Hallmark Channel’s LOVEUARY Original Encore Premiere of “The Wedding Veil” on Saturday, February 5th at 8pm/7c!

by with No Comment entertainment

This post is sponsored by Hallmark Channel, all thoughts here as always, are my own.

The time has come! January (which always feels like the longest month ever) has passed and February has arrived… In all her glory. We all know that February is traditionally the “month of love”, so I have a proposal for you (drops to one knee, gasp!)… How about we just coin it already? Loveuary IS the new February *slap it high if you’re with me*. Now, we don’t have the pressure of one specific day to take ourselves out on a date, or meet up with our girlfriends for a Galentine’s Day, or be all romantico with our lovahhh! Because now, we have all month long.

I’ve always said that the best form of self care is self love, so we are where love happens. Us and the couch. Ahem, meaning watch your favorite show or movie and chill times. Ever since I was little and my mom would put on Hallmark Channel during every imaginable holiday, it’s been our go-to destination for romantico movies and all things love stories… I’m a rom-com kinda girl and Hallmark Channel is actually Where Love Happens so.

Date night in with my favorite
Spoiler alert… these movies are SO good!

Find you a life partner that will watch romantic comedy love stories and keeps the rosé flowing- just like their love… All day baby! Cheers to us Lacey, I love you all the way and our date nights in <3 Okay, so let me fill you in on the 4-1-1… Do we still say that? Because I’m not like a regular mom, I’m like a cool mom. There are four NEW romantic movies premiering that are part of the original Loveuary programing on Hallmark Channel, all throughout February- which begins on Saturday, February 5th with the encore of the premiere of The Wedding Veil starring Lacey Chabert (Feb. 5th), The Wedding Veil Unveiled starring Autumn Resser (Feb 12th), The Wedding Veil Legacy starring Alison Sweeney (Feb 19th), and Welcome to Mama’s starring Melanie Scrofano (Feb. 26th). Write that down, I’ll wait.

The Wedding Veil trilogy follows three best friends who met in grad school and it’s a story we can all relate to, trust. It includes the three movies and is a first for Hallmark Channel. It will include three of its biggest stars who’ll also be featured in all three movies while starring in their own AND highlighting their personal love stories. How cool is that? You can follow along each of their stories individually and as a group, and I say just get all of your friends together and have a movie night with popcorn, bubbles, and sweet treats.

Be sure to TAG me and @HallmarkChannel in your posts so we know what you’re sippin’ on, what you’re watching, and how you’re loving them! I’ll be following you all at #TheWeddingVeil and #Loveuary and you can find all the information you need about all Hallmark Channel #LOVEUARY original romantic movies HERE!

Extra goodies:
Loveuary Sweepstakes– https://loveuarysweepstakes.hallmarkchannel.com/
Virtual Backgrounds- https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/hallmark-channel-virtual-backgrounds-love
Loveuary recipes- https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/loveuary/loveuary-recipes/**

So tell me, how are you spending Loveuary?

A Day For Yourself And Your Best Babes

by with One Comment wellness

I filed this under Wellness because there’s nothing like taking an evening to celebrate yourself and your best babes.

I honestly never knew my friends and I were celebrating Galentine’s Day until I saw it mentioned in Cosmo years ago. I just assumed we were partaking in our annual girls night where we’d put on a fancy dress and drink champagne on, or around Valentine’s Day … as part of our love strike. I’m kidding!

No fancy dresses are actually required 😉

So whether you’re taking some time to cheers to your damn self or to clink with your bests, here’s some things that’ll make your week even more fun. Oh and don’t forget, on the 15th chocolates go on sale babe! I call that retail therapy.

shop the post: https://jesslizama.com/valentines-day-gift-guide-for-her/

Enjoying a cozy night in? My Gift Guide For Her includes the coziest robe and the cheese platter you see here on my coffee table … piled high with cheeses, crackers, and chocolate. So call over the crew, make this spritzer here, and dance to the 80’s. And that’s what I call a top night!!!

Pink Margarita Spritzer

For you and your best babes here's a refreshing spritzer that you can enjoy with or without alcohol <3
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 8-10 fresh mint leaves
  • 1 lime (juiced)
  • 2 tbsp fresh grapefruit juice
  • 1/4 cup coconut water
  • 1/3 cup seltzer I love grapefruit flavored!
  • champagne optional

Instructions
 

  • Crush the mint leaves with the lime juice in a tumbler and add in the grapefruit juice and coconut water
  • Mix together in a shaker with ice until chilled
  • Strain into an ice filled cup 
  • Top with seltzer water, fresh mint, and a lime wedge. For extra fun add in a splash of champagne 😉 

Video

How will you be spending the evening? Celebrating yourself? Your best babes? A loved one? Tell me I’m not the only one who’ll be noching on cheese and cheersing myself <3 Cheers to YOU xoxo

 

 

 

Coconut donuts!

Valentine’s Day Ideas When You Have NO Idea!

by with No Comment bakingDIYholidayslifestylespecial occassionsValentine's Day

I hope today, right now in this moment, is not the first time you’re remembering that it’s Valentine’s day. I have mixed emotions about this holiday honestly – I’m a romantic at heart, but I also think every day should be special right?! I’ll save my love rant for another day, for now, if right now you’re scrambling to find a gas station teddy bear and some chocolates that will pass for the “I totally had this planned out” impression well here’s your guide to ‘fakin’ it ’til ya make it’….to the mall!

Valentine’s day gift ideas for when you have NO idea!

So it’s crunch time…. you forgot the thoughtful gift – you’ve been busy! You skipped out on making breakfast in bed to rush out to get a gift that’s you think will be more personal in gesture than making that breakfast in bed idea. Well there are a few things you can do to make it seem as though you totally had today in the bag! Also, this is for men and women, all of the ideas listed below will work whether it be for your boyfriend, girlfriend, fiance, husband, wife, child, pet goat…..all of them:

  1. Breakfast in bed – before you rush out the door to frantically find a teddy bear that’s larger than life, why don’t you just cook their favorite breakfast meal and serve it to them in bed? This will work every time, it’s so thoughtful! AND it’s budget friendly, just use what you have already in your fridge
  2. Hand picked flowers – great for men and for women, hand picked flowers are the cutest gesture, it’s sweet and Earth friendly and you can find them anywhere in your front yard… or a neighbor’s…PLUS they’re FREE! Unless your neighbor comes after you with the garden hose
  3. Love notes – love notes are great because they’re building blocks! Leave them around the house, in the bathroom (extra points for notes left in heart shapes and smiley faces), on your loved one’s car, all with personalized messages to show them that you care, that you listen, and best part…it buys you time. To either make a reservation or go out and get their favorite icecream
  4. Dinner cooked by a real life chef – yep that real life chef is YOU bud! Nothin’ says ‘”I love you”, more than a home cooked meal made with love. And bacon. Besides, all the restaurants will be over crowded and over priced. Save yourself the cold sweats of having to call around to make a last minute reservation and set the dining table for two
  5. A love basket – this is my all time favorite go-to gift! You get a basket, or a bucket, or a shoe box, whatever – you fill it with their favorite items, trinkets, snacks, and a couple of tickets to the movies and BAM, YOU are the most thoughtful gift giver evaarrrrr!

Now I’m not saying these gifts will blow them out of the water with surprise and romance, but it will make your gift more interesting, and personal to your relationship, AND it’s not super expensive or super over the top ‘buy a star and name it after them’ status. Those are for movies like “The Notebook”.

If all else fails, make them some ‘love donuts’. Picture below along with the recipe. It’s gluten free because… love. And remember, “if you’re a bird I’m a bird”.

coconut donuts
xoxo- Jess

Gluten free donut recipe for my love, Corrine.

What you’ll need: (yields 12 donuts)
For the Donuts:
1/2 cup GF flour or coconut flour
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

– Mix wet ingredients together and then stir in sifted dry ingredients, bake in a donut mold for 15 minutes at 350 degrees

For the Chocolate Glaze:
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons hot water

– Mix ingredients all together in a bowl and then glaze over the donuts once they’re cooled, top with sprinkles and kisses and you’re all done! Enjoy!
Coconut Donuts!

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide For Him

by with No Comment gift ideas

For the special fellow in your life…. and ahem I also made this unisex so you can snag these gems for anyone really <3

But I wanted to add things to this guide that weren’t your standard cologne, tie, and wallet gifts. Those are all really great but for a lil more somethin’ somethin’, here ya go, from me to you.

Chuck Taylors – I love these for myself but when Joe wears them with some nice jeans, a tee shirt, and a blazer … hubba hubba

Fleece Jogger Pants – who doesn’t love to be cozy while they run errands to Trader Joe’s and the post office? For $15 buy him one in every color!

Aesop Shine Oil – created to ‘maintain the mane’ this oil is great for beards too! Jojoba and florals make up this lightweight oil that will keep itch at bay and you won’t be able to stay away … smells yummm

Heavy Bag Kit – punching bags. Everyone needs one. Lace up baby

Ember Ceramic Mug – this high tech mug will keep his coffee warm, maintain the perfect temperature, and even notifies you when it’s reached its chosen heat. Pick one up for yourself while you’re at it

Motiv Fitness Ring – sleek, stylish, and waterproof, this ring tracks fitness, sleep, and heart rate. How cool is that

Have you checked out my Valentine’s Day Gift Guide For Her? I could combine both of these gift guides and it would make me happy to receive them alllll. So tell me again, what are you plans for this holiday? Ya lovin it or leavin it???

 

 

 

 

 

BLEEDING HEART OREO BROWNIES – A VALENTINE’S BEST NIGHTMARE

by with No Comment bakingDIYfoodholidayshostinglifestyleparty ideasValentine's Dayvideo

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you’ve been enjoying all of the themed recipes and videos that I’ve been posting lately, all in the name of love! Well this is for anyone who thinks today’s celebration is more of a corporate holiday … anyone who thinks today can suck it … and anyone who loves oreos. And brownies!!! We’re making “Bleeding Oreo Brownie Hearts” because everyone deserves a reason to love Valentine’s Day. Even if it’s for desserts and ‘the day after’ chocolate sales!


Imagine a brownie filled with oreo cream filling … yes it is just as mouth watering as it sounds! We ate 6 of them! SIX and zero regrets were had. Your mission should you choose to accept: make these, eat these, thank me later!

For the brownie part I just got a box of brownie mix (family sized) and made it according to the directions. I sprayed a 10×16 brownie pan with oil, lined it with parchment paper, and then sprayed it again just to make sure the hearts didn’t stick once I removed them. No one wants a crumbly broken heart, in life nor in theory.


Let the brownies cool before taking a heart shaped cookie cutter to it, and in the meantime make your oreo filling, the ‘bleeding’ part of it. You’ll need:

3 cups powdered sugar
ABOUT 1/2 vegetable shortening
5 tablespoons hot water (you will eye ball this when you make it)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Red food coloring
1 teaspoon sugar


♥ Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and save adding in the water for last. Start with 4 tablespoons of hot water and if your mixture is too thick then add in 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistency. Which is pretty thick yet smooth, like an oreo filling would be.

Once you’ve added the red food coloring (I used about 7 drops) you get this really pretty pile of sweetness! I had about half a cup of this just from taste testing! Note: This makes a lot of filling, enough for 2 batches of brownies if you’re using it in this ‘sandwich’ style.


Once your brownies have cooled, take your cookie cutter and remove the shapes until all of your brownie pan has been used up. The brownies will be fairly thin, this is a good thing though because you’ll be stacking them once they’re filled.


Spread a dollop of the filling between two hearts and then close the heart sandwich by placing the other half on top (smooth side down). Continue with this until you’ve used up all of your heart brownies. You can make the filling part as thick or as thin as you’d like depending on your sweet tooth preference.



The combination of these two flavors is indescribable, you have to make them for yourself and indulge in order to believe me. It’s a cream filled brownie and the cream is OREO FILLING! Did I say that part enough? Ha! Try it, so so so good!

I paired this deliciousness with a “Sour Kiss” cocktail, keeping with the whole ‘Valentine’s Day Shmalentine’s Day’ theme here. It tastes like sour patch candies in a glass! Mix together an ounce of each of these ingredients and enjoy!

Sour Kiss Cocktail:
Vodka
Grenadine syrup
Blue curacao liqueur
Sweet and Sour Mix
Limes

Here is my Pinterest DIY-not Valentine’s Day episode, and if you missed my Galentine’s Day post you can read it here!

What are your plans for this weekend ?!

Go enjoy these recipes and Happy Valentine’s Day from stupid cupid <333

 

love these girls

How To Throw The Best Bachelorette Party For Your Best Girls!

by with No Comment adventureDIYlifestyleparty ideasspecial occassionstravelValentine's Day

It’s wedding season! For the type A/planner in me, I couldn’t have been more excited about gift giving and surprise planning than I was for this bachelorette party! My girl Linz is getting married in 3 weeks and I’m the maid of honor!!! This past weekend we celebrated her with a fun filled weekend in Vegas with the best group of girls you’ve ever seen, and I wanted to share with you all the fun things I did that you can use for your next Bachelorette/birthday/celebration! Also I suck at surprises and it was SO hard for me not to send the girls photos of everything I was doing.

giftbags
So I had these ‘Who Doesn’t Want That‘ totes especially made for Linz’s bach party  with the date, because it’s the best party favor … cute and functional! Yes it was over Valentine’s day weekend and we had THE best ever Galentine’s day I could even have imagined #girlpower

bachbags
So in the bags I put together a lil ‘survival kit’ for the weekend complete with a hangover kit:

  • smart water because dumb decisions
  • a ‘cheers bitches’ tank since this was our theme for the weekend
  • Reese’s candy, Linz’s favorite
  • Kind bars because we were meanies to our livers
  • a ‘no ugly crying’ hankie filled with my favorite products to ensure no faces fell off
  • Moscato wine because never enough
  • a pack of polaroids for the polaroid camera I brought because polaroids are lyyyfe
  • le mieux eye masks (didn’t fit in the photo)- best evaaar for dark circles & puffiness!
  • handmade tiaras that I made…with my hands thus they later fell a part!
  • and “I regret nothing” survival/hangover kits!survivalkitsIn these kits I put all my go-to items that you just NEED the morning after any kind of partying because survival mode:
  • my FAVORITE part of the gift bags: temporary tattoos that read “I belong to Linz’s bachelorette party. If I’m lost please buy me a drink!” (I mean….genius Etsy just genius)
  • ginger tea (aids in belly aches and nausea)
  • raspberry Emergen-C (tastes delicious and you need all the vitamins you can get)
  • nausea chews (these really do work!)
  • alka seltzer
  • kissy bandaids for any booboos (kissing a booboo makes everything better)
  • “To have and to hold….your hair back” hair ties with Linz bach note on it (cutest ever)
  • altoids
  • advil
  • glow in the dark rings so I could find my girls in dark clubs! We were likePower Rangers!

hankies

The ‘no ugly crying’ hankies folded into the perfect envelopes to hold some of my favorite ‘don’t let my face fall off’ products. Weddings will make you cry so I didn’t want anyone’s beautiful face to melt off:

  • Inglot blotting tissues (my favorite brand)
  • Blinc mascara that turns any mascara into a waterproof/ cry proof/ smudge proof magic-ness
  • my favorite lip liner that can double as blush and is perfect to layer or wear alone
  • Skindinavia’s setting spray (hands down the best) it’s time released and temperature controlled so when you start to sweat it kicks in high gear, hello dancing! (oh technology)

tiaras
These were the ‘cheers bitches’ tiaras I made….after about 3 attempts, 2 trips to Michaels, a return to Marth-freaking-Stuart, and gluing 2 of my fingers together…. here they are! Post on the how to’s coming soon! I did so much DIY for this party that you’d all be so proud of me…because DIY is not my friend!

linztiara
Linz’s bag had a few extra special items that I threw in there since it’s her big day I wanted even her martini cup to be wearing a veil! I got this tank from Etsy, and the tiara and matching cup veil cup came from Party City.

linzbag
I think what makes a person a good friend is different from person to person, and what makes Linz a great friend to me, consists of too many words that deserve their own post. So I wanted her to feel just as loved, so in her bag also went her favorite Lollia Wish body wash and lotion, a bridal emergency kit, a quirky drink sleeve (because truth), and the something ‘blue’ I got her was this garter I had made for her that matches the same blue as Tiffany’s, and has Swarovski crystals surrounding the center bow. I fell in love with it when I saw it and I wanted her to have one to keep since one goes to a lucky bachelor! Every girl deserves a Tiffany blue something!

Some things I couldn’t make and bring with was the traditional penis cake….what an awkward conversation to have to the hotel concierge about baking such a cake and delivering it to the room! But it was so fun and their cake was delicious! I brought along with me the penis straws, cups, shot glasses, and all things penis I could find on the internet and it made for an amazing time!

Do it big ladies! Go ALL out and laugh until you’re swimming on a flooded bathroom suite floor with girls you absolutely adore, while having a communal bath and rubbing one another’s feet! haha yup that all happened! I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better more beautiful and supportive group of girls to be around than Bailey, Linz, Ashlee, and Meghan who I spent an incredible weekend with (Dani you were missed girl!!!)! I got so much closer to them and I’ve known them for years! There was no drama, it was all love, all laughs, and all dancing! Top night ladies!!! #buttsout

polaroids

Hope you all have a wonderful rest of your week and party til ya need an IV in the mornin 😉 We did that too!

 

xoxo- Jess

 

Romantic Metallic Macaroons

The Romantic Metallic Macaron

by with No Comment bakingDIYfoodholidaysspecial occassions

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

macaron love

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!

sift it real good!
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.

goldennnn
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.

fold, press, turn, repeat
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!

look at the 2 love birds
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.

those pretty feet though!
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.

tadaaa!
Then pipe out some homemade Dulce de Leche in the centers and sandwhich with another macaron.

metallic gold and silver salted caramel macarons!

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