November Favorites

Hi lovely readers! "The most wonderful time of the year" is almost upon us and I am so excited! I cannot wait to start doing all things Christmas but am enjoying the fall while it lasts! The leaves have been extra gorgeous this year and the weather has been ridiculously nice for this time of year. To wrap up the fall I wanted to share some of the things that I have been loving this past month with you all.

IJOY Soul 360 | This purchase was made somewhat on a whim as I was still using my iHome speakers from YEARS ago, cord and all and was beyond due for an upgrade. I picked this speaker up at TJ Maxx one day not having done any prior research and I was pleasantly surprised to find that this speaker is really nice! It's small enough that it is easily portable and the sound quality is great. The battery lasts long and is able to be charged by usb which is convenient. Of course the bluetooth element is the best part, no cords no mess. I also like the sleek and clean design. 

"New Rules" Dua Lipa | Staying on the topic of music, I have had this song on repeat since it first came out. Not only do I love this song, but I am also a fan of Ms. Dua Lipa. I first discovered her when I was living in London and "Be the One" was being played everywhere! Her vocals are so now and unique and effortlessly cool. I love the beats and mixes of her music. The "New Rules" video is classic California vibes mixed with modern tones and flamingo flocking.

"Flicker" Niall Horan | "The Thrill of It All" Sam Smith | Last for music, I have been loving these two albums. First "Flicker" is Niall Horan's debut solo album (former or current One Direction member, depending how you look at it) and it is the perfect soundtrack for taking a long drive on a fall day. Easy smooth music with lots of guitar and lovely lyrics. "The Thrill of It All" is Sam Smith's sophomore album...he is back and better than ever. A voice that cannot be matched, this album will take you to church. His vocals are so unreal and you can feel and hear the honesty in each and every song!

Dynasty | I'm not usually one to get into scripted TV series but Dynasty has got me hooked. The fashion is to die for and I am all about Fallon's quick comebacks and remarks! Also a fan of Liz Gillies and think she is perfect for to play her character. The show is a modernized version of the 1980s soap and while I wouldn't really call the 2017 version a soap it does have it's drama some corny and predictable but this weeks episode had me full on immersed and featured quite the plot twist! You can catch up on the CW's website.   

Duolingo | It has always been a goal of mine to learn a second language. I took the basic Spanish classes that are required in High School but retained basically nothing and have always wanted to learn French. So last month after hearing a guy speaking French in the grocery store, I told myself it was time to start learning! Duolingo was the first and top rated website when searching for a free outlet and after using it for the past few weeks, I can honestly say that I feel like I'm learning. The way it teaches you is really fun and makes each level feel like a game or a challenge to complete!

Reviews.com | This website is great if you are someone who wants to read reviews and get the best products in their category but doesn't want to do all the digging and constant scrolling. You can simply type a product category or scroll to the bottom of the homepage and choose one and they will give a page with the best products and runners up. But whats is even better is the amount of research and explanations they give as to why they say things are the best. You can get the 30 Second low-down or scroll through the whole page to get more details. I've also been using it a lot recently for holiday shopping.

Hoop Earrings | Short and simple, different shapes and sizes, I like them and enjoy pairing them with street styles or more dressed up looks.

Pumpkin Pie Larabar | Last but not least, these Larabar's have been my go-to this month when I am craving a sweet snack. They are non-gmo, gluten free, vegan, diary free, and soy free and have super simple ingredients making them a healthy "safe" snack. They do actually taste like pumpkin pie and the texture mimics it as well! And now for December it's time to stock up on the gingerbread and snicker doodle flavors!

What have you been loving this month?

Spooky Sweet Treats | Pumpkin Shaped Sugar Cookies

Hi lovely reader! Happy Hallo-weekend! Fall is in full swing here, the leaves have changed colors and the temperatures are starting to drop. I wore my first heavy coat today and am ready for sweater weather! Today I wanted to share a fun and festive treat with you that is a Halloween tradition for me. My mom and I have baked these cute pumpkin cookies for as long as I can remember. They are super simple, quick, and fun to decorate. Perfect for a last minute addition to an upcoming Halloween party or special treat for yourself or trick or treaters!

Note that this recipe makes vanilla sugar cookies, they are pumpkin shaped, not pumpkin flavored:)

You will need:
-1 cup of butter
-1 cup of sugar
-1 large egg
-2 teaspoons of baking powder
-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
-3 cups of flower
-pumpkin mold tray or pumpkin shaped cookie cutters
-Orange food coloring (optional)
-Cooking spray
-Icing, sugar, or candy to decorate your pumpkins

First preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, cream your butter and sugar with an electric mixer and then beat in the vanilla. 

After that add the baking powder and then the flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each cup. Once you have added the flour, the dough will become stiff and is ready to be shaped into the molds or rolled out if you are using a cookie cutter. Be sure to grease your molds with cooking spray before placing the dough in them. You can also knead food coloring into your dough at this point if you want to make your pumpkins orange. 

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes (mine tend to be done closer to 10 min), cool, and remove from the pan. Then repeat the process, being sure to grease your pans each time. 

After the cookies have completely cooled, you are ready to decorate. This year I used an orange icing pen for the eyes, nose, and mouth and then poured yellow sugar over them to give a glowing sparkly effect. I then used chocolate icing and green sugar for the stem.

Enjoy!

Do you have any favorite Halloween treats? Xx

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Bringing My Favorite British Dessert Home | Baking Eton Mess

Hiya lovely reader! As some of you will know, last spring I spent some time in London. I absolutely loved it there and miss it so much! Before going I had various people "warn me" that the food is not the best, to which I was taken aback as it is one of the most culturally diverse places ever which would in turn translate to the food. Needless to say those people were wrong and I let them know. The options in London are endless and everything I had was great! From traditional pub fare to Mediterranean style food and Italian. One of the first nights I was there we went to dinner at a place called Hush in High Holborn and it was there that I was enlightened. For dessert I wanted to try something different, something I had never heard of or had, that ladies and gentleman was Eton Mess. This delight consists of berries, cream, and meringue and is so light and airy you float away. So fast forward five months and ever since being back, I have been trying to incorporate some of my favorite British dishes into my life, looking for recipes and cookbooks to learn from and searching for stores that carry some of the brands I came to love. One of the cookbooks I came across was "An American Girl in London" by Marissa Hermer. As a fan of Ladies of London I was familiar with Marissa and her story and eager to check out her book. So when I saw she had an Eton Mess recipe I had to give it a go!

The nice thing about this recipe is that it is quite simple. The trickiest part is making the meringues and after that you are just putting everything together! 
For the Meringues you will need:
-3 large egg whites at room temperature
-1 cup granulated sugar
-1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
-1 tablespoon strawberry jam
-Stand Mixer

So to make the meringues, 
-Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F & place parchment paper on 2 baking trays
-Next place the egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk until soft peaks start forming. Then slowly add the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time and then add the cream of tartar. Continue whisking until the mixture has stiff peaks and is glossy and smooth, around 5 or 6 minutes. (I must say I felt very Great British Bakeoff OG while making the meringue. I'd like to think Paul and Mary would approve of my gloss)
-Once you've got your stiff peaks, carefully fold in the strawberry jam. (Marissa suggests taking out 1/4 of the meringue and folding it through that and then through the rest of it. She also added 4 drops of red food coloring to make the meringues pink which I chose to leave out.)

-Next, take 2 tablespoons and place six to eight 1/2-cup scoops of meringue onto the parchment paper and swirl each scoop to give it a peak. They will grow as they bake so leave space between them.

-Bake for 2 hours and then turn off the oven. Do not open it! As tempting as it may be, let them completely cool in the oven, otherwise they will crack. 

Now for the Eton Mess you will need: 
-1 cup whipping cream
-1 cup plain Greek yogurt
-1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (can also use vanilla extract)
-1 teaspoon rose water (optional)
-1/4 cup icing sugar, sifted
-2 cups strawberries

To make the Eton Mess,
-Whisk the cream until thickened in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt until it is smooth and then fold through the whipped cream, vanilla, and icing sugar.
-Roughly chop the strawberries, saving a few for garnish

Now to put it all together,
-Break up the pieces of meringue and start layering the cream, strawberries, and meringue in bowls or glasses. If you have clear glasses, it can look really nice to see the layers!
-Repeat the layering as much as you want and then enjoy!

Have you ever made Eton Mess? Xx