Peppermint Hot Chocolate

If you want to try something really indulgent on one of these cold nights, give this homemade peppermint hot chocolate a try. It makes your kitchen smell like the holidays, and it will get you right in the mood for a good holiday movie! I have an affinity for anything peppermint flavored, but if peppermint is not for you, simply take the peppermint oil out of the recipe,

You'll need:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
dash of salt
1/4 cup sugar
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 drops of peppermint oil
whipped cream and/or marshmallows

*Healthy hint: for a lighter version try using soy milk instead of the heavy cream to still get that creamy flavor and substitute sweetener for sugar





*Also if you don't have peppermint oil on hand, simply crush or grind up some candy canes and allow them to melt into your hot chocolate!

How to:
In a saucepan, mix together the cream, milk, sugar, and salt and heat the mixture on a medium-low flame. When the mixture begins to steam, add the chopped chocolate, stirring until melted. Add the peppermint oil, stir, and serve!

Holiday Outfits

With holiday season approaching, there always seems to be a boost in everybody's social calendar's. For me holiday parties are extra special because it gives you the opportunity to glam up your dreary winter wear.

Easy as Pie..Pumpkin Pie

Will fall season quickly becoming winter I wanted to try my hand at one pivotal fall dessert: pumpkin pie. I've seen all different takes on the classic dessert but I wanted to try and simplify it. I've heard that you can make pumpkin pie with merely two ingredients: canned pumpkin and cake mix. I decided to elevate the recipe a bit to add more depth of flavors.

You'll need:
vanilla cake mix
canned pumpkin
cinnamon
nutmug
vanilla extract
chocolate chips
cream cheese frosting

How to:
Mix together the dry cake mix and canned pumpkin until it is fully mixed. Next add about a teaspoon of cinnamon and nutmeg each. Add about a capful of vanilla extract and as much chocolate chips as you desire! Mix until all the ingredients are fully mixed in.

Bake following the cake mix directions. When the cake is finished baking, let cool before icing.

Pajama Party

When it starts to get cold outside, all I seem to want to do is cuddle in my favorite pair of pajamas. Lately I have been graduating from my old sweatpants and t-shirts to a bit more classic pj look. Last year for the holidays I received a pair of Victoria Secret's silk pink and white pinstriped pajama set and fell in love. Now whenever I'm in a bad mood and need some cheering up or want to go to bed feeling glamourous, I put on my silk pajamas and instantly start to feel better. In fact for this year's holiday I asked for another pair!  I've found some updated pajama sets to replace those ratty tshirts and sweatpants for those extra special cuddle days!

LAYLA Leopard PJ Set $60

 40 Winks Snow Leopard Notch Collar PJ Set $68

 Victoria Secret The Afterhours Satin Pajamas $69.50

                                                                            

Trick or TREAT?

With Halloween approaching closer and closer I thought it would only be appropriate to do a post in its honor. Growing up I would have halloween parties every year with my friends who would come over and we'd decorate cupcakes in various halloween themes. I decided to come up with a few types of halloween treats to enjoy during the holiday.

White Chocolate Eyeballs:
You'll need:
chocolate malt balls
white chocolate chips
m&m's
red piping gel
wax paper

How to: 
Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler until fully melted. Make sure to stir it so it does not burn. Once melted dip the malt balls in the white chocolate until they are fully coated. Place the newly coated malt ball on wax paper. After dipping all your malt balls in white chocolate, place a m&m on the top of the malt ball. Let the malt balls refrigerate until firm and then pipe squiggly lines of red piping gel on the "eyeballs" for a veiny effect.

Mummy Cupcakes

You'll need:
cupcakes of your choosing
m&m's
white icing
piping bag with a flat tip

How to:
With your cupcakes pipe a dot of icing to secure your m&m's for eyes. The icing will act as glue and help keep the m&m's in place. Next fill your piping bag with your white icing and start piping strips of icing across your cupcake to mimic mummy rags. Make sure to pipe the lines in all different directions to give your mummy a nice "wrapping".

Vampire's Favorite Cupcakes

These cupcakes have a "bloody" center that will be sure to spook out your guests!

You'll need:
cupcakes of your choosing (preferably vanilla so as to see the "bloody" center better)
cupcake corer
strawberry jam
vanilla icing
red food coloring

How to:
Before icing your cupcakes make sure to core the center of your cupcake by using a cupcake corer. This will create a hollow center in your cupcake which you will scoop some strawberry jam into. Next ice your cupcakes with vanilla icing and finally drip some red food coloring on the icing to emulate blood. You're guests are in for a "bloody" surprise once they bite in!

Spiked Apple Cider

For me, the fall season is always defined by the smell of leaves, the crips air, leaves crunching under my boots, and of course the special seasonal drinks and treats that make an appearance. Here at Michigan a common fall activity is a trip to a cider mill to get freshly made apple cider, caramel dipped apples, and cider donuts. Recently my fridge was been stocked with these seasonal goodies with my roommates making multiple cider mill trips. Being a big apple cider fan, I decided to make my nights out a bit more seasonally festive by incorporating some hard cider into my pregames.

You'll need:

1 gallon of apple cider
2-3 cinnamon sticks
A little less than a teaspoon of nutmeg
Zest from 2 lemons
2 cups of dark rum

How to:

Boil the cider, cinammon sticks, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes, then strain out the lemon zest. Add the rum and enjoy!

Berry Nice Lips

Everyone knows that come fall, dark colors overtake the pastels and whites in our wardrobe. But this fall a new trend was seen on the runway, dark romantic makeup, specifically lips. Dark fall colors like berry and plum made an impact at New York's MET Gala and all over the runway sparking a trend throughout the beauty obsessed.

The key with dark lips is to keep the rest of your makeup understated. Clean skin with minimal eye make-up really allows your lips to take center stage. If the idea of wearing dark lips this season makes you nervous, try experimenting with different shades and blotting. Dark lips is flattering on all skin tones and is a great night look.

Try: 

Victoria Secret Makeup Perfect Lipstick in Vixen $12 at Victoria Secret

Nars Lipstick in Scarlet Empress

DIY Pregame Dress

For a sorority girl like myself, Michigan football Saturdays are about more than just football. Game days in the eyes of most sorority girls are about proving your ability to deck yourself out in Maize and Blue in the cutest way possible. Bows, face tattoos, beads, baseball caps, American Apparel headbands, we've seen it all. Michigan's summer is short lived and my friends and I knew that this very might well be our last opportunity at a nice game day before succumbing to leggings and sweatshirts. We decided to take advantage of the last 70 degree game day by making our own pregame dresses.

These dresses are so easy to make and are fool-proof since they didn't involve any cutting!

You'll need:
An oversized t-shirt of whatever design you'd like your dress to have
(We used an X-L tshirt)

How To:
Pull the collar over your head and under your arms so it looks like your wearing a tube-top. Tie back the sleeves behind you in a double knot and you are good to go!

Velvet Nails

At school doing my nails every week seems to be some of the rare "me time" I get during the week. I've developed an impressive collection over the years and would often lend out colors to friends in my sorority for us to do our nails before a night of going out. With fall approaching rapidly, I've had to part with my corals, baby pinks, and lilacs and instead have made the shift to more dark, fall worthy shades.

A new up and coming fall nail trend is the new "velvet manicure". Last season it was the matte manicure that caught everyone's attention, but now velvet takes the stage. Ciaté's new Velvet Manicure kit comes in 3 different shades: Berry Poncho, 3am Girl, and Cream Soda.

The special ingredient in this manicure kit is the crushed velvet powder that you apply to your nails after painting them with the matching accompanying color. What your left with is an avant-garde nail style just like those seen on the catwalks this season!

 Buy here: ciate velvet nail kit from Sephora

                                                                       video tutorial how to: velvet nail tutorial

DIY hair mask

Being back at school my hair takes a bigger beating than normal with all the blow drying and styling. Since I'm not a fan of split ends I've been researching some DIY hair masks to keep my hair healthy and shiny. What I loved about this hair mask was that all the ingredients are made up of common foods that most people keep in their kitchen! This mask is great for hair growth increasing shine and softness.

You'll need:
2 egg yolks
2 tblsp olive oil
1 cup water

How to:
Mix the egg yolks and olive oil together and add the water to dilute it. Massage the mixture into your scalp and hair. Leave the mask in for 15-20 minutes so all the nutrients get absorbed and then rinse it out.

Vegetable Lasagna

It feels good to be back! These past couple of weeks I've been so overwhelmingly busy with moving back to school and getting settled with a routine. Since classes officially started yesterday it seems I'll have some semblance of a schedule now! Being a junior on campus now means that I've graduated dorm life, moved past the sorority house, and am now officially living on my own (well plus 4 other girls) in a house. Since I won't have access to the dining hall and my meals are no longer catered to me, I knew before going away that I would have to master some of my favorite recipes and create some new ones.

I absolutely love Italian food. Anything with tomato sauce and cheese I instantly adore. Though I knew back at school that I couldn't get away with making myself pizza and baked ziti every single night. So I tried to come up with a new recipe that would allow me to get my fix without the guilt. Introducing Veggie Lasagna. This dish is vegetarian and gluten free and can be used as a meal or simply a side dish. It is so easy to prepare and is so incredibly healthy.

You'll need:
Any mix of vegetables you like. I used:
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Zucchini
Squash
Brussel Sprouts
Onion
Tomato Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Olive Oil
Seasoning (sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, italian seasoning)

How to:
Wash, cut, and clean all the vegetables properly. Next spread them out on baking sheets and mix the veggies with a nice coating of olive oil, salt, pepper, and some garlic powder.

Cook all the vegetables on 350 until they start to tenderize. I finished my vegetables off with a broil for about 2-3 minutes so they have a bit of a crunch. When they're all cooked, mix them all into a baking pan with the tomato sauce and any extra seasoning you feel is needed.

 Lay the mozzarella on top and let it cook on a low heat until the mozzarella is fully melted.

 Bon Appétit!

DIY Sugar Scrub

Summer is known for its short jean cutoffs, cute summery dresses, and adorable rompers. What all these outfits have in common is that your legs take center stage. Chlorine and sunscreen have dried my legs out over the summer and they are in dire need of some tlc before school starts. I decided to whip myself up an at home-remedy by making my own exfoliant. What I like about using sugar versus salt as the base in an exfoliator is that sugar is gentler on your skin than salt and helps your skin retain moisture better. Also sugar is a natural source of glycolic acid which thickens the layers of your skin, helping boost firmness.

You'll need:
brown sugar
white sugar
olive oil
vanilla extract (makes your scrub smell yummy!)

How to:
You'll want equal parts brown sugar to white sugar and mix them together. Next add your olive oil and let it trickle down to the bottom before pouring in a little more. After adding your oil, mix the sugar and oil together. To make your scrub delicious add a few drops of vanilla extract for a delicious smelling scrub!

This scrub makes an excellent gift for friends. Put the scrub into cute mason or jam jars and wrap with ribbon and your good to go!

Ombré Nails

This summer has been all about the ombré trend with beach hair and the trend seen all over the runway in summer fashions. I decided to replicate the trend into my manicure after being inspired by my monthly birchbox order.

You'll need:
White nail polish
Any polish of your color

How to:
Get your base color and grab a paper plate or a piece of foil and dab four drops of your base coat onto your work surface. Add drops of the white nail polish to each pile on your work surface increasing the amount of white polish as you go to get a spectrum of colors from light to dark.

Now that you have 4 distinct shades paint your nails from light to dark starting with your pinky finger, but make sure to clean the brush in between coats of varying nails. Add a top coat and dry.

DIY Canvas Artwork

This year is my first year at school having my own room and living in an actual house (freshman year it was the dorms and sophomore year was the sorority house) so I am really excited to be able to decorate it in my own style. I decided to create some artwork of my own in order to give my room some personality. This canvas image was really simple to make and ended up costing less than $10!

You'll need:
a canvas board
mod podge
a sponge brush

a printed image that you would like to have on your canvas

How to:
Cut out your image and secure it to your canvas with mod podge. Wait a minute or two to let your image dry to the canvas. Then coat the entire canvas in mod podge, waiting about 10-15 minutes between coats. I coated mine about three times.

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Cookies

Anything peanut butter related is often a hit in my family and its been hard trying to find the perfect peanut butter dessert. Often I find them too heavy that I'm craving a gallon of milk afterwards. This recipe gives you the perfect peanut butter cookie that wont leave your mouth glued shut afterwards! And they are so easy to make, it only requires 4 ingredients and they also happen to be gluten free!

You'll need:
1 cup of peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, you're preference!)
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon of baking soda

How to:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Form balls of dough and place them on a greased cookie sheet. These cookies do not flatten out well in the oven so make sure to press them down on the sheet before cooking. Then just pop them in the oven at 350 for 6-8 minutes. I warn you, these cookies expand like crazy so make sure you place them far apart on the baking sheet because I almost ended up with a peanut butter cookie cake instead!

michiblogs

I just wanted to say thanks to Andy Green for including my blog on his website michiblogs.com Michiblogs is a compilation of all blogs by umich students. If you have a blog and go to the University of Michigan let Andy know so you can include it on his site and all of your posts will be automatically included. It's really cool, check it out!

French Macaroons

I've always had a sweet tooth for desserts, and have never been afraid to tackle a new recipe, but I've always been hesitant towards the french macaroon. They have to be made to perfection in order to avoid any cracks, flattening, or a hollow shell. Even in the recipe it warns agains making them in humid temperatures since these treats are so finicky! Macaroons are a special treat in my family being that they are my sister's favorite dessert and are naturally gluten free. They came out so good that I had to make 2 batches in 2 days to keep up with the demand! The best compliment was when I shared some with my friend who just returned from Paris and compared them from the famous macaroon shop Ladurée! These desserts are so gourmet and adorably petite that you will impress anyone you share these treats with.

You'll need:
2 large egg whites at room temperature
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup of superfine sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
pinch of cream of tartar
piping bag
parchment paper

How to:
Sift together the almond flour and confectioners sugar twice to make sure its superfine. Preheat your oven to 375. Whisk the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce the mixing speed to low and add the superfine sugar. Increase the speed to high and whisk until stiff peaks form (approximately 8 minutes). Add the flour mixture to the whites and fold in until the mixture is shiny and smooth. *tip* if you like the flavor of almonds add a splash of almond extract to your batter to really bring out the almond flavor in the batter!

Transfer the batter to a pastry bag and pipe out 3/4 inch circles about an inch apart on a baking sheet (make sure you line your baking sheet with parchment paper otherwise your macaroons will stick!) When finished tap the bottom of the baking sheet to release trapped air. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake the macaroons for 10 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through.

Sandwich 2 same-size macaroons with 1 teaspoon of filling. I used raspberry jam which added a nice contrast to the almond crusts.

Petite Apple Pies

Sorry for the delay in posts, this weekend has been crazy with ending my last week of work and getting in the mindset for back to school. To de-stress I went into a baking frenzy whipping up all sorts of treats. There was a dessert on pinterest that caught my eye that I was dying to replicate and its the perfect fall dessert. Its a pie crusted apple-stuffed apple. Sounds impressive, right? I first started out by making my own homemade gluten free pie crust (I just substituted gluten free flour) in my pie crust recipe, but you can just use store bought to make things easier.

You'll need:
6 apples
1/2 cup of sugar (I used nustavia for a healthier version)
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
pie crust
melon ball scooper
apple peeler

How to:

Cut the top off of 4 apples and scoop out the insides with a melon ball scooper. Be careful not to pierce the skin of the apple!

The hollowed apples

Next peel the skins off the 2 extra apples. When all peeled chop up the apples into small pieces. In a large bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Add the apples and mix until all the apple pieces are covered in the sugared mixture. Scoop the apple mixture into your hollowed out apples

Fill your apple shell to the brim, but not so that its overflowing

Finally cut your pie crust into 1/4 inch strips and lattice over the apples. Place the finished apples in a glass pan and fill with just enough water to cover the bottom of the apples. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes on 350. I put my oven on broil (425) for the last minute or two to get that gorgeous brown colored crust. Enjoy and happy fall feasting!

Add some powdered sugar for some extra sweetness!