Homemade Hair Treatments

After all the product I put in my hair last weekend for dance recital I thought these homemade hair treatments I saw on BHG.com would be a good idea - figured it couldn't hurt! I'm going to do these 2 (getting rid of residue and strenthening/repair), there are others on their site if you want more hair "recipes". 

The key to more lustrous locks? Get rid of the residue your styling products leave behind. Blogger Cara Brook of Maskcarahas a simple, two-ingredient remedy to banish the buildup.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup baking soda
• 4 Tbsp water

Directions: Mix together until it forms a paste. Massage into hair from the ends to roots. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then wash as usual.

Got hair damage? Grab a banana. On her blog, beauty expert Michelle Phan says the fruit is rich in potassium, which strengthens and repairs hair. It's especially good for fine hair, since this mask won't weigh it down like a rich conditioner does.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 Tbsp honey (optional) 

Directions:

Blend the banana and honey in a blender until smooth. Apply the mix to dry hair and cover with a shower cap. Let sit for 15-20 minutes. Rinse, then shampoo and condition as usual.

Patriotic Donut Pops

I haven't tried to make cake pops - I know I know, I'm very behind in the cake pop game...doesn't it seem like they are everywhere? Well I saw this shortcut (click here for source) of dipping donut holes in candy coating with red white and blue sprinkles and said to myself "now there's a genius idea" and wanted to make them.

Side note: having donut holes in the house is a very dangerous thing for me because I have a hard rule that I can only eat donuts on my birthday. I established this rule for myself years ago when I was working in an office and I swear every day someone would bring in donuts and I'd eat one. Every day. So making this rule is the only way I don't go crazy and eat donuts to my hearts content -  I've stuck to this rule for years only breaking it if I'm with someone on their birthday and their treat is donuts. That would be just rude of me to say no ;) Now back to making the donut pops!

The hardest thing about making these was trying to find plain donut holes! I gave up and bought the ones rolled in powdered sugar and it worked just fine, might make them a little bit sweeter but it's already a donut rolled in candy coating so what's a little more sugar?

As sometimes happens, I didn't read thru the entire directions before starting and this is what happened:

So I read how I was supposed to do it and then - surprise - they worked perfectly and were quite easy to do. The key is to dip the stick in a little melted candy coating and poke it into a donut hole and put them in the freezer for 30 minutes. After that they dipped very easily, didn't break apart or fall off the stick into the coating so I had to fish it out and then have Dave eat the broken ones so I wouldn't...

Directions are simple (especially if you actually read thru them before starting!):

1. In a small microwave-safe dish heat 1 ounce of the candy coating, about 1/4 cup, on medium for 60 seconds until melted and smooth, stirring once. Dip one end of each lollipop stick into melted candy coating and poke sticks into doughnut holes. This helps the doughnut holes to stay on the sticks. Freeze for 30 minutes. 
2. Place remaining candy coating in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until melted and smooth, stirring frequently. Dip doughnut holes, one at a time, into melted candy coating. Allow excess to drip off; sprinkle with assorted sprinkles. Let coating set before serving. Store in covered container.
3. 
   

I couldn't find anything to stand the pops in while they were drying (hmmm, I'm wondering if I missed that part in the directions?) so I fashioned my own stand using the holes in my colander, worked like a charm.

My sister is going to a party and needs a dish to pass so I'm sending these with her. She's gonna have to come up with her own way to stand them up or display them tho...I think I'd put them in a glass, vase, or bowl wide and deep enough to stand them up. 

Irish Creme Delights

I made these cookies to take to photo class tonight - since it's getting close to St. Patrick's Day I've been in the holiday spirit so decided to try these Irish creme delights (click here for source). 

They turned out good, basically a frosted snickerdoodle - and I do love snickerdoodles. The only real difference is adding either coffee liqueur or instant espresso coffee to the dough, and using coffee liqueur in the buttercream frosting - you could leave that out that and just replace it with additional half and half. I would sprinkle with cinnamon if you do that just to give the frosting a little more flavor.

The recipe says it makes 48 1" dough balls, I used my small cookie scoop and got 40. I only baked 24 of them for tonight and froze the remaining unbaked dough (in balls rolled in cinnamon and sugar)  along with the extra frosting - I put the frosting in a small zip lock bag and put in it a gallon size bag along with the dough balls.

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 T. coffee liqueur or 1 t. instant espresso powder
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. cream of tartar
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1 recipe Irish Creme frosting
• ground cinnamon (optional)

• 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine butter and shortening. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup sugar, the coffee liqueur, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. 
• 
  
• 2. In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup sugar and the 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar to coat. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

3. bake in preheated over for 8 to 10 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. 

4. Spread Irish Creme Frosting over cookies. If desired, sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

Irish Creme Frosting

• 3 T. softened butter
• 1 T. coffee liqueur
• 3 C. powdered sugar
• 1 - 3 T. half-and-half

• In a medium bowl, combine softened butter and coffee liqueur. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until combined. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Beat in enough half-and-half or whipping cream (1 to 3 tablespoons) to make a frosting of spreading consistency.

roll the balls in cinnamon and sugar before baking

these also taste good unfrosted!

I froze the unbaked dough for later, under the plate in the gallon
 size bag is a small flattened ziplock bag with the leftover frosting.
I wrote the baking instructions on the bag so I don't have to look
up the recipe when I want to bake these later.  

Cinnamon Roasted Chicken with Pumpkin Polenta

Saw this recipe on BHG and thought it sounded good... yep, it's a keeper! I modified it a little - the original recipe called for grits but after I googled the difference between grits (which I couldn't find in the grocery store) and polenta (which I already have in my cupboard) and found it's just a matter of how coarse the cornmeal is ground I decided it's now "pumpkin polenta". I used bigger pieces of chicken so increased the spices and baking time a bit, made more polenta than called for, and added parmesan in addition to the cheddar cheese (click here for my version). Served with roasted asparagus - delish Sunday Supper.

I forgot to take a picture of the polenta with the
roasted chicken...the chicken basically just looked
like chicken though, you get the idea :)

If you haven't made polenta before, give it a try - it's very easy and quick. You can buy it in a container and measure out the cornmeal to add to liquid, or buy it in a tube ready to slice or add liquid to it if you want it creamy and softer. Great both ways.

a few of the ingredients...