At-Home Avocado Spa Treatments

The good people at Avocados from Mexico sent me a case of their avocados to put to use in a unique way. Their directions were to think outside the kitchen, so I decided to create a few beauty treatments using every bit of the avocado, peel to pit -- plus, a yummy smoothie to enjoy while your skin is soaking up all those nutrient-rich avocado benefits.

Avocado Moisture Mask

1/2 avocado

1/2 banana

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Avocados and bananas are packed full of nutrients and are moisturizing, honey is an anti-inflammatory and lemon is brightener and exfoliant. Mash all the ingredients together or combine in a blender, and apply to face and neck. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and then rinse off.

After you scoop out an avocado, the half-shell usually has a little fruit left in it, and it's the perfect shape to moisturize your heels and elbows, which are especially susceptible to dryness. Use it to rub avocado into your skin and then rinse off.

Avocado Pit Scrub

2 teaspoons of ground avocado pit
2 teaspoons olive oil

Don't just toss those avocado pits. Rinse, dry and quarter them. Leave them out for a few days until the pit pieces are dried out. Then, use a coffee grinder to break down the pit until a fine grit forms. Add two teaspoons of olive oil to two teaspoons of ground avocado pit and use as an exfoliant for skin.

And while you're getting beautified, sip on this:

Tropical Avocado Smoothie

1/2 avocado
1 banana
3/4 cup pineapple chunks
1/2 cup orange juice

Combine avocado, banana, pineapple and orange juice in a blender or with a hand blender until smooth. Add ice or additional orange juice for a thinner consistency.

Update: Carol of Everyday Delights is the winner!

Want a chance to experiment with (or just eat) some Avocados from Mexico? Leave a comment below before noon on Saturday, March 30, and you could win an avocado prize pack, including a copy of Chef Roberto Santibañez's cookbook, "Truly Mexican," an "I Heart Avocado" t-shirt, an avocado slicer and a $10 gift card to an area retailer where Avocados from Mexico are sold. One winner will be selected at random.

This is a sponsored post for One2One Network and Avocados from Mexico. All opinions stated are my own.

Weekend in Photos

Jonah was a working fool this weekend, so I spent some time putting together Easter projects (lots of food coloring was involved), while the snow flurried outside (Get out of here, snow!). I bought a dress for my friend's wedding in Seattle this weekend, we went out for burgers and beers on Saturday, and on Sunday morning, we had pancakes at home, while listening to this ridiculously catchy song and its even better remix. How was your weekend?

Brew Bread

It's been a food and drink heavy week around here. Because Jonah was out of town, I had to occupy my time with the other love of my life, carbohydrates. I stirred up this Guinness bread to get my Irish on for the weekend. The Guinness and molasses combo make for a dark, rich, chewy bread that's slightly sweet. So now you can drink your Guinness and eat it too, although I prefer the latter. Hope you all have a great weekend and a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

[recipe from Simply Recipes]

Winter Fruit Pavlova

Pavlova is one of my favorite desserts. It makes me think of springtime, but I wanted to make a version using some of my favorite winter fruits just before the seasons change. The brown sugar meringue is such a good flavor that I'll definitely use it again, I added a little yogurt to the whipped cream since I thought some tang would better suit the citrus, and I piled on blood oranges, kiwis, candied kumquats and pomegranate seeds.

This recipe made one ginormous meringue. In fact, it was dangerously close to being bigger than the plate, so you may want to make a few mini meringues instead. So many colors, flavors and textures, the whole thing just makes me happy.

Winter Fruit Pavlova
Recipe adapted from Gourmet

Brown sugar meringue:
1 cup superfine granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
5 large eggs at room temperature, egg whites only
Pinch of salt

Cream:
1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup plain yogurt
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Fruit:
2 blood oranges, segmented
2 kiwis, sliced
1/2 cup candied kumquats
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Preheat oven to 250°F with rack in middle. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw a 9-inch-diameter circle on the paper with a pencil, tracing a round cake tin that size. Flip the paper over so your meringue doesn't touch the pencil marks -- you'll still be able to see the circle. Pulse superfine sugar, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a food processor or blender until well combined. Stir together vanilla and vinegar in a small bowl. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Increase speed to medium-high and add sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time. After all sugar has been added, beat 1 minute more. Add vinegar mixture, then beat at high speed until meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Mound the meringue onto the parchment within the circle, smoothing the sides and the top with a spatula. Bake until it's crisp and feels dry to the touch, about 1 hour (insides will still be marshmallow-like). Turn oven off and prop door open slightly with a wooden spoon. Cool meringue in oven for about 1 hour. Carefully peel off parchment (meringues are fragile and may crack).

Combine cream, yogurt and sugar with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Top cooled meringue with cream mixture. If you plan to use candied kumquats, plan ahead so they have time to cool. Directions are here. Combine sliced fruit with kumquats and pomegranate seeds. Pour fruit over cream, sprinkling a few extra pomegranate seeds on top. Serve immediately.

Frocktails: Gone Green

I had to go with green for this month's frocktail. I'm aware a Moscow mule isn't much of an Irish drink, but it does have a nice lime hue, and it involves ginger in honor of all you redheads out there. It's one of my favorites, such a simple drink to mix up, and the ginger and lime give it a nice zesty bite. While I do wish I had a set of those beautiful copper Moscow mule mugs, a Collins glass works nicely too.

The dress is from J.Crew. It's a simple green sheath, but the neckline has this gorgeous origami-style detailing that really makes it a stand-out.

Moscow Mule

juice of half a lime
2 oz. vodka
5 oz. of your favorite ginger beer
1/2 oz. simple syrup
ice

Squeeze juice from half a lime into glass. Add ice, then vodka, ginger beer and simple syrup. Give a quick stir and garnish with lime, mint, candied ginger or all three. Serves one.

J.Crew dress found here. (Unfortunately the green is sold-out online.) Frocktails is a monthly feature for fashion and libation inspiration. See past pairings.

Quirk Appeal

This London apartment is full of three of my favorite things, quirk and charm and natural light. The details are eclectic but not over-the-top, and you can't beat a good pop of color.

[spotted on: onekindesign; photos: Elle Espanol]

Weekend in Photos

Friday's snow quickly melted away, and it turned into a beautiful weekend, almost like springtime. I had a lady date with my friend Bethany at Bakeri. There were so many tempting things in that glass case that we had to get an assortment of sweets. Jonah and I had a southern-style brunch at Maysville with the yummiest warm biscuits. We had a lazy night at home watching Arrested Development episodes, which never fail to make me laugh no matter how many times I've seen them. And I spent quality time with some avocados for an upcoming project. How was your weekend?