Burt's Bee Lipstick

I was in the pharmacy recently, minding my own business, when I came across the new Burt's Bee line of 100% natural lipsticks. And I am big fan of the Burt's Bee line, we use their face wash, exfoliator, lip balms, and deodorants. So, once I saw these lipsticks it gave me a reason to finally toss out all my other lipsticks, as I have been trying to find a natural option. Have you ever read what's in these other lipsticks out there? A lot of them are made with Blue and Red 40 and all sorts of dye and unnatural ingredients. I do what I can not to eat foods with any artificial colors, flavors and ingredients, so why would I put them on my lips? In addition to it being natural, I wanted a natural line that carried pretty colors I could wear, wasn't drying and lasted more than an hour. I have tried countless lipsticks, and most of them do not give full coverage that conditions and lasts. And these had everything I was looking for, so I did throw out quite a few lipsticks.

So far I only have tried two, Lily Lake and Tulip Tide, both in the berry/mauve family. In total this new line of lipsticks come in 14 shades that are all made with natural ingredients like raspberry seed oils, beeswax, Moringa Oil, and Vitamin E

Read more at http://www.burtsbees.com/Lipstick/VM-792850894372,default,pd.html#ZvBJItDveEVEEQqK.99

My daily go to shade has quickly become Tulip Tide, as I have been looking for a light pale pink color to wear everyday. I apply them by first applying a small amount of lip balm, then applying a liner, and then the lipstick. Because these lipsticks are so soft and moisturizing, I find that the liner help holds onto the color longer.

It's a very retro color and I love pairing it with a cat eye.

Lily Lake, is a berry color, which is perfect for me because I don't normally wear strong colors on my lips, but this adds a bright berry color to my lips, while moisturizing my lips and last for a few hours.

So happy this line came out and that I could incorporate natural lipsticks to my daily makeup routine. You can find these at your local pharmacy, I bought mine at Walgreens and Whole Foods. You can also buy them online at the Burt's Bee site.

Revani - Greek Cake

Well, I just noticed that most of my posts have been about baking lately. I guess that's a good indicator that I need to take it easy with all the sweet treats I have been baking and consuming.

But, for me, baking is so relaxing. When I am in the kitchen working on a recipe nothing else is on my mind, except for measuring, mixing, and creating. I can stand in the kitchen for hours and bake for a small army.

I have so many favorite treats, usually they involve chocolate, but this one is a greek dessert that usually is only made for celebrations. Revani is one of my favorite Greek cakes, I even prefer it over Baklava, yes, I know, I said it. Call the Greek Police.

Revani is like the Greek version of pound cake, but this pound cake is super moist thanks to the sweet honey/cinnamon syrup that is poured over it. I know..drool..

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of fine semolina
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

For the Syrup:
3 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 or 2 cinnamon sticks
Teaspoon of lemon juice.


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and lightly grease your pan, I used a 13×9-inch pan.

1. In a small bowl combine the flour, semolina and baking powder in a bowl and set to the side.
2. In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. 
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beat after each one. Stir in the vanilla and begin adding the flour mixture a little at a time until just combined. Pour into baking pan.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for about 5 minutes then lower oven to 350 degrees and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
5. In a saucepan, stir in all the syrup ingredients at medium, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer on low until the cake is ready.
6. Add the hot syrup to the cake while it is warm, and a little at a time until the syrup is complete. Set aside, cool to room temperature and serve. You can also save some of the syrup if you plan on serving it later or the next day.

Macrame Druzy Bracelets

I have been working on new pieces for The Black Feather shop. I haven't done macrame in years and have recently revisited the technique and with it creating a mix of macrame bracelets with druzies edged in gold in beautiful colors like pink, blue, shades of amethyst, and green. I love the look of the handmade macrame technique with the combination of a strong druzy stone. The cord is silky soft and I made the closures a simple drawstring, so no clasps to worry about.

All of these are now available in my shop.

Eggless Pancakes

Didn't have eggs in the morning, but that didn't stop me from making chocolate chip blueberry pancakes🍫 😍 ☕️  To be honest, I actually prefer these over my regular pancakes. They are fluffy and light.

Ingredients

1 cup of flour
a pinch of salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1½ tsp baking powder
1 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter melted (you can substitute) 

1 tsp maple syrup

Mix all of the dry ingredients together first and then add the liquids. The key is to not over mix, there should be little lumps and let the batter rest a few minutes before you pour. I add chocolate chips and blueberries to the mix. You can add any fruits you want. I also love to add bananas and strawberries.

Warm the skillet (pan) on medium heat. I then use a little butter or coconut oil on the skillet.

I then top it off by sprinkling shredded coconut and agave syrup. I love starting my morning like this. Enjoy!! Have a beautiful weekend.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Every time I make muffins, I sing the Muffin Man song. Do you remember the muffin man nursery rhyme? "Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man?"Do you know the muffin man, The muffin man, the muffin man...." and I just keep singing that the whole time. This time I made some chocolate chip muffins, because you can't start the morning without a small helping of chocolate, or in this case lots of it.

All you need is:

2 ½ cups  all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ cup unsalted butter, very softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup milk 

1 tbsp of maple syrup

2 cups of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F and place muffin baking cups in a 12 cup muffin tray.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, milk and syrup. Slowly add to the dry ingredients until just combined, do not over mix. Over mixing causes the muffins to dry out. they will be more moist if not over mixed.

Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups and bake at 375°F and bake for 15-20 minutes. 

This is a perfect little morning breakfast with some fruit to balance out all that yummy chocolate goodness. I brought a few in the office with me and all the others I stored in a tightly covered tupperware, it should last for a good 4 days if placed in a tight container.  But they always taste the best right out of the oven. Enjoy!!