Todays Wednesday wish-list is basically a complete outfit I would really like to own. I think it would look great in the Summer. Very retro and casual. I love love love this Gene Simmons top. It's so cool and creepy and rock 'n' roll and I also really love baseball tops at the moment which, makes me like it even more. The only thing is I was just watching one on ebay but, chose not to buy it yet as I am supposed to be saving and now I can't find another one anywhere. Just my luck. If only I'd been my usual 'buy now, regret later' self and been willing to spend the not so steep £12 on it. Hopefully I'll be able to find another one at some point though. Then I love this pair of Levi shorts from Ark. I already have two pairs of Levi shorts in black and a sort of medium blue but, I really like the pale colour of these ones and the frayed bottom style as both of my pairs are rolled up at the bottom. These are still available at Ark at the moment so, hopefully I'll be able to get myself a pair as I am in love with Levi's and they are my wardrobe essential in the Summer. I'm just a little worried as the picture is only an example so my pair might arrive and be completely different and I don't want them to be the same colour as the pair I already own.
I really want a pair of white converse too. Originally, I wanted the off-white, cream colour but, I can't find them anywhere in a size 4 so, I think I've decided I'm going to go for the white. I think they'll look great in the summer, I just hope I actually wear them as I own a classic black pair and they barely ever touch my feet as I pretty much only ever leave the house wearing my beloved vans. Still, I really like them so, I think I will probably invest in some at somepoint so, fingers crossed I don't regret it. Finally, I adore these sunglasses from Topshop and I have had them saved in my favourites list for weeks but, I just went on the website and noticed that they are now out of stock so, getting my dream summer outfit is going really well at the moment. Hopefully though they will be back in stock soon as it is only January so not really sunglasses weather yet and also they are very on trend at the moment with the oversized, round, 60s style which, I am loving.
Now, another item I would really like for the Summer is a Clippy Photo Beach Bag. (I am aware I am sounding far too eager for the Summer when we've barely even started January, sorry about that, it just seems like every item I find at the moment is far more suited to the Summer than it is to now.) I think it's a really lovely concept to be able to decorate your own bag and to fill it with your own pictures. It makes it very personal and creates a really nice bag which, perfectly suits you. It is quite expensive though at £25 so, I may look to see if you can get cheaper altenatives anywhere else but, I do really like the concept of it so knowing me I will probably eventually splash out on one if my funds haven't become too low. For now there is no more spending for me until the next payday though so we'll see if any of these items are still available or back in stock in a few weeks time. There are also other bags, wash bags and make-up cases etc. available on the website for a cheaper price if you also like the idea of having your own special photo bag.
Song of The Week : My Chemical Romance - The World Is Ugly.
I figured it was about time I featured a My Chemical Romance song on my blog as they are my favourite band. This is one of their new songs from the new Conventional Weapons album which, is being released as a series of five records each with two songs on. I think it's a really cool, unusual idea and concept and I love this song in particular as it's very emotional with it's theme of heartbreak but the lyrics are also really sweet and romantic. I found that the Danger Days album had alot more softer, more romantic, mature songs on too than any of My Chem's previous albums which, I actually really love. It's a really nice side to them. I heard this song quite a while ago now actually as there was a live version of it on youtube however, I'm ashamed to say that I have only just listened to the other singles on the Conventional Weapons album which, is terrible for a big My Chem fan. This song is featured on the third record and I also love the other song on the record too, The Light Behind Your Eyes which, is very emotional and hard hitting. It's about finding strength and never giving up. My Chem always put great meaning into their songs which, is what I love about them. They are also just a really lovely, normal, down to earth bunch of guys too which, is great and Frank Iero is also the most beautiful man alive which, is another rather pleasing thing about them. I got to see them on the Black Parade Tour when I was 13 and they were incredible, hopefully soon I'll be able to see them again! I hope you enjoy this song if you haven't heard it before and take a listen to some of the others on the album too!
These cupcakes are so cute and delicious. They are actually pretty simple and quick to make too and don't really have too many ingredients to them either which, is always a bonus. Again I found this lovely recipe in my 200 cupcakes cookbook which, is brilliant and has some really lovely, unique recipes in it. If you are a fan of making cupcakes or just baking in general I would deffinately reccommend getting it. Only £3.74 on Amazon, you can't really go wrong. It's a bargain.
I decided to make these little cupcakes yesterday as I have always been a fan of pistachios and I really liked the sound of the whole recipe. They taste really lovely but, my favourite thing about them is actually how sweet they look. I love the pistachio dusting around the base of the cakes, it's a really sweet idea and I love the colour pairing of the snow white icing and the pastel green chunks of pistachio, it makes the cupcakes look quite elegant and girly.
As I said though, more importantly, the taste is really lovely too. In the book the recipe calls for the use of Almond liqueur however, to save money and because I already had some in the house, I just used some almond essence which, worked really well. Obviously though, if you do have the pennies to spare or maybe already have some almond liqueur in the house I would deffinately use it as I bet it tastes delicious! Still, almond essence works well though for the baker on a budget!
Sometimes I feel a bit like an 18 year old going on 80 with my baking addiction and love of making cupcakes, then there are days like today when I wake up with a huge smile on my face and hurry downtairs purely to watch the first episode of the new series of Glee which, makes me feel like I'm a 12 year old again. One of these days I will work out how to act my age.
Recipe
Makes 12.
150g (5 oz) Pistachio nuts
125g (4 oz) lightly salted butter, softened
125g (4 oz) caster sugar
2 eggs
150g (5 oz) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
To decorate:
300ml (1/2 pint) double cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar
2 tablespoons almond or orange flavoured liqueur or 2 teaspoons of almond essence.
Line a 12-section bun tray with paper cake cases. Process the pistachio nuts in a food processor until finely chopped (remove the shells and skins to the best of your ability first if necessary).
Beat the butter, caster sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and 50g (2 oz) of the ground pistachio nuts with a hand-held electric whisk in a bowl for about a minute until light and creamy. Divide the mixture between the paper cases.
Bake in a preheated oven, 180C, Gas Mark 4, for 20 minutes or until risen and just firm to touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Peel away the paper cake cases. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and liqueur in the bowl until only just holding its shape. Transfer half to a separate bowl and reserve. Spread the remainder around the cakes and roll in the remaining ground pistachio nuts to coat the sides. Spoon the reserved flavoured cream on top and decorate with a few pieces of pistachio.
My adorable cousin Hugo on Christmas Day. Goodbye Christmas tree, see you next year. Mexican on New Years Eve. There is nothing better than a plate full of Enchildas and Nachos.
This week has been a good week so, I hope this is a sign of what's to come in 2013, that would make me very happy. I spent New Years Eve having a nice girly evening with my Mum and my sister Pepsi; having a few drinks, some enchiladas and nachos and watching The Vow and Serendipity, which are both incredbly sweet, romantic films which you should deffinately watch if you love a good love film and haven't watched them before. I then spent New Years day with the family again and had a nice relaxing day with my Mum, my Dad, my sister and my little nephew Charlie and we all tucked into a lovely meal cooked by my Dad. It was just like Christmas dinner all over again which, is always good in my books.
My lovely nephew Charlie getting ready for his New Years Day dinner. Thankyou very much Dad! Mum's pretty but, very expensive handmade wreath.
On Wednesday I got to meet up with three of my best friends; Jamie, Tom and Ben for the first time in months and we went Bowling which, was fun and really nice as they are all at Uni this year so I don't really get to see them so it was lovely to have a nice catch up.
Thursday was another very relaxing lazy day and in the evening I didn't have to go to work which, felt amazing. I only work two nights a week anyway which, I know isn't many at all but, it was just really nice to be able to climb into bed on a Thursday night instead of having to wait until 10' o clock on the Friday morning, and to feel wide awake on a Friday for the first time in months felt amazing too. I even woke up at 3am and just thought to myself, I'd normally be half way through my 10 hour shift of non-stop shelf stacking now but, instead I got to snuggle back down to sleep. Sleep is very underrated.
Mum and Dad on the train to Plymouth. Charlie enjoying his Jelly Tots. Topshop pants. They've got Paddington and Pugs on!
My Dad has also been on holiday from work this week too so, I went shopping in Plymouth on Friday with the family which, anybody from little old Cornwall knows is a huge treat as Cornwall offers very few shops including no Primark which, is terrible. Ofcourse, I natually picked up a few bargain bits from Primark and then got a cute new dress from Topshop too which, I really like as it's very simple and loose and easy to throw on and it is just like a big t-shirt really. I got my right size but, I am a bit worried now whether I should have gone for a size smaller so that it was a bit more fitted. Nevermind.
Maple Pecan Plait for breakfast? Yes please! Maccy D's for lunch! Yes, vegetarian's probably shouldn't go to McDonald's for lunch but, their veggie wrap is delicious. New Topshop dress.
Then yesterday I got to see another of my friends George which, was also great as although he still lives close by, I rarely get to see him either as he's still at college. I am determined to see him and my friends Charlie and Michelle more this year though as I love all of them and they all still live here in Cornwall. I just need to put in more effort to see them as these last few months have been quite dull with only seeing my friends on rare occassions whereas this week has been amazing in comparrison.
Got my Hillsborough Charity single. R.I.P the 96! Best Vanilla milkshake EVER! Nachoss for dinner at Zaffiros. I was in heaven.
Today I made some very yummy Pistachio Cream Cupcakes and just listened to the Liverpool Mansfield FA Cup Game on the radio while, munching on some gnocchi. My chubby days are now officially over now though as starting tomorrow the January health kick begins! Maybe...
If the rest of 2013 is filled with weeks as good as this I will be a very happy girl!
I do hope you have all had a lovey start to 2013 too.
I made this rather yummy pizza a fair few weeks ago now and as such have been my usual disorganised, 'I lose everything' self and cannot find the pictures I took of it anywhere. Luckily though I posted this picture on facebook the day I made it so I can at least show you a picture of the almost finished product.
I actually came up with this recipe myself as part of my Food Tech course at school and I'm really pleased with it. Roast veg always has a really lovely flavour so provides a great topping and the bread is really soft and flavourful with the addition of sundried tomato pieces. The sundried tomatoes also give the bread a really nice peachy colour which, looks quite cool and attractive too. Finally, the BBQ pizza sauce is delicious and goes perfectly with the veg and pizza dough.
This recipe has quite a few ingredients to it and does take a bit of time to prepare as you obviously have to chop all of the vegetables, make the bread from scratch and then make a homemade pizza sauce but, I would deffinately reccommend giving it a go if you are a big pizza fan as it has a delicious flavour and is deffinately worth the preparation time at the end. It also makes a great alternative to the shop bought pizza and provides vegetarians in particular with a nice new, unique flavoured pizza not available in the shops, as often the pizza flavours available to vegetarians can be quite limited. Still, this pizza is very much for anybody who likes the sound of it, so give it a go if you like and if you do I hope you enjoy it!
Recipe
250g Bread flour
50ml olive oil
150ml warm water
5g dried yeast
3g sugar
5g salt
25g Sundried tomatoes
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp. tomato puree
1 Onion
2 tbsp. BBQ Sauce
75g Cheddar
50g Mozzarella
1 Red Onion
50g Mushrooms
1/2 Courgette
1/2 Red Pepper
1/2 Yellow Pepper
Dried Mixed Herbs
Method
1. Place the bread flour in a large mixing bowl and add all of the other base ingredients: salt, dried yeast, sugar, warm water, olive oil, sundried tomatoes. Mix to form a dough and then knead on a floured surface until even textured, springy and no longer sticky.
2. Roll the dough into a circle to fit a large round pizza tray. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place.
3. Meanwhile, prepare all the topping ingredients: peel and chop the red onion into 8 wedges, peel and dice the onion, grate the cheeses, wash and slice the mushrooms, chop the peppers and chop the courgette.
4. Roast all of the prepared vegetables (except the diced onion) in a tray with a bit of olive oil.
5. Prepare the pizza sauce by frying off the diced onion in a little olive oil. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, BBQ Sauce and tomato puree and warm through. Puree the sauce.
6. Spread the base with the pizza sauce and sprinkle with the grated cheddar. Add the roast vegetables to form an attractive finish and scatter with mixed herbs and grated mozzarella.
7. Bake at 200C for 15 to 20 minutes until the base is crisp and the cheese is starting to brown.
Sorry for my very late post of the festive meal I made over two weeks ago now. To be honest though the ingredients aren't all that festive, it just somehow managed to have a festive, sort of special feel to it at the time which, was very nice. I found this lovely recipe for Vegetable Strudel in last month's Morrison's magazine and I instantly wanted to try it. I'm very glad I did as well as it turned out lovely. It has a quite unusual, unique flavour but, it is very tasty and although, I am well aware on the 1st of January 2013 noone is considering what they will be eating for this years Christmas Dinner but, it honestly would make a great option for Vegetarian's at Christmas as an alternative to the normal nut roast. You could also really have this dish at any time of the year though and you could make whatever alterations you wish to it to fit more with what ingredients are in season when you make it.
There are lots of ingredients but, they all somehow manage to work really well together. It is the goats cheese though which, really makes this dish, it is delicious and works perfectly with the other flavours of the dish and the filo and it just brings everything together. I found that everything cooked perfectly following the recipe and timings however, the apple was still a little crunchy which, I was fine with but if you wouldn't like that you could always maybe cook it a little in some boiling water beforehand to soften it a bit.
I have never worked with filo pastry before either which, I was quite excited about and I think I managed to actually do an alright job of it. The pastry was cooked perfectly as well so I know Paul and Mary would be proud. (Great British Bake-Off Superfan here, I do apologise). I served the strudel with some roast parsnips, cranberry sauce and brussel sprouts as I was being festive at the time and I also served it alongside some Creamed Leeks. Oh my, creamed leeks are incredible. If you have never had them before you have to try them, just sweat some chunks of leek in quite a bit of butter ;) and then simply add a good drenching of single cream. Very healthy ofcourse, it was Christmas afterall. Now you could just serve it with anything really, cous cous, roast vegetables, carrots, cauliflower cheese. Anything.
Recipe (Serves 8 people apparently, mine served 4 :/, I'm a bit chubby with my portion sizes though.)
125g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
200g cooked fresh chestnuts, finely chopped
150g fresh breadcrumbs
2 eating apples, peeled, cored and diced
small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
220g filo pastry
125g soft goat’s cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/Gas 6. Heat 25g of the butter and all the oil and cook the onion, garlic, leek and red pepper for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened but not coloured. Remove from the heat and stir in the chestnuts, breadcrumbs, apple, herbs and eggs until well combined. Season.
2. Unroll the filo and cover with a damp cloth to stop it drying out. Melt the remaining butter. Brush a sheet of pastry with butter, cover with another sheet and repeat until you have six layers. Spread half the stuffing across the centre of the filo, dot over the goat’s cheese, cover with the remaining stuffing and wrap it all up. Lay seam side down on a baking sheet, tucking the ends under. Brush with melted butter.
3. Brush 3 more sheets of pastry with butter and scrunch on top of the parcel. Cover the strudel with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 minutes until golden. Serve with whatever accompaniments you like.
If you are making it around Christmas or you are just a big Cranberry fan you could also serve it with the Cranberry and Orange Sauce it suggests on the website. I only didn't as I thought with the million different ingredents I was already buying for the actual Strudel I ought to cut back somewhere, else my weeks wages would all be spent on cooking one meal. If you would like to try it though you can find the recipe here.
I am absoloutely, head over heels, in love with this song. I literally don't think I ever stopped listening to it yesterday, I must have pressed repeat 1000 times. The lyrics are just stunning and it is such a cute, lovely song. Ed sure knows how to write a good love song. I also love Fall at the moment too, it's very sweet. Are you a Ed Sheeran fan? I think you have to be.
Happy New Year to you all as well! I hope you had a great night last night and I hope you have a lovely new years day today, whatever state that may be in I hope you find a way to enjoy it. I plan to spend time with the family and play with my incredible little nephew Charlie and then have a yummy dinner for lunch so, other than that I think just a normal, lazy day for me which will be nice and as such hopefully I will have a bit of time to do some much needed blogging as I have been pretty terrible throughout December at posting anything but, the occassional Christmas song. Which reminds me, I hope you had an incredible Christmas, I miss it already. It really is the most wonderful time of the year. Cheesy. Although, very truthfull. But, no in all seriousness I love it and it goes far too quickly for me but, I hope you enjoyed yours while it lasted. I have a few recipes that I could post of meals I made a few weeks ago so I will probably post those today if I can. They are a little festive though so I hope you don't mind. I've got a Festive Vegetable Strudel recipe, a BBQ Roasted Vegetable Pizza recipe and some Chocolate Crunchy Cupcakes to post about. All very yummy.
Anyway, as today is new years day, do I have any new years resoloutions or plans? I haven't actually thought about it to be honest, I guess they're just the same as always so this year I'll try to get them done which is something I never manage. In a way I guess I'd kind of like to achieve more or accomplish more as odd as that sounds, not necessarily in terms of like academic achievement, I just want to look back at the end of next year, actually this year, and think wow how did I manage to do tall of that, that was a good year. I often find myself missing out on certain things because I'm not brave enough to give them a go. I've always been quite shy and nervous about things which, often stops me from trying new things and meeting new people which, I hate about myself. I wish I could be braver and not worry so much, I get it from my lovely, worrying mum and I know I'll never be able to get rid of my nervous nature or my shyness but, I just want to have less fear I guess and to be braver and to just get out and do things even if I am nervous. That is again my plan for this year, be more outgoing. And I will actually be thrown into the deep end with that come September when I head off to University as I will be surrounded by new things and new people but, it's just something I have to do to grow up and I'm sure I'll love it when I get their. I have to admit I'm a bit more excited about going this year which is good as last year I was terrified which, makes me think my gap year was a good idea. Finally.
Other things I'd like to do. Lose weight. That's always near to the top of the list. I don't think I'm fat, I have so many people telling me off and telling me I'm not fat and that I'm being stupid but, it isn't that I think I'm fat, I would just like to lose a bit of weight for myself so hopefully I can do that. Get a nice bikini body for the Summer. I'm not going to stress about it though. I'd also like to get my nose pierced and to dye my hair purple. I love Kelly Osbourne's hair at the moment, it looks amazing and so does she. She's lost a lot of weight and she looks great and she also dresses amazing at the moment.
I'd love to do my hair like hers although, being a Sainsbury's worker currently I'm not sure how well they'd react to lilac hair or a nose piercing come to think of that. Even if I am a night shift worker who is locked in the store for 9 hours of the night and is only let loose on the customers for for 1 hour in the morning I don't think they'd be too forgiving. Afterall, I did almost get fired when I first started for not wearing my name badge for that one hour where 3 customers wander in. I am only working until this summer though as I will then be jetting off on holiday (or in my case driving for endless hours in a cramped car as my Dad loves a challenge) and then heading up to Uni so I might try the purple hair out then. Who knows, Italian guys might love purple hair although, on a holiday with your parents I'm not sure what use that would be.
I would very much like to find romance in the year of 2013 too please, as would every single girl I would imagine. I watched both Serendipity and The Vow yesterday which, are so cute and lovely but, it makes you so sad to think that those guys either don't exist or it will take you more than a lifetime to find them. I still believe that one day I will find the fairy tale romance though, I haven't lost hope just yet. Suso the beautiful Spanish footballer who plays for Liverpool FC would be just great :P but, to be honest I would be happy with any sweet, lovely, funny guy. A scouser, spaniard or irishman would just be a huge bonus.
Also, this year I am determined to finally get a tattoo. I love tattoos and I have wanted one for ever. I haven't been holding off because I'm scared which, is surprising for me. Infact, I'm actually more nervous about the nose piercing, it's just something about stabbing and punching through your nose which, screams agony to me although, I don't think it's quite like that. I had to fight back the tears when my ears were pierced after my mum and sister told me they didn't feel a thing. Maybe I'm just a huge wuss which, makes a tattoo a great idea. I'm not actually too nervous about it at the moment though, I know when that needle touches my skin though I will wonder why I would ever possibly want to put myself through so much pain but, for now I'm not too bad. I've just been holding off because I want to make sure I get the right thing, I don't want to have it inked on my body and then regret it instantly or even 30 years down the line if I can help it. The tattoo I have always wanted and will probably eventually settle on is a compass. I love compass tattoos. And for me a compass would symbolise direction and finding my direction and my way through life. Finding the right path but, never forgetting your way home when you need it or where you come from. Without sounding cheesy ofcourse :P. Also, I think a compass would look really vintage and classy too.
Finally, I would like to blog alot more and perhaps find a way to make my blog look more professional. Mine still looks a bit poor but, I'm no whizz with technology and still have no real idea how to use blogger. I have a huge wardrobe crammed full of clothes, granted only a third of them get worn, if that but, I'm sure I can squeeze out a good few outfit posts. Already, looking back at the ones I've posted I cringe and think why did I wear that? And that's only two months ago. My style changes all the time, I'm dressing quite simply at the moment and in a lot of black. At the moment, I seem to get up everyday and pull on a pair of black leggings or skinny jeans and then one of my beloved Topshop geek t-shirts, yes I have two. I love them though. That's all I wear at the moment, I think I should be a bit more adventurous again. I'm also trying to be a bit more girly again and pop on some cute dresses with my brogues which I quite like at the moment. I'll always love vintage style. Other than that just lots of baking and recipe posts I think are needed and I really need to get writing the story I started months ago again as I now have a functioning laptop again. I love writing and sometimes wonder if I shouldn't have gone down the English route for studying but, I do love my food and cooking and I'm only 18 so you never know in the future. Still, I would like to post some of my story on here eventually aswell.
Another plan I'd like to start working on is to somehow become a minor celebrity, god knows how with my very few talents but, if that is possible that would be great, purely so I can appear on Strictly Come Dancing within the next few years.
Well that was far longer than I had planned, I guess that's December's posts all stored up and crammed into one.
Again a very Happy New Year and I hope you have a lovely day and an amazing year!
Thankyou for reading!
