Pot Roast and Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce

 Got a quick post today...of two dishes that really did not look great photographed. 

Also two dishes I probably wouldn't make again but was great to try once. 

Starting with Pot Roast. This past year I feel like I have made so many beef dishes- I don't think I've ever cooked it so much in my life. This wasn't my favorite roast- I think because I meant to grab chuck roast but I ended up grabbing round roast or something which is never as good. The weight was better and I forgot to read the package. I also didn't really follow the recipe. I roasted everything separately. It was a filling and hearty meal but I wouldn't make it again- except the sauce. It made the best sauce/broth which I ended up using along with the leftover butternut squash (I had a huge one!) to make a butternut squash soup. It was probably one of the best I have ever made. 

Then I made a spicy tomato sauce. It uses real tomatoes that you blend up with a few other things. It has a more "fresh" taste to it. Would probably be best with homegrown tomatoes. But it was pretty good. And very easy. I made some chicken and pasta to go with. I'm in the tomato sauce section of the Vitamix so you will probably see a few more pasta recipes in the next few food posts. I wouldn't make this exactly as the recipe is written but would freestyle something similar.

And that's all for the week! 

Random: I have been drinking this Caribe tea from Harney. It's a tropical tea and the best one I have found so far! I try a lot of very average tea but this is a stand out! I always drink it iced and slightly sweetened

Essie Piece of Work Nail Lacquer Review

I've been sleepy- which is the reason I haven't been blogging. Then I wake up and do nothing productive.... I'm still trying to get through reviewing all my current nail polishes. It's taking years. Really and Truly. But I have made it my goal to get through them all this year. I don't think I have many left...but we shall see.

Another thing I started doing was really whittling down the collection. I got rid of possible eBay knock-offs..and stopped buying the same colors over and over. I tend to always be attracted to the same purple/blue shades. I'm trying to make an effort to purchase unique colors. Hence, this Shrek green shade. 

Which I LOVE!  

Essie claims: 

craft a mani masterpiece using this vivid, lime green nail polish with yellow undertones that adds an eccentric touch to any look.

It looks more yellow green than it is in person- it's definitely more a shrek green.

This is definitely one of my favorite colors in my collection. I've really been loving green polishes lately. I am currently trying it as a pedicure color and I'm not really sure how I feel about it...part of me wants to take it off because I think it's ugly. The other part of me is lazy so it will stay until it has to be changed. But I LOVE it on my hands. 

The wear is OK. I get little chips here and there on day 2 and on. I think this might be due to the base/top coat I am currently using. Usually Essie lasts bests on my nails. But I am hard on my hands.

The Essie Brush is my favorite brush- it's the wide brush that has a cuticle shape to it so it makes painting the nails SO easy. 

Overall, one of my unexpected favorites. 

Beekman 1802 Lavender Goat Milk Soap Review

 I was really hoping the snow and cold was over for but I guess that's too much to ask for mid-February. In the meantime, a post. 

Beekman claims:

We tried over 450 varieties of lavender to find just the right scent for this goat milk bar soap. Enriched with jojoba oil and shea butter for extra nourishment and scented with fresh, herbaceous notes of lavender oil, bright notes of bergamot, and finished with a base of tonka bean. Goat milk soap bar is 9 oz. 

Benefits:

• Triple-milled to last even longer, extending all of the benefits of nourishing goat milk down to the very last lather
• Goat Milk boosts skin health with the same pH as human skin, and it’s rich in lactic acid, vitamins, and minerals to help renew and strengthen skin

Top: Bergamot
Middle: Lavender
Bottom: Rose, Parsley Leaves, Tonka Bean
Essential Oils: Castor, Lavandin, Rose, Bergamot, Coriandrum, Parsley, Sativum Fruit Oil

I've used a billion and twelve Lavender soaps. Just about every brand makes them. 

I had high expectations for this- I mean they did say they tried over 450 varieties of Lavender. I didn't even know there was 450 varieties of Lavender. Anyway, they did all that for nothing. This soap is basically unscented. Very dissapoitning because when I see Lavender soap- I expect at least some Lavender scent. It seems like it could be there- but for the most part it isn't. I bought this soap for around four or so dollars but if I had paid the listed price- I would be mega disappointed. At least I only bought the small one. 

The scent was so dismal I decided to just use it as a facial soap. Lavender and Goat Milk are good for the skin- and it doesn't have much scent anyway.

It lathers nicely, rinses clean, slightly drying on the face. 

Ingredients: 

Sodium Palmate, Sodium Cocoate and/or Sodium Palm Kernelate, Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Fragrance (Parfum), Sodium Chloride, Caprae Lac (Goat Milk), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Aleurites Moluccana Seed Extract (Kukui Nut Oil), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Pentasodium Pentetate…and Kindness.

Overall quite disappointing. They should really go back to the drawing board and use a different type of Lavender- or just more. So far Beekman is 1/3...I'm really hoping the rest of them are better since I did pick up quite a few of them. We shall see. 

Eden Bodyworks Anti-Breakage Deep Conditioner Lavender Aloe Review

 My birthday was around about a week ago- what's funny is all this past year I literally thought I was a year older than I was. So if anyone asked me this past year how old I was- I definitely 100% lied to them. Whoops! 

Anyway...deep conditioner. It's been almost a year since I have reviewed one. I wanted to deep condition more regularly and I think I have been. I've had this deep conditioner for a little while....usually I try to use it 1-2 times a month. 

Eden claims: 

This natural deep conditioner is a thick, creamy protein-free hair mask designed to help strengthen weak strands susceptible to breakage. Lavender Oil helps to battle hair loss and protect against further damage. Enhances the hair's natural elasticity. Aloe helps to replenish and moisturize dry hair. Combats scalp issues. Safe for natural hair, color-treated hair, and chemically-processed hair.

Made in USA

This is my first product from the brand. From what I can see if it black and woman owned and still privately owned...which I always love to see.

It's also reasonably priced and free from silicones -which is what I mainly look for in a deep conditioner. 

You get a massive amount of..16 oz. So far so good.

It's a thick cream not unlike any other deep conditioner. And it smells really nice. It definitely smells like Lavender and Patchouli essential oil are the main fragrances. There is something else to the scent. I really enjoy it. And it's very unique. It lingers in the hair for a little while.  

It is an anti-breakage deep conditioner- and curiously protein free. Which is good- I think my hair is protein sensitive. I do feel like my hair is stronger and slightly thicker since I've been using it. Also in the weeks I use it, I feel like the hair is more hydrated and less dry feeling. All the way down to the ends. 

I tend to sleep in it overnight.

I think it says all it says it will do. I have no complaints at all. I even recently picked up the leave-in conditioner and I am excited to give that a try once my current deep conditioner is used up. 

ingredients: 

Water (Aqua), Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, Fragrance (Parfum), Stearalkonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Lavandula
Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Sorbic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract

Overall, I really like it. It's a good deep conditioner- if you are on the market for one, I would suggest giving this one a go.

Tavares

I've been meaning to do this post for a couple of days but i have been exhausted this week. Not really getting enough sleep lately...while thinking I have but really not. Anyway...it's time to talk music.

So here we are.

This is definitely a forgotten group. I confess that even I cannot really remember any particular  song when I think of this group...but when I play them I really like them for the most part.  

Starting with a slow song. It has a classic sound to it that I rock with. 

Next Up, Madam Butterfly. I remember this song less.. but it has more views than the first song. I think what I like most about this song is the key changes. And the chorus. And how they harmonize. It's a very interesting song.

I probably should have started with Penny For Your Thoughts. It's definitely my second favorite. I knew the lyrics to this before I ever heard the song. Cheap thoughts though...

And then we end with their most popular song-  I think everyone knows this one. It's been on a LOT of movies. I think it's my favorite song by the group

Not my favorite group but they do have som songs I rock with. 

Bangers and Mash and Jalapeno Cran-Raspberry Sauce

 It's a little early for this post- but I made these over the weekend and I'm ready to get the pictures out of my phone so I can move on the next two recipes.

I am just over 60% done with cooking through my unofficial Harry Potter book. I'm deep in the Great Hall recipes- and there are a lot of real dinner type of recipes. Mainly inspired by the UK. Britains most popular comfort food according to wikipedia. I've never had it. Technically you are supposed to make your own "bangers" but I don't like veal and the least sausage recipe I really didn't like so I just grabbed some beef sausage (bangers) from the meat market. I should have made peas instead of broccoli but I was too lazy to run to the store that day. So broccoli it was. I whipped up some quick mashed potatoes and gravy. There was an onion gravy but I just winged this one. And that's it. Dinner is served. It was pretty good. Very filling. Fun to try such a classic dinner even if I didn't follow the recipe exactly. 

Next up- cranberry raspberry chipotle sauce. I also did not follow this recipe exactly. I didn't pick up a Jalapeno- so I subbed chipotle powder instead. Even better. Everything else I followed...mostly. I didn't really know what to pair it with- but I have been wanting to make schnitzel for a few months now. This was my first time making it and it came out so good. I can't wait to make it again. Made mine with Turkey. Then I did rice. And I did eat a vegetable- I just couldn't be bothered to plate it. One of my favorite dinners I have made! The cran sauce complimented perfectly. I've made a few variations of cranberry sauce- this is solid if you like raspberries. I could see myself making it again...although regular cranberry sauce will more than likely be my default most of the time. I am a little obsessed with cranberry sauce and I make it a lot when cranberries are available. 

And that's all...until next time!