Purples

Purples by janelco on Polyvore.com

It's Been a While...UPDATE!

Me and J have been completely and totally MIA. Balancing school, work, life, etc is SOO TIME CONSUMING!


Update:

We both relaxed.



JUST KIDDING. Still college curlies. Still cooking (well mostly J).


Now for the real update!

-S: I am currently in a PS (protective style) of senegalese twists once again. I love and kinda miss my curly fro BUT DC winters are no joke and icicle head is neither fun nor cute. TWA's (even though I've kinda moved out of that stage) don't leave you with many styling options other than wngs. I wore ALOT of puffs because their easy, cute, and I dont have to wet my hair every day. I'd puff my hair, wear that style for a day. Don a scarf for that night. Maybe wear a headband to cover the fuzz on Day 2. Day 3 I'd take out my puff and wear a fro. By day 4 my hair needed to be cowashed. Because my hair is l0nger, it takes longer to dry, and I don't like a cold scalp. So I opted for these twists. They are my SAVIORS! I have so much more time now, to do...stuff. No cowashing. No detangling. I do a whole lot of nothing. Truthfully, I probably do too much nothing. I don't moisturize as much as I probably should but *shrugs* I'll be alright. I got these installed about 2 weeks ago and plan to keep them in around 8 weeks. Then, permitting I have enough fundage (not a real word) I will be STRAIGTENING!! Its been over a year since I've relaxed my hair/worn it straight. I'm excited to see the growth and just see my hair in a different state.
I'll update with a pic a bit later!

-J: J has been experimenting more with styling options and its paying off. Her hair is so cute! Most of the styles are done after a twist out set, and are updo's of sorts. She wore a puff a few days ago for the first time in a while. She "forgot she had curls" lol. Silly Nelly. She too is eager to straighten, but again funds are low and if we're going to apply heat to our hair and straighten it, we're going to do it the RIGHT way. Which means purchasing and properly using the proper accouterments.

That's about it for now. Second semester has just really started and we're finally getting settled in. Which means more cooking and more posting (hopefully)!



See you later love bugs,

--S

Part I: Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice

Last night I decided I really wanted to make rice that was a fusion of the amazing rice from Benihanas and the pineapple fried rice that I get from Thai restaurants.

Everything was smelling right but not looking right. The dish looked so dead and wack. Then I realized I forgot vegetables. *Sigh*
So next time I decide to make this I'll do it right and then post the recipe and pictures.

It was still tasty just lacking color and some necessary nutrients.

Creating Concoctions

Shelbie always talks about using her perishables in every dish that she makes. When you are making food only for yourself it is easy to forget you have certain produce items. They can easily spoil before you get a chance to use them. I've began to incorporate this method as well. Especially since I do not have a job I can't just have onions and peppers rotting in my fridge.

During my weekly deep conditioning treatments I had a bright idea! Why don't I use this food method when it comes to my hair?

If you read as many hair blogs as I do you have definitely seen the use of everyday food for hair nourishment, but that is not what I am going for here.

What I mean is combining multiple hair products in order to make the ultimate product and also to use products that do not do that great of a job on their own.

What I used for my DC was
- Shea Moisture Deep Treatment mask ($9.99 @ Target!)
- Yes to Cucumbers Conditioner
- Aubrey Organics GPB Conditioner
- Hemp Seed Oil
- Peppermint and Rosemary essential oils

This concoction was really me looking around on my dresser to see what I could use. I didn't have any thought out logic when using this combination. Definitely an experiment.

However, the results were amazing! I left the conditioner on for an hour with my heat cap. My hair was incredibly soft and so much easier to detangle. I also credit this success for how long I left the conditioner on. Usually I only leave it on for 20 min, but realized that with all of this thick hair that is definitely not enough.

Hope this helps!

Upcoming Posts!

The TWA and Winter.

--When washing and going seems no longer like feasible option.

--How to beat the drying effects of winter.

--How to CORRECTLY wear hats.

Shelbie's Jamaican Feast

--Brown-Stew Chicken Recipe

--Authentic Jamaican Rice n Peas Recipe

Shelbie's Perfect Date Night Dinner

--Salmon Recipe

--Cous Cous Recipe

--Asparagus Recipe

TWA "Up-do"

--Really easy. A lot of fun. Takes away from the monotonous style of a fro!

Stay Tuned!!

Shelbie's Super Creamy College Friendly Mac n Cheese!

I adapted this recipe from my Mommy and my Auntie Marva! (love you guys!)

It's SUPER simple and super delicious. Perfect for a night you just need something warm and comforting. AND you can make it ONE POT! Ideal for the lazy college kid in us!

What you'll need:

- 1 box (pound) of Elbow Macaroni

- 2 15 oz jars of Alfredo sauce (I like Classico Brand)

- 1-2 6 oz bag(s) of Shredded Italian Style cheese

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- Breadcrumbs (optional)

1. Fill a pot with water and add a liberal amount of salt and bring to a boil. Add a box (1 pound) of elbow macaroni.
2. After the pasta has boiled for maybe 8 minutes, give it a test. You want it to be cooked by NOT mushy. It should still have a bite to it. Not a crunch. Drain the pasta in a colander and return the pot to the burner.
3. Pour in two 15 oz jars of alfredo sauce. This may seem like ALOT, but this recipe makes ALOT of mac n cheese. :) Thin the sauce with about a half jar of water. Bring to a simmer. Stir frequently as alfredo sauce is made with a lot of dairy and this will curdle or burn if not stirred.
4. When the sauce is heated through, add about a 3/4 -1 bag of store bought shredded Italian cheese mix. Stir until cheese is thoroughly melted through. Add pepper to taste. (Don't add salt. There's enough salt in the alfredo sauce and the cheese that adding anymore would be crazy!)
5. When cheese sauce is complete, add the macaroni back to the pot and STIR.
6. You can either eat you mac n cheese this way OR if you're feeling ambitious (or fancy), pour macaroni mix into a baking dish, sprinkle a little cheese/breadcrumb mix on top, and bake it at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes until the cheese in melty and starting to make a crust.

That's it! Told you it was simple. I'll definitely add more pics of this recipe in the coming days.

With love,

Shelbs

Cooking Fails

I realized that im too broke of a college student to buy things that I could possibly hate. I'm no garbage disposal so if something doesn't taste right I will not eat it.

Fortunately, I haven't been hit too hard because Trader Joe's has interesting things but they aren't too expensive. Clearly, if I continue on the path of experimenting with food products I could end up wasting a lot of food AND money.

Recent failed purchases:

- Lobster ravioli

- Butternut squash ravioli

- Mango chicken sausage

This doesn't mean that I won't take smaller risks with recipes, but I won't use products in the recipes that could leave me hungry and forced to eat toast for dinner.