Turkey and Mushroom Sliders with Spicy Sauce

For July 4th, I wanted to make something that was 'American' so I immediately thought of burgers. But I wanted to make the burgers semi healthy so I substituted ground beef with ground turkey. I was worried that the turkey patties would be dry but these turned out very juicy!! I also wanted to make sliders because little things are so cute. Follow the recipe below for some delicious turkey and mushroom sliders.

Cook Time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Spicy Sauce:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Turkey Patties:
Dash of salt and pepper
1 lb of ground turkey
1 egg
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1/4 cup of dry bread crumbs

1/2 medium onion, diced
8 ounces of brown or white mushrooms (I used a combination of both)
12 slider buns
Cheese (pick you favorite, I used a combination of pesto gouda, cheddar, and pepper jack)

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, ketchup and cayenne pepper until combined to make the sauce.
2. Grease a large skillet with olive oil. Add the onions and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes then add the mushrooms. Cook until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are soft. Then transfer into a bowl.
3. Mix together the ground turkey, salt and pepper, egg, garlic, and bread crumbs.
4. Evenly divide the turkey in 12 parts and form patties by rolling it into a ball and gently flattening it to about one inch diameter. Make an indentation with your thumb in the middle of the patty to help it keep its shape.
5. Heat the oil in the same skillet as the one used to cook the onions and mushrooms over medium heat. Add a couple of patties, indented side up, and cook for 4 minutes.
6. Flip the patty over and add the mushroom mixture on top of the patty and top it off with your choice of cheese on each patty. Then place a lid on the skillet and cook for a couple of minutes until the patty is fully cooked and the cheese is melted.
7. After toasting the buns, spread on the spicy sauce and place patties between the buns. Garnish with your favorite toppings, like tomatoes and lettuce (I used kale), and enjoy!

Birthday Haul

It was finally my 21st birthday two weeks ago so I wanted to do a quick little haul of what I received. This can also provide for some gift ideas for that special girl or woman in your life!

All-Star Converse, High Tops: I’ve wanted these babies for so long because they look good with everything. These shoes are definitely a classic that hasn't gone out of style and can be worn to dress an outfit down. I actually even wore them at my graduation in my cap and gown!

Lustrum and Megastar from NuMe: There was a really great deal going on for both the Lustrum curler and the Megastar straighter. While overall the curler and straight iron were expensive, the Lustrum is basically five different curlers which would each cost more than $50 individually at a beauty store, so it really is cost effective overall. Both of these tools heat up quickly and the heat stays consistent so I only have to curl my hair for a short amount of time and have the perfect curl or straight hair, which helps limit the heat damage to my hair.

Sony Alpha NEX-F3 Camera: I was only using my Canon 40D  to take all my pictures and while it resulted in quality pictures it was such a pain to carry around everywhere. So I received a Sony Alpha NEX-F3 for my birthday. This was hard for me to grasp at first because I love looking through a lens finder and shooting in manual but this camera develops great quality pictures and has the option of shooting in manual. 

Eye-Fi SD Card: Along with my new camera, I received an Eye-Fi SD card. This SD card is quite magical because it sends any picture taken on the camera with the SD card in it straight to my phone or computer. I used to have to take a picture of something with both my camera and my phone to Instagram or post it to Twitter but now the picture just sends directly it to my phone!

Ulta: For birthdays, Ulta gives away full sizes of Calvin Klien "One" Mascara! While the retail price is normally $18, for beauty reward members it's free. Part of the cap twists to either provide more volume or more length. It looks very innovative and I'm very excited to try it. For a gift, you could get an Ulta gift card and register it for beauty rewards before giving it to the recipient.  

Sephora: Sephora also gives out a free birthday gift to Beauty Insiders; this year it is a deluxe sample of a lipstick and mascara from Make Up For Ever. which are pretty great. I also cashed in my first 100 points ever for Too Faced’s Chocolate Soleil and it has great payoff and smells amazing!! For a gift, you could get a Sephora gift card and register it for beauty rewards before giving it to the recipient.  

 

Lemon Tiramisu in a Jar

Lemon is my favorite ingredient to bake with because I just love its tartness and versatility. Mason jars have been so on trend recently so I decided to combine these two things to make Lemon Tiramisu in a Jar, which are perfect for the summer!

Cook Time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 9 hours (including refrigeration)

Servings: 8

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons of brandy or white rum
Juice and Zest of 2 large lemons
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 large eggs separated
150 ml of cream (can substitute with cool whip)
16 oz of mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup of lemon curd (recipe below)
2 packets of ladyfingers
8 ounce (half pint) Wide Mouth Mason Jars

Instructions:
1. Stir together the brandy, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of sugar until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until soft peaks are formed.
3. In another bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks are formed.
4. Finally, in a fourth bowl, beat together lemon zest, remaining sugar, egg yolk, mascarpone cheese, and lemon curd.
5. Fold cream into the mascarpone mixture, and then fold in egg whites.
6. Prepare eight 8 ounce, wide mouth Mason Jars. Cut the ladyfingers in half, dip them quickly into the brandy and lemon mixture, and place them into the jars. Position the curved part of the ladyfinger down first into the jar (as seen in picture). 6 halves of ladyfingers should fit in a jar.
7. Spoon the mascarpone mixture in the middle and level it off at the top of the jar. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
8. Before serving, top with some lemon curd, a strawberry (or any garnish), and enjoy!


Lemon Curd
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions:
1. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer for a few minutes. Add the egg and yolks and beat for 1 minute. Then mix in lemon juice.
2. In a medium sauce pan, cook the mixture on low heat until it looks smooth. Then increase to medium heal and stir constantly until the mixture thickens and the butter melts, around 15 minutes, without letting the mixture boil.
3. Remove the curd from the heat and stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd into glass tupperware, cover the surface of the lemon curd with plastic wrap, and cover with lid. Chill in refrigerator overnight for it to thicken.

Ulta's Automatic Eye Liner

Over the past year, I've been obsessed with Ulta because it always has such great sales, even on top of the coupons. Its reward program is pretty good because at every 100 points you receive $3 off anything and since it was my birthday last week I received a full size CK One Color mascara that’s usually $18!

Anyways, today I will be reviewing Ulta’s Automatic Eyeliners. Usually it costs $8 per eyeliner but they were on sale for $2 each, so naturally I bought four eyeliners. (Sometimes the eyeliners are even $1 online!) Colored eyeliners have been very on trend for this spring and summer and I was looking for some cheap ones that I could experiment with. While Stila has a great variety of colored eyeliners, they’re around $18 each! In my honest opinion, I don’t think it’s worth spending that much money on something that’s probably going to go out of trend in the Fall and Winter. Plus, I think these Ulta eyeliners work just as well.

Swatches of Ulta's Automatic Eyeliners in Storm, Lace, Grape, and Tropics 

Storm: Grey Metallic Shimmer with flecks of Silver Glitter.

Ulta's Automatic Eyeliner in Storm

Lace: White Matte. I like white eyeliners because it makes the eye appear more open and awake. It can also provide a very mod look. 

Ulta's Automatic Eyeliner in Lace

Grape: Purple Matte. I like any subtle purple eye makeup because it definitely complements brown eyes.

Ulta's Automatic Eyeliner in Grape

Tropics: Bright Blue Metallic Shimmer with Silver Glitter

Ulta's Automatic Eyeliner in Tropics

My favorite ways to wear these eyeliners is by tracing it on top of a black cat eye and lining the inner corner/tear duct and bottom lash with the chosen color of eyeliner. Because of the heat and sweat that happens during the summer, the eyeliners give the eyes that pop of color and no eye-shadow is needed, which could potentially sweat right off the face! 

Pro: 

-Price: Definitely worth it if the liner is on sale.

-Color Payoff: The color comes off exactly as expected.

-Staying Power: The color stays on all day once it is put on.

Con: 

-Not Waterproof: The eyeliner claims to be waterproof but it doesn't work well on the waterline.

Ultimately, I recommend Ulta's Automatic Eyeliners when they go on sale because it allows for all sorts of experimentation with a variety of different colors!

 

Santa Barbara Breakwater: Let's go to the beach-each, let's go get away!

I am fortunate enough to grow up in a beach town and even attend school near(ish) a beach but I unfortunately don't get the chance to go enough. So my friend and I ventured to the Santa Barbara breakwater, which I surprisingly have never been to before even though I have been to the surrounding beaches and kayaked through it. It was such a beautiful, sunny day and there's something very soothing and calming about the beach as the waves crash onto the shore.

Look, a seal swimming by!

I will definitely miss this when I move up to foggy San Francisco for my internship in a few weeks, so I'm enjoying this amazing view while I can!

EoS Basket of Fruit Lip Balm

I was recently sent the Evolution of Smooth's Basket of Fruit Lip Balm and the packaging was so cute that I couldn't help taking pictures of them! These little babies smell so delicious and remind me of the Starbursts candy...that I can't eat, sadly. But besides the packaging and smell, they definitely do the job in moisturizing your lips. 

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - Part Two

After visiting the Bayou Bend Collections and Gardens, I headed a few miles down the road to the actual Museum of Fine Arts. This museum is so large, with three stories filled with art and exhibits, that one could probably spend the whole day exploring it. I unfortunately only had an hour or so to explore but I still managed to see at least half of the museum!

This skull piece is actually 3D. The little figures carved or placed on the skull are references to movies/shows and American culture in general - the background is even a Pac Man game. See how many you can spot!

                                                  

This whole room fades from one color to another as one walks through it

A sphere of pots, pans, and cutlery

                                                 

                                                             Pablo Picasso

 

Yoko Ono and John Lennon