Monthly Archives: July 2014

Recipes

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

July 31, 2014

double-chocolate-chip-cookies

I have no other reason for this recipe besides the fact that last night we had an intense chocolate craving. And also because… cookies. This is my favorite double chocolate chip cookie recipe – it whips up super fast, they’re rich but not too sweet, and they come out deliciously melty (it only makes 16 cookies so they’re not hanging around forever, either).

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Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (I adapted this recipe)

Makes 16 large cookies

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 6 oz. dark chocolate chips
  1. Heat the oven to 350º. Cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes). I suggest using a mixer instead of doing this by hand.
  2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and egg and mix together for 1 minute.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Add the dry ingredients all at once to the sugar, butter, and egg mixture. Mix until just combined. The dough will be quite thick but shouldn’t be dry. Make sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
  5. Add the chocolate chips and mix into the dough by hand.
  6. Drop by large tablespoon onto a cookie sheet. I found that 8 cookies per sheet fit perfectly.
  7. Bake for 9 minutes. Try your hardest not to over-bake – the original recipe called for 11-12 minutes but I found that by 9 minutes my cookies were done. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack (or a paper bag to absorb excess oil).

Print Recipe

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dry-ingredients

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XO, J

Home Decor

A Mini Apartment Tour…

July 28, 2014

This week marks 6 months that we’ve been living in San Francisco! Although I’ve showed snippets of our apartment on Instagram, I’ve been hesitant to give an official apartment tour because we’ve been stuck at about 80% for a while. These past few weeks we’ve made an effort to put some finishing touches on our place. It’s our first real “adult” apartment together outside of college, so we wanted to make sure the place reflected both our tastes (mixing masculine and feminine elements in a living space can be tough!). Have a look!

dining-roomRugTableChairs; Bookshelf; Curtains; Owl Lamp

gallery-wall

table

living-room-1

living-room-2

living-room-3

Couch; Ottoman; Fur Pillows; Cowhide Rug; Entertainment Center; Lamp; Slipper Chair; Embroidered Pillow

bedroom-1

bedroom-2Cal King Platform Bed; Side Table; Lamp; Down Comforter; Blush Pillow Covers; Pintuck Pillow; Rug

deskDesk; Chair; Chair Cushion; Sheepskin Rug; Magazine Holder; Curtains

bedroom-3

bedroom-4

bed

XO, J

Life

10 Favorite iPhone Apps

July 25, 2014

10-favorite-iphone-appsI will admit that I have a tiny bit of FOMO when it comes to apps and utilizing my iPhone to its fullest potential. I will click on any link or blog post with “best iPhone apps” in the title. That said, I have a handful of apps that I use on a daily basis and I wanted to show them some love. Most are practical and some are just for fun! Read on for my 10 favorite iPhone apps!

the-hunt01/ The Hunt

See a cute dress on someone but are too shy to ask where they bought it? That’s where The Hunt comes in. Snap a picture, upload it, and The Hunt will search its database for potential matches. Ask other users for their help in identifying your mystery outfit! So awesome.

square-cash

02/ Square Cash

This app makes it beyond simple to settle up for dinner, bills, etc. You can send $250 or less almost instantaneously to another person’s bank account. It’s totally legit and secure, and the best part is that it’s completely free.

all-recipes

03/ AllRecipes

This is my go-to recipe app. It has this awesome feature called The Dinner Spinner where you can choose your parameters (what type of meat, soup/salad/pasta/casserole/slow cooker, etc.) and it will find recipes to fit them. So many tasty recipes and so easy to use.

run-pee

04/ Run Pee

I have to admit that I threw this one in here for fun… but it’s also pretty genius. Do you always order a 2-gallon drum of diet coke at the movies and then have to pee in the middle of the best scene? This app tells you exactly when in the movie you can go, for how long, and what you will miss (nothing important) with NO spoilers. Brilliant.

afterlight

05/ Afterlight

This is hands-down my favorite photo-editing app. I edit all my Instagram snaps with this app (confession: I haven’t used Instagram to actually edit a photo in over a year). So many gorgeous light leaks and dreamy filters to give your photos that extra something.

vine

06/ Vine

I LOVE VINE. It may only be six seconds, but people can get pretty creative. All I can say is… go follow me for all the best re-vines.

moovit

07/ Moovit

Ever since giving up my car to move to SF, I’ve relied on the not-so-reliable SF public transportation system. Moovit gives you real-time updates on train and bus schedules and has probably saved me hours in time I would’ve spent waiting around. It is indispensable and I use it literally every day.

weather-line

08/ Weather Line

Weather Line is the best weather app. Instead of a list of arbitrary temperatures, Weather Line gives you a graphical representation of when the temps and weather conditions will be like for the week. It also tells you when it is more likely/less likely to rain throughout the day. A must-have if you live in a temperamental climate (looking at you, Maine).

clear

09/ Clear

I have a penchant for making lists. That said, this is the best list-making app in the list of apps I use for list-making… >:). There’s a bit of a learning curve when you first use it because it’s a gesture-based design. Once you get the hang of it, it becomes quite quick, simple, and intuitive.

sleep-cycle

10/ Sleep Cycle

Want to get the best night’s sleep? This intelligent alarm clock analyzes your sleep patterns and wakes you up in the lightest sleep phase (translation: you will wake up refreshed and energized). It monitors your sleep using the accelerometer in your phone to determine which sleep phase you are in. You can track your sleep patterns and see the quality of sleep you received on any given night. I use it every night and really feel like it has make a difference in how I feel waking up in the morning.

What are some of your favorite apps? Let me know in the comments section below! 

XO, J

Life

Happy 1st Birthday!

July 23, 2014

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Happy 1st birthday, blog! Can you believe it has already been a year? Thanks to all my readers and especially my friends for encouraging me to start this little blog! I hope you all have enjoyed this past year as much as I have. Thanks for all your love and support and for reading along. Here’s to many more successful years of blogging!

XO, J

Life

Don’t Be a Sweaty Mess This Summer

July 17, 2014

bulldog-in-pool

While it might not be feeling like summer here in San Francisco (oh hey, Karl the Fog), I know that the rest of you gals are beating the heat and sitting pretty by the pool. Summers on the East Coast can be brutally hot, but the worst is that horrible, heavy, hair-sticking humidity. Keep reading for my tips and essential product recommendations to keep you from melting like a popsicle!

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Certain Dri is kind of a lifesaver. I just started using it and honestly don’t know why I hadn’t tried it before. It’s an antiperspirant that stops any trace of wetness under your arms. Even if you’re not suffering from hyperhidrosis, it’s nice to know you won’t be offending anyone –  because no sweat = no smelly bacteria.

I’ve found that in the humid summer months, a makeup setting spray is essential. My favorite is Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater. A light mist before I head out the door and my makeup lasts all day. Urban Decay also makes a great one, too. It is a must-have for face-meltingly hot days!

For those of us not fortunate enough to have a thigh gap, the hot and humid weather only exacerbates inner-thigh chafing (yup, I’m going there). During the summer, I carry Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Gel with me everywhere. I can’t think of anything worse than sticky, burning, chafed thighs – yow! Get this gel and you’ll never ever worry about it again.

The humid summer months also cause sweaty feet. Place some regular old baby powder in your shoes and say goodbye to uncomfortable blisters!

Damp, synthetic fabrics (i.e. bathing suits and sweaty underwear… don’t lie, I know you’ve experienced this) can irritate delicate bikini lines. Use Tend Skin after shaving/waxing your bikini line and annoying bumps, ingrown hairs, and razor burn will be a thing of the past. P.S. Watch out because it burns… but it works.

What are some of your tips for looking and feeling cool in the summer?

XO, J

Beauty

How To: The Perfect Winged Eyeliner

July 14, 2014

By now you’ve probably heard the hype surrounding Benefit They’re Real! Push-Up Liner. Are you gals as obsessed as I am? It’s definitely the best black gel liner I’ve ever used – and the easiest, too! I thought it would make for a great winged eyeliner tutorial. With the flexible, firm tip, those tricky flicks are beyond easy! Here we go!

prime-eyelidsStart by priming your eyelids – gently pat and blend the primer with your ring finger. I like to use Benefit Stay Don’t Stray.

thin-line-lash-lineThen, draw a thin line as close to the lash line as possible. The point is to not have any skin showing between your lashes and the liner. I like the start at the outer corner and work my way in. It might help to make small dashes or press the liner into your lashes instead of dragging it along.

stabilize-pinkyIt is very important to stabilize your pinky while applying the liner. Just like drawing a straight line on a piece of paper, this will help ensure the smoothest application possible.

thicken-darken-lineGo back in and thicken and darken the line you drew. The line should be the thickest on the outer corner and gently taper towards the inner corner.

lightly-draw-flickLightly draw the flick on the outer corner. It should point to the tip of your eyebrow – you should be able to line them up.

draw-flick-2Once you’ve created the perfect angle for your flick, go back in and thicken and darken it. Close your eye to make sure it creates a smooth line with the original line you drew.

curl-lashesThe last step is to curl your lashes and apply mascara! I used my Shiseido eyelash curler and Benefit They’re Real! of course. ;)

all-doneAll done! Snap me a picture and let me know how it turned out!

XO, J

P.S. The other products I used: bareMinerals bareSkin Foundation in Bare Linen, Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Radiant, Benefit Brow Zings in Light, Benefit Gimme Brow in Light/Medium, Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess, NARS Blush in Madly, and Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti.