Transitioning Your Skin To Spring

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media® & Remington but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade #CleanFaceWithRemington http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH 

Spring weather is finally here!  Especially if you live in the East, the temperatures have been wonderful over the last week, and I cannot wait to spend more time in the sun.  With winter (hopefully) behind us, I'm ready to transition my skincare to reflect the new season.  Goodbye dry, cracked skin and heavy makeup; hello to sun-kissed, moisturized skin.  I have five tips for you today to get your face and body ready for springtime.

Tip 1: Spring clean your bathroom - What products haven't you used in months?  If it's a year old, it could be filled with bacteria and leading to your clogged pores.  Start fresh this spring with everything new and clean.

Tip 2: Exfoliate - We all have that dead, flaky skin after a cold and dry winter, and we need to start each day with a smooth, fresh face.  I have turned to the Remington Facial Cleansing Brush to keep my face looking and feeling the best it can.  With its ability to clean 10x better than manual cleansing, you will be sure get a deep clean you can see.  It's shower-proof, rechargeable, and has three speeds to start slow on your sensitive winter skin and increase as your skin gets stronger and healthier.  The Remington Facial Cleansing Brush is available at Walmart and on Walmart.com.

Tip 3: Switch to a moisturizer with SPF - Don't forget the sunscreen!  Even if we're outside for a few minutes each day, our skin is feeling the results of the sun and can get subsequent sun damage.  I tend to have oily skin, so I choose a moisturizer with 30 SPF instead of separate sun protection.  These moisturizers are great and feel so light on my face.

Tip 4: Spring for a new makeup routine - To continue to help your face feel light and smooth, opt for a bb cream instead of a thick foundation.  Choose the right shade for your skin as it tans this spring and summer.  When it's time for colorful accents like eye shadow, lip color, and nail polish, consider lighter pastels.

Tip 5: Stay hydrated - Skin is an organ, made up of cells, which are composed of water.  If they don't get enough water, skin can become dull, flaky, itchy, and wrinkly.  Don't forget your 8 glasses of water a day!

There you have it!  What do you to differently for your skin in the winter versus the spring?  What are you excited for this springtime?

Party Starters: Cheesy Italian Arancini

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® & Lactalis American Group but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #MealSolutionMatch http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

This weekend was such a good one!  Mike and I headed up to Connecticut on Thursday night to surprise his dad for his 60th birthday (shhh, don't tell him I told y'all his age).  We helped plan a party for him and a whole weekend of fun.  Food is always central to our get-togethers, and I have one of my absolute favorite party appetizer recipes to share with you today.

We shopped for all of the following ingredients at Stop & Shop:
1 cup Barilla Orzo
1 Johnsonville Italian Sausage link
3/4 cup Galbani Mozzarella Cheese
4 eggs
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper
oil for frying
Barilla Tomato and Basil Sauce

Directions:
1. Boil water in a medium saucepan for the Barilla Orzo - Italy’s #1 brand of pasta!  Salt the water and cook the orzo for 13-14 minutes.  You want the orzo to be beyond al dente for this recipe.  Allow the cooked orzo to cool completely.
2. Remove the casing from the sausage link, fry it in a saucepan until done, and drain the grease.  All the spices and flavors are built into the sausage – making this recipe even easier.
3. Shred 3/4 cup of Galbani Mozzarella Cheese and mix with the cooked sausage.  Did you know that the shredding usage represents almost 1/3 of the total usage according to a recent consumer usage study?
4. Combine the cooled orzo, 3 eggs, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper in a large bowl.
5. In three separate bowls, pour the rest of the breadcrumbs, whisk the egg, and salt and pepper (1 teaspoon of each) the flour.
6. To assemble the arancini, take a heaping spoonful of the orzo mixture, press your finger into the center of it, stuff with 1 teaspoon of sausage and cheese mixture, pinch the orzo around the filling to close, and finish by rolling in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.
7. Place the arancini on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet and freeze for 1 hour.
8. Heat up one inch of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until the oil temperature reaches 350 degrees.
9. Fry three aranicini at a time, turning to ensure they are cooked evenly, for approximately three and a half minutes.
10. Remove the aranici from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate.  Season with salt immediately.
11. To serve, spoon 2 tablespoons of Barilla sauce in ramekins and top with one arancini pasta ball.  Did you know that Barilla makes pasta sauce now, too? New Barilla sauces are only made from ingredients like vine-ripened tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and fragrant herbs, all slowly simmered, to bring authentic flavor into every bite.

There you have it!  I created a fun fall-themed chalkboard tray on which to serve these rice balls, and it's the perfect way to welcome guests to your party!

When you stop by your nearest Stop & Shop between 10/21-10/27 and purchase Barilla Pasta, Johnsonville Italian Sausage and Galbani Cheese, you’ll automatically save $3 at checkout with your store loyalty card! While supplies last.

All Up In My Grill: Smithfield® Marinated Pork

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media®, Smithfield®, but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade #SummerSizzling http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH

There's no doubt that summertime and grilling go hand in hand, but by mid-July (with a grilling season in South Carolina that's almost year-round), Mike and I are pretty sick of hotdogs and hamburgers on repeat.  But they're just so easy any day of the week!  We are definitely a fan of simple meals, and who has time remembers to marinate their meat in the morning?  Not us.

While recently at Walmart, we found our new go-to: Smithfield® Garlic & Herb Marinated Fresh Pork Sirloin.  It's already marinated; how awesome is that?  With all of the meat prep taken care of, all we needed were five additional ingredients to make a full meal.

Ingredients:

- Smithfield Garlic and Herb Pork Sirloin

- Pineapple

- Red pepper

- Jalapeño

- Lime

- Honey

Directions:

1. Preheat grill.

2. Slice sirloin into three or four portions and place on grill.  

3. While the pork is cooling, slice the pineapple, bell pepper, and jalapeño.

4. When the internal temperature of the pork reaches about 110 degrees, add the fresh fruit and veggies to the grill, as well.

5.  Remove everything from the grill when the pork's internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.

6.  Let the pork rest for about 5 minutes so that it will be juicy and delicious!  

7.  During the time the meat is resting, dice up the peppers and pineapple.  Add a tablespoon of honey and the juice from one lime to the chopped ingredients to finish off the relish.

8.  Top the pork with the relish and enjoy!

Seriously - so delicious!! Want to try it for yourself?  You can save $2.00 on any one Smithfield® Marinated Fresh Pork product with this digital coupon offer (while supplies last).

• What's your favorite food to grill?
• With what would you top delicious Smithfield Marinated Pork? 

Also linking up for Tuesday's Recipe Swap!