Sunday, October 26, 2014

Friday Favorites: Top 5 Fall Nail Polish Colors



This season is my absolute favorite.  The smells, the food, the weather, and the colors changing - not just the leaves, but your nail polish colors too!  Now that Fall is here, that means deep, rich, autumn tones, compared to bright summer polishes.  Stop your search for the perfect fall polish - because I found them for you.  Here are 5 colors that you can wear this season.


Burgundy is a great color for fall and can really accent any outfit.  This Confetti color (found at your local CVS for about $2) is a mix of a dark burgundy and deep brown - Masquerade Ball.


 Switching from pale summer colors to a pale fall polish color is easy!  This 'Smoky Brown' from Eyes, Lips, Face - ELF Cosmetics - is the perfect transition from a light summery color to a light fall color.  It is the ideal neutral tone for fall.


 Want that POP of color? You can never go wrong with Red.  Bright red, deep red, ruby red - any red is great.  My favorite part of red, is that you can wear it for any season.  But, this Sangria color is my favorite from Forever21.

Talking about red, this color Red Wine by NYX is great for any skin tone, and any person.  This is the most out of all the colors (besides black) that I wear.  It is such a deep red, and to me, wearing a very dark color is chic and clean looking.  


Clay by Spiritual is the pumpkin orange that makes everyone happy.  You may think that orange is not for you - don't worry you are not alone, I thought the same.  But, this burnt orange color is a great addition to any nail polish collection.

What are your favorite fall polishes?




DIY: Fall Chalkboard Decor

This girl right here is a crafter on a budget.  Instead of buying all the supplies to make a chalk board - like a tray or wood, tape, brushes, chalkboard paint, etc (which add up quickly) Michaels has these adorable already made framed chalkboards.


When it comes to decorating, I always want it to feel homey and simple.  So when I saw all these Fall  chalkboards on Pinterest, I knew that I had to try it out for myself.  This DIY is very easy, and the perfect touch to any home.


What you need:


  • Michaels chalk pens 
  • Chalkboard
  • Imagination - fall words: pumpkins, lattes, sweater weather, autumn, apples, etc.

Instructions:

  1. Clean your chalkboard - just take a wet paper towel and wipe down.
  2. Think about what you want on your chalkboard, and draw it out first.  
  3. Using your chalk pen write out the fall-tastic wording, and leave spaces for little leaves, pumpkins and swirls.
  4. Add your little art pieces in the spaces.
  5. Let dry, and hang. Use rope or burlap to use to hang.



The great thing about this DIY is that you can erase it if you don't like it, you can put new things on for new seasons, or if you have a dinner party - you can put the menu on it!



Happy Crafting!



Saturday, October 25, 2014

Snack Attack: Chocolate Chip Raspberries

Looking for a snack, your tempted to eat that chocolate bar, and you know you shouldn't - but you want that chocolate fix.

For a quick and easy, healthy snack - with your little chocolate fix, try this simple idea.

THREE EASY STEPS -

1) Get fresh raspberries
2) Get chocolate chips
3) Stuff one chocolate chip in however many raspberries you want for you snack.

AND YOUR DELICIOUS SNACK IS DONE!  (and you still get your chocolate fix).



These are absolutely amazing and its the perfect amount of sweetness.

Enjoy,


Sunday, October 19, 2014

Cutest Halloween Phone Background

I was scrolling (probably through Pinterest) and I found this adorable Halloween background for my phone. 

I knew that I had to share with you guys. Save it in your images, download it to your computer. It's adorable. 

Enjoy! Happy October. 


Saturday, October 18, 2014

Chopped Greek Salad

Moving at a young age can be different for everyone.  For me, I thought I was leaving my whole world behind - my friends, the home I grew up in, my school.
But then, I joined a soccer team, and met some wonderful people that became great friends, and one of those people, Aries, became my best friend.

She is kind-hearted, beautiful, and - Greek!  Almost every weekend we would hangout, sing at the top of our lungs, and her parents would make the most delicious dinners.  Remembering one dinner in particular, inspired me for this recipe.  They made the BEST Greek salad.

So this post is in honor of my friend Aries, and her wonderful parents.



I got together what I remembered for the salad itself - lettuce, feta cheese, olives, etc.
But, then I remembered I had no idea how to make a home-made dressing!  I did NOT want to use store-bought.


For some reason I thought of my Mom and how she always cut out recipes from magazines and kept them in her recipe box, and I just had the urge to go through it. And guess what, guys?  I found a greek dressing recipe in there from 1997.  It is super simple - some red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt/pepper, garlic powder, and dill/oregano.  I switched it up a little, but not much, so it will be my version below.

Let's discover the culinary happiness.



Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy.  It's not about nutrients and calories.  It's about sharing.  It's about honesty.  It's about identity.

- Louise Fresco



Monday, September 22, 2014

OOEY GOOEY FUDGEY LOVEY HOMEMADE BROWNIES


I think my favorite thing about having Adam as my hubs, is the fact that I can make anything and he will eat it - ALL OF IT.  So, on the bright side, in my fitness journey, I won't feel as bad, because Adam eats most of it, before I get a chance to.  This is not a healthy post, guys.  I repeat -

THIS IS NOT A HEALTHY POST - BUT IT IS OH SO GOOD, IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL.


I was inspired by today's blog post, because Adam is sick...sad face, I know.  But, when he is feeling really sick, I know that what makes him happy - my baking.  So, in honor of my Granny, I tried to remember her brownie recipe that she had in her cookbook, oh so long ago, when I would spend my summers at my grandparents house in Maine, with my foot stool, on my tip-toes, hovered over her mixing bowl, so intrigued by the magic she was concocting.


Grab your apron, slap a little flour on your ass or have your lover do it for you (wink wink), and lets get down to baking.



OOEY GOOEY FUDGEY LOVEY HOMEMADE BROWNIES

Ingredients:
           
            Brownies –

-       2 sticks unsalted butter
-       8 ounces, semi-sweet chocolate (2 boxes Bakers Chocolate) – chop it up
-       1 ¼ cup all purpose flour – sifted
-       2 Tbls unsweetened cocoa powder – sifted
-       1 tsp salt
-       2 cups sugar, divided
-       2 Tbls brown sugar
-       1 tsp vanilla
-       4 large eggs – room temperature
-       Chocolate chips - optional

            Chocolate Frosting –

-       3 cups powdered sugar
-       ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
-       ¼ cup unsalted butter – room temperature
-       ¼ cup milk – room temperature
-       ½ tsp vanilla

Directions:

1)   Melt the butter and chocolate together in your double boiler, medium heat. (Or a pot with water in it with a stove proof bowl on top) Make sure that the water does not touch the bottom.  I did one stick of butter with one box of chocolate. Set aside for about 10 minutes.
2)   Line your pan (I used a 9x9) with aluminum foil – covering all sides.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
3)   In a medium bowl, add the sifted flour, cocoa powder, and salt.  This makes for a fluffier batter.
4)   Whisk 1 cup of the sugar, and vanilla into the chocolate/butter mixture until the sugar is dissolved. (About 30-45 seconds)
5)   In another bowl, add your remaining sugar, and the 4 room temperature eggs, use an electric mixer to blend together. 
6)   Pour half of the egg mixture into the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk constantly.  When whisking constantly – this prevents the eggs from setting because of the heat. (Basically, this means it turning into scrambled eggs)
7)   Back to your bowl of the other half of the egg mixture – whip on high for about 3 minutes, until it is thick, doubled in volume and pale. (See in photos)
8)   Pour chocolate mixture into the whipped eggs and fold together. When the eggs are almost in completely incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients (I added it in thirds)
9)   Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.  Stick a toothpick in there and when it comes out with a few crumbs, you are good to go.  If you need to – wiggle the toothpick around in order to see inside to make sure it didn’t look like soup.
10) When done – cool on rack.  After cool, frost with frosting (optional)

For the Frosting:

1.     Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder (if you don’t have a sifter – you can add it to the bowl and use a whisk – it works the same)
2.     In a separate bowl beat your butter until creamy (about 2 min).
3.     Alternately add your milk/vanilla* and the dry ingredients.   Once incorporated, beat on high for 2 minutes.

* Pre-mix your milk and vanilla

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!? GO MAKE 'EM!

But, first - if you love these, try some of these out:

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramallows

Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies


Saturday, September 20, 2014

Old Bay Shrimp Tacos

Simply Shrimpy - quick, simple, easy & cheap.


Imma be honest, guys.  I did NOT want to cook dinner last night.  So what did I do?  Exactly what anyone else in this generation would do, I went to Instagram in order to figure out what I wanted to do.  I follow a couple fitness accounts, and foodie accounts, and I cam upon Shrimp Tacos by @great_healthy_recipes.  Since I didn't have half of those ingredients, I took it upon myself to wing it...hence, my Maryland self, the Old Bay had to come out and play.




First, Mr. and Mrs. Frugal McDoogal here, bought the cheapest uncooked, peeled, defined shrimp we could find, some pre-cut cabbage (it was a buck), and some yellow pepper - it was the cheapest compared to the red and orange.
The yummy shredded cabbage above, and the sweet, crisp yellow pepper to the left (and avocado in the back) is what I used in my tacos.  Adam added the minty sour cream.  Switch it up guys, add your own flare and let me know in the comments below what you do!




Bring a little Maryland into your home,