Chicken and Apple Salad Sandwiches, Brown Windsor Soup, and ChocolateTruffles

One more post before I go play some games to end my day. I need to make my next grocery list and figure out what I'm making for the coming week.

Starting with chicken salad. I don't think I have ever made chicken salad. Mostly I made tuna. I think it's time to switch it up. I predict a lot of chicken salad in my future this summer. It was so easy to make and the perfect light dinner option. Didn't even take long to make. I even really liked the addition of the cranberries and apples. I served mine on croissants like the original recipe did and also made split pea soup as a side to use up the rest on my cabinet.  

Next up, Brown Windsor soup. We are back in the Unofficial Harry Potter book. And cooking up all the UK recipes I had never heard of. It's definitely too hot for soup..but this was pretty good. I think it would be the perfect fall/winter soup.It doesn't have the best reputation according to the Wikipedia page but I thought it was decent. Doesn't look amazing..but what can you do. 

And last up- I made truffles. No picture because they just don't look good. I was really excited about this recipe- thought it would lead to me making all kinds of truffles. But these are underwhelming. Really it's way more satisfying to just EAT THE CHOCOLATE AS IS! So I probably won't be making anymore truffles. Here is the recipe if you wish to avoid it.

And that's all! Not a bad week in the kitchen for me....

TLC

TLC. They have songs that really take me back to the exact time period I heard them. The 90's was full of amazing girl groups- there were so many great ones I wouldn't be able to pick just one. Nowadays...I can't think of one. Where did they all go? All  we get are collabs. 

But anyway TLC. 

We'll start with Waterfalls. I loved that song. It came on ALL the time when it first came out. I never had any idea what the song meant at the time- it's a sleeper wisdom imparting type song if you really listen to the lyrics. The message went straight over my heard at the time..but this one is probably a song many people need to stop and listen to. Don't go chasing waterfalls. 

Creep is a classic. I've heard this song a million and 12 times. This is the first time I realized he cheated first and she just cheated back 😂 

I slept on the Red Light Special for years. This is the most Babyface sounding song. I knew he wrote it immediately- no need to even look it up. I love all Babyface penned songs- this is no exception.

The best song  of 1999. No Scrubs. They played this every other song on the radio back then and I enjoyed it every time. It can't be overplayed for me. I know all the scrubs were mad that year. This and Bills, Bills, Bills (Destiny's Child) really taught me something.  

And now- OG TLC. I love this music video. So 90's. This is one of those songs where it was a few years before I figured out what it was about 😂

And last (but not least) we have Baby, Baby, Baby. Another Babyface penned hit. 

I'm really missing the 90's right about now. I'm about to go have me a 90's listening party. 

Beekman 1802 Honeyed Grapefruit Goat Milk Soap Review

 A couple weeks ago I was complaining that it was too cold- so not it's too hot. Candle season is definitely over. And I had to run and get a new air conditioner. Although I really wish I had central air. The heat is unbearable without central air. Anyway, that probably means more showers- so more soap reviews.  

Beekman claims:

Goat milk, grapefruit, and exfoliating guava leaf combine to create a soap that's soft in texture and brightly scented, giving your skin a natural glow. 

Creamy goat milk and botanicals deeply nourish and moisturize skin, giving you long-lasting freshness with a velvety foaming lather that cleanses without stripping skin’s moisture. 

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

I've used a ton of grapefruit scented soaps/ shower gels. And with this weather it sure does sound like a very refreshing scent option. Except this wasn't as refreshing as I had hoped.

It's a nice scent. I guess. I don't really love it. More like I tolerate it but it isn't bad. It's not exactly what I imagine when I think of honeyed grapefruit. I was expecting a zest and punchy scent with honey notes. I don't know what to describe this as. But it smells like something I would love in a cleaning spray. I just didn't think it was all that special as a shower scent. It's pleasant. But probably forgettable. 

My skin is soft though. And it seems to clean pretty well. Lather well. Rinses clean. Beekman makes pretty good soaps. It's just the scent can be hit or miss for me.

Ingredients:

Sodium Palmate, Sodium Cocoate and or Palm Kernelate, Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Fragrance (Parfum), Sodium Chloride, Caprae Lac (Goat Milk), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract (Guava Leaf Extract), Cl 77891, Pentasodium Pentetate, Cl 77492, Cl 77491

Overall, not for me. It's not bad...just nothing special. Usually this might be where I recommend something similar that's a little better but most grapefruit scented soaps/shower gels are just one of those things that is nice to try once and move on. None of them are really standing out to me. I think if you want a true grapefruit scent maybe the bar soap from Fresh or The Body Shops shower gel.

Marinated BBQ Artichokes and Lancashire Hot Pot

 I feel like I've had an exhausting week in the kitchen...I haven't. But it sure feels that way. 

Hopefully this is a super short post.

Starting with artichokes. I've had spinach and artichoke dip. But nothing else with artichoke. This particular recipe took forever and I could not figure out what the instructions were telling me to do because I'm just not familiar with artichoke. And the vids didn't help. It take forever to boil the chokes, then it takes more time to make the marinade and dressing. And I didn't even use the dressing. Because i figured the whole thing was a bit pointless. I think I threw away the heart- which is supposed to be the best part. And I really don't know what part of the leaves you are supposed to eat. So I quite after marinading it and at as is. The marinade was bomb though.And the dressing was good even though I really freestyle most of it. I didn't grill it- I just figured I would quit while I was ahead. So I ate it with marinade on it. Feels like I wasted a lot of time and energy for very little result. So I probably won't be making anymore artichoke anytime soon or in the next few years.

This was it...I just made rice and quick BBQ chicken to go with.  

Then I grabbed my Unofficial Harry Potter book...I'm heavy into the hearty recipes. This is a Lancashire Hot Pot. Seemingly more well known than the previous Hot Pot I made. I almost used Chuck but decided to just go traditional and use lamb. I've made quite a few lamb dishes this year. This one was OK. I wanted the potatoes to be crispy but it won't be with the way the recipe was written. It wasn't bad. Very filling. I think there are better Lancashire Hot Pot recipes out there though...my favorite way to eat lamb is just seared chops. Wouldn't make it again---- but as always it was nice to try something new.

Doesn't look that great- but it is what it is! 

Pretty unexciting week for me. Maybe next week will be a bit more exciting....

Project Pan #52

 I've been sucked into the world of gaming. Again. The last couple of weeks I have been watching vids on all the different games/consoles. I watched people play a bit of games I grew up playing and felt all the nostalgia feels. I remember every time we would go over someone's house and they had kids, everyone would be in the room with the video games- I remember Street Fighter and Mortal Combat Games like it was yesterday. Also remember all the Mario games and especially the Donkey Kong games that I don't remember playing- maybe I watched my brother playing. Anyway, I've really been having a grand old time and I really feeling the urge to become a retro gamer and collect old consoles/games. Even though most games I would rather just watch. Except tonight. I am going to play some of my games for a few hours. 

But...let's get back to project pan. Which I've pretty much abandoned. I think I didn't want to do a post until I finished my face powder- but that thing just keeps living on. Even though it looks like such a small amount left in the pan- I feel like it multiplies or something. 

I finished 525 Market. I don't know if I took a picture of the pan. I don't see one so I guess not. This was wasy to pan...and I really do need to pick out another color to replace it.

I'll have to pick out the next shade to pan...although I haven't been panning any shadow lately. Wasted time. I'm gonna jump back into it though because I do want to finish a few more shadows. I'll probably choose a color by the next update.

Still working on using up my Laura Mercier Powder. I feel like I am getting so close and it refuses to use up. Although it's a nice powder, I'm a bit over it. I've been using it for years and just ready to reach for something new. 

And now the couple of things I added last time...

Bioderma Micellar Water- So close to being done with it. I really only have a tiny bit left. Should be gone by next update.

Eden's Garden Goodnight Essential Oil- I finally used up a roller ball of this. Just made another one. I rarely use it though...I'm gonna try and use a ton tonight though. I feel it works better when I use a ton. 

And lastly- ORS Color Blast in Dragon Fruit. Haven't touched it. But I have a long weekend and I am definitely going to grab it this weekend! I want some colorful hair! 

And that's all. A bit of a boring update. But an update nonetheless. I won't do my next update until I've used up something whether it be the powder or the Bioderma. If I pick a shade later...I'll come back and add it in.

Granado Jardim Real Bar Soap Review

Take me  to Brazil. I probably won't be getting to Brazil anytime in the next couple of years- so I guess trying their soaps is the next best thing? I bought this on sale a couple of months ago in a three pack. So this makes the 2nd one of the pack. I also bought another gift set that has two soaps in it...I just want to test them all. 

Granado claims:

Inspired by the lush gardens of 19th-century Rio de Janeiro, Jardim Real combines the citrus and effervescent freshness of bergamot and mandarin with the romantic delicacy of flowers, highlighting orange blossom as the star of the creation.

The creamy bar soap, made with 76% natural-origin ingredients, contains a plant-based formula enriched with vegetable glycerin, murumuru butter, and coconut oil, which help to hydrate and soften the skin while leaving it delicately scented.

First up, let's talk packaging. I don't think this is the normal packaging but it comes in a cute tin ornament that I will definitely be keeping to reuse for something. Not sure what. This one has a cute little fish on it. Then it comes wrapped pretty nicely. I like it. And bonus the packaging is super earth friendly.

The soap itself is nice. Looks like high end soap. Has the name embossed in it. 

It lathers well, rinses clean, doesn't dry my skin. In fact, my skin feels pretty soft.

But the scent. Not a fan. 

It had potential. It has some lovely floral notes, I can't pick them out but they aer definitely the scent of flowers. But not the same old, same old flowers. The floral notes in this are different. According to the scent notes it's supposed to be orange blossom, mandarin, and bergamot. I can definitely tell that there is citrus but I wouldn't have picked those. The floral notes are lovely and unique. But there is something off about it. It's a very loud floral. Not headache inducing but it has some punch to it. And for some reason the scent reminds me of port-a-potties. I'm not sure what notes is giving that association...and I tried to get past it...or overlook it. Or get used to it. But I really didn't enjoy whatever note that was.

Ingredients: 

 ELAEIS GUINEENSIS OIL (ELAEIS GUINEENSIS (PALM) OIL), AQUA (WATER/EAU), COCOS NUCIFERA OIL (COCOS NUCIFERA (COCONUT) OIL) , SODIUM HYDROXIDE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, STEARIC ACID, PALMITIC ACID, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), ASTROCARYUM MURUMURU SEED BUTTER, GLYCERIN, SORBITOL, DISODIUM EDTA, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, MYRISTIC ACID, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, ETIDRONIC ACID, DISODIUM DISTYRYLBIPHENYL DISULFONATE, PEG-12, CELLULOSE GUM, TETRASODIUM EDTA, TOCOPHEROL, HEXAMETHYLINDANOPYRAN, TETRAMETHYL ACETYLOCTAHYDRONAPHTHALENES, BENZYL SALICYLATE, LINALYL ACETATE, CITRONELLOL, COUMARIN, POGOSTEMON CABLIN OIL, HEXYL CINNAMAL, AMYL SALICYLATE, TRIMETHYLCYCLOPENTENYL METHYLISOPENTENOL, ALPHA-ISOMETHYL IONONE, PELARGONIUM GRAVEOLENS FLOWER OIL, PINENE.

I did really like the first soap I tried from the brand..and I'm still excited to try more. But this one did not do it for me.