Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Ladurée, Oui Oui

^I just felt like I needed to throw a little bit of French in there^

Our weekend was amazing! I dragged my husband, okay he semi-willingly went, to the mall in South Beach, known as Lincoln Road Mall. Lincoln Road is a huge outdoor mall that basically has every single store you could think of and also has an over abundance of restaurants.
 It was a partly cloudy day with a slight breeze which made being outside actually bearable.  Had it been a sunny summer day, we probably would have melted and died. 
And because a giant rain storm was just a few hours away, the mall was almost empty. 
Except for the Apple store, there was still a giant line outside their doors. Did those people not understand that they could have pre-ordered the iPhone online? Silly people. 

Our day was filled with Shake Shack and delicious treats.
A day I definitely will remember because we finally made it to Ladurée to try their macarons. And to be honest, I am not quite sure who loved them more, me or my husband...

 (Always sweating)
 
 
The sun did come out for a few minutes...hence more sweat
 (The husband trying to figure out which way to go, because I failed at figuring it out)

I realized that I really need to learn how to read a map. I led us in the opposite direction of Ladurée and when we turned around to go back the other way, we passed it...twice. Which, in my defense I think was easy to do because that store is almost hidden. 
I was expecting a huge door front with giant window displays of french macarons.
 Only being slightly wrong, it was a teeny tiny shop with a store header in a light gold coloring with a small window display. 

Although hard to see at first, once you catch a glimpse, it draws you in.
 It's a beautiful, quaint little store that looks like it's straight out of Paris, probably because it is :) Minus it's size, the store really was one of the most enchanting shops I've been in. 
The colors were soft colors of pink, greens and cream and outlined in gold. Everything was so dainty and perfect and I'm obsessed. 
And the smell...oh the smell of their macarons is a scent  I never want to forget. 
After taking our time on deciding what flavors to choose, we went with the pistachio and salted caramel. 
And they did not disappoint one bit. 
They are all I can think about. 
I am plotting ways to get myself back down there as soon as possible.
Have I convinced my long distance family and friends yet that they NEED to come down and visit?

Friday, September 12, 2014

A Black & White Halloween


Since the thought of Halloween first popped into my head, which lets be honest, was basically last year, I knew I wanted to decorate in the color scheme of black and white. I think it just looks so classic and sharp with just a touch of creepy. 
But not gory gross creepy, classy creepy. Can that be a thing?

A few weeks ago I decided to text my girlfriends to see if they were interested in doing a craft night with me. I had big plans to craft all throughout September to have Halloween set up by the 1st of October. I figured its more fun to do those kinds of things with good company. 
And let me tell you, my girlfriends are the BEST company. 
About 4 days before our craft night, my friend and I decided that we should turn it into a Halloween party as well. What was supposed to be a small Halloween craft night, quickly turned into an actual, 2 month early, Halloween party. And I'm not even a little bit mad about it. My husband looked at me oddly when I told him I was throwing a Halloween party. I told him he just didn't understand. 

After trying to get everything crafted and baked in 4 days, I was so not in the mood to actually craft the night of the party. And I didn't. And it was cool. I was a little worried about cramming 14 girls into my teeny tiny apartment, but luckily and unluckily, not everyone could come.  
I thought it was a great night. We were able to talk without our kids, and enjoy some yummy treats...without kids. That hardly ever happens. So I'd call it a success.

I'm also going to let you in on a little secret about throwing a party...do it with a friend. It makes it so much less stressful when someone else can help provide some of the desserts and crafts. It's a sanity savor and I only hope my dear sweet friend will continue to help me out :)

I have also realized that I have gotten ridiculously good at cutting out millions of tiny objects from card stock. My poor hand was ready to fall off after cutting out the dozens of bats, witches, and letters...
 I definitely know what is going on my Christmas list this year...a cricut or silhouette.

Without further ado, here is my super early Halloween party
 








 The Menu

Chocolate cupcakes
Apple pie caramel apples
Plain caramel apples
Pumpkin pie (Provided by Kendra)
Nutella cheesecake (Provided by Kendra)
Pumpkin spice muddy buddies (Provided by Kendra)
Sugar cookies
Pineapple basil juice

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Fall Fashion Wish Board

Living in Florida we don't really get to enjoy much, or any, of that beautiful fall weather that most other people get to experience this time of the year. 
And I can't express how much that bums me out.
 I know everyone says that fall is their favorite season, but seriously, it is my favorite time of the year.
 I look forward to it all year long. 
Since I don't get to fully enjoy large comfy sweaters, boots, and even pants for that matter, I've created my fall fashion wish list of clothing that I look at almost every night and that I am yearning to buy.
 I am tempted to just keep my apartment at 60 degrees so I can snuggle up with an uber soft, cozy blanket and make myself a cup of chai roobios tea.
That basically makes it the same thing as living in a place that actually cools down outside and has gorgeous fall leaves to look at, right?



Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Pineapple Basil Juice

Oh the last of summer is coming. And I can't say that I am too upset about it. I am definitely a "fall time" kind of girl. I'd take boots and a sweater any day over shorts and sandals.
With that being said, one of the things I do love about summer is making delicious drinks that taste like summer. 
And you guys, this is seriously one of the best drinks you will ever have! Please don't let the list of ingredients freak you out. It sounds a bit odd, but it is super light and refreshing and I promise you won't be able to stop drinking this.
Not only is it super delicious, but the ingredients have so many health benefits...minus the sugar of course ;) My husband was even shocked at how much he enjoyed it.
And well,  let's be honest, I was shocked he even agreed to drink it.
I always make this in a blender but I am curious as to how it would turn out using a juicer.
So if any of you guys have a juicer and try this,
come back to me and let me know how it goes!

Here is what you'll need:


Ingredients

1 pineapple, peeled and cored
1-2 handfuls fresh basil
1 lemon, juiced
1/2-1 cup of sugar, depending on your sweetness preference
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 inch knob of ginger, peeled and sliced
10 cups water
A sieve/fine mesh strainer

In a blender add pineapple, basil, lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, ginger and 1 cup of water. Blend until completely smooth. I use my Blendtec "whole juice" setting and run it twice to make sure it's as smooth as possible.  In a large pitcher add the remaining 9 cups of water, or split in to 2 pitchers. Through your sieve, strain your juice mixture into your pitcher of water to eliminate any fibers leftover from the pineapple and ginger. Stir/shake and serve over ice. The juice will separate as it sits, so just make sure to give it a good stir before each serving. Enjoy!

*Recipe courtesy of my mother-in-law