#JulioBlog

Green Goddess Smoothie St. Patrick’s Day is here and has everyone thinking GREEN! Push that green brew aside and start your morning off right with this beauty. This green machine is packed with nutrients to help boost your immune system, energy, and fight disease. Different from juice, this smoothie consists of easily digested fruits and veggies in their entirety. It’s satiating and makes for an easy breakfast or snack with no sugar spikes.  Want a little extra? Add some superfoods into the mix and maximize your benefits.  Recipe: 2 cups- filtered water or coconut water 2 cups- spinach and/or kale 1 cup-...

One of Juli’s highlights of the year is attending the “Gem Show” in Tucson, Arizona. She leaves Dallas packed with all the provisions to haul back her treasures. Her typical checklist includes several rolling suitcases packed with straps, packing tape, zip ties and any necessity a pro would carry on these excursions. Traveling to markets takes almost as much preparation as surviving in the wild. If you're unprepared…well you know! The Gem Show in Tucson has hundreds of vendors from all over the world selling gems, metals, and findings. Of course, Juli has her favorites and has made acquaintances along...

  1 1/2 oz vodka 4-6 cucumber slices 3-4 mint leaves 8 oz club soda or tonic water 1 T powdered sugar or Splenda Ice Muddle mint leaves and 3-4 cucumber slices in bottom of glass with sugar or Splenda.  Add ice & soda or tonic.  Garnish with cucumber and lime.     From the kitchen of Megan, Customer Service

We love shipwreck coins!  We use reproductions of coins found in the Atocha shipwreck in many of our styles.  We are constantly asked about their meaning, so here's a little history: "On September 6, 1622, the heavily laden treasure galleon of King Philip IV’s Tierra Firme Fleet struck a reef and sank in a raging storm near the Florida Keys. More than two hundred and sixty persons perished and tons of gold, silver, and other precious cargo were lost to the sea. All attempts to locate the shipwreck failed until the location of the primary cultural deposit was made by...

  16 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (divided use) 4 T butter 2/3 c all-purpose flour 1/2 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 2 large eggs 3/4 c packed light brown sugar 1 t Mexican vanilla Preheat oven to 350.  Melt 8 oz of the chocolate chips and the butter in the microwave stirring occasionally, do not overheat.  In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar and vanilla on high speed until fluffy.  Reduce speed and beat in melted chocolate.  Fold in flour mixture until just combined then stir in...