Getting My Dishes Super Clean with Cascade Platinum

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

It has only been about ten years since I have had a dishwasher.  I remember that first time I actually loaded our dishes in the dishwasher and hit the start button.  I was giddy.  It was such a treat to not have to was the dishes two or three times a day.

When I first started out with a dishwasher I wasn't sure what was the best brand/type to use.  I tried gels and powders, generic and brand name versions.  But, from the beginning the only brand I have found to be the best and have used for years is CASCADE.  I have pretty much always used the powder detergent.  But, at times, it has left residue on my dishes and sometimes even left a clump of detergent behind in the dishwasher.

http://www.cascadeclean.com/us/cascade/

Through this opportunity, I was able to test CASCADE Platinum and tell you my thoughts.  I love the less messy aspect of just dropping a pack into the reservoir of the dishwasher.  No mess, no measuring, no over flow.  The promo states that CASCADE Platinum Pacs will give your dishes an ultimate clean.  It will scrub away tough 24-hour stuck on food and prevent residue on your dishes and film on the inside of 
your dishwasher. 

Cascade Platinum Pac

Dirty Dishes

I made a point to have some of my toughest food to clean off of my dishes including dried pancake batter, dried spaghetti sauce, and peanut butter. I didn't pre-wash or rinse any of the dishes beforehand.

I dropped in a pac and let CASCADE do the work.  

Clean Dishes

Every dish was sparkling clean after using a normal cycle on the dishwasher.  Nothing had to be set aside to rewash by hand and the glass dishes sparkled with absolutely no filmy residue.  I also really like the ease of using the Pacs.

I think I have become a new convert of the CASCADE Platinum Pacs.  There are so simple to use and do an excellent job of cleaning the dishes. At my most recent visit to Target, I spotted these CASCADE Platinum Pacs on the shelves:

From these photos you can see that purchasing the Platinum Pacs might be a bit more expensive than using the regular powder dishwasher detergent, but for less hassle, the price is worth it to me.  I have really been loving just dropping in the pac and hitting start! No measuring, no spilling, and no mess left behind on my dishes or the dishwasher!

In light of the social media craze and Instagram, people are sharing their love of food in new, creative ways.  People are sharing their favorite foods, recipes, and restaurant dishes on blogs, facebook, twitter, pinterest and instagram.  Many are trying new recipes and sharing photos with their friends.  Plating has become a new buzzword relating to how you present your food.  

Cascade has partnered with Gail Simmons, Top Chef Judge and editor of Food+Wine Magazine to share why having clean and sparkling dishes in your food presentations are just as important as your food preparations.  

You can find other videos by clicking HERE.  You can also "Like" CASCADE on Facebook, HERE.

CASCADE is offering a "My Platinum" Four-Week Instagram contest encouraging you to upload photos related to the weekly contest themes.  Be sure to visit the contest page for information on how to submit images and for all the contest rules by clicking HERE.  Each week, two contestants will be selected to receive a brand new Whirlpool dishwasher from the submitted photos with the #MyPlatinum hashtag and tag of @MyCascade and one lucky grand prize winner of this contest will receive a $10,000 KitchenAid kitchen makeover!  Each week will have a 6-day entry period where Instagram users can enter the contest with their #MyPlatinum photo.

• Week 1: My Platinum Plate (6/3-6/9) - Best dish styled from the sparkling plate up!
• Week 2: My Platinum Bite (6/10-6/16) - Best bite and most creative use of sparkling silverware!
• Week 3: My Platinum Clink (6/17-6/23) - How you serve up creative concoctions in sparkling glasses!
• Week 4: My Platinum Table (6/24-6/30) - Sparkling tablescape for your most special celebrations.

Thanks to Mom Central and Cascade for providing me with Cascade Platinum Pacs to sample.  This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any other way for this review.  

Review: Nutella Hazelnut Spread

Thanks to Mom Central, I was able to receive a sample of Nutella Hazelnut Spread.  I remember as a child, my neighbor was from Italy and they used Nutella on EVERYTHING.  There was always a jar of it on their counter.  I had never heard of it before and I was not interested in trying it as I was a picky eater as a child. 

Lately I have been seeing Nutella popping up on store shelves.  I love having peanut butter on my Eggo waffles in the morning.  So, I decided to substitute the Nutella and try it on my waffles.  YUM!!!  I loved it.  It was just the kick I needed this morning!  It has a light hazelnut taste along with the chocolate.  Who doesn't want to eat chocolate for breakfast?????

Along with the sample, the company sent along some recipes including idea for putting Nutella on an English muffin and topping with strawberries.  Another idea was to spread Nutella on a tortilla and topping with dried herries and chopped apricots.  Then roll it up and eat on the go!  By visiting http://www.nutellausa.com/ you can find many more ideas on how to use Nutella.  I am looking forward to trying it with apples.

My three children tried the Nutella just by putting some on their finger and tasting it and were surprised by how good it tasted.  Darn! Now I am going to have to share it with them! :)

I will be adding a jar of Nutella to my shopping list and keeping it in stock! 

I was provided with a sample of Nutella and $1 coupon as compensation for this review.  This review is my honest opinion and I wouldn't review anything that wouldn't benefit myself or my family.  I was not compensated in any other way for this review.  Thanks to Mom Central for the review opportunity.