Loo's Hair Challenge - I'm In

Hello Lovelies, you know how I feel about a challenge...bring it on!!! I decided last minute to participate in Loo's 3in6 hair challenge. The challenge is based off of the idea that hair grows an average of 0.5 inches every month, so it's a 6-month challenge, with a goal to retain 3 inches by following the rules below.

1. Eat fresh fruits and veggies
2. Take a daily multivitamin
3. Drink lots of water
4. Wear twists or braids for 2-4 weeks at a time
5. No direct heat
6. Pre-poo with coconut oil for 20 minutes SS: I'm subbing coconut oil with Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose because my hair doesn't like coconut oil, and I checked with Loo ;-)
7. No trimming

This is how I feel about the rules...I pretty much have numbers 1-3 covered already. I washed my straight hair on Friday (1/28/11) to return to my kinks. I dusted my ends when I straightened it so numbers 5 and 7 are covered. I already do number 6. My main issue is rule number 4, it's going to be tough for me. Loo advises to re-twist your edges weekly and/or to wash hair while in twists. I don't know, I hope I last, but we'll see how this goes! As of know, I'm rolling into the end of week 2 of the two-strand twists I did on Sunday (1/30/11), and they - surprisingly - are holding up fairly well. Check out pics for this super cute updo!

I came up with this updo based on a style I rocked when my dreads started getting longer when I was locking. This style has three flat twists in the back twisted towards the top of my head. I then twisted the ends from the three flat twists into one flat twist on the top of my head. I also did one additional flat twist in the front on one side. Then, I pinned the other side back. Hopefully this makes sense. If I find time, I'll make a video. The first week I wore my typical side-swoop low "bun" with bangs.

Are any of you participating in this challenge? PS - if you don't know about Loo - check her out, she has GORGEOUS HAIR and her blog is pretty cool too!

Sweet and Savory Pretzels

For the Superbowl this year, I hung out with some of my homeboys from high school. They had a typical menu filled with buffalo wings, pizza and beer. I opted to bring stuffed pretzels!

Stuffed Pretzels 
Source: The Food Network Magazine, January 2011 Edition
Makes 28 pretzels SS: I got about 20

Ingredients
PRETZELS
1 1/2 tablespoons dry active yeast
1 tablespoon agave nectar
2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 large eggs

ASSORTED FILLING - SAVORY
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Poppy Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Kosher Salt
Onion Flakes

ASSORTED FILLING - SWEET
Nutella
Coconut
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Directions

1. Mix 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 to 115 F), the yeast and agave in a bowl. Set aside 5 minutes.
2. In a food processor fitted with the dough blade, pulse the whole-wheat flour, 2 cups all-purpose flour and the sea salt. Add 1 egg and the yeast mixture and pulse in 10-second intervals until the dough comes together, about 3 pulses. Turn out onto a floured board. Knead 10 to 12 times, adding up to 3/4 cup more flour if the dough is too sticky. Cut the dough into 4 equal portions; cover with a clean towel. SS - I don't have this type of food processor, I used a spoon to mix the dry ingredients and two knives for the latter. Also, I waited for one hour after I covered the dough, even though this wasn't specified.
3. On a floured board, roll out one piece of dough into a 14-by-11 inch rectangle, 1/4 inch thick, with a shorter side facing you.
4. To make plain pretzels, cut the dough rectangle into seven 11-by-12 inch strips. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with kosher salt. (Skip to Step 11)
5. To make stuffed pretzels, roll 1 piece of dough into a rectangle; sprinkle your filling across the middle. Fold the bottom third of the dough over the filling.
6. Sprinkle more filling over the folded part; fold the top third of the dough over the filling and pinch closed.
7. Roll the dough into a 15-by-11 inch rectangle. Cut into seven 2-by-11-inch strips.
8. Working with one strip at a time, pinch the long edges together and roll into a 12-inch rope with your hands.
9. Shape the pretzels on a baking sheet: Grab the ends of the rope and cross the left end over the right end.
10. Cross the left end over the right end again to make a twist in the middle. Brush with beaten egg and top before baking.
11. Preheat the oven to 475 F. Bake until browned, 16 to 18 minutes.

SAVORY PRETZEL DETAILED DIRECTIONS
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons grated sharp cheddar cheese across the middle of the dough (Step 5); fold the bottom third of the dough over the cheese, then sprinkle another 2 tablespoons cheddar over the folded part. Fold the top third of the dough over the cheese (Step 6). Reroll, cut into strips and twist into pretzels (Steps 7-10). Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion flakes and kosher salt; bake (Step 10). SS - I mixed all of the toppings in a small bowl and stirred them up to get a nice even mix of all of the toppings.


SWEET PRETZEL DETAILED DIRECTIONS
Spread 1/4 cup softened Nutella across the middle of the dough; fold the bottom third of the dough over the Nutella. SS - I melted the Nutella in the microwave, if it's cold, it hardens fairly quickly, I would suggest waiting for the Nutella to firm up before covering to refrain from oozing Nutella on the sides. (Step 5) Then sprinkle 1/2 cup coconut over the folded part (Step 6). Fold the top third of the dough over the coconut. Roll out again, cut into strips and twist into pretzels. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with a mixture of sugar, ancho chile powder, cinnamon, ground cloves and cayenne (you'll have extra spice mix); bake (Steps 7-10). SS - I added all of the toppings into a bowl and dipped the pretzels in the mix.

So let me say that these pretzels were WORK. Total cooking/prep/wait time was probably 3.5 hours. This does not include clean up. I had nutella over my entire kitchen! I brought the savory pretzels to a friends' place for the Superbowl, and the general sentiment was that they were good. I decided to leave the sweet pretzels at home, because I think I accidentally mixed some of the savory in with it. Like I said, this was messy, at hour 3, just starting the sweet pretzels, I was tired, so I wasn't as meticulous to separate things out. Additionally, adding all that coconut was unrealistic. The sweet pretzels were extremely messy - they were falling apart with the addition of the coconut. THUS, the next time I make these, I will only use the Nutella. I think I will still enjoy the flavor without the coconut.

Personal notes

Top - BCBG; Jeans - Urban; Blazer - Banana; Boots - Borrowed from mom; Earrings - Borrowed from mom; Necklace - Etsy

Date: Thursday, February 3, 2011

I warned you that I would be posting out of order. I actually did get dressed on Thursday, with the hopes to change into something a little more upscale. However, I got back to Philly at 3 PM, and my bus left at 3:30. I thought I would be cutting it close to try to make a quick trip to my apartment to change with that short time frame. Thus, I had to work with the outfit I packed. I do feel that the blazer stepped up the elegance of the outfit. However, I will also say that by opening curtain, my poor blouse had been through a lot, and it just didn't look the same.

Note to Self: When traveling, do consider the material of the outfit and it's "travelability" when desiring to look composed and classy. Cotton will almost never hold up well at the end of the day. End note.

The Hair Dilemma, A Moot Point

This is another hair post that I would like feedback on. When I wore my hair straight a couple of weeks ago, I realized that I love the styles that I can achieve with straight hair.The styles totally work with the look I want to portray.

I personally feel that locs are the natural woman's straight hair. I think any style I can achieve with straight hair, I can achieve with locs. This brings me back to the topic of... locking my hair. However this time I have different feelings as to why I feel this way. Let me start from the beginning. When I did my BC in July 2008 I knew two things:

1. I wanted to be natural
2. I wanted to have long hair

Since then, I've had starter locs, free-strand natural hair, and straight hair. I've learned a lot about my hair. Here are some facts that I've learned over the past 2.5 years.

• My hair does not hang down (with the exception of a FRESH braid/twist-out, which lasts one day)
• My hair loves to shrink, at percentages unbelievable, 50-75% of it's actual length
• My hair is naturally dry, and extremely kinky
• My hair thrives in protective styles (twists, braids, updos)
• My hair doesn't hold a "mold" well (mold = twists, braids, rods)

Pic 1 - May 2009, 9 month in locs
Pic 2 - January 2010, Day one braid out
Pic 3 - January 2010, Day two braid-out *same one*

Knowing some of these facts and looking at the two things I know I find a dichotomy. The fact is, if I continue this free-strand natural thing, my length will be a figment of most people's imagination. Just click here to see what I mean. So, what's the point of having long hair if it's not noticeable, and you can't enjoy it?

I don't do braid-outs, twist-outs, bantu-knot outs or any other "out" styles often because they lead to knots and tangles which, lead to breakage. Not to mention, my hair will look like an afro after one day anyway. There are naturals whose hair thrives with these styles, however I am not one of them. Thus, I am left with a dilemma. I don't want long hair just to know for myself - I want the world to know! I also do not like braids, and I'm temperamental with twists. Therefore, I feel like locs will allow me to show off my length.

It's funny, because I started writing this two weeks ago and felt that I would definitely loc my hair, however I'm on the fence about it now. I know a lot of kinky (haired) ladies follow this blog, I want your feedback! What do you all think about this? Do you feel my dilemma? What do you do to show off your length with really tightly coiled hair? Does showing your length matter to you?

One final example: Kimmaytube. I like Kimmaytube - love what she brings to the natural hair community. Her length shows dedication, and is commendable. However, she keeps her hair wrapped up 90% of the time, masking her true length. Again, I wonder - what's the point?

Lost in the Stars

I totally lied and said I'd be back Friday...sorry, you don't even know me like that and I'm lying. LOL - just a small fib. Ok, I'm going to post updates in non-chronological order - sorry. This post is about Thursday night. My oldest/best girlfriend Miss Lindsay Roberts had her New York debut in Lost in the Stars Thursday evening (2/3/11)!!! The show is based on the book Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton. I had to read the book in high school, and I remember it was one of the few books I actually enjoyed reading.

I went to NY to see her on the opening night, and it was truly amazing. I met up with Lindsay and some of her friends after the play. We went out with the rest of the cast at Pazza Notte, a two for one martini bar in Mid-town, where we ate mussels and pizza until 2 am. It was DELICIOUS! I forgot to take pics at the restaurant...side eye. Want to see pics of Lindsay's lovely friends? They are GORGEOUS  and AMAZING. Erika is a finishing up her last year as a 3L student at St. John's, and fellow blogger, - she is wearing the lovely kente blazer. EJ is working on her Master's and teaches children in special education - all black. You all know all about Lindsay - don't you love her hair candy (the headband)?

There are no pics of me in these photo shoots. That day, I worked in VA, so I drove to Philly, caught a bus to NY. Met up with my friend Bethany for a quick dinner, and then went to the play. Needless to say, I was looking pretty "hit" by the end of the show. I caught a 6:30 am bus back to Philly Friday morning and went to work. I covered up being ridiculously tired fairly well. Thus, when I got home, as much as I wanted to blog, I wanted to sleep even more. I slept from about 7 pm to 9 am - no joke!

To let you know what's to come...I'm participating in Loo's 3in6 Hair Challenge. I have some old outfit pics that I have yet to post, and I will let you know what's going on with me and work. Finally, I'm going to attempt to make some pretzels for a Superbowl party I plan to attend. Check for all of this next week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!

What had happened was...

Hi Everyone,

Monique here, checking in and letting you know that I'm still alive and well. I recently started a new project for work that involves a lot of travel and minimal internet access - YIKES! I should find a nice rhythm with my new schedule by next week. I will have updates tomorrow!

Peace.

The Best Shortbread Cookie EVER

Happy February everyone! I don't normally make extreme statements...at least, I imagine that I don't. However, I must say that these cookies that you are about to see are the best shortbread cookie I've ever tasted. EVER - PERIOD! BTW, I've tasted lots of shortbread, from Girl Scout Trefoils (on sale now) to the ones that come in the blue tin, to Panera's - all of which, are pretty dang good. These cookies are a win, indefinitely. Make these for Valentines' Day, birthdays, other holidays, Tuesday's Wednesday's...get the picture?


Best Shortbread Cookie Ever
Source: Dana - Treat Yourself
Makes 3 dozen

Since Dana got this recipe from a book, I don't feel comfortable re-producing a reproduction. Click here for a direct link. PS - if you do check it out, know that hers look better than mine!