In Fashion

Loafers

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Hi All!

Today I am back with a new shoe review! I am reviewing a splurge vs. save shoe. The splurge being Steve Madden’s Feather Loafers and the save being Target’s Micah Point Toe Loafers.

I love a good pair of loafers because they are typically comfortable and chic looking. I ordered the Steve Madden Feather Loafer in camel first. These retail for $69.95 and I have yet to find them cheaper anywhere. I have actually been eyeing the Steve Madden Feather Loafer in leopard for quite sometime, but am kind of annoyed that they are $20 more than the other colors (I suppose because they are hair-on as opposed to suede.)  I didn’t order the leopard ones because I wanted to compare to the Target shoe exactly. Target does offer a leopard pair, but they were sold out in my size at the time. Therefore, I ordered the camel colored suede pair in a size 8.

Overall, I really loved this shoe! It’s very comfortable and super cute. The camel color is gorgeous and a true neutral that you could wear with everything. The suede felt very nice to the touch and I really loved the pointy toe look as I find it most flattering to my feet! They fit my feet, but are a smidge tight so I plan on ordering them in a 8.5 to see if that is a better fit. A day after I ordered the camel ones I decided I really loved the plaid ones and ordered those in an 8 as well.  The black plaid ones are so are adorable – especially for the holiday season! They actually fit a little less tight than the camel colored ones but I still think an 8.5 would fit better. I would recommend ordering a ½ size up or order two different sizes to be sure you have the right fit. I really love this shoe and hope to find it on sale or to scoop it up during Black Friday or Cyber Monday in an 8.5!

Steve Madden Feather Loafer in Camel

 

Steve Madden Feather Loafer in Plaid Fabric

Moving on to the Target loafers. They are part of Target’s A New Day line which has some really great pieces very similar to items you find at Madewell or J.Crew.  I was really excited to find that they had knockoff Steve Madden loafers at a fraction of the price. These retail for $22.99 which is so cheap! I ordered these in the tan color in a size 8.5, as 8 was unavailable at the time.

I wish I could say that I loved them, but I really didn’t! They do look very similar in color and shape to the Steve Madden version, so that’s a definite plus. Since I had to order these in an 8.5, they were too big, but I don’t think an 8 would fit me well either because they were so wide. I ordered the regular version, although they are offered in wide. I double checked my order and the shoe box and I definitely received the regular version of these loafers, so I suppose they just run wide? I feel like if someone has a wide foot then these would be a dream shoe as they look nearly identical to the Steve Madden version. I would say the material looked exactly the same, but upon feeling them that the Target suede was not quite as smooth as the Steve Madden suede. In addition, the bottom sole of the Steve Madden shoe had better grips than the Target shoes. All and all, these were really minimal differences and if these work on your feet then get them fast because you cannot beat the price! *Just a side note that these are sold out in a few sizes and colors online but you can email sign up to get alerted for when they are back in stock!

Target Micah Pointy Toe Loafers in Tan

 

Here are a couple of additional pics of them showing how similar looking they are!

          

 

That’s all for now!

Hope everyone is having a good week!

xo

Holly

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In Food

The Softest Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Hi All!

Hope everyone is having a good week! Mine has been a little hectic, but it’s almost over! And today I am back to share one of my family’s favorite recipes: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Growing up, fall just wouldn’t have been fall without smelling these cookies baking up in my house each year. A heavenly aroma of sugar cookies with hints of pumpkin and cinnamon that simply tickle the senses and make me so happy! My mom would bake these all the time when I was little and now that I’m an adult, I make them year after year too.

This cookie is essentially a seasonal enhancement to the classic chocolate chip. The pumpkin and cinnamon add autumn flair and the end result is a delicious fall cookie that is not too overpowering in pumpkin flavor. They are also fairly easy to make from scratch and bake up super soft and delicious! One bite and you will easily win everyone over, even those who claim to not be into pumpkin spice. And for those of you who already are pumpkin lovers, then you can rejoice with delight!

So let’s get on to the recipe with some pictures!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

½ cup oil

1 egg

2 cups flour

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Lightly grease cookie sheets.

3.

Mix together the pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg in either a stand up mixer or with a hand held mixer.

 

Well blended.

4.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, & baking powder. Then add to pumpkin mixture.

 

Flour mixture & pumpkin mixture combined.

 

5.

Dissolve baking soda, milk, & vanilla in another small bowl.

 

Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl & make sure all of the flour is mixed well!

 

6.

Lastly, add in one cup of chocolate chips.

Final step of making the cookie dough.

 

Finished cookie dough – yum!

7.

Essential tools for any baker!

Cookie Scoop

Silpat Mat

Scooped & ready to go in the oven.

8.

Perfectly baked after 8-9 minutes!

9.

Be sure to transfer cookies to a handy cooling rack.

10.

And now consume with a tall glass of milk like so!

Delicious!

Just a side note about the essential tools for any baker picture. I grew up baking quite often because my Mom was an avid baker. An avid baker who never used a cookie scoop or silpat mats! I actually don’t know how her cookies used to come out so good because I feel like before I got these mats it was SO easy to burn my cookies, or have them come out flat, or not be able to figure out what the heck went wrong. Anyway, my point is that these items have really helped me to create perfect cookies. The cookie scoop is really just handy, it’s not a necessity – my mom would use two spoons- but it’s faster to use a scoop and your cookies come out more uniform. The silpat mats, though, are life changing in baking land. I love these for a couple of reasons. One, I never have to bother getting out the Pam to grease the cookie sheet. The mat is nonstick and really works! The second reason is that they make clean up a snap! You simply wipe down the mats with a wet sponge and the cookie sheets are protected and don’t even need to be cleaned. No more burnt on cookies. They are like magic and they last a while. I have one that is probably 5-6 years old that I feel like it is just now on it’s last leg (the nonstick is wearing out). I feel that is a good amount of time that it has lasted especially considering how much I use them.

 

Below are step by step instructions for easy reading for when you make these cookies!

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
  3. Mix together the sugar, pumpkin, oil, and egg in either a stand up mixer or with a hand held mixer.
  4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder.
  5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar, pumpkin, etc mixture.
  6. In a small separate bowl, dissolve the baking soda, milk, and vanilla. Then add to the rest of ingredients in your main mixing bowl and blend well.
  7. Lastly, add the chocolate chips to the batter and stir in.
  8. Drop lightly onto your lightly greased cookie sheet.
  9. Bake approximately 10-12 minutes.***
  10. Cookies will be soft & moist!

Yields roughly 3 and a 1/2 dozen cookies.

*** I would first check these after 8-9 minutes. I did 9 minutes for my first couple of batches and then 8 for my last one. It’s always best to check a little early since burnt cookies are the worst! 😉

Do you like pumpkin flavored foods?! I sure do – but I wouldn’t say I’m a fanatic. I like pumpkin spice lattes, but not really pumpkin coffee so I would say I’m picky about the flavoring. Let me know in the comments what pumpkin seasonal foods are your favorites!

 

Hope you enjoy making and eating these as much as I do! 🙂

xo

Holly

 

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