Macarons can totally be romantic right?! You bet! These babies were a labor of LOVE!!! These sweet treats make a perfect dessert or gift idea for this Valentine’s day- for your loved ones and friends! These are salted caramel metallic gold and silver macarons and I get it now why these crunchy, chewy, sweet, and savory treats can be so expensive. This photo was taken this morning after:
two trips to Bed Bath & Beyond
two trips to my local grocery store (in sweats and tear streaked cheeks)
an impromptu trip to Target at 10PM
a trip to Michael’s
and dumping the entire first batch to start again from scratch at 11PM
Let me tell ya, if you’ve mastered the art of making macarons than you’ve mastered an art. Below is a recipe I got from two different places EatLiveTravelWrite and HowToCookThat blogs.
I’ve linked you to the two original recipes if you want to follow their method, HowToCookThat’s blog, saved me from breakdown number two! I won’t list the step by step here since she so adequately displays the ‘how to’s’ over there. Instead I’ll show you what I learned along the way to get these fluffy, chewy, and delicious macarons…..errr take two!
First sift your dry ingredients once twice….trust me on this. And set aside.
I took my egg whites out for about 2 hours before I whipped them into a fluffy mound. Just when you think it’s ready, it’s not…keep on whisking folks! It took me about 15 minutes by hand to achieve what 2 minutes of an electric mixer did.
I wanted a golden macaron to fit in with the theme of metallic salted caramel, so I mixed in 10 drops of yellow food coloring with 2 drops of red food coloring.
Then I added it into my dry ingredients and folded, press, turn….that’s the method. Fold, press, turn, repeat. Until your mixture flows like lava!
I piped my ‘rows’ of batter into an odd zig zag pattern for some reason, also they were huge like loving lil cookies, some even touching. They will spread so don’t over pipe them out like I did.
Allow them to rest on the counter for about 30 minutes after racking them to release air pockets. This is the time to set your oven to 300 degrees and sprinkle a bit of coarse salt on top of each of them.
Then pipe out some homemade Dulce de Leche in the centers and sandwhich with another macaron.
I also got inspired by my friend’s birthday macaroons that were bright gold, so I picked up some cake spray paint in metallic gold and silver and when the macaroons were set, I sprayed them down and above is what I got!
I took a ton of photos with them and then allowed my family to devour them, they were soooo delicious!!! They are chewy and fluffy, they’re delicious and delightful, try them out!
I love to bake but I’d give these a sold 7 in difficulty level haha. Try them out and tag me in your yummy posts! You can make them for events, holidays, and gifts! Happy love day to you and yours!!!
xoxo- Jess
Why yes, my title would make an amazing hashtag! Sooo if you know me personally then you KNOW I’ll take any reason to get dressed up and host a shindig of my own! The football season is upon us and I may be THE walking definition of a ‘footbal noob’, but I still throw the best darn football party anyone’s ever seen! I even made a video about it, 2 of them! I’m so excited to share that I’ve teamed up with AT&T for their #TechGating campaign, which takes tailgating, technology, and social media, and marries them all together to bring you the most interactive and fun social experience, while enjoying the game! Below is a still from our shoot, it’s a sketch I wrote for my YouTube channel where I show you how to throw your very own #techgating party, while giving you all the things you’ll see and experience at every.single.tailgating.party. Ever.
I mean look at those faces. I love them, I literally have the most awesome friends who also just so happen to be L.A.’s best actors! So we filmed 2 videos in 2 days and they’re so fun! Check out my video blog here, I invited all of these lovely people back the day after we filmed my sketch and we watched the game and did some techgating of our own. Check out the video! My sketch will be out next week and I can’t wait for you to see it!!!! In the mean time, I’ll share with you some of the goodies I made for them..and you..and the video, of which you’ll see in my video blog up on my channel 😀
So techgating is tailgating, just integrating your technology- which we already do with Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook -updates and statuses. So tailgating and techgating is being brought to you in the most ultimate way- the Fan Zone Tour Truck, which will be traveling the nation, bringing fans the game while giving them awesome swag, and featuring interactive ‘stations’! Stations like the t-shirt canon, pre-gaming paparazzi, and mobile DJ! So what did I do? I recreated these fun stations in my own home (umm can you say DIY queen over here?! lol) and we filmed the party on day 1 and then we had a party of our own- watching the game on day 2 (click here to see the video on my channel). Win win!!! I love hosting parties but I really love winning and lets just say I totally won that day. Go team go! <—- I’m also a cheerleader!
Here are a few of the stations I set up in preparation of our big party!
I know what you’re thinking, ‘Jess, how did you make these awesome stations!?’. Well admittedly I am not the most enthusiastic DIY- do it yourself-er. I mean I get hot glue just everywhere. But these were all so easy to put together that I was so excited to complete them! And get this…..I didn’t glue any of my fingers together y’all! So some features you’ll find on the Fan Zone Tour truck that you can totally recreate for your own techgating party with friends among other things?
Well, I created a really fun and colorful photobooth similar to the ‘pre-gaming paparazzi’ you’ll find on the trucks. My ‘charge-ing station’ (see what I did there? Charge-ing….charge….football?…you get it) I made out of a shoe box and got really crafty with making a ‘football field’ and cutting out a place for all of the chargers to be installed, and my ‘mobile DJ’ features my phone and a speaker in a box to give you a literal DJ box! I know….so cauuutte! I’m so stinkin’ proud of these, but wait there’s more (I’m like that infomercial you can’t peel your eyes away from at 3am lol) I also made some signature foods and goodies for our party! 1st thing though, lets go over how fun you can make your photobooth!
I haven’t been to one party or event where a photobooth wasn’t present. I mean, if you don’t take a picture than it didn’t happen right?! So set up a fun photobooth and create your own hashtag so that photos from your party can be easily found! My hashtags were #LizamaPartyRama, #Jessknowsbest, and #TechGating. Why yes I do love hashtags! lol Check out those photos under the hashtags btw when you get a chance..we are ridiculous and fun! So my photobooth was a wall of metallic fringe and the most fun props evarrrrr (see below for the proof).
My charge-ing station was made out of a shoe box and I mod podg-ed (word?) some textured color paper onto it, took a wooden post and cut them into equal parts and painted them yellow to be the ‘goal posts’, and drew the lines in place onto the football field. If you cut out a small square in the front of the box, the cable can be fed through the front to charge the phone, and the charging unit itself can be hidden in the box and then plugged into the wall via the other square hole you cut into the back of the box. Now all of the wires are hidden and you have the world’s cutest charging station. Every party is in need of some jams so I created a special Fantasy Football playlist for my party and plugged it into the DJ Box which is a jewelry box from Michael’s actually, and I spray painted the outside silver, like a helmet, and then hot glued some festive stickers onto the outside. Just like most people aren’t allowed into the DJ booth at parties, no one was allowed to change my music in my DJ box! lol We had a dance party and that WILL be in the video so stay tuned. Awkward dancing is alive and well people! Here’s a closer look at the charging station I made. You have to try this! It’s so much easier than it looks!
So now that you’ve seen my awesome stations….there is one station that isn’t tangible..it’s the ‘Fight Song’ which you’ll see and oh Lordy, HEAR me perform in the video. Haha prepare your ears! Now on to the foodssss!!!
I may or may not have a passion for feeding people. I’m a mom, it’s what I do! I decked out my entire apartment to be the most fun football themed lady’s apartment you can imagine, and this is just 1/4 of the food that was waiting for my guests. Complete with finger foods, sugary goodness, traditional favorites like chicken wings, and cotton candy, and then there were some special treats I made to bump up the WOW factor…like my very own techgating signature beverage! The Lizama-party-rama fruity and fun drink, it had equal parts of coconut, pineapple, and orange juices. It was very refreshing, tropical, and totally me!
I got this chalk label at Target and it made the perfect accessory to this perfect party punch! But wait there’s more…I told you I went all out! I also made these football shortcake minis! The perfect game day dessert! It’s sweet but not too sweet, the guys loved that they didn’t need a plate to eat it haha and the ladies loved that it’s a childhood favorite! I was winning them all over, t’was the best!
These were SO yummy that it was hard to believe that it was under 5 ingredients! I took the guys favorite: the pound cake much like the taste palette of a lady finger cake, combined it with the ladies favorite- the strawberry, and macerated the berries in a mixture of 1/4 cup coconut sugar, 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, and the fresh juice of half a lemon. I topped them with fresh whipped cream and BAM! Best dessert ever! (see below for the full recipes)
I have to say, I don’t mean to toot my own horn but ‘Toot toot!’ lol we had such an amazing time filming for my channel and then enjoying some game time on game day. Two days with friends isn’t a bad way to spend the weekend I tell ya! Try making these recipes and DIY #techgating stations at your next party, and please let me know in the comments- what about throwing a #techgating party of your own do you think you can most easily recreate? And what do you most look forward to this football season?!
The Fan Zone Tour truck will feature all of the stations I created, so be sure to check out the site here for the schedule to see where the trucks will be at a school near you! Then you can stop on in and take some pre-gaming paparazzi photos and tag me!!!! The hashtag is #LizamaPartyRama and I’m going to pick my favorites by Thanksgiving week and send you some fun prizes! Also hashtag #Techgating so I can easily find you and others using the hashtag can share in the fun with you also!
I saved the best for last, if you want a chance to win a trip to the 2015 College Football NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP game, simply share your #TechGating photos, videos, or tips on Twitter and check out the site here for more information <3 I can’t wait to see all of your parties, your posts, and your game day recipes!
Thank you for sharing part of your day with me and I’ll see you right back here very soon!
Dessert for breakfast…psshh how many times have you heard that and then the recipe calls for flax seed (which I don’t like) and gross protein or raw egg whites. No thank you, I’d rather have ice cream for breakfast, a real dessert. There are many ways I can actually justify having ice cream for breakfast but instead I’ll share with you my recipe for proats (protein oats) that is delicious, nutritious, and takes all of 60 seconds to prep! Bam, you wake up with breakfast already made and ready to go!
I usually make 5 or 6 of these jars so that I can have enough for the week or enough for Joe and Corrine. Both my boyfriend and my 16 year old daughter love these proats and eat mine if I don’t make enough. You can add whatever variation you choose, or how ever you decide to portion out your oats but I portion out these amounts so that it fits my personal meal plan.
So in a mason jar, or jug, or sealable container, drop in your rolled oats, I just use old fashioned oats about 1/4 cup for myself and 1/2 cup for Joe since he’s a man and loves to eat both his and my proats if I don’t make enough. Then I put in half of a scoop of protein powder, this is a whey protein we got at whole foods and it’s flavorless- my favorite kind, and I only use half since I don’t feel the need to over do it on protein. Then I add in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of chia seeds, 1 teaspoon of PB2 (powdered peanut butter- more protein but I do it for the yummy flavor), and then lastly I pour in enough almond milk to saturate and cover the mixture. I place the top on the jar and shake it up a good 8, 9 times and then pop it in the fridge over night.
I don’t pour in the milk unless I know it will get eaten in the morning since it’s all dry ingredients if I don’t use it then I will just store it for the week until I’m ready to pour in the milk and have it for breakfast. This is an awesome on the go breakfast, protein packed to jump start your day and/or your morning workout, tastes like Christmas, and for me is so much better than warm oatmeal. Though that is a staple for warm weather!
I even sometimes use coconut milk whatever I have in the refrigerator, a drizzle of agave if I’m craving the sweet, and when I’m feeling crazyyyy I’ll throw in a dash of nutmeg and a tablespoon of dried unsweetened coconut flakes! Omg can you say amazing! This really is the most delicious meal prepping I’ve ever done, with the consistency of a parfait, and the nutritional benefits of a hearty breakfast. Try it out and let me know what you think and what alterations you make to the recipe!
Fall season is upon us so I’ll be adding in pumpkin flavored everything soon!
Happy Monday to you and I hope the week treats you amazing!
What a title huh?! Not just summer time legs, but SEXY summer time legs ladies! So something I’ve been seeing floating around is this coffee grounds craze….coffee making your skin glow, coffee making your clothes cleaner, coffee disintegrating your cellulite….wait what?! Yes, scrubbing away cellulite with coffee grounds, sounds crazy but let me tell ya..
Ok so I made up the part about coffee making your clothes cleaner 😉 But the part about it scrubbing your cellulite away….well that part was true. I think. I’d like to believe any way. So this is the scoop, I made these coffee bars (pictured above is my happy face as I run off to take a shower and scrub my butt down ha literally), as I read in a boat load of places that coffee grounds will help with cellulite.
No matter how much I work out or eat right, it’s just not in my gene pool to have tight toned skin behind my legs, just not happenin’. So I’ve done a few things to make me feel sexier when I don bikinis and here’s how. The coffee scrubs, I’ve been using them for the past few months and I swear by them now, the reason I feel they work is because you’re scrubbing and exfoliating your legs, therefore improving over all circulation, making your skin soft and smooth, and coffee is a diuretic so when you apply it to the skin topically, it releases the water from your cells, less water, less bumpage…less bumpage, lessens the appearance of cellulite.
No I’m not obsessed with perfect legs…ok maybe just a lil bit. I work out so I like to feel and see the difference, but my legs biologically were created for climbing coconut trees okay, so technically it isn’t even my fault that they suck. Haha I’m just saying I use all the help I can give myself to feel good about myself and a lil scrub a dub bin in the shower with the bars helps. Then afterwards I use a body oil, been obsessing over Salma Hayek’s Nuance jojoba dual phase body oil. It has coconut oil and passionfruit oil in it, like whoa. Feels amazing on my skin, absorbs quickly, and then I rub a body BB cream all over my legs.
Yup you heard read correctly, BB cream for your body. Thanks Jergens, pretty brilliant. A light weight fast absorbing, light reflecting, slightly sparkly lotion that hydrates and illuminates.
About 3 times a week I’ll use the Tarte maracuja oil brazilliance self tanning lotion, it’s amazing, gives you a natual looking very subtle tan, and get this, it DOESN’T smell! Ugh I hate self tanning smells, smells like burning plastic. This stuff actually smells awesome sauce. And lastly, on those days that I’m running out in a bikini having had pizza for dinner and not working out for a few weeks (this is more often than not), I will hit my legs with a few quick sprays of a self tanning perfecting spray like the Sally Hansen airbrush legs. Literally makes your legs look airbrushed, just be sure to moisturize other wise you just look tan and ashy.
So for the coffe bars you’ll need:
6 TBLspoons of coffee
5 TBLspoons of white sugar
2 teaspoons of corn starch
2 teaspoons of baking soda
3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
2 TBL of melted coconut oil
Mix all of the ingredients together in a big ol’ bowl and take a spray bottle with water in it and dampen the mixture (about 10 spritzes) but DO NOT dissolve the ingredients, you’re just trying to have them stick together well not melt.
Then use a mold of some sort (I use cupcake trays and this mold lasts me about 3-5 showers worth) and then press firmly into the mold and leave em in the fridge over night and walaaaa!
I like to use the bars in the shower before I shave my legs, just rub gently in circular motions, kind of massaging the area. Tis awesome!
Is this a bit much to do just because you have a bit of cheese on your legs or your booty…yes, but do I love it and feel it’s necessary…yes…do I regret scrubbing my butt…no 😉
TMI I know, but I’m real with you here so those are some tricks for those sexy summer time flawless legs. See ya next week for secrets on summer time beach hair! A whole month of summer time hacks!
Welcome to day 5 of my ‘6 courses in 6 days’ recipe plan for you! Today we have a Tex Mex inspired curry quinoa with an Asian inpired chicken stir fry combo! The quinoa is vegetarian and gluten free friendly, yayy for my child, and the chicken is spicy but not too spicy, packed with flavor, and a great compliment to the curried quinoa! I’m taking you to Texas and then Asia today! Let’s goooo!
So what was so wonderful about this dish is that you can literally toss the quinoa into anything! It makes an amazing stuffed peppers recipe, it’s great with eggs in the morning, over top some veggies, you can use it for all sorts of dishes and it’s gluten free and vegetarian for those of you who are GF or Veg! So my daughter was very happy with this quinoa dish and my boyfriend was very happy with this chicken stir fry! So for the quinoa you’ll need: – 1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil – 2 cups cooked quinoa – 1 bay leaf – 1/2 red onion finely chopped – 1 clove crushed garlic – 1 teaspoon 21 salute seasoning – 1 teaspoon garlic powder – 1 teaspoon ground cumin – 1 teaspoon tumeric – 1/4 cup chopped basil – 1/4 cup chopped cilantro – sea salt – fresh cracked black pepper – 1/2 cup coconut milk full fat – 1 can of corn – 1 can of black beans Saute the onion and garlic in the coconut oil, then add in the quinoa and the required amount of water. Add in the bay leaf, spices, and basil with cilantro, and cook until done. Drain the can of corn and black beans and drop them into the pot when the quinoa is done and just let that cook over low heat until the entire mixture is warmed. Serve with some fresh cilantro on top and ENJOY! For the Asian chicken stir fry: – 2 rinsed and cleaned skinless chicken breast cubed – 1/2 diced yellow onion – 2 Tablespoons liquid aminos (or soy sauce) -1/4 cup diced yellow and red bell peppers – 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro -1/4 cup diced fresh mint – 2 Tablespoons olive oil – 1 clove crushed fresh garlic – 1/2 Teaspoon Himilayan sea salt (you won’t need much since the soy sauce adds salt – fresh cracked black pepper – 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger – 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes Saute the onion, garlic, and bell peppers in olive oil, toss in the chicken, spices, mint, and pepper flakes. Once the chicken is half way cooked, add in the soy sauce and cook until done. Top the dish off with fresh cut cilantro and over the bed of quinoa and you’re day is done! Nomnomnomers! This entree is so yummy when you put the chicken over the quinoa, but each dish on their own is equally delicious! You could put the chicken over a bed of rice, wrap it up in a tortilla, or go carb free and wrap it in a piece of romaine lettuce. The quinoa like I said can be put over top so many side dishes to make a complete meal, so try these out, get creative, and be sure to tag me on Instagram and Twitter so I can see your creations! 😀 A delicious day to you, and I’ll see you right back here tomorrow! xo
Sugar scrubs are an amazing way to exfoliate, hydrate, and calm your skin, but they can get pricey! Have no fear, Jess is here, and I’m gonna show you how you can make a variation of scrubs with what you already have in your kitchen! In under ten mintues, and less than ten bucks, if you have some of the ingredients already, you’re set! Today we’re making a peppermint lavender sugar scrub, oh la la. Read on!
First, why would you want to make your own sugar scrub besides the fact that’s it’s much cheaper this way? Well I’m a huge advocate of skin care. Most of my posts will be about skin care, hair care, good food, blah blah, and exfoliating your skin is right on up there with the list of priorities you must do before bed time, beyond just washing your face. Fellas out there, I know you want to believe you just have to splash your face with water and go but there’s more to it!
Exfoliating improves your skin’s texture by prompting the cell renewal process and thus improving your skin’s texture. It’s all about the collagen! We need it to have plump young cells! Scrubbing away dead skin cells will unclog your pores, make your pores smaller, and help with any breakouts. Still not a good enough reason? Well I bet getting old and having your skin look saggy AND agey (agey is a word) is a good reason to exfoliate! Yup, as we get older it’s just more time for layers of dead skin to accumulate. Ewwww, scrub a dub dub those nasties away is what I always say!
Sugar is a great exfoliant as it’s milled finely enough that it will scrub away the dead skin, but not harsh enough to cause scraping or scratching on your face the way an apricot scrub would. Just be gentle. The olive oil you’ll use in this recipe is packed with antioxidants, and while you’re scrubbing, you’re also moisturizing your skin and it isn’t stripping your face of it’s natural oils.
Speaking of oils, I went with Vitamin E as it’s extra moisturizing, you can skip this step you have more oily/ acne prone skin, and it also has anti aging benefits, as it speeds up cell regeneration – which lets face it, I need – as I’ve been breaking out like crazy lately, thank you Mother Nature.
The peppermint not only smells invigorating and relieves stress, but it also has antiseptic and antibacterial properties, and will help to cool your skin. You’ll feel a nice cooling sensation with this scrub, I happen to be obsessed with this recipe btw.
Lastly, I chose to use lavender as my essential oil of choice though you can go with whatever your heart desires. Lavender though is the most valuable oil in treating acne, as this time of month calls for some real action! Lavender also helps to rebalance your pore’s production of oil, and it smells amazing which could be why it’s great at relieving head aches and anxiety. I pretty much just want to dip my entire body into a vat of lavender oil.
So grab your apron and a smile and lets get to making that Peppermint Lavender Sugar Scrub!
What you’ll need:
1/2 cup sugar ( I used coconut sugar)
1/4 cup oil ( I used organic olive oil)
10-12 drops of Vitamin E oil
1/4 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
12-15 drops of Lavender Essential oil
What you’ll do:
Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, and what I did was then package them into those little travel containers that you put lotions in. I got them for $1.49 at Target and filled up 3 bottles with this mixture. You can make more or less of this recipe depending on if you want less for your face or double up on the recipe for your body. You can also add as much or as little of the extract and oils depending on your personal preference, I loved the smell of this using these proportions.
Makes a great gift, smells amazing, and your skin will be glowing after! If you make this please tag me on Instagram or Twitter: jess_lizama
