Top Ten Tips From My Favorite Magazines - June 2024

 I am so very happy to see home design magazines start to use color again. Seems like everything has been cream, white, tan and grey for a long time. 

1.  The June issue of Real Simple asked its readers what the brightest, most colorful thing in their home was. The answers were great. They included a quilt made out of Indian saris, a small turquoise bathroom, book shelf, a mug collection, a retro mini fridge and someone's 6 year old granddaughter.  Most colorful things in my home are my yellow walls and my paintings. What about you? What's the most colorful thing in your home?

2.  In the Summer Escapes issue of Sunset Magazine (June 2024), I read about a small Mexican town that I have never heard of. It's called Todos Santos. They called the Todos Santos Boutique Hotel the crown jewel of this surf pueblo. Looks like a fabulous place to hang out on the beach. Here is the town's website. Here is the link for the Todos Santos Boutique Hotel.

3.  I always find good tips and tricks in the AARP magazine. This month they said you can get red wine out of fabric with white wine. As soon as possible blot white wine on the fabric to dilute the stain. Then use a wet cloth to get out the rest. Don't rub. 

4.  I love cocktail umbrellas. I love them so much that when I first moved to Mexico I put them all over my Christmas tree. This month's Better Homes and Gardens likes them too. They have a list of several cute ones in their article Summer Party Playbook. There are lots of fun options on Amazon. I especially like the cocktail umbrella straws.

5.  I saw this photo in the summer issue of Magnolia. It wasn't an article but an advertisement for Target's Hearth and Hand dishes. However what caught my eye was the color of the outdoor table and chair. I remember years ago when my friend painted her backyard fence that shade of green. It works so well in a garden, blending with plants and flowers. I think it works well with outdoor furniture as well. I see some furniture painting in my future.

6.  For many many years, every Christmas I would order chocolate dipped cherries from a little candy store in Los Gatos, CA. Cherries are readily available in Mexico where I live now. The Magnolia magazine has a couple of cherry recipes, including one that is cherries double dipped and frozen. First you dip the pitted cherries in melted white chocolate. You freeze them and then dip them in dark chocolate. Yumm.

7.  Zoomer magazine features little rechargeable lamps and said they are "popping up at all our favorite restaurants." Two friends gave me one for my birthday a couple of years ago. And boy do I love it. Where I live the electricity frequently goes out when it is windy or rains. I leave my little lamp plugged into the USB connection on my computer. When the lights go out I just unplug them it and carry it room to room with me. Amazon has a bunch of them to choose from.

8.  The June 24th  First For Women Magazine has an article called "10 Brilliant Uses for Paper Bags." I don't have stacks of paper bags any more as I tend to bring my recyclable tote bags. However there are some clever ideas. My favorite was to cut them to the size of picture frames, hang bag cutouts on the wall. When you have your photo wall arrangement decided, tap nails through each bag. Perfect placement. Since I don't have paper bags, I think any kind of paper or newspaper would work. Just cut to size for each photo, piece of art.

9.  Anyone who has a dog probably knows this. Good Housekeeping features "Summer Feel Good Secrets" in their latest issue. They report on how a study published in the journal Psychogeriatrics found that "holding, stroking, walking, talking to and playing with dogs" improves depression by a whopping 50%. It even helps those with dementia. My life would be a lot less joyful without Micky and Benny.

10.  Oh I adore this tiled fireplace. I saw it also in the latest issue of Good Housekeeping. The tiles are zellige tiles from Emery and Cie.

Chocolate Makes Me Happy

I have discovered three chocolate shops in the small village of Ajijic Mexico. The picture above is my latest stash. I highly recommend Margarita Chocolates.

I am in the land where chocolate began - in Mesoameria around 1900 BC. The Mayans and Aztecs believed that the seeds were divine, a gift from the gods. They made a bitter, fermented drink called xocoatl. Cacao beans were so valuable that they were used as currency.

It wasn't until the cacao seeds were imported to Europe by the Spanish that sugar and honey were added. Chocolate was primarily a delicacy for the wealthy until the late 1700s. The invention of the steam engine made the chocolate process faster and available to the masses.

I have yet to discover a chocolate that I don't like. It's still possible but I would say unlikely. Below are a few favorite chocolate recipes.

Rice Krispy Peanut Butter Balls have been a Christmas tradition since I was a kid. My grandmother would send them to us in a coffee can. My mom would put them into the freezer so they would last until Christmas day. Then we discovered that they were quite yummy frozen as well. 

I found my "go to" chocolate cheesecake recipe years ago in Maida Haetter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts.  

My favorite ice cream is Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia (with dark chocolate chunks of course.) You can get Ben and Jerry's recipe for home made ice cream in their book 

Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

Chocolate Dipped Cherries were always another holiday favorite at our house. Mom used to order them from a local candy store that is long gone. I found a recipe however, in Epicurius.

Ten Chocolate Easter Bunnies

 

Easter is just not Easter without family and chocolate bunnies. My sister always got enough chocolate bunnies for everyone coming to dinner and would make them part of her table display.

We did a deep google search reviewing chocolate bunnies. We read reviews from Town and Country, Taste of Home, Pioneer Woman, Country Living and Epicurius, to name a few. These are just of few of what people think are the best.

1.  Lindt Chocolate Bunnies - whether, the Gold Bunny Milk Chocolate, the dark chocolate or the mini bunnies, Lindt's bunnies are always listed at the top. 

From Amazon

2.  Dark and Milk Chocolate Godiva Bunnies were also at the top of most lists. You can find them on Godiva's website.

Slightly off topic, but if you want something to knock their socks off, check out Godiva's Collectible Egg. It's $34.95 but wow, would that make a beautiful table centerpiece. Or can you imagine one on every plate?

3.  Dove Chocolate Bunnies are also repeatedly mentioned and are a bit lower priced. You can get them from Target, Walmart and on Amazon.

4.  Sur La Table has a Saxon Chubby Chocolate Bunny with Mini Eggs. You can find it on their website.

And while you are exploring Sur La Table they have some darling Easter kitchen towels, dishes, egg platters and table runners.

5.  Looking for a large chocolate bunny? Real Simple Magazine recommends Mr. Goodtime's Chocolate Bunny. 

6.  If you want a really really big chocolate bunny you can get one from Morke's Chocolates. It's 3 feet tall.

7.  And if you are looking for just plain old adorable, try Harry and David's Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny.

8.  Want gluten-free? Li-lac Chocolates has adorable laughing bunnies.

9.  Want to make your own? You can make Oreo Chocolate Bunnies with a mold from Spinningleaf.

10. Need more bunny ideas. Pinterest has a gazillion of them.

Chocolate

A Few Chocolate Facts - Did you know that 83 billion dollars worth of chocolate are sold annually, worldwide? Chocolate lovers consume over 7.2 million metric tons each year. 

Cocoa pods flourish near the equator with 70% of cocoa coming from West Africa. 90% of those crops come from small farmers. Eat chocolate. You are supporting small African cocoa farmers.

And very importantly these days, chocolate is a mood booster as cocoa raises serotonin levels in the brain.

Whenever I travel I make it a point to visit a local chocolate shop or festival. Click here to see ten of the best Chocolate Festivals around the world, including one online festival.