Zoya Splash Summer 2020 Collection
Zoya just released its Summer 2020 collection, and it is everything I have ever dreamed of in a summer collection and I am ready to dive into this color palette. This new line-up from Zoya titled Splash features a variety of classic creams as well as a few micro-shimmers (obsessed). I think Eclipse just stole my heart. The collection will be available on the Zoya website on May 15, and let me tell you – I seriously cannot wait for this collection to drop. What do you think of Zoya\’s newest collection Splash? I personally cannot wait to try out Eclipse, Jodi, Emma, Maren and Harbor!
Zoya Summer 2020 SPLASH
These are Zoya\’s descriptions of each color, get ready to swoon!
Eclipse can best be described as a glistening silver with holographic rainbow sparkles. Wear her alone for a sheer wash of glimmer, or layer with any Zoya shade to make a colorful splash!
Jodi can best be described as a pale ice-cream pink cream.
Emma can best be described as a starfish coral cream with a touch of pink undertone.
Leilani can best be described as a glistening pink grapefruit with gold micro-shimmer.
Celi can best be described as a sweet cherry red with gold micro-shimmer.
Greta can best be described as a ripe tomato red cream.
Kristie can best be described as a deep magenta popsicle pink cream.
Jessica can best be described as an African violet cream.
Maren can best be described as a vibrant nautical blue cream.
Harbor can best be described as a tropical emerald sea green cream.
Fisher can best be described as a sun-kissed seafoam with a stunning gold micro-shimmer. A shade that is reminiscent of warm days on the beach.
Corinna can best be described as a naked blush with a kiss of golden sheen. A delicate and fresh – yet sexy neutral for Summer.
The Best M&M Cookies
Over the past several years, I have shared a variety of cookie recipes with you and recently realized that I have never shared my M&M Cookie recipes. I have made this recipe numerous times, and it\’s a favorite among friends and family, and with good reason, the crisp chewy edges, soft centers, and the fact that they are loaded with colorful M&M\’s make them absolutely delicious.
M&M\’s is always releasing special holiday colors, which makes these cookies perfect for any party or event. They\’d be perfect for any porch dropoff. Memorial Day is coming up, but since I haven\’t been able to find red, white and blue M&M\’s in stores yet, I decided to use some leftover pastel-colored M&M\’s that I had from Easter so I could share this amazing recipe with you.
Tips and tricks for making M&M Cookies
These cookies came with plenty of trial and error, that\’s why I am sharing all my tips and tricks with you.
1. Butter should be softened, but still cool to the touch. Butter that is too soft will lead to your cookies spreading too much in the oven.
2. Use brown sugar that is soft and fresh. Brown sugar is the key ingredient in helping these cookies be chewy.
3. Do not over bake. The goal with these cookies is crisp edges and soft centers. You do NOT want to wait until the cookies look done to take them out of the oven. Remove them from the oven just prior to them being done and they will finish cooking as they cool on the baking sheet.
4. Mix SOME of the M&M\’s into the batter. Press the rest onto the tops of the cookies right before baking.
Pro Tip: When you are pressing the M&M\’s into the tops of your cookie dough balls, do NOT press so hard that you flatten the dough balls. When you put the cookies into the oven they should still be ball-shaped.
How to Make thick or thin M&M cookies
The amount of cookie dough you scoop will affect whether your cookies come out thicker or thinner.
Thick M&M Cookies or Thin M&M Cookies
How big you scoop your cookie dough affects whether your cookies come out thinner or thicker. Play around until you figure out the perfect cookie for you.
How to make thick cookies
Thick cookies require a generous portion of cookies dough. If I am looking to do thicker cookies I like to do about 2-2.5 tablespoons or something a little larger than a golf ball size amount. As the cookies bake they will spread, but the center will remain thicker than the edges. If you want the cookie to be thicker in general, when you remove them from the oven, gently press the edges of the cookie inward to help thicken them.
Pro Tip: If you want a thicker/puffier cookie refrigerate the dough for one hour before baking.
How to make thin cookiesThin cookies require a small portion of dough. I typically like to use about one tablespoon for my thinner cookies. As they bake they will spread a bit thinner.
Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies
Ingredients
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter; softened but still cool
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed make sure it\’s fresh and soft
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1.5 cups M&M\’s or a mixture of M&M\’s and chocolate chips divided
Directions1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat butter and both sugars for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
5. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined.
6. On low speed, add in flour mixture, mix until just combined.
7. Gently stir in M&M\’s.
8. Scoop balls of dough in your desired size onto the prepared baking sheets – leave room for spreading.
9. Press some M&M\’s into the top of each cookie.
10. Bake for 8-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set but the center is slightly underbaked. If you want a crispier cookie you will want to bake longer.
11. Place on wire baking racks to cool.
Baking time will need to be adjusted based on the side of your cookies.
How to Make Banana Bread
Banana bread is something you can make any time, you just need a few bananas that have gone soft and gotten spotty, or maybe they\’ve turned black. You can make it with a mixer or with a fork, in a loaf pan or in a muffin tin. Sometimes I don\’t eat through all the bananas I buy, so I will individually freeze them in snack size baggies so I can use them in smoothies or to make banana bread anytime.
One of my friends and I were recently on the phone and she said she was going to make banana bread for her family while. She quickly whipped it up while we were on the phone. I quickly followed suit and pulled out some bananas from the freezer to thaw out.
Here is a very basic, delicious, and no-fail recipe. This banana bread will quickly fill your home with its delicious aroma and have you wanting to dive into a warm slice of fresh-baked banana bread as soon as it exits the oven.
Let\’s talk about the most important part of banana bread – the bananas.
The only requirement is your bananas should be ripe. Once the skins start to develop spots and the fruit has become soft they\’re perfect for banana bread. Allowing your bananas to ripen even longer – until the skins are brown/black and the banana falls apart when you peel it will make your bread have a stronger and richer banana flavor – which is what I actually prefer.
Mashing bananas
Personally, I like to leave some banana chunks in my bread and I also like the one-bowl simplicity of mashing the bananas directly into the batter. If you against chunks and like your bananas to be completely smooth, I recommend mashing them separately.
Banana Bread
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
4 medium bananas mashed
1/2 cup oil (I used vegetable oil)
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts, dried cherries… etc of your choice
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a loaf or line a muffin tin with liners.
3. In a large bowl mix sugar, bananas, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Stir in the almond milk and vinegar.
5. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring until moistened.
6. Stir in your extra ingredients if you choose to.
7. Pour into muffin cups or loaf pans, leaving room for it to rise.
8. Bake muffin for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Bake loaves of banana bread for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Enjoy once you\’ve given it some time to cool.
Emma Erla Design Co
With or without a pandemic I am a huge fan of supporting local businesses, especially small businesses, and Etsy shops. I recently discovered Emma Erla Design Co., which is home to the cutest Big \’O\’ Wristlets, Keychains, and more. The best part is Emma Erla Design Co. is based in Michigan!
If you know me you know that I absolutely love cutesy accessories, so you can imagine my excitement when I discovered the Emma Erla Design Co. Etsy shop. My favorite accessory is the Big \’O\’ Wristlet. When it comes to keychains I am all about function, I love once that you can hang off your wrist, and this wristlet definitely steps up the keychain game. The Big \’O\’ Wristlet fits up your arm and living in Michigan with the current state of things, I am absolutely obsessed with it! When I go grocery shopping I attach my little \”wallet\” (it only fits my license and a charge card) to the jump ring alongside my keys. I keep the keychain high up on my arm and can easily access everything when I go to checkout and get back to my chair. The Big \’O\’ Wristlet definitely takes away a little bit of stress that comes with going grocery shopping while living in a hot zone.
The beaded keychains at Emma Erla Design Co. are simple yet chic. You can find anything from keychains that channel a Michigan woodland area or something as bright as a sunset. Whatever kind of simple keychain you\’re looking for Emma Erla Design Co is sure to have one to match your style.
With everything going on (here in Michigan we are still on a massive shutdown), I wanted to do something to send friends some positive vibes and thought that a keychain would be perfect. With the wide variety, Emma Erla Design Co. offers I have been able to find keychains that match all my girlfriend\’s personalities from the dessert dweller to the unicorn lover.
Why not spread some positive vibes and brighten your girlfriends days with a goodie from Emma Erla Design Co. on Etsy!
Stay up to date with all the new Emma Erla Design Co. releases on Instagram or visit her Etsy shop to get your shop on.
31 Things to Do in May (Quarantine Edition)
And just like that May has arrived. While some states are starting to lift their stay-at-home orders, Michigan is still in a state of emergency and was are 50 days as of tomorrow in quarantine. I know that spending time at home is getting to be difficult – trust me I am struggling probably more than you are. However, I will gladly stay safe at home if it means that loved ones are not being buried. This month\’s installment of my Things to Do serious will be another quarantine addition. It\’s a new month and a new opportunity to learn something new, discover what inspires you, and of course, catch up on your favorite shows. I hope you are all doing well safe at home and enjoy these 31 things to do in May.
1. Bring back the tradition of May Day. Gather flowers, candies, and other goodies to put in a \”basket\” and leave at your friends, family and neighbors doorstep. This is a tradition that everyone could use right now.
2. Commit to get ready each and every day. With losing my job, my motivation has been less than stellar. In fact, it\’s been abysmal. On Thursday I decided to get it together and get dressed, that\’s right I put on jeans. Even though I have nowhere to go I just feel better when I get dressed.
3. Take a walk and check out all of the spring blooms that are starting to pop up.
4. \’May the Fourth Be With You!\’ Happy Star Wars Day! Celebrate by watching your favorite Star Wars movie.
5. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with tacos or nachos.
6. Hop on the House Party app and play games with friends.
7. It\’s National Tourism Day! While we may not be able to travel right now it\’s the perfect opportunity for you to plan a trip. I am thinking of car camping this year, so I am planning on doing some midwest travel if we end up getting released back into the wild.
8. Head to the nursery and grab some flowers, vegetables, and herbs to create your own garden.
9. If you haven\’t made bread yet, are you really even in quarantine? I posted my fool proof dutch oven no knead artisan bread. With only five ingredients it\’s the easiest recipe you will make!
10. Happy Mother\’s Day to all the mama\’s out there!
11. Have a cooking night with friends! Hop on zoom and have everyone make their favorite pizza and show it!
12. Create the ultimate s\’mores dessert board and have a campfire.
13. Don\’t forget to grab sunscreen and bug spray the next time you\’re at the store.
14. Take a relaxing bubble bath and just enjoy some \”me time.\”
15. Grab some carryout from your favorite local restaurant.
16. Don\’t forget to continue to support local!
17. Start a DIY project. I just made myself a scrunchie and Jack a matching bandana.
18. Go through your closet and bag up the clothing you no longer wear.
19. Give yourself a pedicure so your feet are ready to hit the streets or the backyard in flip flops.
20. Surprise a friend or family member with a delicious porch delivery.
21. Don\’t forget your pet needs loving too. Give them a bath, make them their favorite treat or give them extra belly rubs.
22. Try a new color of nail polish on your nails.
23. Have you started a new hobby yet? If not, what are you waiting for? I\’m currently looking for a fun cross-stitch kit to try.
24. Plan your dream vacation. Start budgeting, pricing out hotels, flights and experiences. Find out when the perfect time to go is and create a Pinterest board to back up the adventure. I am going to work on planning out a trip to Iceland and Banff!
25. Make a fun summer salad to enjoy outside.
26. Set aside no screen time. While on hikes I am keeping my phone in my pack so I can just enjoy the moment.
27. Send a handwritten card to someone to let them know that you\’re thinking about them.
28. Turn your bedroom into a hotel and bake some DoubleTree signature chocolate chip cookies.
29. Experiment in the kitchen and come up with a new recipe. I create this Hawaiian Fried Rice and I am literally obsessed.
30. Organize that room that you have been putting off.
31. I don\’t know what life will be like today, what kind of quarantine we will be in, but I do know this has taught me that life is precious and you never know what tomorrow will bring. Spread positivity energy and love to everyone you see. Even though we are all walking around the grocery store wearing a mask and you cannot see someone smile. Saying \”hello\” goes a long way and can completely change someone\’s day. I hope you all are doing well and I will see you tomorrow for the June edition of Things to Do – hopefully, it will involve some \”normal\” life.
Fashion meets Food 