5 Decadent and Deceptively Simple Valentine's Day Dessert Recipes

 

Let's talk about love, Lovelies!

 

Valentine's Day is all about love. For most, this holiday means showing your significant other how much you appreciate them. For me, it means sweets. Don't get me wrong, I love the Husby and I appreciate him every day. But it's no big secret that I appreciate him a great deal more when there's dessert involved. All kinds of dessert. I do not discriminate.

 

I love cooking for my husband and most often I show him how much I love him by making his favorite meals. Many nights, you can find him in the kitchen with me helping prep dinner, but there are times when he takes the reins and cooks a delicious meal for us all on his own. He may not wield a chef's knife like a pro, but he can follow a recipe like a BOSS! No, seriously, when my husband makes a meal it is always scrumptious because he follows every recipe to the letter. In my humble opinion, you don't need a ton of skill to manage your way around a kitchen if you have a simple, well written recipe.

 

So, today (with my husband's limited cooking experience and recipe following prowess in mind) I combed Pinterest in order to compile a list of no-fail, super easy, yet impressive and delicious dessert recipes that I believe even the most inexperienced chefs can execute.

 

 

Strawberry Brownie Kabobs



 

Ok, so this is not a recipe, per se. It is, however, simply perfect for the busy professional and the baking challenged, alike... and who doesn't love a dessert kabob?

Get the "recipe" here.

 

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fondue

 

What's easier than mixing, melting, and dipping things in this fondue? Eating it. That's what. Find the recipe here.

 

 

Raspberry Fool

 

This recipe consists of a whopping three ingredients AND it's delicious.

Why aren't you making this right now!?

 

 

Molten Chocolate Cake... in a mug.

 

Yeah, so, this recipe is the unmotivated chocolate lovers dream. For real. It's "baked" in the microwave. If you're feeling extra fancy top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Praise the Lord!

 

 

Instant Chocolate Mousse

Voluptuous food maven Nigella Lawson created a monster when I found this recipe. She is a genius. It sets up in a snap thanks to her secret ingredient... *stage whisper* marshmallows! Guys. It is out. Of. This. World. Decadent.

 

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Have a happy, happy love day, my dears!

 

XOXO,

 

Cristina

 



My top 10 undercover beauty products of 2015!

Lovelies!

 I hope that you are finding the first 3 weeks of 2015 to be everything we have come to expect a brand spankin' new year to be: full of new adventures, fresh perspectives and lots of love and success. This year I didn't have a resolution, per se. It was more like a renewal of my goals from last year - which happened to include taking care of myself - focusing mainly on my skin and hair.

I am 32 years old (insert self-deprecating comment here) and I have to say, that I am discovering that I really have to step up my daily beauty regimen (a.k.a. finding fresh crinkles creeping around my eyes and dry, limp hair that I hadn't had to worry about in my 20's). So, in order to age as gracefully as I can, I have vowed to really focus on preserving my healthy hair and body this year. And I wanted to share the top 10 products that I use to help me along the way!

This is by no means an expensive miracle list. These aren't the newest and most coveted anti-aging products floating around out there. This list merely compiles my favorite ways to keep my healthy resolutions. I would love to have the budget for weekly visits to various glamorous salons, but I don't. *sigh* The beautiful reality is that we all have to work with what we've got and we might as well make that work a little bit easier every day, no?


1: Suave Professionals - Strengthening Light Leave - In Cream

 

The conditioning cream in this little gold bottle works wonders! It is thick, rich, smells lovely and can be used on wet or dry hair. Not to mention I use it daily and it leaves hair looking moisturized and feeling soft as ever. I bought mine for $2.97. A beauty steal.

 



2: Clear Scalp & Hair - Total Care - Shampoo and Conditioner 

 

 

Not only does this clean you hair without stripping it of essential oils, it smells divine! Just divine!
 

 

3: John Frieda - Frizz Ease - Secret Weapon - Flawless Finishing Crème
 

 

Totally a secret weapon in your hair care arsenal. This touch-up crème by Frizz Ease has a super creamy texture that goes on light, silky, and dries without leaving a heavy or greasy feel. Bye-bye frizzy fly-aways!

 

4: Rodan & Fields - Proactiv+ Skin Purifying Mask with sulfur
 

 

Talk about a skin saver! I have been using Proactiv's Skin Purifying Mask for years now and have yet to find a more complete skin care product. This mask does double duty: drawing out pore clogging grease and oils, while calming aggravated blemish-prone skin. Bonus? Use it as a spot treatment overnight for unexpected breakouts. It works wonders!

 

5: Dove - Purely Pampering Nourishing Body Wash - Pistachio Cream with Magnolia  

 

I love Dove body wash. Always creamy with a rich, moisturizing lather. What keeps me buying this over and over? The pistachio cream and magnolia scent; feminine and sweet without a heavy soap-scented perfume.

 

6: Pantene Pro-V  Blowout Extend Dry Shampoo 
 

 

This dry shampoo is fabulous! It goes on light and doesn't leave an embarrassing chalky film at your roots. It also dries quickly and has a soft, fresh scent. Downside? If you have an overly oily hair-type you may find that this formula is a bit weak when it comes to freshening up your day after look. You need to apply more than once. And although I have not had an issue with the mechanics of the spray nozzle, a hefty number of reviewers have. So be aware of those negative reviews before purchasing.

 

7: L'Oreal Paris - Oleo Therapy Deep Recovery Mask

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I use this deep recovery mask once a week in place of my regular conditioner. It leaves my hair super soft and super silky. Styling my hair after using this thick and rich conditioning mask is a breeze. It smells pretty great, too. 

 

8: Nivea A Kiss of Moisture - Essential Lip Care
 

 

I love this lip treatment! It's like a blend between a clear lip gloss and a healing chap stick. Tip: I apply it directly before bed for extra smooth and moisturized lips.

 

9: OGX - Elevated Finish Spray - Medium Hold

 

 I use this finishing spray on my hair in between washings. It adds volume to second day hair and gives a flexible, manageable hold to my up do's. Another plus is that it barely has a scent. There are several expensive flexible hold finishing sprays out there that are so heavily perfumed that they are seriously cough inducing. The downside? I have tried multiple times to use it on clean, just-styled hair and have found that while it is strong enough to hold a curl even after I brush through it (impressive), it actually aids in tangling my hair into some pretty serious knots (not so impressive). I say, save it only for days when you need help securing styles between washings and you will not be disappointed.

 

 

10: Vaseline - Spray and Go Moisturizer - Cocoa Radiant




I have never been the type of girl to moisturize every day; I found it tedious and time consuming waiting for thick lotions to dry before putting on my clothes... Enter Vaseline's Spray & Go! This is a miracle product for lazy lotioners everywhere! It sprays on a light cocoa butter scented layer of moisturizer that rubs in completely and dries almost instantly. It literally takes seconds to have healthy, nourished skin. Just buy it, already!

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...And that's that, darlings! What are some of your favorite beauty products? I would love to hear about what items you just can't live without.

XOXO,

~Cristina~
 

Chic and Delicious: 3 Canape Recipes You and Your Guests Will Love

 

Oh, Lovelies, we've all been there: you're throwing a cocktail party and aren't sure what to serve. You want to make something delicious and impressive, but you don't want to choose hors d'oeuvres that are time consuming, expensive and/or obvious and overdone.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love a quality charcuterie plate and cheese board as much as the next hostess and I believe that these crowd-pleasing snacks will never fall out of favor with party-goers. However, I have noticed these items have become so rote in our entertaining arsenals, that we almost expect to see them on buffet tables everywhere.  

 

So this got me thinking: "What if I could create canapes that are not only tasty, easy to prepare, and inexpensive, but are bite-sized combinations of the traditional meat and cheese platter?" Enter these 3 tasty and tiny bites of flavorful goodness...
 

Savory roast beef, tart cherry preserves, and salty crumbled bleu cheese
 

Salty prosciutto, earthy fig preserves, and nutty strips of parmesan cheese

 

Smoky Turkey breast, creamy brie cheese, sweet apricot preserves

 

All combinations are made with jarred preserves, paper thin slices of deli meat and set atop rich and buttery snack crackers, but feel free to improvise with whatever you desire; be it slices of crusty French bread, crispy toast points, flaky puff pastry, or even a fresh and crunchy lettuce cup.

 

 

These three recipes were created to keep costs, shopping list items, and prep time to a minimum while giving your guests a selection of chic snacks that will not only appease their appetites but will have them coming back for more.

 

I'd say these are reason enough to throw your next cocktail party, no?

XOXO,

~Cristina~