Sunday, December 29, 2013

Champagne Toast to NYE 2013

It's almost time to ring in 2014! Time for the countdown & champagne toast, but 2013 will not go out without a bang! Lots of happenings going on everywhere. One fun little FYI, Belvedere Vodka is ringing in the New Year with its "Silver Saber" complete with a lighting element that will illuminate for 8 hrs. It will officially launch in Feb 2014, but Silver Saber will be showcased NYE 2013 at SLS Hotel, South Beach and a few select venues in NYC & LA. Speaking of venues, this chick has been checking out some hot spots for NYE 2013. Lets go ahead and go to South Beach, Miami where they are going to blow NYE 2013 out with the ultimate poolside parties!
SLS Hotel hosting Robin Thicke's NYE 2014 with Skylar Grey. Tickets start @ $500.  Tables &Cabana's $4,000-$25,000
FountainBleau Hotel -Miley Cirus & Pharrell Williams cohost poolside with DJ Afrojack. Gen Admin $325.  VIP Tables & Cabanas $3,000- $30,000
NYC- NYE in NYC is the classic must visit places for NYE celebrations. The city is electrifying! Besides the ball dropping & countdown in Times Square, Pier 36 will have 5 explosive DJ's-Cedric Gervais, R3HAB, Sander VanDoory, Show Tek,& Tommy Trash. Tickets $165-$10,000.  Cipriani 42 St.-Voted #1 NYE Grand Gala.Toast with Cipriani's own Prosecco. Tickets $150 -$325.
Las Vegas- Vegas is a party everyday, but NYE it's off the charts, parties everywhere  especially in TAO & XS. Haze @ Aria-Glittery Extravaganza with John Legend & DJ E-Rock.Women admin $55. Men $132. The Bank @Bellaigio-Hip hop artist Common is performing with DJ IKON. Ladies VIP $55 Men $137.50  Premium seating $2,500-$12,800.
LA- Bootsy Bellows-Sunset Strip's hipster modern day Rat Pack bash is hosted by owner David Arquette- music by DJ Politik with some crazy burlesque, marionette puppetry & surprise performances. Gen Admin $95.  VIP $105- $6,000
Chicago- The Crystal Garden at Navy Pier-Most spectacular fireworks display in the country! Live DJ & much more. Tickets $155-$175
OKC- Chevy Bricktown Events Center-OKC Thunder's Kevin Durant & Angela Simmons hosting the NYE Bash with DJ Keilo. Gen Admin $35.   VIP. $75-$200.
Dallas-The DFW SoirĂ©e Countdown 2013 @ Omni Downtown Dallas-Voted best NYE celebration in DFW last year & doing it again this year. Live DJ and a Vegas style casino lounge. Tickets $99.  Tables start @ 1,500.
Wow- that's a lot of celebrating & champagne toasting going on! This chick will definitely love her champagne toast this NYE!

Friday, December 27, 2013

Pop Rockin' Shooters

These little shooters will bring the New Years' in with a bang! While you're shooting this shooter, the pop rock candy is exploding in your mouth! A definite hit for your party!
Pop Rockin' Shooters
1 small box Knox unflavored gelatine
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup clear liquor, chilled
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. Welchs white grape juice
1 oz. clear plastic shot glasses
Pop Rock candy

In a bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, stirring with a fork. Add the liquor and white grape juice. Stir. Pour into your little shot glasses. Set on tray and refrigerate 2-3 hours. Just before serving & I mean just before serving, sprinkle your pop rock candy on top of shooters. The pop rock candy dissolves really fast. Makes about 2 dozen shooters. 
Liquor choices- Vodka, Tequilla, or Rum

This chick found the clear plastic shot glasses @Partycentral.

This chick loves these little pop rockin' shooters!

Glitzy Shooters

New Years' Eve is coming up quick! These glitzy shooters with the champagne color and the silver sprinkles on top will bring in the glitz to any New Years Eve Party!

Glitzy Shooters
1 small box Knox unflavored gelatine
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp Welch's white grape juice, chilled
1/2 cup clear liquor, chilled
Clear plastic1 oz shot glasses
Wiltons  silver pearilzed Sprinkles
Wiltons Edible Accents silver stars

In a bowl, dissolve gelatine in boiling water stirring with a fork. Add liquor and white grape juice. Pour into your clear little shot glasses. Set shooters on a tray and refrigerate for 2-3 hrs. Add sprinkles before serving. Makes about 2 dozen shooters.

*Sprinkles & accents should be added right before serving because they start dissolving and get watery on top! 
Liquor choices- Vodka, Tequilla, or Rum
This chick found the clear plastic shot glasses @Partycentral. Found the Wiltons silver sprinkles & edible accents @Joanns Fabrics.

This chick is loving the Glitzy Shooters!

Monday, December 23, 2013

Cranberry Chutney










Cranberry Chutney
1 1/4 c. white sugar                                                  2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. water                                                             1/4 tsp. salt
1- 12 oz. fresh cranberries                                       1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar                                         1/8 tsp. ground cloves
2 lrg. apples. peeled & finely chopped                     1 small orange, peeled, seeded & chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped                                   3-4 Tbsp. fresh squeezed orange juice
3/4 c. raisins                                                           1/2 c. pecans, chopped, optional
1/2 c. brown sugar

In a large saucepan, bring water & white sugar to boil. Reduce heat & simmer 3 minutes. Now, just put in rest of the ingredients except the pecans. Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer 20-25 minutes, uncovered; stirring occassionally. Mixture thickens as it boils. Refrigerate. Can be made up the night before. Stir in pecans before serving, if you add earlier they get rubbery. Love the nutty added crunch the pecans give the chutney. So yummy served with turkey, pork roast, or even pork chops!
This chick loves cranberry chutney.


 

Friday, December 20, 2013

this chick loves things: Lighted Twig Stand

this chick loves things: Lighted Twig Stand: This chick is loving holiday decor. The lighted twig stand looks fabulous in entry ways or really anywhere in your home. Still not too la...

this chick loves things: 2 Cookies - 1 Recipe

this chick loves things: 2 Cookies - 1 Recipe:                                                                  2 Cookies One Recipe                                                  ...

this chick loves things: The Aviary

this chick loves things: The Aviary: This chick checked out The Aviary before dining at Next, and so glad because the drinks were fabulous! The Aviary is very chic and un...

this chick loves things: Next Restaurant

this chick loves things: Next Restaurant: This chick thinks Next is "Amazing", a true dining experience! Next, located at 953 W. Fulton Mkt, Chicago, IL., is a very upsc...

NYX Eyeliner

With all the holiday parties going on and New Years Eve coming up, this chick wants to look her best! Eyeliner is so hot now, from turquoise to the deepest blues. Make like a cat eye; apply the colored eyeliner thickly to top lips only & extend just beyond the corners and flicking up a little, then apply black eyeline to the bottom of eye. Black can be worn on top & bottom of eye if you'd like, remember to keep the blues on top only. Found a great eyeliner +ULTA Beauty . NYX retractable eyeliner comes in several shades of blue and black, and it's under $5! The retractable makes it great that you don't have to worry about the pencil sharpener. This chick is loving her blue NYX eyeliner!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

The Aviary


This chick checked out The Aviary before dining at Next, and so glad because the drinks were fabulous! The Aviary is very chic and unique. The bartenders are trained chefs who mix up some amazing concoctions with fresh ingredients mixed with delightful spirits. Each drink, besides being absolutely fantastic, are presented to your table with amazing presentation! Pictured above is their infused fruit membranes, the decanter is presented to your table used for one cocktail!
The Aviary is located at Next restaurant on W. Fulton Mkt, Chicago,IL. They are opened Wednesday-Sunday at 6 PM. Definitely a place you need to go, check their website +theaviary 
This chick loves the cocktails at The Aviary!

Next Restaurant

This chick thinks Next is "Amazing", a true dining experience! Next, located at 953 W. Fulton Mkt, Chicago, IL., is a very upscale trendy restaurant where no walk-ins allowed. You can buy tickets online at their website +NextRestaurants to dine at this fabulous restaurant.
Next is featuring through the month of December the Bocuse d'Or menu. The Bocuse d'Or was 15, yes 15, courses of amazing flavors and artistically beautiful presentations! The wine & beverage pairings complimented each and every bite! We sat at the chef's table where the large glass window, looking into the kitchen, allowed us to watch the precision and artistry put in to assembling each course. 
Our food journey began with a delicious, rich terrine of veal with frisee salad and cipollini marmalade. This chicks fav was the osetra caviar w/ whipped beurre blanc and pine nuts served in an oh so delicate pastry shell that was heaven in your mouth!
Next changes their menu only 3 times a year. Next's 2014 menu - Chicago Steak, Chinese Modern, and Trio 2004. What a wonderful gift to give that someone really special - tickets to Next!
This chick is definitely loving Next!

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Xmas Hot Sellers - Local Buisness

7 Days till Xmas!!! Time to kick it in gear and get those last minute gifts. This chick loves shopping and supporting local businesses. These cute little boutiques have some hot Xmas items that are flying out the door!

Adelante - Austin, Texas. - Mighty Purse/ the Handbag butler - it's a little handbag with built in cell phone charger, comes in lots of colors.

Cocobellas - El Reno, Ok - Thermal leggings in prints & solids also scarves galore.

Filigree -  Edmond, Ok - Lysee black leather side panel leggings & Liberty black fringe boots

Kathy's on the Paseo - Oklahoma City, Ok. - Ratti handwoven scarves

Krimson & Klover  - Dallas, Texas - Holiday & Party dresses

Wolf bait & B-Girls - Chicago, IL - Terrariums all kinds especially hanging & terrarium jewelry also
Flando candles in a mason jar.

The girls at these shops said these items are selling like crazy, so hurry and go shop local!

Another super cool Xmas gift is a pet portrait from +LovedOnesoncanvas. She will do gift certificates for you that you can use at anytime. Jenny also does paint & wine parties; how fun is that! Contact her through her website for all gift certificates!
This chick loves Xmas shopping  & loves shopping local!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

2 Cookies - 1 Recipe

                                                                 2 Cookies One Recipe
                                                 Thumbprint Cookies and Snowball Cookies

These yummy xmas cookies are made out of same cookie dough, then after baking we will change them up!
Ingredients
2 sticks butter, softened                                         1 c. pecans, finely chopped
1/2 c. powdered sugar                                           Thumbprints -
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla                                                     1/3 c. strawberry or raspberry preserves
2 1/4 c. flour                                                           Snowballs -
1/4 tsp. salt                                                             1-2 c. powdered sugar (used for rolling the balls)
Preheat oven 400.
Sift together flour & salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture till blended, then stir in nuts. Cover; chill at least an hour.
Now pinch off a little dough, enough to make a 1-2 in. ball. Roll the little balls in your hands & place on an ungreased cookie sheet. These cookies do not spread, so you an place several on a cookie sheet.   Bake about 6-8 min, don't brown them!
While baking- lets do some prep work for our 2 cookies. In a bowl, put in the 1-2 cups of powdered sugar; set aside. And get your preserves, a teaspoon, and large wooden spoon for thumbprint cookies
indention.
Now the 2 cookie part: For snowballs- Take the little balls one at a time from the cookie sheet while they are still warm, roll around in the powdered sugar; set aside. For thumbprints- Leaving on cookie sheet & while still warm, take your wooden spoon and make small indention in the cookie; set aside & cool. Fill cooled cookies with preserve of choice.
Put both cookies on serving plate and just wait for the ooh's and ah's. These little cookies are so cute and festive! Cookies can be made ahead and put in freezer. Just don't fill the thumbprints till they are out of freezer. The snowballs will have to be rolled again after thawed.
This chick is loving the yummy, festive snowballs and thumbprint cookies!

Monday, December 16, 2013

Lighted Twig Stand

This chick is loving holiday decor. The lighted twig stand looks fabulous in entry ways or really anywhere in your home. Still not too late to make this for the holidays. Cut your branches and spray paint them gloss white. Take a piece of wood, if using tall branches make sure your piece of wood is wide enough & thick enough to hold your branches so the branches do not tip over. You need a drill: Drill holes the size to fit the branches, halfway through the wood (you might need to use a little hot glue or wood glue to hold branches in place). Spray wood block gloss white. Gently string your white lights, make sure you use white lights with the white cord. Beautiful! Perfect holiday & winter season decor. This chick is loving the lighted twig stand !

Georgetown Winery

Where else but Texas can you find Jalapeño Wine??? Georgetown Winery is a local Texas winery that makes all kinds of wines. They do make your Chardonnay and Cabs, but they make some novelty  wines. If you are in to sweet wines, they make several, even one called the Funky Monkey! They also make some dessert wines, several kinds of Port wines; their Raspberry Port wine sounds delish! If you're not in the Texas area, you can find them on their website@georgetownwinery.com. This chick is loving the wine!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

30 Flavored Oils & Balsamic Vinegar

This chick loves her olive oil & balsamic vinegar. Heart of Texas Oil Co. has 30 flavored oils & flavored balsamic vinegars. Some of their flavored oils are Italian Herb, Garlic Parm, Chipotole, and a Habanero oil. So good to eat with bread or drizzle over your veggies. They also have yummy flavors of balsamic vinegar like Fig, Raspberry, Peach, and a Spicy Mango. How good does that sound? This chick loves just drizzling balsamic vinegar over salad ! This is another great gift for your foodie lover or just keep on hand for yourself for the holidays! Check out this locally owned Flavored olive oil and flavored balsamic vinegar company @hearttexasoliveoil.com! This chick is loving the flavored olive oil and balsamic vinegar!

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Box o' Shit

This chick has been Real Buisy, sorry I haven't had any recent posts, so here it goes have lots of post to share! Still sharing Xmas gift ideas that this chick has found for some fun little gifts! Wanted to get everyone's attention with this Box o' Shit! Yes, it's a box of some good shit now- Special Shit, Good Shit, and Aw Shit seasonings. This chick has tried the Aw Shit and the Special Shit let me tell you it does have some kick to it! Loved seasoning my chicken, veggies and steak with it! Check out their website@specialshit.com if you order by Dec 18 you can get it in time for Xmas. This chick is loving her Box o'Shit!

Monday, December 9, 2013

Holiday red lipstick

The holidays are here and every girl needs a great red lipstick to look sexy at all her fabulous holiday festivities! So another thing on this chick's checklist was to find the perfect red lipstick! Red lipstick is so hard, either they are too pink, too orange, or too plum! Tell you what girls, this chick found a very inexpensive great red lipstick at +Walgreens, perfect color, perfect price! Maybelline's New Vivids Colorsensational "On Fire Red." Seemed to feather a little, so I used it with Maybelline's Colorsensational lip liner #50, and it was fine. Now, I am not promoting this lipstick as an all day day color stay type of lipstick , because you might have to reapply. But, this chick still had the lipstick on after a few glasses of wine and a couple of appetizers! This chick loves Maybelline's "On Fire Red" lipstick!
 MAC has a red lipstick "RiRi Woo". Beautiful retro red color,  but it is a matte finish. Stayed on a long time, but does feel heavy and dry. My lips did feel dry after wearing it a while.


Sunday, December 8, 2013

Nespresso Machine


Need a gift for those coffee lovers out there? The Nespresso machine is awesome! Nespresso has several
different machines. I have the "U" machine, which I Love! So easy to make a cup of espresso, just place your capsule (it's like a miniature k-cup) in the machine, press a button, wait a few seconds and "viva" a nice little cup of espresso! Even though the "U" machine does not have a milk frother, there is a little crema on top of espresso when it is brewed. My friend has the Lattissima Plus, she love loves it because she can make her perfect latte's and cappucino's! The Nespresso machine will bring out the barista in you! You can find the Nespresso machine at their website@Nespresso.com, Crate and Barrel, and Williams Sonoma. The machine comes with some coffee capsules, but check out their website@Nespresso.com for a wide range of coffee capsules. Some places where you can find the little espresso cups are Bed Bath and Beyond, Crate and Barrel, Pier One, Williams-Sonoma, and World Market.This chick is loving her Nespresso machine!!

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Arrivederci from Eataly

A goodbye from Eataly, but you will be back shopping there soon! I know this chick will!


Eataly

A foodies dream! Eataly is AMAZING! Started in Italy & only 2 USA locations- NYC & Chicago. This building is a huge 2 story shop of Italian fare. Fresh pastas being made, breads, wines, olive oil, cheeses of all kinds, way too much goodness to list. Huge vats of fresh mozzarella being made, huge wheels of reggiano Parmesan cheese an espresso bar, a gelato area, a wine bar, a piazza of all kinds of eataries! Best way to shop, you can oner a glass of wine and walk around and sip on your wine while you shop and sample cheeses, salami's, and gelato! This chicks ideal of shopping! You can absolutely spend an afternoon there! Check out their website@Eataly.com, perfect holiday gifts or can order some of their wonderful goodness' for yourself! This chick is loving Eataly!

Friday, December 6, 2013

Guy gift- NomoDesign

Looking for a great guy gift for the man that has everything??? This chick has a great website for super
cool. super unique posters any guy would love for home, office, man cave, or wherever. Website is
+NomoDesign.com. Very cool screenprint posters of golf courses, racetracks, and airports. You definitely
need to check his website out! Your man will think this is the coolest gift ever! This chick is loving
*NomoDesign.com!!!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Serving Bowl

Looking for festive holiday serverware?? Look
no further! Found the cutestest little chic serving
bowls at Dollar Tree!! Yes, can you believe these
chic little bowls were only a buck? They are silver metallic
on outside and white inside about 7 in. sq., which make
them perfect for dips, nuts, or little munchies. These little
bowls are plastic which make them even more perfect, nothing
gets broke & you can take to your xmas party and not worry
about dragging it back home after a few cocktails. Plus they
look super chic! This chick loves the bowls!!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Essie Holiday Nail Polish

With all of these holiday parties and dinners upon us, today is the best time to
start making your holiday checklist. Takes a little stress off these buisy days if
you start making that list and checking it twice or maybe three times. One
thing on my checklist was a great holiday nail polish. Check- found it with
Essie. Found not one, but 4 of Essie's top holiday nail polishes that this chick loved.
From pic above left to right - On a Silver Platter, Peak of Chic, Lots of Lux, and
Ignite the Night, all found @Ulta.com. A chick can't be seen wearing the same shade of
nail polish to all of her holiday festivities!!

Essie Holiday Nail Polish

Essie Holiday Nail Polish
On a Silver Platter,Peak of Chic,Lots of Lux,Ignite the Night
Can be found  @Ulta.com
Thischicklovesthings

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Charming Charlie

Can you believe it's Dec 3? Today I also couldn't believe
that I have a dinner to go to this Friday that I completely
forgot about! Panic set in-what am I going to wear!! Looking
through my closet found the perfect top & skirt! Now what
accessories! So, I headed over to Charming Charlie. If you've
never been to a Charming Charlie, you gotta go. They have lots &
lots of inexpensive accessories in every color. It's a fun place to
find some kind of accessory for any occasion, plus they were having
a sale today! Extra bonus!!