Jennifer L. Scott's Blog, page 50
November 23, 2018
Daily Connoisseur Holiday Gift Guide 2018
Hello dear friends, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a great day. I had been ill the previous week (which is why I don't sound too great in this video) but I'm much better now. It was a fantastic day full of delicious food and remembering all that we are grateful for.
My annual holiday gift guide is here and I am excited to share my top picks with you in today's video.
The Daily Connoisseur tote bag and mug make a great novelty gift for fans of this blog. On Instagram, Melanie writes, "I purchased both mugs and both totes. I will be tucking Jennifer’s books in the totes with the cups as gifts for my teenaged daughter and her friends.
November 21, 2018
Hosting the Holidays with Nikki Moreno + Jennifer L. Scott
Nikki Moreno from Inspired by Nikki, and her wonderful family, stopped by the Connoisseur household recently for a visit. Since the holidays are here (I can't believe Thanksgiving is tomorrow!), we thought we'd sit down and have a chat about hosting etiquette.
We start the discussion on my channel and finish the chat in a video on her channel. We had so much fun talking about this subject, which is really the point we make in our video: if you are hosting the holidays at your home, prepare and present your best, but also don't forget to have fun doing it. Don't let stress permeate your holiday. Try to relax and enjoy yourself and others.
I hope you enjoy today's video. Check out Nikki's video here.
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November 19, 2018
Homemade Apple Pie with Decorative Braided Crust | Jennifer L. Scott
When you gather together with your family, what dishes are you always asked to bring? In our family, I'm the pie person. Whether I'm hosting the holidays, or just a guest, I'm always in charge of the pies!
Baking pies brings me so much joy. I find it really relaxing to make pastry and filling and combine it together to form a beautiful creation. (Although the part where you slip the pastry onto the pie dish is quite stressful!)
My pies aren't always beautiful... often they are rustic (that's a nice way of saying they look a bit funny!). Today, I make a traditional homemade apple pie and I make a decorative crust, perfect for the holidays. I find that when I use a pie mold for the pastry, the pie always ends up looking impressive with minimal effort.
This is the decorative pie crust mold I use... [image error] [image error]
I also use a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter and shortening. You could also use your hands, but I find that the cutter gets the butter into the right size crumbs needed for the flaky crust.
And Pastry leaf and acorn stampers to create the decorative crust. [image error] [image error]
This pie turned out really well. It was fun to make and delicious too. The addition of the lemon juice gives a tart zing to the sweet and cinnamon apples.
I use the Emile Henri 9" pie dish, which is not only a beautiful dish, but bakes the crust evenly and has ample space for a deep-dish apple pie.
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This would be the perfect pie to make for Thanksgiving or even Christmas. For Christmas, I would just change the cutout pastry to Christmas-y shapes like gingerbread men.
Here is the printable recipe:
Homemade Apple Pie with Decorative Braided Crust | Jennifer L. Scotthttps://youtu.be/FYQfyxIF83Yhttps://1...Yield: serves 8 - 10Author: Jennifer L. ScottPrint RecipeWith ImageWithout Image
Homemade Apple Pie with Braided Crustprep time: 1 hourcook time: 1 hourtotal time: 2 hoursThis traditional homemade apple pie is perfect for the holidays. Use the pie molds and cut-outs to create a decorative crust.
ingredients:For the crust2 1/2 cups all purpose flour1 tsp salt1/4 cup shortening10 tablespoons chilled, salted butter, chopped5 to 8 tablespoons cold wateregg white for brushing the pastryFor the filling6 medium to large tart apples, peeled and sliced1/2 a lemon, squeezed1/2 cup sugar1/2 cup brown sugar1 teaspoon cinnamon3 tablespoons all-purpose flourinstructions:To make the pie crust, combine the flour and salt. Add the shortening in with a pastry cutter. Add the butter in with the pastry cutter until fully incorporated. The butter should look like large crumbs. Slowly add the water one tablespoon at a time until the pastry binds together. Roll the pastry into two separate balls. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.To make the filling: peel and chop 6 tart apples. Squeeze lemon juice on top so they do not brown. Combine the sugars, flour, and cinnamon and mix with the apples. Set aside.
To assemble the pie: spread some flour on a large cutting board and with a rolling pin, roll your dough out. Place half of the dough in the bottom of a pie dish. Fill the pan with pie filling. Roll out the rest of your dough. If desired, use a decorative pie mold to give your pie crust a braided look. Use cookie cut-outs to create pastry decorations.
Brush the pastry with egg wash and place in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for an hour, or until the pastry is golden brown and the pie is finished.
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I hope you enjoy today's video.
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Treat yourself to a Daily Connoisseur mug or tote bag. A fun novelty present for the upcoming holidays.
Here At Home with Cari shares her mug...
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November 15, 2018
Shannon Ables + Jennifer L. Scott Interview | Living the Simply Luxurious Life
My interview series continues with the delightful Shannon Ables from the wildly popular Simply Luxurious Life blog. Shannon and I met four years ago when I was a guest on her podcast series. She has always been such a wonderful supporter of the Madame Chic books.
Since our podcast interview, Shannon published her first book, Choosing the Simply Luxurious Life and in today's interview we discuss her second book, Living the Simply Luxurious Life, which was just released this week!
Shannon and I discuss her new book, the world of blogging, challenging cultural norms, finances, productivity, signature style, and so much more.
I hope you enjoy today's interview.
The book on productivity (whose title eluded me during the interview) was Deep Work by Cal Newport.
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I thoroughly enjoyed my chat with Shannon and I hope you enjoy today's video.
News
November 14, 2018
Bend Soap Natural Deodorant + A Giveaway | Natural Home with Jennifer
It's Bend Soap day again on Natural Home with Jennifer. Bend Soap Co. is one of my favorite companies for natural beauty products. Located in Bend, Oregon, Bend Soap Co. is a small family business that makes high-quality goat milk soaps and other natural products. I fell in love with their soaps, lotions, body scrubs and milk baths this summer and have been very curious about their other products as well.
Bend Soap Co. has been so lovely. They sent me another goody bag to share with you today. I specifically requested their all-natural deodorant to test out.
You know me... I'm a natural deodorant connoisseur! I've been wearing natural deodorant for over a decade ever since I read about the toxic effects that traditional deodorant can have on your body. (Check out this article form Time Magazine on the dangers of traditional deodorants.)
I loved Bend's Natural deodorant and have been using it for the past month. It's creamy and moisturizing, yet doesn't leave a white residue on my clothes. It works really well too to prevent odor. I love it! Here is what Bend says about their deodorant:
A no-nonsense natural deodorant. Our aluminum-free deodorant is made with all-natural ingredients and provides you with all-day protection. The plant-based powders efficiently absorb wetness and odor while the natural oils provide a smooth, non-greasy, and non-sticky application. Give our natural deodorant a try and we’re sure you’ll agree: this is the ultimate 100% natural deodorant (that actually works!).
And here are the ingredients: Coconut Oil, Red Palm Oil, Baking Soda, Arrowroot Powder, Beeswax, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Chamomile Extract, Calendula Extract, Honey, Grapefruit and Ylang Ylang Essential Oil. That’s It!
Bend Soap Co. also sent three or their large goat milk soaps. I love their soap. The size is generous and they are soothing, moisturizing, and all-natural. When I suffered from eczema after the birth of my son, these soaps were the only kind I could use without experiencing irritation.
The lavender goat milk lotion is very soothing. This is another great product for people with eczema. If scents bother you, they also carry an unscented version as well.
And their lip butter is great too! It's moisturizing and I love that it's so natural you could actually eat it.
Bend Soap Co. have offered a great discount to my readers: get 10% off your first order with the code DC10.
They are also offering a generous giveaway to readers of The Daily Connoisseur. Enter to win a starter gift set, which includes a full size goat milk lotion, a full size goat milk soap, an all-natural lip butter, and a loofah. The giveaway is open to US residents only. In order to enter you must be subscribed to my YouTube channel. If you are not already a subscriber, click the red subscribe button (it's free!) and be sure to hit the "bell" icon for email notifications for when I upload a video. Enter the giveaway via the rafflecoptor widget below. The winner will be announced next Wednesday on the widget. Best of luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I hope you enjoy today's video. I'll see you tomorrow for another exciting interview. This time I'm chatting with Shannon Ables from The Simply Luxurious Life blog. See you then!
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November 12, 2018
One Centerpiece: Two Tables | Thanksgiving and Christmas | Jennifer L. Scott
Happy Veteran's Day! Thank you to all of our veterans. Your service to our country is so greatly appreciated. We honor you today.
In today's video I'm showing how one neutral centerpiece can be the focal point for two different holiday table settings.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are rapidly approaching. Decorating for the holidays can be overwhelming. You might feel like you need to purchase a lot of seasonal decor to make your house look festive. Today, I show you how you can use the same standard basics in decorating and change out a few accessories to make an elegant seasonal look.
Here is our beautiful centerpiece. It's the snowball hydrangea candelabrum from Nearly Natural. Nearly Natural have the most beautiful and realistic selection of faux flowers and plants online. I selected two centerpieces from them and I am so impressed with their quality and appearance.
As I lay the Thanksgiving-themed table I share a lazy hack. (Who doesn't love a lazy hack?) I first place down a larger taupe tablecloth that is not ironed. On top of that, I layer a cream-colored textured tablecloth. I use my handheld steamer to take our the wrinkles. This is much quicker than ironing the cloth. Here is a direct link to the steamer I use.
This shows how the different textures and colors come together to create an understated, yet sophisticated fall table. My tablecloth is several years old, but here is a link to a similar style.
For the Christmas table, I use the same tablecloth, table runner, and rattan placemats. I add a pop of red with the cloth placements. I really enjoy layering different textures of linens when dressing the table.
I create a very simple napkin holder for the holiday napkins. I use a piece of festive ribbon to tie the napkins into a bow shape. So pretty and easy! I like using our blue and white dishes for Christmas.
This is the second centerpiece I selected from Nearly Natural. I placed this one on our entryway table. It is beautifully crafted and the vase with faux water gives it such a realistic look. When it arrived, the stems were straight up (for shipping), I had fun arranging the flowers to make it look natural in the vase.
Nearly Natural have generously given us a discount code. Take 20% off your order with the code CPJENN when you click on any of the links in this article. Thank you, Nearly Natural!
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November 9, 2018
Unboxing Grove Collaborative's New Gel Dish Soap & Hand Soap | Natural Home with Jennifer
You know you're getting old when you get excited about receiving cleaning products in the mail. Ha!
Grove Collaborative sent me a surprise package with their new gel dish soap and hand soap plus reusable glass pump dispensers. I love Grove's products because not only are they eco friendly and affordable, but they have the most wonderful scent. I reviewed their cleaning concentrates in a previous video.
Today, I unbox their new soaps and try them out for the first time. The gel dish soap in Lemon, Eucalyptus, and Mint smells fresh and crisp- perfect for the kitchen. It has two refills in it and sells for $5.95, making it $2.97 per refill.
The gel hand soap has 3 refills in it and also sells for $5.95, making it less than two dollars per refill. These are excellent prices!
I find that the gel soaps perform beautifully. I also love the high-quality glass dispensers. The silicone base on the dish soap dispenser is handy in keeping the glass intact. My favorite part of the products are their wonderful scents, which are spa-like in nature.
I hope you enjoy my unboxing and review in today's video.
Grove's November offer features the Mrs. Meyer's holiday scents. If you missed my review last week, I share which one was my favorite. The three scents are Iowa Pine, Peppermint, and Orange Clove. New customers receive a Mrs. Meyer's holiday trio (dish soap, hand soap, and multi-purpose spray in the scents of their choice) along with a red Grove cleaning caddy and walnut scrubber sponges when you spend $20. Existing customers receive walnut scrubber sponges.
I hope you enjoy today's video.
Before we close, I want to extend my prayers to the families affected by the horrible tragedies in California this week: the tragedy in Thousand Oaks, and the people affected by the wildfire in Paradise, CA. One of my best friends, Romi, has likely lost her home in Paradise. I am just so thankful that she and her family are all OK.
Have a nice weekend and hug your loved ones a little tighter tonight.
With love,
Jennifer
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FTC: This is not a sponsored post. Links may be affiliate. The products were sent to me for free by Grove. The review is my honest opinion.
November 8, 2018
Lack of Professionalism at Work? Etiquette Chat
Today's etiquette chat deals with the issue of professionalism at work (or lack thereof). I received two emails from readers with personal anecdotes regarding bad behavior at work.
In today's video I address the emails and weigh in with my own experiences. We end on a positive note with advice for young professionals.
My best professional etiquette advice is this: no matter what job you have, whether you love it or hate it, give it your all and do it to your best ability with a happy heart. Be professional always. Don't swear and don't over-share. Keep busy and stay off your phone. Think about what your boss is looking for and how you can better the company. You would be amazed at the doors that open for you.
A wonderful resource on etiquette and poise is my third book, Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic: Lessons in Everyday Etiquette.
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I hope you enjoy the etiquette chat in today's video. I would love to hear your thoughts on all of the subjects discussed... be sure to chime in with your comment.
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November 5, 2018
Teatime with Jennifer | Meme Edition!
After a long day, sometimes you just need a good laugh. And sometimes that laugh verges on hysterics. Well, that's what happens with me in today's video, the first ever Teatime with Jennifer: Meme Edition!
Whenever I find a good meme, I save it. And in today's video, I'm sharing some of the funniest memes I've seen.
This meme isn't funny, but nostalgic. My great-grandmother's generation dressed like this. Dress sense has changed drastically this past century, hasn't it?
This is where I am right now. I don't need a fancy vacation, just a trip to the bathroom by myself, thank you very much!
You can be on time, or everyone can be wearing shoes. You can't have both! This was us two weeks ago at a field trip!
I want to be the mother who listens to her children, so I do. But sometimes those monologues about Ninjago go on for a long time...
We stopped watching television in order to be more efficient with our time... this meme illustrates the binge-watching culture we've become.
#Truth
Very good advice for young people: marry someone who knows (or is willing to learn) how to cook. I'm taking men and women here. It's a needed skill!
I lost it with this one.
This would never be Mr. Connoisseur as I don't take him shopping. Ever. But I know many husbands could probably relate to this meme!
You're welcome.
I'll just live in denial that we look like the top image and not the bottom.
This is what I imagine my YouTube hater looks like...
A very compelling reason to not throw in the towel...
I hope today's video has given you a good laugh. If you have a meme you'd like to share with me for a future Teatime with Jennifer: Meme edition, you can tag me with a photo on social media using the hashtag #teatimewithjennifer
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*NEW* The Daily Connoisseur coffee mug and tote are now available... a fun and unique gift for any fan of The Daily Connoisseur blog.
Check out my eCourses, Create Your Own Ten-Item Wardrobe, and Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living.
On Instagram
Delighted on a Dime shares one of her favorite quotes from the Madame Chic books...
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Amber (@delighted.on.a.dime) on Nov 4, 2018 at 2:21pm PST
Comment of the Week
On last week's Ten-Item Wardrobe video, Eleanor writes, "Hi there Jennifer I have just started with my ten item wardrobe for the first time and have reduced my number of clothes from about 80+ pieces to about 36 pieces which include 10 core items and extras such as blazers, t-shirts, event pieces and shoes( all from my own wardrobe no new clothes).I must admit I love it cause it has given me a more calming experience everytime I get dressed in the morning now.I wear at least 1core item out of my ten item wardrobe and pair it with something from my extras.Something extraordinary has happened since I have started the new wardobe change , my husband and kids compliments me every day now on how nice I look!!! Some of my clothes I am not wearing now (winter clothes) have been packed away for next season I am from South Africa we have spring /summer weather at the moment Thank you for all your advice love it."
Eleanor, I loved hearing your ten-item wardrobe testimonial, especially your family's reaction to your change. Wonderful!
I hope you enjoyed today's video. Which meme was your favorite? Which one resonated with you the most? If you have any funny memes to submit for a future video, use the social media hashtag #teatimewithjennifer
See you on Thursday!
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FTC: This is not a sponsored post. Links may be affiliate.
November 2, 2018
Reviewing Mrs. Meyer's Holiday Scents + a Trip to Riley's Farm | Natural Home with Jennifer
On today's Natural Home with Jennifer, I'm reviewing the Mrs. Meyer's limited edition holiday scents. I'm also sharing Grove Collaborative's November special with you, and taking you on a trip to Riley's Farms in beautiful Oak Glen, California.
There are three holiday scents in the Mrs. Meyer's line this year: Iowa Pine, Peppermint, and Orange Clove.
Iowa Pine smells very much like the Bath & Bodyworks candle, Fresh Balsam. It smells like a sweet, fresh Christmas tree. The scent is subtle and I love it.
Orange Clove has a delightfully rich orange essence with a spicy hint of clove. If you love the smell of pomanders at Christmastime, you would love this scent.
Peppermint is very pure and true. It smells like a peppermint candy with a hint of vanilla. It's peppy and fun.
I took the family consensus and we all liked Iowa Pine the best but the other two scents were a close second.
I hope you enjoy today's video.
Here are the details for Grove's November promotion:
Right now, you can get a free Mrs. Meyer's holiday trio in your choice of scents (Iowa Pine, Peppermint, or Orange Clove), plus a free set of Grove Collaborative walnut scrubber sponges — all packed up in a limited edition red cleaning caddy for gifting (or keeping!).
New customers will get the holiday set when you place your first order of $20:
Free Mrs. Meyer's holiday hand soap
Free Mrs. Meyer's holiday dish soap
Free Mrs. Meyer's holiday multi-surface spray
Grove Collaborative red caddy
Grove Collaborative walnut scrubber sponges
Plus, if you spend $39, you’ll also receive a free Grove stoneware tray to beautifully display your new holiday soaps.
If you’re already a Grove customer, you’ll get a free set of Grove walnut scrubbers.
We recently went on another field trip to Riley's Farm in beautiful Oak Glen, California. This time we learned about the American Civil War. The kids had so much fun and learned many fascinating details about that time in history. The scenery is beautiful up there. If you are ever visiting California and near that area, I highly recommend a fun trip to Riley's farm to pick apples. I bought a chicken pot pie and apple crumb pie from their bakery to take home for dinner. Simply delicious.
Here are the fruit butters and preserves I purchased from our field trip to Riley's Farm.
The pumpkin butter is so amazing. It tastes like a pumpkin pie jam.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of Natural Home with Jennifer. I'll see you on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend!
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FTC: This is not a sponsored post. Links may be affiliate.
