How to do a perfect knot When you're traveling or running to dinner, there's nothing sexier than twisting your hair into a top knot. It gives you the ease and nonchalance of a classic French starlet. Lucky for us, my hair-genius friend Caroline shares the steps below, and the fabulous Jamie Beck took photos... Steps and "after" photos below... "When I need a quick hairstyle, the messy top knot is my go-to. 1-2. 3. 4. 5-6. Optional: Sometimes I like to use a big barrette to add something extra. Thoughts? P.S. (Photos by Jamie Beck for Cup of Jo. Steak au Poivre - The Showstopper I have a comment on this comment, then I have a comment for the OP. To Amy: Removing to foil is simply a way to keep the steaks warm whilst resting (FOR 5 MINUTES AT LEAST… ALWAYYYS!). When the OP says remove to foil, he/she doesn’t mean to wrap them tightly. They mean to place them in a plate, and form a loose ‘covering’ of foil. This will simply trap some of the heat and allow it to remain warm, without trapping too much moisture. To the OP and to anyone else who decides to try ‘flambe’: It is important to note: When you add cognac or any other high proof liquour to a hot pan, then ignite, you are not burning the alcohol itself, per se. - Never light alcohol while there is an open flame/heat source. - Notice how in the OP, they remove the pan from the stove and then light. - Keep a heavy lidded pan nearby, just in case things Do go awry (if you follow the first 2 tips, they won’t) - Always have at least an ABC rated fire extinguisher within arm’s reach
Tomatoes with a Surprise Filling This is a quick an easy summertime appetizer! Pomodori a Sorpresa means tomatoes with a surprise! Who doesn’t love a surprise right? Well, me actually LOL! In order to make things easy, I would cut a little X into the bottom of each tomato and blanch them in boiling water, transfer them to an ice bath and then the skin will just pull right off. The filling possibilities are endless! Baci! What You Will Need: 6 roma tomatoes - skins removed 1 fresh ball of Mozzarella - diced 8-10 large fresh Basil leaves - roughly chopped flour - enough to dredge 2 eggs - beaten breadcrumbs/panko - enough to dredge Canola/Vegetable Oil - enough to fry salt/pepper What To Do: Place enough oil {a few inches} into a deep sided pan and heat to 350 degrees.
Smurfs' Ice Cream Carrie’s Messy Beehive Tutorial « WishWishWish [ylwm_vimeo height="346" width="615" portrait="false" byline="false"]19071764[/ylwm_vimeo] I’ve posted an updated version with clearer imagery right here – do take a look! I Can’t Do Hair! I’ve always been rubbish at anything to do with hair, which is why it baffles me that so many of you have asked for a tutorial! I’m not saying this is how you should create a beehive, it’s certainly not traditional, but it’s the way that I put my hair up most days and thought I’d share it with you. I’d be amazed if you understood what to do just by watching the video, so here are some text instructions with stills from the video. Before we start, I’d like to point out that this is best done a day or so after you’ve washed your hair as with very clean hair, it will probably just fall down, although I have had a few lucky times with a lot of hairspray! Firstly, using my fingers, I sweep up the top section of my hair, taking enough to create the beehive and to ‘cover it’. Ta-da!
The Definitive Guide to Common Business Deductions Advertising & promotion Overview Advertising activities include most of the things you do to get the word out about your business or draw attention to a product or sale. Criteria Ordinary and necessary: An expense is ordinary if it's common to your profession. What is deductible Business cards Mailing lists / mailing list software Brochures Branded giveaway items Posters Web site design, development and maintenance Goodwill advertising: brand building that fosters a positive image for your business Ex: sponsoring a little-league team Case: The tax court allowed a gas station owner to deduct the cost of providing free beer to customers as a good-will advertising expense since it improved business. What to collect Name of vendor Date Amount of expense What you used to pay for the expense Enter all of this information into your Expense Tracking System Gotchas Personal expenses, even if they might help your business are not deductible. Top of page Bad debts Bank fees & loan interest Casualty losses
Chipotle Chicken Marinade Recipe Quick Links: Nutrition Info Message Board Free Account Recipe #1 (UPDATED: 7/20/10) Submitted by Ramya Maddela All Purpose Chipotlesque Marinade (EDITED) 1 (2 ounce) package dried ancho chiles 1 (7 ounce) can chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (discard chipotle pepper, skim out seeds) 1 teaspoon black pepper 2 teaspoons cumin powder 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped 6 cloves garlic 2 teaspoons salt 1 red onion, quartered 1/4 cup oil (canola/vegetable/olive) 1 whole boneless, skinless naturally raised chicken (about 3 lbs, thighs work well too) Soak dry chilies overnight in water, until soft. Add chilies and rest of the ingredients in blender or food processor. Stab chicken with fork to let the marinade soak in. Spread marinade over chicken, refrigerate for one hour or up to overnight. After marinating, grill on medium high on an indoor grill where the chicken can be pressed flat. If using a skillet, heat oil to medium high. If using an outdoor grill, use charcoal to make it ultra delicious.
Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas Bars & Baking Bites I love the look of the original Samoas Girl Scout Cookies, but making them from scratch can be a little bit time consuming. This is largely because the dough must be rolled out, cut out and then each of the cookies has to be handled individually for topping. The results are well worth it, in my opinion, but we don’t always have time to make a labor-intensive recipe – no matter how bad a craving for Girl Scout cookies gets. Bar cookies are the perfect solution. This is basically a shortcut recipe that still delivers all the great samoas flavor without some of the more tedious parts of cooking making. The final step is to dip these in chocolate once the topping has set. Homemade Samoas BarsCookie Base: 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 cup butter, softened 1 large egg 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 tsp salt First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 300. Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Makes 30 bar cookies.
Intricately Patterned Animal Illustrations It would be hard to tell from these strikingly detailed animals but artist Iain Macarthur got his start drawing cartoon characters. Now he carries his sketchbook on the bus, to the cafe and everywhere else as he includes more realism and in this case pattern in his illustrations. See more of his animals (and even some cartoons) at iainmacarthur.carbonmade.com. See Also INCREDIBLE 3D ILLUSTRATIONS JUMP OUT OF THE SKETCHBOOK Via: hypemuch.com Known in some circles as the most amazing man in the universe, he once saved an entire family of muskrats from a sinking, fire engulfed steamboat while recovering from two broken arms relating to a botched no-chute wingsuit landing in North Korea. Promoted Content
Dark Chocolate And Parmesan: A Scientific Pairing Some food pairings inherently don't go together, like pickles and ice cream (yuck!). But other foods, even if they sound weird at first, do go together -- like dark chocolate and Parmesan cheese. Whether you believe it or not, these two ingredients have actually been scientifically proven to pair perfectly. This food pairing isn't just hit or miss or a guesstimation -- it's actually been studied and analyzed by scientists in a laboratory. We decided to take up the challenge of pairing chocolate and Parmesan cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich. See the dishes other sites have made when pairing chocolate and parmesan cheese. What's your favorite grilled cheese combination? Check out some more unusual grilled cheese sandwiches and panini in our slideshow below. Loading Slideshow
Crispy Parmesan and Dijon Chicken Strips - The Scrumptious Pumpkin - StumbleUpon This is my go-to recipe when I’ve had a crazy day, I’m running 30 minutes behind, and I’m starving . These chicken strips are healthy, delicious and nearly as easy to throw together as the frozen chicken tenders you find at the grocery store. Served with a couple quick sides like a tossed salad and sliced carrots, it’s complete meal that’s ready in 20 minutes. Here are the key ingredients. Begin by cutting the chicken breasts into thirds lengthwise so that you end up with long strips. Using a knife, spread the dijon mustard over each of the chicken strips. Now prepare the breading. Next add the whole wheat panko. Toss the chicken strips into the breading and be sure they are well-coated on all sides using a fork, or – even better – your fingers. Place the breaded chicken strips on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put the chicken strips into the oven, and they’re ready about 12 minutes later. Other Scrumptious Pumpkin dishes you may enjoy: Here is the complete recipe: Ingredients
Perfect Buttercream | stetted You know the scene – you’re at a party, and it’s time for the cake to be served. The cake sure looks beautiful, but the frosting … well, you never can tell with frosting. On the cake it all kind of looks the same. The flavor is a mystery. Both can ruin a good cake and cause people to doubt the skills of the cake baker. Last week I was roped into asked to coordinate last-minute baby shower for one of our temps whose last day was Friday. Megan’s Perfect Buttercream makes enough to fill and frost a 9-inch two-layer cake 2 sticks (8 ounces total) butter, softened 6 cups sifted powdered sugar 4 tablespoons milk (I use whole) 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract Dump everything into a large bowl (preferably stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment). * Tip – the trick to getting smooth frosted cakes is to frequently scrap off excess frosting and dip your spreader into a cup of warm water, then continue spreading.