Bellas, now that we’ve done the eating healthy portion of our 4th of July weekend, might I propose a toast?

Cheers to fabulous 4th of July cocktails!

But only if you’re over 21, mmmkay?

Part of the fun of having an at-home celebration is whipping up deliciousness in the kitchen and serving your guests something both festive and delicious. So allow me to present to you the Afrobellatini!

This concoction was made by my friend Courtney who has an amazing food blog at CocoCooks. You gotta check her out! Here’s the deetz on the drink:

“Natural, real, rich, complex, and sweet. Raspberry Currant simple syrup, Cognac, Cointreau, served in a chilled martini glass. Garnished with currants. Edible Blue Glitter optional for Independence Day.”

How do you make this summer fruit inspired deliciousness? Here’s the recipe!

– Raspberry Currant Simple Syrup: 1 pint each of raspberries and currants. 1 cup water, 1 Cup sugar. Bring to boil. Let sit for 20 minutes, Strain, set aside.

– Cocktail: 1 part Cognac, 1 part Rasp Currant Simple syrup, 1/4-1/2 part Cointreau, Shake all with ice and serve in a chilled glass. Garnish with edible Blue Glitter for Independance Day and a sprig of currants.

Fabulous, right?

The Afrobellatini is an elegant cocktail, meant to be sipped at a fab garden party. But what if you’re having an affair that’s a bit more um, down n’ dirty BBQ style? Well that might call for a little something we came up with called the Pank Drank.

Myself and my homeboy Francisco Alvarado — ahem, multiple award winning journalist Francisco Alvarado — came up with this when he helped us move from Miami to Chicago.

The recipe is easy! Get a big ol’ glass pitcher, add a liberal and unrestrained amount of Rosangel hibiscus tequila, lots of OJ, a little grenadine and a big splash of Grand Marnier. Over ice? So very nice. This one can sneak up on you, so be forewarned. And PS - the Rosangel website includes several, far fancier recipes. We just wanted to whip up something simple and super easy.

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What does the 4th of July mean to you? Fireworks? Freedom? Fried food? All of the above? Most definitely! Moderation isn’t exactly a word that comes to mind during the 4th, or most holiday weekends. But I’m here to tell you, friends of the 50 Million Pound Challenge, you can enjoy the 4th to the max and still maintain your fitness momentum.

If you’re hosting a 4th of July jamboree, that puts you in the driver’s seat to provide a delicious, healthy spread. Nobody’s going to miss played out potato chips and greasy pre-packaged snacks if you provide a lush raw veggie tray for starters. Slice up red, yellow, and orange peppers, add some baby carrots, cucumber spears, and sugar snap peas — serve with low fat ranch, black bean dip, and hummus et voila! Easy, fresh, bright, delicious. And you can do the same with a fruit platter — apple slices drizzled with lemon and honey, fresh canteloupe, honeydew and watermelon, and lots and lots of berries. Skip the caramel dip, save the calories for more fun fare.

One of my favorite crowd pleasing recipes is a version of this vegetable pizza, made with Pillsbury crust, cream cheese, powdered ranch dressing, and lots and lots of fresh chopped veggies. I swear to you, people who don’t like veggies LOVE this pizza. And I don’t usually include the olives because I married someone who thinks they are gross.

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Like many of my peers in the blogosphere, I’ve been trying my best to move on. But it’s hard.

I still can’t quite believe — a week ago, Michael Jackson passed away.

Even typing that phrase feels wrong.

I wrote a tribute from the depths of my heart and then tried to look away from the onslaught of rumors and almost-news that took over the internet and television. I got into Facebook fights and Twitter spats with people who just were itching to disparage his name as soon as the tragic news came. I tried not to read the nasty online comments and poorly timed jokes. I tried to just remember the music. The dancing. The talent.

Michael had talent to spare. When he was at his peak, nobody could come close. To this day, I can’t think of anyone who compares — sorry, Beyonce fans, that includes Bey. Michael Jackson revolutionized entertainment and held it down from the age of 7, well into his 30’s. There will never be another like him.

Having said all of that, I’ve been disappointed with the so-called tributes I’ve seen people trying to pass off. I didn’t torture myself with the BET Awards in its completion, but I watched enough YouTube clips to think they could have done better.

Soulbounce has been doing a phenomenal job of putting the best tributes together, for example from Erykah and the Roots (courtesy of Erykah’s Twitter, click here for a free download of that BTW), to Stevie Wonder, to Raphael Saadiq. All artists I would have loved to see together, on stage, paying fitting tribute to the King of Pop. Another artist I wish could have contributed — Marsha Ambrosius.

The former lead singer of Floetry has an incredible vocal instrument. AND she wrote one of my absolute favorite latter period Michael Jackson songs, Butterflies.

Marsha’s version gives me goosebumps, I swear. Her voice is absolutely angelic.

And just for good measure, here’s Michael’s version, from the Invincible album.

Sorry for those who are sick of hearing about Michael Jackson — these wounds are going to take a while to heal. The tributes aren’t about to die down anytime soon. The King of Pop left too enormous of a shadow. Saying he’ll be missed is an understatement. Like Quincy Jones said in this awesome, candid interview — it still feels surreal.

Who would you like to see pay tribute to Michael? Who do you think could do justice?

I feel like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. I’m late! I’m late! Late to share my experience at Blogging While Brown and the fabulousity that was my Welcome to Chicago party.

Mea culpa, bellas!

It’s been almost two weeks since the best conference weekend ever, and I swear I’m still feeling the afterglow. Big, big respect to Gina McCauley for putting it all together. Blogging While Brown was an education, a celebration, a family reunion. Check out the above photo by awesome Atlanta photoblogger FreddyO to get an idea of HOW many wonderful people were in the room, ready to learn from each other and share their expertise. It was an honor and a privelige to meet so many of the online friends and inspirations who have made Afrobella possible, and who welcomed me so graciously.

I got to hang out with some of the icons of the black blogosphere, folks I’ve befriended on Twitter such as Angel of Concrete Loop, Cheryl of Jack & Jill Politics, Gina of What About Our Daughters and the Michelle Obama Watch, Sanam of Tweet Me Black… so many others I’m forgetting to link in this rush of excitement. It was so wonderful to meet everyone!

Great recaps were written on Jack and Jill Politics, the Bay State Banner, Goddess Intellect, Ananda Leeke, and the irrepressible LuvvieIg.

If you missed out on attending the conference, fret not thyself fellow blogger! You can watch the whole conference right here. I might just watch it all over again myself — I came in late (just like high school!) to the first session and had to leave early to get ready for the Welcome to Chicago party being thrown for me by The Red Pump Project!

I raced back to my downtown base (that’d be my BFF Stephanie’s place, haha) and changed into my outfit. Fabulous, flirty little black dress made by MSquared - a plus size line made by my favorite Trinidadian designer, Meiling and popular boutique Micles - made and sold only in Trinidad (at the moment, anyway. I’m working on her! Click here to get a glimpse of what they’re working on there). I paired it with fabulous red feather earrings by Dushi Trade - got compliments on those all night long! When I was all dolled up, I headed to the venue — the chic and inspiring Three Peas Art Lounge, to meet my Chicago bellas and raise some funds for the Chicago Women’s AIDS Fund!

What transpired was nothing short of magical. Here’s a slide show to give you an idea of the love that filled the room.

The room filled, and filled, and filled some more! My husband estimated 60 or so people came, drank, noshed on cupcakes, and vied for raffle prizes — provided courtesy of Just In Case Inc. and the wonderful, awesome Valana Minerals. I am so sincerely appreciative to Valerie of Valana Minerals for coming through in the nick of time with a chic gift bag — won by the amazing Sabrina Miller, AKA Fortitude1913 on Twitter. Love that chick, and so happy she got some Valana goodies!

The room was packed with attendees of Blogging While Brown, Afrobella readers and regular commenters, Twitter friends, and folks just looking to have a good time — like the Rev. Rae Lewis-Thornton, Emmy Award winning AIDS activist. You may have seen her on the cover of Essence? WOW! I was so honored she stopped by and had fun with us.

According to The Fab Giver and Luvvie, we raised over $500 for the Chicago Women’s AIDS Project. AMAZING!

Thank you SO much to my new Chicago amigas Luvvie and Karen for such a wonderful and warm welcome. Thanks to everyone who came. The whole Blogging While Brown weekend was unforgettable, and I sincerely look forward to having more events that support wonderful local charities. The whole thing felt like reinforcement from the universe — YES, Afrobella made the right move and at the right time. Chicago’s the city for me!

Before I give tribute to the many, many famous and beautiful black women at the BET Awards last night, first a word to their publicists.

Where ARE you?

Holla at a blogger!

It seems that whenever a cast member of Gossip Girls sneezes, I get a press release. If Paris Hilton strolls through a boutique, I get a press release. If Speidi or Lauren Conrad, or some other former cast member of the Hills goes shopping at freakin’ Target, I get a press release. But when it comes to readily getting info about celebrities of color… *crickets*

I wish my inbox had filled up with press releases gushing about the makeup artistry and fashion choices of celebs like Taraji, Monica, or Estelle. That was NOT the case and I would sincerely like to see that change. If celeb makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff hadn’t reached out to me to detail the looks of her clients Alicia Keys and Tatyana Ali, I would have been stuck where I always am — guessing what products these fabulous women used in an effort to share the info with you, my fellow beauty loving bellas.

Here’s hoping some celeb PRs see this and get a dose of act-right when it comes to promoting their clients of color.

Off soapbox. On to the award-attending beauties!

Bellasugar did a fab job of highlighting the trends of the evening, so I’ll just shout out my faves along with some product recommendations I can vouch for. Photos are from Oh No They Didn’t.

First up, Janet. I can’t express enough admiration for her strength under such incredibly painful, difficult circumstances. She maintained her composure with grace and she looked like an angel. Cascading curls and beautiful bronze makeup gave her a restrained beauty. To recreate such a gorgeous bronze eye, I recommend Bobbi Brown. I said it already and I’ll say it again - those shimmer bricks are the business! For a more subdued glow, it’s possible Janet’s artist used the new nude collection — which includes an eye palette and a shimmer brick that includes gorgeous pearl pigments. My beauty blogging homegirl KarlaSugar swatched the whole shebang, so check her out for color details.

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It’s that time again, bellas!

The 2009 Black Weblog Awards are underway, and some of your favorite blogs are nominated. Like Afrobella! Click here to cast your vote!

I’m nominated for three categories — Best Culture Blog, Best Writing in a Blog, and a new one - Best Microblog for my Twitter page.

If you enjoy reading Afrobella, please take a moment to cast your vote. It would make me so happy and proud! Thank you!