Recipe: One Pan Beans and Rice

I've been making a lot of food recently and when I stumbled upon this recipe, and it said that it only needed one pan I instantly jumped on it.  I used to love doing the dishes, but now that I'm the one cooking the meal and then I have to clean up, it's just so annoying.

I love, love, love that this only took one pan!  It was amazing.

I wasn't so sure about this dish, but I actually really enjoyed it.  The only thing I would add is a pinch of salt.

Ingredients: 

1 tbsp Oil 

3-4 boneless Chicken Breasts

3/4 cup Rice

2 cup Water 

1 can of Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed 

1 can of Whole Kernel Corn

1 cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese 

Sour Cream. 

Directions:

Heat oil in a medium sauce pan. 

Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes on each side.  I cut mine up just to have it spread more in the dish.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients minus the cheese.
(There is chicken, but I just didn't get a picture.)

Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. 

Let simmer for 20-25 minutes.  I then took it off of the burner and covered for 10 minutes just to let some of the juice to absorb.

Top with cheese, let melt, and then add the sour cream. 

Enjoy!

xx 

L'Oreal Boost It High Lift Creation Spray:

I'm always looking for something to give my hair a little extra oomph.  I have super straight, super flat, hair.  While looking through the hair section at walmart, I saw this spray and decided "why not?" 

I've used this hairspray a few different times and in different combinations.  The first way  was on clean hair without teasing.  Just clean hair and the spray.  It worked for a little bit, but a few hours later, and you couldn't really see a difference.  

The second time I used it on day old hair with dry shampoo, the lift creation spray, and teasing.  It worked really great.   It kept as much volume as my hair could.  I'm not the best at teasing my hair, so obviously someone who is better could have better results, but what I did tease, stayed.  

The third time I used it on clean hair, lift creation spray, and without teasing.  It's definitely a product that if you want to keep the volume, you've got to tease it.   I mean it gives you some oomph, but nothing worth talking about.  

I'll keep doing different combinations and keep you as updated as I can, but for now this is what I have done with it.   Overall it's a nice product, and  it works if you know what you're doing.   I'm sure I'll play around with it in the future, meaning lots of teasing when I don't really have to go anywhere, and see where it takes me.  

The smell is an interesting one.  It's a mixture between floral and citrus for me.  It also has a hint of alcohol to it, but it's a hairspray so of course it does.  It's not offensive or anything, just interesting.  A youtuber who I watch described it as a baby powder/ bubblegum scent.  I don't smell either, and I really hate the smell of baby powder so I'm pretty sure I would be able to sniff that out.  I don't know.  Everyone has different noses, and they even could have changed their formula.  

'

The first time I used it, I used A LOT of it so it got stuck in the back of my throat for hours!  I was tasting this spray for I don't even know how long.  It was intense.  It's not an awful taste, it's actually sweet, but not something I really want at the back of my throat.  Just a small warning.   

The other few times it wasn't as bad.  Maybe only for an hour.  It also wasn't as annoying as it was the first time.  

I would recommend this to someone who likes volume in their hair and doesn't mind a little stickiness.  

xx 

Recipe: Penne Meatball Casserole

Another casserole recipe that I found on Pinterest!  It was good, but I would tweak if I make it again. 

More sauce and more cheese.  

Ingredients:

1 Pound Frozen Mini Meatballs, Thawed 

1 Box of Penne Pasta

1 cup Marinara Sauce 

1 cup Ricotta 

1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese 

Salt and Pepper 

Basil 

Directions: 

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Cook the pasta, then drain. 

Combine the meatballs and the marinara sauce. Season with salt an pepper to taste. 

Toss the mix with the pasta and then transfer it all to a casserole dish. 

Top with dollops of ricotta and then cover with tin foil. 

Bake for 30 minutes. 

Uncover, top with parmesan cheese, and bake for another 10 minutes. 

Garnish with basil. 

Enjoy! 

xx 

 Notes:

 I would personally add more sauce. Maybe two cups. I used the whole 14 oz jar and it still want enough. 

I'm also not the biggest fan of ricotta so I used it sparingly. 

If you cant find mini meatballs get regular ones, like I did, but maybe cut them in half or in quarters.  It might be a little easier to serve. 

Real Technique Make-up Brushes:

For a while now I've been wanting to get new make-up brushes, but whenever I've looked, none of them really suited my fancy.   But reading more and more blogs, I decided to give the Real Technique brushes a try.  I went with the standard starter kit and then a random brush that I feel will do the best in my collection.  

These brushes are super soft, and I was kind of sad to use them since they were so fresh and clean.  

In the first box came four brushes.  

Brush 1 

This brush is the brow brush.  I've used it a few times instead of the brush that I have been using and I can tell you, since it's bigger, it works a lot better.  it covers more, and I feel like I have more control with this bigger brush than the smaller brush I have been using.  I think this one is my favorite out of the set. 

Brush 2

This brush is called a fine liner brush.   I didn't think that I was going to like this brush.   When I do eyeliner on my top lid I use an angled brush, but I decided to try something new.   I used this brush before my sister's birthday party, but unfortunately my gel liner has dried up a bit and it was a little hard to get a smooth line.  When I buy more, I'll try again.  Other than that little hiccup, I really liked the brush.  

Brush 3 

This brush is called the base shadow brush.  It says that it "applies a smooth, flawless foundation of color" and it does.  I like this on compared to the other brush that I was using before.  It's fluffier, so I feel that it covers my eyelid better.  I'm really happy that this brush does what I wanted it for.  

Brush 4 

This brush is the deluxe crease brush.  It says "soft, oversized design for effortless contouring" and I agree that it's soft, but I think since I'm not used to it, it hasn't been working out in my favor.  I find it a bit to big for my eye, and I feel like I can't control where it's going.  On the box it says that Sam and Nic have step by step tutorials, so I'm planning on going over there to see if maybe I'm using the brush wrong, or if there are any tips that the videos will give me.  

The next brush is called The Expert Face Brush.  It says it's for liquid or cream foundation, but I'm basically just using it to blend everything out and together.  I like that it's a smaller brush so I can blend every little section of my face.  The first time I used this brush I fell in love, and eventually I will be back looking at their others. 

Do you use the Real Technique brushes?  Which one is your favorite?  

Let me know! 

xx