Just Jodi Style

Steals & Deals: Monogram Luggage Tag

Screen Shot 2016-06-10 at 8.50.32 AM

It’s Friday on Just Jodi Style so that means it’s time to share with you my steals and deals of the day!  Many of you are either graduating from high school, college or grad school or know someone who is. I always find it difficult to buy someone a gift that is unique to them, but also is not overly expensive. A lot of students before going to college and especially before entering into the workforce full-time, like to take some time off to travel. What better accessory to get them as a gift than a luggage tag that is monogrammed with their initials? I read Who What Wear religiously and they posted about this Abas crocodile – embossed luggage tag from Neiman Marcus that is only $40!!! That also includes the monogramming up to 3 initials! This luggage tag is so elegant and looks really expensive. It comes in three colors: black, brown and tan. I even showed this to some of my guy friends and they said that they really liked it for themselves. This gift can be for a guy or a girl it just depends on if you think they would like it for themselves. A graduation gift doesn’t have to be extravagant, but it has to be something that you know the person you are giving it to will use. So for the avid traveler that is graduating or just want to get something for them because of a special occasion, this is what you should get them. Here is the link for you all to check it out yourselves.
Crocodile Monogram Luggage Tag


FacebookTwitterPinterest

Hump Day Treat: Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites

sub-buzz-18490-1464979575-5

It’s Wednesday so you all know what that means… It’s time for your Hump Day Treat! I have become addicted to looking up recipes on Facebook and this one really caught my eye. Cinnamon sugar pretzel bites…HOLY YUM! I love cinnamon sugar donuts and I love pretzels so what could be bad by combining them together? Nothing. If you want to see a full video of this amazing recipe check out Tasty for Buzzfeed with this link: Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites Video

 

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups warm water

2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet)

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

4 cups flour

3 eggs

 

For Baking soda bath:

9 cups of water

½ cup baking soda

 

For Cinnamon sugar coating:

¼ cup melted butter

¾ cup sugar

3 teaspooons cinnamon

 

Optional Cream cheese dip

4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

¼ cup butter (room temperature)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

 

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
  2. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl (Stir together for a minute until it is mostly combined)
  3. Add salt then add sugar then add butter and stir them all to combine them together
  4. Add flour but add the flour only 1 cup at a time until the dough is thick and no longer sticky ( to test if the dough is good poke your finger into the dough and if it bounces back you are good to go!)
  5. Flour a surface area and knead the dough for 3 minutes until it forms a smooth ball
  6. Place dough in a bowl that is lightly oiled and cover it with plastic wrap to rest for 30 minutes
  7. Bring 9 cups of water to a boil
  8. Get a baking sheet that is oiled and ready to go
  9. After the water is boiling add ½ cup of baking soda
  10. Take the dough and pull bit-sized pieces and make them into small round balls and drop them into the baking soda bath. Boil each ball for 25 seconds
  11. Remove the dough bites and place on the oiled baking sheet from step 8
  12. Beat together your eggs and brush over each pretzel bite
  13. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the pretzel bites are golden brown
  14. While they are in the oven in a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon
  15. If you chose to make the cream cheese dip its simple! Combine butter and cream cheese and blend it until it is smooth
  16. Remove the pretzel bites from the oven
  17. Dip each pretzel bite into the melted butter then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture
  18. Place them all together on a serving tray together so people can dip and drip the cream cheese dip everywhere.

ENJOY!

(image taken from buzzfeed food)


FacebookTwitterPinterest

The Cashmere Sweater Dress

160320-ASHarris-Jodi_Style-8004-LOOK1

Happy June everyone! I’m sorry for not having posted for a week, but I have been working on some great content for the blog so just bear with me. I  promised you that I will always give this blog all of my effort and I intend to continue to do that. So let’s get started! Today, I want to talk about cashmere dresses. I love them for those cold summer nights. Especially in NYC right now at night when you are walking around it still sometimes gets a little chilly, but not enough for warranting a leather jacket. I am fortunate enough that my best friend’s family runs an amazing cashmere clothing company called 360 cashmere. They are carried in many retailers and online across the country. This amazing black dress from 360 cashmere I purchased this past fall in hopes that I could wear it as a transitional piece. Luckily, I have been able to do just that! It is so comfortable and so easy to wear with heels or even with flats! If you are looking for a great cashmere dress you should go check out 360 cashmere online right now! I know the stigma with cashmere especially during the summer is that it will be too hot , but they also have tank top dress options that I also own and honestly, they are the comfiest dresses I have ever worn during the summer time. They are also a great piece to wear to all of the summer events around town. If you don’t want to spend a great deal of money on a cashmere dress here is a piece of advice that my mother told me. When buying cashmere you want to buy the best because they are investment pieces. Cashmere will never go out of style and will last you a lifetime!


FacebookTwitterPinterest

Steals & Deals: Nameplate Necklace

160320-ASHarris-Jodi_Style-8100-LOOK3

It’s Friday and as you all know, Friday’s on Just Jodi Style is all about steals and deals! When I decided to start my blog, the first person I went to with name ideas was my best friend Brittani. I had the name “Just Jodi” from my bat mitzvah and she said she loved it for my blog’s name. That year for my birthday she decided to get me something with my blog’s name. She got me this amazing engraved bar necklace from evesaddiction.com. The necklace itself is sterling silver and without engraving is $21!! Unlike other custom jewelry websites, engraving on this website only costs $9!!!! This makes custom engraved sterling silver necklace cost a total of $30!!! These bar necklaces have been a hot trend for years now from celebrities like Lauren Conrad, Giuliana Rancic, and Jennifer Lawrence rocking their own. This website has all different types of customized necklace options and it is the cheapest prices that I have seen. When I saw how inexpensive it was I was shocked.  I looked at my necklace a few times over because it is such amazing quality! My best friend is amazing that she was able to find something so unique and special for me at an affordable price. I believe you don’t have to spend a ton of money when it comes to gifts for your friends, but you do need to look for things that are of great quality. If you are looking for something that is custom and don’t want to break the bank, you need to head over to evesaddiction.com right now because if you enter the site and place an order you get 25% off your first order if you make a profile on the site. I’d say 25% off is well worth making a profile on this website. Go now and get your own!!


FacebookTwitterPinterest

Hump Day Treat: Garlic Chicken Pesto Pasta

maxresdefault

It’s Wednesday and you know what that means? Time for a hump day treat recipe that I am sure you are all going to love. I am constantly trying to find new recipes and new things to make that are different from my everyday things that I cook. I am currently really into eating pesto, but even though people say pesto is really easy to make I still buy the jar of fresh pesto from the store. Here is a recipe that I saw from Tasty on Facebook that is Garlic Chicken pesto with whole-wheat pasta.

 

Ingredients:

1 box of whole-wheat pasta (bow ties or penne)

1 box of cherry tomatoes, cut up

1 tablespoon of canola oil

2 chicken breasts sliced thinly

2 tablespoons of garlic chopped

½ tablespoon of kosher salt

½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup heavy cream

¼ cup of pesto

Parmesan cheese to garnish

 

Directions

  1. Heat a pot full of water with a little salt in it for the pasta
  2. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box
  3. Drain the pasta and leave on the side for when you are done cooking the chicken
  4. Heat the oil in the pan
  5. Once the oil is hot put the chicken with the salt and pepper and garlic to cook until the chicken is browned
  6. Once the chicken is browned,mix in the heavy cream and pesto until everything is evenly combined
  7. Cook the chicken to a boil until the sauce has reduced for about 8 minutes
  8. In a bowl toss the pasta, cherry tomatoes and continue to stir until everything is evenly coated
  9. Sprinkle with a little bit of parmesan cheese
  10. ENJOY!

(picture taken from google)


FacebookTwitterPinterest

Boots with the Fur: High Top Sneakers

160320-ASHarris-Jodi_Style-8193-LOOK5

It may be almost June on the calendar, but in NYC it doesn’t feel that way. A lot of New Yorkers switch over their closets from season to season and for me I have not done that just yet. There have been days this past week where I still wore some of my cashmere sweaters to work. One of my favorite pairs of sneakers to wear during winter and during these in between months before summer are these Vince black leather and fur sneakers. Now I am one of those people that felt because I am barely 5 ‘ 2 that high top sneakers aren’t appropriate on me. These are amazing because when you fold them down they are lined just on the top inside with fur. They are the comfiest shoes. Since I purchased them, they have since come out in a variety of colors and different variations of fur. This is a fun alternative instead of continuing to wear your booties that you wore all fall long. Since I am a true Florida girl, even though it’s in the 60’s outside I still feel like it is cold, but others may disagree with me.  If you are looking for high top sneakers, but don’t want ones with fur or an expensive pair, check out all the major retail stores this holiday weekend. There are going to be a lot of sales on a lot of things and this is the time to buy them. Even if you find a pair like mine that may come off as a little wintery I would still buy them and put them away for next season. These are also great shoes to wear when you are going out to a bar and don’t care about anyone stepping on your feet ☺ . Hope you all enjoyed my post today and are now inspired to buy your own pair of high top sneakers or as the famous song says “Boots with the fur..With the Fur!”


FacebookTwitterPinterest

Steals & Deals: Penguin Necklace

160320-ASHarris-Jodi_Style-8252-LOOK6

It’s Friday, so you know what that means? Steals & Deals day!! Every guy knows it’s hard to shop for their girlfriends, especially when it comes to buying jewelry. My boyfriend seemed to have landed the jackpot every single time he has purchased me a gift. He is the type of guy that enjoys experiences more as gifts than an actual physical gift, but knows that you should have something to remember the experience by. For my first birthday we celebrated together, he got me a beautiful black and white diamond penguin necklace and a one-on-one time with a Penguin at a zoo out in Long Island. Something you should know about me is that  I am obsessed with penguins because they are just so cute and if I could be like Mr. Popper in Mr. Popper’s penguins I would own my own. This necklace was so beautiful, but I of course didn’t want him spending so much on me. I found out he got it from Amazon in their fine jewelry department and to make things even better it was a steal! It was under $100 and every single person who has seen it thinks it is way more than that. If you are looking for a great gift for your significant other this is where you should go.  Anyone out there for your significant others if you don’t want to spend too much head on over to Amazon. They have a great selection of diamond, sterling silver, gold, rose gold etc. jewelry pieces from a range of prices to choose from.  I was surprised at the vast selection of items they had on their site. I thought they would have a majority of just a specific type of jewelry like mainly necklaces, but to my surprise they had a lot of everything. Also another perk is that the majority of their items are available via prime so if you are prime member and want to get something last minute you can easily do that. Keep your eye out for Amazon because they are changing the game when it comes to buying jewelry online. If you are like me and love penguins you should 100% purchase this necklace. Hope you enjoyed my steals & deals for the day! Have a great weekend everyone <3


FacebookTwitterPinterest

Hump Day Treat: Baked Brie

FullSizeRender

Hump Day Treat!!

One of my favorite things to make that my mom makes is baked brie. I never really liked brie as a child, but as soon as I had this, I was hooked. It is a great, quick and easy, appetizer for when you are having dinner parties at your house. It is also really easy to reheat the next day if you want to eat it for seconds!

 

Ingredients:

Small bowl

Pastry Brush

Cookie Sheet / Cookie Pan

Parchment Paper

Pam Cooking Spray

1 Egg

1 Package of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

1 Round Brie

1 Jar of Raspberry Preserves

 

Directions:

  1. Pre heat the oven to 375 Degrees
  2. Take either a cookie sheet or a pan and line in with parchment paper
  3. In a small bowl beat the one egg and set it to the side for later use
  4. Open the package of crescent rolls. There is usually 8 rolls per package. Use 4 of the rolls and don’t disconnect them so it looks like a big square. Place the square on the parchment paper. Make it a little flat and also insure that is all smooth and connected.
  5. Place the round Brie in the center of the dough.
  6. Open the jar of raspberry preserves and covers the top of the Brie with it. You don’t want it to overflow over the edges but you want a few big spoonfuls so that way when you eat the Brie every spoonful has some jelly as well.
  7. Take the edges of the crescent roll from the bottom and wrap it around the sides. Take the remaining crescent rolls and separate them. Use the separate crescent rolls and criss cross it from edge to edge of the brie so it looks like a braided material. You want the whole brie to be covered in the crescent roll.
  8. Now take the egg and use a small pastry brush. If you don’t have a pastry brush you can use your hands as well, but it will be a bit messy. Cover the outside of the dough with the egg. This will give the baked brie a shine on the outside and also cook very nicely.
  9. Place into the oven that was already pre heated to 375 for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes check the brie and if it is fully brown on the outside you can take it out. Personally I like to check it after 30 minutes then depending on if the cheese is oozing out or not I will leave it in until its oozing just a little bit.
  10. Let the brie sit out for about 10 minutes then serve with any crackers or without if you’d like.

 

Enjoy!

 


FacebookTwitterPinterest

Family Comes First

IMG_7269 IMG_7509 IMG_8411 IMG_9025

First I want to apologize for not posting these past couple of weeks. As I have told you all before, my biggest cheerleaders in life are my parents. I would do anything for them. A few weeks ago I had a family emergency and whenever my family needs me I will drop everything and anything for them. That is how my family operates and I know some of you may not agree with that logic, but after everything that my family has been through the past decade, this is what we do. I happy to say that everything and everyone is doing well now and I am back to writing on Just Jodi Style. I promise to always keep you all informed on my life, but also keep private the things that need to be kept private. Today I want to dedicate this post to my dad. My dad is not only my best friend but to me he is superman. He has gone through so much in his life and despite it all, at almost 75 years of age, he is still working everyday as a trial attorney in Miami, FL. The one thing that I want everyone to do today is if you live near your parents go and see them and give them a hug. If you don’t live near your parents call them, or if you can, face time them on your phone and tell them you love them. Things can change in an instant, but the most important thing in life, to me, is family. Friends and lovers may come and go, but family is there for a lifetime.


FacebookTwitterPinterest

Hunter Rain Boots

160320-ASHarris-Jodi_Style-8046-LOOK2 160320-ASHarris-Jodi_Style-8050-LOOK2

When I was in college in Arizona we dealt with the terrible monsoon season and since then I was always in the search of a great pair of rain boots. It always happened that my rain boots were either A) so uncomfortable or B) after a few wears would get holes in the heels. I had heard about Hunter rain boots for years especially when a few years ago they did collaboration with Rag & Bone. What I didn’t realize is that people, especially in New York City, wear these shoes other than just when it rains outside, but when it snows as well! My first winter in New York I purchased a basic tall shiny black pair with two different types of socks. They call them “welly socks” ☺ . I bought a turquoise pair that I deemed for when it rained outside and a black pair that were fur-like on top for when it was snowing. Other than being a little difficult to get off on my own when I get home these rain boots are honestly amazing. I have worn them in multiple snowstorms and rain storms in New York and have yet to get a single blister or hole in the heel! I like having the tall pair because it reaches me right under my kneecap, but I have seen a lot of working women in New York rocking the short high-heeled pairs on the street! Everyone has different tastes, so whether you like the tall pair or even the short pair, these are worth the purchase. I have friends who didn’t purchase the “welly socks” from Hunter and they just wear a pair of thick socks, normally ones they would wear if they were going to be skiing, and that has worked for them. I personally like the “welly socks” because they fit perfectly around the top opening of the boot and never seem to slide around in my boot. These boots fit true to size, but just make sure it isn’t too big on you because the last thing you want is snow or rain water going inside your boot while you are walking ☺


FacebookTwitterPinterest