By: Jillian Bedell, Co-Founder of From Away  

Cheese Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates and a Lemon Gin Fizz

In springtime we open our doors and windows, welcoming friends in the late afternoon sunshine.  Maybe there’s still a little nip in the air, but everyone is ready to emerge from winter hibernation and socialize.  Everything is in bloom!  And we consequently feel enlivened, full of new ideas and plans and opportunities.  It’s the perfect moment for an after-work soiree with great company and a few simple treats.  We thought it would be appropriate to pair a refreshing and sassy beverage with a snack that looks impressive and tastes amazing, but takes no time or culinary prowess to pull off.

This canapé is kind of all you need.  The date is cloyingly sweet and becomes unctuous when baked.  The cheese is creamy, salty and tangy and complements the fruit, cutting its saccharine intensity.  And the bacon – well, you know.  It’s bacon!  It crisps up and imparts its fat and flavor into the hors d’oeuvre, and makes it a perfect all-in-one snack to put out at a casual gathering of friends.

This cocktail is a slight modification of the classic French 75, so named because this potent potable will knock you out, as does the French 75mm field gun.  It’s fresh and effervescent, as a good party ought to be.  Dust off your hostess hat and open-toed party shoes, play some Shirelles on the stereo, and get ready to celebrate the season of new life and blossoming possibility.

Dates Wrapped in Bacon and Stuffed with Cheese

Ingredients:

• 8  Medjool dates, pitted
• 4 bacon strips
• 2 oz. goat cheese

Method:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Stuff the pitted date with the cheese, wrap it with half a piece of bacon, secure with a tooth pick and place, seam-side down, on a baking sheet.  Bake for twelve minutes, flipping halfway through.  Serve immediately.

Lemon Gin Fizz

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chilled good gin (we like local Cold River)
• ½ cup lemonade (a powdered mix, concentrate, or freshly-squeezed)
• 1 bottle sparkling white wine (Prosecco or Cava)
• Basil, chiffonaded for garnish

Method:

In a large pitcher or punch bowl combine all ingredients.  Serve ice cold in vintage punch glasses.

By:  Liz and Anna, Style Contributors and Founders of The Sequined Blazer

Trust us when we say that the secret to accomplishing a perfect blowout is not a round brush.  No matter how many times Lauren Conrad shows us how to get the look at home, the fact is, try as we might, we have never quite been able to coif our locks to the silky smooth and bouncy perfection rocked by all of our favorite celebs.  And with an offer as generous and special as today’s MM deal, why should we?

We can think of a million reasons to get a blowout, and having hair that looks half as good as B, Rebecca or Nicole is only one of them.  So, now that you know you want one, the question remains, what occasions are worthy of perfectly blown hair?  Here are our top three blowout worthy destinations…

Vacation – One of the best things about a blowout is how long it lasts.  Assuming you steer clear of the deep end of the pool, your blowout could last as long as three days. Just think of all the extra time you can spend soaking up those summer rays if you don’t have to worry about your hair!

Wedding – Whether you’re the bride-to-be, her lady in waiting, or an honored guest, a wedding is a perfect occasion to blowout your tresses.  In a sea of hairspray and updo’s, your smooth, flowing and uber volumized locks are sure to standout in the crowd.

Date Night – You met at the gym when your hair was covered in a sweatband, and now you want to show him how truly hot you are.  Whether it’s a first date or you’re already goin’ steady, nothing will knock him off his feet more than sexy, luscious locks.  Go get ‘em, girl!

Images Courtesy of: thebeautyboxsalon.com, celebritybeautybuzz.com, sherridoeshothair.com, glamour.com, celebritylookbooks.blogspot.com, blog.troyrichardssalon.com, hairstylesfresh.blogspot.com, blog.meganhibberd.com, bing images

One of the greatest perks of my job is that I get to try out all of the best new businesses in town – from spas to boutiques to fitness studios.  This gives me the opportunity to truly curate all of my offers for my members, since at the end of the day, I never put out an offer that I wouldn’t want for myself!

That being said, I have made my way around most of the gyms in town and love them all.  Which is why when Zone 3 Fitness invited me to try out their Z3 Circuit, I couldn’t have been happier or more excited.  So I laced up my sneakers and headed over for their 8:30am Saturday class.

The Pregame - Walking into Zone 3 isn’t like walking into your typical gym.  Rather than stepping foot right into the workout space, there’s a well appointed seating area and even a great looking bar for tea, water & snacks (great spot for chatting with your workout buddies pre or post workout).  I was warmly greeted at the desk by Monica, co-owner of Zone 3 and who would also be teaching the class.

After popping my things in the VERY nice locker room, class was ready to begin.  Monica introduced me to the rest of the group, who all gave me a really warm welcome.  What a nice touch when you’re taking a class – you may as well know each other’s names if you’re going to be sweating together for the next 45 minutes!  Right off the bat I could tell Zone 3 is a gym that really cares about each one of their members…you’re actually a person rather than just a number.

The Workout - Before I dive into what the class was like, here’s a little background of what the Z3 Circuit class is.  The Z3 Circuit combines cardio and strength training intervals using a variety of weights and training tools – which creates a calorie-burning, strength-building all over body workout.

Now back to the class.  It began with Monica explaining/demonstrating each circuit that we would be doing.  The way the Z3 Circuit class works is that you go through 4 stations (or circuits) that contain 3 exercises each.  You do each exercise for 45 seconds and then switch to the next one in the circuit.  You go through each circuit 3 full times before switching to the next one.  Once Monica had gone through each exercise, she took us through a nice quick warm-up, and then it was time to get started.

For the next 45 minutes, I jump roped, lunged, dipped, and squatted my way through the circuit.  It’s amazing how fast each interval goes by!  Even on the tougher exercises, you think to yourself, it’s only 45 seconds – I can totally do this! You never get bored of an exercise either, even on the 3rd round of the rotation, because everything is so quick & fleeting.  Monica gave us water breaks between each rotation, which was a nice way to regroup before starting a new circuit.  And don’t worry, if you forget which exercise comes next or how do to it, Monica is right there to give you assistance.  She’s also there to help if you have an injury or need to modify an exercise.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, I was doing my last exercise of the circuit and we were done!  The end of a great workout is always such an awesome feeling.  Monica showed us some stretches to cool down and then I was on my way home to start the weekend.

The Aftermath - On Sunday I woke up with a feeling I haven’t had in quite some time.  Sore muscles!  But I’m not complaining, because it was that good “I just had an awesome workout” kind of sore.  Kind of reminiscent of my college field hockey days, which believe it or not, is a feeling I’ve actually missed! 

So thank you to Monica and Zone 3 for giving me back that rewarding & satisfying feeling of an intense workout that I know gave me results.  If you haven’t experienced a Zone 3 workout yet, you are truly missing out.