looking for :)

Real Ukranian Borscht

Generally speaking, soups are a major staple in the Russian diet. They were inexpensive to make, full of nutrients and kept the people warm through the long, cold winters. Borscht...is to Russian culture as hamburgers and fries are to American culture. It's a dish that is so quintessential Russian that when I tell people I'm Russian, they say, "So did you eat a lot of Borscht when you were growing up?" and unfortunately my answer is, "No."
*Now technically I am not from Russia, I am from the republic of Moldova, a country next to Romania. And even more technically, my maternal grandparents were both born in Romania, so I guess that makes me half Romanian. But no one really has heard of Moldova and since they were once all part of the USSR, I just keep it simple and tell them that I am Russian.*
In fact, growing up I hated the stuff! Its bright purple color scared me and its ingredients were never my cup of tea. I hated beets and cabbage as a child and considering those are the 2 main ingredients, I was not going near it!
My fiance is Ukrainian. Now if there is one part of the former USSR that can make borscht it's the Ukrainians. My fiance's father makes the BEST borscht. When we first started dating,his parents were shocked that I never ate at their house. I was not a fan of anyone else's Russian cooking other than my mother's, so I did not eat anyone else's Russian cooking. Now please do not judge me, that is the one issue I struggled with my whole life! Sue me! Everyone has them!
One day his father made borscht and as usual, offered it to me. I scrunched up my nose and politely declined. My fiance looked at me and quietly said, "It's rude to never eat at my house! You are insulting my family!" After this guilt trip, how could I not try it, after all I was planning on becoming the perfect daughter in law; and perfect daughter in laws do not scrunch up their noses at perfectly good food.
So I asked for a small, teeny portion of borscht. In my fiance's family, that means enough to feed me for a week! I sat there, traumatized, looking at this steaming bowl of purple liquid. I started my usual ritual: I peered over it and smelled it, then I stared at it a bit more, envisioning how it would feel and taste in my mouth; until my fiance finally broke down and said, "Just eat it! Here put some sour cream in it and EAT IT! It's just borscht!"
"Ohhh" I thought, "Sour cream sounds like a good idea, it will dilute the flavor I'm sure!" I took a nice big spoonful and placed it in my mouth. I did not want to taste it, I just wanted to chew, swallow, breathe and repeat until the entire bowl was clean. But then...an amazing thing happened...something I never thought could have happened...I accidentally forgot to hold my breath while chewing and I tasted it! And OH MY GOSH...it was AMAZING! I started eating it so fast that both my fiance and his dad looked at me with wide open eyes. His dad turned to me and said, "Well, how did you like that?" To that my only response was, "Can I have some more?!?" Lesson learned: Do not be afraid to try things that you are unfamiliar with.
Now I can promise you that if you like beets you will LOVE this soup. It is very filling and satisfying. I luckily made this the week that I got sick with bronchitis and it truly was the one thing that I could keep down. It's very nutritious and with this recipe, very low fat.
Please do not be like me and have a closed mind about this dish. Most Americans who try a good homemade borscht beg for the recipe. So here it is ladies and gentleman, my fiance's father's borscht!

Real Ukrainian Borscht

3 Beef Shanks
1 Small Head of Cabbage, Shredded
2 Large Beets, Shredded
5 Carrots, Shredded
1 Large Onion, Shredded
3/4 Cup Tomato Puree
1 Lemon, Juiced
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
6 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
3 Large Potatoes, Peeled and Cut into Chunks

*I place the cabbage, beets, carrots and onions through my food processor with the shredder attachment. It makes this dish a LOT easier.*

1. Remove all the meet from the shanks and cut into large pieces.

2. Place meat into a large pot and cover with cold water 3/4 of the way up.
3. Bring the liquid to a simmer and skim the top to remove all the scum.
*Do not let this liquid boil. If it boils then the scum will break up and it will be very difficult to clean the soup.*
4. Once no more scum is coming out of the meat, add in the cabbage and potatoes. Let this cook over med-low heat for about 15 minutes, just giving it time to soften.
5. Add in all the other ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer on low for about 30-35 minutes or until proper flavor develops. The soup should be just a bit tart and a bit sweet.
6. Let the soup rest before serving with a nice dollop of sour cream. Typically, the soup tastes even better the next day!

Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Turkey Sausageballs

In the midst of all my healthy cooking, I started to crave one of my favorite comfort foods, Spaghetti and Meatballs. However, since I am trying to eat lighter and spend less time in the kitchen, I wanted to see how I can make this recipe healthier and quick. The answer: Turkey Sausage! In any market today there are a variety of gourmet chicken and turkey sausages. Cosco has an assortment of chicken sausages including feta and spinach, sun-dried tomato and artichoke and garlic pesto. With all the different types of sausages available the recipe creations are infinite!

I noticed that my grocery store had Italian turkey sausage on sale. So I thought to myself, "hmmmm why not make meatballs out of sausage???" It makes perfect sense! All the flavors are already in there, all I have to do is remove the casing and roll out little meatballs. With a few additions to the sausage I created an extremely quick and lip smacking good meal!

Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Turkey Sausageballs

1 Package Hot Italian Turkey Sausage (about 6 links)
1 Jar of Trader Joes Organic Marinara
1 Package Whole Wheat Pasta
1/4 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Onion Finely Diced
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
5 Basil Leaves, Chiffonade

1. Take the sausages out of their casings by making a slit down the middle of them, lengthwise. Place a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
2. Add Parmesan, onion, parsley and mix well with hands to combine.
3. Create little meatballs and place on an oiled baking sheet.


4. Bake at 450-degrees in a convection oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.
5. While the meatballs bake, cook the pasta and warm up the sauce with the garlic and basil in a saucepan.
6. Once the meatballs are a beautiful golden brown, add them to the sauce to finish cooking.
7. When the pasta is al dente, drain, toss with the sauce and add meatballs. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese and enjoy... Bellisimo!

What I've Missed

I've been on a hiatis...first I got busy with work...then I had some fun weekends with friends and family and the best one...I had bronchitis! Through it all I failed to post even one teeny little post...Bad blogger...BAD! So I am finally trying to catch up with all the cooking I've been doing! Please bare with me as I will have a LOT of posts in a very short period of time!
Here is a preview of what I have missed to post: