Photo via TheGraciousWife.com

Seriously, I can promise you (if you like Oreo Cookies, especially) this will be the best cookie recipe you will ever see. And it’s pretty dang easy to make too.

Here is the recipe for Marshmallow Oreo Chip Cookies, taken directly from TheGraciousWife.com. You should definitely check out her website for tons of other delicious recipes – you won’t be disappointed. (Seriously, her recipe has been shared more than 84k times, so you know it’s good!) 

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4-ounce package Cookies ‘n Cream pudding mix, unprepared
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2¼ cups flour
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 Jumbo Hershey’s Cookies ‘n Cream candy bar, chopped
• about 8-10 Oreos, coarsely crushed

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars.
• Add eggs and vanilla and mix again.
• Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture, along with cocoa powder and pudding mix. Stir until everything is fully combined.
• Fold in marshmallows, chopped candy bar, and crushed Oreos.
• Chill dough for about 15 minutes.
• Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and shape into balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet (and I DO mean greased. None of that wimpy cooking spray. You’re going to have to break out the butter and slick it down because marshmallows are sticky!) 2 inches apart.
• Bake at 350° for 8-11 minutes.

*Note, for some reason finding Cookies n’ Cream pudding mix has been really hard lately, so I used a white chocolate pudding mix and ground up (majorly so it was almost powder) 8 Oreo cookies to make my own variation.

This post is part of my “learn and love to cook” resolution for 2017. I love living at The Millennium Kirby because of the massive kitchen, to test out and eat up these great recipes. Y’all already know anything with Oreos is a win in my book! SPONSORED

ThrIVe Drip Spa in Houston

I don’t often buy into fads, but with the same token, I love trying out new things. Especially when they offer quick and easy benefits to your health and overall appearance. Recently I had the chance to check out ThrIVe Drip Spa, located in Houston.

While they mostly do IV therapies, their menu of offerings is quite unique and one I had a field day analyzing and trying. IV therapies (think the kind to cure those extreme hangovers) have been around for quite some time, but most of the early adopters were the super wealthy, elite and celeb-types (none of which describes me).

ThrIVe is unique because they offer other premium services that are affordable alternatives to plastic surgery, like photofacials and injectables. Also, their entire staff is incredibly well-versed in everything you could possibly need to know (trust me, I tested them quite intensely). Many services produce similar results and they take the time to find out about your skin type, your exact needs, etc.

I also tried Forma for the first time, a procedure I’d read about in the major

ThrIVe Drip Spa in Houston

magazines, but sounded painful and sort of crazy when I’d read about it. It’s a skin tightening treatment for your face and neck (which as I age, is a must!), and is not painful or invasive, which was a pleasant surprise. I was glowing and plumped almost immediately (this is the only kind of plumping I want, trust me!).

I’m also secretly dying to try Body FX, which is basically the same treatment, but for cellulite areas. And well, I’ve got a trip to Grand Cayman coming up, so we might have to check that out!

They offer a number of drips, so you can literally “pick your poison” so to speak, but my top is the Myers Drip, which is the original vitamin cocktail that started it all. It’s a powerful blend of vitamins and minerals designed for IV use by Dr. John Myers (aptly named, right?).

Since Dr. Myer’s discovery, doctors worldwide have used, recommended, and “prescribed” Myers’ Cocktail to help treat a broad spectrum of health conditions.

While I don’t see myself becoming a regular for drips, I do see myself getting a Myers fix right before every trip. My immune system basically hates me, and this powerful blend of vitamins helps prevent me from getting sick thanks to changes in environment, lack of sleep, different altitudes, etc. The drips take only 30 minutes and you get to relax in the most swanky, serene environment (see pic above).

Photo: Sunshine Winters Photography

I have no shame in my game admitting that I can spend hours upon hours on the couch – even on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon – or worse – when I have free tickets to the Texans game across the street but my couch feels much more conducive to my day.

For starters, I have the most comfortable couch, EVER. And there’s plenty of room for my boyfriend and my two dogs or just a ton of blankets and the remotes. Either scenario works for me. (Bonus – they even white-glove delivered my couch, so that part was easy too!)

So now that I’ve told you my dirty little secret about spending hours on the couch, let me share what usually fills my DVR (and remember, this is a no judgement zone).

• Any and every episode of every city of the Real Housewives franchise. I know a lot of people “lose respect” for me because of some of my TV choices, but I’m totally OK with that. Life is too short to worry what other people are watching, amiright?
• Still stuck on Bravo, Vanderpump Rules is a crazy obsession of mine.
• WAGS – I’m partial to the original version, but I watch Miami too.
• Of course, we record and rewatch all the Texans games – it’s important for when I do guest TV and radio to keep up-to-date with what’s going on (though it’s usually the same story – our quarterback sucks and he has no o-line to protect him…).
• Any law or criminal shows – like Law & Order SVU, Chicago PD, Chicago MD, Chicago Fire, Criminal Minds, etc. I pretty much watch them all.
• Dateline – yes, this is probably my favorite. You know we’re getting comfortable (or is it lazy?) in our relationship when we’re totally cool making dinner at home and watching a new Dateline. Speaking of which – I can’t wait until Friday already!

What about you – what’s clogging up your DVR? I dished, now it’s your turn!

Even though it’s still “just an apartment,” living at The Millennium Kirby really feels like home. I love spending time on my couch, watching TV and having friends over more than I have in a long time. [SPONSORED]

Photo: David Tong for Café Azur

Café Azur is a cute little spot in Montrose I had the pleasure of brunching at this past weekend.

Brunch is pretty much one of my favorite things, and Café Azur did not disappoint. It has the absolute cutest little set up – the kind you want to stay at all day and drink mimosas and snap photos. That can’t be just me that does that, right? 

Though the brunch menu is small, it’s mighty. It’s got classic breakfast/brunch options and then some a little more intense, like a Duck Confit (which I had and loved!) or Ox Cheek, to name a few. Both sound incredibly exotic and adventurous, but both are fittingly perfect for the Houston brunch scene. And both were easily washed down with a few cocktails.

And of course you can’t do brunch without brunch cocktails, which include:

BLOODY MARY

Fresh tomato juice, signature house spice mix and juices, two select vodkas, celery foam 12

FRENCH 75

Hennessy cognac, fresh lemon juice, turbinado sugar, Brut Champagne 14

MIMOSA

Fresh orange juice, champagne 10

BELLINI

Fresh white peach purée, strawberry, champagne 11

Then for dessert, either finish it off with a Crepe Suzette – or another Bellini. I won’t judge – or better yet – go for both! It’s the weekend, so live a little.

Now I can’t wait to check out Cafe Azur for a date night spot. So stay tuned!

Since moving into The Millennium Kirby a few months ago, brunch back “inside the loop” has become my thing again. Oh how I missed it, and how nice it is to live so close to so many of Houston’s best restaurants. SPONSORED

Photo: via The Millennium Kirby, IG

Our homes – whether you’re a homeowner or an apartment dweller, like me, are a big investment and say a lot about who we are. If you are someone who takes pride in your home and hosting guests (raises hand) and looking for tips to make and keep it beautiful, you’ve come to the right place! 

Start With The Floors

Gleaming hardwood floors that are kept in good shape add a touch of elegance to any home. They also enable you to put down beautiful throw rugs in different rooms, which is a huge design hack to making your space your very own and keeping it inviting. If you are renting, make sure you clean the floors properly and assess them before moving in (ask the complex to clean them, get out any scratches before moving in, etc.). 

Window Treatments Are a Necessity to Beautify Any Home

Elegant looking drapes, or wood or bamboo blinds are a fairly affordable way to lend a look of class to any home. Windows with no coverings or cheap looking drapes or metal blinds, on the other hand, stick out like a sore thumb. This is a simple thing to address that makes a big difference – even if you’re just renting, it’s worth the investment if your place comes with the cheaper stuff (luckily mine didn’t!). 

Keeping your windows and window treatments clean is essential to maintain the beauty and cleanliness of your home, not to mention your health. Dirty windows can introduce contaminants into the atmosphere and bring down the air quality indoors.

Take time to clean your windows and window treatments regularly. Consider investing in quality window-cleaning tools and products to tackle all kinds of dirt and stains and keep your windows and home looking and feeling fresh.

Having Nice Furniture Cannot Be Underestimated

Let’s face it; our homes are filled with furniture, so if this furniture is cheap or tacky looking, so is our home. It does not have to be expensive to have good looking furniture, but it should be versatile and easy to clean – especially if you have dogs, like me. 

Keeping Your Home Uncluttered and Clean

This may seem like common sense, but it is important enough to mention (hire a cleaning service for some new year apartment cleaning if you can’t clean). You can spend a lot of money fixing up things in your home to make it look better in terms of nice furniture and expensive touches. However, if the place is a mess or if there are things strewn about, all of this hard work and investment can be effectively undone. Plus, an unclean home is a simple and icky way of spreading germs, etc. It’s just not a good look – literally. 

This blog post is part of my collaboration with The Millennium Kirby and how to grow up, get clean and start hosting friends and family. SPONSORED