31-Day Challenge #11: dotted spirals redux

You may remember that a little while ago, I attempted to do a dotted spiral mani but didn't quite pull it off because the dots were too far apart. I knew today's 31DC prompt would be my big chance to redeem myself.

Definitely better. From a distance this mani looked like a mosaic, which was pretty cool! The base color is Indigo Bananas Halcyon (has a nice shimmer which is just barely peeking through) and the dots are L'Oreal Creme Puffs and OPI You're Such a Budapest.


Look at all these dotty manis!

I made food: enchiladas

Yay, it's Mexican food time again! It's been a while...I've missed you. Tonight I made enchiladas with homemade sauce. Like so many Mexican dishes, enchiladas are versatile because you can put just about anything you want inside them. As long as you use cheese, of course.

I started by making the sauce (recipe here). It's very easy--basically just tomato paste with seasonings. This sauce has a little heat, but it gets diluted enough once in the enchiladas that it doesn't bother sensitive people like me.

Once the sauce is done, you assemble the enchiladas in a baking dish. I used brown rice, black beans, cheese, and of course the sauce.

 

When you've filled the tortilla, fold over the sides and flip it over--it should stay closed that way. Then spread some more enchilada sauce on top and sprinkle with more cheese. Bake them at 350 for 20-30 minutes, basically until the cheese is melted and the tortillas get a little crispy on the edges. (I've seen some recipes tell you to add more sauce halfway through, and you can do that if you like your enchiladas extra saucy.)

Enchiladas are one of those foods that look kind of gross and yet delicious at the same time, aren't they?

31-Day Challenge #10: textured double gradient

So the gradient is probably the only form of nail art I can do with my eyes closed. Even on my first try I nailed it (pun intended). So I knew for this challenge I had to do something a little more exciting than just a plain old gradient.

I started out by doing a gradient of Julep Nina (horrible formula by the way) and Essie DJ Play That Song. Then I laid down some striping tape and did another gradient of JulieG Tangerine Dream and Crushed Candy. I'd never done a textured gradient before but always liked the look (plus I love textured polish in general). I need to get some more of those Zoya PixieDusts so I can do this more often!


Check out today's other awesome gradients!

31-Day Challenge #9: rainbow tie-dye

The "colors" section of the 31DC is wrapping up with the prompt "rainbow", which just screams tie-dye to me. I decided to try the needle drag method; it's not perfect, and I definitely pressed too hard at times, but for a first attempt I think it came out pretty well.

For some reason my camera couldn't capture the orange at all, even though to the eye it looks quite distinct from the yellow. Maybe because it's neon?

Anyway, I started with a base of Sinful Colors Snow Me White and added a coat of Out the Door. Then I painted on the rainbow stripes and dragged the tip of a safety pin from the pink down to the purple. The colors I used for the rainbow:

• pink: Zoya Ali
• orange: Color Club Psychedelic Scene
• yellow: Julep Abbie
• green: Essie Shake Your $$ Maker
• blue: Zoya Robyn
• purple: Essie DJ Play That Song

To celebrate the end of this part of 31DC, I made a compilation image of all my color-themed manis! (You can click on each one to see the post.)

31-Day Challenge #8: metallic

I couldn't come up with a cute name for today's mani, but I like it! I was playing around with my newfound ability to use striper brushes. (Please forgive the dog hair stuck to my finger; somehow I always miss those...)

The designs are kind of like abstract flowers, or at least that's what they remind me of. I used Maybelline Bold Gold for the base and Zoya Logan and OPI Sprung for the designs. (Sprung is really pretty--I wore it on my other hand!)


Look at all the other amazing metallic manis!

We made food: baked penne

Today's dinner was a team effort: my husband is a sucker for baked pasta, so he suggested what to make and even helped cook it! What a good boy.

Here he is giving his seal of approval to the finished product:

And here are the beautiful cheesy insides:

Oh yeah. This was very easy to make, just needs a number of ingredients and some time.

I made the tomato sauce by first sauteeing half an onion and some garlic in olive oil. Then I added a large can of tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, some dried basil and oregano (I just eyeballed the amounts) and salt and pepper. I let that simmer while I boiled a pound of  whole wheat penne until it was almost fully cooked.

Meanwhile, Hubby was mixing 15 oz. of ricotta with a chopped head of broccoli, an egg, some grated parmesan, and salt and pepper. When everything was ready, he greased a large Pyrex dish and added the sauce, pasta and ricotta mix in layers, starting with sauce. He topped everything off with some mozzarella. It went into the oven for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

So, so good and filling, and it's gonna last us for a few days!

Edit: my husband just calculated that this cost us only $1.61 per serving!

31-Day Challenge #7: black tie

Wow, I've made it through a whole week of 31DC already! Only 3 and a half more to go! It's been pretty easy so far, but the prompts are going to get harder soon...

Today, since it is Saturday after all, my nails are ready for a night on the town!

So dapper! I started with a base of Sinful Colors Snow Me White, then outlined the shirt area with striping tape and painted Revlon Stiletto outside the tape. I did the bow ties and buttons with a dotting tool.


Check out everyone else's black and white manis!