To Market To Market- It's About Thyme!

Here's the second installation of my To Market To Market tries/reviews. The first can be found here. I really did a lot with this packet of It's About Thyme!, I made a cheese spread as suggested, and so much more.


I made the cheese ball recipe, scaled down to a household size of course, and it was delicious. Fair warning, this blend is QUITE garlicky, even after mellowing in the fridge for a bit. HOWEVER, they do give a recipe for a softer-flavored mix on the pack as well. We love garlic, so we went with the stronger one and it was soooo good!

I had all the ingredients on hand, but not everyone has Feta cheese at all times. We make a lot of Mediterranean salads. We just mixed together:

• Cream cheese
• Feta cheese
• It's About Thyme!

It was super simple, and although it calls for whipping it up in a food processor, I just did it by hand and everything mixed smoothly. (Warm Feta still smooshes into the mixture well.) Then we just let it sit, covered, in the fridge for a few hours. (The directions say at least 3 hours, but we also ate some after being in there overnight.)

I also made a bit of the herb-butter listed on the pack, SO easy to just add the blend to taste in some softened butter. I served it with some warm, fresh rolls and it got promptly gobbled right up. 

I also tried it as a seasoning, rather than in a recipe. I had made some Broccoli-Kale Chowder that it was delicious in, as well as just sprinkling it on some baked chicken. 

Although this blend makes a wonderful cheese ball/spread and a fantastic herb-butter,  it is its versatility that really makes it shine. What other products can you find that are so adaptable? 

You can find To Market To Market online, and on Facebook if you'd like to find out more, or check out other products. 

http://www.tomarket-tomarket.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ToMarketToMarket

Disclaimer:

I did receive product to try and talk about, but I did not receive ANY other compensation. I also was not told, or suggested to, what to say and ALL opinions are MY own. 

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To Market To Market- Popeye's Passion

I was recently lucky enough to get to try a couple things from To Market To Market, and couldn't wait to share them with you! I'm going to split my post into two, so each item can get its own time to shine. (Edit to add, the second post can be found here.)

So, today's yummy yummy treat was Popeye's Passion. Upon reading the back of the pack, I saw it made FOUR cups of dip, enough for a party. But, seeing as I'm not one to party, I decided to pare it down a bit. I also wanted to take this opportunity to healthy-up the dip. VERY easy to do when it's a mix, so much better than buying a dip from the store you have no control over its ingredients.

The suggested recipe on Popeye's Passion calls for 1 1/2 cups of sour cream, and 1 1/2 cups of mayo. I decided to go with plain yogurt as my base. It covers all that's needed to replace the sour cream and mayo, tang, creaminess, and dippability. (I'm gonna make that a word, ok?)

Since the pack said it makes 4 cups of dip with that 3 cups of base and the pack, I figured 1/3 of the pack and 1 cup of yogurt would make a nice, manageable amount for my un-party. I made sure to empty the pack into a jar and shook it VERY VERY well, to keep the ingredients evenly mixed. I didn't want to mess up the ratio of the recipe. I used an old yeast jar that I save for things like spices and stuff that come in packs. The amber-colored glass helps keep light out, and they close quite tightly to keep things fresher, longer.

Mixed together, and let sit covered in the fridge for 3 hours (at least) as suggested.

Wow, it came out AMAZING. To be honest, I wasn't expecting the spinach to be enough, I am a big spinach lover... but the yogurt re-hydrated it, and there was plenty. 

There is also bit of other veggies in there, looks like some carrots maybe, and they gave it a great flavor. It was also well seasoned. None of the overly-salty, or almost chemical-ish flavor a lot of packages dips and seasonings have. I used mine for vegetables, but it would be great on almost anything. I think I'm going to get some pita chips for the next batch. I might even experiment some with additions, make it my own. 

You can find To Market To Market online, and on Facebook if you'd like to find out more, or check out other products. 

http://www.tomarket-tomarket.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ToMarketToMarket

Disclaimer:

I did receive product to try and talk about, but I did not receive ANY other compensation. I also was not told, or suggested to, what to say and ALL opinions are MY own. 

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GREAT Find at Dollar General- HUGE Clearance Sale Going On!

Today a friend & I stopped in at Dollar General and found out they were having a heck of a clearance sale. .25 for Christmas items! We got TONS of Christmas decorations fro next year...wreaths, ornaments, poinsettia arrangements... EVERYTHING was a quarter! Even the gifts that were in Christmas packaging were a quarter. I've never seen a sale like this. I picked up a couple "remote caddies", I had stolen ours for my make up brushes-ha! Right now one of the new ones is sitting on our dining room table as a silverware/napkin caddy.

They also had all Christmas baking supplies on clearance for a quarter as well. Even the spices that they only carry at Christmas...no where close to expiring! We picked up plenty of rubbed sage, ginger, nutmeg, etc for .25... about a $3.00 savings around here...per jar! Sprinkles, cake mixes, candies, and frostings were the same. We really wished we had some coupons, we'd have made it out of there with free items!

Dollar General really knows how to have a clearance sale! Check and see if your local store still has some left! 

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Roasters Are for More Than Thanksgiving (Pt.1?)

Chicken quarters can go a LONG way. When they go on sale, a 10 pound bag for less than $5.00, I am SURE to grab one because I can bake it up and have several meals of shredded chicken in the freezer. (There are SO many recipes I use them in!) Usually, it will take me 2 or more pans to bake off all the chicken. I'll bake it, serve up a few pieces for dinner that night, then put the rest (minus the bones and skin!) in the freezer, portioned for a few more meals. Then I got a roaster.
Before I bought a roaster for Thanksgiving (to make cooking everything at the same time easier) I made myself promise it would get LOTS of use. Even though it was on sale, I wanted to be sure I could use it more than once a year.
So, I was really excited to see that the WHOLE bag of chicken quarters fits, bakes evenly and there's enough room that the skin browns and crisps nicely.

Plus it leaves the oven free for other things...like...I dunno... cookies!
I'm also looking into MORE uses for my roaster, if you know any- let me know in the comments! :)

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Are You Going to IMATS?

I know I still have some readers from when my make-up blogging was done here, plus some new readers who might love to hear this...
BFTECosmetics (one of my favorites, if you can't tell by my EOTDs!) is FINALLY going to IMATS!

So, if you're there {I, sadly, will not be =-( } swing by booth #805. If you're one of the first 500 customers you'll get a great special gift. And if you're not, you'll still leave HAPPY!


Quick disclosure...yes, she did ask for bloggers to post, with a chance of winning a GC- but if you look back you'll see I've posted pretty much all her sales and new for years, and would very likely post this as well! ;-) (Holy run-on sentence!)

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Burt's Bees Intense Hydration...Day One

From time to time, you may see posts from me about BzzAgent kits. I LOVE being a BzzAgent. Not only are the freebies fantastic- but the opportunity to share so much about new products is amazing.

I just received my Bzzkit for the Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Campaign.

They asked us this time for a "before" photo to help document our skin journey. I feel like I should just warn you....my camera took amazing macro photos, you can really see the flakiness. You can also, unfortunately, see my super huge, gross pores. Ugh.
So... here is my "before" photo. You may have to click it to see it full size to see the dryness. You can still see plenty of the redness and dryness. 

 Here's day one. I can't wait to see what the Burt's Bees Intense Hydration products do!

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Lemon-Ginger Throat Soother

This weekend, I was SO glad to have a big jar of this on hand! Chuck-full of lemon and ginger, this honey concoction is great as tea, or an additive to teas in soothing Autumn and Winter throat ailments.








I made a big (family-sized) jar, so I needed 2 or 3 lemons, and about 3 inches of ginger. If you make a small bit, you'll need just one lemon, and just an inch of ginger.

Cut your lemons into fourths, then slice very thinly. Grate your ginger with a microplane grater.

Layer in your jar with honey.

Let sit in your fridge for at least four days.
To use, add a spoonful to a mug of hot water for a soothing tea, or add to hot tea to boost its soothing properties. 

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Need Recipe Ideas?

It happens to all of us. One week there is just no inspiration and no energy to make anything besides salad, a chicken breast, and a carton of mediocre ice cream. Those are the days when you wish you had a personal chef, or that at least the take out guy would appear. Instead of languidly flipping through your old cookbooks, why not take a quick look into your inbox at a Weekly Recipes e-mail? Our weekly newsletter is chock full of beautiful photos and delicious recipes ready to inspire you to end your cooking rut. We carefully cull the best of the web to bring only the most delicious and exciting new recipes straight to you! Subscribe here!

Here’s an excellent recipe from Gourmet.com.  This and many more great recipes will be featured when you subscribe to Weekly Recipes!

Roasted Mushrooms Escargot-Style from Gourmet.com
Let’s be honest—the best part of escargots is the garlicky, parsley-flecked butter that the snails are cooked in. In this playful vegetarian spin, meaty mushrooms turn out to be the ideal vehicles for soaking up all that buttery goodness. Capers add a briny pop that fits right in. Serve with crusty bread to soak up all the great leftover juices.

• 1 lb mushrooms such as cremini or white, halved lengthwise if large
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 450ºF with rack in middle.
Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, and 1/8 tsp each of salt and pepper in a 1 1/2- to 2-qt shallow baking dish. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley.

Author Info
Francis’ first attempt at cooking was a souffle at age 13, and she has never had one fall (yet). Ever since then she has scoured the web for new recipes and is very excited to share her huge stash of bookmarks with the world in a new e-mail newsletter.

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{Thanks so much Francis! I LOVE mushrooms and I'll have to try this recipe this week! - Jenni}

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Natural Hair Care and Shampoo

Some people don't shampoo their hair. They wash it, but they keep it free of all the mystery crap that's in commercial shampoos. They're not dirty hippies, or crazy people, and their hair often looks great. A simple mixture of water and baking soda cleans your hair well and leaves nothing nasty behind. Most of the time I just use a baking soda mix, or rinse my hair if I KNOW it's not dirty-dirty. But sometimes when I've used product on my hair, or done something particularly filthy, I like a little more assurance, and I use one of the following ideas. (These are also great for people who want something more natural but aren't ready to take a plunge into the world of No-poo.)

Shampoo #1- the easiest:

• In a bottle, (small spray bottles are GREAT for this because of it's watery consistency!), mix 7 ounces of distilled water and 1 ounce of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. Any scent is fine. The lavender is lovely and feminine, and the peppermint is invigorating!

 Shampoo #2- a bit more, but totally worth it:

• Get your 7 ounces of distilled water boiling, and pour it into a clean glass container. Steep in it a chamomile tea bag; a tablespoon each of dried thyme, dried basil, and dried rosemary. Let steep for about 15 minutes then strain. 
• Mix this with 1 ounce of your Dr. Bronner's in the preferred bottle. 

Shampoo #3 is a bit of the "washing your hair with conditioner" movement. Many people have tried using cheaper conditioners in the same way as the EXPENSIVE "cleansing conditioners" you can buy. It seems the general consensus is that a few of the low-priced brands, WITHOUT any added proteins or such work best. Suave, VO5, etc. Some people also like to give it a little boost in the form of Castile soap to avoid the lauryl sulfates and other crummy chemicals in shampoos.

• Simple fill your chosen bottle 4/5ths of the way with conditioner. 
• Add your Castile soap to the almost top, then shake the heck out of it. 

As with all these shampoos (and baking soda...) remember to shake thoroughly before each use.

What about conditioners?
I've used as a leave-in the following:

• A drop of olive oil rubbed on your hands and run through
• The same with vitamin E oil
• A small dollop of coconut oil melts easily on your hands, and is great for super dry hair

In the shower, I have a spray bottle of apple cider vinegar. I spray my hair thoroughly, let it be a few minutes, then rinse out.It works surprisingly well! GREAT for tangles! A little four ounce bottle should work, but I keep a bigger 12ish ounce bottle because my hair is LONG.

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My Most Recent Cleaning Love

I never thought I'd love a product with such hype, but after trying I have to say it:
     I love Dr. Bronner's Castile Soaps.

I've always been on the hunt for things that are easy on The Princess' allergies and eczema, and for things that make cleaning green a breeze. These bottles of concentrated soapy goodness fit perfectly. A couple drops in bathwater get the little one squeaky-clean without irritating her skin or leaving any residues. A follow up with some coconut oil before popping on her jammies and she's set. =-) I like using it full strength on a wet washcloth for myself, and it still rinses away. The peppermint leaves a lovely tingle! The Princess loves the lavender for her baths.

I also thought I'd give it a try in cleaning.  A couple drops in a bucket of hot HOT water has been cleaning things all over the house. It really does seem "magical."

I've been using them like crazy for about two months, and still only have used about an inch from each bottle! So, I'm saving money too! They'll last SO long! I definitely need to write down and share ALL the specific "recipes" and uses I've done! 

Look out for posts on:

• Refilling foaming hand soap pumps
• Soft-scrub for sinks and showers and more
• Makeup brush cleaner
• Homemade toothpaste (with and without Dr. B's)
• Fruit & veggie wash
• Moisturizing shampoo

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Little One Friendly Errand Food

Occasionally we have appointments "in the City", an hour away, and quite often they fall when or around when our preschooler is wanting lunch. She is not a morning person, I may as well be asking her to simply walk into Mordor if I'm gonna ask her to eat earlier. We've been getting along just great making a mini (her sized) "bento box" before we go. The secret to a perfect sized box? Using a sandwich container. I love the Rubbermaid ones. Sturdy, easy to clean, and the lids stay in shape! I effin' hate warped lids!

This lunch was a big hit, every bite gobbled up: a butterfly cut turkey and baby spinach sandwich. Grape tomatoes pre-sprinkled with kosher salt and some pepper. And a few prunes and dried apricots. {Menu-planning let me know that we were having cheese with dinner...so there's her dairy ;-) }

 

Tucked into another container were some mini pretzels and pumpkin seeds, with a few extras in case a big brother wanted to share. ;-) Also, a little 100% juice box.

What do you do to keep the troops fed in the car?

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Let's ALL Try This!: Easiest Colored Rice

Colored rice is one of our favorite things around here for homeschool use. We play in it, we use it glued to paper like glitter, we shake it around, it's a great tool.

My long-time friend Shannon just started a blog (yay!) and she posted a great, EASY way to color rice...USING your little preschoolers! So smart! So, go check it out. =-)

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Wine Shopping Made Easy

(Click to enlarge)
 

Spring is here! And warmer weather is just around the corner, and with it more social and family activities. Barbecues, reunions, even Easter dinner, Spring time is a great time to share the gift of wine. Wine.com makes it easy to shop for wines by price, by rating, style, or even occasion. They also have a variety of wine clubs to choose from if you want to be adventurous and try a couple new wines a month. Can't make an event? Send a bottle of wine or a gift basket in your place. The recipient will be touched you thought of them.

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Another Cute Find + a Mini Giveaway

Remember when I blogged about finding some super cute shaped ice cube trays at Halloween time? This week I found another cute tray at Dollar General. Just in time for Valentine's day!

I got three...two for making ice...and one for crafts. They were a buck each, niiiice.

My first craft.....

Crayons!

I used my microwave to melt my crayon bits since I'm not really sure these cheapy trays are really silicone....I'd hate to melt them!

Each little "set" has a reds-pinks heart, an oranges-yellows heart, a greens heart, a blues heart, and a purples heart. They're a big hit at my house, and I can't wait to see what else I can make! (I'm thinking soaps!)

Followers of the Disheveled Mommy Facebook page may have noticed a new tab on the page. "Top Fans". Just a cute little way to acknowledge all the little comments and love you leave. This week, since I have an extra set of little heart crayons, I'm gonna pass them on! I'll check the "Top Fans" tab Saturday evening, and the follower who's sitting at #1 will be sent the set! (So, you must be following us on FB to participate...)

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Freebie!: Red Bull 4 Pack

Check out this link and fill out a couple forms (Declare your new years resolutions...) to get your free 4 pack of sugar free Red Bull. (YuM!)

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Holidays on a Budget: Cinnamon Votives

I think I may be a little cinnamon-crazy this year. =-)

I've seen all sorts of stick-covered vases around the blog-world lately. Also little twig-covered votive holders. SO CUTE. But why not do that with cinnamon sticks? They're cheap if you grab a bag from the right section in the store. I got mine from the section with Mexican foods & spices, Tampico brand, but there are many brands. They were almost a dollar each, not too shabby. I grabbed two, but then I decided to cut my sticks in half so they'd lay flatter and release a lot of scent. So I ended up using one bag. Hmmmm...what to do with the other? (Cocoa?)

I gathered my supplies first so I wouldn't be running around with the hot glue gun plugged in. I had an audience, I didn't want curious hands to be tempted.

First, I trimmed the sticks to the right height with a small serrated knife. Hold firmly with your thumb, those suckers want to splinter. Save your splinters and ends to fill in any gaps.

I found the best way to halve the sticks was to slowly stab and prod down the length of them. On a magazine to protect your table, of course....

You don't have to halve them, but I liked the way they fitted. Plus it made my kitchen smell fantastic....

Start gluing and placing...

Oh no, a gap....

Gap?

If you get a little extra hanging on the bottom....or leave a lot to take a picture to show extra hanging on the bottom.... kitchen shears make easy work of trimming it.

Add a little ribbon, and clean up the extra glue....

Oops! missed some glue!

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Liven Things Up With Houseplants

Like so many homes during this gloomy-weather time of year, the Disheveled Household needs some livening up. What better way to brighten a room, or a whole house, than with house plants? A house plant can keep a little green, or a bit of color in your house when the skies outside are grey. The wind has ripped all the colorful leaves off the trees here already, so I was thinking bringing some colored plants inside would be nice. It'd also be a great way to keep your green thumb in shape while there's no plant tending to be done outside.

When choosing a houseplant,  It is important to consider a lot of the same things you would when choosing a plant that will go outside.  Your watering, location in the home you will put the plant, light, etc. You should always consult the plant's tagged information, the nursery/store employees, or do some research online, with an online plant guide. That is especially helpful if you live rural, like me, and are planning on possibly buying your plants online. I love the online option, not only for the convenience, but the wider variety it offers me. Many times you can find some very interesting plants that will thrive in your house that you just won't see locally.

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Shout-out Saturday

This week I want to send a special shout-out to Kim, at One Nutty Mama.
We originally "met" because of Farmville, and she quickly became one of my most favorite mommy-blogger buddies! A real sweetheart, with adorable kiddos. She also sells Scentsy, and is the reason for my love of it! =-D

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C & H 1001 Cookie Starter

I came across  this C & H website on one of my coupons recently. http://www.chsugar.com/cookiestarter/

What a great time saving idea, or for spur-of-the moment cookies!

They also have a Facebook, so fans can help them reach that 1001 recipes. There are 17 on the site to get you started though, so I think I'll whip up a batch of starter for my boys to experiment with!

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A Special Shout-out For a Sweet Mommy

My dear friend Stephine has a blog I'd like to share with you. DearSilas.org is dedicated to the loss and memory of her little angel, as well as the long road to healing her broken heart.




It was also going to be a bit of a TTC blog, with big brother Silas helping along the way, but Stephine just surprisingly, but excitedly announced they are expecting!

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