Purex Crystals, the new fabric softener

I got a surprise in the mail today. The UPS man showed up with a package for moi. I know, exciting right! I found out a while ago that I was a selected to a Purex Insider. I wasn't expecting a welcome package, but that's what I got. Guess what I was in the middle of today? Did you say loads of laundry, you got it!

Inside the box was a sample bottle of the fabric softener crystals. I immediately tore into it and added it to my next load of laundry. I always use fabric softener on my clothes. That does make it a hassle when I have to set aside my sports/ workout clothes, towels, and the kids pajamas. All have to be washed separately without softener because it effects their ability to wick away water and keep kids clothes fire retardant. That's because most fabric softener is oil based.

With the Purex Crystals I tossed my gym clothes in with the normal load. Because the Crystals are 92% natural they are not oil based and won't adversely effect your clothes. WIN! That is at least one less load of laundry I have to do. Don't you have better things to do? I know I do.

I am hooked. I was able to add it directly to the load when I started it. I don't have to wait (and then forget about) the rinse cycle to add the softener. Again, saving me time. I know this will be a staple in my laundry room.

Pros:
easy to use
extends life of clothes
keeps clothes fresh for weeks
natural products not oil based

Cons:
It did have a strong small out of the bottle but when it came out of the washer the sent was very light
It is on the expensive side at over $5 at my Walmart

*I am a Purex Insider. That means that I am able to test new products (at no cost) out before they get to you the consumer. I am honest, some say brutally so. I will not give a good review unless that is how I truly feel.

I am a Purex Insider

I received a email last night informing I had been selected as a Purex Insider!!! I will get to review new products and share the news with you. I will be able to do giveaways so that you too will know how fabulous Purex is. I am looking forward to this for myself and for my blog.

frozen veggies vs. Fresh produce, where I stand

I love broccoli. It really is ridiculous how much I love the taste. I always have too, I was the little kid who thought if its green it must be good. Those other kids just didn't know what they were missing out on!

So, since I use so much broccoli in my cooking I decided to purchase a bag of frozen florets from both Kroger and Wal-mart instead of my usual purchase of two fresh crowns in produce.

The bag from Kroger was the biggest disappointment. I specifically bought the bag titles florets and upon opening the bag found mostly stalk with count them, 4, 4 florets in the whole bag! Gah, what a rip off!

The bag from Wal-mart was surprisingly significantly better. It was completely florets. I didn't have to toss any stems/ stalks from the bag. That scored big points with me. Secondly, it still had a fresh taste after it was cooked. The bag from Kroger had a very distinct frozen taste once cooked.

I am not telling you to buy frozen over fresh but if you want to stock the freezer like I did, I would say Wal-mart brand is the most satisfying choice.

vocalpoints, you owe me

I signed up for vocal points when they had the $25 amazon gift promotion going on. I also completed the promotion by writing twenty reviews, all more than 900 words, and on products in the suggested categories. I was really looking forward to me $25 to add to the rest of my swagbucks AGC I have been stacking.

Well, I received my email today with my gift-card. My gift-card for $10. I am so mad. I don't think I will be writing for them anymore. From now on I am sticking to Swagbucks. Take my warning and avoid vocalpoints.com.

Fleischmann's pizza crust yeast

The boyfriend made me dinner last night since technically it was Stepmother's Day (even if technically I am not a stepmother). I wanted a big pot of soup because it was rainy and gray here. He called back from the store and told me he wasn't in the mood for soup-insert soup-nazi reference here- and he was thinking of making calzones.

I wasn't sold. He has never made a yeast project and gets frustrated easily in the kitchen. But I rattled off a list of things to pick up.

He called back again and said, "what kind of yeast,...there are a bunch of different stuff?"

I told him to get the rapid rise. He mentioned that there was a packet that said it was for pizza crust. I flipped out. I had been wanting to try this but every time I go to the store they haven't gotten it in yet. He told me he would pick up a few packets but that I needed to calm down, it was just yeast!

The directions on the back of the package say how to prepare your dough. The boyfriend followed this recipe to make out calzones. I sat on the counter and watched.

My Thoughts:
This is going to be great for those nights we want pizza but I don't have any rising in the fridge. It has a lovely quality of not fighting to return to its shape. You all know what I am talking about, the stretch and snap! Anyway, it rolled out really smoothly and stayed in whatever shaped he wanted.

It doesn't have the same taste as the one I make and rise in the fridge for 24 hours. It doesn't have the chewy/airbubbly/ thin crust ness that I like. I know what a horrible description that was.

All in all I think it worth having in the pantry for a quick pizza night. If you want thin crust you will get enough dough for two pizzas and it will be done in half an hour. But if you are a true artist with your pizza and struggled for a long time to get your recipe just right, stick to making it on the weekends when you have time.

Review: Butoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti

Last night was very busy for us. The boy was getting back into the school routine. The BF and i were meeting friends for drinks late that night. I had data entry to do while the BF had a mountain of grading in front of him. So naturally this is when I am hit with the question of "What's for dinner?".

I knew we would be going out so I didn't want something that would be really heavy on our stomachs but I need something that would fill us up so we wouldn't snack. I peeked in the freezer and spied the Butoni wild mushroom agnolotti I had bought a month ago. I wasn't sure if it would feed all three of us but boy did it.

I cooked it for 6 minutes per the package instructions over a gentle boil. No time at all with two hungry men lurking in my kitchen! I grabbed a jar of left over sauce from the fridge and heated up. I poured it over the plump pasta and ta da! Dinner is done.

I loved this. I loved how easy it was to cook. I loved how it really filled me up, and honestly sometimes pasta just doesn't for me or the family. I liked how fresh the mushrooms tasted even though it had been in the freezer for a month.

By the way, no need to thaw, score!

My only complaint was the size of the package. I would love to find one that was a single serving so I didn't have to freeze the rest. I know my guys don't like to eat a lot of mushrooms but I just love them.

Method Go Naked- Review

I recently helped a friend move into thier new home. She asked me to specifically pick up the Method multipurpose cleaner, Go Naked scent. I have been trying to phase out buying cleaners and instead making my own. The chemical situation is getting to  be too much for me. But at her insistance I picked the bottle up a bottle for myself as well.

The bottle says it is all natural formula without any toxic additives or Uneccassary impuities. It is the scentless and odorless option of their mulitpurpose cleaner line. Since I usually research and read reviews before I buy a product I thought I would let you all know what I thought of it.

And the verdict is: Love it!
I would/will buy this again. Not only does it stay true to the claim of odorless it really has been a multi purpose cleaner. I cleaned the master bathroom last night using only this product. It cleaned the grim out of the bathtub with ease. I got rid of the residue on my shower walls. Pure fabulousness right there ladies!

I also used the cleaner on all my counter tops and fixtures. Everything was super clean and shiny. I noticed that there was no residue or oily feeling left on the surfaces. A big plus. The came my true test: the mirror. BF is notorious for getting toothpaste and the like on the mirror over the sink. It can be really hard to get off with glass cleaner sometimes. Not this time though, I sprayed it on and let it sit while i cleaned the rest of the glass. I came back to it and it wiped off ridiculously easy. I didn't have to keep scrubbing to get it off. And of course, I only had one bottle to tote around!

I will tell you I always use a microfiber cloth. I noticed My firend was using paper towles with the cleaner during the move and I think it made a bit of difference in how little residue was left on the glass surface.

*I was in no way paid or compensated for this review, good or bad. I bought the product at target for $3.00.