Day 47: The "it" color

My obsession with blue nail color has be replaced now with bright fluorescent hues.  It's like I want to it be spring already!  Though bright colors are usually reserved for the warmer months, you can totally rock a bright shade as it goes well with gray, and black fashion staples.

When I friend asked me what shade I had on, I said that it was the "it" color.  Before I could sound too much like an arrogant trendsetter, I said that's actually what's it's called!  OPI's marigold yellow is all you need to brighten your toes in the cool of February.  That's why it's February's shade of the month!

Day 30: Roasted sweet potato salad

As I've posted before, I'm trying to increase the amount of veggies in my diet.  I tend to stick to veggies I love, and sweet potatoes are one of them.  Instead of eating them "straight up" I've added them to salads, and enjoyed the outcome!  Whether they are hot or cold, roasted sweet potato salad is a new favorite of mine.  It doesn't even require a dressing.  In fact I found that dressing, even a light vinaigrette, takes away from the sweet potato taste.  You can pre-roast the veggies and serve them warm or cold with the salad.  

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 red bell pepper

8 oz baby spinach leafs

salt and pepper to taste

1.  Peel the sweet potatoes, and cut them into quarter moon chunks.

2.  Toss them in the olive oil, sprinkling salt and pepper to taste.

3.  Spray a glass or metal pan with non-stick cooking oil and spread the sweet potatoes evenly.  Roast at 400F for 60 minutes, stopping at 30 minutes to flip the sweet potatoes to the other side.

4.  Cut the bell pepper into thin strips.  Line them in a pre-treated pan, and roast at 400F for 25 minutes.

5.  Add the sweet potatoes and bell peppers and toss.  Add a honey mustard, balsamic vinaigrette dressing if desired.

Day 25: Dirty works works!

The older I get, the more I realize that taking care of my skin is incredibly important.  Since the age of twelve I've been using the Clinique 3-step system religiously.  But for more intense up keep, like exfoliating, I've been experimenting.  

I recently came across these British products in a grocery store, of all places.  I wanted to try an at home weekly mask to clean my pores.  A quick search on my phone from the aisle told me that these were quality products, so I tossed them along with the rest of my groceries and decided to try them at home.

Dirty Works Pore-fect Face Scrub has anti-oxidant properties that reduced skin's aging.  Touting pomegranate and raspberry extract, this scrub was light and easy to apply.  Immediately after I put a thick layer of my Kiehl's moisturizer on and felt like my skin was smooth and soft to the touch well into the next day.  

The following evening I tried Dirty Works Detox Mud Mask.  This one claims to have blueberry and willow bark extract.  Honestly I hate using masks, but this one was so easy to take off, I didn't even need a rag like it recommended.  A generous amount of water washed all of it off.  

Since it was the first time I used these products, I used them one at a time.  But next time I will use them together.  It will definitely be a staple in my skin care regime!

Day 22: Good and easy chocolate buttercream frosting

I had resigned myself to the fact that my homemade buttercream frosting was meant to be chalky.  No matter what I did - cream the butter more, add vanilla, add cream cheese - it still had that consistency where you could taste where the confectioner's sugar met the butter instead of being melded together in buttercream perfection.

Yesterday I happened across this recipe to frost cupcakes, and I was skeptical at first.  I was supposed to melt the butter?  It seemed like more work, and I was hesitant since I had guests coming over and these cupcakes were my plan for dessert.  However, this recipe is one I'll repeat again since it came out so wonderfully!  I made a few changes to the original recipe, lowering the amount of vanilla and confectioner's sugar.  

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk 

1.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low to medium heat.

2.  Add the cocoa powder and vanilla, and stir.

3.  Put the confectioner's sugar in a mixing bowl.  Add the chocolate mixture and stir on a stand mixer or with hand mixer.  The mixture will be crumbly and dry.

4.  Add milk one tablespoon at a time to desired consistency.

Even after I put the chocolate mixture into the sugar, I was worried.  It was looking dry and crumbly - not at all frosting-like.  I was about to have my husband run the grocery store to pick up a tub of store made frosting.  But after I added the milk, like magic it became this silky milk chocolate frosting which turned out to be the highlight of dessert!  I added the first tablespoon just to have it mixed in and ready.  When my cupcakes had cooled sufficiently and were ready for frosting, I added the other tablespoon.  It spread easily, and after about 20 minutes the frosting had become more firm atop the cupcakes.  

Day 19: live. laugh. love.

I've always loved birds on a wire pictures.  One Friday night at home I decided to do this with pastels.  It didn't take too long, about an hour an a half.  I sized it so that it will fit a frame at IKEA.  For this meme, I added the text.  It seems to fit perfectly with the picture of two lovebirds, sitting together, watching the sun set.  

Day 17: Winter flower bouquet

Have you ever been at the grocery store, ready to rush out the door, but were tempted by the pre-made bouquets in the floral department?  

It seems so easy right?  To grab an okay looking bouquet, feeling like you're getting a deal even though you are just getting a few flowers you really like, surrounded by a bunch of filler flowers you really don't like.  

It seems silly to spend $15 to $20 on something that's going to wilt die in a weeks times.  It seems even sillier to only like a fraction of the flowers you are buying too!  After all my years of buying pre-grocery bouquets, I have found a better way to make the most out of my floral budget.  

I don't get flowers that often - it's usually when we guests coming to visit, or if I'm throwing a dinner party.  But now, I bypass the easy pick-up flower section and go straight to the florist.  Now, this doesn't mean you have to skip the grocery story altogether.  Stores like Wegman's or Harris Teeter have a pretty good selection, and their staff is knowledgable enough.  

The first thing I start with is my budget.  I let them know how much I want to spend, and then pick the flowers I mainly want first.  I ask for their advice, and usually they will throw in some filler flowers and green foliage at no extra charge.  

You don't even need that many flowers for a centerpiece.  Once I got a few orchards, some sticks, and a long banana leaf that made a very nice and modern looking centerpiece.   

Below is my latest floral arrangement that I picked out last weekend.  They had fresh peonies that I couldn't resist, and I accented them with some white hydrangeas, my favorite and go-to flower.  And the best part - it was under my budget!

Day 13: Not your average candy bar

Lucky for me, candy aisle temptations at the grocery store are few and far between.  But over the holidays I couldn't resist this trio of organic chocolates near the register at Whole Foods.  

Lake Champlain chocolates are gourmet chocolates from Vermont.  This chocolate company prides itself on it's bean-to-bar chocolate production, even harvesting their own bee's to make honey to sweeten the chocolate.  They have also collected accolades for their Fair Trade practices.

I couldn't decide what flavor to get, so I decided on all three:  Fruit & Nut, Peanut, and Granola.  Peanut butter was by far my favorite!  Besides Whole Foods, you can find them at other organic grocery stories like Roots and Mom's Organic Market.  Or you can order it online here.