Yummy Time: Southern Gravy Style

So... those of you who know me, know that I have been doing Weight Watchers in an attempt to lose 45 lbs before my cousins wedding this coming Summer.

This recipe defies all Weight Watchers logic.... Hah! I apologize, but I could not keep from sharing this recipe with everyone. It is just THAT good!

Another thing that I did over the New Years weekend was learn how to make Southern Style Sausage gravy.. This is what you will typically see when you go to a restaurant that serves country fried steak or chicken and bisquits with gravy.

I know not every state has Bob Evans and understands its glory, but I am sure we have all been to an IHOP or something of that nature... and if you haven't [seriously??]- definitely try this recipe!

To Serve 6:

Courtesy of Paula!

In in large saute pan or cast iron skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat until browned and crumbly. Reduce heat to medium and add flour to sausage; mix thoroughly. Cook until flour browns, about 4 minutes stirring constantly. Add milk slowly and increase heat to medium-high. Continue to stir. Add [Paula add's Hot Sauce-owOw!] pepper and salt. As the gravy comes to a boil, it will thicken.

If too thick, add additional milk.

If you visited Paula Deen's recipe- you know that these beautiful buttermilk bisquits (above) were also included in the instructions! I will be trying a bisquits recipe out this weekend with a honey and butter topping!

Weight Watchers friendly version......coming soon!:)

1 pound Breakfast Sausage (not heat and serve links or patties...Get the real stuff =-P)

3/4 cup flour

4 1/2 cups milk

1/2 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

Salt to taste

Yummy Time: Here is to a Red Velvetty 2012!

That title alone, how can you go wrong....?

This New Years Eve I got to hang out with my family and my younger brothers from Ohio. It was fun! We made nachos and had pizza and stuffed ourselves with these Red Velvet & Cream Cheese cupcakes. 

This was my first time making Red Velvet cupcakes( I totally cheated and used the Betty Crocker mix that was on sale at the grocery store: don't judge:), but I was working with a brand new conventional oven that I got for Christmas.

The recipe calls for Vegetable Oil- but have no fear- you can substitute with Canola (that's what I had to do- Whoops!) and it actually resulted in a much more moist cupcake and wasn't greasy at all!

and I figured with the theme of NEW YEARS EVE and sparkles- I would start with silver and white cupcake foils (Reynolds Wrap style!) decorate my Red Velvet cupcakes with the traditional Cream Cheese frosting and design with Blue Icing!

They came out a little bit too- *Independence Day*- but tasted yummy all the same!

Next time I will try making these from scratch ( without burdening my family and bullying them into being the taste testers)...haha!

Wish me Luck and a Happy (Belated) New Year to ALL!

Yummy Time: Cookie Crumble: Oatmeal Scotchies!

Every Christmas I always look forward to the different variation of cookies and desserts that everyone is going to make. From Chocolate Mint cookies and Gingerbread Men to my ULTIMATE favorite: Oatmeal Scotchies!  

Thinking about these cookies alone makes me drool! This cookie is the epitome of delish! Creamy butterscotch with the texture of the oatmeal grains! ::YUM!!!!!!!::

I definitely think I am going to attempt making these bad boys on my own this year.. I won't be home in Ohio for the holidays. Rather- I will be a bit outside of NYC with the bf and his family. Hopefully these will be impressive. I hate when someone invests time into a dish and noone eats it!


Here is my favorite ::soon to be attempted: Nestle TollHouse Recipe for Oatmeal Scotchies cookies! I will absolutely be positing pictures when I make these. It should be interesting to see if they turn out!
                                    :: If you are looking for a "healthy" cookie.....Walk away now....Haha!::

Credits to VeryBestBaking.Com for the Recipe :)

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cooking Time:

7 mins ( to max of 10 minutes)

Cooling Time:

15 mins

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels

Directions:

*PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

*COMBINE flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
      *BAKE for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely(about ten minutes).

               

                         WISH ME LUCK:)

                                             

                                                                               **Pictures to come 12/28/2011**

Have No HoliDay Fear...mark. Is Here!

I am SUPER excited to share some of my new and old favorites with you for the holidays!
I know that there are always last- minute shoppers out there that rush around to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones.

FORTUNATELY, for all of the last-minute shoppers out there...mark. won't run out and your favorite products are here and WAITING for you to snag them up!

Time to fill up your shopping bag and get some goodies for your family & friends [ and yourself in the process ::winkwink::]

First let me start by showing you this awesome promotion that mark. is having for all shoppers!!
***HUGE*** Discounts for YOU**** when you spend $30! Belieeeveee me- You can get a TON of stuff at my eBoutique for $30! Check it out!!!

The "Last Chance" section of my eBoutique is one of my favorite places to go! This is the ideal hot spot to score tons of deals! Products discounted from 15-50% off! Every girls dream!!! Here are some of my favorites from this year that I will be sure to stock up on before they wave "Goodbye!!!"

I'm also obsessed with this perfect little stocking stuffer... Get yours today:)

The center of this gloss container is actually squeezeable! How COOL is that?~! and at $10, you are seriously getting your monies worth! mark. Gloss lasts incredibly long and provides you with a smooth, shiney, sticky-free lip!!

Now... I am totally loving the blazer trend that is happening this season! Not only can ANY body shape pull off this look, but it is super classy and stylish! The mark. "Totally-Suitable" is half the price of what you would pay for a nice blazer at a department store..

Now, I am not one for animal print tops, but with the mark. "Play With Prints" top, the design is light and daring without being tacky! I am definitely picking this up for the spring! I have to get it before its gone!! 

For all of my classic. mark. girls who are all about the make-up.. Please remember that mark. has all of these options to satisfy the looks you crave!

From work to play... mark. has what you need!

I am obsessed with mark. "On The Edge" Liquid Liner Hook-up.. It is awesome quality and doesn't crack like some other brands I have tried...I have blue eyes so I tend to stick with the brown/black shades which create a more natural and keep me from looking too made-up.

However, if I am going out, I will use my Lash All You Want Mascara in the Wine shade or Black and play it up with a smokey eye by applying I-mark's in Corset and Whisper.. I love all of the looks you can create with these mark. shadows, liners and glosses! :See my blogs here for mark. looks & products I love:

Here is an EASY WAY to snag your $10 gift with purchase!!!

The "That's So Clutch" Deal

A $61.50 Value for ONLY $38

This deal includes your gold clutch, On The Dot Shadow Palette in Neutral tons, Juice Gems and Lash All You Want Mascara!

I can't believe that NEW YEARS EVE is only a week and a half away! I feel so unprepared for 2012! I am counting on mark. to ring me into the new year in style and keep it going through 2013!

Check out all of the bling. mark. has in store for New Years Eve and 2012!!. You cannot score these deals anywhere! The mark. FireBall Earrings are only $14! Earrings like this at Kohls or other department stores will run you well over that price!!

You can't go wrong and mark. is 100% guaranteed!!

mark. offers all types of shipping options

 for your holiday seasons!!

Shop now to save!



Wishing everyone the happiest of holidays! If you need advice or help with your shopping at my eBoutique- PLEASE Email me @ MakeUrMarkWithTD@yahoo.com

Love, Lipgloss & Butterfly Kisses<33

TMD

Glam to Go....

I love.love.love the new products and holiday promotions that mark. has introduced in their new catalog! I cannot wait for my order to arrive! The perfect lip gloss kits and long stay shadow and eye liners- plus all of the new winter wear! CHECK IT OUT...

View the FULL Catalog at my E*Boutique!*

Don't forget to click the link in the top right corner to Register as my customer and earn all sorts of goodies!

Or... become your very OWN mark. Representative- eMail me for details at MakeUrMarkWithTD@Yahoo.com

Earn money! Make Friends! Make a Difference!

Glitz & Gloss Mini Purse & Go- Only $14!
Available only with mark.!

Make this holiday memorable with mark.!

Register & Shop my eBoutique today!

SPECIAL*

The First Two NEW Customers to Register & Purchase $30 worth of mark. will receive two free*FULL SIZE* products!

Plus**Always Free Shipping on orders of $30 or more..

Remember to use this code @ Checkout :MARKFS30

email me with any questions!

MakeUrMarkWithTD@Yahoo.com

.Fancy&Fall.

Register Here*

Get Ready..Get Set...GIFT!*

CUSTOMER HOLIDAY PROMOTION!!!*

Free Mark. Lemon Sugar Body Wash and Juice Jems gloss to the next tdavis9542- registered customer who purchases $20 in mark. Holiday products!

Register now to be ready for the awesome

mark. BLACK FRIDAY sale!

 Sugar Plum Holiday Eye and Nail Kit

*Get Gifting*

and/or

eMail me your Questions

Polish Perfection: Trick or Treat Spookies

So I decided to try, for the first time, the Sally Hansen Nail Effects Nail Strips. So much fun!!! You can find the full Sally Hansen Nail Effect strips at any convenience store: CVS, Harmons, Walgreens, RiteAid... 


Since Halloween is right around the corner- I picked these themed strips up and they are just SO cute! The little ghosts remind me of something you would see straight out of Pacman and they have little beady eyes. How can you resist? Hehe=]

               **Tip- Put a clear coat over the strips to keep them on longer.\

Happy Halloween everyone!

Polish Perfection: Long.Lasting.Lilac.Love

I know that Lilac Pastelle is not exactly a "Fall" shade. but it is really pretty anyway!

Revlon Top-Speed Nail Enamel in 'Lilac Pastelle'  is absolutely my favorite shade of Lilac!

It dries with a sheen as if a top coat was included and the color is as rich as it appears in the bottle. No need for multiple coats!!

Plus it completely dries in 60 seconds!

To Get This Super Simple Look:

First Polish your nails with your solid base coat. I used the Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel in Lilac Pastelle!

After 60 seconds of drying, select a shade for your diagnal stripes. You can choose to polish  one or all ten of your nails.

Take a piece of scotch tape and tape off the portion to which you do not want to polish- leaving somewhat of a diagnal triangle open at the tip.

Polish your taped-off-tips and let dry.

Once Dry- Remove tape!

__________________________

**You can pick up the fancy nail stickers at any Sally's Beauty Supply store if you prefer NOT to use tape.

Use a fine tipped nail design brush to apply the stripe that will separate your two shades.

Sinful Colors polish offers an array of Nail Design Polish colors. Available at Walgreens!(That's where I get mine)

To finish: Apply Sally Hansen Super Shine Top Coat or Speed Dry Top Coat for extra shine!

__________________________

I also used Sally Hansen XTreme Hard as Nails to polish a pretty white diagnal stripe on my ring finger.

The Silver Streak is courtesy of Matte Extreme (M.E) in "Silver"(Purchased @ Ricky's Beauty Supply).. How clever..I know.hah!

You can find all of the Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel shades at any CVS, RiteAid,Walgreens, Harmons,etc.

This look is great with Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall shades...

My true fall interpretation of this look to come Friday!! 

ParamountNY-Experience 1

So...If you don't live in the area- Huntington Village just had a new concert venue open. It is called The Paramount and it is right on NY Avenue near Main Street.

http://www.paramountny.com/

Newly opened, the space was converted from an old Theatre..as in Play-style-Theatre.

a perk of my job is that we are offered free tickets to see the bands signed to our company.

This was my second work-related show, but my first experience at the Paramount!

Myself and Julia

Red.Light.WashOut

Filter

Filter

Paramount NY

Chevelle

Christopher of BUSH



BUSH 10.11.2011



I dont want to come back down from this cloud....

Gavin is a mover- most of my pictures are blurred =[

The Paramount in Huntington NY- BIG SCREENS for the folks in the raised seats

Meeting BUSH & Gavin Rossdale::Love::

Need I Say M<3Re!

Polish Perfection: How Do You Color...?

I am currently obsessed with using all possible colors in my nail polish collection!

without flash

with flash

I am clinging to my summer colors but embracing the cooler weather....
Royal Blue[OPI], Coral-Pink[Revlon], Orange[Revlon], Lilac[Revlon Top Speed], Yellow[Revlon Top Speed] and Disco[Milani]

How are you falling into Autumn?? 

HIP.Eye.Catcher

So I was scrolling through old facebook profile pictures last night and I saw a picture where my eye makeup was full of color and completly eccentric!
I wanted to make a work- friendly version of that look and still play with color for a fun look.

mark. Lash All You Want Mascara in Black

Loreal HIP(Hi-Pigment) Shadow Duo's In Showy and Flamboyant!
mark. glossBlossom Ripening Lip Tint

What I did first was apply the gold shadow of the Loreal HIP 'Flamboyant' duo over both eye-lids up to the crease of each eye.

I then applied the purple shade from the outter point of my eyelids inward through the crease of my eye.

My recommendation for blending the two shades is to lightly pull the darker of the shades into the light shade on your lid. This can be done with any blending brush.

Right beneath my eyebrows, on the brow-bone, I applied my mark. Hook-Up Highlighter in Light for a clean look.

When I don't use a cream or skin-toned hue on my brow bones- I try to avoid putting any color there.

If you over do it- you can potentially ruin your entire look.

Then with my mark. liner brush, I applied the teal and blue shades together of the HIP "Showy" duo to my lower lash line.

People underestimate the power of a blue liner over a black liner. PLUS* if you are all out of eye-liner, a dark shadow and damp liner brush work just as well!! Plus- no smearing!

My mascara here is the Lash.All.You.Want by mark. in Black! Get it here

On an even better note: This same look can be accomplished with the mark. On The Dot Pallette!

(Less expensive and you get more shades!)

Bigger Bang for Your Buck!

http://tdavis9542.mymarkstore.com/

Happy Shopping!

Eyelash Kisses<3 TmD