Eggnog Lattes Fill the Air

The magic of candles is their ability to wrap a room up with a tempting aroma. No matter what scent you choose, walking into a room with a candle burning is like walking into a big hug. I have already gone through my fall candles, I headed to Target to find a replacement. I should have known that there wouldn't be any fall scents left, so it was time for me to embrace the Christmas scents (which I have absolutely no problem with). I wanted something a little on the sweet side, thought nothing that was sickeningly sweet. I was caught between sparkling cranberry and eggnog latte. I ended up with eggnog latter because it was a beautiful cream color and I had just had a red fall candle. I am so glad I did because it fills the room with this carmelly coffee like aroma. It's like I am drinking an eggnog latte from Starbucks without actually drinking it. These candles are relatively inexpensive, but are fairly clean burning. They would be a perfect last minute addition to a hostess present or gift basket.

La Ciudad Chicago Style

Sometimes you just need a quick getaway amidst the craziness of life, so luckily for me I have friends I can go visit. This visit took me to the beautiful city of Chicago. It was fun getting to see all the sights and catching up...which we of course had to do over food. The thing about Texans is that no matter where they go, they seem to gravitate to some kind of Tex-Mex. Of course, that was one of the first stops, dinner at La Ciudad. (The first one was an AMAZING two-story Target!) I was feeling adventurous and decided to try something brand new. I opted for chile rellenos because anything with cheese is usually pretty delicious. However, I was totally surprised when I tasted it and was literally overwhelmed with spiciness. It made it really difficult to enjoy, which was kind of disappointing. After topping it with a healthy dollop of sour cream, I was finally able to really taste the flavor and found it to be really yummy. I am not sure if it is usually that super duper spicy, but maybe I will give it another try in the future. At least now I can say I have tried it.

As my friends are pretty big fans of their Tex-Mex, they have been to La Ciudad a few times and are almost on the verge of being regulars, which does have its perks. As a bonus, we got to try the mocha tres leches. It was heavenly. The cake has a silk texture, but wasn't overly sweet or soggy. The hint of chocolately coffee flavor added depth to the dessert and was a nice twist on the a classic. One of the interesting things about Chicago is that in addition to the random soda tax they have, most restaurants are "bring your own alcohol". Plus, they don't usually charge a corkage fee and you can take the leftovers home with you. It's kind of a pretty sweet deal. Overall, La Ciudad was a great first meal in Chicago!

'Fall'ing in love with Shooties

Fall means chilly weather, sweaters, fires, and just being warm and cozy. But let's just be real here for a moment. This is Texas and those kinds of days happen only a handful of times each year and it is usually around Christmas. So the idea of wearing boots sometimes just makes me hot. However I love fall and hate that I can't wear boots. The somewhat recent introduction of the ankle boot has sort of helped with that, but I can never seem to find ankle boots that I really adore. Enter the shootie (or bootie...it's the same thing). Now this is a versatile fall shoe that I can learn to love. What is a shootie you might ask? It is a hybrid of a boot and a pump because it covers up most of your foot and stops right below the ankle. Think of it as a sweater for your feet. I really like these because they can be worn with anything and everything just like a boot, but still have the fierceness of a high heel. Don't think that these only come in basic, boring colors. There are tons of colored, patterned, bedazzled and everything else you can think of versions out there. I found this more neutral pair at Target and liked that there was a little piazzaz to them, but mainly I thought that I could wear them with a ton. You can throw them on with a dress and tights or skinny jeans and a great coat. This shoe is becoming a shoe staple for the fall, so no matter what you are looking for, I know that there are a ton of options out there. DSW is teeming with options right now (I am beyond tempted when I visit), so make sure you grab yourself a pair before they are all gone. This is a great transition shoe to wear in the fall before the cold of winter comes. Knowing that I can at least enjoy some of the fall shoe fashions more often with the shootie makes it a little easier to handle the warmer weather.

Pretty in Polka Dots

While walking through Target (dangerous I know), I saw this precious polka dot top. It's a perfect transitional piece for fall. Not only does it have the peplum hem, but the polka dots are hunter green, navy, and red. It has a brushed gold zipper that runs down the back. It is 3/4 length and a light fabric. Around here, this will a great layering piece that will work well for much of the fall. For those of you not here, this will be a transitional piece, but a good one nonetheless. There is something about polka dots that are playful and casual, but yet they can be sophisticated and dressy...perfect the the girl inside us all. This can be dressed up or down, so I am thinking that this will probably be a go to this fall for me. Thank you Target for another great buy!

Surprise!

Yesterday I was lucky enough to receive a surprise box in the mail! My hint was that I was getting something that would help me do some tasks that I couldn't do myself. Hmmm.... what would that be? There are many things that I need help with like reaching shelves, anything car related, or opening wines. I had a recent experience with an electric wine opener I had purchased that turned out to be a disaster, so maybe it had something to do with that. As I wondered what it would be, I opened the box and found that indeed I had been gifted with an new wine opener.

This time it was the Houdini from Target. The last one I had was also electric, however, it was a little harder to operate and not as easy to use as it seemed. I am sure that there was some kind of user error involved, but it just didn't work out for me. This one is cordless, rechargeable, and can open up to 30 bottles of wine with one charge. It is so easy to use that even I can do it! All you do is gently press straight down while pushing the down arrow. The best part about this opener is that you can see the corkscrew going into the cork and lifting it out of the bottle. You can see it pull out of the neck and then all you do it lift it out. There is no guessing about if is has made it through the cork or if it is ready to be pulled out. The clear bottom takes all the guesswork out. Once it is out, all you do is push the up arrow and the corkscrew retracts and the cork will just fall off. It  probably takes about a minute and it is almost foolproof.

I used my new Houdini to open up this bottle of Pinot Grigio from The Naked Grape. This was just one I found while walking through the wine section at the grocery store. Though it had a very creative name and very light golden color, it was not as great as I thought it would be. It had a green apple and citrus taste, but it wasn't all the great. There was a very long and acidic finish to it that sort of fell flat. Though I wouldn't buy it again, I am glad that I gave it a try and was able to use my new electric, wine opener. Let me know what suggestions you have for me to try so that I can keep using my Houdini opener.

Getting Glittery with It

So I decided to mix up the blog today and write about these fantastic new fall shoes I got from Target! Yes, I know it's only part way through July, but the fall clothes are already starting to make their way into the stores. It will be here before you know it and I definitely don't want to be unprepared. It probably helps that fall is one of my favorite seasons, so I am always on the lookout for what's new. Men's wear is definitely in this season, so stayed tuned for lots of men's styles with feminine touches. This shoes takes its cue from the smoking slipper, making it a modern twist on a classic men's shoe. Glitter is a hot new trend for fall as well, but it sometimes gets a bad rap and can be not so chic. This is a great way to wear the trend in a classy way. You can wear it day or night, dressed up or down. It is a go to for kicking an outfit up a notch. These can be worn with skinny jeans, a skirt, or leggings. How would you wear them and what are you must haves for fall?!

Essential Kitchen Tools

The kitchen is a place where magic happens and you can create some of the most wonderful things for your tummy. However, without the right tools it can be very time consuming. Creating the perfect toolbox for the kitchen doesn't have to expensive or overwhelming. What I have found is that it is an evolving process. I love finding new things that make being in the kitchen fun. One year for Christmas, I had found a garlic zoom at Williams Sonoma. All it was was a little circular box with wheels and a blade. You put the garlic cloves in and rolled it on the counter to chop the garlic. Let's just say garlic got put in everything.

I think that some of the essentials are a spatula, whisk, tongs, kitchen scissors, turner, and a spoon. From there, you begin to see what you might need based on the things you like to make. Kitchen tools are there to make your life easier, so for me I make pasta a lot and a pasta or slotted spoon comes in handy all the time. Once you have the essentials, then you get to add fun ones that you don't absolutely need to have but are just fun. I bake quite a bit, so a cake tester is very useful. Luckily for me, I got a really cute one, but toothpicks are usually something that are on hand and do the job just as well.

One of the newest ones, I have gotten is a lemon and lime juicer. I don't do a ton of juicing, but when I have to it's a pain. Somehow my hand is not as effective and I feel like I am wasting a lot of juice, especially with limes. I have seen the individual colored ones, like orange, yellow, and green for oranges, lemons, and limes, but not one like this. It can be used for lemons and limes. The larger bottom section holds the lemons and the middle section is for limes. All you do is put the half of whatever you are juicing in the appropriate section and squeeze. I think that it will be much better than me squeezing them by hand.

Though you can buy garlic chopped or minced, somehow using freshly peeled garlic makes everything ten times better. Since I use a lot of garlic, I decided it was time to invest in a garlic press. This one has a removable tray for easy cleaning. However, I was slightly upset when I found out this one did not have an awesome cleaning tool that pushes the garlic remains out of the holes. Oh, well. If you have never used one before, all you do is put the peeled clove in and squeeze directly into the pan.

I know that you are probably thinking that this is a pretty expensive toolbox, but it doesn't have to be. I am not a seasoned chef, so I am okay with not having professional grade tools, which can be very pricey. The higher end kitchen stores, like Willams Sonoma and Sur La Table, have these tools, but are more expensive. I have found that Marshalls has a lot of these for about half the price and they have well known brands like KitchenAid. I hope that you have a better idea of how to put together your own kitchen toolbox. Feel free to leave any questions you have. Let me know what your favorite kitchen tool is and if you know of any places to get great deals on tools.