{Recipe} Holiday Treats - Pretzel Kisses

It's the holiday season and along with it comes the bountiful treats from cookie exchanges, the box of chocolates from coworkers, the plates of homemade Italian cookies from neighbors, even the unwanted fruitcake from your aunt with 6 cats on Christmas.   

As much as we complain about our unwanted pounds and unwillingly add another notch to our belt, we love it :)  

One of our fav treats that are always a staple at our holiday parties are the "Pretzel Kisses" treats.  Gail introduced this to our family a few years back and since then, its been part of our tradition to make them together with the family over the holidays.  Not only are they addicting, they're super easy to make.  

We wanted to share the salty and sweet goodness with you so here's the easy, no hassle recipe for you :)  Enjoy!!!

(Image courtesy of Spoonful )

Recipe:  Holiday Pretzel Hugs and Kisses

Ingredients:

Bite size waffle shaped pretzels (we find the buttered flavored ones by Snyder's to be the best)

Hershey's Kisses and Hershey's Hugs

Holiday colored M&M's candy

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees F

- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay down individual pretzels all over the sheet

- place an unwrapped Hershey's kiss or hug on top of each pretzel

- Bake for 4-6 minutes (note that white chocolate melts faster) until the chocolate feels soft when touched with a wooden spoon

- Once the chocolate is soft, take out the cookie sheet and quickly press an M&M down onto the center of each kiss/hug

- Let the treats cool for a few minutes and place in the fridge for at least 10 minutes or so to set.  

Note:

 -make a LOT!  WE always find ourselves making a second batch, underestimating how fast these really go so save yourself the time and make a large batch from the beginning

- these make great giveaways and presents so get creative and think of all the fun ways to package these bite  sized treats.

{Outfit of the Day} Daytime Pretty

White tee shirt - daytime pretty by cayetanolegacycollection featuring zipper bags

I decided to create an outfit today around the basic white tee - after reading Fabsugar's "30 Ways to Wear your White tee" http://www.fabsugar.com/30-Ways-Wear-Your-White-T-Shirt-22419020 . What do you think?

{Spring Trend} Kimono jackets

With Spring in the air, we're cleaning out our closets and adding a few "of the moment" trends.  The one we're loving most are kimono jackets.  They're just so laid back, colorful, and perfect for any occasion.
The volume of these jackets pair perfectly with any of our statement pieces which is great for us as we're always on the go to meetings and events.

Here are some great ideas on how to incorporate the kimono jacket into your wardrobe.

Kimono Love by cayetanolegacycollection featuring a pink jacket

Kimono's are great because they work with any body size and shape.  You can find this silhouette in a number of ways such as dresses, cardigans, blouses, lightweight jackets.  Here are some ways on how to wear a lightweight kimono jacket.

1) For a casual day look, pair with jean shorts and a tank top - kimono's are naturally dressy with their eye catching sleeves and prints that it would compliment the laid back style of shorts and a tank top.

2) Cropped kimono's would look great with dark blue skinny jeans and nude pumps

3) Longer length kimono's would look great paired with black leggings or black tights

4) For a dressier look, you can pair a little black dress (LBD) and jazz it up with a kimono cover up

5) For resort wear, you can use a sheer kimono jacket as a chic cover-up as you grab your cocktails by the water.

Photoshoot {Behind the Scenes}

Co-founder, Christine, knows how to balance her life between being a full-time nurse and running a business.  She was recently interviewed for a feature in "Scrubs" magazine on how she does it all.  Be sure to pick up the May issue of Scrubs when it hits the newstands.  But in the meantime, here are some behind the scenes photos of Christine looking fabulous whether its in her chic office or in her scrubs.

Spring 2012 Trend: Neon

Spring's Neon Trend by cayetanolegacycollection featuring gold clutches

We were recently asked to comment on the Spring 2012 neon trend and here was our response:

"The warmer weather is definitely bringing the bright neon colors with it.  Runway trends show that citrus neon colors are all the rage this season.  Think lemon, lime, and gorgeous coral colored grapefruits.  These are the kinds of colors to tastefully incorporate into your wardrobe.  Many people may be intimidated to use such bright colors but you can use these in your everyday wear in a small way.  Whether it be a pop of color in your shoes, in your necklace or your clutch, neon accessories instantly wake up your outfit.  Or you can neutralize the bright colors with a classic crisp white button button or a chambray shirt.  Or, if you're daring enough, follow the colored denim trend and invest great coral-colored skinny jeans."

Here's a sneak peak of the CLC take on the citrus-y neon trend  :)

Genevieve medallion necklace

Spring 2012

Cayetano Legacy Collection

Everyday Style

One of our favorite coffee table books is Lauren Conrad's, "Style" book.  Here are some great tips we got from her to help you look fab every day of the week.  You don't have to go to a party to look your best - you can go to the grocery store and still look glam.  :)

1) start with one easy basic piece and layer from there.  whether its a nice solid dress, skinny jeans, a comfy sweater - effortless doesn't have to look frumpy.

2) use a stylish bag - hardware makes a big impact - especially if its gold which always looks luxe.  Think of how classy a chanel bag looks with the signature gold chain straps.  Or for the hot mamas out there who need a big bag to lug baby's diapers, snacks, toys, etc, gold studs, zippers, buckles on a large satchel always look good

3) pick what flatters - if you are top heavy, you don't want to choose a big flowy/slouchy top, instead focus on great skinny jeans.  If you are curvy, use a structured boyfriend blazer.  Nothing pulls your look together the way a blazer does. 

4) Try a pop of color - add a deep jewel toned color in the winter or a fun bright color in the warmer months to make an impact.  We like to add our pops of color with accessories.  Whether its a great bright necklace, a cute pair of shoes, or a bright colored bag. 

5) Pay attention to your shoes - Shoes are usually an after thought as we run out the door.  And choosing the wrong ones can really ruin an outfit.  Make sure they are comfortable.  Don't buy those sky high shoes that you can't walk in.  Who are you kidding?  You'll spend all this money on those shoes and they'll just end up staying in the box because you know you'll be in pain when you wear them.  Invest in comfortable stylish shoes.  Our go to shoes are nude pumps - they elongate the legs and go with any outfit.  Our other go to shoes are great flats that have a beautiful jewel at the top.  They really make a statement

Happy Dressing!!

Holiday Treats

Ghiradelli peppermint brownies

We love baking-especially at this time of year.  (Incase you didn't realize by now, the three of us have  BIG sweet tooth) There's always a cookie swap, a cookie decorating party, a house party where we want to bring something, or something going on where we get to bake something fun.  This year, we wanted to bake some goodies for our neighbors and we found this delish recipe online that we wanted to share with you from http://www.allrecipes.com/  They fun and festive and absolutely perfect for the holiday season.  Its also something fun for the whole family to do together.  Hope you enjoy :)


Ghiradelli peppermint brownies

Ingredients

• 4 ounces Ghirardelli 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate baking bar, broken or chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (5.32 ounce) bag Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate with White Mint Filling Squares™, unwrapped
• 4 small candy canes, crushed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
2. In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Cool to room temperature
3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or whisk, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla, peppermint extract, and salt until combined. Beat in the chocolate mixture. Gently stir in the flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the brownies comes out clean. Arrange the mint squares on top in one layer and return the brownies to the oven until they are just melted, about 1 minute. Evenly spread the chocolate with a spatula and sprinkle with the crushed candy canes. Cool completely before cutting into 2-inch squares.

5 Tips to Build a Jewelry Wardrobe

Yes, we always see articles on how to build our wardrobe and personal style, but here's a fun article we came across that teaches us how to build our JEWELRY wardrobe.  Ali Galgano is the founder of a great jewelry website charmandchain.com .  If you like our http://www.cayetanolegacy.com/ collection, then you'll like her picks.  In the latest article of People StyleWatch, Ali takes us through what we need. 

Here's a recap:

- Start with gold earrings - "they go with nearly every outfit and flatter all skin tones and faceshapes!"
- Go for a statement necklace - Look for pieces that have  "bring-down-the-house impact!"  Hello!!  can we say CLC?  :)
- Mix and match bracelets - "Its all about layering..."
- Collect personal pieces - "Find things you like wearing daily.."
- Try a trend - "The must haves for fall are....necklaces in gold tones with brown, deep blue, and green accents."

The Ten Principles of Power

By Karen

I came a across a great article in the October 2011 issue of the magazine, Essence, called "The 10 principles of Power, " - by Lonnae O'neal Parker - (coincidentally, the beautiful Michelle Obama graced the cover of this issue)

As co-founders of Cayetano Legacy Collection, the 3 of us sisters strive to be thought leaders in entrepreneurship, fashion, and philanthropy. Of course, being that we all have different personalities, different lifestyles, different points of view, being a leader comes naturally to some of us more than the other. I'm sure our birth order plays a role in it too :)

I wanted to share bits and pieces of this great article, because even though some people are natural born leaders, its not to say, others can't work at becoming a great leader themselves. 

As Parker says, "What does it take to be a true leader? To start, you must be willing to embrace your strengths. Apply these ten essential traits of power players, for a swift climb up the ladder of success."

1) They keep the end in sight - a good leader has the ability to focus
2) They collaborate - a good leader shares resources and empowers others
3) They are servant leaders - a good leader recognizes a purpose greater than themselves
4) They chart their own course - a good leader actually makes their dreams a reality
5) They reinvent themselves - a good leader is a risk taker and goes with the flow
6) They help others achieve - a good leader knows how to be part of a support group for those around them
7) They take the initiative - a good leader is a self starter
8) They love to learn - a good leader is humble and realizes they don't know everything; they want to learn more
9) They fight for a good cause - a good leader is willing to make sacrifices to fight for what is right
10) they are change agents - a good leader "has an ability to do something wonderful...leaders have a higher power to call upon, some larger connection outside of work."

Are you doing everything to be a leader in your life, in your community, at work?  Everyone has the power to embrace their strengths and share it with the world.