Best of Christmas (Part One)

It's December, its snowing and it's a week till Christmas...well what else would i talk about at this time of the year.

Food:
My love of Nigella Lawson remains strong, despite this disappointing TV series compared to last years 'Christmas' recipes, but i will push on because last Christmas i discovered a dessert which not only looks tempting but has a bloody good name: GIRDLEBUSTER PIE! A glorious mix of biscuit, chocolate, ice-cream and caramel. Basically ripping your fillings out, very sweet, heart-attack in a bowl of loveliness and here's how to make:

Serves 8-10
INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BASE

* 375g digestive biscuits
* 75g soft unsalted butter
* 50g dark chocolate pieces or chips
* 50g milk chocolate pieces or chips

FOR THE ICE CREAM FILLING

* 1 litre coffee ice cream

FOR THE TOPPING

* 300g golden syrup
* 100g light muscovado sugar
* ¼ teaspoon Maldon salt or pinch of table salt
* 75g unsalted butter
* 2 x 15ml tablespoons bourbon
* 125ml double cream

METHOD

1. Process the biscuits with the butter and chocolate pieces or chips until it forms a damp but still crumb-like clump. Press into a 23cm pie plate or flan dish. Form a lip of biscuit a little higher than the plate or dish if you can. This process takes patience as you need ideally to form a smooth even layer. Sorry. Freeze this biscuit-lined layer for about an hour so it gets really hard.

2. In the meantime, let your ice cream soften, just enough to be scooped, in the fridge. Spread the ice cream into the hard-biscuit-lined dish to form a layer. Then cover in clingfilm and replace in the freezer.

3. Put the syrup, sugar, salt (if using) and butter into a saucepan and let it melt over a low to medium heat, before turning it up and boiling for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and add the bourbon, letting it hiss in the pan. Add the cream and stir to mix into a sauce, then leave to cool. And once the sauce is cool, but not set cold, pour it over the pie to cover the ice cream layer and then put it back in the freezer. Once frozen, cover with clingfilm again.

4. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer, take the whole pie out of its dish and cut into slices. Should you have any pie left over, slip it quickly back into the dish and return, covered with clingfilm, to the freezer.

Golden Syrup Sponge Cake in the Microwave

Here's a quick and simple recipe that often gets made in my house as it takes about 7 minutes from start to finish and it bloody gorgeous!

Here's what you need:
100g Butter
100g Sugar
1 Egg
Golden Syrup (of course)
120g Self raising flour
Vanilla Essence (if you have some lying around)
Cream

How to make:
Mix together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and the vanilla essence and and continue mixing. Lastly (see how quick it is) add a big dollop of golden syrup, like a table spoon amount and flour. After flour has been mixed in, stop stirring, don't over stir otherwise the mixture becomes heavy.

In a microwave proof dish put two table spoon full of golden syrup and spread out over the bottom on the dish. Pour the mixture onto and cover with cling film. Put in microwave for 3 minutes. Take out and allow to rest for another two minutes.

Serve with cream and enjoy.

Friday Afternoon - TEA TIME

Once again the weekend will soon be upon us (cheer's all round! :D) and when deterring away from work I found another fantastic little tea accessory: Submarine Tea Infuser!

I'm guessing its based upon The Beatles Yellow Submarine song but since I'm not a Beatles fan I'm taking it as face value; a brand new totally awesome idea for people like me who enjoy random objects around the house (esp to do with tea and being typically English) which may have very little use.

Can be packed with tea leaves (the best option to complete the product) or tea bags for those forgot to buy leaves.



Best Price I found: Play.com £6.99

TeaCup Pig

One of the cutest, most adorable things, Teacup Pigs.
When fully grown they are the size of a small cat and weight around 65lb and live up to 18 years. You can ever litter train them and all they need is food, water, exercise and lots of love and play, just like a dog. The downfall? They are £500-700 but the cuteness out weighs the price.

Imagine a little piggy running around the house. Sweet.

Plush Fruit and Veg

In the new Ikea Catalog I noticed these brilliant Plush Fruit and Veg Baskets. Made for kids of course but that doesn't stop me loving them, nor the fact that I have no clue what I would do with them. Maybe they could just sit proudly in the Kitchen, a nice talking point...??



Also available: Plush Dessert set / Plush Breakfast
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/10185748 - Veg Basket
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/70185745 - Fruit Basket

Graze - Nature Delivered

I recently came across http://www.graze.com/

Graze produces 'lunch boxes' filled with natural treats from a selection of nuts, fresh/dried fruits and berries, seeds, olives, crackers or even yummy treats including chocolate buttons and flapjacks. Just pick the type of food you want in your personalised box and its delivered to either work or home however many time a week/month you want it. Best of all the first box is half price at £1.64!!

Try something different for lunch...

Truffle Shuffle

Its has been many years since I first fell in love with Truffle Shuffle. My search for 80's/90's T-Shirts to remind myself of my fav TV/Films/Games as a child and now to match perfectly with my love of 80's music (Oh Wham! how I love you) and films (Molly Ringwald rocks) started when looking at American sites with their oh-so-over priced delivery charges meant I was very excited when I found our own British 80's Tee's shop! With a selection to really bring back good times, here's a few of my fav online now:


Where Truffle Shuffle originated from: Good old Goonie Chunk whose belly can make anyone laugh. Great Film.


A personal favourite as Beauty and the Beast was my first Disney film and therefore holds a special place in my heart.



 I love that someone has thought of this, wear it around Twlight fans and see what reaction you get. 



Because Daddy I Do!


Reliving the Hungry Hippos memories.





 Another reference to Beauty and the Beast with this little Charmer. Mrs Potts and Chip side by side as it should be in this beautiful necklace.

Cooking in Pink

Utensils, microwave, kettle, toaster... You name it, if it's in pink then i want it and here it a selection of my kitchen desires:



































Toaster: Argos £24.95
Cafetiere: Pink Princess £12.50
Microwave: Pink Princess £74.95
Scales: AllthingsPink.com
Tea Pot: Argos £12.95
Cake Stand: Argos £9.99

Shower, Shave and Hula?

The shower curtain has long been an object which allows a bit of kitsch and colour into many single coloured bathrooms, but the days off looking at the fish or studying the world map while cleaning yourself up is being replaced by the influx of plain white or plastic 'shower guards'. But ladies and gentleman luckily for us some smart people have created some very unique designs.

Transform the bathroom into a island paradise with the hula lady brightening up your morning shower, and maybe get you in the mood for dancing.

Or for the lads return to childhood with the cowboy curtain and take on the wild west, YeeHa!




(Both Priced £25 at www.notoriouskitsch.co.uk)

Sunday Dessert

I'm not saying I don't have dessert the rest of the week, of course I do, don't be silly but Sunday has this lure when ice-cream of a yogurt just isn't good enough. Cheese cake, trifle and chocolate pudding are Sunday desserts but top on the list is a good old crumble. Home made of course. Now put down the frozen or packet crumble, that is pure laziness. It’s simple:

Apple Crumble:

- Cooking or Eating Apples both seem to work (no set amount, cut a few up if you need more cut a few more but remember to take skins off.)
- Golden Syrup
- 150g Plain Flour
- 100g Butter
- 50g Caster Sugar
- 50g Soft Brown Sugar
- Cream or Custard
- Cinnamon or Mixed Spice
- Optional: Raisins & Oats

Method:
1) Pre-heat oven to Gas 5/190C/375F
2) Drizzle a decent amount of golden syrup at the bottom of the ovenproof dish/bowl.
3) Cut the apples into about 1cm pieces but no need to get the exact measurement. Place on top of the golden syrup. Add Raisins if wish
4) In a separate bowl add the butter and flour and use hands to rub the butter and flour together until you get a bread crumb texture.
5) Add the caster and brown sugar and a 1 and a half pinches of cinnamon or mixed spice and mix all together with a spoon.
6) Add oats if wish to this mixed but may have to add more butter otherwise mixture will become to dry.
7) Spoon over the apple and gently pat down. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top.
8) Cook for 30-40 mins until crumble is browned.
9) Serve with lashings of cream or custard.
10) Enjoy!

The Chocolate Chip Cookie (Part 1)

The Quest: Master the chocolate chip cookie.

Many years have past sine I began this quest and yet I remain unsuccessful. Beginning in cookery class at middle school when in some miraculous moment I produced a cookie to beat all cookies (at least I thought so) flat and yummy looking - crunchy on the outside, sweet and soft in the middle. Since then despite using the same recipe I have never been able to create these cookies again. Mine now come out either too hard or like mini cakes. I'm very disappointed and beginning to think, did I mix up my batch of cookies with someone else all those years ago?!?

Now if anyone has a recipe please, PLEASE send it to me. I've tried less flour, more butter, golden syrup, not mixing the flour in too much because apparently this adds in more air or something. It’s rather dis-hearting after the excitement of baking only to produce yet another flop and forcing the family and friends to eat the mis-haps of my cooking. I will keep hoping and trying and maybe one day....

A Girls Best Friend...

Its been a while since I last posted and for that I apologise, I've been a bad blogger I know. So I thought I was talk about the love of many's lives, shoes glorious shoes! A favourite place of mine to drool over some beautifully designed and quirky shoes is Schuh so this post all the shoes can be found on the Schuh website:


The two main Spring/Summer fashion's rolled into one gorgeous well designed show. The light floral design against the striking stripes, reminding me of the nautical, combine perfectly. A girly statement with a flash of rock and roll. Retails around: £69.99
















These pumps can be described in one word: Cute!
The perfect pump for the summer months and if your like me and don't tend to dress head-to-toe in bright colours, than a hit of colour from your shoes can add personality to any outfit. Retails around £34.99









Another extremely girly shoe with a touch of glamour thanks to the sliver base colour with delicate white flowers and lace styled edges. With the low heel this show could suit a night out or with a pair of skinny jeans during the day. A piece of art work. Retails around £59.99










Not as bold as the previous three but sometimes even the plain shoe can make a impact. The deep patent blue and large bow has taken what could be seen as a basic shoe to make it something to be proud of wearing, day time, night time, any time.
Retails around: £34.99







What did i think when I saw these shoes? WOW. A serious massive wow, these would be the ultimately perfect night out shoes. The sequins adding glamour and shine, imagine the light bouncing of these when dancing in the club, certainly would get you noticed. The patent layered with the sequins, layered with the fabric give real vamp to these shoes and not forgetting the sequin heel is a fantastic touch. Retails around: £69.99 but in my opinion worth it!

Tea for Two

What could be more classically English than a good cuppa tea? Cute, classic, kitsch, traditional, whatever your style, tea rooms are popping up everywhere offering you your daily afternoon cuppa, cakes and finger sandwiches. A tea can solve pretty much anything, so to celebrate the glorious English tradition here's a selection of tea related items:



Necklace : Clutterfly
Tea: Whittard
Teapot: Whittard
Necklace: Accessorize
Cake Stand: Hotcakesgifts
Kettle: John Lewis

Mr Darcy Love

"This is a wretched beginning indeed! My sole dependence was on you; and I am sure nobody else will believe me, if you do not. Yet, indeed, I am in earnest. I speak nothing but the truth. He still loves me, and we are engaged."

How delighted I was to find my perfect man all wrapped up, so to speak, a Mr Darcy of my own in a golden locket. Now I'm not one of those Mr Darcy fanatics, I like Pride and Prejudice as much and no more then the next person but I doubt that many girls after reading the book or watching the film could deny a love for Darcy.
PLUS is bang on style! Victorian pictures/objects are hanging off many necklaces lately: pocket watches, bicycles and old fashioned phones, not to mention the silhouette of the Victorian middle classed lady but I'm venturing out for a more traditional approach to the locket, having my hearts desire inside (sorry Neil!)

From: http://rocknrose.bigcartel.com/product/mr-darcy