Oh… you thought I was all done with my pirate talk? No way you squiffy swabs! I loved Captain Jack Sparrow’s (Johnny Depp’s) dreads so much that I went home and re-created them myself. I think these would look awesome for a day at the beach, summer musical festival, or just a fun night out. While, I think they are best suited for beachy waves, you could recreate the look on straight locks as well. I recommend using strands near your temples that lay underneath the top layer so that these pirate braids aren’t blatantly obvious and more like hidden treasure (dare I say booty?). Your hair may get a bit tangled in these, so I also recommend combing out before hitting the sheets.
***WARNING: For all my vegetarian and vegan friends, this post contains a lot of meat. Raw meat. So, while I do appreciate your visits, you might want to just skip this one! xx ***
In honor of the season finale of The Bachelor, my fiance and his pal decided that they needed some balls. Meatballs that is. Since I was forcing (ahem- hardly)them to sit through the torture that is reality TV dating, they needed a little extra meat and manliness to compensate. Luckily, I had the perfect remedy for such a situation.
Ingredients:
2lbs of ground beef
3/4lb of sweet sausage
3/4lb of spicy sausage
cups shredded Mexican or Colby Jack cheese
2/3 cup parmesan cheese
2/3 cup breadcrumbs
sprinkle of garlic powder
dash of onion powder (you can use finely chopped onions – but they make me cry)
Everyone from Whitney Port to Kate Bosworth has been seen sporting this updated librarian bun. Want to try it out yourself? You too can be wound tight in six easy steps!
I know, I know… It’s not a video and there are no dance moves. I promise my amazing “How To Tuesday” videos will be back soon. In the meantime, this will have to do and you really are in need of some WhyDid dance moves, you can watch allll of my videoshere.
Perhaps you missed Girl Scout cookie season this year. Might be because you live in a city where Girl Scouts are an elusive breed. Maybe you were so buried in work you didn’t even notice the girls in khaki. Whatever the case may be, I’m here to save the day. Much as Phyllis (Shelly Long) saved the girls of Troop Beverly Hills. Get ready, these at home Girl Scout cookie recipes from Baking Bites are good enough to make you wanna get up and do “the Freddie.”
Thin Mints
For the cookies:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup milk (any kind)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp peppermint extract
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add in the milk and the extracts. Mixture will look curdled. Gradually, add in the flour mixture until fully incorporated.
Shape dough into two logs, about 1 1/2 inches (or about 4 cm) in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1-2 hours, until dough is very firm.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Slice dough into rounds not more than 1/4 inch thick – if they are too thick, they will not be as crisp – and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cookies will not spread very much, so you can put them quite close together.
Bake for 13-15 minutes, until cookies are firm at the edges. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack before dipping in chocolate.
For chocolate coating:
10-oz dark or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Melt on high power in the microwave, stirring every 45-60 seconds, until chocolate is smooth. Chocolate should have a consistency somewhere between chocolate syrup and fudge for a thin coating.
Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, turn with a fork to coat, then transfer to a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to set up for at least 30 minutes, or until chocolate is cool and firm.
Reheat chocolate as needed to keep it smooth and easy to dip into.
Makes 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.
Samoas
For the cookies:
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
up to 2 tbsp milk
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (it’s possible you might not need to add milk at all). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.
Roll the dough (working in two or three batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat with remaining dough. Alternatively, use scant tablespoons of dough and press into an even layer in a mini donut pan to form the rounds.
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. If using a mini donut pan, bake for only about 10 minutes, until edges are light gold.
Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)
Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.
While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Makes about 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.
Do you have a question or are you drying your nails?
Having sexy full waves and loose curls is not as difficult as it may seem. One might think she MUST use a curling iron or hot rollers (which I love), but there are actually a couple of different methods that may surprise you. Watch and find out:
Beach Waves like Blake:
If you are looking for a super simple (not to mention non damaging!) way to achieve fresh from the ocean waves, look no further. After washing and conditioning your hair, detangle it and apply a styling product. Since I have naturally wavy and sometimes unruly hair, I use something with a silicone base or an anti frizz ingredient. However, if you have fine or straight hair, you’re going to want to use something with some hold to it. I recommend Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. Once you have applied your desired/required product, twist your hair into a low bun on the back of your head. Secure with a few bobby pins and you’re good to go. Allow hair to air dry and when you’re ready, let your waves loose. Shake them out and spray with a little hairspray and style the front section as you like.
For fine hair: mousse or light hold styling product
bobby pins
Light hairspray
Glam Curls like Olivia:
If you are looking for a more polished curl that doesn’t look like a beauty pageant contestant, look no further. This is one of my favorite ways to style my hair. It takes about 15-20 minutes (after some practice and depending on the amount of hair you have), but the hard work is totally worth the final product! Spray your hair with a light hold hairspray and then section hair off. Grab two inch sections and wrap them around your fingers (use 2 fingers for a tighter curl and 3 for a looser one). Remove your fingers from the hair and then pat the spiral of hair with your flat iron. Repeat until your whole head is done and then mist again with hairspray.
What you’ll need:
Flat iron
Light hairspray
You go, curl!
xx,
WhyDid
P dot S, there is no poll this week due to a special “How To” video request from a reader! Tune in and find out next week!
