July Beauty Favorites

Hey all! I hope you had a wonderful July and are getting pumped for an even better August. Here are my 7 favorite beauty products for the month of July.

Get ready for my non-beauty favorites. There are far more than 7 and I'll give you a hint, one has to do with swimming pools, rings, and a whole lot of gold.

Talk to you all soon!

July Favorites and Other Things that Made me Happy in July

Hey all! Here are my Non-beauty July favorites and then just a few things listed below that weren't favorites, but made me happy anyways!

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Strawberries: They taste like my childhood. They’re not my favorite thing in the world, but a slightly over ripe strawberry in July makes me very, very happy. They also make fantastic galettes, popsicles, and are especially fantastic in award-winning strawberry ginger jam, which will come around very soon.

Slippery Slope Shea Butter Lotion: I went on vacation. I got super tan. I can back and resumed working in a sunless office with an over active air conditioning unit. My skin is dry as heck. That’s where this little tub of love is coming in hugely handy. It smells like earth, it saves the world, and it stops me from turning into the lizard man from Spider Man, which brings me to…

The Amazing Spider Man: Andrew Garfield was fantastic in Boy A, he was perfectly creepy/sweet in The Imaginarium of Dr. Pernassus, he underestimated Tommy’s character in Never Let Me Go, he was the best and most brilliant Peter Parker ever. And I’m a harsh critic because Spidey’s my favorite super hero.

Greek Yogurt: I’ve been using it in everything from pie dough, to salad dressing, t cheesecake, to regular cake, to big bowls of peaches. It worked wonderfully in all of the above.

Grapes: Roast them. With rosemary. Eat it. Smile.

Pound cake: I’m not a cake person, but I’ll eat a little of this. Just a little. I love making them, though. There’s something rustic about them. If my grandma cooked, she’d make pound cakes. I’m making a whole bunch of these guys because they freeze well, and that’s going to be increasingly important in the next two weeks of cooking. We’ll get to the reason why in 3…2…1…

Post-Its: I keep an Idea Book at all times. It’s a Moleskin where I write down the things that are taking up a lot of space in my brain. I have a lot of clutter up there right now. I’m going to college in the fall, buying new clothes (no dress code!) and trying to squeeze all the summer things I planned into a 2 ½ week period. PostIts are cheaper than Moleskins, and they stop me from filling up something I keep for fun with stressful deadline lists. You can also stick them to the counter and edit recipes as you go.

 

What I've Recently Stumbled Upon

I like to stumble.

In real life, you learn the most from the little stumbles, trips, and sometimes even the falls.

In computer life, you learn about random things, discover new interests, and kill boredom at superhuman speed.

Either way I like stumbling.

Melting Down Crystalized Caramel

In real life:

Always make sure you flip the page over when filing things. There could be important information back there.

     Don't stir the caramel. I know you're eager to be back in the kitchen, but you know better.

          Think before you speak. You're nicer that way.

               You have glasses for a reason. Wear them, please.

                     Take the keys out of the Dad's car and bring them inside. He needs them to get to work.

In Internet life:

You need more sleep.

     You know that healthy food? It'll make you pretty, too!

          You're not the only one who prefers dessert for dinner and veggies for breakfast.

               Colorblocking isn't just for clothes

                    It's never bad to review the basics

Make Boxed Cake Mix Better and Buttercream

It's Memorial Day weekend and even though I posted a cake recipe yesterday, I realize that for most people a 2 day cake isn't really family barbecue material. So here's my super fast recipe for a great cake mix cake and 3 different frostings!
There aren't any pictures because this is more of a guide than a recipe, but I'm sure you'll see pictures of similar recipes soon, especially the frostings.

Making Cake Mix Great:
Pour your cake mix into a bowl.
In a different bowl, mix the eggs called for on the box with 1 extra egg yolk.
Replace the water called for on the box with milk, and add to eggs. Mix to combine.
Add the oil called for on the box (or use melted butter), 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 tsp instant espresso for chocolate cake
For an extra rich cake, mix in 1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream.
Mix wet ingredients well.
Add the wet mix to the dry mixture, mix well and bake  according to the directions on the box.

Mixing the wet ingredients  before adding them to the dry will give you a finer crumb.
Feel free to mix and match the above steps and do what's convenient for you! This recipe gives you a super moist cake.

Favorite Cake Mixes:
Yellow: Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow cake mix tastes almost exactly like the King Arthur version, but is 1/2 the price!
Chocolate:Duncan Hines Devils Food Cake
White: Betty Crocker Super Moist Cake mix in Vanilla

Frosting: Feel free to dye them patriotic colors
Classic Vanilla Buttercream:
3 cups of powdered sugar
1 cup softened butter cut into large pieces
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2-4 Tbs whipping cream
With a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on low, moving up to medium, until they are combined and slightly sandy in texture. Add vanilla, dye, and 2 Tbs cream. Continue beating, moving up to high speed. If the mixture needs thinning, add more cream very gradually. Whip until fluffy

Chocolate Buttercream:
1 pound powdered sugar
1 cup good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup softened butter
2-3 Tbs whipping cream
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp instant espresso
Melt chocolate gently in a double boiler or the microwave. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Dissolve espresso in 2Tbs cream, and add vanilla. Beat the butter, sugar and salt together until well combined, about 3 minutes. Add cream mixture and beat to combine. Slowly add chocolate, raising mixer speed to high, until the frosting reached medium peaks. If the mixture is too warm, cool in the refrigerator after the chocolate is completely incorporated. Whisk again to fluff it up before using.

Summery Mint Buttercream:

3 cups of powdered sugar
1 cup softened butter cut into large pieces
1 tsp mint extract
2-4 Tbs whipping cream
3 Tbs chopped fresh mint leaves
With a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on low, moving up to medium, until well combines-- 3 minutes. Add mint extract and 2 Tbs cream. Continue beating, moving up to high speed. If the mixture needs thinning, add more cream very gradually. Beat until desired consistency, then gently fold in chopped mint leaves with a rubber spatula.