Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Recipe: Honey Lime Shrimp


Shrimp are one of my favorite foods.  I could eat them daily and not get sick of them.  So, when I found this recipe, I knew that it was for me.  I'm not the biggest fan of honey,  It's really a hit or miss with me, but in this recipe, it's a hit.  The taste of this dish is so perfect.  You get the lime bits and the honey bits.  Shrimp are good that way, they absorb the flavors you put around them.  This recipe went into the books right after I took my first bite.  I paired this dish with rice and broccoli.  So tasty!

Ingredients:
1/2 pound Large Shrimp, Peeled & De-veined
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Honey
2-3 Tbsp Juice of Small Lime
2 Cloves Garlic, minced 
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Directions:


In a large ziploc bag, combine all the ingredients, except for the shrimp.  I folded the edges down to so the honey and oil were completely at the bottom.


When everything is well-combined, add the shrimp, squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag, and close it up.
 Place the bag in the fridge. 
Let the shrimp marinate for 30-60 minutes, flipping the bag around once or twice during that time, so that all the shrimp stay evenly covered in the marinade.
Then, take the shrimp out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.


Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; there is no need to add any oil or butter to the pan, as the marinade has enough oil in it to keep the shrimp from sticking to the pan. Add your shrimp to the pan in a single layer, making sure they are not too crowded; you can always cook them in more than one batch. 


Let them cook on one side for about a minute, until they curl up and start to turn pink. Flip them over, and cook for another 30 seconds or so, until the shrimp are opaque. 

You can add some of the marinade to the rice like I did if you'd like a little bit more flavor.

Remove from the pan, and serve immediately!

Enjoy! 
xx

Monday, September 28, 2015

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick Review:


Typically when I'm looking at the Rimmel London rack, my eyes go straight to the Kate Moss line.  But a little while ago, (okay a long time ago, like birthday long time ago) I picked up this lipstick in shade Alarm.  This lipstick has a nice creamy feel to it with the tiniest bit of shine.  I would describe it as a creamy matte. 

I had used it many times by this picture.
The red of this lipstick is very bright.  I guess that is why it's called Alarm.  It's gorgeous!  Wearing it for two hours with a little bit of drinking out of a water bottle and it stays just where I put it.  I then ate with this lipstick on.  The meal that I had was ribs,rice, and carrots.  I ate the ribs with a fork, but I still consider it to be a messy meal, and after dinner this lipstick was still on except for in the corners of my mouth.  Which is pretty typical when eating with good lipsticks. 

 So in my opinion, this lipstick has AMAZING staying power. 

This lipstick didn't crease on me at all.  It didn't cling on to any dry bits on my lips.  It also wasn't drying at all.  Sometimes the Kate Moss line makes my lips feel dry, but this one didn't.  It also wasn't messy.  You know how some lipsticks (especially after eating) can end up all over your face?  This one was not like that at all!  I love it and I can't wait to add more to my collection!


The smell is interesting. Instead of having a fruit undertone like the Kate Moss (red) line, it kind of smells of fruity cinnamon. It's nice. 

I think I paid around $4 to $5. 

Pros: color, staying power, price
Cons: haven't found any. 

xx

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Recipe: Garlic Chicken



I'm always on the look out for low calorie dinners.  Especially if they involve chicken.  This dish, though it doesn't seem like it, has very few calories.  My app says it's around 195.  So, if you're on a diet, or watching your calories, then this is the dish for you!  
I didn't know what to expect when I was making this dish...garlic and brown sugar just don't seem to go together, but they do.  Maybe not alone, but on chicken, it's the perfect blend of sweetness and spice.  This is a keeper recipe for my house!  

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
additional herbs and spices, as desired


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450°F 
Line a baking dish or cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray or lightly brush with oil.


In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.


Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Add additional herbs and spices as desired.


Season chicken with salt and pepper. .Place breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.
Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes, or until juices run clear.  Serve immediately!

Sorry there are two missing, we were just so hungry! haha.

Enjoy! 
xx

Monday, September 21, 2015

Sally Hansen Gel Nail Polish Review:


First things first, I have to tell you that I'm a nail bitter.  I'm currently working on that.  And at the time of these pictures, I didn't really care about how my nails looked, so they're not the best looking nails.  The second thing I need to tell you is that I'm terrible at painting my nails.  I'm always cleaning up after myself, which leads me to never painting my nails, which leads to me never getting better at it.  


This nail polish is supposed to last 14 days.  It didn't for me.  Now, you're probably thinking, well that's because you bite your nails.  But since I knew I was trying to get an acurate review, I kept my fingers away.  First it started at the corners, and then the next thing I know the whole tip is completely gone.  The polish catches on things which makes it worse.  For me it lasted four days. But to be nice, that is probably longer than normal nail polish. 

I was planning on doing more experiments with the gel, but I just haven't really wanted to.  Like I said earlier, I don't paint my nails often.  But while I was reading online, some people have said to put top coat on every few days, I didn't do that.  Then I was wondering if I could use it with a different brand of nail polish, and according to someone online, you can as long as the other nail polish is 100% dry.  

To get a duo match, a color and the top coat, it costs around $15 from Target.  

Pros: Nice colors 
Cons: Didn't work for me, price

Did you have better luck with these? Let me know! 

xx 

Monday, September 14, 2015

Wet n' Wild Cherry Frost Lipstick Review:



When I first tried Wet n' Wild lipsticks, I didn't care for them.  I found them to be messy and easy to mess up, but now I really like them.  I have four from from the long lasting line, and I have two from this line (but I can't find its name anywhere...).  Cherry Frost was my first from this line. (What's up Doc? was my second!) 


When I was looking at this lipstick in the store, all I saw was red, but it actually has little gold sparkles.  They're not big enough to see on the lip unless you're really, really, close to the lips. (And let's face it, no one should be that close to your face.)  I can't even get them to show up on camera.  But,  just know that they are there.  I also didn't know if this was going to be a matte lipstick, creamy lipstick, or high shine.  It's a creamy lipstick with shine to it.  Feels creamy, but has glitter in it to make it shimmery.  It's also long lasting.  I wouldn't eat with it, or else it will be all over your face.  (It's always all over mine.)  I can drink with it, but after sipping from a bottle for 2 and a half hours, I always need a top off.  But without eating and drinking it lasts on me for three hours before I feel as if it's too faded.   It doesn't stain at all and it's really, really, easy to remove.  This lipstick is also the first lipstick I have ever gotten on my teeth. 



I've had this lipstick for a while now, and I've only used it a few times. It's not that it's bad, I just like others better. If I'm going towards a Wet n' Wild lipstick, I'll pick "What's up Doc?"  I really love that shade.  I'll probably start leaning towards it again when I have more clothing options to pair it with. 

Pros: Price! 99 cents!!, staying power, feel 
Cons: Gold glitter. 


Have you tried any of these?  Let me know your favorite shade! 

xx  

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Recipe: Lemon Butter Baked Cod



The other day, my mom asked me to find a recipe for Cod, and I found a few on Pinterest for her to pick from, and she chose this one, and it was a really good choice!  This dish was so good and buttery, but hardly any calories!  It's definitely going to be made again!  Plus it was so easy to make and clean up was a breeze.  There is nothing better than an easy dish with easy clean up.  Loved it! 

Ingredients: 
2 lb cod fillets 
1/4 c butter 
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice 
1/4 c all purpose flour 
salt and pepper 
dash of paprika 

Directions:


Cut the fillets into serving sizes. (Mine were pre-cut.)  Melt the butter in a sauce pan, and add the lemon juice to melted butter. 


In another dish, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper.


Set up a little assembly line.  (If you'd like, I think it makes things easier.)


 Then dip the fish into the butter lemon mix, coating well on all sides.


After they're coated with butter, dip the fillets into the flour, also coating well on all sides.


Place the fillet with the side that had the skin on it down, and repeat until you run out of fillets. 


Places the coated fillets into an non-greased baking dish, drizzle the remaining butter mix on top, and sprinkle with paprika.


Bake uncovered, at 350, for 25-30 minutes.  

Enjoy!
xx 


Monday, September 7, 2015

Milani Fierce Foil Eyeliner Review:



I have had this eyeliner for some time now.  I'm pretty sure this was part of my birthday present, which I bought about a month and a half after my birthday...So, I've had this eyeliner at least since the start of the summer.  When I first picked it up, I didn't notice that it was supposed to have gold bits in it.  If I had, I don't know if I would have purchased it.  I like glitter all over my body, but when it comes to my eyes, I try to stay away from it.  (Odd I know.) I finally noticed the gold speckles, and that it's called a foil eyeliner, when I was taking the pictures.  I know, so smart.  I thought it was pretty, I just didn't know if it was for me, turns out, it is.  I love this eyeliner, and it's my go to nowadays.  



When I use this eyeliner it comes off as a blackish gray with a little tiny bit of gold to it.  But, the gold is really hard to see.  I've tried using the brush that came with it, but it doesn't work with how I apply eyeliner, and it's a little to small for how I hold my brushes usually.  No biggie.  This eyeliner has a really smooth application to it, which isn't surprising.  It's amazing.  When I wear this eyeliner I put it on at 7am and I don't take it off until 9:30 to pm.  So, I can officially say that this eyeliner has some really nice staying power.  It doesn't smear either.  


Now, it's not very bold.  You can tell I'm wearing it, but it looks more like I smeared it out after applying.  So if you're going for a bold look, I don't think this is the best.  I've never tried to build it up, so I can't say much on the build up.  I like the same look over and over, and huge bold wings aren't me.  (Truthfully, I don't have the patience.)  

I bought this at my local CVS, and I paid around $8 for it.  That's a pretty good price!  

Pros: Staying power, smooth, nice color, price
Cons: I haven't found any. 

What is your favorite Milani product?  Let me know and maybe I'll try it out!  
xx 

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Recipe: Lemon Rosemary Chicken:



I found this on Pinterest the other day, and I had to make it!  It looked so yummy!  It's a very quick meal, and it is as good as it looks.  The only issue I had was that there was a little bit too much rosemary.  When I make this dish again, I'm thinking about halfing the size.  Maybe even a little less. 


Ingredients: 
4 Large Chicken Thighs with Bone and Skin
3 Tbsp Olive Oil 
1 Tbsp Dried Rosemary 
1 Lemon 
1 tsp Salt 
1 tsp Black Pepper 

Directions:


Place the chicken thighs in a baking dish, season (to taste) with salt and black pepper.


Drizzle the olive oil, sprinkle the rosemary, and top off with the lemon slices.  Cover and place into the fridge for an hour (up to four). 
After the hour has passed, Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.



While your oven is heating up, warm up a skillet over medium high heat, drain the chicken of excess oil, and place in the pan skin side down.  You can cook with the lemon slice still on, but I left it off and put it back on for the oven part.  
Once the chicken is golden brown, flip over and cook the other side.  This should take around 4 to 5 minutes for each side.


Then place the chicken back into a baking dish, and bake for around 20 minutes.


Enjoy!! 
xx