OOTD:: Trip to the Winery!

Virginia Winery Hopping!

This past weekend I went up to Virginia for a full day of wine tasting; it is my second time ever going and I forgot how much fun it can be! It is the perfect girls day out or getting together with friends and just relaxing but also expanding your palette and just getting to try samples of different wines! I definitely recommend it to everyone and for everyone to do it at least 1-2 times a year!

Twin Oaks Tavern Winery

  I started off this cute little place up high which had a beautiful view overlooking the whole Bluemont city!  My two favorites had to be their 2012 Raspberry Wine and also their signature Bordeaux-style 2012 Raven Rocks Red.

 Cheers from Twin Oaks!

Breaux Vineyards

The second place has a gorgeous background view! This was a more popular and bigger winery. My favorite was probably  the 2011 Jolie Blond.  Here we also decided to have a picnic and enjoy the view and weather. As much as I liked the area, the wines for me weren't the best. I wouldn't recommend this one too much.

 More of my friends decided to join this time, cheers from Breaux!

North Gate Vineyard

This was the final stop for the day and may I add, the perfect ending! It was my most favorite of the three! It even came with chocolate truffle pairings which were mouth-watering goodness! I pretty much liked all the wines here.  The host we had was hilarious and friendly, and we even ended up buying a few wines from here and staying here for a while, taking the gorgeous weather and day in.

 Cheers from North Gate!

 Now onto the outfit of the day! That day was breezy but gorgeous weather.  It was actually the first day of Fall! I decided to still embrace the summer clothes and mix in some bright colors while I still can.  A nice flowy dress with a statement necklace is the route I chose.  Since there was a lot of walking and most of it was on grass, I opted to fun flat sandals.  Paired it with a brown clutch to match shoes and blend in with my dress to complete the look!

Thanks for checking out my experience at the different wineries and check back sometime this week or next for a new recipe!

ps, don't forget to =)

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Mani Monday:: First Day of Fall!

Fall Leaves

Happy, happy Monday everyone! Yesterday marked the first day of my absolute favorite season, Fall! And so in honor of it, I decided to have my nails Fall festive!

 Fall is just full of oranges, yellows, rusts, cognacs, browns, olives, and still all while the sun shining down on us.  So  I decided to do an ombre-esqe feel of those colors.

The gold glitters adds for a fun look and looks amazing when the suns glistening down.

Thanks for checking Dash of Style, with a Sweet Smile out today! 

Check back later this week for my winery day OOTD post!

ps, don't forget to =)

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Friday Favorites:: TSM Style

Why was the potato so sad?

Because it was FRY-day! ….Haha (Sorry, I just love corny jokes!)

Happppy Friday!!! Hope yall tried the black bean recipe posted yesterday!

This Friday Favorites segment is going to revolve around sorority life.  Guys, you may want to help your sister, friend, or girlfriend, but today's post will be more catered for the sweet, classy SRAT's.There's a lot more favorites than usual but I just couldn't decide!

Bid Day has come and gone and Big/Little Reveal week is around the corner! As yall know, I'm a proud Kappa Delta girl, AOT, but all of us girls craft the same way and I wanted to give out some of my favorite crafting ideas out to help you! Yes yo can just always buy your little some sorority gear, but crafting it yourself adds so much more of a connection and is more meaningful!

Favorite DIY candle holder:: Don't have too much time? Or even who doesn't like a few gems? Go to a dollar-store and you can get simple candle holders, then go to a Michaels or Hobby Lobby and buy a strand of rhinestones, and glue it on! Voila!

 Favorite Way to Welcome:: Why not get a plain welcome mat, some paint, and paint on a cute monogram, phrase, or your letters? What a great way to be greeted!

Favorite Thoughtful Idea:: Make a CD filled with sisterly love songs or even a oldies but goldies mix?! Do I hear MMM-Bop?!

Favorite Corny Gift:: I mean, just how cute is this. Cmon!

Favorite Photo-Wall Decor:: Get a plain wooden plank or frame, paint chalkboard paint, and attach clips with pictures on the bottom! Super cute and different talk to a Dry-Erase Board!

Favorite Nameboards:: Who doesn't love Lilly Pulitzer?! Just add your Little's name underneath for this cute name wall-art or Monogram a canvas and paint a cute print on the background!

Favorite Splurge:: These HayMarket monogram towels are just TOO cute! Find them here!

Favorite Basket Gift:: Paint on wine glasses for a super cute and personalized glass! Pinky up!

                       

and last but not least,
but of course,
Favorite Idea for EVERYTHING!:: Who DOESN'T love bows?!

Have so so much fun crafting ladies! I know I miss it!
Check back next week for my ootd at the Winery!
ps, don't forget to =)

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What's to Eat?? Fail-Proof Black Beans

Chipotle style/Mexican style/Everyday style Black Beans

If you want to make black beans, you would just normally take a can of black beans, rinse, and cook it over the stove for a few minutes and your probably done, right? Is this the absolute quickest way? Sure. Is it filled with mouth-watering, spices-filled, extra veggie lovin', fresh black beans? NO WAY! Add just a few more minutes of your time and you can have fresh black beans for you and anyone else! You can even make a bunch in one cooking and freeze half for a later use! GENIUS. ((NOTE:: This recipe calls for an overnight step.))

What you will need::

• A bag of dry black beans (I use Goya)
• Olive oil- 1-2 tablespoons
• 1 onion-chopped
• 1 green pepper-chopped
• 4 garlic cloves-diced
• Taco seasoning-2 spoons
• 2 Bay leaves
• Salt-to taste

I come from a big family and also friends are always in and out.  So I usually use this 4lb bag of Goya dry black beans.  Also, you can always make it and then put it away in the freezer for up to 3-4 months and take it out and warm it up whenever you want.  So it's safe to say, the more you make, it will always be for the better.

Usually, the night before, you want to dump your black beans into a bowl big enough to hold it and immerse it in water and let it sit overnight.  *SIDE TIP* They say that if you boil black beans straight out of the bag, or can, you lose alot of the nutrients,  That is why I prefer to let it soak overnight.

The next day, thoroughly rinse you black beans, like shown below.

You can now start cutting up your yummy and healthy veggies that add a great taste to your black beans.  I like to use 4 cloves of garlic-diced, and 1 onion and green pepper chopped up.

**Here's my rule of thumb about olive oil and trying to be healthy.** You want to use just enough for your food but not any bit more.  In this case, you want enough oil for you onions and garlic to cook.  After you add your oil and let it heat up, add your garlics.  After a minute or so, add your onions. Notice how in the picture below, you can see the onion still have its pink color.

Now notice how in the picture below, the onion's color is almost translucent. THIS is what you want.  For all the flavor to be emerged.  Now add your bell peppers and wait until they've become translucent. 

Add 2 spoonfuls of a  taco seasoning mix and 2 bay leaves for an added taste.  If you want more of a Chipotle-style black bean, then just add 2 spoons.  If you want more of the spices, add 3.  Chipotle doesn't have alot of the spice flavoring in their black beans.

Now add your black beans and enough water to cover  the black beans with an extra inch or two of water. 

Keep it on low and it will take about 4 hours before it is ready. (This method makes for a better taste and most nutritious.)

If you keep it on medium-high, it will take about 2-3 hours.(This method is for if you are in  more of a hurry.)

Try the black beans every 30 minutes for good texture as you would like.  I like it soft but not mushy.  If you want a thicker-mushy paste, use a masher or immersion bender to mash it up.

I paired the black beans this time with an enchilada, rice, and some tortilla chips! What will you use yours with??

Thanks for checking! This simple recipe will leave your friends and family drooling back for more!

Check back tomorrow for some sorority-loving crafts and my Friday Favorites!

ps, don't forget to =)

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Mani Monday:: Tiffany Blue

Breakfast At Tiffany's

Happy Monday everyone!!!!! Did you happen to get a chance to watch last night's Miss America competition?? Miss New York's Nina Davuluri won; the first Indian-American to win! I was beyond filled with joy being an Indian-American gal myself.  It just shows me how hard this world is working towards evolving and embracing diversity.  

On other news, I was feeling the blues today at breakfast which led me to the thought, why not do Breakfast at Tiffany inspired nails? With my love of bows and the movie, it definitely was a great choice and turned out so cute!

Just follow these few steps to get your Tiffany's inspired look! 

Check back later this week for a fool-proof amazing black bean recipe!

ps, don't forget to =)

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Friday Favorites!!

HAPPY FRIDAY YALL! Guess what happened? Remember how I was rooting for the Yankees? Well, win won, naturally :) Twice. WHOOO! On other news, Check out this week's Friday Favorites!
Favorite Ads with a Purpose:: Very clever IBM

Favorite Clever Display:: Have a random wi-fi password and friends that are always coming into your house? This is a very smart and easy DIY art you can hang in your place!

Favorite Word of Advice:: Yup. Intelligence indeed is an intriguing character to have!

Favorite Wedding DIY:: This is just so smart! Get your guests to go ahead and write their address down, that way when it comes to Thank-You cards, have the work is already done plus it adds a bit more touch to it!

Favorite Hilarious Video:: This is such a classic and still as funny as the first time I watched it. Enjoy!

ps, don't forget to =)

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