Chambre de Sucre

The lovely Kathy of Chambre de Sucre was so lovely as to send me a generous amount of samples. When she contacted me, I was excited. I drink tea almost daily, if not multiple times a day and even though most of the time I prefer it unsweetened, there are those days when I do need a little sugar fix.

The sugars from Chambre de Sucre are the most exquisite and delicate sugar fix you could ever get your hands on. Each type of sugar I was sent was beautiful and perfect. I never thought I'd describe sugar as such, but visit their site and you'll see how adorable everything is. Perfect for tea parties or get togethers with your girlfriends.

Anyways, I just love getting sent such beautiful products! Gives me the opportunity to shoot the heck out of them and then devour them afterwards - what a good deal.

I decided that the best match for such beautiful sugar was my most delicate tea, rose tea!

Their rock sugars were my favorite. I just love the rawness and natural look of it.

Visit their website here.

Current Favorites

this man's voice is impossible to forget - it's soulful and deep and probably why he is the only person on earth who could cover an etta james song with as much power and soul as etta herself. his debut album, produced by diplo & switch is amazing, to say the least. the bass in all the songs just emphasizes the emotion in his voice.

hummingbird

up all night 

caroline

damn your eyes (etta james cover)

frank ocean is an amazement. he's 23, for one and has been writing songs for the likes of justin beiber, john legend, beyonce and more. what i most love about him is how when signed to a major label, who ignored his talent, he decided to release his album himself on tumblr for free! now if that isn't endearing and openly heartfelt, i don't know what is. to top it off, his music is amazing.

strawberry swing

thinking about you

pyrite {pdex remix}

sbtrkt is a producer from london who perfectly mixes electronic music with soul. it's dance-y but slow and has a whole lot of feeling. he wears a mask out of anonimity, because he prefers to let his music speak for itself and because he's not a social person, which i can totally relate to! i just love the concept.

hold on {slavish cold as ice remix}

wildfire ft. little dragon 

never never

trials of the past

special features aka eden anderson is a newly born dj and house producer who also hails from london. his remixes are just gold and i love the liveliness he adds to all of these tracks - especially to strobe. it is amazing!

calvin harris . feel so close (special features remix)

deadmau5 . strobe (special features remix)

avicii & david guetta . sunshine (special features remix)

{links are to where you can download the songs // not hosted by me}

Chocolate Éclair Cake

I love anything that has to do with custard, as you know well by now. It's just the perfect food; creamy, sweet, so unctuous! I've been wanting to make this Chocolate Éclair Cake for a while, but I was kind of iffy about all of the processed products in it and whether or not it would turn out tasty. Despite my own cautions about the cake, there were numerous glowing reviews about how easy and how incredibly delicious this cake is... so I went ahead and bit the bullet!

This icebox cake is everything everyone says it is. First, it's easy as hell, I mean seriously, all you have to do is assemble the dang thing, then let is rest in the refrigerator overnight. Secondly, and most importantly, it's effing delicious!!! Yes, I had to use multiple exclamation points because it is so yummy. It's custardy and rich and chocolatey all at the same time. 

I went ahead and did myself a favor by using all low-fat or sugar-free products to reduce my caloric intake. Something so luxurious to begin with can get away with shedding a few unneeded indulgences. Magically, this concoction does taste like an eclair, and if you love them, you must try this recipe! Something to note, the chocolate frosting makes the cake extremely sweet, so I suggest using a chocolate ganache instead, unless you like sticky sweet desserts.

Chocolate Éclair Cake

Yields: about 15 - 20 servings

Original recipe here.

1 package low-fat graham crackers

2 packages (3.4 oz.) sugar-free instant French vanilla pudding

8 oz. package fat-free Cool Whip

3 cups nonfat milk

16 oz. can chocolate frosting (or homemade chocolate ganache)

In a large bowl, mix together the milk and pudding mix until well combined, then fold in the Cool Whip. Arrange the graham crackers in a single layer in the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish (you may need to break some crackers to fit the dish). Top with a layer of the pudding mixture (about 1 cm thick), then top with another layer of graham crackers. Continue this process until you finish the graham crackers. Spread the chocolate frosting or homemade ganache over the top of the last layer of graham crackers. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours and up to overnight before serving.

Jägerhaus {Anaheim, CA}

I haven't ever had German food really, so when my cousin told me there was an authentic hole-in-the-wall restaurant near us, we had to go immediately! After a grueling, mud-filled run through the ROC race, we were ready for a huge meal... and what better way to fill our stomachs than with tons of sausage, German pancakes and spaetzle. 

I didn't have my camera on hand, so I hope these Instagram pictures will do - what would the world do without our ever handy cell phones huh? Anyways look at that gorgeous thing above! It's the traditional German pancake, served simply with powdered sugar and lemons. It was beyond! Unlike any pancake because first, it was ginormous, and second, it was deliciously crispy... still dreaming about it.

I chose to get schnitzel with a mushroom cream sauce and spaetzle. It was definitely what I was craving - full of flavor and carbs. The spaetzle wasn't the best I've tried because it tasted like it had been cooked and re-heated but it still hit the spot.

My dish also came with a side of sauerkraut. I thought I would have like it but I've come to the conclusion that I don't enjoy sauerkraut as much as I'd thought. My sister enjoyed it so it was probably some damn good sauerkraut. 

This place is famous for their homemade plum jam so I knew I had to steal some from my friend since my dish didn't come with any. Good idea on my part because it was AMAZING. So fresh and not too sweet. Wow, plum jam, I'm just in love with you. 

Yum, yum. Overall, I really enjoyed this place. It's home-y, no frills at all, which I enjoyed a lot. 

Yelp

Website

Manicure Mondays

Ah! Favorite bad-ass manicure ever - and it's not as hard as it looks!

Basically all you have to do it paint your nails a base color, in my case, black, then wait for it to dry completely. And I mean, completely because if you don't the base color will peel off. I like to wear the base color for a day or two before doing the second step of this manicure. 

To create the stripe pattern, cut some scotch tape into thin strips with some scissors. Apply in any pattern you like. I've done horizontal stripes, vertical stripes, but this time I wanted to go all out and do a diagonal v-pattern. Make sure to press down on the tape to make sure it is secured. Paint the second color on top and pull off the tape immediately. Let dry for a minute or so, then apply topcoat and you are done!

{what i used}

CND stickey anchoring base coat

Wet n' Wild black creme

ORLY luxe

Seche Vite dry fast topcoat

Tailored Tuesday & Travel

1. Sass & Bide 'The walk metallic open-knit linen sweater'

gosh i love this dearly.

2. Kain 'Washed silk tank'

basics.

3. Marni 'Studded leather shoulder bag'

at first glance, i thought this bag looked kinda weird. looking at it more and more... i kinda like it.

4. J. Crew 'Deena twill shorts'

gah such a pretty color!

5. Military of Switzerland 'Rucksack'

i love myself a good backpack.

6. Paloma Barcelo 'Brussel metallic leather multi-strap sandals'

would match almost everything!

7. Veer 'Woodgrain iphone skin'

lovely!

8. Forever 21 'Travel kit'

i love these things - perfect for overnight trips and the perfect size for carry-on airplane liquids!

9. Sennheiser 'HD 25-1 II'

music is a great companion. good headphones make that bond even stronger.

10. Forever 21 'Glittered makeup brushes'

pure fun.

11. Forever 21 'Polka dot nail file trio'

for those pesky nail snags.

12. Cle de Peau Beaute 'Concealer'

supposedly the best... hmmm i am intrigued. 

13. Nars 'Nail polish in schiap'

sassy in a bottle.

14. John Freida 'Funky Chunky'

this is discontinued but i used to love this stuff! perfect bed head product.

15. Urban Decay 'All nighter long-lasting makeup setting spray'

sweating off all your makeup a problem? this can help.

16. Modcloth 'Travel adapter'

for the savvy traveler.

{rainbow stairs, germany}

awesome.

{sedona, arizona}

must visit soon... so close...

{garvin gardens, arkansas}

ummm can i get married here?

{argentina}

whatttt? i went to argentina... wish i saw this!

{world's largest tree house, tennessee}

who is the genius that made this?!

{tulip fields, holland}

amazing!

{brazil}

beach party!!!

{hong kong}

i want to sail in one of those gorgeous red boats on this gorgeous water!

{roatan, honduras}

the sea always has a way of putting me in a good mood.

German Chocolate Cake

I haven't done a food post in ages! I miss them but recently I haven't had the urge to bake, let alone take photos of it all. Since I was 'forced' to bake for my godfather's birthday, why not at least take a photo of what ended up to be a beautiful cake. Well, forced sounds horrible, I was happy to make the cake but it was however, under deadline... eek! 

To be honest, I'm not the hugest fan of German chocolate cake. I love chocolate cake. I love chocolate cream cheese frosting. I love coconut and I love pecans. But the combination of all of those things together just does not do it for me for some reason.

So when I tell you I didn't like this cake, please don't be discouraged or swayed away from trying this recipe! I made it for my dear Godfather's birthday and he loves German chocolate cake. That being said, he said this was one of the best ones he's ever had. I can't tell you if he was saying that to be sweet to me  or if it was true, but since he's a pretty honest man, I think it's probably true - whew! Let me just say though, the cake alone was fabulously moist and the frosting was deliciously smooth and tangy.

German Chocolate Cake

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Original recipe here.

For the chocolate cake:

1 box Devil's food cake

3 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

For the German chocolate frosting:

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

For the chocolate buttercream:

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsn. milk or cream, if needed

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two muffin tins with liners, set aside. In a large bowl, combine the oil, eggs and vanilla. Sift about 1/3 of the cake mix and mix until combined. Add the buttermilk and stir until combined. Add another 1/3 of the cake mix, stir to combine. Add the sour cream, then the remaining cake mix and stir until combined. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 18 - 22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

  

To make the frosting, over medium heat in a saucepan, constantly stir the evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks and butter until thickened (basically until it boils, about 15 minutes). Stir in the vanilla, pecans and coconut. Let cool. To make the chocolate buttercream, beat the cream cheese and butter for 4 minutes, add the cocoa, powdered sugar and vanilla. Let beat for 3 minutes. If it is too thick, add some milk. If it is too thin, add some more powdered sugar. Pipe the chocolate buttercream along the edges of the cooled cupcakes to create a barrier, then add a small scoop of cooled German chocolate frosting into the center. 

Video(s) of the Week

You might know Duck Sauce from their 'Barbara Streisand' fame, but I think this new video is ridiculously hilarious and deserves equal amount of fame! A-trak (half of the Duck Sauce group) said that the 'Big Bad Wolf' could refer to anything really so why not go all out and turn them into crotchfaces? Amazing concept to say the least. 

Deadmau5's shows are more than just a concert, they're a whole production! Witnessing it first hand was a whole body experience. Seeing how much effort goes into producing an his concerts is totally awesome.

I loveeee this song, as previously stated here, and the video is so, so perfect. It's completely emotional and reminds me a lot of Skins, a show I was addicted to for a while...

Layer Cake Bakery {Irvine}

I'm always on the prowl for a good French macaron. I've successfully made them myself probably three out of ten times, so buying them is definitely a better option for me haha! I'd love to perfect my technique sometime in the future but realistically, if I want a French macaron, I'm best off buying them.

I decided to visit Layer Cake Bakery in Irvine because I'd heard from multiple people about how great their macarons are. I was happy to finally hear that I could get a macaron in Orange County rather than having to travel miles to Los Angeles for my favorite 'Lette macarons. 

Above is a canelé, which I've been trying to try for years. I wanted to make them myself a while ago after coming across them online - they sounded delicious, chewy and custardy... how could I not want to eat them? I couldn't make them because I didn't have the proper pans, so I pushed them out of my radar but the instant I saw them in this bakery, I was so happy!

The canelé was awesome - exactly as I imagined. So crispy and crunchy on the outside and fabulously chewy on the inside.

Now on to the main event: the macarons! These were pretty darn good and I've come across many macarons in my day. They were the perfect crispy-chewy texture and the fillings were smooth and sweet. Being that I'm picky, the fillings though weren't my favorite because I'm not the biggest fan of buttercream fillings in French macarons. I much prefer ganache but don't get me wrong, these were still amazing!

Yelp

Website

Manicure Mondays: The Accent Nail

Sometimes I like to keep my manicures simple but on the other hand, have this urge to glitterize everything. The accent nail is the answer to this problem. Sometimes a full 10 fingers of glitter is too much for everyday life and something I like to save for things like... Vegas! But... one glitter nail? Oooooh so pretty!

{what i used}

CND stickey anchoring base coat

Essie tart deco (for the main color)

ORLY luxe (for the accent nail)

Milani jewel fx specialty nail laquer in gold (for the accent nail)

Seche Vite dry fast topcoat