sonja chunky wedge from shoedazzle

so after seeing a shoedazzle commercial over a year ago and signing up to receive emails only (i chickened out on the membership), then receiving emails for a year or so…these finally snagged me! the sonja chunky wedge (in pink of course) sealed the deal. i signed up for the monthly vip membership
which entitles you to much lower pricing. the only "obligation" is you have to access your membership before the 5th of each month and purchase or pass on the shoe they have listed. you can cancel at any time.

but take a look... these came yesterday and i was ecstatic. i had been looking for a cute shoe to replace a favorite pair of my aldo pink patent pumps. these come in white and yellow as well and fit pretty true to size. i wear a 6 1/2 or a 7 so i ordered the 7 and they seem slightly big but i think the 6 1/2 would have been slightly too small which small is worse. : )

strawberry cucumber and basil salad

i was searching for a light summery salad with strawberries as the main ingredient for our women's event on friday and came across this one. the fresh basil and crunchy cucumbers had me sold on this right away! we received a lot of compliments on this salad and its super easy with most of the ingredients readily available in your kitchen. we did add some romaine lettuce to make it more of a salad and you could also lay the salad overtop lettuce.

4 cups (1 pound) hulled strawberries cut into quarters
2 tablespoons of fresh basil thinly sliced (i actually use kitchen shears to cut the thin strips)
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 medium cucumbers just over 2 cups sliced
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

method: 

1. peel and seed cucumbers; halve lengthwise, and slice thin.

1. combine strawberries, basil, vinegar, and sugar. toss to coat and chill for 1 hour.
2. 2. combine cucumbers and lemon juice; toss to coat.
3. 3. after chilling, add cucumber mixture, salt, and pepper to strawberry mixture. gently toss to combine, and serve immediately.

younique lip gloss giveaway and mascara review...

i am so excited i found this mascara. i tend not to wear it that often because i had not found one that i really liked. over the years i have tried quite a few…drugstore brands, clinique, mac, sephora, marykay (i could list more) and there were things that i liked and didn't like about each of them. either it was clumpy or not thick enough. some would thicken but not lengthen my lashes or vise vera…

i first heard about younique last year. i am generally an early adaptor but really the idea of not being able to try it combined with the price is what kept me walking past a distributors booth. 

then a friend had a lash-bash online party and i saw her post her results photo after trying the mascara from a friend. 

so between that photo, her excitement and my desire to help my friend earn free products i took the plunge and purchased the 3d fiber lash mascara and the lucrative lip gloss in loveable and i really love them both.

the mascara gave my lashes length and volume without the any clumping…perfection!

the lipgloss is very moisturizing and the color so fun!

i was so excited about the products i would like to do a giveaway for the second lipgloss i just ordered in the shade lucky. customer will pay shipping outside of the United States. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

please take a look at the online catalog here or shop directly and view the catalog from my online party here  there are some amazing specials going on right now and these are delivered directly to your door. 

february specials...

if you would like to host your own online party it's easy…contact Meg

on Facebook

or through her customer contact page on her personal web page.

"go together like milk and cookies" cut-out cookies

adorable bff cookies from the pantry bakeshop in rak-uae

roasted mushroom and kale pizzette

giada de laurentiis is my absolute favorite on the cooking network and she is also an inspiration. 

she is beautiful, fun, i love her bubbly personality and well then there is her amazing kitchen skills!

the other day my husband and i were watching an episode of her show and my husband started talking about these little pizzas she made… "how hard would those be to make babe?" i knew what he was aiming for : ) 

"not hard at all…are you wanting some giada pizzettes?"

and off to the store i went. i would actually have had all but the (non home made) dough and cremini mushrooms but our cupboards were pretty bare and it was time for a grocery trip.

these were amazing!! i followed the recipe exactly and will definitely be making it again but likely with home made or frozen bread. these would work just the same as a large regular sized pizza. And also putting all of these ingredients in a rolled out crust then rolling it into a pizza roll would work as well. 

i paired this with a baby spinach kale and chard salad toped with walnuts carrot ribbons and gorgonzola with a balsamic and olive oil dressing. we had them for dinner but these would make an awesome game day snack just in time for the super bowl this weekend!!

ingredients:

8 ounces or cremini mushrooms sliced

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 ball store bought pizza dough (12 to 16 ounces)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella 

1 small bunch of tuscan kale (about 4 leaves), ribs removed and cut into ribbons

2 ounces of gorgonzola, crumbled 

1. place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees fahrenheit. Toss the mushrooms with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sea salt then roast on a baking sheet or foil until they are golden brown about 6 yo 8 minutes. then set aside. 

2. roll out pizza dough to 1/4 inch thickness. use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles in the dough and transfer the circles to a parchment- lined baking sheet or stone…i used a stone from pampered chef. 

3. drizzle the dough circles lightly with olive oil. place a teaspoon of mozzarella on each circle, then top with the mushrooms and then the kale ribbons, i used kitchen shears to cut the kale into ribbons. finally top each circle with gorgonzola crumbles. drizzle with a little more olive oil and bake until they are golden and bubbly about 10 minutes.  arrange on a platter and serve 

enjoy!

jerk chicken nachos

these are perfect for game day…and tonight is the big game!!

although i will not be indulging in these tonight you can! 

this is one of my favorite recipes for nachos and it is from the pampered chef. 

ingredients: 

• 6 cups tortilla chips
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar or monterey jack
• 2 tablespoons jamaican jerk rub ( i use pampered chefs version) 
• 1 small yellow or red bell pepper
• 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup sour cream mixed with 1 tsp additional Jamaican jerk rub

 

• 1. preheat oven to 425 degrees 
• 2.
  in bowl, combine chicken, cheese and 1 tablespoon jerk rub; mix gently. sprinkle chicken mixture over tortilla chips. bake 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• 3.
  dice the bell pepper. cut lime in half crosswise and juice half of the lime; add remaining jerk rub and bell pepper to the lime juice and mix well/ 
• 4.
  snip cilantro. slice remaining half of the lime.
• 5.
  spoon bell pepper mixture over nachos; sprinkle evenly with cilantro. take the remaining 1/4 cup sour cream and mix with the jerk seasoning. i then used a plastic storage bag cut the corner of it and squeezed the sour cream onto the nachos through the bag…you could also use any other pastry decorating tool or dollop it on.
  
  enjoy!
  go bucks…pluck those ducks!!

turkey chili

i was inspired to make this yummy chili after waking up to a snow (too cold) day, a desire to make a warm and healthy comfort food and the fact i have multiple cans of various beans in my cupboard. 

chili is basically a dish you can make into what ever creation you would like. i do not make it too often because i am the only one that eats it. i hope you'll enjoy this recipe. 

i actually had all the ingredients on hand to make this chili…the only thing i was hoping to add to the top was cilantro one of my favorite herbs. but i will be stopping out to get it tomorrow…

not today…brrrrrrrr!!

this made so much chili i am going to freeze it in mason jars so i can easily warm it up. 

1.25 pounds of lean ground turkey (i used a free range brand)
1 half of a large yellow onion chopped
5 cloves of peeled and chopped fresh garlic
1 large pablano pepper seeded and chopped
1 small to medium yellow squash sliced then cubed
a handful of cherry tomatoes sliced into 3rd or 4ths
1 can black beans rinsed
1 can kidney beans rinsed
1 can cannellini beans rinsed
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon i used vietnamese cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups of water or vegetable stock
3 teaspoons salt
olive oil
garnish with: avocado, fresh cilantro, cheese or sour cream


1. heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven until hot. reduce heat to simmer add the onion, pablano, squash and garlic. cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened 6-7 minutes.

2. increase heat to medium and add the ground turkey. cook the turkey until it is no longer pink and be sure to break it up with a wooden spoon during cooking

3. add the 3 cans of beans stir, then add the dry spices and stir again. pour in the 3 cups of water. and add the tomatoes. allow to simmer 20-30 minutes so the flavors begin to meld. the longer the better remember the saying that chili is better the day after : )

just remember make it your own! feel free to add more salt, spices or vegetables and the same goes for decreasing amounts i have mentioned this could easily be made into a vegetarian dish!


enjoy!