Common Cooking Mistakes

I love to cook! And I like to think of myself as a pro in the kitchen, but we all know that's far from the truth. I stumbled upon this website called The Most Common Cooking Mistakes to improve my love for cooking (thanks to pinterest!)....

Hope this helps you with any common cooking questions you may have :)

A Simple Kind of Love

love is a four letter word♥

Photo Diary of Savannah/Tybee Island

Happiness is the sand between my toes and the sunburn on my nose.


I wanted to share with you a few photos from my wonderful trip to Savannah & Tybee Island, Georgia :)

Beautiful view from our porch :)

First day on the beach! Cloudy in the morning but I was still happy to be here.

Day trip to Savannah! (Here I am on River Street... the road is ALL cobblestones!)

Another gorgeous day on the beach.

Enjoying the beautiful sunset with my favorite glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

My beautiful family :)

I had a wonderful time relaxing and can't wait to go back!

Beach Ready

It's time to hit the beach! Here is what I did to prepare for my vacation to Tybee Island, Georgia...
My favorite things to pack so I am beach ready....

Sundresses

Sandals (a girl always should pack one pair of heels)

Swimsuits (I am a big fan of all the colors this season!)

Running by the water is another form of my favorite type of relaxation

And of course, paint my nails to match my toes :)

I am ready for 5 days of quality friends, family and beach time♥

Finding The Perfect Vacation Rental

I have worked in the hospitality/property management industry in a resort town for 4 years, so I know a thing or two about vacation rentals. However, always being the one selling and promoting vacation rentals, I've never really had the joy of searching for one.


Do you know how many vacation rental sites are out there? VRBO, Home Away, Flip Key, not to mention all of the sites specific to your destination, etc. It's crazy and exhausting!


My family and I are spending a week down in Savannah, Georgia and I was responsible for finding the perfect rental. No pressure right? I feel I do have a leg up in finding a home because I worked in the industry... I do know where to look.


So, after hours of researching and comparing prices... I have found our home for the week! Thank you VRBO! :) Located right on the beach on Tybee Island. This girl cannot WAIT to sink my toes in the nice warm sand and cool ocean water. Look out Georgia, the Steele girls are coming your way!

Beach Blues

It's been a little chilly here the last week or so and now I'm getting the Beach Blues. I would love 10 days of sunshine, the smell of salty ocean water, and nothing but the sweet sound of waves crashing on the shore...

Give me a good book, some sunshine and I am one happy girl ♥

Quick Pre-Interview Tips

Preparing for a interview is a job in itself! Therefore, I have 3 basic tips I follow before walking out of my door...


1. Dress - I don't care if you are interviewing to be a waitress or a Director position, always always always dress to impress. I truly believe it is better to be overdressed than underdressed. No matter what, the employer will be impressed. And first impressions can make or break their decision.

2. Research - Do your homework! Make sure you thoroughly read the job description you are applying for and understand the mission statement of the company. There is nothing worse than going in feeling unprepared. You are marketing and selling yourself to the company. They aren't just interviewing you, YOU are interviewing them! So make sure you have a list of questions ready.


3. Breakfast - My favorite meal of the day! Be careful not to eat too much. You don't want to be so full that you can't focus on the interview itself. Make it's healthy and hearty... brain food! My go to breakfast is a spinach, roasted cherry tomatoes, and goat cheese omelette with half of a grapefruit. Simple, healthy, and delicious.


Now you're ready to conquer that interview! And here I am ready to go for my interview in Louisville, KY...

Marketing Mania

Social Media aka The Popularity Contest

Social Media is a popularity contest. How many "likes" or "followers" do you have?

I found my marketing niche. Social Media Consultant. I had a meeting with a law firm this morning regarding their visibility online and quickly realized their need to join the social media market. While I managed my previous employer's social media sites, am starting social sites to increase my dad's practice, plus managing my own personal sites, I am more than thrilled to pass on my knowledge!

While social media is only a small part of a strategic marketing plan, it is where most people are spending their time...

No matter what profession you are in, I believe it is important to have a Facebook page, blog site, Twitter account, LinkedIn profile, etc., if you want to increase your revenue. Trying to explain this to our parents generation has proved to be a bit difficult.

For example, my mom has her own jewelry business, where she attends and sells her product in art shows all over the nation. The never ending question is "Do you have a website or Facebook page?". Unfortunately she does not have either and refuses to put anything online. Her reason is she does not want anyone copying her designs and selling them for much cheaper. I can definitely understand her hesitancy from that stand point. However, she's limiting her visibility and able to increase her revenue. She tells me she receives these questions all of time and then asks me, "What is the point of Facebook?" While I try to explain social media to her from a marketing stand point, she just stands there with this look on her face of, "So what?"

Besides making yourself more visible, it comes down to this... How popular are you?

Easter Sunday Celebrations

I love Easter with my family! It involves really good food, endless amounts of chocolate, and quality family time. :)

Here's a recap of my Easter with a few delicious recipes from the day... Enjoy!

Look what was waiting for me! My reward for going 40 days without chocolate :)

My mom and I enjoying our 2nd piece of chocolate (she also gave up chocolate for Lent)

Sausage, Red Pepper, & Feta Frittata

Sticky Buns

Traditional Steele Easter Dinner

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Mmm Mmm Goooooooood!

It's been a fabulous day with perfect weather, sunshine, good food, and quality family time.

Hope you had a wonderful day!♥

Little White Dress

Every girl has the little black dress you love and bring out on any occasion that calls for a little dressing up. With spring here and summer just around the corner, I think every girl needs the little white dress! Simple, classic, and you can dress it up or dress it down with the right accessory.

 

 

Easter Fun

Happy Easter Weekend!


With this weekend comes along A LOT of yummy chocolates and candy, especially peeps. So here are a couple of cute holiday ideas you can do with all of those sweets....

Peep Kabobs :)

Easter Egg Nests

Can't decide what to make Easter morning? Try this yummy treat...

Blueberry Boy Bait

I am more than excited to eat all of these yummy sugary sweets! By Sunday, I will have gone 40 days without any sugar, so I'm sure all of the wonderful sweets I will indulge in will give me a 3 day stomach ache, but it will be soooo worth it!

Sacrificing Sweets & Cupcake Craze

"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a cupcake and that's kind of the same thing."

When it comes to sweets (candy, chocolate, cake, cookies...), I have little to no self control. After finishing an ENTIRE Costco-size bag of dark chocolate acai blueberries by myself (in 3 days nonetheless), I decided I needed to take on the no sweets challenge.

Well, what better time to take on this challenge than during Lent? So there it was... 40 days of NO CHOCOLATE. Here we are, day 37...

I've been having dreams about chocolate and everything sweet. But most recently, I've been dreaming and craving cupcakes :). So I decided to share with you some of my favorite cupcake recipes.

Raspberry-Lemon Swirl Cupcakes

Toffee Crunch Cupcakes

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

Andes Mint Cupcakes

And these aren't your typical cupcakes, but cupcake fondue! What a cute idea for a party!

Cupcake Fondue

In 3 days the aroma in my kitchen will be filled with everything sweet... Happy cupcaking! ♥