Halloween Treats!

A lot of people know that Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. I love everything about it from pumpkins to costumes to candy and more, this holiday is so much fun. I went to a few costume parties this weekend, but I'm planning on spending my Halloween watching scary movies and giving trick or treaters candy with some of my friends.

My unicorn pumpkin and my boyfriends driving skeleton pumpkin.

To spice the movie night up, I made a few really spooky treats, because what better way is there to celebrate Halloween than with Halloween themed snacks?

Starting out with these simple take on cheese and crackers with these string cheese witches broom sticks.

I simply took sticks of string cheese and cut each one into 3 equal pieces. Then I cut each piece vertically to look like strands on a broom. Lastly I cut into those pieces twice horizontally to make the piece of cheese look frayed and more like an actual broom. I added a pretzel stick on top for the handle and voila, a broomstick!


The next snack on my party list are these super cute jalapeño popper mummies!

Find this recipe at the bottom of this post.

They're made with roasted jalapeños, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and olives for the eyes.


Finally I made these adorable and extremely delicious spider cookies! They're basically snickerdoodle kiss cookies, but with a mini Reese's cup instead of a Hershey's kiss. 

Recipe at the bottom of this post.

However you are celebrating today and even if you're not, these snacks can be altered for any occasion. Cook away!





Mummy Jalapeño Poppers

Ingredients:

• Crescent rolls or puff pastry
• 10 jalapeño peppers halved lengthwise and seeded
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 8 ounces grated pepper jack cheese
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• Black olive slices for eyes

Directions:

1. Halve and seed the jalapeño peppers.
2. Combine the two cheeses and green onions and mix well.
3. Fill the mixture into the jalapeño pepper halves.
4. Use a pizza cutter to slice strands of the dough. Wrap the strands of dough around the jalapeños to resemble a mummy. Leave space for the olive eyes.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and immediately press olive slice eyes in the spaces for the eyes.

Spider Snickerdoodle Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp milk (I used almond milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar (for rolling)
• Mini Reese's cups, frozen
• Candy eyes
• Melting chocolate or frosting in a tube

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat together shortening, peanut butter, egg, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and milk.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Gradually add dry mixture to wet mixture and beat until blended.
5. Form into 1 inch balls.
6. Roll in sugar and place a couple of inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden.
8. Immediately, gently press an upside frozen Reese's cup on top of each cookie and move to wire rack to cool.
9. After placing and moving all the cookies on the wire rack, put in place the candy eyes while chocolate is still slightly soft.
10. Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes to allow cookies to firm.
11. Melt chocolate in a bag and cut the corner to pipe the spider's legs on to the cookie. I used frosting in a tube.
12. Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes to allow legs to set.

Buzz Button.

When you go to a bar, do you peruse menu to find a cool cocktail created by a "mixologist" or do you have a go to cocktail that you always order? I kind of do both, it really depends on my mood, but when I'm in Las Vegas, a culinary creative mecca, I always want to try specialty cocktails that I can't find at home.

One of my favorite bars in all of Las Vegas is the Chandelier Bar at the Cosmopolitan hotel and I'm a big fan of their Bloody Mary, but this past time I was there, I wanted something more fresh and light for a nightcap. I asked the bartender what he could recommend to me and he let me in on a drink that's on their "secret menu". I'm letting you guys all in on the secret, because it's too awesome not to share! And trust me, you will love it.

The drink is called the Verbena and it is only served on the second floor of the chandelier bar. It is a basic margarita, but with a little extra something...a small flower resides on the surface of the margarita and its not just for show. The flower is a Sichuan flower and in the culinary world, its also referred to as a the buzz button.

When he served it to me, the bartender mentioned that this drink came with instructions. The instructions were to drink the margarita and get a good taste of it, then to put the whole flower in your mouth and chew on it for 15-20 seconds making sure to chew on both sides of your mouth and swallow it, and then to finally drink the margarita again. I didn't know what to expect, but I definitely could not have anticipated what happened.

It's called a buzz button for a reason. In the first 5 seconds I began chewing it, my whole mouth started to tingle, then that tingle turned into a prickle, until my whole mouth was buzzing and numb. After I ate the flower, I took another sip of the margarita again and the taste was completely different! I could definitely taste the flavors and ingredients in it a whole lot more, and this is exactly what the flower does. It speeds up your salivary glands and makes you a supertaster. 

Its unlike anything I've every tried and its an absolute must if you're in Vegas! It was so cool that I'm actually considering buying some of those Sichuan flowers and seeing what else it could open my tastebuds up to. But take it from me, this is a drink on a secret menu you'll be happy I told you about. 

Page, AZ.

Some of my followers may have noticed that I've taken a small hiatus from writing new posts and it's because I've recently been under a lot of stress with some personal things so much so that it has affected my moods and creativity. I was in a creative slump from the stresses I was under so I thought a change of scenery and a new experience would make me feel more at peace and start up my creative flow again.

Growing up, I had gone camping a few times through the girl scouts group I was a part of, but I never really grew a penchant for it. I hate being dirty and sleeping on the ground, but I thought that it might be just the thing I need to be one with the Earth and relieve some stress. It was time for me to try it again. Reluctant at first, I really took my time deciding where to go camping, but ended up deciding on a little place called Page, Arizona.

I had heard so many great things about it and seen amazing pictures so I landed on that! Many parts of Page are on Native American reservations and a lot of the sites to see are lead by Native Americans, which I think is so cool.

From LA to Page is an 8 hour drive...yes 8! Due to an appointment I couldn't miss in the morning, we ended up leaving late and arriving to the campground at 9PM. Pitching a tent in the pitch dark of the wilderness was such a struggle!

The campground was called Wahweap and it was directly on the border of Arizona and Utah. You could be sitting on one side of the campground in Arizona and walk over to the other side of it in Utah. What was even more interesting was that the time jumped one hour from Arizona and Utah, so it was kind of hard to keep track of what time it was. But it was a really nice campground, with clean bathrooms and showers and everything. It was right around the banks of Lake Powell, which made for a great view to wake up to in the morning. After setting up our tent, we just made a quick campfire dinner and ate under the stars, which was so relaxing, and went to bed.

Page is a place that, fortunately for us and our timing of arriving so late, has activities that can all be done in 1-2 days. We started out in the morning by going to Antelope Canyon. There are two canyons: upper and lower Antelope Canyon. The upper canyon is the more popular, touristy one and requires reservations a day or so in advance. The lower canyon is just as beautiful but less crowded. There are a few companies that offer tours tours to the canyon. We didn't have reservations, but luckily we found some spots with one of the Native American guides. I was told that the lower canyon was much easier and less expensive to get into, but the upper canyon is the most recommended one. It was so awesome to be lead by a Native American guide who explained every aspect of the canyon and what each turn and lighting effect was about.

To get to the canyon, the guide drove us 10 minutes in an open air vehicle through sand and dunes, and if you didn't keep your mouth closed on the way there, you were sure to get a mouthful of sand.

Upon getting to the canyon, I was in literal amazement of what beautiful things nature can create. The canyons were formed and are constantly being altered by wind and water that flows through it.

Entrance to the canyon.

"Sitting Bear". There are so many shapes and colors that are formed by the sunlight that hits the canyons, the interpretations are endless.

Another Bear.

The literal "Heart" of the canyon. 

Different interpretations of this rock: a mummy, angel wings, or a butterfly.

The canyon runs about 15 miles total, including the lower canyon, but the upper canyon was about 0.6 miles and with the guided tour, and took about 1 hour. Unfortunately, you can't go into the canyons without a guide because a few accidents have happened there during flash floods.

After we finished this trek, we were starving so we headed over to Big John's Texas BBQ, a really popular spot in the area. I highly recommend it, I haven't been to Texas to know if it compares, but I know it was really yummy.

One of the other sights to see in Page is Horseshoe Bend. It is an overlook of a giant rock that the Colorado River circles around. The river runs through the Grand Canyon and goes all the way up to Horseshoe Bend and it's the most amazing view.

It is a bit of a hike to get to the view, about 1.25 miles, but it is a really easy hike with gradual inclines. It took us about 25 minutes to get to the bend, but that's because we were rushing to get there before sunset.

We did both of these in one day, because we were on a schedule but you could stretch it out over 2 days. In fact, I kind of wish we took more time to enjoy the camping experience and hang out at the campground more, so I think 2 days is better than 1. Either way, though, the whole experience was so calming and it really gave me a chance to assess what is going on in my life and really relieve my stresses about them. I am strongly recommending this experience, camping and all not only for being at peace, but also for just having some fun in the desert. That said, I think my creative juices are starting to flow again and I am planning more new posts in the upcoming weeks! Thanks for bearing with me, followers.

Fall 2016 Obsessions.

It still feels like summer in LA, but it's officially fall and I cannot be more excited for my favorite season! The first day of fall was last Thursday, and I honored it by ordering my first pumpkin spice latte of the season. If that makes me basic, then I'll take it because PSL's are just too good to not have. Along with PSL's, there are some really awesome styles in clothing and accessories that I've recently become obsessed with that I think are perfect to rock during the fall season.

This season, I've compiled 6 cool trends into 1 super chic look that is the perfect day to night look for a crisp fall day. I guess us spoiled with constant warm weather here in LA will have to wait a month or so to start with the layering of sweaters and outerwear, but it's good to be prepared with them in your closet anyway.

Here is my fab fall look, with 6 fall things I'm obsessed with...

1. Marble: All marble everything! I'm loving the look of marble whether it's on my furniture, dish ware, or my phone case. It's a very simple pattern, but there are so many different colors and variations of it that you can rock and still keep it super elegant. I recently love the marble look on phones, nails, and as wall accents.

                                        


2. Dark and Glossy: Don't get me wrong, this girl loves her matte lips, but I think the gloss look is a good change of pace for the fall. Especially as the air is getting drier and colder, lips become more dried out and matte lips dry them out even more. Ditch the pinkish matte lips for darker hues and be a gloss boss.







3. Geometric Earrings: I think fall is a time to play with hard and soft looks and textures and geometrically shaped earrings are a good alternative to super girly earrings. Simple gold shapes really compliment any outfit and are different enough from ordinary studs and hoops, but still modern and classy.

               


4. Dusters: Dusters are called just that because they are long enough to almost graze the floor and "dust it". I really love how their length is a median look from the short, light jackets of summer and the thick peacoats of the winter. I like them in fall hues like olive green and dusty orange, but this grayish rose colored one is to die for.

                                 


5. Mid Calf Boots: All of the boots I've ever owned have been either up to or above me knee or at my ankles. I'm obsessing now over these boots that go up to the mid calf! They give me a cool New York street style vibe and I think it looks awesome with a sweater dress paired with a duster.


        


6. Phone Pouches: Maybe its because I've been carrying around a big ass purse all summer long, but I'm really over them. I like the simplicity and minimalism of smaller purses, like these ones that fit only your essentials: your phone, your cards, and a lipstick. If you're going out for the night, what more do you need? Its so much easier on you (and your back) to carry these small phone pouches than a really big handbag.

                       


What I love most about fall, though, is that its a really good time to experiment with different pieces and looks. The weather permits for you to mix and match short and long pieces and I just love the level of creativity it can bring out in people's styles. I hope you all take this thought and run with it...experiment with your looks! I'd love to see all the outfits you all put together.

Howlin' Ray's.

Being a huge follower of the Food Network, recently I've been seeing a lot of craze over Nashville style hot chicken and I started to wonder what it was. Is it like chicken buffalo sauce? How spicy is it? What makes it special to Tennessee? Apparently, it's a type of chicken different than any type of chicken I've ever had. It's a type of fried chicken that is marinated in a water based blend of spicy seasoning, floured, and fried. It is finally sauced with a paste that is spiced with cayenne pepper. It is usually served on bread as a sandwich, but can also be eaten on its own. And pickles are the perfect thing to combine the flavor of the chicken with. It has been served in Nashville for generations since the 1930s and has recently been gaining more popularity.

A lot of the notoriety of hot chicken came from a restaurant in Nashville called Hattie B's Hot Chicken, and seeing as though I'm not going there any time soon, I made it my mission to find a hot chicken spot in LA. Even KFC has introduced a hot chicken special, but I knew I could get more authentic than that.

That's when I found Howlin' Ray's in LA's Chinatown. Howlin' Ray's is owned and operated by a husband and wife team, Johnny and Amanda, who are passionate about getting the best blend of spices to make top tier hot chicken. When I went to the restaurant, Amanda was there taking customer orders and Johnny was in the kitchen leading a team of chefs to make the chicken. I really enjoyed that they were a part of my experience, it made it seem more personal and authentic.

Howlin' Ray's has 6 different types of sauces for the chicken, each at a different level of spiciness. I'm usually a person who can handle her spicy foods, but when I asked Amanda which sauce she would recommend to me, she said to go with the Medium sauce. I was worried it wouldn't be that spicy, but let me tell you guys, my mouth was on fire eating it! In a totally good way. I ordered the sandwich, which had the chicken, slaw, comeback sauce, and pickles. The comeback sauce was another great accompaniment to the chicken and I used it to dip my crinkle cut fries in too. It didn't hurt also that they kept giving me as many pickle chips as I wanted.

It was to die for! The chicken was perfectly crispy, the slaw gave it the perfect element of crunch, and the sauce and pickles just brought it all home. The portions are also really large. I feel really bad about this, but I couldn't finish my sandwich. Sometimes I sit and think about the parts I left and hate myself for not finishing it haha.

The line can get pretty long at Howlin' Ray's, even on a weekday, which is when I went. I waited in line for about 30 minutes, but I've heard this is actually a short time. So if you're going to give it a try, try to go before or after the lunch rush. It's totally worth any wait you have though!

Spanish Style Vibes.

As a lot of you know from my Summer Vacation Essentials post, I took a trip to Spain last month and of course, I kept my eye out for street styles and different trends people wore there. Everyone knows that fashion trends start in Europe and migrate over to the states so I was pretty excited to see and buy up and coming pieces.

If you're looking to go to Spain and want to take advantage of the shopping, go towards the end of June because the sales are ridiculous! I had no idea my trip would overlap with the biggest sales of the year, but it did and I'm not complaining! Pieces I found that were normally 60€ I found for 20€ and that roughly rounds out to about $22.50. Anyway, I was really inspired by some of the really cool things the locals were wearing and I searched high and low for similar pieces in both local stores and chain stores like Zara and Mango.

I didn't know this until recently but some chain stores like Zara sell different items of clothing in different cities, even locally! So you wouldn't necessarily find the same stuff at a Zara in Costa Mesa that you would in Beverly Hills. The clothing is tailored to the area; you'd find more beachy styles in a Zara in Orange County and more flashy and metropolitan styles in Hollywood. The same is with those in Barcelona.

I found a lot of neat things but this dress has to be my favorite. Its sequins are so meticulously sewn and have a ton of movement so you aren't constantly itchy. You can move the sequins around with your hands and it creates a nice two dimensional look. Best part is I got it for a steal at 20€!

As much as the sales at the chain stores were too good to pass up, I really wanted to steer away from them and shop at local stores. I wanted unique pieces that would be quintessential to Spain and nowhere else. The first thing I noticed was that everyone and their mothers...and I'm not joking about this...were wearing these leather sandals...

When I say everyone, I mean that literally. I even saw a ton of men wearing them. It's a really good sandal for summer and its made with real Spanish leather. Interestingly, the bottom sole is made of rubber and it kind of looks like it was made from old tires. I actually kind of like the recycling aspect of these shoes. But anyway, with these shoes it was easy to blend in with the locals, in fact, it was like step 1. All for a grand total of 12€, which is such a good price for real leather.

When I was in Madrid, a big aspect of their shopping was vintage stores. There were a ton of them all over the city with clothing and accessories ranging from the 60s to the 90s. It was so awesome! I trekked into a few of them and found this super cool Spice Girls concert tee that immediately brought me to nostalgia of my childhood.

I also got these platform metallic shoes in Madrid, which I noticed a lot of locals wearing too. The platforms make the shoes so comfortable and they also remind me of the 90s. I've paired the tee and the shoes together to complete a 90s look!

My absolute favorite thing I got was an amazingly adorable mini backpack from Barcelona! I actually saw this backpack in the window of a local purse store on my way to meet up with my brother. I knew I was going to be late if I stopped to buy it so I just took a picture of the store and figured I'd go back to buy it after meeting up with my brother. I did just that, but by the time I got there and asked for the bag, the owner told me it was their last one and they had sold it! I really couldn't believe my luck. With a little talking in my broken Spanish, the owner told me they were going to get a new shipment of them but I was going to be in Madrid when it did. He graciously agreed to put one on hold for me until I returned to Barcelona to catch my flight back home. Amazing! The struggle was real to get this backpack but it was totally and completely worth it, especially at its cost of 20€.

Me channeling my inner gangster watching Ice Cube at Hard Summer Music Festival.

I had so much fun people watching and finding cool new street styles in Spain and I'm really excited to bring some of those styles back with me and share them with you. I can't wait until some of these styles start appearing in our local stores.

Healing Rituals.

Stress is something that plagues a lot of people in the world and dealing with it can be tricky. There are so many ways to tackle stress and other health issues, but alternative, Traditional Chinese Medicine was something I never considered to deal with mine. I had heard a lot about Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques like acupuncture, acupressure, cupping, and moxa but never tried it until I found Healing Rituals in La Crescenta/Montrose.

Just walking up to the office is a calming experience. There is a really cute zen garden in the front that was a perfect place for me to sit and unwind in before my appointment.

Entering the office had an extremely relaxing effect on me. The waiting room is so tranquil with the aroma of lavender in the air, peaceful music playing and hot herbal tea awaiting clients to drink it.

The energy in the rooms alone were enough to change my mood and put my mind and body at peace. I couldn't wait to get in and see what kinds of treatments the owner/practitioner, Melina, was going to give me.

Melina has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Health Science, a Master of Science in Acupcunture, is a licensed Massage Therapist, a certified Clean Needle Technique Instructor, a certified Reiki Practitioner, and a certified Primordial Sound Meditation Healer.

Just to preface, I had been dealing with a lot of stress from my career and a few other things and it was affecting my sleep. I wasn't able to fall asleep most nights until 6-7AM and the other nights, I couldn't stay asleep throughout the night. I also have a bout of anxiety caused by my stress. Melina was super supportive and listened to my issues and took note of every single one of them before creating a plan to help me overcome them.

The first session I had with Melina was a guided meditation. I have always tried to meditate on my own, especially in the yoga classes I've taken, but I was never able to do it. Melina guided me through it and taught me some breathing and relaxation techniques, and I was finally able to! I felt very calm and at peace with myself through her guidance. I've practiced what she taught me at home for 10 minutes a day and it has really helped me with being able to fall asleep and stay asleep. The meditation also really helped me be mindful of my surroundings and the important people in my life and why they are part of my journey. This personal growth allowed me to let energy flow freely in my heart and mind. I guess this is what it means to open up your third eye!

Additionally, I purchased a bottle of lavender aromatherapy essential oil, which I spray over my bed every night and that has also helped me fall and stay asleep tremendously, without having to take any medication!

She has some really cool merchandise you can purchase that are related to her treatments. Along with her hand made essential oil, you can buy her hand made candles, herbal teas, and crystal healing jewelry.

Melina has also given me cupping treatments both on my back and on my face, and I have to say I felt so pampered by this treatment! Fire Cupping is an ancient treatment where heated glass cups are applied to your skin creating suction. Its a way to stimulate the flow of Qi or energy in your body. It feels like a deep tissue massage and is so amazing. Chinese treatment where heated glass cups are applied to your skin creating suction. Recently, Michael Phelps has been seen doing cupping before he competes in the pool during the Rio Olympics.

I've tried cupping before, but Melina has by far been the best experience I've had. The cupping on my back was a great massage treatment that helped me with some back pain, and it also helped me feel more revived as it released some of the toxins from my body and redistributed my energy flow. The facial cupping also helped me with some headaches and sinus issues I had. Its a great beauty treatment too! Its a good Eastern alternative to Botox since it helps regenerate natural collagen, firms up muscles and releases tension in your face.

In one of my sessions, I did acupressure treatments to tackle my issues with anxiety. I've avoided taking medication for my anxiety and just practiced breathing techniques to overcome it, but I knew I needed something more, so Melina suggested acupressure. I was a very hesitant at first because I have a really big fear of needles. I can't stand looking at them and thinking of them being on different places on my body for a long period of time is enough to heighten my anxiety even more, but Melina was really understanding of my phobia and helped me relax with breathing and meditating techniques. Because of her, I was able to calm down as she placed acupressure seeds on me and it made me feel at ease. She continued to be reassuring throughout the treatment. She knew the exact trigger points to use on my body to help me deal with my anxiety.

I also had some Reiki Energy Healing secession in order to balance my chi or Ki. Reiki is a rediscovered ancient root system by Mikao Usui in the 1800s. The curative qualities of Reiki has two principles: the cleansing of meridians where energy flows and balancing of the chakras to achieve a harmonious energy flow. Reiki is a Japanese medicinal technique where the therapist channels energy into the patient, sometimes using healing crystals to release negative energy. It activates the healing process in the body and restores physical and emotional well being. Usually when energies are low, you are more susceptible to stress and feeling sick. Melina also used crystals, light therapy, and Tibetan singing bowls to guide me through meditation at the same time, and I have to say, I have never felt more calm and happy than I did during that session.

After every session she conducts with a client, Melina does sage cleansing ritual to get rid of all the negative energy that is released from the clients body so that it does not linger in the office and create a stagnant environment that will affect the next client. The sage changes the ionic composition of the air and has a direct effect on reducing stress and is linked to creating a positive mood. Burning sage is one of the oldest and purest methods of cleansing a person or space. This practice has been shared in many cultures among thousands of years. When she taught me about this, I burned sage at my work and after doing it, 4 customers immediately walked in. It really works!

Healing Rituals also holds wellness workshops a few times a month where different teachers and speakers present different topics of alternative medicine. Previous workshops have included sessions on guided meditation, sufi dance classes, pranic healing, essential oil treatments, art therapy, and natural solutions. There is an upcoming workshop for a full moon drum circle coming soon and a tarot card reading workshop during Halloween time! I'm definitely going to try to make it to one of these, they seem really fun! The workshops are a really great way for those interested in learning about alternative medicine to get educated on it and it brings the community together.

My favorite part of my whole experience at Healing Rituals was that Melina was so open and knowledgeable and she explained every aspect of her treatments to me as she was doing them. She answered all my questions and taught me a lot about what the treatments were and what they do, and that is extremely important to me. I like to know exactly what is being done and what the treatments entail. I had five sessions with her and I began feeling effects after the very first one! Overall, my experience with Melina at Healing Rituals was so amazing and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone with any physical or mental issues who wants to treat them with alternative, Eastern medicine.

Healing Rituals is located at 2305 Florencita Ave. Montrose, CA 91020 and the phone number is (818) 636-1266. You can find more information and list of workshop schedules on their website, www.myhealingrituals.com, Facebook and Yelp pages.