Happy cocktail Friday! Check out what is needed for your new favorite cocktail.
Tag Archives: How to
Friday’s Cocktail! | Sangria madness
With a major heat wave hitting southern California, I am in need of a refreshing cocktail. Sangria is one of my favorites but only if done well.
Recently I had a Sassy Sangria at The Patio in Mission Hills, SD. Essentially a sangria with some tequila… it sure will get you sassy 😉 The Patio is a fabulous restaurant that is all about local ingredients and being sustainable, on top of that it is absolutely stunning with great ambiance. It is an open kitchen with a wall of lush living plants and a mix of rustic wooden and elegant heather blue turfed chairs. Your plates will look like art and your taste buds will be dancing. It is a must try in San Diego!
My other favorite sangria place an happy hour in general is Costa Brava in Pacific beach, SD. It is a Spanish tapas place with $8 pitcher of delicious fresh fruit sangria… I could have an IV of this stuff!!! You will need some munchies, so.. try everything on the menu 🙂 really… its soo good!
Start your weekend off right with a fabulous glass of sangria and use this amazing chart from wine enthusiast to try something new. Mix it up and get sassy!
Share your favorite cocktails or go to places in your area!
xo- A
Bacon Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
You know those dinners that are so good that you are picking at it during the whole cooking process…. well Bacon crab stuffed mushrooms is that dish for me. This is a by taste recipe… Alex and our buddy Kellen made this happy creation and now it is a staple.
You can make this as low fat or low carb as you want.
Ingredients-
-Crab legs- chop it up!
-Red pepper- thinly diced…. about one big one.
-Onion- thinly diced…. about the same amount as red pepper.
-Bacon– there is never enough… chop it up!
-Salt and pepper
-Cayenne or red pepper flakes- I like a little kick to it and I am not spicy eater.
-Moisture- We usually use some soft cream cheese and little sour cream- I know not the healthiest but it still is low carb 🙂 You can use mayo, yogurt or even an egg. The cream cheese mix can also be used for a delicious dip. 🙂
-Parmesan- to Alex it is very important that it is fresh Parm. quarter for in the bowl and the rest for the end.
**Mix all the above and then stuff it into your mushrooms.
We use big portabellas and bake them on a rack to avoid the mushroom getting soggy.
The last few minutes is when you add fresh parmesan on top and put it in the broiler for a few minutes…. it creates a perfect little crust.
Ta daaa…. you have a delicious low carb/low fat however you like dish!
Robin Williams Neighbors Remember ‘Beloved’ Local Legend
Being a child of the 90’s I grew up with Robin Williams on my screen. I know many feel the same, he was like all of out uncles that made us uncontrollably laugh! He had an ability that few people have and that is to simply make people happy with just his presence. Mr. Williams was the first major celebrity I had ever seen. I grew up in a little town next to where Williams lived. I was at the local REI and I noticed a familiar face, he was in a puffy jacket and wearing reading glasses…. I stopped in my tracks….IT’S ROBIN WILLIAMS!!!! I didn’t want to bother him, so like a a total fan and a creep I just smiled at him and watched him leave the store. I was bummed that I didn’t say anything to him. I shortly after left the store and found myself right next to him at a stop light. He was driving a G5000 with tons of eco friendly bumper stickers, I turned and looked at him with a smile like I was 5 and waves. He smiled back and the light turned green. That was my Robin Williams moment and I know many people of his Northern California town loved there little moments with him also. He was remarkable and magical!
I read the article below and thought it was a great insight to Robin Williams as a neighbor and community member, not just the actor.
__________________________________________________________
One of the locals who came by to pay their respects was Agne Correll, the owner of an art gallery in nearby Mill Valley, which Williams had frequented. She brought flowers and her 7-year-old son — whom she said she wanted to teach the tradition of paying respects after someone from your community dies. “I didn’t know [Williams] personally, but I felt like I did. We all feel like we’ve been in his life,” she said of those who lived nearby in the area, which is north of San Francisco.
“‘O Captain, my Captain.’ I will never forget,” Correll said.
Others who knew the comedian and actor, whether as an occasional customer or as a dear friend, describe a humble fixture in the community who didn’t want to be treated like a celebrity. He would pedal his bike around the surrounding neighborhoods and stop at little shops to flip through CDs, they report — the kind of casual shopping an A-list celebrity could easily do on a computer at home instead, if one wanted to avoid the public eye.
Residents also remember Williams as someone who would never bark at the fan who stared at him or asked for a picture. He was, by all accounts, an American icon who was willing to lend his famous name to any local cause he could help.
“He was so beloved by the community,” said Louise Satterfield, who works at Two Neat, a shop in Mill Valley that Williams patronized. Tears welled in her eyes as she recounted a time they were talking about a Southern rock band named Little Feat, and how appreciative he was when she remembered to tell him their CD had come in.
“I knew it was going to be sad to come in here and see that music section,” she said. “We’re going to miss out on so much. But we have what he left us, which is genius.” After news of his death, the store quickly sold out of all Williams’ comedy albums.
Williams moved to Marin County when he was 16, and was voted “funniest,” as well as “least likely to succeed” by his peers. He studied theater at Marin College and was a lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants, sometimes rooting for them via a microphone in front of the crowd, riling them up by tweaking one of his most famous movie lines: “Gooooooood evening, San Francisco!” The team also issued a statement after news of his death spread on Monday, lamenting that they lost “one of our greatest fans.” It’s no accident that they expressed condolences both to his family and “the entire community.”
Some locals, like employees at a bike shop where the avid cyclist would shop, refused to speak to the press except to say that Williams was a quiet man who didn’t want publicity. While he may have been a star, he was, to many here, a patch in the town tapestry. One friend of the family referred to the media attention accompanying his passing as “disgusting” and “gross,” an exploitation not of a public happening but a dearly personal, tragic event that befell one of their own. To many, the news coverage looked uglier in Marin County than it does in Manhattan or Los Angeles.
Almost every Tuesday, Williams would cross Highway 101, traveling from his home in Tiburon to the neighboring suburb of Mill Valley, to attend the weekly comedy night at the Throckmorton Theatre. On Tuesday this week, the board that would otherwise have announced what was showing had been erased and read simply: “Robin Williams.” More often than not, the Oscar-winning actor was in the green room, rather than onstage, encouraging young comedians, says the theater’s marketing director Julian Kaelon.
On Tuesday this week, the venue owners canceled Throckmorton’s comedy night for the first time in 10 years. They would run a show on Christmas if it happened to fall on a Tuesday, Kaelon says — but not today.
Throckmorton’s doorstep was also lined with flowers on Tuesday. A staff member put on a record of Gregorian chants, as locals wrote notes to the actor on a piece of cardboard taped over a glass poster box. Michael Jeung brought yellow roses and water in a mason jar, which he poured into an antique bowl where he had placed a single gardenia.
“I wanted to bring something that lasted a while and that was a little sweet, because he was so sweet,” Jeung said, recalling a time he helped divert one of Williams’ more insistent fans — an act the comedian heartily thanked Jeung for the next time they met.
Pilgrims to Throckmorton would walk under a big, circular painting on the ceiling outside the theater, a skyscape showing stars that shine bright enough at night to turn the clouds light yellow. The painting is by Williams’ widow, Susan Schneider, an artist who became his third wife in 2011 and who is also a respected resident of the town.
Caroline de Lone walked under the painting clutching a box she brought from the bakery where she works, Beth’s Community Kitchen. “He was like a ball of sunshine,” she said. Her mother, Lesley, agreed: “He was a local. Everyone loved him. He was completely unspoilt.”
The baked goods were not for the memorial but for the executive director of the theater, Williams’ close friend Lucy Mercer. In a statement, Mercer asked people to remember Williams this way:
“For those who may ask what they can do to honor Robin, we have a simple request. Honor his appreciation of humor by laughing everyday. Honor his modesty by staying curious and willing to make mistakes. And please — hug someone today in honor of the greatest friend in the world Robin Williams.”
While some gave hugs in Marin County, many also turned to flowers. By Tuesday evening, the dozen bouquets outside Williams’ house had turned into nearly 100. Behind them, two statues of monkeys flanked the walkway leading to the front door, as they had before the tragedy but perhaps with new significance. The sentries’ small, stone faces were frozen in toothy, permanent smiles, and their hands held instruments just in front of their lips, forever almost ready to amuse the next passersby. They were playful and grotesque, fitting symbols for the day after the world had to face the loss of a sad man who made so many people happy.
You’re Free….
Beach Day Essentials!
Dry vs. Dehydrated and The hydration magic of Hydroluric Acid!
Caroline made a fantastic cheat sheet on Dry vs Dehydrated skin and how you can have oily skin that is dehydrating. New news to me!
Here is what Caroline explained about the differences in skin types and conditions !
“Dry and dehydrated skins have similar characteristics, but different underlying reasons.
Dry Skin – normally a skin type but can be a temporary skin condition
- caused by lack of oil in the skin
- small pores
- ‘tight’ feeling
- may be flaky
- milia, blackheads and spots may still be present
- skin looks dull
- skin is not plump
- doesn’t absorb products easily
- easily irritated – more likely to suffer reactions to products
- aggravated by poor skincare
Dehydrated Skin – is a skin condition affecting any skin type – including DRY
- caused by lack of water in the skin
- pores can be large or small
- skin feels tight and dry although it can confusingly sometimes look oily and have breakouts
- absorbs moisturizers really quickly
- blackheads and spots are still visible
- makeup disappears (and goes patchy) throughout the day as the skin is absorbing any water in your foundation
- skin looks ‘ashen’
- aggravated by lifestyle circumstances – may suffer from a lot of headaches
Skin is made up of 70% water – around 20-30% of that is in the epidermis (top layer of the skin). In normal circumstances, your hydrolipidic film acts as a regulator and barrier – retaining moisture and protecting against germs. If – for whatever reason that is compromised, the moisture in the epidermis evaporates too quickly and the normal, healthy state of the skin is compromised.
The following can cause dehydration –
- Environment – wind, cold air, dry air, too much sun, air conditioning, central heating
- Diet – the wrong foods, alcohol, caffeine, not eating enough water-heavy foods, not drinking enough
- Lifestyle – stress , poor skincare routine, using the wrong products, medication – including birth control, smoking
- Genetics – monthly cycle, pregnancy
It is quite common to be both dry and dehydrated but if by looking at the above you have ascertained that you are one or the other – these do’s and don’t might help.
Do and Do Not:
- Do upgrade your moisturizer to something suitable for dry skin if you recognize the signs – go for products using the words ‘nourishing’
- Do change your moisturizer to something labelled ‘hydra’ or ‘hydrating’.
- Do steer clear of foaming anything – keep the bubbles for your dishes
- Do use balms, oils and serums for dry skin.
- Do use milks, specified oils and treatments for dehydrated
- Do stay away from mineral oils, silicone (in skincare – not makeup), lanolins and synthetic fragrance which will make a dehydrated skin worse and make a dry skin scream for help.”
So, what is the magic to getting hydration back to your face? Hydroluric Acid!! It holds up to 100 times it’s own weight in water.
Doctor Oz covered the who, what and why of Hydroluric Acid!
He explains, that it is a powerful humectant which is a moisture-binder. This keeps skin plump and hydrated and looking young!
Biology geekout: Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring polysaccharide in the human body. It’s present in large amounts in the spaces between skin cells, where it provides moisture, plumpness, firmness and suppleness to the skin.
As a baby you are born with extra H.A but over time you no longer have the fresh dewy baby skin and need a little help. While you’re never going to get back that perfectly dewy baby-skin, it is possible to help restore the skin’s hyaluronic acid content and get a fresher, more supple look.
There are serum or moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid. While it won’t give you the dramatic, instantaneous results , you will see benefits in the form of softer, smoother, more hydrated skin.
Applied topically, it will increases hydration, improves elasticity and also reverses free radical damage, so it may have some benefit in protecting from UV damage.
Bonus: Hyaluronic acid is one ingredient that works across the board. Every skin type, even oily, can benefit. Look for hyaluronic acid serums and apply one alone if you have oily skin or under moisturizer if you have dry skin.
It is all about prevention of wrinkles and making sure your skin is kept fresh and hydrated.
Hope you babes learned something helpful!
xo- A.
Low carb comfort food | Cauliflower Mash
Ingredients:
1 medium head cauliflower
1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened (optional)
1 tablespoon of half and half or cream.
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions
Boil water over high heat to then
Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces.
Steam cauliflower.about 6 minutes, or until well done.
Drain well; do not let cool and pat cooked cauliflower very dry
In a bowl with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese (or some half and half),
Parmesan, garlic,
salt and pepper to taste.
Blend until smooth or your desired taste.
Other ways to mix it up: try rosemary or cheddar cheese. for a whole new taste.
This dish is key to fulfilling my comfort food craving without eating mass amounts of carbs. This is a superb way to eat low carb and not feel like you are missing out on anything! I have also made mock mac n cheese with cauliflower.. which is delicious!!
Finding new ways to enjoy your favorites is important when eating healthy.
xo- A
bonappetito
What is the Cupping Craze?
Getty Images|Xposure
For the past year or so, I have been seeing celebrities with big red rings on their back, from Gwyneth Paltrow on the red carpet to Lena Dunham posting her cupped back on instagram. Celebrities are flocking to this Ancient Chinese tradition and showing off their marks…so what is causing these marks?
Cupping!!!
So what is cupping? Well since I am not a doctor, I went to my friend WebMD, to get you well-rounded understanding.
Cupping therapy is a form of alternative medicine in which cups are placed on the skin to create suction. The cups can be made of a variety of materials, such as : Glass, Bamboo, Earthenware.
Cupping therapy believe the suction of the cups can mobilizes blood flow to promote the healing of a broad range of medical ailments.
Cupping therapy dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus, describes how the ancient Egyptians were using cupping therapy in 1,550 B.C.
Acne
Facial paralysis
Cervical spondylosis
Blood Circulation
Facial paralysis
Cervical spondylosis
Blood Circulation
and more!
Types of Cupping Therapy
There are various types of cupping therapy, like dry cupping which is suction only or Wet cupping which is a combination of suction and controlled medicinal bleeding.
During both types of cupping, a flammable substance such as alcohol, herbs, or paper is placed in a cup and set on fire. As the fire goes out, the cup is placed upside down on the patient’s skin.
As the air inside the cup cools, it creates a vacuum. This causes the skin to rise and redden as blood vessels expand. The cup is generally left in place for five to 10 minutes.
A more modern version of cupping uses a rubber pump to create the vacuum inside the cup. Sometimes practitioners use medical-grade silicone cups. These are pliable enough to be moved from place to place on the skin and produce a massage like effect.
During wet cupping, a mild suction is created using a cup that is left in place for about three minutes. The practitioner then removes the cup and uses a small scalpel to make superficial skin incisions. Then he or she performs a second suction to draw out a small quantity of blood.
After the procedure, the site may be covered with an antibiotic ointment and bandage to prevent infection. The skin’s appearance generally returns to normal within 10 days.
Cupping therapy supporters believe that wet cupping removes harmful substances and toxins from the body to promote healing.
Is this something you are rushing to go get?
Some Nay-sayers:
According to WebMD ” In general, Western medical societies are skeptical of the health claims made by cupping therapy supporters. “Available scientific evidence does not support cupping as a cure for cancer or any other disease,” states the American Cancer Society. “Reports of successful treatment with cupping are mainly anecdotal rather than from research studies.”
But a 2012 study published in the journal PLoS ONE suggests that cupping therapy may have more than a placebo effect. Australian and Chinese researchers reviewed 135 studies on cupping therapy published between 1992 and 2010. They concluded that cupping therapy may be effective when combined with other treatments like acupuncture or medications in treating various diseases and conditions.”
Check out more from WebMD
New York City & Conneticut Holiday Adventure.
This gallery contains 154 photos.
A little back tracking to this past Christmas.. who doesn’t want to feel a little Christmas cheer in May 😉 I went on a 3 week North East adventure with my boyfriend, Alex. My family and I wanted to have … Continue reading
Home Workout Essentials and Routines!
Having equipment at home can be crucial for those moments you get instant motivation to workout or the days with little motivation to make it all the way to the gym. These are my favorite at home essentials. A lot of my items, I was able to pick up slowly over time for pretty affordable prices. TJ MAX and similar stores have sections with different workout gear on major sale. I got my ab roller for $7 bucks!! I usually get all my workout gear from stores like TJ Max, ross etc. If I can get the same sports bra or workout shorts for significantly cheaper…duh, I am going to. Don’t feel you have to buy everything at once, grow your personal gym slowly. I had only an ab roller, then I bought resistance bands and thanks for a friends ex boyfriend for leaving his kettlebell, I came up on a 20lb kettlebell. There is also the jump rope, it is also a very affordable and small foot print piece of equipment that can burn those calories of quick.
It is important to stay an active healthy babe and that does not mean a certain size or weight but to live a healthy lifestyle and treat your body well because it is the only one you get!
I hate counting so I tend to do my workouts by times.
Try doing each exercise for a minute and if you can’t do a full minute make sure you keep track of your progress.
1 minute each for 4 rounds.
1. Jump Rope
2.Ab Roller
3.Kettlebell swings
4.Push ups- any style that you do to get them done.
5.Walking squats with a resistance band tied around your calves. When the resistance band is tied around your legs it provides great resistance. Do different ranges of motion with your leg to reach different muscles in your legs and glutes.
Or try out a at home Crossfit style WOD : My brother is a personal trainer and made this plan for me and I thought what a perfect routine to share!
*** To perfect the moves check out youtube for proper form or to clarify the move. Simply type in the exercise and there is a youtube that is there to help, that I am sure.
DAY 1
10 push ups – this kicked my ass… just keep trying and don’t give up.
8 Moutain climbers
6 KettleBellAir squats
*5 rounds for timeDAY 2
15 KB Swings. 26/44 lbs
20 sit ups
25 air squats *4 rounds for timeDAY 3
6 burpees
8 push ups
10 sit ups
10 push ups – this kicked my ass… just keep trying and don’t give up.
8 Moutain climbers
6 KettleBellAir squats
*5 rounds for timeDAY 2
15 KB Swings. 26/44 lbs
20 sit ups
25 air squats *4 rounds for timeDAY 3
6 burpees
8 push ups
10 sit ups
*AMRAP – 12 minutes (As Many Rounds As Possible)
DAY 4
10 reverse kb lunges
8 kb squats
6 kb push press
*5 roundsDAY 5
40-30-20-10
Mountain climbers
Push upsFor time
40-30-20-10
Mountain climbers
Push upsFor time
Live healthy, live happy and most importantly live life!!
xx-A
Babe Days 