Rosemary + Jalapeño Spicy Kettle Chip Nachos

These "nachos" of sorts came together exceptionally well. If you're a fan of spicy foods, then this recipe will surely delight your tastebuds. Since these turned out pretty spicy, I also served some sour cream with them, and that balanced out the heat perfectly. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 Bag of Chips (I used Spicy Chicken Kettle Chips from Kroger, but any flavor of kettle cooked chips will do)

1/2 - 1 Jalapeño sliced into thin strips

1/2 - 1 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1-2 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary, stems removed, chopped up finely (or dried rosemary)

Sour Cream - optional

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.) Preheat oven to 350* F. Place 1 bag of chips onto a baking sheet, trying not to overlap too many chips. 

2.) Simply sprinkle an even layer of shredded cheese over the chips, then sprinkle your rosemary over that.

3.) Place sliced Jalapeños on top and bake for 5-10 minutes, depending on oven and altitude.

Don’t Let the Mess Ruin Your Holiday Fun!

This year, I was more excited about the holidays than ever before. This past year has been extremely busy and crazy as far as projects and travel, but looking back, it's amazing how many more brands I got to work with compared to other years. Is it because more brands have started realizing the true power of Pinterest? Is it because I have a better relationship with brands and marketing reps than other years? Is it because my work has really improved a lot in the past few years and I am finally now getting enough of my content out that brands are starting to notice me more? Who really knows, but I love how this year's worth of projects has really helped me figure out what works and what does not. I try not to get down if I am not chosen for a certain project I apply for, I just use that energy to apply for another project! This particular post was originally created for a brand that chose not to go through with the campaign ultimately, but I could NOT stand to see this beautiful post go unpublished.

So, without further ado, I wanted to present this rather lovely holiday post and to wish you a happy Christmas Eve, friends! 

This year, I have been so excited about the holidays, I always have so much fun breaking out all of the holiday linens, red and green sprinkles, and all sorts of fun holiday décor.

Baking is always my favorite part of the holiday season, but it can definitely be messy. Don’t let the thought of a messy kitchen stop you from baking and creating lasting memories revolving around delicious foods and fun times with those you love. Plus, homemade cookies make amazing gifts.

My collection of holiday towels, linens, and other fun baking items, is slowly growing. Rather than admire them from afar, neatly folded on my shelf, I take the approach of, if they make you happy, use them! I love the festive look of seasonal décor. How about you?

While I do use paper towels for certain cleaning projects, we have two wicker baskets of kitchen towels in our pantry at all times. We use them for nearly every cleaning project, so we accumulate a lot of laundry! I want my towels to be as fresh as possible, and I’ve found the perfect way.

But, no matter how hard I try, I always seem to get baking ingredients like flour, cake batter, icing, and sprinkles everywhere!

I know it can be hectic around the holidays, and can even be a little bit challenging baking with children because of the mess. But baking is a fun bonding activity that can be done with friends and family over the holidays, and will help you create memories that will be fun to cherish for years to come.

I think that baking is something I will incorporate into holiday gatherings this year because it sounds like a lot of fun. I may even ask people to bring their favorite holiday sprinkles of cookie decorating materials, and see what people bring. When it gets chilly outside, I am in full-on baking mode, and most of my friends and family members are too.

Tackling yours or your family’s tough laundry loads can be challenging. Lysol Laundry Sanitizer is safe to use on most fabrics including whites, colors, darks and delicates.

What are your favorite holiday traditions?

Vegan Dairy-Free Yogurt Parfait Cups Recipe - Healthier Snack + Dessert Alternative

This delicious alternative to ice cream or other sweets wound up tasting delicious! Get the recipe for these Dairy-Free Frozen Yogurt Parfaits, created in partnership with Ripple Yogurt and Kroger. 

Could you ever imagine eating dairy-free yogurt? That may seem sort of the norm these days, but can you imagine eating yogurt created from peas? I had a great time experimenting with a fun recipe idea that's been on my mind for some time now - frozen yogurt parfait cups with graham cracker + oat crusts! 

INGREDIENTS:

1-3 flavors of Ripple yogurt (I used strawberry, vanilla, and blueberry)

10 Graham Crackers (choose honey free for true vegan), crushed into an even consistency

5 Tbsp melted Vegan Butter, such as Earth Balance Organic 

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

pinch salt

Blackberries, kiwi, and any other fruit for toppings

Other items: silicone muffin cups, muffin tin, spoon for mixing

These Dairy-Free Frozen Yogurt Parfaits are inspired by Ripple yogurts, available at Kroger!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.) For the crust: melt butter in a medium bowl, and add crushed graham crackers, oats, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. 

2.) Fill prepared silicone or paper cupcake liners with crust mixture 1/3-1/2 and bake for 5-7 minutes at 350* F.

3.) One cooled, fill cupcake liners the rest of the way with yogurt. Freeze for 30 minutes, and then top with chopped fruits. Freeze at least 1 more hour, until cups are completely frozen. Remove them from the cupcake tin, and remove the wrappers, and reveal your beautiful layers of dairy-free, vegan ingredients!What a tasty snack!

In 2015, Ripple founder set out to separate the fats from peas and create a milk-lie substitute that is great for people who want an alternative to dairy (source: Food&Wine). "Dubbed Ripptein, the additive strips away plant flavors and leaves behind only protein, according to Fast Company. (That's one reason Ripple's pea milk doesn't taste like liquefied legumes.).

Now, I will admit, this yogurt does have less of a smooth texture than I was used to, but once I froze this yogurt into these delicious fro yo cups, everything was divine! Feel free to try this recipe out with any mixture of yogurt, fruit, and other ingredients that you would like!

"From a biochemical standpoint, milk is protein, and fat, and sugar," Neil Renninger, Ripple cofounder and co-CEO, told Fast Company. "There are plenty of plant sugars you can use, and plenty of plant fats. There are also plenty of plant proteins you can use, but the problem is that they all taste like the plant they derive from. We had to figure out how to make a plant protein that didn't taste like a plant protein."

The company's new pea half-and-half, which Fast Company says dissolves into coffee "like the real thing, without the calories," launches in July, while customers may have to wait until the end of this year—or possibly early next year—for its yogurt.

Renninger admitted neither the half-and-half nor the yogurt were easy to create. For example, "with half-and-half, the challenge was getting something that worked well in coffee, but also would work well in a culinary situation," he said. "It's a bit of a balance providing that creaminess and a clean taste. Protein is an important part of the creaminess in half-and-half, but if you don't have clean protein, you can't get that creaminess without adding off flavors."

Santa's Little Helper Cocktail Recipe

Another fun post I created to help promote Bad Mom's Christmas! These were inspired by a holiday-themed Moscow Mule, but instead of a mule, it's a copper reindeer!

No Santa Mom should have to tackle the holiday tasks alone! Shopping for the family, hosting the in-laws, it’s intense and offers no me-time during the holidays! With the help of her trust reindeer, this Santa can actually enjoy the holidays instead of dreading them!

See how these Bad Moms handle Christmas, in theaters NOW! #BadMomsXmas

INGREDIENTS:

  1. Fresh lime wedges, to taste.
  2. 1 solid copper mug.
  3. Ice.
  4. 2 ounces gin or vodka (I used gin)
  5. 4-6 ounces ginger beer.
  6. 2 ounces cranberry juice.
  7. Frozen cranberries, for garnish.
  8. Rosemary sprig, for garnish.

LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl's - Photoshoot in Montana

Not long ago, in a beautiful place called Ennis, MT, there stood a girl who loved the mountains...

This is the fourth of five collaborative photoshoots I am excited to be creating for Kohl's! I am always so drawn to the LC Lauren Conrad line, and I am always excited to see what new items she adds to her collection each season.

I can't even explain how cold and windy it was this day, but I think I pulled it all off pretty well :) The Madison Valley is known for being especially windy, but since the air is a lot drier, the cold doesn't seem to bite as bad as where it's more humid.

I especially LOVE that mint velvet purse. It's going to be an amazing collection to my more dressy purses. This was a really fun to wear for Thanksgiving as well.

A few days earlier, we headed up to Virginia City, MT, a historic mining town with wooden boardwalks, beautiful storefronts, The Pioneer Bar, and lots of history. Many miners walked the same boardwalks in the 1860s.

These boots from Sonoma were extremely comfortable, even on the uneven walkways, and across some grassy areas.

Thanks for checking out some of my latest projects, and staying with me while I catch up on posting my projects. So many fun things in the works, literally more than I can count on all of my fingers! 

Pink Hot Cocoa Recipe

I am super excited to share this fun recipe for Pink Hot Cocoa, perfect for the holidays! Think warm white chocolate with other special flavors and a bit of holiday sparkle!

I originally created this recipe and DIY Coffee Mug to help promote A Bad Moms Christmas and helped them promote the movie on Pinterest! It was a LOT of fun, and I am so happy with how everything turned out :) 

If you haven't seen Bad Mom's or Bad Mom's Christmas, I would definitely recommend it!

WATCH THE MOVIE TRAILER HERE!

Santa Mom survives Christmas Morning by dancing with sugar plum fairies, and adding a splash of booze to her hot cocoa.

INSTRUCTIONS:

To make the cutest Pink Hot Cocoa Ever, simply heat 2 cups milk, 4 ounces of white chocolate, and a few drops of pink food coloring in small saucepan. Now for the best part: add 2 ounces of rum or your favorite liquor, and top with whipped topping, light pink shimmering sprinkles, and pink marshmallows. To make the mug, I added little letter stickers and very carefully started with the middle words and worked my way out, so everything would be centered.

Happy Holidays, friends! Check out the hottest holiday movie of the year – Bad Mom’s Christmas, in theaters NOW!! #BadMomsXmas

Gift Guide For The Pendleton Lover

I always find myself so drawn to anything with a Pendleton print on it, so I guess this is a gift guide inspired by things I love :) I am sure you've all seen their amazing wool blankets, but the brand has SO much more! Recently, I even saw Pendleton's new coffee mugs and slippers. Below, you will find all sorts of amazing items that would surely please the Pendleton Lover in your life! Enjoy!! (Links below graphic)

Amazing Handmade Gifts From Amazon Handmade

This post was sponsored by Amazon Handmade as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. #AmazonHandmade #IC

Ordering custom gifts through Bison Hill Stonecrafts on Amazon Handmade was a wonderful experience. Amazon Handmade should be on every customer's mind this holiday season! You can find something for just about everyone, and it feels amazingly rewarding to buy handmade! This is our opportunity to help to support these artists and the handmade community in general. When you order from Amazon Handmade, you get Prime 2-Day Shipping, which is such a treat!

I ordered two different sizes of a custom Black Slate Cheese Boards and I could not be happier. The arrival of this handmade, custom gift is even more special, because we had just stepped into the door from a long drive (over 2 days), after visiting the very friends I am giving this gift to. I saw the boxes from Amazon Handmade, and I was literally doing my happy dance :)

I opened the two boxes immediately, and I was greeted with the most amazing Slate Cheese Boards in the outline of Montana I have ever seen. I requested custom engraving to make the presents even more special, and I was amazed with how perfect everything looked. I can only imagine how happy these gifts will make for our good friends! 

 I emailed Andrew Church, the owner and creator of these beautiful goods, and expressed my gratitude. He quickly replied with a kind email thanking me, and letting me know he was very happy with the gifts as well. I would definitely order from him again!

NOTE: Order ASAP for all custom orders!!!

The cheese boards were packaged in strong gift boxes, with the beautiful Bison Hill logo impressed in gold. There were two pieces of dense foam inside each box, to protect the boards, which are somewhat fragile. The cheese boards are upscale, elegant, and laser cut to perfection. Each edge is smooth, and even though there were difficult, curved edges on the state outline, they are all 100% perfect! The boards also have rubber feet on the bottoms, so they are raised off the table a bit. 

Care instructions are enclosed, which made care and cleaning very easy. Using soap and water, and hand washing is recommended. After there were meat and cheese on these boards, they washed up really, really well. 

 

As an artist myself, I cherish and value handmade gifts more than any other. While I wish I could make everyone gifts each holiday season, I don't exactly have the time. I love the fact that I was able to reach out to the artist personally and let Andrew know that his handmade goods will make my friends very, very happy. The craftsmanship is much better that anything I could find locally, or really anywhere else online too!

These Custom Cheese Boards are available in a variety of materials, colors, and sizes. You can request any state or shape that you would like, and I had the option of about 15 different fonts. If I had another font style, I could have also requested that instead.

In addition to these fine goods, many other artists have items available on Amazon Handmade. The community is really inspiring. Below, the home page of Amazon Handmade - there are lots of great items, perfect for gifting!

CUSTOM STATE ORNAMENTS

I ordered a couple more non-custom items as well, and I will share those with you this weekend. Everything is really lovely, and I would DEFINITELY order from Amazon Handmade again soon.

LIKE THIS POST? PIN IT FOR LATER...

Amazon Handmade - Shop For Gifts Here (Utilitarian Handmade Gift Guide)

This post was sponsored by Amazon Handmade as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that inspire me. #AmazonHandmade #IC

Are you someone who would rather support small businesses during the holidays? Now you can now find a huge, diverse selection of handmade gifts for every taste on Amazon Handmade. Over half of the items on the site are customizable and made-to-order! 

Order before 12/08/2017 for all custom orders, and as close to 12/11/2017 for most non-custom items, like those featured in this post. Keep reading to check out one of my favorite artists on Amazon Handmade There are SO many talented artists on the site!

As an artist myself, I often do not have enough time to make everyone's gift during the holidays, like I used to be able to do. Life definitely gets busy, but that is no reason to let quality go to the wayside when you're gifting during the holidays. I was so excited to learn that Amazon Handmade offers TONS AND TONS of great gifts, handmade by people all over the country.

 Rather than purchasing something uninspired because I waited until the last minute, I'd rather shop sooner than later - that's where Amazon Handmade comes into play. With Prime two-day shipping, you're winning by not having to continually check your tracking number again and again, which is something  I really appreciate. Everything you already love about ordering from Amazon, but catering to the world of handmade items. Amazon Handmade should be on every customer's mind when it comes to finding handcrafted, unique gifts all while supporting small businesses at the same time. 

WAXED TOTE $140 (shop here)

LEATHER COASTERS, set of 4 $35 (shop here)

OLIVE GREEN LUNCH BAG $45 (shop here)

KNIFE ROLL IN WAXED CANVAS $185 (shop here)

GREEN WAXED CANVAS APRON $140 (shop here)

WINE TOTE $60 (shop here)

LEATHER CAST IRON HANDLE COVER $20 (shop here)

Learn more about Hardmill, and see everything in their Amazon Handmade Store, here.

And, enjoy lots more from Amazon Handmade, here!