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Showing posts from May, 2013

How to Do Dip Powder Nails

 Staying at home means avoiding the nail salon, and as someone who always  smudges regular nail polish (seriously, how is it possible that they can still  be ready to smear by the time I go to bed?), I have a newfound appreciation for the variety of modern manicure solutions available. I previously reviewed Ohora's at-home gel strips , which are a great option for hassle-free designs. Another option that I really like, even though I am far  from a pro, is dip powder. Dip powder is essentially an acrylic powder that contains pigments or glitters. You purchase a set of liquids that can be used with the powders of your choice for a quick and clean manicure that requires very little dry time. Dip powder is easily accessible, and if you're new to dip nails in general, I'd suggest a reasonably priced option for practice. I started with the Lavender Violets brand on Amazon, which comes with a set of powders + all the liquids you need for a beginner. I did find that the l...

Cayenne Pepper Tea

This weekend, I completed my first 5k in the Color Run! Most people will tell you that, after a good run or athletic event, you will feel "awesome". In my case, this was true until I got home, when I was suddenly sick. Since cold medicine seems to do nothing, I have been experimenting with various natural remedies found on the internet, using ingredients found on my trusty spice rack. That's a nice rack. A surprising solution for a sore throat is cayenne pepper, which also helps ease congestion. Sure, the spiciness of the pepper burns a little, but it helps. If you're miserable, it's worth it. To make the hot pepper tea, you will need honey, lemon or lemon juice, ginger and cayenne pepper. I used two tablespoons of honey, a squeeze of lemon juice, and several shakes of ginger and cayenne. I didn't use exact measurements for the spices, so vary it depending on your preferences, and how much "spiciness" you can handle. Add boiling water and stir-- I si...

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

Jalapeno popper + anything sounds delicious to me, so when I saw a recipe for jalapeno popper stuffed chicken, I had to give it a try. While my first run was not a great success (due to a failed gluten free chicken coating), several weeks later an improvised second attempt at the recipe proved to be every bit as delicious as it sounds. Coincidentally, the panko bread crumbs that I used for the coating were gluten free, but just be sure to double check the label of yours if you are avoiding gluten. This recipe, as written, serves two. You will need: 4 chicken breast fillets, thawed or  use two thicker chicken breasts, which will be cut and stuffed 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar, or cheese of your choice 1 jalapeno pepper, minced 1 egg 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs The chicken breasts that we had were rather thin, so instead of butterflying and stuffing them, I simply stacked two on top of each other with the filling in the middle. This is completel...

Popular posts from this blog

How to Do Dip Powder Nails

 Staying at home means avoiding the nail salon, and as someone who always  smudges regular nail polish (seriously, how is it possible that they can still  be ready to smear by the time I go to bed?), I have a newfound appreciation for the variety of modern manicure solutions available. I previously reviewed Ohora's at-home gel strips , which are a great option for hassle-free designs. Another option that I really like, even though I am far  from a pro, is dip powder. Dip powder is essentially an acrylic powder that contains pigments or glitters. You purchase a set of liquids that can be used with the powders of your choice for a quick and clean manicure that requires very little dry time. Dip powder is easily accessible, and if you're new to dip nails in general, I'd suggest a reasonably priced option for practice. I started with the Lavender Violets brand on Amazon, which comes with a set of powders + all the liquids you need for a beginner. I did find that the l...

Apple Cinnamon Sheet Pancakes and Bacon

If you've seen my post about  Peachy Cinnamon Sheet Pancakes , you already know how I feel about sheet pan recipes. These sheet pancakes pull together all the goodness of regular pancakes, plus the ease of a casserole-- no more standing at the stove flipping batter! UPDATE: These make a great breakfast sandwich -- perfect for a crowd! If you have not checked out that recipe, I recommend you check it out , as this is a significant improvement over an adaptation of the first. Since it's fall, and we have been doing all the fall things-- like a family pumpkin painting day, and trying to brave the fall festivals even though it's unexpectedly hot-- these pancakes bring a taste of fall with apples, cinnamon, maple syrup and bacon. Yum! Read on for the recipe. Apple Cinnamon Sheet Pancakes Ingredients: 1 cup gluten free bisquick 2 tbsp cooking oil of choice, plus a little for greasing the pan 1 egg 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus extra for...

Curly Girl Routine for Wavies: My Secretly Wavy Hair

My hair has been straight for my entire life. Puffy-straight. "Needs time to calm down" after blow drying it, straight. Works great with extra heavy conditioner, straight.  Sure, occasionally I'd wake up with a few curls here and there, but after brushing my hair-- because brushing is a must!-- they would disappear into a puff of frizz, so I'd add some serum and calm it down. It literally never dawned on me that my straight hair struggles were happening because my hair wasn't straight. Sure, it had some  wave, sometimes, but I just assumed straight hair was the default. Mine was puffy and needed help all the time, but it was straight. It turns out, I'm not alone. In fact, this blogger  had the same realization, and the descriptions of her hair rang true for me as well. I've always had "damaged ends" or "a texture issue", even right after a major haircut. So what gives? About two years ago I decided it was time to do a big chop, and cut ...