Tag Archives: Reviews

Uncle Steve’s Italian Specialties Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Uncle Steve’s Italian Specialties. This in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own, and this post may contain affiliate links.

Uncle Steve’s Italian Specialties Review and Giveaway

My mother-in-law comes from an Italian family – the type that has buckets of food and there is no such thing as declining an offer for a meal. My husband has high standards where sauces are concerned and finding a sauce as good as he remembers from his adolescence is nothing short of almost impossible. I, on the other hand grew up on a combination of a homemade version of the store-bought sauces as a base. Needless to say, Jason and I have very different opinions of what makes a good sauce.

In my quest to locate the perfect sauce I reached out to Uncle Steve’s Italian Specialties for a sample of their sauces. They were kind enough to send me 1 jar of each of their Tomato Basil Sauce, Marinara Sauce, Spicy Arrabiata Sauce. Also, included was a branded wooden spoon which I found very neat because I had been wanting a nice quality wooden spoon.

As I creep closer to 40 I find that I have a sensitive tummy much like my father did at my age (darn genetics), and sadly spicy tomato products irritate the condition. Due to the sensitivity issues I have we tested the two non spicy varieties, but I gave the spicy to a friend and they LOVED it! They said that it was spicy without a spicy after taste and was one of the best spicy sauces they have had.

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Evolution of Smooth – Lip Balm and Shave Cream – Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Evolution of Smooth/Behrman PR. This post may have affiliate links but this in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Evolution of Smooth – Lip Balm and Shave Cream – Review

I am a color girl, I love things with color. This love of spectrum of color extends from my knife set we use daily, to the clothes I wear and the bottles of the products I use. Generally speaking I am always open to trying new items, and believe that each item I sample could be my next “must have”.

I have noticed Evolution of Smooth in the local drugstore for a couple of years now, due to the bright colors they use for packaging. I love the color but what is inside is more important and I always wondered if they were as good as I had read and heard over the years. In pursuit of my quest to find the answer to this question I reached out to EOS (Evolution of Smooth) for a sample. I was given the chance to review the following products.

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The Great Plate Review and Giveaway

The Great Plate Review and Giveaway!

There are few options in the picnic plate type product area, and for a member of a barbecue loving family this can be limiting. Since I am all about truth and disclosure around here I will share a story that was quite embarrassing. I am sure we all have done the precarious plate and cup dance at a BBQ. When my husband and I were dating, it was one of my first large-scale family functions (imagine about 30 people witnessed my moment) and I was doing this precarious balancing act when I tripped and down I went, plate over cup. Needless to say I was embarrassed and NEVER want a repeat of that event and lucky for me I may never have to with my latest discovery: The Great Plate!

I came upon The Great Plate while watching Food Network recently (this is how I expand my culinary wings – steal ideas from the professionals). My first thought when I saw these was that fateful afternoon six years before and how this product could have saved some embarrassment. Given my propensity for dropping plates and cups, I reached out to them and they were very gracious and sent me a couple of plates for review. I chose yellow and blue plates, as we are always and forever Charger fans.

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Organic Dandelion Root Tea by Kiss Me Organics Review

Organic Dandelion Root Tea by Kiss Me Organics Review

I love happy colorful flowers and dandelion’s are one of the most colorful and happy flowers there is. Up until recently I just thought that dandelions were pretty flowers but was happily surprised to learn that they also provide many health benefits. I have always been a fan of hot tea, mostly to help ease sore muscles or to help me drift to dreamland so it never really occurred to me that tea could also be so healthy for me and taste good.

I am a person who likes to read the outside boxes of products I purchase (or review) and this tea was no exception. The first thing that got my attention on the box were the health benefits, because as I have said in previous posts, the big birthday is looming this summer. This Organic Dandelion Root Tea supports healthy digestion as well aids in the detoxification of your liver and kidneys.

The Organic Dandelion Root Tea comes with 20 individually sealed wrapped tea bags. The first smell that I came across when I opened the box was cinnamon, and as the tea brewed I could smell the cinnamon. There are no instructions on the box in regards to the steeping time, so began with a 4 minutes and then just added time the stronger I wanted it. It ended up with a 5 minutes, 20 second steep time and a nice red color, but again, this is my personal preference. Each packet of tea contains 2 mg of caffeine free, vegan and USDA certified Organic Dandelion Root leaves.

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Namaste Brownie and Coating Mixes Review and Giveaway

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Namaste Foods. This post contains affiliate links but this in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Namaste Brownie and Coating Mixes Review and Giveaway!

Alright, I will admit it: I might be on a healthy eating quest. This previous sentence could be debated by those that love me, but I figure with small changes you can effect big change. If I adjust my diet a little then maybe I will see big results. There is no medical reason for this new-found awareness, just the looming July date that makes me rethink the previous 4 decades of choices.

Despite my desire for calm at times our house is in a state of debate and discussion. The reason for the discussion’s are not medical, financial or emotional, but are about the proper consistency of brownie mix. I was a watery mix girl and Jason was a lumpy mix boy – how we have lasted this long is mystery.

I recently had the opportunity to review a couple of Namaste Foods products. I had the opportunity to review the Gluten-Free Brownie Mix and the Gluten-Free Italian Herb Coating Mix. I am always open to trying new brownies and new coating mixes to add flavor to my foods.

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Naturtint Permanent Hair Colorant Review

Naturtint Permanent Hair Colorant Review

To many people I won the genetic lottery: blonde hair and blue eyes. There is a downside to this genetic win, blonde jokes – so, so many blonde jokes. By the time I was late into my high school journey I finally grew tired of the constant jokes that did not apply to me. I began dying my hair and for that first color I went totally different – Red! There was no easing into this opposite spectral color, I was all in from the start.

Flash forward 20 years and admittedly I am older, smarter, wiser and I realize what a gift it is to still have my natural blond hair. I still yearn for the easy change I can make to my appearance, but hate the idea of all the harmful chemicals that are used in modern-day at home hair coloring box systems. One of the worst parts about coloring your own hair is the strong ammonia smell that inevitably fills your bathroom and surrounding area. I know that my two cats avoid me like the plague when I am coloring my hair due to the smell, I think it burns their little noses.

Something in me has been brewing, and I knew I wanted a change, so I began looking for alternatives to the potentially dangerous options for hair coloring that are currently available. I happened upon Natrutint during my searching. I reached out to this plant-based hair color company to do a review and they were generous enough to send me a color to try. I chose color “5G Light Golden Chestnut” – which on the box looks like a brown with hints of blond.

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The Adventures of Pajama Girl Book Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Propeller/FlyByPromotions. This post may have affiliate links but this in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

The Adventures of Pajama Girl Book Review

Let’s be honest for a moment, is there anything better than a comfortable pair of pajamas? I think that my loved ones can attest that I love pajamas of all types! If I am really being honest, my nickname for a period of time in my life was Pajama Girl. Reading a story titled the same as my previous moniker was an easy choice.

The Adventures of Pajama Girl and the Coronation of the Cupcake Queen by Sandra Hagee Parker (#PajamaGirl) tells the story of a little blond girl named Ellie, whose nickname is pajama girl. Basically the story takes place when Ellie goes to sleep at night, her dreams are determined by what kind of pajamas she wears. So, if she wants to dream of the wild west, she would wear her cowboy pajamas and so on. On the night the story takes place, she wants a sweet adventure so she chooses her cupcake pajamas. Once they are asleep, the adventure begins. The bulk of the story takes place within her dreams, and in the land of cupcakes. The coronation of the queen is put in peril when the sprinkles for the celebration are stolen. Ellie and the Cupcake Queen set out to look for the sprinkles and Ellie’s sister, Sis. Upon finding them, it is discovered that the sprinkles were stolen by the Cupcake Queen’s little sister. Her reason for the theft was that she was sad that she was not playing the part she thought she would in the coronation festivities. As the Cupcake Queen and thief of sprinkles make amends, the sprinkles are returned to the cupcakes, thus ensuring the coronations success and allowing Ellie and Sis to attend before they wake up.

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Dead Sea Mud Mask by Pure & Essential Minerals Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Pure Essential Minerals. This post may have affiliate links but this in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Dead Sea Mud Mask by Pure & Essential Minerals Review

As a Californian my entire life I have heard that “the big one” is coming, nobody knows when this event will occur or what the damage will be. I worry about this from time to time, but really as unpredictable that life is it is important to not dwell on random events like “the big one”. The one thing that I am starting to dwell on is my own looming “big one”, my 40th birthday coming up in July. With this looming shake-up of my own it has made me more aware of my beauty routine or my lack of as the case may be.

I was given the opportunity to review Dead Sea Mud Mask by Pure & Essential Minerals. I am not usually one to try anything other than a simple soap for my facial care, but have been wondering how I can “shake-up” my beauty routine and a facial mud seemed like a safe and easy way. I really did not know what to expect and went in with little to no real expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised by the process that lie ahead of me.

The Dead Sea Mud comes in a circular 6 oz jar, with a convenient screw top. When I opened the jar and removed the sealed covering, the first thing I noticed was the wonderful eucalyptus smell. I decided to look at the ingredients and noticed that they were all organic and included the following: pure dead sea mud, organic Shea butter, organic sunflower oil, organic Aloe Vera juice, organic vegetable glycerin, organic jojoba oil, hickory bark extract, organic Calendula oil, eucalyptus oil, filtered water and xantham gum.

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Canyon Bakehouse Product Review and Giveaway!

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Canyon Bakehouse. This in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Canyon Bakehouse Product Review and Giveaway!

Confession time again! There is something about a slice of bread before bed that is oddly comforting, I have been known to knock out loaves of bread on my own and am even trying my hand at making my own breads. I LOVE bread, therefore when I had opportunity to try 4 Gluten Free varieties from Canyon Bakehouse I was excited and more then willing.

I received a loaf each of 7 Grain Bread, Mountain White Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bread and a loaf of Rosemary and Thyme Focaccia Bread.

7 Grain Bread: The first thing that I noticed about this bread was the wonderful color! The best way to describe the color is a nice dark caramel on the outside and the lighter caramel color on the inside – baked perfectly. The 7 Grain bread did not have a grainy after taste, but beware once toasted it can be a little crumbier then other breads.

Mountain White Bread: Similar to the 7 Grain Bread this bread had the perfect color on the top and a nice creamy white color on the inside. Again, the downside is that once toasted the bread seemed to become a crumbly version of itself.

Rosemary and Thyme Focaccia Bread: My experience with Focaccia bread had been somewhat limited so I saw this as an opportunity to not only try Focaccia but a gluten-free version. This bread was firm but not “brick” dense, and the texture allows for many different applications from dipping bread to cutting it down for a Panini. My personal recommendation is to cut a portion that you will be consuming for that meal and freeze the remainder. I found that the loaf was large enough for 2 meals.

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The Serpent Beguiled Eve Book Review and Giveaway!

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge. This in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

The Serpent Beguiled Eve Book Review and Giveaway!

I recently had the chance to read “The Serpent Beguiled Eve” by Acacia Slaton. This book covers topics from adultery, military separations and the sacred relationship between husband and wife. The author is resolute and determined to never let her faith waiver, a woman strong in religious convictions.

The dictionary definition of “beguile” is to influence by trickery, flattery, mislead or delude, I do not believe that Eve was beguiled by the Serpent, rather I think that Eve knew what she getting herself into. From the authors retelling, there were signs and her own instincts said that things may be cloudy in her otherwise sunny world. The author does a great job of taking us back to the events and retells them with clear and concise words that make you feel as though you were hover watching the events unfold.

Acacia, backed by her religious convictions, believes that if her husband attends more church with her, and speaks to respected religious leaders then he will become the man she fell in love with. The book follows the path of two people, living separate lives, yet still having so much tying them together. As the book draws to a close, those ties still evident are untied into two distinct separate ties.

If you want to read a story of resilience, love and religious devotion then I recommend “The Serpent Beguiled Eve”.

Now for the best part of any review (no, not the end!), the GIVEAWAY!! I have one copy of “The Serpent Beguiled Eve” to give away! I will be choosing 1 person in February (2/10/2015) to each receive one copy of “The Serpent Beguiled Eve”by Acacia Slaton!! To enter please email us your email address (jennifer at dealsamongus dot com) or complete the form below and I will use a random generator to choose the winner! Winner will be notified by email and prize will be fulfilled by the author, Acacia Slaton! GOOD LUCK!

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