The Art of the Choke

Lets talk about Artichokes shall we? What's to know?

This green and purple flowering plant head originated in what biologists suspect to be, North Africa, due to the seeds still found today in their wild state. The Artichoke quickly gained popularity and was spread throughout the world to places such as Rome, Egypt, Naples, and ultimately landing in the United States. The artichoke reached the US by the 19th Century. Today California provides 100% of the United States supply of Artichoke where an Artichoke Festival is held ever year.

The beauty of the Artichoke is not only recognized on the outside but its health benefits on the inside will surprise you and ignite inner beauty. Artichokes contain the highest account of antioxidants per capacity of any vegetable reported. It's health benefits enable better digestion, strengthen liver and gall bladder function, and reduces cholesterol levels. It can be eaten in many different ways such as in; soups, pizzas, salads, dips, dressings, or just as is! Below I'm sharing with you my favorite way to indulge in this powerful yet delicious vegetable.

Boiled Artichokes with Creamy Dip
This Recipe Makes 2 Artichokes

Chose as many artichokes as you have guests. I do 1 per person.
1 lemon per artichoke. 2 Artichokes = 2 Lemons.
4oz Cream Cheese
1/4 cup of Cheese (This can be any kind you like. Gorgonzola, Cheddar, Brie, Blue Cheese, Parmesan,  etc. Its easiest to use a softer cheese to melt well.) 
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
1 Garlic Clove minced.
2 teaspoons of thyme
2 teaspoons of parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper


-Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
-Rinse the artichokes in cool water.

Start with the Artichokes by trimming:
-Cut the bottom stem off so the artichoke can sit upright.
-Trim the tops of all the leaves with sissors to remove the sharp points.
-Lastly, trim the point off the very top of the artichoke about an inch or so.

-Drop the Artichokes into boiling water.
-Halve the lemons and squeeze the juice into the boiling water, then toss in the lemons.
-Boil artichokes about 30 minutes, until tender. Check at 30 mins. to see if you can stick a knife through the bottom of the stem. If it goes through nicely, they are cooked.
-Place a strainer in the kitchen sink and carefully drop each artichoke in strainer upside down to allow all the axcess water to drain out.

-Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together; cream cheese, cheese of your choice, heavy cream, garlic, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Melt together on stove top or microwave until fully melted and creamy.

-Next carefully pick up each artichoke with thongs, **NOTE: THEY WILL BE HOT!!**, and place on serving dish.
-Take the top of the artichoke and start to open the top spreading the leaves out to the sides. Do this gently as the leaves will be soft and fall out easily.
-Once you can see the inside of the artichoke, take a spoon and insert it into the choke and begin to scrap out all the fine little hairs inside the artichoke. Keep cleaning out the inside until you don't see any more hairs.
-Once cleaned, fill each center of artichoke evenly with Creamy Cheese Dip. Slightly push the opening back together to keep warm and serve.

How to eat:
Start by pulling out each leave from the artichoke, holding the outer part in your fingers and dip into cheese dip. Place the bottom of the leave in your mouth and while holding the tough top part of the leave, pull the flesh of the artichoke leave off with your teeth. It should peel away freely. Discard the leaf. Continue indulging until no more leaves are left. Just above the base of the artichoke is the actual heart or the choke. That may also be eaten whole.

Although artichokes take some time to prepare, I assure you, it will be time well spent! They are great for a romantic dinner for two or a fun hands on side for a dinner party. I hope you enjoy exploring this vegetable and benefiting its wonders. Bon Appetit!

Spooky Cupcakes - Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween at its simplest! Here is a cake or cupcake recipe with little ingredients, bursting with sweet flavor, and will sure to be a party hit to matter what the occasion!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees

1-15oz Can of Pumpkin (I like Libby's)
1- Box of Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix

Mix ingredients thoroughly until combined.

Scoop batter into paper-line cupcake pan (muffin pan) or follow regular cake baking instructions on the back of the cake mix box.

Follow oven baking instructions on back of cake mix box for cupcakes or cake. Keep testing with a tooth pick until it comes clean of cake. Try not to over bake as cake will get dry.

Let cool completely before topping with you favorite icing and candy.

Frost with Cream Cheese frosting. The recipe I used is here.

Decorate, box, and party!! Hope you enjoy these as much as I do! They are always a household favorite! Happy Haunting!

Flatten Out!

It's been awhile since I've done a post and boy have I been busy! My younger sister just got married and one of the items I gave her that were a saving grace were simple flats to wear at her reception. I had them at my wedding, got them for a friends wedding, and now for my sister! Not only are these cute little slippers great for dancing the night away at weddings but when the dogs are barkin', these will be the thing you need!
You can find flats of all different shapes, sizes, colors, textures, embellishes, etc, but I find the simple, stretchy, stow and go ones are the very best for all occasions!

Here I have two examples, the higher priced ones and of course the penny-pincher!

1.) Tory Burch Eddie Patent Ballet Flat in Black.  $178. So adorably chic and who doesn't love Tory!!

Tory Burch "Eddie" Ballet Flat

2.) Gap - The City Flat in Black. $39.95 STEAL of a deal! I actually own these ones and love them. They come with a convenient little draw sting bag for you to fold up the flats, stick them in the bag, and GO! How easy is that!

Gap The City Flat

 Seriously you will love the convenience of these flats. They are great after wearing heels all day, slipping them on in the car to drive home, wear around the house, the list goes on! So, flatten out those feet!! :-)

Jealous Guys?

From official Billy Jealousy Site.

Okay my men out there, getting a little jealous lately that some of the posts aren't for you? Not to worry, Billy Jealousy and I have got you all fixed up with this post.

I'm always searching for the newest and greatest products for myself but I never leave my husband far behind. I have recently found the Billy Jealousy collection at Ulta! These award winning products through Men's Health, Esquire, and FHM to name a few are some of the best well rounded products for men.

Lets cut right to the chase here guys, with this collection, here is what you are going to get:

1.) Cleanse, promote health, as well as inproved skin texture and tone.

2.) Scientifically researched and studied. (aka, quality)

3.) Uses raw materials.

4.) Dermatology tested. So if you have sensitive skin or not, you can use these products without worry.

5.) PETA approved!!! My favorite part! ;-)

6.) No matter what product you buy, you are always giving back. Billy Jealousy donates a portion of its sales to many charities they are passionate about.

7.) You are going to look, smell, and feel great!! Which lets be honest, you can't go wrong with that!

I would recommend starting out with the travel sized kit to make sure you like it, and its going to be the best bang for your buck at $24.00, to try out each product. In this kit you will get the; Facial Cleaner, Exfoliating Facial Cleanser, Super-Slick Shave Cream, Strengthening Shampoo, Strengthening Conditioner, and Body Wash.
This also makes a great gift as well!

So now, don't B-Jealous, Billy Jealousy!! ;-)

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Its October so lets paint the town pink and help aid in those who have suffered breast cancer and the research and development to continue to save the lives of those diagnosed and to provide early detection.

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, it is estimated that 200,000 women will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer each year. The evaluation of men with breast masses is nearly close to that number as well. Breast cancer can affect, me, you, your/our: Grandma, Sister, Dad, Mother, Aunt, Brother, Best Friend, Neighbor. The list goes on of who could potentially be affect by this terrible disease.
Knowing these facts, there are many things big and small that you can do to help those affected and the future development for more cures.
I wanted to make a special post and dedicate it to the many survivors I know, you know who you are, are were so brave to battle this disease and I will do all I can to try to help with this foundation and its study.

Many companies such as NFL, Columbia, Philosophy, to name a few,  have teamed up with the Susan Koman foundation and the National Breast Cancer Foundation to give opportunity to help make a difference. Here are 5 easy ways you can help too!

1.) Dannon Yogurt. On specially marked Dannon yogurts, under the peel away top is a site (click here) with directions and a code provided by NBCF. Go to the site, enter your code and wa-la you have just donated 10 cents!! You have helped!! Just by buying yogurt you have provided a donation to helping others. This is completely priceless!

From official Dannon site.

2.) Athletic Wear. Dick Sporting Goods has teamed up with NBCF to provide awesome pink athletic wear to help raise awareness with them and support them for the large donation they make yearly to the foundation! A bonus, order something pink and you get FREE shipping! Wahoo!

Dicksportinggoods.com

 

3.) Sephora. One of my other favorite go to sites for all things beauty related has teamed up to provide several pink options to you! I've chosen my favorite that is a Perfect Pink Brush Set complete with a travel size bag. It's value is $150.00 but now sold at $60.00. BARGIN! Not to mention super cute! For each one sold, $1 is donated to the NBCF!

Sephora.com

 

4.) Vino anyone? That's right! J. Lohr Vineyards has teamed up as well and donates $2 for every bottle of their Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon sold to NBCF. Throw a wine and cheese party! Cheers!

From official J.Lohr Vineyards Site.

5.) National Breast Cancer Foundation. Last but for sure not the least is the foundation it self. There are multiple ways to help there. Donations, Volunteering, Fundraising, Partnering, etc. Go directly to their site, explore and learn. At the very least educate yourself on Breast Cancer. Help save a life, or your own. :)

NBCF official logo.

6 Scents

I love making my home smell good and when I'm not cooking up a storm, I love to burn candles from Bath and Body Works. Their scented candles capture the exact fragrance of all the yummy simple pleasures in the world. Some of my recent buys are: Hot Chocolate, Fireside, Apple Crumble, and Autumn. I hoping to get two more of my favorites; Pumpkin Patch and Cinnamon Stick.

Another wonderful thing about these yummy candles is you can burn more than one scent at a time and it just creates this world full of happiness!!! Bath and Body Works keeps you on your toes by always updating and changing the scents often!

Oops, I almost forgot! You can also get these cute little metal tins that have different patterns to them to place your candles in. See the first photo for how they glow!

Hope enjoy my favorite 6 scents ;-)

Nothing but the Beat

Feeling the need to shake ya tail feather? Need a new workout playlist? Long drive ahead? Buy the David Guetta "Nothing but the Beat" CD. I recently purchased it and I have to say, I listen to it almost every single day! I downloaded it onto my ipod and listen to it when I run! Song #5 "Without U" featuring Usher is one of my favorites!!!

You will be amazed by the talent and great beats in this CD. Popular artists like Nicki Minaj, Usher, Lil' Wayne, and Jennifer Hudson to name a few are featured in this album.

So, get movin' and go gettcha' this CD! Happy booty shakin'!