Friday Favorites

• Nars Blush in Love Joy. I'm also a huge fan of "Orgasm"
• Laura Mercier Tinted moisturizer in "Nude"
• Laura Mercier Undercover Pot #3, this is the best all in one concealer pot ever! It even has the translucent setting powder underneath!)
• L'oreal Voluminous mascara- I typically buy this in "Carbon Black" but they were all out so I settled for Original. This mascara is my absolute fav! Makes my lashes look like butterflies, Not to mention it's only $8! Can't beat that!
• Mac lip liner in "Chicory", I love this color, it's like a burnt orange/red. I use it as a base around the edges and then blend with my Smith's Rosebud Salve. I've been into the Minty lately (seen in this photo) but I have to say, they are all awesome!
• Anastasia Brow Wiz. The absolute best eye brow pencil. Smooth and light and even has a spoolie attached to one side!

What are some of your favs??

Have a fabulous weekend! xoxox

Nutella Oatmeal

Anyone who knows me knows I love sweets. Chocolate being the be all and end all of treats for me. So Saturday and Sunday breakfast when we aren't out for brunch, usually is a staple of Chocolate Chip Pancakes. I've also made Nutella Pancakes (recipe to come next week!) I've mastered the home made pancake. They are way better then the boxed kind. But this Sunday I wanted something that could offer me more nutrients if possible. I've been obsessed with this blog and usually I'm left so unbelievably stumped at what recipe to try BC they all just sound so incredible (I also made these this weekend which were insanely good even John scarfed em down!) When I came across her recipe for this I was set on trying it but then decided pumpkin just wasn't going to do it. I thought Peanut butter! But alas I had just finished off my last bit of Better N' Peanut Butter from Trader Joe's so I settled on the next best (actually BETTER) thing. Nutella!

 (this is the peanut butter I ran out of. It's the BEST)

My Version went something like this:

• 1/2 Cup Oats

• 3/4 Cup Vanilla Soy Milk (I've also used Rice Dream Horchata which is out of this world!)

• 1 tbsp Nutella

• 1 tbsp Flax Meal

• 2 tsp Brown Sugar

Bring milk to a boil then add the oats. Allow it to soak up all the milk then transfer to a food processor and add the rest of the ingredients. Blend just a bit, transfer to your favorite bowl sprinkle with a few chocolate chips, a drizzle of more milk and enjoy!

I also made a mocha version to bring to work with me the next morning. It went something like this:

• 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee

• 1/2 cup Vanilla soy milk

• 2 tsp cocoa powder

• 2 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp flax meal

Boil coffee and milk, add the oats. Let it soak everything up. Transfer to a food processor add the rest of the ingredients and blend. Delic!!!

 I have a feeling I'll be blending up different variations of oatmeal for many weekends to come. (I see a fruit version in the very near future) I think the key to the flavor is in the blend!

It's Almost Feb 14th!!

 Any of these lovely gifts would make me swoon!

1. Red Bow Bikini
2. Red Heart Tote Bag
3. Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
4. Pink Heart shaped Sunglasses
5. Love Poems
6. Felix Rey Clutch
7. Madewell Undie Set
8. Anniversary Number Ring
9. Pink and gold heart shaped teacup set
10. Red Heart Pillow
11. Hot Pink Mini Dianna Lomo Camera

Last week I stopped at the Organic deli to grab something quick for dinner.  It had been a long day and I really just wanted something pre-made. I opted for the spring rolls since I knew it was pretty healthy. After I forked over the $6 I went home, ate my spring roll that was relatively OK and I thought to myself, with such minimal ingredients, and minimal cooking, I don't know why I haven't tried to make these myself! So a few days later I stopped at the same deli and picked the owners brain for a few and asked about how to work with rice paper. It's really the simplest thing to do! Just soak them one sheet at a time in warm to hot water for a few minutes until it's soft and stretchy-ish (I did a trial run and ruined 4 sheets of rice paper but after that I was a pro!) My first spring roll was a bit too thin and was breaking easily. I realized quickly that they use more than one sheet per roll. Probably 3 or 4 but I opted for 2. Here's how Mine turned out..

 I sauteed my shrimp in soy sauce and ginger with bean sprouts. But they could just be plain, cold, whatever you choose. When working with the rice paper when you pull the sheet out of the water lay it down as flat as can be on a sheet of paper towel. Pat it dry. Then soak another sheet and lay it right on top ( don't worry about water dripping all over the first sheet) and then pat it dry. Then your ready to put your filling in. Whats great about the rice paper is that once you start rolling it, it will stick together holding all your filling in nice and tightly. Two sheets are key because they tear easily so if your top sheet tears in any spot you still have your second sheet in tact!
We ate ours with the filing warm and I wrapped one up for lunch the next day. I don't know what happened but it was incredible! Something about eating it cold with the avocado was just perfect! I've been thinking that these rice paper sheets are a better alternative to regular bread wraps. At only 20 calories each I'm willing to try them filled with anything!

This weekend...

1. It snowed here in NY and was too cold for Quintin to go out without a little coat. Although this one must have shrunk bc it doesn't fit him anymore....but I can't see how it could have shrunk...I've never put in in the wash! Must be too many treats for him!

2. John and I ordered new dishware and it arrived super quick! Saturday morning coffee was pretty tasty in my new can cups!

3. On Sunday morning I made the most delicious Nutella oatmeal. (recipe to follow this week)

4. I purchased this new coat during Macy's outerwear sale. While its not super warm its just what I was looking for! A shapeless, wide, black, casual coat. I may have to make a lining for this puppy so its a bit more practical. 

Hope your weekend was warm and lovely!

xo M

DIY Gold Stemware

I've been having real big love affair with gold lately. Flatware, dinnerware, and stemware. Just obsessed. I've been seeing some gold dipped stemware floating around the Internet at some pretty steep prices and while I love gold, that kinda of commitment at such steep prices just didn't seem worth it to me. But I figured why not DIY? Here's how mine turned out.

My sister also did this with a gold spray paint which is probably much easier and quicker and probably doesn't smell as toxic because this gold paint smelled so terrible I don't think I could do more than 2 glasses. But it does look quite glam!

1 Banana, 2 Banana, 3 Banana 4...

I found this recipe recently via pinterest It sounded interesting so I had to try it. Since Mr. "I don't like fruit in my dessert" was lingering and I knew the word "Banana" would scare him off, I decided to tweak a few things. First I split the Nutella into 1/2 cup Peanut butter and 1/2 cup Nutella. Mr. "I don't like fruit in my desserts" loves peanut butter and I figured this might entice him little. Then I took it one step further since I had these mini peanut butter cups on hand, I figured why not! I love a little crunch in my ice cream. I also only used 5 bananas because that's all I had. The result was creamy and very ice cream like and I will definitely be doing this again! Now I have to find a way to add strawberries in without sending Mr. "I don't like fruit in my desserts" for the hills!

Tip: if your going to add chocolate chips or nuts, into your mixture make sure to freeze it first for 1hr or so or until its thick but still mixable. If not your chips will just sink to the bottom

P.S. I'm dyeing to try out this one!