Pastry School Creates 100-Pound Blackhawks Chocolate Stanley Cup

As you all know Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, but they don’t just have one trophy… Courtesy of Chicago’s French Pastry School, the Chicago Blackhawks have received a 6 FOOT, 100-POUND chocolate Stanley Cup.

To celebrate the #Blackhawks win, our chefs created a chocolate #StanleyCup! See it Fri. @ #BlackhawksFanConvention http://t.co/VCSCQ17lMH—
French Pastry School (@PastrySchool) July 16, 2015

“It’s made from pure Cacao Berry couverture and took about 150 hours to create before being shown off at the Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz’s private party.”

There is nothing better than having two trophies, right!? (Especially when one is made of chocolate!)  It looks like the Blackhawks got their cake and ate it too! 😉

-Briana 

Date Ideas You Haven’t Thought Of

Out with the old, in with the new!

Instead of dinner and a movie (although that’s never a bad idea) try spicing up your date night with one of these fun and flirty ideas!

1. Cooking class. Go to a local one or find one that can come to you! Your date will surely be impressed with your skills and a yummy dinner. After all, a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!
2. Zoo. Can you really think of a better date than walking around all day looking at cute animals? Me neither.
3. Painting and wine class. Exactly what it sounds like. With step by step instructions your painting will look like a masterpiece. If not, at least you’ve got wine. And a date.
4. Game night. Pull out some old-fashioned board games and have a game night. Twister could get interesting, especially after a couple of drinks. You can also take it outside of the house and try an arcade like Dave and Busters.
5. Camping. Tent, sleeping bags, fire, scary stories and s’mores. You can even make this a double date! If you don’t actually want to be out in the wilderness, pitch a tent in someone’s backyard. I promise, from experience, it will be just as fun!

Have fun and be adventurous! Remember at the end of the night it’s all about who you’re with, not where you go, so if you’re a gamer they will be too!

– Paige

Why we LOVE Coconut Oil

Every female has their go-to beauty products, from their face wash to their shampoo and conditioner, right down to their MAC lipstick. It’s no secret that we put a lot of chemicals onto our skin and into our bodies for the sake of looking good and feeling better, but what if there was a better alternative? A more organic alternative?

Insert coconut oil. Here are some of the million ways to implement it into your everyday routine:

1. Homemade conditioner.
   Coconut oil is filled with vitamins and minerals that are amazing in helping restore damaged hair and replenishing protein that many hair products strip from our manes. It also helps to retain moisture, which is especially helpful for those with dry, brittle hair. There are plenty of recipes online for making your own conditioner, however if you just want something easy to whip up:

Recipe:
¼ cup of plain, nonfat yogurt
1 tbsp. of coconut oil
1 tbsp. of honey
1 cup of water, warmed up enough to melt the coconut oil.

Mix together in mixing bowl and apply evenly to hair after shampoo. Keep in hair for at least 30 minutes, under a shower cap or warm towel.

DISCLAIMER: It’s super important to play around with the measurements. Some hair is thicker and coarser than others and may require more of each or less for thinner, finer hair. Please take some time to get to know your hair type and what it needs.

If you don’t have time for the entire process, you can mix a small amount of coconut oil in with your normal conditioner to soften you hair and keep it shiny. Not to mention, your hair will smell amazing.

2. Moisturizer.
   
   Instead of using lotion, try replacing it with coconut oil. It helps to prevent
   stretch marks, burning (it’s a natural SPF…yay!) or helps to soothe psoriasis or eczema symptoms. If you’re feeling super fancy, you can mix it with sugar for a nice body scrub to use in the shower.
3. Lip Balm.
   You can use the coconut oil by itself on your lips as a chap stick if you need a little relief or you can get creative and make your own lip balm or lipstick. All you need is the oil, beeswax and shea butter!
4. Cooking.
   While coconut oil is great externally, there are also many great benefits it contains for your body internally! Try swapping out your heavier oils with coconut oil when cooking   or even try mixing it in with your favorite drink or smoothie. In the past, coconut oil was a no-no for many people because of the high saturated fat, but according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the Annals of Internal Medicine saturated fats aren’t the devils that people made them out to be. Not to mention, the Lauric Acid found in coconut oil helps to kill bacteria and viruses.

I could go on and on about the wonderful benefits that coconut oil provides. Bottomline: Go out and get some! You’ll thank me later. Also, if you know of any other fun, creative ways to use it, share it with me on Facebook facebook.com/thecoachsdaughters, Twitter @CoachsDaughters or Instagram @TheCoachsDaughters!

– Quianna

 

Drink of the Week: Strawberry Basil Margarita

Who doesn’t love a good margarita, am I right? Not much sounds better than coming home from a long day at work and whipping up a quick and easy margarita. Or two. Or three. Or, screw it, four. Heck, who says you can only consume these after work? I mean, it is 5 o’clock somewhere! Just make sure to make some yummy tacos to enjoy these with! #tacosandtequila

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped strawberries
¼ tequila (approximately 2 shots)
2 tablespoons agave (any kind works)
3 large basil leaves
8 ice cubes
Juice of half a lime
Juice of half an orange

Prep Time: 4 minutes
Mixing time: 2 minute
Total time: 6 minutes

Directions:

1. Combine strawberries, tequila, agave, basil, ice cubes, and fruit juices in a blender
2. Mix on medium until smooth
3. Add the ice and puree until the ice is completely crushed (about 1 minute)
4. OPTIONAL: Salt the rim of the glass
5. Pour into glass and enjoy
6. Repeat step 5
7. Repeat step 6
8. Repeat step 7 if you’re feeling fun!
   Let’s be real, you know us TCD girls will be!

– Alexa