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maleficentmrsofallevil · 5 months

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Dye, doll, dye

I did a dyeing thing - a white Resinsoul centaur (Dawn) and different vinyl shell parts of an Obitsu 50 cm body (whitey and super whitey).

What I used:

A big shiny pot. Life pro tip - if you have an induction cooktop, check your crappy pot that you ordered from Amazon right away. Amazon sellers are liars.

Lots of towels (water everywhere). Dye (RIT DyeMore is what I used, because it's specifically for synthetics), isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and a melamine sponge (Magic Eraser) for oopsies, and weed whacker trimmer string for the parts. Plus coffee.

Strung doll parts. NOTE: before I dye resin or vinyl, I soak it in cold water for 10-15 minutes. Resin is porous. Water will help open the pores for a slightly more even dye distribution.

So one thing I see over and over that drives me CRAZY is people dumping the whole bottle of dye directly into the water.

RIT has recipes. Here's the recipe for Fallen Star using "small" items:

It doesn't matter which small item you pick - the recipe is the same. For a more intense color, increase the amount of dye (Fallen Star is 2 teaspoons of Royal Purple, 1/2 teaspoon Frost Grey, 1/2 teaspoon Sapphire Blue per 4 cups of water). If you dump in the whole bottle, 1) you're wasting dye, and 2) you're not going to get the color that the dye is supposed to produce.

Dye measured - and then I measure one more batch in a separate cup. As stuff goes in the water, dye is absorbed and removed from the water - so you gotta add a little back. Like, an eyedropper at a time, a little.

I set the water to be just under a boil - no bubbling, but still painful when you accidentally stick a finger in there. It's soapy because RIT recommends adding a tiny bit of dish soap and a little salt to the dye bath to help disperse the color evenly.

Dunk:

The resin parts got 3 minutes each. The vinyl parts got 6 minutes.

Horse butt magnet came unglued, and there's something on the butt that prevented it from absorbing dye. I don't know what it is. I'll have to color correct with pastels. Also: the horse body was cast in two parts that were glued together, and the seams sanded. This became immediately apparent post-dye.

The floating blobs top left are vinyl thigh parts after 3 minutes in the dye bath. The darker blue human parts of vinyl parts after a six minute bath.

A few more things: whatever that butt glue was, it liquified in the pot and stuck to stuff. I am not happy about this.

Because parts are thinner in some places and thicker in others, when I pulled a part out of the bath, I would run it under cool water. Then I grabbed my melamine sponge and scrubbed areas where the dye was darker or absorbed funny. Isopropyl alcohol can also help remove some of the dye.

The dye continued to process, even after I rinsed all the parts. When I woke up the next morning, everything was an even more intense blue - especially the vinyl.

My self-imposed max time for resin in a hot water dye bath is 3 minutes. 2-part epoxy resin reacts quickly and hardens to equilibrium - NOT completion. When resin parts are put into almost-boiling hot water, the reaction is reactivated. The resin parts will shrink. I read on a resin manufacturer's website that after 20 minutes, the resin will become extremely brittle and fragile. From past experience, I know that 3 minutes in hot water is enough to make a resin part shrink.

Since the resin parts were dyed for 3 minutes each, this means I will NOT be attempting a gradation with dye. I'll use pastels instead.

But vinyl, however - vinyl can take some heat. Heh heh heh.

Next up: purple!

#dollblr #bjd #doll dyeing

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naomiknight-17 · 4 years

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Hello Fresh Meal 12

Steakhouse Burgers with Saucy Mushrooms! Yet another burger-based offering from our friends at Hello Fresh, with a side of potato wedges. Beginning to think whoever is selecting my meals has particular preferences. Unless the selection is all electronic... in which case, there's a computer out there that really loves burgers and potatoes.

The usual procedure began with washing all the produce, and getting the potatoes ready first cuz they take a while to roast.

More often than not, I am done prepping the potatoes before my oven has preheated, so I went ahead and did a couple other steps ahead of time, chopping the mushrooms and preparing the mustard-mayo burger sauce. Then, when the oven was hot, the potato wedges got tossed with some oil and steak spice and salt & pepper and put in to roast - y'all know the drill by now.

As is becoming our routine, hubby worked on the burgers while I prepped the produce.

Unfortunately, despite having a bit of practice at burger-forming, something went a bit awry this time. Whether it was the fat content of the beef (which had only steak spice added to it) or the initial shape of the burgs not being flat enough... they shrunk up into almost meatball-shaped things!

Small... small burger puck things

The burgers were put aside to make room for the mushroom gravy. The butter and shrooms went in the same pan without bothering to wipe it out, so our sauce will pick up some tasty burger flavor bits. Once the mushrooms were getting a bit soft, a little flour was sprinkled in, then finally a small amount of water and the provided broth concentrate were mixed in and left to simmer and thicken up a few minutes.

Apparently the 'remaining steak spice' was supposed to go in the mushroom mix but I didn't have any left at this point! It seems I was only provided enough for the wedges and burgers, and yes, I measured it. Someone made an oopsie.

Anyway, I just gave the shrooms a bit of extra salt and pepper and it turned out fine.

You can really see how much the burgers shrank when you see them beside the buns, oops.

Shrunken or not, the burgers got a topping of mozzarella cheese and went in the top of the oven with the buns for a quick toast.

The toasted burger buns got a smear of mustard-mayo, a good fistful of spring mix greens, a tiny cheeseburger meatball puck, and a generous spoonful of the mushroom sauce, which was also poured over the wedges.

Once it was all put together, this burger was a delicious mess. I am not usually the type to have fries with gravy but I am trying to be open to new things here, so hubby served it as recommended and I gave it a go.

Definitely one I'll be ordering again. A little labour-intensive for a burger recipe due to the mushroom sauce, but very tasty and worth the bit of extra effort. This may have been 45 or 50 minute cook? I need to start writing down my times if I'm gonna keep doing these.

Speaking of - this was meal 12. And I was supposed to decide whether to continue or not at this point.

There have been some bumps along the way - getting the wrong citrus, or wilted arugula, or a shortage of steak spice - but nothing that caused too much stress or prevented a meal from being make-able. Out of 12 meals, only one was a disappointment.

The cost does add up after a while, but since hubby and I are doing okay financially, as long as we don't order too much takeout or such we'll be fine. Heck, part of the reason I started getting Hello Fresh was because I was sick of takeout anyway.

On the whole, though, the meals have been delicious. Cooking them takes time and effort, but they have almost always been worth the trouble. Hubby is becoming more confident and skilled in the kitchen, and for me (a culinary student who is already pretty good in the kitchen) the food already being measured out, and sometimes even pre-washed and/or pre-cut, has helped me get dinner ready in less time with less effort.

Finally, I am actually feeling excited about food again! I look forward to my HF deliveries and trying the new recipes. Even on low-energy days, I've been able to cook great meals (usually with some help from hubby) where, if I was cooking entirely from scratch, I probably would have just turned to takeout or frozen processed food.

So my decision? I will continue to do Hello Fresh as long as I can afford it, and as long as it stays exciting - which hopefully will be a long time.

And I'll keep posting reviews here to practice my food photography and writing! I am going to start getting some meal repeats soon, though, so reviews will become less frequent as I won't be re-reviewing the same meals again.

Thank you so much to everyone who reads these, and even more so to those who have offered feedback!! Let's look forward to lucky post #13 which, if I recall correctly, was a roasted-vegetable-couscous with Greek lemon chicken.

See y'all then :)

#hello fresh #food #food review #cooking #i made this #with hubby's help ofc

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identybeautynet · 3 years

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How to Use Bobby Pins for Every Hair Type and Texture in 2021

How to Use Bobby Pins for Every Hair Type and Texture in 2021 A bobby pin might have been one of the very first hair accessories you owned (tbt to pinning your bangs back for soccer/dance/gymnastics/etc.)—but did you ever actually learn how to use it? Or did you, like me, just slide it in and hope for the best? Although bobby pins don't exactly come with instruction manuals (how complicated could a tiny piece of wire be?), they honestly should. Because, surprise surprise, you actually shouldn't have to redo your bobby pin hairstyles every hour because they're slipping out. Wha?! Yep, it's true. So, because it's never too late to learn, I went ahead and made you this ultimate guide for how to use bobby pins. Below, you'll learn all the stuff that someone should've told you back in the day, like the difference between every type of bobby pin, which direction they should really face, and how to make bobby pins work for your hair type, length, and texture. But I'm not only giving you advice for how to use them, but also how to wear them as part of your overall ~lewk~. Keep scrolling for your long-overdue, bobby-pin crash course. This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Why do they call them bobby pins? Get access to *all* of Cosmo ~Legend has it~ that the bobby pin was named after the bob hairstyle. Apparently, cosmetics manufacturer named Luis Marcis is said to have invented them back in the flapper days. And if you've ever tried to fake shorter hair or a faux lob, you know just how essential a sleeve of bobby pins is to pulling it off. If you haven't, well, we've got a video tutorial below on exactly how to fake a bob with bobby pins, because it's basically required learning. What is the difference between a hairpin and a bobby pin? Bobby pin: A bobby pin is stiff and hard to bend, with two arms clamped tight together to hold small sections of hair in place. If your pin has been pried open too many times and doesn't clamp together anymore, go ahead and toss it—it’s no longer useful for your hair. Hairpin: A hairpin is bendable, flexible, and has a U-shape that makes it the perfect choice for holding a whole lotta hair, or just a few, small pieces of hair in an updo, like if you wanted to gently pin a curl to your bun hairstyle without having to smash and press a bobby pin into it. The best bobby pins and hair pins to stock up on Bobby pins MetaGrip Black Premium Bobby Pins Black U-shaped pins Kitsch Brown Pro U Pins Curly-hair pins Conair Curl Collective Wavy Hair Bobby Pins Jumbo pins Kleravitex 2.75" Jumbo Bobby Hair Pins What are curved bobby pins used for? This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Not all pins will fit the two descriptions above. Some bobby pins don't actually have any ridges. Some are two or three times the size of a regular bobby pin (ideal for coarse or thick hair). Some pins are coated in silicone for better grip, or have rubber ends to prevent damage and tension. The fact is, a hairpin can look a lot of different ways, and the best one for you depends on your hair type, texture, and the look you're going for. Most of the time, you'll find that bobby pins and hairpins are flat, but curved pins are good to have on hand if you want the pin to sit snuggly to your scalp, like if you're working with a half-up hairstyle where pins are more visible. Most U-pins are malleable enough that you can customize them by bending them or molding them to the shape you want without ruining the integrity of the pin. Which way should bobby pins face? This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Ah, yes. The Great Debate. On a classic bobby pin, you have one side that's flat, and the opposite side that has wavy ridges. For the first half of my life, I wore my bobby pins ridges-side up (didn't everyone?!), but apparently, that was completely wrong—ridges need to face your scalp for the best hold. Watch the demo above for a visual of why this works, but here's the gist: When the bent end is placed near the head, it'll catch the hair and stop the pin from sliding out as long as you don't shove too much hair inside. How do you know if you have the right amount of hair in the pin? However many strands fit inside the bobby pin without you prying it open is the right amount. Easy. How do you make a bobby pin stay? If you did all the things I said above, and your bobby pins still aren't holding, I've got a few more pro tips that I've personally tried and loved: This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. - Spray your pins for added grip. If you have fine hair or slippery strands that can't hold anything, you'll need to add some grip to both your hair and pins before using. Apply some texture spray, salt spray, or volume powder to your hair, then lay your bobby pins on a paper towel and apply the texturizer to your pins too, just before using them. - Lock your pins in place. It honestly makes sense why a pin would fall out: You push it into an updo, aaand it slowly just slides right back out again. Why wouldn't it? So a trick the pros use is to "lock" the pin by inserting it from the opposite angle (so instead of pushing it up into a bun, they'd stick it down through the bun), then hooking some hair, flipping the bobby pin, and re-inserting it at the correct angle. A visual is a must here, s0 just watch the video below for more details. - Cross two pins. If the locking technique seems too confusing—and you're cool with your pins showing—trying the crisscross method to reinforce them. Slide in your first pin, then slide the second one in the opposite direction so they cross in the middle and interlock like an X. This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. What is the correct way to use bobby pins? There is no "correct" way, per se. Wear 'em how you want! Use them to discreetly secure a messy bun, or to clip your bangs down, or to smooth stray hairs and bumps in an updo. And since it's 2021, you can (and should) just straight-up use them as an accessory to your hairstyle. Need some inspo? I gotchu, starting with... 4 ridiculously cute bobby pins worth showing off Lelet NY Dash Dot Pearl Bobbi Kristin Ess Celestial Bobby Pins Fibs and Fables 'OYA' Hair Pin Set Jennifer Behr Pippa Bobby Pins Bobby-pin hairstyles: Whether you want your bobby pins to do some behind-the-scenes work, or you just want to show them off, here are a bunch of bobby-pin hairstyles and tutorials to copy asap. How to pin long hair up This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. The trick to making your faux bob look real? Pull your shortest layers aside and let some fringe pieces hang around your face while you pin the rest of it. Then, let your pieces down to hide the tucked ends. How to use bobby pins for curly hair This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. If you feel like your usual twist out or braid out needs a little somethin' extra, try accessorizing with some ~intentional~ bobby pins. Here are more than enough ideas for you to switch it up every day of the week. How to use bobby pins for an updo This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Half-ponytail hairstyles, half-buns, full buns—this video demonstrates a ton of ways to use bobby pins in all kinds of updos, and every single one is worth trying. How to wear decorative bobby pins in short hair This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. I've said it once, and I'll say it again a bajillion times until you believe me: Hairstyles for short hair are not limited! This video right here shows 10 different ways to style shorter strands with help from a few bobby pins and elastics. How to put pins in short hair This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. This video shows you both how to use bobby pins to style your hair, and how to wear them as part of your look. If you have curly hair and you want to add a little more volume at the roots, try root-clipping with bobby pins around your hair part to lift and encourage the shape you want. Remove the pins once your curls have dried, then use them as an accessory to accentuate your part. How to use bobby pins for thick hair This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. If you have thick hair, or just a lot of it, this video is full of advice on how to make grippy bobby pins, hairspray, and jumbo pins your new BFF. Brooke Shunatona Brooke Shunatona is a contributing writer for Cosmopolitan.com. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io beauty tips: How to Use Bobby Pins for Every Hair Type and Texture in 2021 Read the full article

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lerche93hayes-blog · 5 years

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Suggestions for Any Gardener To Employ In His Garden

Gardening will serve different reasons for many people. For some, farming can be a means of pleasure, as they find it restorative to create beautiful flowery measures and give different lifetime to flowers. Others apply gardening as a good means of nourishment, rising their own fruits plus veggies for consumption. Often the tips from the following write-up will help you with your gardening needs. Use the mix of apple cider vinegar, rubbing alcoholic beverage, plus water to get rid of salt debris. If you are having a issue involving salt buildup on your clay pots, mix equal areas white apple cider vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water in the spray bottle. Spray on the deposits and they will wash away easily. Make sure to allow the pots dried up carefully prior to use. It really is apparent that plants need liquid to grow. It's furthermore important to know typically the amount of liquid of which particular plants actually need to have. Overwatering or under-watering a flower can severely affect its growth and well being. Overwatering can result around root rot, the location where the water-filled environment encourages the growth involving microbes that try to eat aside at the roots. Under-watering a plant can produce is actually leaves dry plus brittle. If you require the extra ammunition to be able to rage war on weeds, take into account planting your flowers more detailed together even when it means planting them all closer than what is recommended. Dense plantings will make sure of which no seeds via unwelcome weeds will sprout and grow in your own personal stunning scenery design. When weeds start to sprout in close proximity to the edge of the foliage, consider adding weighty mulch to drown out the annoying weeds. In addition in order to maximizing the appearance connected with your home with bouquets and saving money by expanding your own berries, vegetables and herbs, you now have one more to take up gardening. Studies have shown that pressure and stress levels will be significantly minimized when people view nature in addition to vegetation. Gardening is a fantastic method to obtain pleasure for a lot of people and the final result is one that can easily help them reside a new longer, healthier life. Get a kids and grand kids involved with gardening simply by letting them help you within the garden, and by way of taking them to nurseries and arboretums. Children typically like being outdoors in addition to will absorb any understanding you are able to talk about about sunlight, waters, plus soil quality. Horticulture will be a great way to get children to know about nature and for these phones bond university with you. If your tomato plants have prolonged limbs that are not necessarily flowering or even producing fruit, go ahead and nip them off. It will not hurt the plant, nonetheless will actually support. Pruning back the twigs that are not producing berry, enables the plant for you to focus its energy plus nutrients on producing much larger and more flavorful fruit. Use an egg fichier to start your baby plants early. As fast as possible ticket are cheap together with easy to obtain, and can certainly incorporate enough dirt in order to get a plant started out. The moment you're ready to plant, you can simply rip the particular carton away from the seedling without damaging the basis ball and place the whole soil ball into the soil. In case you are gardening in storage units, make certain each container has some sort of drainage system in order to prevent water from grouping. Upholster the bottom connected with the pot with tiny rocks or pebbles may furthermore aid in water drainage for box gardening. Allowing water to help sit with regard to extended periods could rot the root system involving your plants. When growing plants, it is vital that you protect the head. If you may certainly not hear somebody around you while you happen to be working with systems, as compared to the sound can be endangering to your hearing. The simple way to help alleviate this problem is usually to wear ear fills when using loud equipment. An essential step to recall when seeding a flower is to use garden soil, mulch or perhaps compost to be able to mound at the bottom with the plant all often the way to the primary canes. Mounding this approach will shield the herb until new progress emerges and new feeder roots have grown to digest waters for the plant. Experiment with shade pairings. Purple and yellow hue work very well together, and can be used to generate either a hot as well as great effect. For a new comfy effect, make use of more green flowers than purple, more over, using mostly purple bouquets will give you the nice, soothing effect. A new mixture of high pink delphiniums or penstemon, in addition to lower growing orange achillea gives a spectacular screen. For those new to be able to gardening it is suggested to research with annuals. The using types are hardy, prosper in average soil, together with have minimum care: sugary alyssum, marigold, zinnia, sunflower, nasturtium, petunia and verbena. Just remember to deadhead these people usually to encourage different blossoms to grow. Rotate your plants to prevent permanent monde of insects in your backyard. Because with any ecosystem, pests desire a certain amount of time to nest and build up a right population within the back garden. nl x big bud auto are exclusively suited for one environment and something foods source. Simply by transitioning their food reference you may essentially keep your current infestations human population down basically because they are powerless to adjust to the fresh type of plant. If you have a issue with aphids, consider using ladybugs. Ladybugs can be natural predators to be able to aphids, and they can be very powerful in keeping this aphid population manageable. A person can buy them in bulk coming from a garden center or online. This is the many better solution than spraying your plants with not eco-friendly pesticides. The natural, albeit considerably monotonous, way to preserve unwanted pests and fungus from wrecking your organic berry bounty is to make use of plastic zipper totes. As soon as the fruits are nonetheless youthful on the limbs, place them within significant zipper bags secured from the top with staples. Shut down a bottom part allowing for sufficient drainage. In conclusion, many people possess different reasons for gardening. Some garden for pleasure, while some other garden for food. If you recall the tips from this document, you can make a garden that suits your needs, whether you wish to grow a good beautiful flowered panorama, or a personal grocery with your back yard.

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timeinthemarket · 5 years

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[This article about keto pasta may contain affiliate links for which I receive a commission at no cost to you. I only recommend products I use and trust. Please read my disclosure for more detail.]

I’m a keto guy. I like the diet and the main reason is that it makes me feel good. It’s not just about weigh loss for me although the diet does work for that. On top of that, I actually think the diet is pretty easy to follow. However, part of that is because I was never a big sweets guy so cutting our carbs wasn’t a huge deal for me.

Still, despite how I feel about it, I’m the first to say that the diet isn’t for everyone. It does limit you to a certain subset of food and cutting our carbs isn’t that easy for everyone. And yet, it’s become one of the most popular diets in recent times simply because how effective it is in certain areas. You want to lose weight and keep it off? Keto is there for you? You want help with certain medical issues? Keto can help.

The beauty of this popularity is that it’s now much easier to find pre-made foods that are catered for the keto diet. The low carb explosion is a god send to those of us following the keto diet. After all, sometimes, you just want an easy snack or an easy meal. The one beauty of a diet full of carbs is that many foods are easy to prepare. Think about stuff like cereal, chips, candy, frozen pizza, etc. Those are all easy to make and enjoy quickly. Similar keto options often require a lot more work. In essence, it somewhat sucks if you’re a lazy guy like myself. However, like I said, times are changing.

The consumer is suddenly a lot more interested in low carb alternatives. Since companies like to make money, they’re starting to provide them. It’s a slow change but it’s definitely happening. Now things like keto pizza and keto pasta exist. However, as with all things, substitutes are often very hit or miss. And that’s why I’m writing this series of posts. I want to share my feelings on the various keto products I try. On top of that, I want to get suggestions from others on things that they like(and maybe review those things too).

This won’t be a very regular series. It’ll pop up as often as I have some new items to try. However, the reality is that these new items that excite me so don’t appear all that often. I don’t want to force this into a weekly series if I don’t have enough material.

One thing you should know about me is that I REALLY enjoy grocery shopping. I’m the type of guy to get excited when I see a new item at Trader Joe’s. You’ll find me standing in the aisle reading the ingredients and seeing if it’s keto friendly. It’s a bit of a hobby, much to the chagrin of my wife, who just wants to get the stuff and get going. Now I’m taking that hobby online where I will talk about my grocery shopping! As an ingredient reader myself, I’ll try to post pictures of every item that includes ingredients and nutritional data so you can join in on the fun too!

That’s the idea behind Sunday Keto Pantry! Hopefully those of you who enjoy grocery shopping and reading about keto will enjoy it. If you do or have any suggestions for items to try, send me a note via my contact page.

Now that the intro is behind us, let’s talk about keto pasta!

Keto Pasta – Explore Cuisine Edamame Spaghetti

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Pasta is one of the things that is sorely missing in keto. It’s an absolute no no on the diet given the high carb count. That’s why I was excited when I saw this box of edamame pasta at Costco.

It’s a soy based product and a 2oz serving is 7 net carbs, a tiny bit of fat and 24g of protein. The bit of potassium is nice to as it’s a key nutrient to prevent the keto flu. I was never a HUGE pasta eater but my wife is so I figured it be nice to have a meal I could make for both of us.

One thing that worried me is that the sample size is so small. It’s important to keep that in mind when making this pasta as those carbs can quickly add up. In making this pasta, I tried to stick close to the serving size to illustrate how much food you actually get for the carbs.

The package comes with two smaller bags, each containing about 18oz of pasta.

I took 5oz out of the package for our meal for two, a bit above the serving size but 4 oz felt too small. That means 17.5g net carbs split into two meals or 8.75g per person. For comparison, a 2 oz serving of regular pasta was 42g net carbs so a similar meal would be 52.5g net carbs per person; a pretty nice drop if you’re using this keto pasta instead.

The preparation is very easy. You toss the pasta into some boiling water, boil for 3 to 5 minutes, then drain. Since pasta tends to take on water, we ended up with quite a bit of pasta to share between the two of us. As you can see below, this keto pasta looks pretty much like the real thing. It’s a bit greener but the noodles are well separated and look and act like regular pasta.

I made two dishes out of this. For my wife, I tossed the pasta in some tomato sauce and added some Parmesan. Since I don’t really eat pasta and didn’t have any low carb tomato sauce, I just made mine with some olive oil and various cheeses to keep the carb count low.

So how does it taste?

According to my wife, the pasta aficionado, it tastes weird. I’m not sure she was a big fan as she left about half her portion uneaten. When I asked her if she’d like to have it again, she said probably not! Guess it’s not good enough to convert my carb loving wife.

There are two things that I think go into this weirdness. First, there’s a definite difference between the mouth feel of this pasta and the regular stuff. It’s a bit thicker and the texture feels a bit more gritty, more akin to buckwheat pasta. However, it’s not awful and still retains a pretty decent similarity to regular pasta at a fraction of the carbs. On the flavor side, there’s definitely an earthy tone to the pasta that doesn’t get fully covered up by the sauce and lingers a bit after eating. If you’re someone who enjoys earthy flavors then you’ll like it but more picky eaters may find it unappealing.

Personally, I found it…just OK. I didn’t mind the flavor but the texture was a bit disappointing. The good thing about it is that it is pretty filling for the small portion size I had. If you add some fat into the mix, it can easily become a full meal. However, it’s important to watch the portion size here as this can be a big portion of your daily carbs if you’re trying to stay under 20 per day. You’ve also got a ton of protein here too.

If you’re a pasta fanatic then this does a pretty good job of filling the void. It’s definitely spaghetti but the texture and earthy flavor are a bit of a contrast against what you normally get from pasta. If you can get past that or even enjoy it then this could become a staple in your diet as long as you watch the portion sizes.

It’s probably not for me. I’ll finish the box eventually(it’s good until Dec 2020) but likely won’t pick it up again. Still, for those of us on keto who miss pasta daily, this is the best alternative I’ve tried so far. You can find this online if you can’t find it in local stores. The company also makes other varieties of other keto friendly pasta if spaghetti isn’t what you’re looking for!

Broccoli Chips – Trader Joe’s Broccoli Florets

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One of the things I miss most about eating carbs are chips. It’s nice to just sit down with a bag of something crunchy while watching TV. Unfortunately, most chips include a ton of carbs. Sure, there’s pork rinds, but sometimes you want something different than roasted pig skin.

While strolling through Trader Joe’s the other day, I found a bag of broccoli chips. I know what you’re probably thinking; gross, who wants broccoli chips? Apparently, the customers of Trader Joe’s do. Personally, while Broccoli isn’t my favorite vegetable, I was willing to give it a try.

The product is 5 net carbs and a ton of fat. It’s basically just broccoli cooked in some rice bran oil with a pinch of salt. According to the bag, it’s an irresistible snack that makes you want to keep munching?

I don’t know if I truly agree with that BUT I did eat the entire bag in one sitting. In the end, this is about what you’d expect. It’s a fried/dried broccoli product with a bit of salt. The bag is pretty small and is mostly air so you end up with a small amount of actual florets to snack on; one of the main reasons I finished it in one sitting.

If you’ve ever had baked kale, you sort of know what to expect from this. It has a similar flavor and texture.

The problem is that the florets are small and very messy. There’s a ton of loose broccoli powder in the back which gets everywhere.

On top of that, they lack a ton of flavor. I was expecting a stronger broccoli flavor but only got a hint. The mouth feel is weird too as these tended to suck out all the moisture from my mouth leading me to seek out some water. It wasn’t even that they were salty because if anything, there was a lack of salt which would have added some flavor. It was just that they were dry and sought out my inner moisture like that doctor who villain, “moisturize me!”

Overall, if you’re a huge broccoli fan(I’m sure you exist), I’d suggest giving these a try. However, I wouldn’t suggest going out of your way to try them. I likely won’t be getting these again.

Cheese Crisps – Cello Whisps Parmesan Cheese Crisps

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We’re staying on the chip train with these cheese crisps. These are small cheese crackers(see size below with banana for scale) that have a variety of uses.

You can snack on them and they make for a great replacement for regular chips. These are 1 net carb for 23 crisps which is more than enough for a snack.

I’ve been eating these things for a few months and honestly, I really love them. They’re a versatile snack that can be eaten on its own or added to things like salads to add some additional crunch.

The flavor is excellent and the only complaint I have is that the crisps can have some rough edges that can scratch my old gums. I have weak innards! Well, the other complaint I have is that they’re wicked expensive. I suggest buying these in bulk if you can find them at a place like Costco because the small packs are very expensive.

Also if you’re not lazy(gasp), you can make these yourself as they’re just baked cheese. That’ll probably save you a good deal of money but ain’t nobody got time for that.

However, these are great anytime you want a quick filling snack and don’t want to bake. I buy a few bags every time I go to Costco and think it’s money well spent. These are the best chip replacements I’ve found as I’m not a huge fan of pork rinds. One of my favorite ways to use these is to toss a few into a warm dish. For example, anytime I make some palak paneer, I add these for a nice crunch to that dish. They melt just a little bit in the warm paneer and are just fantastic.

If you like Cheese and crunchy things, you’ll like these.

And with crunchy cheese, I’ll wrap up this inaugural post of the keto pantry. Since this is new, I’m open to suggestions. Let me know if you want to see more pictures or if you have any items to suggest. I’m always available to chat via my contact page and love talking keto! I’ll be back when the aisles of Trader Joe’s greet me with some new keto stuff to try!

Sunday Keto Pantry : Keto Pasta, Broccoli Chips and Cheese Crisps I'm a keto guy. I like the diet and the main reason is that it makes me feel good…

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identybeautynet · 3 years

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How to Use Bobby Pins for Every Hair Type and Texture in 2021

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thedeadshotnetwork · 7 years

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Five Reasons to Hate the Republican Tax Plan The Republican tax reform plan is advancing with surprising speed. Sure, it’s wildly unpopular , probably because it benefits mainly the rich and corporations while hurting some middle- and working-class people. But the GOP’s desperate need to score a major legislative win by year’s end, combined with a procedurally greased path and political scandals diverting popular attention, are driving the plan forward. This trajectory makes it seem the GOP could— contrary to experts’ expectations when tax work started in earnest—get something passed, perhaps by year’s end. “This does seem to be moving towards an actual enactment,” said Chris Edwards, a tax policy expert at the libertarian Cato Institute. “I’d give it 70-30 at this point, maybe.” But though a bill passed out of the House last week, the apparent Republican unity and progress on the tax plan to this point is deceptive. There is wide agreement within the GOP on permanently chopping corporate taxes. When it comes to individual cuts, though, there are vast differences between the House and Senate bills , even on the number of tax brackets there should be. As negotiations between Republicans approach and the public pays more attention to the proposals, there are many provisions that could trigger internal debates or cause a swell of disruptive grassroots outrage. As William Gale, the co-director of the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center told me, “the Republicans are trying to push so much, so fast, that it’s just hard to keep track of it all.” To prepare for the fights that will almost inevitably break out as Republicans try to reconcile their scattered positions after the Thanksgiving break, here’s a quick rundown of the five most controversial elements of the current House and Senate bills. These are far from the only arguments taking place in DC over taxes, but they are probably the most important: Cutting State and Local Tax (SALT) Deductions Republicans are paying for their tax cuts in large part by slashing deductions people can take on their taxes. Edwards referred to this as “chair shuffling” that will leave most in roughly the same shape as they are now, albeit with a simpler tax form. But if you rely on these deductions you will likely end up worse off, especially when it comes to SALT. Currently, residents of states and cities with high taxes—these are mostly blue states like New York and California—can reduce their tax burden by writing off a portion of what they pay for local services on their federal filings. The Senate bill eliminates this deduction entirely, while the House bill still lets people deduct up to $10,000 in local property taxes (this obviously doesn’t help those who don’t own property). Gale argued this move is anti-growth “since it would raise marginal tax rates, by up to 4 percentage points, on the highest earners in many of the most productive states and areas in the country.” It’s also regressive, he added, because states may feel pressured to lower their own tax rates to limit those effects, in turn making it harder for them to fund public services, which “is going to hurt low- and middle-income families, not to mention the economy as a whole.” Republicans in states that rely on SALT deductions are faced with the tough choice of having to vote against the bill or vote to effectively raise taxes on some constituents. Granted, there was less dissent in the House than many expected . But two Republican senators , Susan Collins and Rand Paul, have expressed their concerns about killing SALT deductions, and more House members may defect as the plan moves forward. Killing the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Individual Mandate The mandate that everyone must buy insurance or else face a tax penalty has always been the most unpopular element of the ACA. The Senate bill eliminates it, which Republicans are selling to the public as working-class tax relief because most people who get hit with the penalty make under $50,000 a year. It also frees up $300 billion to use on other cuts. However those savings come because millions will likely drop or lose their coverage if the mandate is axed, reducing the amount the government pays in subsidies. It will also likely lead to thousands of preventable deaths per year and an increase in premiums as those will opt to drop their coverage will probably be the young and healthy, leaving the remaining pool sicker, older, and costlier. Though this piece wasn’t included in the House bill, surprisingly the provision triggered almost no outcry in the Senate , despite that chamber’s yearlong reputation as the graveyard for anti-ACA legislation. But Collins, who has voted against previous ACA repeal measures, has come out hard against ditching the mandate. Most analysts expect this to become a larger flashpoint as liberal activists play up the coverage loss and premium increases and as Republicans debate the issue among themselves. Cutting Taxes on “Pass-Through” Businesses This bit has received far less attention than others in large part because it’s esoteric. “ My eyes sometimes glaze over when people start talking” about it, said Gale. But it’s one of the clearest and biggest intra-Republican fault lines. “Pass-throughs” are any businesses whose profits are processed as personal income for their owners. Because some tax brackets are higher than the current 35 percent corporate tax rate, and many are much higher than the average 18.6 percent effective post-deduction corporate tax rate , pass-through owners, who run most of the businesses in America today , often protest that they shoulder an unfair and uneven tax burden. So cutting corporate rates functionally required Republicans to cut pass through-rates as well. The House bill chops the highest pass-through rates by 25 to 30 percent on a certain amount of business income, and stipulates that only some types of firms should get that lower rate. The Senate offers a deduction of up to 17 percent of business income from overall individual taxes. Pass-through reforms get sticky fast. They triggered the first Republican public “no” on the Senate plan, from Ron Johnson , a pass-through owner himself. He and his allies, including some small business organizations, argue that these are paltry cuts that actually widen the tax gap between big corporations and small businesses. They’re also outraged that cuts to the corporate rate are permanent, unlike the pass-through cuts. Republicans sell pass-through cuts as a break for small businesses, said T.J. Helmstetter of Americans for Tax Fairness, because we think of them as sole proprietors like handymen or tiny mom and pop shops. But pass-throughs include firms like hedge funds, law offices, and real estate companies. Actual small businesses already pay lower-than-corporate income tax rates, Helmstetter argued; critics on the other end of the spectrum also make the case that most pass-through cuts just benefit the wealthy. Most observers also agree that special pass-through cuts can be abused. The wealthy may try to “reclassify themselves as pass through entities to lower their individual tax rate,” said Helmstetter. Senator Johnson has made it clear that this is a hill some in the GOP are willing to let tax reform die on. Even White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney had to admit on Sunday that “Johnson has sort of honed in on one thing that we knew was sort of the last big substantive piece of the puzzle and that’s how do you deal with these pass through entities.” He offered no solutions. Peeling Back the Alternative Minimum and Estate Taxes The estate tax takes a one-sixth cut out of an individual’s wealth after they die—but only if they have over $5.49 million in assets The alternative minimum tax (AMT) prevents people making over $130,000 a year from using tax engineering to cut their rates to next to nothing. Neither makes up a huge chunk of federal revenue, and there are cases to be made against both taxes. But cutting them benefits, by definition, only the wealthy, which Donald Trump and his legislative allies have promised their tax plan would not do. Both bills double the amount of wealth you would need to have to be affected by the estate tax, and the House plan phases it out entirely over time. Both kill the AMT. These cuts, like all the bills’ individual cuts, would be temporary . Republicans seem to all agree that these cuts should be part of tax reform, but the optics are terrible—it looks like a giveaway to the Trump children and other wealthy heirs. This move, said Gale, “is obscene, given our need for revenue and given the widening distribution of wealth and income over the past 40 years.” “Without the AMT,” Helmstetter said, “Trump would have paid a 4 percent tax rate on the $153 million in income that we know about for the one year that we have his taxes. Thanks to the AMT, he paid about $38 million… Without the AMT, he’s giving himself a huge tax cut.” Raising the Tax Burden on Students For decades, tuition waivers have not been taxed as income . Though you may not think about them if you aren’t a grad student, these waivers allow many to pursue otherwise unaffordable degrees in research-heavy fields, particularly science, technology, engineering, and math. Waived tuition can be in the tens of thousands of dollars, and were it taxed as income a lot of grad students simply couldn’t afford to stay in their fields. The House bill would do exactly that, though, raising tax burdens on some grad students by up to 400 percent . It would also axe deductions for student loan interest and lifetime learning expenses. And both bills slap a new 1.4 percent tax on large university endowments, claiming they want to see the institutions spend on students rather than stockpile cash. However, observers argue that this will just undermine the security of programs like need-based financial assistance. These policies aren’t just controversial, they’re asinine. They are an effective block on the upward mobility of low-income individuals and on the development skills employers say they need the most in today’s American workforce. As Vox pointed out last week , they only really make sense if Republicans want to stick it to “elite” institutions, which many of them view with increasing ideological suspicion. Public outrage over this has been mounting in recent weeks. And it will only grow as the bills move forward. Follow Mark Hay on Twitter . November 23, 2017 at 02:49AM

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identybeautynet · 3 years

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How to Use Bobby Pins for Every Hair Type and Texture in 2021

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