Originally a cupcake recipe, I made this as a loaf cake and thought it was great. The original recipe has oil in it, which I omitted by accident, but I don't think you need it with the amount of tahini. If you are super on the ball, once the cake has set but before baking is over, topping with sesame seeds would be very lovely.
Yield • 24 cupcakes (or one loaf cake!)
1 1/2 granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons of tahini
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water
1. Preheat convection oven to 350 degrees or conventional oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk together eggs, milk, tahini, vanilla, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda. Add flour and salt. Whisk in boiling water just until combined. The batter will be watery.
3. For cupcakes: Pour batter into two 12-cup muffin tins fitted with paper liners, filling the cups barely half full. Bake until a tester inserted into a cupcake comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes in a convection oven or 25 to 30 minutes in a conventional oven. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
For loaf: Alternatively, bake in greased loaf pan until a knife pulls out clean. About 45-55 minutes.
Note: I will try this again with less cocoa, more tahini.
Adapted from an adaptation of a recipe from New York's Magnolia Bakery.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Simple Salsa
Better than canned!
1.5-2 medium tomatoes, diced with the seeds removed
1/4 jalapeno (seeds in for extra spice)
1/8 cup red onion, small diced
1/8 cup cilantro leaves
1 small clove of garlic, minced
pinch of salt
Juice of 1/2 lime (or more)
1/5 tbsp sherry or white vinegar
Add all ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse until the desired consistency. Taste to see if it needs additional salt or lime, then let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Makes about 2 cups.
1.5-2 medium tomatoes, diced with the seeds removed
1/4 jalapeno (seeds in for extra spice)
1/8 cup red onion, small diced
1/8 cup cilantro leaves
1 small clove of garlic, minced
pinch of salt
Juice of 1/2 lime (or more)
1/5 tbsp sherry or white vinegar
Add all ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse until the desired consistency. Taste to see if it needs additional salt or lime, then let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Makes about 2 cups.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Procrastin- I mean, the Beauteque May 2016 BB Bag
So, today I'm procrastinating a bit. I'm supposed to be studying (which I will commence soon. promise.), but first I'm going to write a bit since I'd rather do that and I have a hard time navigating things like reddit.com/r/asianbeauty when it comes to things, well, Asian Beauty. No, I'm not Asian, but I love the appeal of the Korean and Japanese beauty industries and I think they are just so neat. Being that it's hard for me to get out of my house/to a place where I can try products in person besides Sephora I decided to look into subscription boxes to become initiated with the types of products available since many of them are foreign to me by more than nationality (Example: peeling gels).
There are a few different options for subscription boxes, but I have chosen the Beauteque BB Bag. It is not the cheapest (about $26/month after tax), but I have some solid reasons to like it...
1) You get full sized products which means if you like something, you have a lot of it.
2) You get to try a wide variety of products. In each bag they include a mix of skincare, hair car, body care, tools, and makeup. They also have a wide variety of products within those categories so you get to try all kinds of things
3) They help you become initiated and get the ball rolling
4) You get to try products you would probably NEVER purchase on your own
Some of the negatives are that you end up filling up your cabinets fast, it isn't the cheapest, I don't see a HUGE variety in brands, and I don't think you get a lot of the higher-end brands that you may see if you did a sample subscription bag. I've been doing the BB Bag since... March? And I like it, though I'm probably going to call it quits soon because I have so many things!
ANYWAY! That being said, I have noticed there are times when I don't understand a product or its directions and I've had a hard time finding individual product reviews online so I thought I would start doing that. I'm starting with the May box because I had a bit of a problem getting it (it got lost in the mail) and only received it today, a month later, along with my June box.
I'd like to also say this in regard to Beauteque's customer service: Call them. I have sent emails to them in the past and I never heard back. After my May box was late, I gave them a rang and spoke to someone immediately. I ended up having to call back because they wanted to give the package a bit more time to show up and again I had a great experience with the woman I spoke with. They also got a replacement bag to me in two days. Go Beauteque.
Anyway On to the May BB Bag...
I did not receive the info card with this box (poop), so I'm flying blind!
What I Got...
1) Super cute chevron bag that isn't ridiculously small *cough* Ipsy *cough*
2) PRELAB Toning Peeling Tap - gonna try this one out later. Also, the Beauteque peeps say this is a rinse off product, but what I have found elsewhere on the interwebs say it is a leave on product. It also says "No wash" on the container? I will investigate further (and yes, the container says "tap")
3) A'Pieu Glow Nail Touch in PP05 - I immediately put this on my nails without base coat. It is really pretty lavendar that is leaning heavily on pink notes. It has good coverage (one coat may actually do you)and dries quickly. I will do a proper manicure and see how it goes. Oh, and it doesn't smell to strong. At roseroseshop these are $1.75. That is one of the big Beauteque drawbacks, they tend to charge a lot for products.
4) The SAEM Fresh Bamboo Soothing Gel 99% - I don't know what the 99% is for. Is it 99% bamboo? Is it 99% Soothing? Is it 99% gel? What is the other 1%? There are a shit ton of ingredients so... Whatever, it's a soothing gel. It feels like a cooling gel. PLUS! it comes in super cute packaging that my American sensibilities would laugh at and never buy if I saw it in a store. I actually really like it and will probably end up going through it.
5) Kinepin Nail Set? - I don't know what the "real" name is for this. ALTHOUGH, it's super cute. That blue thing is a folded up 4-sided buffer block! It smartly has the filing side on the inside. This is one of the things I like about the Beauteque bag though, they don't give you a nail set and call it a day. They make sure you have some polish to use with it.
6) Milky Dress SOS Blemish cream - I will talk more about this below.
7) The SAEM Healing Tea Garden Green Tea Cleansing Tissue - Makeup removing wipes. I want to wait to open it so the questions that remain are: will it make my face break out? Will it smell terrible? Will it burn? Also, note how I have two the SAEM products this month. I also had one last month. June has a SAEM product too.
OKAY so what am I actually reviewing today? Lucky #6.
This is a blemish cream that is supposedly " calms sensitive skin and clears the skin tone which will give a whitening effect." That's from the beauteque website. I'm not really sure if this is a cream you'd want to put on a pimple or if it is really intended for post-pimple redness... or both.
I am sad to say I've heard mostly negative reviews on products aimed at acne from the Asian markets. Even though I am prone to the occasional breakout I tend to stay away from products marketed for the treatment of acne. That being said, what I do get are hormonally related cysts that creep up once or twice a year and inflict mayhem onto my face. These are not treatable by creams or magic potions, but require prompt dermatologist visits. If I am unable to get into the derm... It's the plastic surgeon. So, after spending much of my early twenties until now (the late twenties) really hating my skin I have decided to try and do something about the redness left on my face. Anything whitening - GIVE IT TO MEEEE. So yea, I have decided to see how this guy works on my active little pustules versus those resilient red spots to see what it actually works on.
(I would have posted more pictures, but the little tube is apparently under pressure and I had to put the top back on before I lost any more product. Currently most of my face is under a coat of blemish cream, heh.)
The cream itself is almost pink, but goes on clear. It has a bit of a smell. It is very faint, but I still washed my hands after. The closest smell I can think of is Calpico, or a yogurt lassi. Kind of that fermenting milk smell. It's not the best. On the bright side I can't smell it on my face.
I did notice a short burning sensation a few minutes after putting it on. That's gone now and my face hasn't had a negative reaction to it yet.
I can't read Korean so I have to go with whatever is written on the package. The package tells me that the blemish cream is for use after your basic skincare routine and that it contains calamine. Alright! I decided to rip open the packaging and found an English list of ingredients. From what I can tell the only whitening ingredient is niacinamide. There is no indication of concentration.
Alright! I will update this post with more a wee bit later.
There are a few different options for subscription boxes, but I have chosen the Beauteque BB Bag. It is not the cheapest (about $26/month after tax), but I have some solid reasons to like it...
1) You get full sized products which means if you like something, you have a lot of it.
2) You get to try a wide variety of products. In each bag they include a mix of skincare, hair car, body care, tools, and makeup. They also have a wide variety of products within those categories so you get to try all kinds of things
3) They help you become initiated and get the ball rolling
4) You get to try products you would probably NEVER purchase on your own
Some of the negatives are that you end up filling up your cabinets fast, it isn't the cheapest, I don't see a HUGE variety in brands, and I don't think you get a lot of the higher-end brands that you may see if you did a sample subscription bag. I've been doing the BB Bag since... March? And I like it, though I'm probably going to call it quits soon because I have so many things!
ANYWAY! That being said, I have noticed there are times when I don't understand a product or its directions and I've had a hard time finding individual product reviews online so I thought I would start doing that. I'm starting with the May box because I had a bit of a problem getting it (it got lost in the mail) and only received it today, a month later, along with my June box.
I'd like to also say this in regard to Beauteque's customer service: Call them. I have sent emails to them in the past and I never heard back. After my May box was late, I gave them a rang and spoke to someone immediately. I ended up having to call back because they wanted to give the package a bit more time to show up and again I had a great experience with the woman I spoke with. They also got a replacement bag to me in two days. Go Beauteque.
Anyway On to the May BB Bag...
I did not receive the info card with this box (poop), so I'm flying blind!
1) Super cute chevron bag that isn't ridiculously small *cough* Ipsy *cough*
2) PRELAB Toning Peeling Tap - gonna try this one out later. Also, the Beauteque peeps say this is a rinse off product, but what I have found elsewhere on the interwebs say it is a leave on product. It also says "No wash" on the container? I will investigate further (and yes, the container says "tap")
3) A'Pieu Glow Nail Touch in PP05 - I immediately put this on my nails without base coat. It is really pretty lavendar that is leaning heavily on pink notes. It has good coverage (one coat may actually do you)and dries quickly. I will do a proper manicure and see how it goes. Oh, and it doesn't smell to strong. At roseroseshop these are $1.75. That is one of the big Beauteque drawbacks, they tend to charge a lot for products.
4) The SAEM Fresh Bamboo Soothing Gel 99% - I don't know what the 99% is for. Is it 99% bamboo? Is it 99% Soothing? Is it 99% gel? What is the other 1%? There are a shit ton of ingredients so... Whatever, it's a soothing gel. It feels like a cooling gel. PLUS! it comes in super cute packaging that my American sensibilities would laugh at and never buy if I saw it in a store. I actually really like it and will probably end up going through it.
5) Kinepin Nail Set? - I don't know what the "real" name is for this. ALTHOUGH, it's super cute. That blue thing is a folded up 4-sided buffer block! It smartly has the filing side on the inside. This is one of the things I like about the Beauteque bag though, they don't give you a nail set and call it a day. They make sure you have some polish to use with it.
6) Milky Dress SOS Blemish cream - I will talk more about this below.
7) The SAEM Healing Tea Garden Green Tea Cleansing Tissue - Makeup removing wipes. I want to wait to open it so the questions that remain are: will it make my face break out? Will it smell terrible? Will it burn? Also, note how I have two the SAEM products this month. I also had one last month. June has a SAEM product too.
OKAY so what am I actually reviewing today? Lucky #6.
I am sad to say I've heard mostly negative reviews on products aimed at acne from the Asian markets. Even though I am prone to the occasional breakout I tend to stay away from products marketed for the treatment of acne. That being said, what I do get are hormonally related cysts that creep up once or twice a year and inflict mayhem onto my face. These are not treatable by creams or magic potions, but require prompt dermatologist visits. If I am unable to get into the derm... It's the plastic surgeon. So, after spending much of my early twenties until now (the late twenties) really hating my skin I have decided to try and do something about the redness left on my face. Anything whitening - GIVE IT TO MEEEE. So yea, I have decided to see how this guy works on my active little pustules versus those resilient red spots to see what it actually works on.
(I would have posted more pictures, but the little tube is apparently under pressure and I had to put the top back on before I lost any more product. Currently most of my face is under a coat of blemish cream, heh.)
The cream itself is almost pink, but goes on clear. It has a bit of a smell. It is very faint, but I still washed my hands after. The closest smell I can think of is Calpico, or a yogurt lassi. Kind of that fermenting milk smell. It's not the best. On the bright side I can't smell it on my face.
I did notice a short burning sensation a few minutes after putting it on. That's gone now and my face hasn't had a negative reaction to it yet.
I can't read Korean so I have to go with whatever is written on the package. The package tells me that the blemish cream is for use after your basic skincare routine and that it contains calamine. Alright! I decided to rip open the packaging and found an English list of ingredients. From what I can tell the only whitening ingredient is niacinamide. There is no indication of concentration.
Alright! I will update this post with more a wee bit later.
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