Eggies

It's almost Easter, and I thought I'd share some Easter egg pictures. These are actually from last year, as we have not yet dyed Easter Eggs this year. But fun nonetheless.

My family has always done Easter eggs with food coloring, rather than the Paas tablets. Well maybe we did them with Paas when I was little, but I dont really remember those days. I definitely prefer using food coloring. The colors are SO much more vibrant and you can make some pretty sweet designs if you play around with it...dip, drip, splotch, smudge, spread it. Just have fun with it, no matter what you'll end up with some cool looking eggs.

I don't recommend using food coloring if you have small children though. If you do, expect for not only the eggs to be dyed, but also the kids, your table and probably yourself. It's messy and that shit stains, so BE CAREFUL. I always wear gloves and lay down a drop cloth of some sort. 

Added fun fact of doing eggs this way: when you crack them, the egg whites will (most of the time) be dyed too. We always had some really fun egg salad sandwiches after Easter in my house.

Happy egg dying!

~Jessica

Mexican Salsa Recipe

My good friend Angelica made this salsa recipe in college and it is addictively delicious. I've made it myself several times since and it is way better than any salsa you can get in the store or restaurant! it is a pico de gallo style salsa.

Ingredients, yields amount for a small gathering 4-6 ppl:
4 Roma tomatoes
1 lime
1/2 small onion
1 jalapeño
1/3 c cilantro, finely chopped
1tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder

Dice tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño. Place in medium sized bowl. Mix in cilantro and squeeze in juice of 1 lime. Sprinkle salt and garlic powder over mixture. Stir together. Chill and serve!

Thanks Angelica!! >^^<

Scrub-A-Dub-Dub

With the winter dragging on, I find more and more that I simply want to look forward and prepare for summer. Which, for better or for worse, means getting back to the summer beauty regimen and doing things like shaving my legs everyday again (yes, I neglect this habit during the winter, get over it). But that of course means dealing with razor burn and dry skin, but I'm cheap and don't want to spend a whole lot on beauty products either. So I started looking for at home remedies to combat these problems that I could make on the cheap.

Enter the brown sugar body scrub. It's super easy to make and works wonders. I use it before shaving to exfoliate and moisturize, plus it smells really good and will leave you smelling sweet.

Here's what you need:

 

1-1/2 cups Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 cup raw Honey
1/4 teaspoon of desired scent options: Pure Vanilla Extract, Lemon Juice, Lavender essential oil, Fresh ground coffee, Cinnamon or Clove (I used cinnamon in mine, but I might do vanilla next time)

Combine all ingredients and mix until it forms a paste. Store in a sealed container in your bathroom, and no worries about refrigerating, it is not necessary.

 

To use simply scoop up a handful and rub it in. Enjoy!

~Jess

St. Patty Cakes

Happy St. Patrick's Day! How did you wake up this morning? Personally, I was wearing my huge headphones and had every light on in my room. It took a while, but I eventually got up to make some festive pancakes.

I added 6 drops of green food coloring to achieve this "desired" shade. haha.

Love, 

Kelly

Inexpensive Lighting Ideas to Transform Your Next Party

When throwing a party, getting crafty with your lighting can be the best investment. It can be the most cost-efficient and dramatic decoration at your party. My roommate and I are planning a milestone birthday party in a couple months and I am searching for lighting/decorating ideas. I have found a few to share with you:

Before filling the balloon with helium, place a glowstick inside it. Inflate! We want to cover the ceiling with balloons, so this could be a really interesting way of adding some light to the room.

I always want to transform the environment so the guests feel like they are walking into a different space. Using tulle and christmas lights is a creative and cheap way to create partitions or cover windows.

I love this! Use umbrellas and lights to add whimsical ambience to an outdoor space.


I can't wait to see how this will turn out! I will definitely update you!

Love,
Kelly

Easy Meatball Recipe

Jackie Scutella’s Meatball Recipe (yields 30 meatballs)

I eat so much before 3 PM at work, that I usually don't need much for dinner. I generally just get a 2 ft baguette with some butter and call it a regretful day. That's not so healthy. So, I thought I'd add some protein to my weekday meals. I made this recipe for the first time today and it was so easy (and delicious)! 

SAUCE

• 45 oz marinara sauce
• 1 small can of tomato paste

Pour tomato paste in a small bowl and add 1 can of water. Heat in the microwave for 30 secs and stir. Heat for another 30 seconds until the mixture is smooth. Pour marinara and paste in saucepan. Bring to a low bubble.

BALLS

• 2 lbs of ground beef
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 4 stale hamburger buns
• 1 1/2 cups of good grated Italian cheese, preferably Romano or Pecorino
• 2-5 cloves of minced garlic, to taste. (I used 5 - I happily have no friends)
• 3 free-range eggs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Soak the hamburger buns in water, then squeeze the water out. Tear the bread into small pieces. Then, mix your ingredients by hand in a very large bowl. Roll into 1” balls. Drop meatballs into bubbling marinara sauce. Cook for 45 minutes.

I followed this with Spumoni, which was a great investment. 

Thanks Jackie and Ernie!

Love, 

Kelly