Dishes for Divas....Oreo Lumps of Coal!

After coming across this recipe on Pinterest I decided to try it out yesterday, and OMG I'm addicted. Lumps of coal is a quirky twist on the rice krispy treats recipe. If you love Oreos like I do you would enjoy this treat. It's a quick and easy dessert taking about 10 minutes to prepare. 

Ingredients:

1 pack of Oreos

5 cups of jumbo marshmallows

4 tablespoons of butter

Directions:

(curiosity of sweetpeaskitchen.com)

Butter an 8X8 inch baking pan. Line the baking pan with parchment paper letting the paper extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. 

Butter paper; set pan aside.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse Oreos until ground.
In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt butter and marshmallows in the microwave until puffed, about 1½ - 2 minutes. 

Stir in ground Oreo Cookies until combined. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Using a piece of wax paper, press mixture evenly into prepared pan.
Let set up for at least 10 minutes. Cut into bars and serve.

My attempt of Lumps of Coal...so YUMMY!

Fall Dress Trends...Scuba & Skater Dresses

Two of my favorite fall dress trends this season are the skater and scuba inspired frocks. I first saw these trends while putting away shipment at work ( FYI: I work at Forever 21). Like literally after coming from work I started seeing these dresses everywhere, online, magazines, store, on people.

Skater Dress:

 

 

The scuba dress is often confused with the skater dress. While the skater dress has a fit/flare effect, the scuba dress is a more fitted bodycon. The two trends can be combined as one and many times are.

 

Scuba Dress:

 

 

Stylish Statements....OUTLINE NAILS!

 

So I finally got my outline nails! I've been wanted these babies since Spring. I know my fellow fashionistas are going to call me out for being so late on this topic, but I couldnt find any local nail tech who could do these for me.

 

 I finally found Central Nails & Spa here in Myrtle Beach, SC and Trina hooked a sista up. I'm so excited yall, its been 2 days since I've gotten them done and I fall in love with them more and more each day. I've gotten tons of compliments. I got an overlay because I refuse to deal with fake nails. I did have to get 3 sculpure nails because my babies popped right before I went to get them done. I think I'm going to substitute the white for a different color next time.  The only con is that when my nails begin to chip the black outline will be the first to go :( ...luckily they haven't begin to chip yet.

Diva Dishes From Brazil!...Brigadeiro

I decided to make some Brazilian truffles also known as Brigadeiro. Making this confection was fun, easy, and delicious. If you have kids this is a great quick treat to make as a family. You can also make these as a gift, snack, or candy dish fillers. 

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of cocao
• 1 can of 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• chocolate sprinkles( or any garnish)

and that's it...3 simple components

yields: 20 pieces

Directions:

• In a medium sauce pan on medium heat mixed together the cocao, condensed milk, and butter, stir continuously for 10 mins or until it starts to thicken

• remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle  ( i placed it in the freezer for 10 mins to speed up the cooling process)
• once mixture is cooled form into small balls, then roll in chocolate sprinkles( its fun to substitute sprinkles for coconut, nuts, cinnamon sugar, or mini chocolate chips)

 

Place truffles in mini cupcake cups, then in small plastic bags and add a fun tie. And there you have it a delicious, simply treat!

 

 

Naturally Fierce...Washing & Detangle Routine

I am currently on a natural hair journey, so far I am 16 months post relaxer and 100% natural. For my fellow natural queens I have between 4b and 4c type hair, yes I have to deal with these thick, tight coils. My shrinkage is typically about 70-75%. So in order to maintain my hair I wash and detangle twice a week. Generally I do a full wash once a week and co-wash once a week.

Products I Use For My Washes:

• Garnier Fructis shampoo
• Garnier Fructis conditioner
• Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-In conditioner and Detangler
• wide tooth comb & denman brush

 

Washing and detangling my hair is an all day job. After I wash it I leave the conditioner in between 4-8 hours, then wash it out( sometimes I leave it in overnight). Because of this I make sure my scheldule is clear for my wash days. After the conditioner is out I put a generous amount of kinky curly knot today leave-in and detangle.

 

For my detangling routine I section my hair into four even parts and detangle each section individually. I detangle working from my ends to my roots, first with a denman brush then with a wide tooth comb. This process takes from 30 mins to up to an hour depending on how fast I'm going. (time will go by faster if your listening to music or watching tv or a movie)  When I'm done I moisturize my scalp with 100% natural coconut oil(air dry NO HEAT) and style it as I desire; twists, braids, afro, ponytail, etc.

Dinnertime...Mr.Fish!

Me & T finally tried Mr. Fish Seafood restaurant here in Myrtle Beach. The overall experience was pretty good. The food was to die for and the seafood was nice, fresh and seasoned just right.

 I ordered their famous Boom Boom Shrimp Tacos, a cup of She-Crab Soup and an Arnold Palmer. It was one of the best she-crab soups I've ever tasted and that's saying alot being that I was born and raised in Charleston, SC where the best she-crab soup in the world can be found. T ordered the Boom Boom Shrimp Platter with rice pilaf, mac & cheese, hushpuppies, and an Arnold Palmer. The food was resonably priced and worth every penny.

The only downside was the wait time. We went on a friday evening around 6pm, which unfortunately ended up being their busiest time. The dining room is small and intimate so after putting your name on a 25 min wait list you have to stand outside and wait. It was super duper packed and for a good reason. So if your ever visiting Myrtle Beach, SC I highly recommend this restaurant.

Lending A Helping Hand

Last Sunday my roommate convinced me to go with her to help out at our local soup kitchen, The Community Kitchen of Myrtle Beach. I'm glad I went it turned out to be a great and rewarding experience. We assisted in cooking a well balanced meal in which I had fun preparing. I personally was on "cookies duty", but I migrated from one station to another assisting where I could.

I met a lot of people and saw many new faces. The life stories of those who came for a meal were really touching. The whole experience humbled me and opened my eyes to how blessed I am.

If you are local, the soup kitchen we volunteered at was located at 1411 Mr. Joe White Ave Myrtle Beach, SC. Mrs. Carol Ring, the manager allows anyone to volunteer their time as long as you make an appointment ahead of time. Breakfast is served 7 days a week, lunch 6 days a week, and dinner every Tuesday. They are always looking for helping hands, especially for Thanksgiving this year. You can reach them at: (843)444-9383

What's On Izzy?

For those of you who don't know who Izzy is, let me introduce you. Izzy is my IPhone/IPod. I try to update my IPod music like 5 times a week(yeah its kind of serious).

 

 This past weekend Missy Misdemeanor Elliot dropped 2 singles with Timbaland: 9th Inning and Triple Threat. These singles are cray cray. Oh how I've missed her. In my opinion female rap needed this because I was about to give up on those poor souls. Don't get me wrong I love me some Nicki Minaj but she doesn't give me the essence and authenticity that veterans such as Missy bring to the table.

There are also some new comers to female rap that I have recently became a fan of over the past year or so; Azealia Banks and Iggy Azalea. Their rap styles are totally different from each other( Bank's lyricists skills being superior), but I enjoy both all the same.

 

Fall Trend Must Haves...

This fall season my ultimate goal is to revamp my whole closet...out with the bright and flirty summer pieces, in with the dark,bold patterned fall trends. My first must have this season is (DRUM ROLL PLEASE)...

RIDER BOOTS!

Tory Burch would have to be my ideal pair...but lets be real I'm not paying $500 for a pair of boots. No ma'am, No Sir! Fortunately I found an affordable version of these lovelies. The pair I found were located on GoJane.com for...are you ready?.... $33. yes ladies a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the retail price for a pair of Torys. 

Second fall trend must-have...THE LEATHER SKIRT. This popular fall trend has been seen on Kim K, Demi Lavato, and Rihanna.

 Bloomingdale's Milly Leather skirt $495

 

Forever21 Faux Leather knee length $19.80

GoJane leather mini skirt $19.60

 

 

I saved the best for last, my number one fall fashion must-have issssssss....PURPLE LIPSTICK! 

Azealia Banks is my inspiration for this fab trend. Her style and makeup is always flawless. So it would only make sense that her new M.A.C. lipstick Young Rapunxel caused a frenzy during New York fashion week. I have been a fan of the rap mermaid for a while now and when I heard about her getting her own lipstick of course I was stocked. I have yet to make that trip to my local M.A.C. counter but I will sometime during the next week. 

M.A.C. Young Rapunxel Lipstick $15

Even though I haven't purchase the lipstick I have been sporting the look using a cheaper alternative. I use a combination of a deep purple Black Radiance lipstick and my eyeshadow technique(will share in another blog post). It was hard for me to transition from my signature HautePinkLips to a deep purple-plumish color but it looked gorg on me and complimented my complexion perfectly.

Well fashionistas that's all I have on my fall must-have list so far, but stay tune because this list will grow longer soon. Smooches and HautePink kisses...

Bangin Dishes on a Budget!

For dinner tonight I decided to make Zatarain's Box Gumbo for me and the roomie. I am a fan of all of the Zatarain's food products. This dish and many others are delicious and inexpensive (FYI: for all you penny pinchers).

At our local Walmart a box of Zatarain's Gumbo Mix only costs $1.72(really cheap right!). To add a little flare to the gumbo I added shrimp, okra, corn, and sausages. Typically when I make this dish I usually add more variety of seafood such as scallops or crab meat in addition to the other ingredients. For tonight I'm just working with what I have on hand in my kitchen. 

I made this dish for many different reasons. 1- I was craving some kind of hearty soup for dinner, 2- I wanted to surprise my roommate because she has been mentioning it for a while now, and 3- I was in the mood for seafood(I always in the mood for seafood;))

Overall the dish turned out fabulous!(p.s. sorry for the terrible camera quality)

Who The Hell Gets A Seatbelt Ticket???

I do of course. Last month while riding literally 2 blocks down the street from my apartment to the local grocery store we were stopped by an officer. All because I wasn't wearing a seat belt (stupid me). I must say this is the most ironic thing that has happened to me by far. I am always the one who insists everyone wears a seat belt, but the one time I don't wear one I'm ticketed...FML! The whole ordeal was kind of hilarious thinking back on it. He made me get out of the car and stand in front of his headlights while he sat in his car...WEIRD...then he took forever to look me up in the system(FYI my record is squeaky clean). If that wasn't enough a huge bee landed on him and I went ape shit crazy for a split second...everyone knows I'm deathly afraid of bees. Long story short I left that ordeal having to pay a $25 ticket. So for all you kiddies and non kiddies lol... remember to click or you will get a ticket ( at least in Myrtle Beach).

Lunch Time On A College Budget

So today for lunch I decided to try a Michelina's frozen dinner...It was delich after I added some garlic pepper to the mix. You know a little spice will go far. So as a tip to all you college students or anyone eating on a budget, playing around with your spice cabinet will make a huge difference in your cheap meals (especially Ramen Noodles). That's all folks, HautePink Kisses and love...