“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
Tip of the Day
I, in no way, encourage you to make these - but if you find yourself in a situation where you are in the process of making pot brownies, please please please use this lone tip.
You see this guy?
Magic Bullet
He's your best friend in the world for this act. You know how people use those tiny little grinders? THROW THAT SHIT AWAY! If you're making these brownies, you MUST grind it up in the Magic Bullet. After it's blended in here, you will see more crystals ground up than you ever thought possible. It's insane. I wish they could somehow include this tip in the complimentary booklet of recipes or something. Maybe someday they will, they definitely should.
Anyway, YOU'RE WELCOME.
30 Day Writing Challenge
I'm a big fan of internet challenges. I don't think they have the ability to completely change your routine and/or life permanently, but I think they're encouraging as hell and I'm sure there's at least one out there for anyone who's looking for a change in some aspect of his/her life.
Other than fitness and food challenges, it never occurred to me to try and find some more creatively-charged ones. I stumbled across this one on a now-defunct WordPress and I think it's a great one to take on when you find yourself in a writing rut.
Girl In Airport
I will forever love this.
Arugula, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Photo Credit: Food 52
Photo Credit: Food 52
I made this salad for Thanksgiving and IT IS INCREDIBLE. The next time you need to make a salad for a group of people, I aggressively encourage you to use this recipe. Other than the obnoxious pomegranate-cutting, it's ridiculously easy to make.
For The Vinaigrette
- 1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepepr
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
For The Salad
- 4 cups arugula
- 2 ripe pears, cored and cut into 1/2" cubes
- 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
- 3 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
Instructions
In a small bowl combine the shallot, vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil and let vinaigrette stand at room temperature until salad is assembled. Combine the arugula, romaine, pears and half of the pomegranate seeds in a large bowl. Crumble half of the goat cheese over the ingredients in the bowl (this works best if the cheese is very cold). Whisk the vinaigrette until uniform and add all but 2 tablespoons of it to the bowl. Gently toss the salad with your hands or salad tongs, coating the ingredients well with the vinaigrette. If the salad seems dry, add the vinaigrette in small increments until it is dressed to your liking. Crumble the remaining cheese over the salad and sprinkle the remaining pomegranate seeds and the pistachios over the top. Serve immediately.
Recipe slightly adapted from Food 52.
“I don’t care how old you are, never watch The Blair Witch Project alone.”
Tomorrowland
I will forever love teaser trailers. We don't need longer than a teaser for any movie, EVER. When will the world learn that?! I don't even know if I'll love this movie (or even like it), but doesn't this trailer make it look incredible? Or maybe it's George Clooney's voice? I don't know what it is, but I am all about this.
MAC Cosmetics Recycling Program
“By returning six [6] M·A·C primary packaging containers to a M·A·C counter or M·A·C Cosmetics online, you’ll receive a free M·A·C lipstick of your choice as our thanks to you.”
Humans of the world, were you aware of this? I've been taking advantage of this program for years and don't have any plans to stop. You can find more information on what can be recycled here.
Mom Says
“A sailor wearing an earring cannot drown.”
e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit
$3
$3
If a) you're not picky and b) it's not raining outside - then this is the eyebrow system for you.
Every time I'm in the vicinity of e.l.f. products, I find it extremely hard not to overindulge and buy everything in sight. Their prices are insane and some of the products actually work better than some I've sampled from Sephora.
Normal, sad eyebrows (left) & e.l.f-ed up eyebrows (right)
I'm sorry you have to look at my creepy one eye shots (I'm purposely not making that an image you can open/zoom - in fear of someone walking in on you looking at such an enlarged eye photo and labelling you a serial killer), but you can see the difference that an eyebrow filler makes.
The worst part? If you touch your face a lot, it smudges like mad. I tend not to touch my face, so I haven't really run in to this problem. But also, why would you touch your face a lot? That's gross, stop that.
I started using this kit as the backup (or sometimes in conjunction with) the Anastasia one I like and there's probably no going back for me now. I will continue to sample new eyebrow pencils and systems until I magically find one that isn't over $20 and is somehow all-weather friendly.