Fresh Squeezed Tres Citrus Margaritas!

Warning...this margarita recipe is tart!

If you aren't one for sour beverages you should make this margarita recipe anyway! All you have to do is add more agave nectar and I promise even those with a sweet-tooth will enjoy it.

Crazy Good Monkey Bread!

If you are looking for something seriously delicious to serve on Christmas morning...or any morning really...then look no further. The below recipe, Crazy Good Monkey Bread, is basically what would happen if a doughnut hole met a cinnamon roll, put a ring on it, and had a baby! Be prepared to get addicted and to spend an extra, well worth it, 15 minutes on the elliptical. 

Homemade Apple Crisp...a Fall Must-Have!

With Thanksgiving less than 24-hours away I am sure more than just a few of us have food on the brain; especially pies...pumpkin pies...apple pies...pecan pies...the list goes on. However, I am over here like "where's the apple crisp?" Am I right? I mean fall and apples go together like turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, wine and well, food! 

This Thanksgiving surprise your friends and family with apple crisp in addition to pie; I am not suggesting you give up the pie...let's not get crazy here. 

Below is my recipe for delicious homemade apple crisp. 

Hot Chocolate Recipes...Spiking is Optional!

This weekend was windy and rainy and it just felt like a stay inside and whip up some hot cocoa kind of weekend...so, that is what I did. True to Mavelle style I ditched the store bought packets and decided to get a little creative...I even made my own whipped cream. I came up with 3 different versions and turned my husband into a hot chocolate guinea pig. The steps for each recipe are similar and they are all fairly easy to make. 

Crock-Pot Macaroni & Cheese...The Perfect Recipe for Your Super Bowl Party!

Looking for a last minute recipe idea? How about something that is easy, delicious and can serve a whole group of rowdy football fans? Below is my recipe for homemade crock-pot Mac & Cheese...I mean, who doesn't love Mac & Cheese?

Recipe for Mulled Wine...a Winter Must Have!

I just recently discovered my love for mulled wine. However, I am not surprised by this new found love because I also love apple cider and it is very similar. Also, if you haven't figured it out by now I am a huge fan of anything that makes my home smell yummy and more "holidayish!"

Mulled wine is popular in Europe and a winter beverage that I have always been around and known about but for some reason had never tried until this past Thanksgiving when I decided I was going to make it for my family. My brother-in-law thought I kept saying I was going to serve "mold wine!" He didn't seem too thrilled about the idea at first but when the aroma filled the house he soon jumped on board and enjoyed a glass :-)

Below is the recipe I concocted, with the help of my dad's Grand Marnier suggestion. Enjoy!

Side note: How cute is the cork on this cheap bottle of wine? Sometimes the cheapies just know how to do it!

Serves 4-6 (depending on glass size)

Prep-Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 1+ hours with crock pot or 20 minutes stove top
Serve Warm

What You Will Need:

1 bottle of red wine (preferably something cheap and dry...I used a $4 bottle of Cabernet)
1/8 cup honey
1/2 cup grand marnier
8 whole cloves
1 medium-large orange (plus more for garnishing) 
3 cinnamon sticks (plus more for garnishing)

Let's Get Started:

1) Pour the wine, grand marnier, cloves, honey and cinnamon sticks into your crock pot. Turn crock pot to high.

2) Zest about 85% of the orange into the pot. Then slice the orange and add slices into the mix.

3) Cover and let simmer until it starts to boils. With a crock pot this takes a bit longer but the house starts to smell yummy and the spices really mix in versus a quick boil (which still works if you prefer a pot)

4) Once the Mulled Wine is boiling turn down to warm but keep covered until you are ready to serve.

5) Garnish each glass with a cinnamon stick and an orange slice and serve warm. 

Red Lipstick is Optional

My Red Pants are LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl's and my Top is Banana Republic

Enjoy and Happy Holidays Everyone!

XO

Jenna

Homemade Applesauce!

Let me start off by painting a picture for your imagination...
It is gloomy and chilly outside, you just put on one of those made-for-TV holiday movies (oh, come on, you know you secretly enjoy them), you are curled up on the couch with your coziest blanket (in our home there are a couple of furry children in this scene as well), maybe you have even lit some holiday scented candles. Now, it is time to enjoy a snack that fits this perfectly lazy fall afternoon...homemade applesauce!

Does anything else say "it's Fall" better than this?

All recipes are created by Jenna unless stated otherwise! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Serves 10

Prep Time: 25 Minutes 

Cook Time: 60 minutes at minimum 

What you will need:

Apples - 10 (or 10 cups; generally, 1 apple will equal 1 cup once cut up) 

(I used Green Apples from my friends orchard but Honey Crisp are the sweetest and the best)

Cinnamon Stick - 1

Ground Cinnamon - 2 1/2 TSP 

All Spice - 1/2 TSP

Raw Organic Sugar - 1/4 Cup (if you use Honey Crisp Apples you could use less sugar (about half of that) because these apples are naturally sweet and delicious)

Let's Get Started:

1) Wash apples, cut off bottoms and tops or use an apple core remover 

2) Use a vegetable peeler to remover about 90% of skin (less or more depending on    your preference)

3) Cut the apples in half, and then cut the halves in half

4) Put apples into your pot with ingredients (cinnamon, all spice and sugar)

5) Mix it all up until the apples are coated in all that yumminess

6) Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes

7) Stir and throw in 1 cinnamon stick. Then turn stove down to simmer/low and continue to cook for about an hour.

8) Stir with a whisk. At this point the apples should be soft enough to break down easily but by using a whisk stay a bit chunky.

9) Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature.

Now, not only does your house smell absolutely delicious but you are also ready to enjoy a healthy homemade snack on a perfect fall day! 

Or, if you are like my husband, you can turn this healthy snack into a sweet treat by pouring the applesauce over vanilla ice cream. It tastes like apple pie without the crust...a great and healthy substitute for pie this holiday season.  

Cheers to Lazy Fall Afternoons (on the weekends of course)!

XO,

Jenna

Share your favorite cheesy made-for-TV holiday movie by commenting below! 

Watermelon Jalapeño Mint Salad

This 4th of July spice up your get together with this fresh and easy 
Watermelon Jalapeño Mint Salad.

I love this recipe for two reasons. It is easy and it is pretty much a combo of most of my favorite things...the bonus is how fresh and delicious it is. This salad will hit the spot on any hot summer day/night but it is also perfect to share with family and friends for the 4th of July!

Serves 6 (as a side)

Prep-Time: 20 minutes

Cook-Time: 8 minutes if you sauté the jalapeños (shown) but this is not necessary

What You Will Need:

1 Jalapeño 

7 C. Cubed (bite size) Watermelon

1/2 C. Chopped Mint

Sea Salt (to taste and I only do this if I sauté the jalapeño) 

1 C. Arugula

1/2 C. Crumbled Feta

1/2 C. Chopped Red Onion

Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tsp. Coconut Oil (if you sauté the jalapeño, shown below)

Let's Get Started:

1) Prep all of the ingredients: 

• Thinly slice the jalapeño (if you want to sauté it do so in the beginning so it has time to cool before adding to the salad. Keep in mind, if you do not like a lot of heat remove the seeds and if you want to turn up the heat leave the seeds in. 
• If you do want to crisp up the jalapeño slices use a sauté pan with 1tsp coconut oil (or oil of your choice) over medium heat until they start to get crispy, stir occasionally and add a pinch of salt or to taste. Again, you can always keep the jalapeño fresh (both ways are yummy and my hubby and I go back and forth on this).








• Thinly slice and then chop the onion so you have 1/2 Cup chopped.

• Chop up a 1/2 Cup mint.

• Cut up 7 Cups of watermelon into bite-sized cubes.

2) Once all of the ingredients are chopped, sliced and cut up combine the watermelon, mint, onion and 1 Cup of arugula into serving bowl.

3) Toss all the yummy goodness together and then right before serving add 1/2 Cup crumbled feta cheese, the jalapeño slices and drizzle a balsamic vinegar lightly over the top.

I use this yummy local vinegar that I bought in the Carmel Village:

Bon Appetite!

I hope you all enjoy this delicous summer salad recipe. If you try it let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Enjoy and have a safe 4th of July!

XO,

Jenna

PS- Try pairing it with a minty mojito :-)

TGIF! Blood Orange Cocktail Recipes!

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere!

The hubs and I were recently staying in on a Saturday night so we decided to play mixologist. Now, we are not big hard alcohol drinkers so we made due with what we had and personally I found it to be a success, surprisingly, considering what we were working with, which wasn’t much.

White Balsamic Vodka Soda:

That’s right balsamic vinegar. We heard about it…so we tried it…and I liked it…Hubs, not so much. I think he couldn’t get passed the fact that his cocktail had vinegar in it but I didn’t even notice. I found it refreshing.

Here are the deets:

Vodka

Club Soda

Splash (about 1 tbsp or to taste) of flavored white balsamic of your choice. I used a white champagne mimosa flavored one as well as a coconut flavored vinegar (not together…yep I had two) and both were yummy. I also squeezed a blood orange wedge into it to add some color and fresh juice but I don’t think it was needed.

Fresh Squeezed Blood Orange Vodka Soda:

It is simple and oh so good.

Here are the deets:

Vodka

Club Soda

Fresh Squeezed Blood Orange Juice

Fresh Squeezed Blood Orange Lime Margaritas:

Fresh and delicious! 

Here are the deets:

Tequila (Silver)

Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice (I usually buy "Just Lime" juice to save time)

Fresh Squeezed Blood Orange Juice (about 1 orange per full blender)

Splash of Grand Marnier 

Ice

Give it a try and tell me what you think by commenting below.

Cheers!

XO,

Jenna

Chicken Tortilla Soup (hold the tortilla)

This recipe is delicious, filling, healthy (until I load it with cheese) and only gets better on day 2...but then again, what soup doesn't?

All recipes are created by Jenna unless stated otherwise! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Serves 8

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: About 60 mins (really, you are prepping & cooking at the same time)

This is a tomato based tortilla soup. 

What You Will Need:

Chicken Broth; 32 oz.  (I use low sodium) 
Tomatoes in juice; 28 oz. (julienne or chef cut) 
Diced tomatoes in juice with jalapeño; 14.5 oz.
White Corn; 15 oz. 
White Onion 
Garlic
Paprika
Chili Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Smokey Chipotle Seasoning
Garlic Powder or Garlic Salt (I use Garlic Dude from Garlic Shoppe in Gilroy)
Salt
Chicken Breast
Cojita Cheese
Cilantro
Avocado 

Let's Get Started:

1) Start by boiling 2 chicken breast. Once done, let cool then shred and set aside. This can all be happening while you work on the next steps. I add paprika and black pepper to the water as I boil the chicken.

2) In a pot, combine the cans of tomato (juice & all), corn (drained & rinsed), the chicken broth, and the following seasonings: 

•  1 tsp Paprika
• Dash of cayenne or more if you like it really spicy
• 1/2 tsp of chili powder
• Dash of a smokey chipotle seasoning 
• 1/2 tsp of garlic powder/salt
• Pinch of sea salt

My Birthday in Carmel

This year my birthday fell on a Tuesday so my husband and I took off work to relax, celebrate, shop, dine and drink wine (it was also National Drink Wine Day...how fitting). Luckily, for us we didn't have to go far for some of the best food, wine and shopping. Carmel-by-the-Sea is right in our backyard. 

Below is our day (my day) described in pictures!

Cheers to the last year in my 20's!

What I wore to celebrate being born!

Hat: H&M

Boots: Great Boutique Find

Jeans: Gap

Sweater: J. Crew

Jacket: Bebe

Sunglasses: Armani

Purse: Target 

Does everyone else get really excited about a great Target find?

Scarf: Vintage from my Grandma's closet

Lipstick: Sexy Bitch Cosmetics

Super Bowl Munchies!

Broncos Versus Seahawks! 

"Who's hosting and what are we eating?"

Whether your team is in the bowl or not you likely will have a spot in front of the TV this Sunday...even if it is just for the company, food, commercials and half time show. 

Below are five recipes that I will be serving my friends and family as we cheer on our team! 

*All recipes are created by Jenna unless stated otherwise! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

1) Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeños:

I came up with this recipe about 8 years ago for a group of jalapeño loving friends and have been making it ever since (they don’t really give me a choice). I have tweaked it a bit over the years in order to simplify the process but keep the same great taste.  

Prep Time: 25-60 Minutes (depends how many jalapeños you plan on cleaning out)
Cook Time: 20-25 Minutes on 350 degrees 

What you will need:

Jalapeños
Cream Cheese
Bacon
Cilantro
Boysenberry Jam
Teriyaki Sauce

Let's Get Started:

1) Half the jalapeños and clean out the seeds (the seeds and the oils are what make these little guys spicy so do not scrape the seeds out with your finger and if you do more than 10 jalapenos I suggest even wearing gloves. Oh, and do not touch your eyes!) I use a grapefruit spoon to clean the peppers out.

2) Place a piece of cilantro in the emptied out pepper. Then fill with cream cheese. Don't be shy...fill it up. 

3) Next add another little sprig of cilantro. I love cilantro! 

4) Next is the weird and completely random step (1 of 2 anyway). Drizzle with teriyaki sauce (I prefer Veri Veri) and I do mean just drizzle. I just dip a knife in the sauce and drip it over the peppers...it can get a little messy.

5) Now, wrap it up in bacon and bake! 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the bacon looks nice and brown.

6) Let cool and garnish with cilantro and boysenberry jam ( the second random ingredients. Heat the jam so it is a little runny and easy to drizzle on) as little or as much as you prefer. 

The sweet jam is the perfect match for this spicy and savory treat!