Tuesday, October 18, 2011
- Flannel Pajamas are a must. There is nothing better than lounging about the house and being toasty. Nick and Nora make fantastic ones in playful, fun prints. I have light blue sock monkey ones that I adore.
- Now that our body is warm, we need to work on our piggies. Sweater Slippers are great on chilly nights. I like having some foot freedom, so slip ons are perfect for me. A faux fur lining makes them extra toasty. You're pigs will thank you.
- Another essential is flannel sheets. These ones from L.L.Bean are ultra soft and never cold to the skin. They don't pill like alot of flannel either. It's like a big flannel hug every time you get into bed.
- So you don't own a fireplace, but love the smell??? Bath and Body Works has the solution. If you love the earthiness of a fire burning in the hearth try their Fireside candle. If you want it a little sweeter, their Marshmallow Fireside candle is perfect. I can not stop burning these, total comfort.
- Is there anything better than a mug of warm hot cocoa??? Most of us are used to the packets in the light blue box with the chick that looks like Heidi on it and that's fine, It's decent stuff. But to really spoil yourself try the Godiva Hot Cocoa Sampler box. It is a completely different taste sensation that anything I was used to. Chocolate decadence in a mug.
- Cocoa is not the only good thing to come in a mug. Let's not forget about soup people!!!! Nothing warms you up faster after a long day working in the pumpkin patch ( cuz everyone does that once fall hits right?). I know that homemade soup is best, but sometimes you just want easy. Bear Creek has glorious soup mixes that taste just like mama made them. I recommend the Cheddar Broccoli and Creamy Wild Rice.
- When mother nature sucks all the moisture out of your skin, leaving you with a dry, itchy mess, all you want is relief. A body butter is your best bet for curing dry skin. Thick, fast drying and loaded with hydrating elements, they make even the worst skin supple.The Body Shop butters come in a large variety of scents, something for everyone to enjoy.
- Cracking lips are part of the cold, dry season but let's be honest, they are gross and painful. A good lip balm will prevent the cracking before it even starts. I have raved about the EOS Lip Sphere in the past and I'm raving again. Not only does it work wonderfully, if you purchase the Strawberry Sorbet flavor part of the proceeds help the fight against breast cancer.
- When it is freezing outside a hot bath full of giant bubbles puts a huge smile on my face. A couple of my favorite items to use are any of the Philosophy Bath & Shower Gels. They have alot of seasonal and holiday scents. If you want gigantic bubbles that just don't quit, LUSH Bubble Bars are unbeatable. Break off a small chunk and you will have tons of suds that don't disappear as soon as you slip in. Christmas Eve and Gingerbread house are great this time of year.
-Jess
Monday, July 4, 2011
I love things that look like something familiar, yet are actually completely different. Like a stick bug or a skort (ok, not so much a skort) but you get the idea. Well, this beautiful 4th of July I decided to do some trickery and freak everyone out, but with food. I present to a little thing I like to call:
Cupcake Illusions!!!!!!!
The fourth of July means picnics, patriotism and evil sparklers (step on a hot sparkler wire with bare feet then say they aren't evil!). Since I can't bake patriotism or fireworks (holy bad idea), I went with a picnic theme.
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| Kitchen chaos |
These little nibbles are so easy to create. I just used a yellow and a chocolate cake mix, canned white frosting, food color and a little creativity.
Bake the cupcakes as the box directs and wait for them to cool.
While they are baking, divide you frosting into 5 bowls and dye red, yellow, green, pink and black.
For the corn:
Using yellow icing in a pastry bag frost the some yellow cakes. Top with buttered popcorn and lemon drop Jelly Belly's. Stick with corn skewers for added cuteness.
Watermelons:
Using either flavor of cupcake, frost the outer edge of the cake with green icing. Next, using a star tip, pipe pink icing to fill the middle. Top with random black icing "seeds".
Burgers:
Slice yellow cakes in half to make buns. Cut the bottom off the chocolate cake for the burger patty.
Pipe green "lettuce" on bottom but, top with chocolate cake, pipe red "ketchup" and yellow "mustard" and top with remaining yellow cake. You can top with sugar to look like sesame seeds, but I forgot.
These are super cute and so simple to make it should be criminal.
A perfect picnic lunch!
- Jess
Friday, April 22, 2011
Here are a few more British bits.
- Jamie Oliver is a brilliant British chef, healthy eating is a huge focus for him. But he does do the traditional stuff like Shepard's pie and fish & chips.
- You can find nice home decor items in your home town, but Bodie and Fou has some really great items, be it throw pillows or furniture.
- Miss Selfridge has some of the cutest damn clothes and accessories I have ever seen.Some are a real bargain as well.
- I am bat shit crazy in love with The Graham Norton show. It airs on BBC America and it is hilarious. Very naughty and creative.
- Beautique has a wide selection of beauty products, some american but the real gems are the brands you can't find at the local Sephora.
- Let's not forget the most important British thing of all.....the men.
I'll add more links if I think of them, but until then here are some films with a British connection you must watch.
Jess
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
#73 Roast the perfect chicken
I committed murder last night. Well, technically I would be an accessory to murder I guess. The end result to this crime was pure deliciousness.
I searched far and wide in the Food Network universe for the perfect recipe. It took literally 4 minutes. It was really more of suggestion anyway, I do what I want in the kitchen!
I got my friend, Mr. Cluckers, mainly because he was free range and anti-biotic free. It was even labeled smart chicken, but lets be honest, if it was so smart how did it end up on my table?
I pre-heated my oven to 425 degrees and blotted Cluckers with paper towels to get rid of moisture on the skin. Makes for a soggy bird.
Next, I sliced an apple into chunks and shoved it in the birds "cavity". Calling it a "cavity" makes it seem so much dirtier than it should. Anyway, the apple doesn't really add flavor but it does help it stay moist.
Then, things got real freaky. I lifted the skin of the bird and placed blocks of butter under it. This also helps it stay moist. And looks bizarre as hell.
Next, I chopped an onion, carrots and celery. These were placed in the bottom of the pan with a little chicken stock to help with moisture and flavor.
I then began seductively massaging a mixture of salt, sugar, black pepper,fresh garlic, parsley, thyme and tarragon all over Cluckers ample breast and firm thighs.
He was placed breast side down and baked at 425. After 15 minutes I dropped the temp to 350 degrees. I basted him every half hour and he loved it!!!!!
2 hours later was the end results. Crispy, golden skin and juicy, luscious meat.
This sounds like a letter to penthouse.
He was delicious and dare I say, perfect.
Jess
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
So, who else is completely obsessed with RuPaul's Drag Race???? I thought the last cast made for good television but DAMN! This year it's all naked asses, on stage mental breakdowns and cat fights galore. I fell in love with Raven last year but I'm all about Raja now, purr. OK, my random ramble is done, on with the linky goodness!!!
- Etsy is a great site to find unique and often handmade items ranging from throw pillows and bath salts to nail polish and wall murals. You can really get some outstanding bargains here as well.
- I have been digging home decor lately and Design Sponge has pretty much everything in one place. Their mini trends are an excellent place to find small touches to spruce up a room.
- I have a long standing obsession with YouTube makeup tutorials. I am mesmerized by what these people do. Two of the best are Pixiwoo and TiffanyD. Check out their blogs, truly talented little cosmetics wizards.
- If you are ever looking for a new and exciting recipe or menu Yumsugar is the place to go. They cover pretty much every aspect of food. And their cocktail recipes are to die for.
- I have been thinking about chopping my hair off recently, which is a huge deal to me cuz my hair is crazy long right now. I'm talking like Blake Lively long. Beautyriot has shown me SOOOOO many options. Whether it gets chopped or stays hippie, It's nice to know I always have options.
Alright party people, enjoy the links, I gots me some gorgeous queens to get back to.
Jess
Sunday, April 3, 2011
#69 Attempt to make rainbow cupcakes
The first item I picked to scratch off the list is a small one. Compared to many others this one looks like a breeze. A tiny, little speck of a challenge. It's just baking, I would have no problems, right?
WRONG!
The Internet, which never lies, said all I had to do was just mix up a white cake mix, divide it into 6 bowls, color each one and then layer the colored batters in my liners and bake. So I did. And this happened......
10 minutes into baking it looked like Elton John(♥) and RuPaul(double ♥) threw up all over my baking pan. Turns out less is more when it comes to layering the batter, who knew?? So I returned back to the salt mines and whipped up another batch of colors.
Apparently the baking gods decided to show me a little bit of mercy because this batch was glorious!
The layering wasn't perfect but damn it, I did it! Score one for this chick.
Tie dye butterflies were the finishing touch.
-Jess
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