Friday Favorites

1. Organization

I recently got the Martha Stewart Discbound Notebook. It's amazing! It allows you to remove and move pages or accessories for the notebook wherever you want! I've also designed some planner pages and calendars that I'm going to print out and put in there! I'm going to make a separate post about the pages I've made.

Sample of the planner pages I made:

2. Dark Kiss

This is my all-time favorite body wash, that hasn't been in stock for about 2 years, and boyfriend bought me 4 of them.

3. Hair

I'm loving my hair! I was definitely ready for a change!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese

Sometimes, after a hard day at work, you just want a comfort meal. But, if you're like me, you're also lazy and don't want to put in too much effort. Story of my life, really. If you're like me, then this mac & cheese is for you! It's literally ridiculously delicious. Basically boyfriend's favorite meal.

Ingredients:

1 box of pasta

4 Tbsp. butter

1/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat)

1 egg

2 1/4 c. half & half

1/2 pound cheese of choice

Panko crumbs (optional)

Let's start off by saying that I change the kind of cheese I use every time I make this. I usually buy my cheese at Trader Joe's because they have a good selection. The blocks, wedges, whatever are usually around 0.6 lbs, and I use the rest for sprinkling on top. This time, I got a reduced fat smoked gouda. It very well might be the best kind we've tried. A close second is the white cheddar & gruyere block.

 How to:

Start off by cooking the noodles to just before fully cooked, around 7-10 minutes. Set them aside once they're done. While that's happening, melt the butter in a sauce pan. Once fully melted, whisk in the flour. You're making a roux! Let that cook for about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. 

Don't let it burn!!

Grate up yo' cheese! I make boyfriend do this...

At this point, I also preheat my oven to 350.

Slowly add the half & half to your roux, whisking until smooth after each addition. Let that simmer for a bit until it thickens, about 10 minutes.

Beat your egg, and add about 1/4 cup for the half & half mixture to the egg, while whisking. This is just to prevent the egg from instantly cooking when you throw it in the pan. After it's all whisked, add the egg mixture to the pan, and stir until incorporated.

Next, pile in your cheese and stir that around until smooth. With the smoked gouda, it never really got smooth because of the rind.

Once your cheese sauce is smooth, you can toss your noodles in and stir!

Squish all that into a greased glass pan. I usually use a 9x13.

Sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese, panko crumbs, and freshly grated pepper, and pop it in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Around this time, I turn the broiler on for 1-2 minutes, just to get the top a little crispier. It's not necessary, though.

Here it is, in all of it's baked goodness:

Literally, smoked gouda might be the best one we've tried. It's so good.
Let me know if you try it out and how it goes for you!

DIY Burgundy Hair!

I dyed my wig!

I color and cut my own hair. All the time (my hair is too long to see a real difference when I trim it). It could totally be because I'm a cheapskate, but I also just love to experiment. And I get bored with my hair easily. So, I've been a blonde for about 2 years now, and I was dying (see what I did there?) for a change. I've been in love with the maid's hair in American Horror Story since I first saw it, so that's what I went for. With a little twist.

Process:

Since I had really light hair, I knew this was going to be a bit of a process. I started with Ion Color Brilliance, in 7IR Medium Intense Red Blonde, thinking it was dark enough to do the trick.

Here's how that turned out!

Hey, Ariel! Is that you!?

Yes, yes it is. My hair was like, primary red after the first dye. Not exactly what I wanted, but I liked it. I've always wanted fire engine red hair, so this satisfied that need. However, this wasn't going to cut it for work.

The second time, I used Ion Color Brilliance, in 6RV Light Burgundy Blonde. It's a darker, more vibrant color that I hadn't seen the first time.

After the second round of dye, it was the American Horror Story maid hair color that I wanted! I've gotten a ridiculous amounts of compliments over it everywhere I went. I love it. In the sun, it looks super red, but in normal lighting, it's a nice dark/vibrant burgundy.

I did a masque after my second round, and OMG. This stuff is amazing. Amazing. It made my hair ridiculously soft.

 I love this color, and I can see mixing it with other colors to get the exact burgundy you want. I'm sure you could mix this color with a brunette or even a bit of black to make it less of a vibrant color!

Motivation Monday

Aaaagh!

I just want everyone to know that after last week, I never want to do another ab workout again. Ever. 

Like, never. 

Did you know you could pull your ab muscles? I sure didn't. But I found out when I couldn't use my torso to do anything. Get off the couch, sit up straight, lift my legs... nothing. I don't recommend doing that. So, for 3 days I was like that. I suppose I'll be nicer to my abs this week.

My current motivation: I have 4 months till my best friend's wedding. FOUR MONTHS.

Today is arm day, so here's a snazzy little guide.

Unfortunately, I do more than 4 moves while I'm at the gym.

Friday Favorites

1. Liz Earle Cleanser

I've decided I loooove this cleanser. Once I rack up the points, I'll be buying it from the Birchbox store.

2. LUSH

I have a problem with LUSH masks. Like, a real problem. Brazened Honey is my newest fact mask and it's wonderful. Super exfoliating and it smells amazing. I like to use it with the Tea Tree toner tab.

3. Getting off work early!!

It has been five years since I've had any TV services. FIVE YEARS. I'm rather enjoying Supernatural marathons, HGTV, and the DIY network! :D

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Super Easy, Delicious Pad Thai

It was leg day at the gym, and I put boyfriend through a rigorous one. He was whining the whole time. That's what I like to hear! When we went to leave the gym, there was a monsoon happening, and I had to run through a puddle that was up to my knees! 

So, when I got home, I wanted an easy dinner. Like, easy and quick. This is about ate easy and quick as it gets. Besides heating up frozen food or leftovers...

Warning! As I said, this is a quick recipe. If I were you, I would get all of the ingredients ready, as it goes fast-paced.

Ingredients:

4 oz. Rice noodles (I'm using brown rice noodles)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 green onions, sliced (keep your greens separate for the end)

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 eggs, whisked

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce

2 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. peanuts, chopped (optional)

Yields: about 2 good-sized servings

How to:

Start by cooking the noodles per directions on the box. Set the noodles aside in cold water once cooked.

While that's going, heat the olive oil in a skillet and toss in the green onion whites and garlic. Sauté those until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Next, add the whisked eggs and cook until they are almost done. Once you get to that point, set them aside on a plate.

 To make your Pad Thai sauce, whisk the tamari, brown sugar, and lime juice.

Toss the noodles into the skillet and dump the sauce on top. Mix well to coat all the noodles.

 Toss the egg back into the pan and mix it all up. Simmer until eggs are fully cooked.

Add the greens of the onions.

Serve it all up and garnish with the peanuts. 

Enjoy!!

DIY Painted Desk

It's Done!!!

I've finally finished repainting my desk, and it looks 1,000,000 times better. I'm so happy with how it turned out.

Here's how it began:

I didn't want to have to sand, prime, and paint. So, I did a little research and found the Behr Primer + Paint! It did a wonderful job!

Here's the paint I got:

I took it all outside and started painting away! 

I wanted to do something fun on the top, and my favorite print is damask.

I found this stencil on Jo-Ann.com and ordered it.

I went and got a little sample of the same paint in black and started sponging away.

I wanted to give it a worn look.

  

I ordered some new, black knobs, and...

TA-DAAA!

The finished piece:

 

My little work space is all set up again, and I love the way it looks!