Chevron Nails & Gelato

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Yesterday was the perfect day to just walk around the city (I work in New Haven) and stop by the local market and indulge in some delicious Sicilian pistachio gelato.  It was perfect.  I love working in New Haven, lots of great markets, restaurants, and the Yale campus (pictured above) is so beautiful.  Oh, and my chevron mani made me smile too.  It’s the little things. 🙂

Xo,

Jamie

Ladies’ Slumber Pary

One of my favorite memories as a kid was getting all my best friends together, playing truth or dare, putting kool-aid in each other’s hair, and eating junk food. It’s time to bring the slumber party back. Grab a bunch of girls, food, pink champagne, do eachother’s nails and gossip about boyfriends, husbands, friends, work, etc! Here is some inspiration & two *skinny* recipes for your slumber party since our metabolisms can’t handle the Doritos and cupcakes like when we were 16 ❤

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Dunkaroo Dip Recipe:
1 (18.9 oz) box Funfetti cake mix
2 cups fat-free plain yogurt
1 cup lite Cool Whip
Fat-free animal crackers

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, plain yogurt and Cool Whip until completely combined and you see no more lumps. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill for about 4 hours. Garnish with additional sprinkles if desired and serve with animal crackers, enjoy!

Pink Popcorn Recipe:
4 L popped popcorn
2 cups sugar
1/2 small box red Jell-O gelatin powder
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. butter (or non-hydrogenated margarine if you want it dairy-free)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Put the popped popcorn in a large bowl, carefully picking out any unpopped kernels. (I do this by popping into one bowl and shaking the bowl back and forth a bit, then lightly scooping out the popcorn with my hands into another, leaving the unpopped kernels in the bottom.) Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line one or two rimmed baking sheets with foil.
(recipe from http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com)

In a medium saucepan (with room for the mixture to at least double in size), bring the sugar, Jell-O, water and butter to a boil. Once fully boiling cook for 4 minutes without stirring, swirling the bowl occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and soda. Pour over the popcorn and toss with tongs to coat completely.

Spread out onto the baking sheets and bake, stirring once or twice, for an hour. Set aside to cool, then break into chunks. Makes about 16 cups.

Ticket Giveaway

WizofVaz
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One of CT’s biggest events is right around the corner The Wizards of Vaz at the beautiful Society room in Hartford on March 21st. There will be something for everyone at this event from sampling delicious Smirnoff Sorbet cocktails, Alex & Ani’s bangle bar, wine tastings, delicious local restaurant sampling, and so much more! “*Fabulous Goodie Bags”, complimentary henna & psychic readings, cocktail sips from and sample tastings are just part of the magical night.

Here is some more info on the event:

The Wizards of VAz
Thur March 21, 2013.. 4 – 9pm
21+, ID Required

*Goodie Bags are for attendees who purchase tickets through http://www.vazinfo.com/vaz/events/vaz-beauty-night-out/
Partial proceeds are donated to ACT http://www.ctaidscoalition.org
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You also have a chance to win a pair of tickets to Wizard of Vaz. Contest is March 3- Thursday March 14th!! Winner will be announced Friday March 15th! To Enter:

1. Follow Vaz and Candystiletto on twitter and tweet us using #WizofVaz https://twitter.com/VAzFemFabFun on twitter
https://twitter.com/CandyStiletto on twitter
2. Like Candy Stilettos on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Candy-Stilettos/150508041679864?fref=ts

Good luck everyone!

XO,
Jamie

Comfort Soup

Lately is seems that everyone around me is feeling under the weather. I have been popping my Airbourne and carrying hand sanitizer wherever I go in an attempt to stay healthy. When you are feeling sick or even just chilly like a snow day like today in New England, soup can be so comforting. As most of you know, I am obsessed with Pho soup and think it’s perfect for a day like today- it’s not your plain old chicken noodle soup! the recipe below is the stove top recipe but I love Pho in the crockpot. You can combine all ingredients in the crock pot, slow cook for about 5-7 hours and add noodles after.

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Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/4th tsp salt

6 cups chicken broth

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

3 green onions, sliced

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 baby bok choy, chopped

5 oz chinese noodles (about half a package)

sriracha sauce for serving

chopped cilantro for serving

Directions:

Heat the sesame oil over medium high heat in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add the minced garlic and ginger and briefly saute for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and bok choy, sprinkle with salt, and saute for another three minutes until chicken has turned white but not completely cooked all the way through.

Add the chicken broth, jalapeno and green onions to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes until chicken is done.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles in boiling salted water, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Add the rice vinegar and soy sauce and stir. You can add a little more salt if you like, but taste first because soy sauce already contains a lot of salt! Add the noodles to the pot and serve with chopped cilantro and sriracha sauce on the side.

Destination Wedding ❤

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{me&Ryan on the beach}

In mid-December, I went on an amazing trip to Punta Cana, Domincan Republic to attend my cousin’s weddig on the beach. It was a phenomenal trip and beautiful wedding. I was so lucky to get some beautiful photographs and to my delight, there was a rainbow right after the ceremony.. a beautiful picteresque nackground for the beauitful couple!

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{the beautiful bride}

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