With warmer weather on the way, thoughts will soon be turning to grilling and delicious summer meals. Want to spice up your meals? One lucky winner will win 4 boxes of Char Crust seasonings to help add some kick to their summertime food, so read on!

I recently received a box full of Char Crust seasonings to review. These seasonings come in a selection of flavors and are meant to create a coating on meat that both seasons and seals juices in; they can also be sprinkled on vegetables. Now, I’m on a very frugal budget at the moment, so my menu is more beans-and-rice than sirloin steak. So, I thought I would challenge myself to an experiment and see if I could use Char Crust creatively in other foods!

The Char Crust first seasoning I tried was their Amazing Cajun variety. I was inspired to make a rice & pineapple casserole and use this as a topping. Now, when I read the directions for how to use this product, I was picturing something a little like Shake ‘N Bake, so I thought I might be able to coat the top of the casserole with it, since it’s supposed to form a “Crust” and seal in juices. However, I discovered that this is a strong seasoning that is meant to be used more sparingly to coat meat or veggies with flavor, rather than to make a crunchy crust that could be eaten in large quantities than just a sprinkle. This might have been one of those DUH moments, but hey, it made sense to me at the time. I realized that my assumptions were incorrect after dumping an unholy amount of it on my casserole – haha! That’s what I get for experimenting. The seasoning was good, there was just too much of it – so we scraped off the excess and ate the casserole anyway!

However, my other attempts were more successful. I used Char Crust’s All American Barbecue in a sparing quantity to season black beans, and later added Ginger Teriyaki seasoning to a lentil & pasta soup mix to add flavor while it boiled. My best effort, though, was actually biscuits! I whipped up a batch of biscuits and added in some Roasted Garlic Peppercorn seasoning before kneading. It added a nice kick of flavor to the biscuits!

Soup flavored with Char Crust Ginger Teriyaki seasoning and biscuits baked with Char Crust Roasted Garlic Peppercorn seasoning!

Whether you are an extremely adventurous cook like me, or just want a nice seasoning to add to your next entree of meat and veggies, check out Char Crust dry-rub seasonings!

One lucky Contest Corner reader will win four boxes of 4 oz Char Crust seasonings! Here’s how to enter:

1. For your first entry, click here to “Like” Char Crust on Facebook, then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me what your Facebook username is. This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway. Then come back here and leave a comment with the link to your post!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave a comment on this post with the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this post to tweet with one click!
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave a comment on this post with the email you subscribed with!
5. Post my button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

Welcome to a special edition of Nerdy or Novice?, our technology column! In today’s installment, we will not only be sharing our thoughts on the new Linksys EA2700 wireless router, but one lucky reader will have a chance to win this router for themselves as well, so read on!

In addition to sharing news on the latest tech toys, Nerdy or Novice? also provides a well-rounded perspective thanks to my co-columnist (and fiancé!), Jai! A seriously tech-savvy guy, Jai owns a computer repair business, and will dissect the technical prowess of these gadgets and games. Meanwhile, I will be providing the layman’s perspective on the user-friendly qualities of this geek gear. Today’s review and special giveaway is for the new Linksys EA2700 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N600 Router with Gigabit. Here’s a little background information on this router provided by Cisco:

The Linksys EA2700 wireless router is perfect for Mom, Dad, your favorite grad, or anyone interested in building the ultimate connected home in 2012. From iPads, to gaming systems, to Wi-Fi enabled TVs, laptops and e-readers, consumers are snapping up consumer electronics that open up a world of entertainment, learning and socializing anywhere in their homes. So if an iPad, Xbox, Internet TV, laptop, etc, is on the list this year, make your wireless home worry-free by including the powerful Linksys EA2700 for home wireless the easy way to set up wireless products around the home, along with your must-have consumer electronics.

• Streaming multimedia and gaming

Jai set up this router, and this was his opinion on it:

“I’m used to setting up routers the old fashioned way – and by “Old fashioned”, I mean a year or two ago! – by powering them on, plugging them into the network, and using a web browser on a local computer to set things up to my liking. The Linksys EA2700 is capable of doing this, but would much rather use the setup CD to get things running. I was a little reluctant but I went ahead and used their setup method. It was surprisingly easy. The setup program was able to find the new router wirelessly and asked what I’d like to use as the wireless’ SSID (The name you see when searching for your wireless network) and password. I was able to get online with my iPod Touch in just a few minutes.

Just for fun (Yeah, this is the sort of thing I do for fun!) I went ahead and reset the router so that I could have a chance at setting things up manually. I turned off my laptop’s wireless antenna, plugged the Ethernet cable straight into the newly reset router, and typed 192.168.1.1 into my browser. A page came up asking me to insert the CD or download the configuration software. After a few seconds of concern I saw the fine print on the router’s page that let me go into the manual configuration. Everything went great from there since I was in familiar territory. The Dual-Band feature was especially impressive to me. With this you won’t have to worry about your older Wifi devices not being compatible, and your newer devices won’t be slowed down by older technology.”

As for me, I love the wireless range that this unit can provide throughout the house and the lightweight design of the unit. Linksys make quality routers, and this one seems to work great. It might be cool if this had a wallmount option, but that’s the only thing that I could even think of to suggest. This router is awesome in my book!

With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day right around the corner and graduations soon to follow, I would agree that if you’re shopping for a gift and want to get something really cool, a router is a great thing to consider. I know it’s not something that everyone would think to give, but every time I’ve given a “Techie” gift it has always been hugely memorable and useful to the recipient. Since routers are such an important part of our day-to-day computer setups, it’s a practical and helpful option than I think many would love to be surprised with!

The Linksys EA2700 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N600 Router with Gigabit retails for $109.99 and is available on Cisco.com. You can also connect with Linksys on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the Cisco Consumer Blogs.

1. For your first entry, click here to visit Cisco.com, then come back here and leave a comment mentioning another product that you would like to own. This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway. Then come back here and leave a comment with the link to your post!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave a comment on this post with the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this post to tweet with one click!
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave a comment on this post with the email you subscribed with!
5. Post my button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

Are you and your family ready for the beginning of summer next month? While you plan your fun in the sun, don’t forget to pack some protection from the sun, too. To help you prepare, Beyond Coastal Sun Care are offering one lucky winner a prize pack of their sunscreen products, so read on!

Since I live at the beach, it factors a lot into my family’s summer activities – although people would probably be surprised to know how infrequently I actually put my feet in the sand, even though I only live about a mile from the ocean! Still, when there is time in our crazy schedules, Jai and I love to go for runs (Or these days, physiotherapy walks!) on the beach, build bonfires with our friends, and just enjoy the natural beauty of the area. But no matter what the activity, I’m always very concerned about wearing sunscreen. Suncare is important to me, and not just because I’m a goth at heart. Besides the obvious risks of skin cancer and premature aging/damage to the skin, I put a priority on sunblock because I have such fair skin and don’t want to end up with a nasty sunburn. I don’t always remember to wear sunscreen as much as I should during the summer, but I’m trying to work it into my routine more so that I don’t ever forget – and I wear a moisturizer with SPF pretty much every day year-round.

So when I had the opportunity to test out some complimentary products from Beyond Coastal Sun Care, I thought this was a great chance to stock up on sunblock for this summer. Beyond Coastal are proud of the many natural ingredients that they use in their formulas, such as Aloe Vera and coconut oil. I had a chance to try the following products:

• Citrus Grove Lip Balm: This rich lip balm contains an SPF of 15 to help shield your lips during summer says. This is a very rich, moisturizing balm that glides on smoothly and works great alone or under lip gloss. My lips are always super dry, so I’ve been loving this lip balm and wearing it almost every day!
• Active Face Stick: This product has a really unique packaging – it’s basically dispensed like a stick of deodorant. This stick has an SPF of 30, is waterproof, and is applied directly to the face – again, kind of like rubbing a deodorant stick on your face. It’s easy to apply, glides on silky smooth, and feels very moisturizing. It doesn’t leave skin quite as greasy as some other sunscreens can, although you can still notice that it’s there and I noticed it made it difficult to powder my face afterwards – I had to use a little more concealer. However, once my makeup was on, it was almost imperceptible. I do worry about this clogging my pores (As I do with many other suncreens as well), but it’s hard for me to tell as my pores were already a little clogged from sleeping in my makeup during a few exhausting nights last week!
• Natural Clear Sunscreen: This 1 oz bottle is perfect for carry-on luggage and contains SPF 30+ sunblock. It’s very thick and harder to rub on in comparison to the face stick, but it’s no different to apply than any other standard sunblock.
• Active Sunscreen – Water Resistant: This waterproof counterpart to the Natural Clear Sunscreen also has a SPF of 30+ and seemed to be a little easier to smooth on to the skin.
• Kid’s Natural Sunscreen: This SPF 30+ formula for kids is thick but fairly easy to smooth on. I don’t have any kids, but I will use this sunscreen myself!

I really liked these products – the ingredients seemed to be gentle on my sensitive skin, although I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to try them out so far since it was really rainy here last week! I’m so glad to have extra sunscreen on hand now to prepare me for the better weather – and the 1 oz tubes are perfect for tucking into my purse, so now I’ll have no excuses for forgetting to apply it!

One lucky Contest Corner winner will receive a Beyond Coastal prize pack! Here’s how to enter:

1. For your first entry, leave a comment on this post and tell me: What is your family’s favorite fun in the sun activity? This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway. Then come back here and leave a comment with the link to your post!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave a comment on this post with the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this post to tweet with one click!
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave a comment on this post with the email you subscribed with!
5. Post my button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

Food gifts are one of my favorite things to both give and receive. And picking something like a nice package of quality nuts is a great option, because it’s something that you can add to a lunchbox or eat as a great snack, will stay fresh for some time, and works for many who may not want to overload on sweets or chips just because it’s a birthday or holiday. And that’s where Superior Nut comes in – one lucky Contest Corner reader will win a $25 gift code so that they can pick out an attractive package of delicious nuts for themselves, so read on!

Superior Nut is a company that offers gourmet nuts packaged in pretty tins and boxes, ideal for gift-giving. I recently received a coupon code so that I could pick out a free item for review. After browsing around, I decided to pick up a Virginia Party Peanuts Gift Tin, pictured above.

My order came attractively packaged in a red metal bow bedecked with a gold ribbon. The peanuts were deliciously salted and completely delicious. Jai noted that although they are salted, it’s just the right amount – not too much. I love salt, and he hates it, so there you go: They found the perfect balance and kept us both happy!

And there you have it: One nut’s opinion on another kind of nut.

One lucky Contest Corner reader will win a $25 gift code to Superior Nut! This gift code does not apply to shipping or taxes, however they offer a selection of items with free shipping under $20. Here’s how to enter:

1. For your first entry, click here to visit the Superior Nut store, then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me what product you might use your gift code on if you won. This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway. Then come back here and leave a comment with the link to your post!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave a comment on this post with the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this post to tweet with one click!
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave a comment on this post with the email you subscribed with!
5. Post my button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

6. Click here to follow Superior Nut on Twitter, then come back here and leave a comment on this post with your Twitter username.
7. Click here to follow Superior Nut on Pinterest, then come back here and leave a comment on this post with your username or a link to your profile.

I’ve always been a fan of meal supplement bars. They are so handy to have in the cupboards for a quick meal-on-the-go, to tuck into lunch sacks, or grab any time you need a quick bite. Fruition is a great new line from PROBAR that is gluten-free and combines the delicious flavors of fruit and cashews. Would you like a chance to try Fruition for yourself? One lucky Contest Corner reader will win a box of Fruition bars, so read on!

I recently received a box full of samples so that this review could come to “Fruition” (Sorry, couldn’t help myself!). These bars have a soft, almost Fruitcake-y consistency – I love it when snack bars are easy to eat and don’t leave you chewing endlessly or make you feel like you’re eating a rock! We received a variety of flavors, from the light citrus of the Lemon bar to the sweetness of Strawberry. Jai said the Blueberry was his favorite, but I can’t offer an opinion there as he ate both of the Blueberry bars we received himself – see, they really were his favorite! I personally loved the Orange Chocolate – it’s a great combination of flavors, almost reminiscent of getting a chocolate orange at Christmas. PROBAR Fruition was a big hit in our household, and were made short work of the bars we received, polishing them off in no time!

Click here to visit the PROBAR online store and enter coupon code BLOGGER at checkout to receive 40% off your first order!

One lucky Contest Corner reader will win an assortment box of Fruition bars worth $21! Here’s how to enter:

1. For your first entry, click here to “Like” PROBAR on Facebook, then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me what your Facebook username is. This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway. Then come back here and leave a comment with the link to your post!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave a comment on this post with the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this post to tweet with one click!
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave a comment on this post with the email you subscribed with!
5. Post my button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

Millet isn’t just for the birds! This versatile whole grain can be cooked up for use in everything from your morning breakfast to cooking into savory dishes as a filling or side. Want to try it out for yourself? One lucky Contest Corner reader will win a 5-lb bag of Whole Grain Hulled Millet, so read on!

When our friends at Tropical Traditions invited me to pick out another product to review, I automatically gravitated to their whole grains selection. When I saw that they had millet available, I was intrigued. I remembered my mom making this when I was a kid and that it had a nice flavor. A lot of people haven’t heard of millet as anything other than birdfood – Jai, for example, was surprised when I mentioned I’d be making millet for dinner. But you can prepare millet in several different ways in savory entrees or even desserts. It’s been years since I’ve eaten millet and I’ve never prepared it myself, so I turned to the Internet for advice. I found this great video on how to prepare it and decided that it looked like a nice, simple way to do it. You basically toast the millet in olive oil in a frying pan, then add water and allow to simmer until it puffs up, a little like rice.

As soon as the millet started to toast in the frying pan, the scent took me right back to my childhood. It fluffed up nicely, and was not bad garnished with margarine/butter and a dash of garlic salt and black pepper. You can eat it by itself, as we did, or cook it into numerous recipes. Eating this again was a blast from the past that I enjoyed!

If you’d like to learn more about Tropical Traditions and check out their extensive list of recipes, including ways to use their famous coconut oil, click here for more information.

One lucky Contest Corner reader will win a 5 lb. bag of Whole Grain Hulled Millet! Here’s how to enter:

1. For your first entry, click here to subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Sales Newsletter. Then come back here and leave a comment on this post with the email address you used to subscribe! This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment on this post for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway. Then come back here and leave a comment with the link to your post!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back here and leave a comment with the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this page to tweet with one click!
4. Click here to follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Twitter username!
5. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave a comment with the the email you subscribed with!
6. Post Contest Corner’s button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

The weather is warming up, and you know what that means: Bugs. Pests come in a variety of forms, but among the nastiest are stinging insects like wasps and hornets. If you’re preparing to deal with these stingers this year, then you might like to have a tool like TERRO’s new Wasp & Hornet Killer in your arsenal. And you’re in luck, because TWO lucky Contest Corner readers will each win a can of this new wasp killer, so read on!

Jai really dislikes wasps because he has been stung by them many times, and he’s always on alert if he sees on in the yard. So when I had the opportunity to review a complimentary can of TERRO Wasp & Hornet Killer, I immediately thought that this would be a great thing to have on hand. You may recall that I reviewed their fruit fly trap back in 2010, so I was eager to see what this newest product would be like. Jai’s been working in the yard over the last few days, so he had a chance to test it out and see how it would work. I deferred to him on this one, since he’s the wasp expert in our family , so this is a recap of what he told me about this product’s effectiveness.

TERRO Wasp & Hornet Killer is a a spray that shoots out 20 feet with quite good accuracy. Jai was glad to have it while he worked in the yard, because since we essentially live right on the edge of the woods, he’s had issues with running into wasps while weed-eating sections of old brush. In fact, he said he felt a lot more confident and assured just having this product nearby without even using it, because he knew he would have recourse if he ran into wasps.

One of his favorite features of this product is the fact that it foams up a bit when sprayed, so it covers a broader area. Since wasp nests have a hole at the bottom, Jai says that this thick & heavy foaming spray would work great for aiming right at the hole to stop the wasps right as they come out. He likes this spray and says that he can tell that it will be effective on nests; however, we haven’t tried it on a nest yet since there are none in the yard and we really did not want to go seeking one out. He did encounter one lone bee outside and tried spraying at it, but didn’t catch up to it – however, most people will use this on a nest versus chasing one insect around outside where it can fly off, ha ha! Also, I think if there was a wasp stuck in a small space like a house, this would do a good job of taking it out. I think this is an excellent item to have in the cupboard so that we can reach for it whenever the need arises.

If the “Buzz” on this has got you interested, be sure to check out Terro.com for more information!

TWO lucky Contest Corner readers will each win a can of TERRO Wasp & Hornet Killer! Here’s how to enter:

1. For your first entry, click here to visit Terro.com, then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me another product that you would like to try. This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway. Then come back here and leave a comment with the link to your post!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave a comment on this post with the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this post to tweet with one click!
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave a comment on this post with the email you subscribed with!
5. Post my button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it: