At Home Hair Dye Fail?

Today I died my hair. And as I did it I realized I hadn't dyed my hair since we lived in Ft. Wayne. (Because that's how I remember what happened when. Not by year, by the surrounding events. Eventually I work from there to what the actual year was.) So, for people not inside my head, 2007. 

Before that, well, things were all over the place and sometimes awful (And then usually from a box). And then I got sick of dealing with it and I figured I'd just see what the color did. I used to think I was a mousy, blah brown but now I like it. It's... me! .... But it's also a little boring. Long. Brown. Even once I stopped coloring my hair, I always had a good fun cut to keep me pleased. Now it's longer and I can sort of do some neat things but they take time... So no.

I've felt the itch for a change but knew a salon trip wasn't happening anytime soon. OK, so boxed color. 

Oh no, I can't. 

I'll lose the stuff I love about my mousy brown! 

Oh, but wait, maybe just part of it. Maybe go dark and neat there... Ooooh...

So, today I dyed the under part of my hair. Can't mess that up too bad. Pretty basic. And hidden, if needed. After mixing the goo, putting on the weird gloves, sectioning the to-be-dyed stuff, applying the goo, waiting, rinsing, conditioning, rinsing, and blow drying I got to see what the damage was.

And it was nothing. Literally. I dyed my hair the exact color it already was. Just a little shinier. I dyed my hair the exact color it already was.

I swear, it looked darker. The box looked a lot darker. It was the brown next to black, "Darkest Brown"! Darkest. Brown.

It would appear that the universe does not want me to change my hair color. And that I am an almost-spot-on "darkest brown".

6 Foods That No One Does Better Than Minnesota

With a state fair that is basically devoted to food and trucks that will serve up cuisine in 0° weather, it's safe to say that Minnesotans like their food. But what do we do best?

Walleye

In the Land Of 10,000 Lakes, fried fish is a given but Walleye is king. Baked, fried and battered or on the grill, this official state fish is renowned throughout the state.

Wild Rice Soup

Another food brought to us by our abundance of lakes, wild rice makes the perfect base for a creamy and nutty soup and has even been proposed as the official "State Soup". The title was never actually made official but we love it none the less.    

Hotdishes

With the cold and the snow and the whole "have fun trapped in your house" thing, Minnesotans have found a way to make winter food work for them. The main way; hotdishes. Maybe it's because people had to work with what they could find in the pantry until the next thaw or because they had to make the most of whatever leftovers they were still claiming as food. Whatever the reason, we can mix up a Pyrex dish of meat, veggies, cream and carbs and call it a meal like nobody else.

Stuff on a Stick

The Great Minnesota Get Together has cinched it. We know food on a stick. The 2013 Minnesota State Fair included over 60 different kinds of foods on a stick. We had the predictable, corn dogs and fried cheese. Or the possibly frightening, porcupine meatballs and scotch eggs. Or the ones that are really just a guy shoving a stick into regular food and calling it "fair food", shrimp (That's a kabob, dude) or ice cream (Really? That's a Dove bar). Whatever kind you favor, know that if it comes from Minnesota, it's going to be good.

Lutefisk

Hailing from the Swedes and Norwegians, this gelatinous and pungent fish is kind of a big deal here in Minnesota, especially during the holidays. Madison, MN has even dubbed itself the "Lutefisk Capital of the World" as well as claiming the largest per capita consumption of lutefisk in the United States. So, what is it? Literally, lye-fish. Dried whitefish is soaked in a water/lye solution for days until it takes on a jelly constancy. It is then soaked in cold water for a few more days and eventually ready to be cooked, served and is actually said to be delicious... by those that like slimy fish jelly.

Lefse

Let's take a moment to thank the Minnesota ancestral Norwegians yet again for bringing us something we could love during the holidays. Luckily, this one makes up for the cringing that Lutefisk can cause. Similar to a crepe, lefse is a thin Norwegian flat bread traditionally covered in butter and sugar and wrapped up into a roll of warm, cozy deliciousness. Starbuck, Minnesota is the home of the world's largest lefse and Norsland Lefse, a factory in Rushford, Minnesota, produces about half a million rounds of lefse each year. Fosston, Minnesota even invites local lefse makers to compete for the title of Champion Lefse Maker at its Lefse Fest each November. You know you want that title.  

I write here now too. http://www.newscastic.com/news/foods-that-minnesota-does-better-than-anyplace-else-1323210/ 

Baked Pancakes - Pancakes in the oven in zero time!

I love pancakes. For real. Perfect pancakes are, well, perfect! The hubs makes amazing pancakes. Perfect shape. Perfect doneness. Beautiful.

But they take forever. With a kid, pancakes is a two man job. I take care of Little Bear and the hubs mans the stove top. One at a time, he puts together his perfect stack of pancakes. I set the table and get all the goods ready (butter, warm syrup, fruit) and as soon as the last jack is flapped, we eat. 30-45 minutes prep gets the full batch cooked to perfection. Not bad for a weekend breakfast but not so hot during the week.

I've tried other baked pancake/giant pancake recipes but they never seem quite right. This one from Six Sisters' Stuff is pretty darn wonderful.

Prep time is 10-15 minutes and then you bake it. Let it sit for 5 and you're ready to eat! That's it! Since pinning the recipe less than a week ago, I've made two batches and both have been fantastic! Both times I have tweaked the original recipe (added vanilla, wheat germ, cinnamon and/or whole wheat flour) and I was pretty happy with the both batches. Here is the best of the two.

Baked Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons ground wheat germ

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon for sprinkling on the top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray/grease a 9 x 13" baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the milk, butter, eggs and vanilla. 

Mix in the sugar, flour, baking powder, wheat germ and salt. 

Pour batter into the baking pan.

Sprinkle cinnamon over the top.

Cook for 25-30 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

The vanilla added a warm little bit of deliciousness and the cinnamon on the top blended well.

The next time I tried adding cinnamon to the batter as well as sprinkled on top. It ended up being a bit off but I think part of that was due to the decision to use whole wheat flour. I subbed in half whole wheat flour to see if I could healthy things up a bit more. They still turned out good but, like whole wheat pancakes vs. regular flour pancakes, the texture was different. The whole wheat ones were less smooth and more crumbly. Still delicious but not the buttery-melt-in-your-mouth kind that the first batch was. Each batch got us 2.5 morning's worth of delicious breakfast. Totally worth the wee bit of prep time that they take.

Enjoy!