 One of my favorite meals during wintertime is making a big batch of homemade chili. What makes the chili so warm and tasteful is the amount of spices used and the amount of chili powder. That is why using a nice chili blend or making your own homemade chili powder is key to a good chili. I recommend if you want to purchase your own chili powder, to stick to either Watkins Chili Powder mix or McCormicks Chili Powder. If you would prefer making your own, here is the recipe: Chili Powder Recipe For the spice mix, make sure you mix all the ingredients evenly.  substitutes for chili powder |
 | Our first stop is the notorious Pierre Hermes. Pierre Hermes is more known for their macarons, but they do offer great chocolate delicacies such as coated orangettes, dark & milk chocolates bonbons, mediants, pralines and so much more. Did you want more than just chocolates? |
They also offer caramels, galettes, cakes, puff pastries, and so much more. We highly recommend pairing these desserts with a beautiful red wine.
Patrick Rodgers
108 boulevard Saint Germain, 75006 Paris
As quoted by the French government as one of the finest craftsmen in the chocolate trade, you can NOT risk missing this store on your chocolate tour. The Patrick Rodgers Chocolatier offers a variety of chocolates with specification to design and taste. They offer everything from ganaches to pralines and even offer their own vineyard wine. I recommend for you guys to try the half spheres made from a variety of ingredients such as almond paste, potatoes, apple and spinach.
Henri Le Roux
chocolatier et caramelier
1 Rue de Bourbon-le-Château, Paris, IDF, FR 75006
You might know Henri Le Roux more for their salted caramels, but they are also great chocolatiers as well. They offer a variety of dark and milk chocolates, but you can also grab a variety of jams, cocoa marshmallows, chocolate & caramel spreads and organettes. If you have the budget, we recommend grabbing their Duo Chocolate and Caramel Box Sets.
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Debauve & Gallais
30 Rue des Saints-Peres 75007 Paris
| As early beginners working with Marie Antoinette and then Napoleon Bonaparte, this chocolatier shop knows a few things about chocolate. They offer a huge selection of chocolates such as Marie Antoinette pistoles, Neapolitan Croquamandes, Chocolate Bars, Truffles, Ganaches, Mandeliens and for refreshment, Teas. We recommend trying their Marie Antoinette pistoles, since this chocolatier shop would of not begin due to her. |  |
Jacques Genin
27 rue de Varenne, Paris 7eme, 75007 Paris
I absolutely adore the beauty that Jacque Genin transform sweets and chocolates. This chocolatier is more of an experience of the chocolate than just the taste. You will see that in how the store front is designed and the sweets are displayed. They offer ganaches, pralines, pate de fruits, nougats and gourmet bars. We recommend either trying their pate de fruits or their ganache pralines.
Pierre Marcolini
235 r St Honor, 75001 Paris
 | Pierre Marcolini entwines the beauty of presentation with the taste of their chocolates in their chocolate truffles, macarons and chocolate tablets. The smoothness of their chocolates is evident in their gift baskets of pralines. For a sweet taste, we recommend trying their lemon tea macarons. Just thinking about their treats makes me so hungry! |
La Maison du Chocolat
8 Boulevard de la Madeleine, Paris, IDF, FR 75009
La Maison du Chocolat has been around the 1990s offering amazing chocolate pieces, truffles, pralines and assortments. We recommend if you are looking for a gift for a family or friend on your trip to Paris, to get one of their assortment boxes here. They also offer vegan options for anyone who prefers vegan options. They also offer their chocolates here in the United States, so if you are unable to go to Paris, here is the link to their website.
after the Tour
I hope you enjoyed your chocolate tour! Make sure once your tour is over, to drink some water and rest, because that was a ton of sweets and chocolate just consumed. For the tour, did you enjoy all the locations we suggested? Is there any other chocolate stores we should offer in this list? Please let us know in the comments!
It is that time of year and its..... PUMPKIN SEASON. If you are like me, you love everything pumpkin especially pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin landscaping and pumpkin pie. For pumpkin landscaping, there is such a short period to decorate with them and maintaining them perfectly. So to kick it off, here are some great and colorful pumpkins you can add to your decor!
1- Blue Jarrahdale Pumpkin
| Latin Name: Cucurbita maxima Color: Blue with a hue of gray Description: This blue ribbed pumpkin has a golden-orange flesh and the pulp is great for pumpkin pie, savory bakes and decor. Weight: 12 to 20 Pounds. |  |
2- Small Sugar Pumpkin
| Latin Name: Cucurbita pepo Color: Orange-Yellow Description: This is the traditional pumpkin that will see in your Thanksgiving pumpkin pie and Halloween decor. It is a beautiful small 6" to 10" pumpkin that has a great sweet taste and its perfect for sweet pumpkin pastries and for your tabletop decor. Weight: 6 to 10 pounds |  |
3- Carnival Squash
| Latin Name: Cucurbita pepo Color: Cream white base with green rinds and speckled orange & green Description: This squash is a hybrid of the acorn squash and the sweet dumpling squash. A cool fact about these squash is if they're gardened in a hotter zone, they will become more green. These squash can be roasted or cooked and the final flavor has a nutty and sweet flavoring. Here is an amazing recipe you can try. Weight: 1.5 pounds |  |
4- Long Island Cheese Pumpkins
| Latin Name: Cucurbita Moschata Color: Cream orange Description: This heritage pumpkin has an interesting cheese appearance that goes great in soups, stocky meals and pumpkin pie. It has a creamy and mild flavor that balances well with sweets and savor pieces like cheese. I highly recommend trying this recipe: Cheese Pumpkin Soup with Sage & Apple. Weight: 6 to 10 pounds |  |
5- Pepitas Pumpkins
 | Color: Light & deep orange with green stripes on top. Description: This beautiful pumpkin can be eaten several ways. You can eat this pumpkin either by their pulp (raw, baked or roasted) or by their seeds. Most people opt in for the delicious seeds. Their flavor profile is primarily sweet. Weight: 9 to 12 pounds. |
6- Acorn Winter Squash
| Latin Name: Cucurbita maxima Color: Dark Green Shell & a Orange Flesh Description: The acorn squash is a baseball sized squash that is great for baking, cooking and decor. My favorite meal with the acorn squash is roasting the squash with butter and just shredding it with a fork. The flavor profile is: lightly sweet with a nutty & buttery taste. Weight: Up to 5 pounds |  |
7- Mellow Yellow Pumpkin
Latin Name: Cucurbita pepo
Color: Mellow Yellow
Description: This pumpkin is primarily for the aesthetics included with your pumpkin decor, but it can be used for roasting and baking. The flavor profile is a mild sweet taste that is versatile with any dish.
Weight: 10 to 18 pounds
Color: Mellow Yellow
Description: This pumpkin is primarily for the aesthetics included with your pumpkin decor, but it can be used for roasting and baking. The flavor profile is a mild sweet taste that is versatile with any dish.
Weight: 10 to 18 pounds
Important Note
A reader has pointed out in the comments to maintain your outdoor decor in a safe environment. To read more on how to preserve your pumpkins safely, here is the link.
I hope you can add one of these pumpkins to your decor this year!
If you would like me to add another pumpkin to this list, please comment below! I would be happy to add more of everyone's favorite pumpkins!
X Lisa
I love lemons because they are such a versatile fruit that can be used in baking, cooking, cleaning, home decor, etc. You can pretty much use it in most situations. You can either purchase a bundle of lemons from your local grocery store or you can grow a lemon tree in your own home. It is such an easy and affordable fruit to purchase. That is why I rounded up ten uses for lemons in your home!
Lemon Water
This might seem like an obvious choice, but you can make your own homemade lemon water at home. You can usually pour a 16 oz glass of water and add a few slices of fresh lemon to make lemon water. Some people even like to add extra herbs such as mint or basil or add another fruit such as blackberry. Lemon water has several benefits such as: detoxing your system, providing Vitamin C, providing potassium and helping absorb iron. If you drink lemon water every morning, it would help brighten your day and system quite literally.
Kitchen Sink
If you are looking to give your stainless steel kitchen sink a good clean, I recommend using this tip! All you need is a lemon, a knife and salt. To start, you are going to sprinkle salt all over your whole sink including the sink cover. You are going then to cut a lemon in half and with the lemon, scrub the whole sink with the lemon and salt. Wait a few minutes and then rinse your sink with water. Let it dry and VOILA! You should have a shiny sink.
Lemon Peel Powder
Lemon Peel Powder is great powder that can be included in: spice rubs, pastries and homemade cleaning product. To get the powder, use a whole lemon that is not peeled yet for better traction. Using a zester or grater, zest the lemon peel until there is nothing left. If you would like to make a dehydrated lemon peel powder, the Homestead and Chill has great instructions on how to make it.
Buttermilk Alternative
Are you trying to make delicious pancakes and you are out of buttermilk? No sweat! To make a cup of buttermilk, pour a cup of any milk, add a tablespoon of lemon juice and mix. That easy!
Lighten your Hair
To lighten your hair with lemon juice, squeeze a fresh lemon, put the lemon juice in a spray bottle and spray the areas of your hair that you want to lighten. Then sit in the sun for a few hours and wash your hair right after. Please use sunscreen while you are doing this!
Limoncello
Limoncello is such an easy recipe to make for yourself and your family. All you need is: Vodka, Lemons, Sugar and Water. You can have a great and refreshing drink in less than 4 hours. Here is a great recipe that I personally love to use: GIADA DE LAURENTIIS.
Picture comes from the Food Network.
Stainless Steel Cleaner
Lemon juice has an amazing acidity that get rid of tough rust. So if you have stainless steel that is rusting or needs a clean, all you have to do is either put the item in a bowl that is 3/4 lemon juice, 1/4 water or use a spray bottle that is 1/2 lemon juice, half water. Then spray your appliance with this mixture and then wipe away. This is a great way to spruce your kitchen and your stainless steel items.
Lemon Squares
This might be my favorite option on this list. Lemon bars are sweet and tangy and when you add that extra powder sugar, its simply amazing. Here is a great lemon bar recipe from Sally's Baking Recipe. All you need is: Lemon, Butter, All-purpose Flour, Sugar, Vanilla Extract, Salt and Eggs.
Lemon-Scented Home
If you are someone who likes a fresh-clean scent, adding lemon slices to your home routine would freshen your whole home. There are few alternatives to freshening your home. The first would be potpourri. All you have to do is add water to a pot, add fruits and herbs such as lemon & rosemary, and then boil, then simmer. You can let this potpourri go for awhile and once the water level is low, you can add more water. You can use the same herbs and fruits for a few days until they are fully dried out.
Another alternative to a fresh home is to peel lemon rinds and slice them. You can dry them and place them in a sachet or even add them to your fridge to deodorize.
Another alternative to a fresh home is to peel lemon rinds and slice them. You can dry them and place them in a sachet or even add them to your fridge to deodorize.
Bleach Alternative
If you are someone who hates using bleach on your clothes, no worries, lemon juice is a great alternative. When you are doing your load of laundry, instead of adding bleach, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of lemon juice instead. Added bonus is your laundry will have a fresh scent of lemon!
Thank you for Reading!
XO, Lisa
My favorite time has come and its picking season for my garden tomatoes. Since I have too many tomatoes, I am going to make the perfect recipe- tomato sauce. This tomato sauce recipe is a basic recipe that can help you use all your tomatoes and save tomato sauce for the rest of the year.
For this year, my husband collected all our tomatoes, and he has been making sauce in batches. For each batch, he grabs at least 20 to 25 large Roma tomatoes from the garden. He makes sure the skin of the tomato has no wrinkles, sign of bug infestation or any sign of rotting.
For this year, my husband collected all our tomatoes, and he has been making sauce in batches. For each batch, he grabs at least 20 to 25 large Roma tomatoes from the garden. He makes sure the skin of the tomato has no wrinkles, sign of bug infestation or any sign of rotting.
Steps To Make Tomato Sauce
| Step 1- Fill a bowl or your kitchen sink with warm water. You will add all your tomatoes in the sink and slowly clean each tomato and remove any leaves. After cleaning your tomato, by using a small knife, cut an X onto one of the ends of the tomato. |  |
| Step 2- While cleaning and cutting the tomato, get a sauce pan or large pot to boil water. I recommend putting your tomatoes in the pot before your water, then add your water and then remove the tomatoes for cleaning. This will provide the right amount of water you need for your pot. I recommend adding an extra cup of water for the pot due to the heat evaporation. |  |
STEP 3- After the tomatoes are clean and the water is boiling, add ten tomatoes in the boiling water and let the tomatoes boil for three to four minutes. Once the skin starts peeling, you know that is when the tomatoes have to be removed. Remove the tomatoes once they are done and add them to a bowl of ice water. Add another batch of ten tomatoes to the boiling water.
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| STEP 4- Once the tomatoes are cooled down, peel the tomatoes, discard the tomato peels in your compost pile and throw the rest of the tomatoes bulk in a blender. Once the tomatoes fill the blender, blend the tomatoes into a sauce and then keep adding tomatoes until your blender is full. Put all of the tomato sauce into a plastic pitcher with a top and wait. |  |
STEP 5- After putting all the tomato sauce in the pitcher, the water content and the sauce will separate in the pitcher. When this happens, the tomato water/juice will concentrate on the bottom and the sauce will concentrate on the top. We recommend scooping the sauce into either a baggie or a food saver vacuum. We use the food saver vacuum bags and we seal them so we can make tomato sauce for the rest of the year. This is such a great and cheap way to make pastas, pizzas and other dishes. For the vacuum machine, we use the FoodSaver V4400 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealer Machine with Automatic Vacuum Sealer Bag and here is the link. For the water/juice, we put it in another pitcher, and it is just tomato juice. You can either drink this tasty drink yourself, or you can save it to make a Bloody Mary.
I hope you enjoy your homemade tomato sauce! It is so nice to have homemade tomato sauce for any occasion and its even more rewarding when your eating food from your own garden and/or your own hands. Thank you for reading and comment below of your tomato sauce recipes.
