Rail Europe: A Review

Having a car is completely unnecessary when traveling around Europe. Pretty much all of the cities are connected via rail all over Europe. It can be very confusing though to know what type of rail passes you might need when traveling.I tried looking into and researching rail passes before we went and I couldn’t really make heads or tails of all the different types of  passes out there. That’s when I found Rail Europe. Through their website you can look into rail passes and train tickets. They also have a plethora of articles regarding rail travel through Europe answering a lot of questions you might have.You can book your tickets through them two different ways. You can call one of their travel agents who will discuss your trip with you and find the best passes for your particular trip. Or if you already know which passes you need you can go directly online and book your own tickets. There is a service fee if you book through the travel agent, but it is really an excellent way to figure out what you need if you’re unfamiliar with rail travel. They also mail the physical tickets to you, we received ours within three days of placing our order.If you’re planning a European vacation in the future I would highly suggest using RailEurope for booking your train tickets. Their travel agents are highly knowledgeable and have often traveled on the routes they are suggesting to you. You won’t regret using them for your European train tickets!

European Adventure Photo Recap: Pt. 2

European Adventure Photo Recap: Pt. 1

Chocolate Nest Cupcakes

I wanted to do something a little different for Easter this year. So I decided to make little chocolate cupcake nests. This is a really neat little baking project that is sure to impress your guests without a whole lot of time and energy investment.I doubled the measurements below intending to have two dozen cupcakes for Alex to take to work. However, I only had one bag of Cadbury eggs, so that resulted in a little over a half a dozen cupcakes ending up with green sanding sugar (or grass as I liked to think of it). I think this combination really complimented each other. It had a really light, spring feel to it when I was putting them in the storage container. If you’re only planning to make one dozen cupcakes you should have plenty of mini-eggs with just one bag.This is the absolute best chocolate frosting you will ever taste…no I’m convinced of that. I’ve found that whenever I try to make a chocolate frosting it ends up being grainy or not really tasting chocolaty enough. This is not the case with this frosting recipe though. The combination of flavors really makes the chocolate pop and it is absolutely not grainy at all.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:186]Source: Cake adapted from: Kiss my Bundt – Chrysta Wilson

Seven Layer Bars

 Alex had been requesting these from me for several weeks before I finally got around to making them. For some reason the idea of nuts and coconut just really appealed to him. I made a few tweaks to this recipe, like always, to give it my own flair. It also helped that I didn’t have all the traditional ingredients like I thought I did. These would make an amazing and easy dessert for any Easter celebration this weekend.This is a chocolate-peanut butter version of Seven Layer Bars. Since I only had chocolate graham crackers and peanut butter chips I decided it would be best just to embrace it and make these a combination of chocolate and peanut butter. Alex has requested that I get the ingredients for traditional seven layer bars so I’m sure you’ll see that in the future.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:185]

Red Apple Lipstick Eye Shadow: A Review

I discovered Red Apple Lipstick several months back, I even wrote a review on several of their lipsticks. Today though, I wanted to talk about one of the other products RAL has, their eye shadow. I have two different shades, one I purchased and one I received in a subscription box. I have the colors Violette Femme and Down to Earth.I’m not crazy about the formulation of these pressed shadows. I’ve been on a quest to sample a lot of different pressed shadows in order to find the fantastic ones, and these just don’t quite measure up to some of the others I have. I would prefer the pigmentation to be a little heavier and there to be less fall-out when applying the shadow. However, I do plan to order another shadow or two of the lighter colors since RAL has some unique offerings.One thing I do love about these shadows is their blendability. On the occasion that I do use these shadows I am just overly impressed by their ability to blend with the other shadows on my eyes. These also do last pretty well when I use a primer on my eyelids. If I don’t use a primer I find these shadows tend to wear off pretty quickly.Red Apple Lipstick has some really fantastic products. Check out my earlier review of their lipsticks for some great suggestions. I also highly suggest RAL’s Ralley Balm. It has been a lip saver this winter. If you’re on the market for some pressed shadows though I’d skip these and just purchase the ones from Root.

Crockpot Lemon and Pepper Chicken

I’d been interested in making a lemon and pepper chicken for a while but it was a tad bit scary looking at working with such a strong flavor as lemon. I wanted to do the flavor combination justice, but I was just really nervous to try. However, I finally just decided it was time and went out and found a recipe. I of course adapted it to fit with my personal tastes and time schedule, but I think it turned out fairly well.This recipe calls for a boatload of lemon juice. I actually used fresh squeezed lemon juice and I think that really amped up the overall flavor of the dish. However, if I were to make this dish again and were using fresh juice, I would decrease it by 1/3 to half since lemon juice is very tart. If you’re using bottled juice you’re going to need the entire ½ cup to get the flavor of the dish to come through.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:184]Source: Adapted from Recipe Critic

Twice Baked Potatoes

Baked potatoes are one of my absolute favorite foods. You can make them pretty much any way you like and they are still amazing. I only make this specific recipe on very special occasions since it has so much butter, sour cream and cream. But seriously, this is a fantastic recipe!This would make a great nontraditional dish for your Easter celebration. If you’re tired of the same old mashed potatoes this would be a way to spice up a dish you might be tired of having since you make it several times a year.The amount of milk called for in this recipe is just enough to soften the mixture up. If you add too much the potatoes will be runny and if you don’t add enough they will end up being pretty hard. It really just depends on your personal consistency preference. I typically put in more milk since I like my potatoes pretty soft and squishy. However, I know people who prefer the potato chunks so they would choose to put less milk in. Its really up to the cook. You can also use heavy cream instead of milk to give the recipe a fuller taste.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:183]

Hearty Chili

I make this for Alex at least once a month since it is one of his favorite dishes. However, he always does the seasoning since I “don’t make it spicy enough”. This is a very malleable recipe. You can make it sweeter, spicier or in between.  The directions for this recipe are all spices to your own particular taste. We tend to go heavy on the chili powder, cumin and siracha. But if your taste buds don’t like super spicy things you could go heavier on other things.With the quantities I’ve listed below you can either feed a small army, or you can have leftovers for a week. Since this is an easy dish to reheat Alex loves taking it to work for lunch. It also freezes really nicely if you get tired of it before you finish the leftovers. ;)[amd-yrecipe-recipe:182]

Chocolate Guinness Cake

During our trip to Ireland we had lunch in this amazing little café right at the bottom of Dun Aonghasa. We followed up our lunch with a piece of the most amazing cake ever. Before we left Alex asked for the recipe and the happily gave it to us.  When we later talked to our host she just raved about the cake and how popular it was with everyone on the island. She mentioned that she makes this cake for pretty much every special occasion. I thought it would be the perfect recipe to post here on St Patrick’s day!This is one of the most incredible cakes I’ve ever had. It is dense, moist and very chocolaty. The light cream cheese frosting on top pairs so incredibly well with the cake you’ll think you’ve gone to heaven. This is the perfect cake for any sort of St Patrick’s Day celebration. I’ve used the Guinness Extra Stout for this recipe. However, we were told in Ireland that you can pretty much use whatever Stout you have on hand, but it’s better with Guinness!As you’ll notice below, I’ve left this cake in weight measurements. This is because you can get excellent, repeatable results with baking by weight. I actually prefer baking this way since the results are so absolutely predictable. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, or don’t want to bake by weight a simple google search on conversions will let you change the recipe.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:181]Source: Adapted from Nigella Lawson

Brija Cosmetics: A Review

Brija Cosmetics is the brainchild of the lovely Brianna. She founded Brija in 2013 and has turned it into a very successful company along with running her YouTube channel.  They have many different collections for you to choose from with many different colors and finishes. They also have recently started to offer a few skincare products through her Brija Skin line.I’ve made several orders from Brija over the last few months. Several of the products I’ve gotten from this company have become staples in my routine.  Brija offers blushes (loose and cream), bronzers, highlighters (loose and creams), eye shadows, lipstick and lip jelly. They also have several different eye primers, a lip balm and an eye balm.The eye shadows, blushes, bronzer and highlighters are all loose products.  The regular size products come with a sifter, the mini-products do not. The sample sized products come in a small plastic baggie.  All of the products are made without any nasty chemical ingredients, are non-toxic and very clean! You also receive a free gift with any purchase over $15 that is an unreleased or special release product.The color payoff of the loose shadows is average. While I don’t feel there is anything overtly special about the Brija shadows over any other green beauty loose shadows, I do enjoy the color offerings Brija has. However, I don't find myself reaching for loose shadows very often at the moment, I've mostly been a pressed powder sort of girl the last few months.I do however, love the fact Brija's collections are named after movies or TV shows. I love being able to say I have the Downton Abbey collection, Wanderlust collection and half of the Gilmore Girls collection. I think it’s a very exciting way to come up with a collection and unique to Brija. I’m very excited to receive her Alice in Wonderland inspired spring subscription bag, especially since that is the show I’m currently working on.One product I’ve come to absolutely adore is the Organic Eye Balm. I’d been looking for the perfect green beauty eye cream or balm for awhile before Brija released theirs. It is incredibly hydrating and I find my very dark under-eye circles are almost erased in the morning when I use this product. If you struggle with dark circles under your eyes I would suggest trying this product. It has made a huge difference for me (like not having to use concealer under my eyes difference) in the time I’ve been using it.Another staple of my makeup routine has become the Brija Eye Wax. This is a sticky base for your eyeshadows that really helps amp up their color and staying power. I always use this product now under any eyeshadow. It helps the shadows stay all day long and it also makes them brighter.There have been two of the loose products that I’ve really fallen in love with, these are the You Know Who… highlighter and the Sunrise Highlighting Powder. Both of them make for incredible highlights. I also find that they have a more silvery base so they seem to show up better on my skin tone and don’t wash me out as much. Both of these highlighters are must try products in my opinion.Brija is an excellent company. My one complaint is that it takes so long to get your order (2-3 weeks) since it is just Brianna. Every time I’m SO excited to get my order and it just kills me to have to wait so long for it. However, they do say that perfection cannot be rushed! And in the case of Brija Cosmetics I completely agree. This is one green beauty company you’ve got to try!

Bourbon Banana Bread

I saw this recipe online and thought I absolutely had to try making it! So after figuring out how to find bourbon at the store (I’d never had to purchase bourbon before) I got right down to making it. I’ve made several small changes to the original recipe to make it more like the normal banana bread I make.This is a recipe in preparation for St Patrick’s day. Come back on Thursday for one of the most amazing (actually Irish) recipes I’ve ever had! I’ve realized that I actually enjoy baking with spirits, it lends the baked goods extra moisture and flavor. The bourbon in this recipe really pairs well with the banana. The chocolate I’ve added also give an additional touch of sweetness that I personally love in banana bread.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:180]Source: Adapted from Baking Bites

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

Happy Pi Day! For those of you unfamiliar with Pi day, it is the celebration of Pi (3.14) that takes place every year on March 14^th (3/14). I absolutely love to make different types of pie every year for Pi day, and this year is no exception. Check out last year’s savory pie: White Cheddar Macaroni Pie!This year’s pie is a chocolate bourbon pecan pie. Even though bourbon is an American spirit, I wanted to start paying tribute to St Patrick’s Day a little early.  There isn’t very much bourbon in this recipe so it mostly just provides a slight flavor to contrast the pecans and chocolate.I don’t typically make homemade pie crusts for any of my pies. This recipe is no different. It calls for a premade pie crust as the base. However, you can make your own if that is something you prefer to do. I just don’t really feel like I get enough of a taste payoff for the amount of effort a handmade pie crust takes.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:179]Source: Food and Wine

Chicken Noodle Soup

Soup is a staple in our house during the cold winter months. I’ve been stuck in a proverbial soup rut though, making the exact same rotation of soups for the last month or two. I decided to break out of this rut by making a hearty chicken noodle soup.This soup is wonderful. It is chock full of veggies, chicken and spices. Alex even complimented the combination of spices in this dish. This soup is also very easy to make and will take you no time at all if you’ve already cooked the chicken. I like to make a little extra chicken in my crockpot whenever I have a dish like this coming up, then have the chicken on hand to just throw in the recipe.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:178]Source: Adapted from Betty Crocker

Travelon Anti-Theft 3 Compartment Crossbody Bag vs Travelon Anti-Theft Two Pocket Crossbody Bag

Before we went on our trip, I was searching all over the internet to try and find reviews on Travelon Anti-Theft 3 Compartment Crossbody Bag and the Travelon Anti-Theft Two Pocket Crossbody Bag. I found several reviews on each of them, however I wasn’t ever able to find a comparison between the two of them. I thought I would post one to help you if you’re looking at purchasing either of these bags.I’m going to skip the specifics of each bag because you can easily find posts on them. I am however, going to focus on the differences between the two bags so you don’t have to end up buying both and returning one like I did. Similarities include locking pouches, slash-proof strap and sides, and an RFID blocking insert to keep your cards and id documents safe. Furthermore, they are both cross body bags to deter a thief from trying to remove it from your person.Here is a comparison shot of the insides of the two bags. As you can see the two pocket bag (the grey) is considerably smaller than the three compartment (black). When I travel I typically take my kindle and several pouches with various items in them. I was also planning to take a mini-three-ring binder with all of our travel documents with in this purse.With the two pocket bag you really only had the main pouch to store things in. There was a small zippered pocket on the back, but the bag does not really expand much to allow you to easily access items in the main pouch when the back one is full. The only other place to store things is the unsecured, small pockets in the front. However, these are fantastic for storing gum, hand lotion and chapstick.The tree pocket bag is considerably larger than the two pocket. It has two locked compartments, one zippered pocket on the back and one zippered pocket on the front. The bag also has pleats in order to allow the bag to expand as you put things in and allow for easy access to everything you might need.I personally took the three compartment bag with me on my trip. I typically carry quite a large purse so the three compartment worked better for what I wanted to carry with me. If you normally have a small bag, or don’t plan to carry much with you, the two pocket may be a better choice.Travelon bags are quite highly regarded in the travel world and I can tell why. They are excellently constructed and they seem to have thought of everything when it comes to keeping your valuables safe. The bags also come in a variety of colors so you can pick whatever matches your wardrobe on vacation! You can order them on Amazon so you can get them quickly if you’re traveling soon.

Commodity Perfume: A Review

I found Commodity Perfume at the end of last fall when I was trying to keep an eye out for any perfumes or sprays that weren’t formulated with parabens and phthalates. Unfortunately, there just aren’t many options out there for good, clean, non-toxic perfumes.One of the best things about this brand is that it’s available through Sephora. This makes it very easy to order and reorder items if you find something you like. While I really do love ordering directly through individual small companies, sometimes the convenience of Sephora or Amazon is worth it.This brand has structured their products differently than normal. To start off, you purchase their starter kit which is basically trial sizes of all the perfumes they offer. You then can try each perfume with your skin and see which scents really work for you. You can also try layering them for a more complex scent. You then go back, with the knowledge from the test kit, and can purchase travel or full-size products of the scents that worked best for you.They have a large array of smells that will appeal to almost anyone. While they are structured with the black scents being a little heavier and the white scents being a little lighter there is really no "men" or "women" feel to any of them. I could easily see wearing any of the scents in the kit and I think a lot of men would like to wear most of the white scents too. You can even layer the different scents to make a fragrance blend completely unique to you. (I suggest layering Rain and Wool, it smells like a thunderstorm in the country!)The one downside to this brand, in my opinion, it the fact they are very pricey. You will pay $99 for a full size (100ml) jar of perfume. As you can probably see this can get expensive quickly if you like more than one scent. However, since they are formulated without parabens or other nasty chemicals it really is a tradeoff. The travel size vials of the perfume have lasted me several months each so you can decide if this is the right type of brand for you to try.While I don’t have any plans to purchase additional items from this brand I may change my mind in the future if I got a gift card or good coupon to Sephora. The scents are luxurious and I have absolutely fallen in love with several of them. My favorites (the ones I own) are Rain and Wool. However, I’m also crazy about Gold, Tea, and Paper.  If you’re in the market for some green beauty/non-toxic perfume this would definitely be one to try.

Air B&B: A Review

 I thought I would give you guys a little review about our experience with Air B&B. Don't worry, there will be more in-depth posts later this month about our entire trip complete with photos!If you’re not familiar with Air B&B it is a way to book rooms or houses when you are traveling. It is an alternative to hotels and hostels. It is almost like couch surfing, but you get your own private room or home and there are typically excellent reviews on the website that help you decide where to stay. Most hosts will also include breakfast in the price of your stay too.We stayed in three different Air B&B’s when we were in Europe.LondonEdinburghAran Island, IrelandWe had an absolutely excellent time at each and every one of these Air B&B’s. If you are looking to stay in one of these places both Alex and I would absolutely recommend any of the hosts we stayed with. They each had excellent suggestions on places to visit around where they lived and they were all more than willing to talk with us.One tip I received before we booked any of these was to check out the reviews on people and only go with people who have a lot of positive reviews. I believe this helped us have an excellent experience with Air B&B since each of our locations was well reviewed.And really, just admire this view from our window on the Aran Islands:

Gluten Free Cashew Chicken

Every once in a while Alex and I start talking about making a certain dish and it takes us forever to get around to actually make it. This is one of those dishes. We’ve been talking about making it work several months, I even had the cashews hidden away in the pantry (we both LOVE cashews and would have eaten them quickly) but I still just never found the time to actually sit down and make this recipe. Well I finally had time and this recipe is better than we even expected!While this is easy to make you’ll need some interesting ingredients that you might not typically have on hand. This is also a gluten free recipe! You just need to make sure that the oyster sauce you have is gluten free. You can easily search online and find out which brands offer gluten free options.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:177]Source: Adapted from Food Network

White Sauce Pizza

So I was looking to do something slightly different for a pizza night and this is what I came up with! I don’t have any specific recipe suggestions for pizza dough, simply use whatever you prefer. If you wanted to include some sort of meat on this pizza both chicken and Italian sausage would complement it very well.The oven roasted garlic is the star of this pizza. It pairs amazingly well with the garlicky white sauce and the flavor of the mozzarella. I’ve used fresh mozzarella slices on this pizza rather than shredded. While it doesn’t cover the entire pizza like you normally would it really makes the mozzarella pop between the other flavors. I would highly suggest using fresh slices rather than shredded cheese for this recipe.If you wanted to make some gluten free substitutions for this recipe you would need to start with a gluten free crust. The other thing you would need to substitute would be the white pizza sauce. Typically white sauce is made with flour, so you will either need to make your own or find a gluten free option at the store. You can find lots of recipes for this on the web.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:176]

Oven Roasted Garlic

Oven roasted garlic is one of the easiest things you can possibly make. You can use it in so many different recipes. I’ve used this recipe for roasted garlic to add flavor to hummus, dips and to use on a white sauce pizza! Come back tomorrow for a recipe using this garlic!Alex and I love the flavor of the finished product. It also smells amazing while you’re cooking it. I guarantee you’ll be salivating while it finishes cooking.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:175]